Jesper Hougaard Poker Tournament Updates

Level 21, Hour Two: Habib Doubles Up On First Hand, Chan Takes Big Hit

Jul 15, '10

Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 186 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 1,180,483

Card Player Chip Counts:

Andrew Brokos – 1,265,000
Tony Dunst – 327,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Robert Pisano – 4,400,000
2. Joseph Cheong – 3,830,000
3. Michael Skender – 3,527,000
4. Damien Luis – 3,500,000
5. Evan Lamprea – 3,300,000
6. Duy Le – 3,186,000
7. Sebastian Panny – 3,100,000
8. Josh Brikis – 2,800,000
9. James Carroll – 2,800,000
10. Bryn Kenney – 2,790,000

Notable Eliminations:

188. Blake Kelso — $48,847
196. Matt Keikoan — $48,847
198. Alexander Dovzhenko — $48,847
202. Paul Kristoffersson — $48,847

Player Twitter Accounts

Jean-Robert Bellande
Tristan Wade
Josh Brikis
Christian Harder
Michael Mizrachi

Big Hands:

Habib Hits The Ground Running

Hasan Habib shoved for 264,000 on the very first hand of the day. Action folded to Paul Dlugozima in the hijack and he made the call.

Habib: QQ
Dlugozima: AK

The race was on as Habib’s ladies were a slight favorite, until the flop came down QJ10, giving Dlugozima a Broadway straight.

Habib was not out of it, however, as he had flopped a set. The turn was the J, giving Habib a full house and a lock on the hand. The river was the 3 and Habib doubled to 570,000. Dlugozima was left with just 64,000 and was eliminated a few hands later.

Erkenov Doubles Up

Diogo Borges raised from the button and Ismail Erkenov repopped. The two went back and forth until Erkenov found himself all in for 684,000.

Borges: AK
Erkenov: KK

Erkenov needed to fade a three outer and the flop fell J75. He was still ahead but still needed to fade an ace or running cards. The turn was the 9 and Borges was down to needing an ace to score the knockout. But the river was the 5 and Erkenov doubled to 1.4 million. Borges was hammered down to 160,000.

Lamprea Forced Out

Evan Lamprea raised to 38,000 preflop and Pavel Milanov made the call from a couple of seats over. The two players then saw a flop of 764 and Lamprea fired 52,000.

Milanov made the call and the turn was the A. Lamprea fired another barrel, this one for 127,000. Milanov then decided to fire back, moving all in for 500,000.

That caused Lamprea to muck his hand and he was down to 3.3 million. Milanov improved to 830,000.

Baker Gives Up The Double

David Baker raised to 36,000 and Russell Rosenblum made it 110,000 to go from the button. Baker put in one last raise for just 8,000 more, putting Rosenblum all in.

Rosenblum: K9
Baker: 75

Baker held two live cards but both players caught a piece of the A97 flop. Rosenblum stayed ahead when the board finished off J and 2 and he doubled to 275,000. Baker was at 717,000.

Lodden With The KO

Johnny Lodden raised from the cutoff and Richard Kirsch moved all in for 165,000. Lodden looked him up and they turned over their cards.

Lodden: A9
Kirsch: 55

Lodden jumped ahead in the race when the flop fell AQ4. The turn was the 2, giving Kirsch outs to a wheel. But the 10 bricked off and Lodden scored the knockout. He was at 2 million after the hand.

Hougaard Doubles Through David Peters

Picking up the action after the flop, Jesper Hougaard moved all in for 205,000 after the flop came down KK10. David Peters looked him up with QQ.

But Hougaard had outflopped Peters as he tabled KJ for trips. The turn was the 4 and the river was the 4, filling up Hougaard and doubling him to 600,000. Peters was down to 580,000.

Chan Takes One, Then Takes One On The Chin

Picking up the action after the turn, the board read J832. Johnny Chan fired 85,000 and Robin Bergren popped it to 205,000.

Chan made the call and the river was the 9. Chan kept his foot on the gas pedal as he led out with 250,000. Bergren had enough and threw his hand away.

Chan took down the pot and he was at 2,850,000.

A few hands later, Robert Pisano and Chan got into a raising war that saw Pisano all in for 2.19 million. Chan made the call and the ultimate cooler was shown.

Chan: KK
Pisano: AA

Chan was on the wrong end of the cold deck and the board ran out 105474. Pisano became the chip leader with 4.4 million while Chan was at 800,000.

Dorfman Ejects Villard

David Villard was all in preflop and Randy Dorfman put him at risk. Here were their hands:

Villard: 33
Dorfman: JJ

Villard was in bad shape against the overpair and for possible flush draws were covered. The board ran out A10410J and Dorfman scored the knockout with jacks-full. He was at 1.45 million.

Keikoan Flushed Away

We didn’t catch the action, but Matt Keikoan found himself all in after the board had run out AJ364.

Matthew Pearson decided to look him up and he turned over KQ for the second nut-flush. Keikoan could only show 74 for a lesser flush and he was shown the door. He took home $48,847 for his efforts in the Main Event and it was his third cash of the 2010 WSOP. He won a bracelet in Event No. 29 ($10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship).

Pearson was up to 846,000 after the knockout.

Affleck Dumped By The Ladies

Jared Ingles opened for 35,000 and Daniel Chamberlain made it 85,000 to go from the hijack seat. Matt Affleck then made it 200,000 from the button and only Chamberlain stuck around.

The flop then fell 863. Chamberlain checked to Affleck, who fired 225,000. Chamberlain made the call and the 3 came on the turn. Chamberlain checked again and Affleck slowed down as he did the same.

The river was the 7 and both players checked again. Chamberlain then tabled QQ and Affleck mucked. Chamberlain was at 2.55 million after the hand while Affleck slipped to 2.45 million.

Bellande Shows The Respect

Jean-Robert Bellande and Jesper Hougaard each saw a flop of AA3. Both players checked and the 7 fell on the turn.

Bellande led for 65,000 and Hougaard made the call. The 6 came on the river and Bellande fired 125,000. Hougaard then moved in for 458,000 and Bellande took a tank session.

He eventually mucked AK face up as he dropped to 700,000. Hougaard would move up to 1.02 million after he knocked out Claudio Baptista on the very next hand.

Player Tags: David Baker,   Hasan Habib,   Matt Keikoan,   Johnny Chan,   Russell Rosenblum,   Richard Kirsch,   Johnny Lodden,   Jesper Hougaard,   Paul Dlugozima,   Randy Dorfman,   Diogo Borges,   Robert Pisano,   Ismail Erkenov

Allen Cunningham Defeats Jesper Hougaard

Mar 05, '10

Jesper Hougaard (pictured left) was all in holding KQ against the A2 of Allen Cunningham.

The board fell 964109 and Hougaard was eliminated. Cunningham moves on to face the winner between Eli Elezra and Greg Mueller.

Player Tags: Allen Cunningham,   Jesper Hougaard

Jesper Hougaard Busts

Oct 04, '09

After losing most of his stack with pocket eights to pocket nines, Jesper Hougaard was left with just under 10,000 in chips.

He got the rest of them in preflop with KJ against the big blinds reluctant call with 108. The board ran out eight high and Hougaard was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard

Level 17 Hour 1 Update: Jesus Hits the Rail

Jul 11, '09

Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 468 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,720,000
2. Billy Kopp – 1,487,000
3. Blair Hinkle – 1,450,000
4. Miika Puumalainien – 1,440,000
5. Benjamin Jensen – 1,400,000
6. Harry Kazazian – 1,400,000
7. Ludovic Lacay – 1,400,000
8. James Akenhead – 1,140,000
9. Charlie Elias – 1,060,000
10. Bernard Perner – 1,050,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 288,000
Jeff Shulman – 270,000

Average Chip Count: 376,828

Notable Eliminations:

Chris Ferguson
Mark Gregorich
Jesper Hougaard

Big Hands:

Hac Dang Gets the Best of Persson

On a flop of 938, Magnus Persson moved his last 200,000 into the middle and was called by prominent high-stakes online player Hac Dang. Dang showed AA and was ahead of Persson’s flush draw with his A4.

The turn was the 4, giving Dang a few more outs, but the river was the 7 and Persson was sent to the rail.

Bernard Perner Hits Seven Figures

Binjian Wu bet 100,000 on the river with over 300,000 in the pot already and the board reading 58K410 and Bernard Perner was faced with a decision.

Perner took a long time to think about his decision before finally deciding to make the call. Wu tabled AK, but Perner turned two pair and showed K4. With that pot, Perner cracked the 1,000,000 chip mark.

Chris Ferguson Eliminated

Chris Ferguson was crippled right before the break when his two pair was not as good as his opponent’s two pair, leaving him with 4,000 chips. After a few hands in this level, he was all in for his 1,000 ante. A player in early position limped in and Sander Lylloff made it 21,000. Everybody folded and so did the limper, leaving Lylloff to eliminated the man known as “Jesus.”

Lylloff had A6 and Ferguson had 92. The flop was great for Lylloff as it came 66J. The 8 on the turn left Ferguson drawing dead and he exited the tournament and headed for the payout desk.

Kings Hold Up for Sebok

Raymond Muster got all of his chips into the middle preflop and was called by Joe Sebok. Sebok tabled KK and Muster showed AK. The flop was great for Sebok when the dealer put out the 745, leaving Muster with only two outs.

The turn was the 4 and the river was the 2, giving Sebok a flush and eliminating Muster from the tournament. Sebok now has 458,000 in chips.

Ivey Eliminates Wu With Aces

Ivey raised to 16,000 preflop from early position and was called by Binjian Wu. The flop was 72Q and Ivey bet 23,000 and was called. The turn was the 8 and Ivey bet 55,000, which sent Wu into the tank before eventually putting out the call.

The river was the 4 and Ivey forced Wu to put in the rest of his chips. Wu eventually made the call and Ivey tabled AA and Wu was eliminated from the tournament. Ivey is now up to 900,000 in chips.

Sevens Are Big Enough for J.C. Tran

After a raise and a call preflop, J.C. Tran and Jordan Smith watched a flop of 1032. Smith bet 23,000 and was called by Tran. The turn was the 5 and Smith bet 55,000, called again by Tran.

The river paired the board, and the dealer turned over the 5 and this time both players checked. Smith said he had a pair, and Tran showed him the 77. Smith flashed pocket sixes and tossed them into the muck.

Jesper Hougaard’s Kicker Isn’t Big Enough

On a flop of A75, Jesper Hougaard bet out and was raised by his opponent. Hougaard then moved all in and was called by his opponent.

Hougaard tabled A8 and needed running diamonds or an 8 when he saw his opponent’s AK. The turn was the 10 and the river was the Q and Hougaard was eliminated.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Phil Ivey,   Jesper Hougaard,   Magnus Persson,   Hac Dang

Level 17 Update: Action Starting to Pick Up

Jun 18, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 17 out of 363

Chip Counts:

1. Sorel Mizzi — 700,000
2. Cliff Josephy — 690,000
3. Isaac Baron — 510,000
4. Rifat Palevic — 475,000
5. Ralph Perry — 470,000
6. Felipe Ramos — 395,000
7. Matt Gianetti — 310,000
8. Peter Jetten — 240,000
9. Samuel Ngai — 235,000
10. Van Marcus — 222,000

Average Chip Count: 320,294

Notable Eliminations:

Jesper Hougaard, Fabrice Soulier, Mike Watson

Big Hands:

Mizzi Doubles Through Jesper Hougaard to Vault into the Chip Lead

After taking a flop of Q810, Sorel Mizzi led out for 30,000. After a fold, Jesper Hougaard raised to 100,000. After a few moments, Mizzi raised all in and Hougaard made the call. The cards were turned up and Hougaard showed the 9 10 J Q, good for top two pair and the nut straight, while Mizzi showed the Q89A, good for top and bottom two pair and the nut flush draw.

The turn card was the A and Mizzi picked up a few extra outs, but the J on the river made Mizzi’s flush and gave him the pot. This pot put Mizzi well over the 500,000 mark.

Watson Folds to Palevic’s River Bet

After a short stacked player in early position raised to 25,000, Rifat Palevic called, and then Mike Watson min-raised to 42,000. Both players called and they took the flop three-handed.

The flop was A39 and both players checked to Watson, who bet 52,000. The short stacked player folded and Palevic called.

The 7 was the turn card and both players checked. The 3 was the river card and Palevic then wanted to know how much Watson had left. After getting an answer, he thought for a few moments before just tossing in a pile of chips that was approximately 60,000 and Watson folded as soon as the chips hit the felt.

Ralph Perry Runs a Big Bluff

After a player in late position came in for a raise, Ralph Perry three-bet for the size of the pot. They took the flop heads up and it came KK4. Perry then fired out 75,000 and his opponent went into the tank before showing two aces and folding.

“Do you want to see,” said Perry before showing the J1079 which completely missed the flop.

Player Tags: Cliff Josephy,   Ralph Perry,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 16 Update: Three Tables Left

Jun 18, '09

Level 16 Update

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Remaining: 27 out of 363

Chip Counts:

1. Jesper Hougaard — 500,000
2. Rifat Pelevic — 390,000
3. Sorel Mizzi — 350,000
4. Isaac Baron — 320,000
5. Evan Sofer — 280,000
6. Richard Austin — 240,000
7. Matt Gianetti — 235,000
8. Van Marcus — 200,000
9. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy — 195,000
10. Ralph Perry — 177,000

Average Chip Count: 201,666

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Lisandro

Big Hands:

Baron’s Big Draw Bricks, Doubles up Van Marcus

After taking a three-handed flop of 257, Van Marcus leads out or 27,000. Sorel Mizzi gets out of the way and Isaac Baron asks him how much he has left. After a moment of contemplation, Baron raised to 80,000 and Marcus moves all in and was instantly called by Baron.

Van Marcus turns over 22Q5, good for bottom set and had to fade the big draw that Baron showed when he exposed the 64K7. The board bricked off for Baron is it came 10K and Van Marcus doubled up.

Ralph Perry Punishes Limpers to Take Down Pot

After five players limped in, it was up to Ralph Perry in the big blind. Perry took his option and decided to make it 30,000. Sorel Mizzi, after limping in under the gun, tanked for a few moments before making the call. Isaac Baron mucked, as did Fabrice Soulier, and the small blind decided to make the call.

The flop came down K37 and the small blind checked. Perry cut out some chips and bet out 75,000. Sorel Mizzi pondered his options for a minute or so before finally releasing his hand, and the small blind quickly mucked, allowing Perry to rake the pot.

Cliff Josephy Tangles With Jesper Hougaard

Cliff Josephy and Jesper Hougaard seem to be mixing it up a fair amount. On a flop of A103, Hougaard bet out and is called by Josephy. The turn is the 5 and Hougaard bet 35,000, which is once again called by Josephy.

The river is the J and Hougaard fired one last bullet, this time 85,000. Josephy thought for a few moments before calling. Hougaard announced “aces up” and Josephy said “No good, I have a straight,” as he tabled the QJK2, which ironically was good for a flush.

A few hands later, on a flop of K109, after Hougaard checked, Josephy bet 35,000. Hougaard called and the third party got out of the way. The 9 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 2 was the river card and Hougaard checked again. Josephy bet 40,000 and was called by Hougaard. Josephy just mucked his cards when he was called and Hougaard tabled the QJK2, which was good for a straight.

Left In The Deck:

During the color-up period, David “Devilfish” Ulliott took the microphone that the tournament directors use and began singing “All Shook Up.”

Player Tags: Cliff Josephy,   Isaac Baron,   Sorel Mizzi,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 9 Update: Williamson Busts

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 90 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Ralph Perry – 155,800
2. Jeff Lisandro – 150,000
3. Cliff Josephy – 140,000
4. Steve Sarrafzadeh – 132,000
5. Jesper Hougaard – 130,000
6. Mortiz Schmejkal – 126,000
7. Sorel Mizzi – 125,000
8. Tex Barch – 123,000
9. David Ulliott – 110,000
10. Bruno Fitoussi – 92,000

Average Chip Count: 55,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Williamson III
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Williamson’s Heart Broken On The River

Preflop, Robert Williamson was all in and received two callers, including Sorel Mizzi. “I don’t even want to look,” Williamson announced as he turned his head away from the board. “It won’t make a bit of difference.”

The flop came down K98 and the player in seat 4 put out a bet. Mizzi mucked his hand and then the players turned over their hands.

Williamson: K9Q10
Seat 4: AAJ5

Williamson got a great flop and was in the lead. The turn was even better when the K gave him a full house. But Williamson should have kept his head turned away as the A was the death card for Williamson and he was eliminated.

Fitoussi Straightens Out His Opponent

On a board showing QJ96, Bruno Fitoussi bet 5,400 and his opponent in seat 4 made the call. The river brought the K and Fitoussi fired another shot, this one worth 12,000. His opponent tanked for a bit and then decided to make the call. Fitoussi turned over A10QJ for Broadway on the river. His opponent mucked and Fitoussi was at 85,000.

Clements Falters

Scott Clements raised to 7,200 preflop and his opponent in the big blind made the call, putting himself all in.

Clements: AA83
Big Blind: K987

Board: 1010657

Clements was ahead with the bullets for most of the way but his opponent hit the money card on the river as the 7 gave him a straight to crack Clements’ aces. Clements surrendered the pot and he was down to 34,000.

Benyamine Tangles With Hougaard

After David Ulliott called 1,200 from the hijack, Jesper Hougaard raised to 4,000 preflop from the cutoff and the button folded. David Benyamine was next to act in the small blind and he reraised to 9,500. Ulliott mucked and Hougaard made the call.

The flop came down 952 and the action was passive enough as both players checked. The 2 on the turn ignited a fuse as Benyamine fired 10,500. Hougaard then tanked for a few minutes and came back with two towers worth 50,000. Benyamine quickly released his hand and he was down to 40,000 while Hougaard improved to 128,000.

Player Tags: David Benyamine,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Scott Clements,   Robert Williamson III,   Sorel Mizzi,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 8 Update: Black Drops Some Chips Then Goes Bust

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 99 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Cliff Josephy – 166,000
2. Jeff Lisandro – 142,000
3. Isaac Baron – 120,000
4. David Ulliott – 109,000
5. Sorel Mizzi – 100,000
6. Ralph Perry – 91,000
7. Tex Barch – 90,000
8. Jesper Hougaard – 85,000
9. Andrew Chen – 81,500
10. Nam Le – 76,000

Average Chip Count: 50,417

Notable Eliminations:

Ted Lawson
Michael Binger
Isaac Haxton
Greg Raymer
Andy Black

Big Hands:

Black Muscled Off Hand, Loses Half Of His Chips

In a three way pot totaling 6,000 Andrew Black and his two opponents saw a flop of KK3. The player in seat 1 led out with 6,000 and Black raised to 18,000 total. Seat 4 mucked and the action was back on seat 1. He then reached for two stacks and raised 30,000 more. Black went in the tank for a bit and eventually decided to cut his losses and muck his hand. He was down to just 14,000. He would later lose the rest of those chips and make his exit from the tournament.

Big Names, Small Pot

Robert Williamson III, Hoyt Corkins and Nikolay Evdakov each called 1,000 preflop. The flop then came down J97 and everyone checked. The turn brought the 2 and Williamson decided to lead out, firing 2,500 into the 4,000 pot. Evdakov mucked and Corkins followed suit. Williamson took the pot but was still quite short with 13,000. Evdakov was at 22,000 and Corkins was at 65,000.

Perry Wins As Clock Is Called On Opponent

After a flop of AQ9 hit the felt, the player in seat 6 fired 10,500 into the pot. All other players in the hand folded except for Ralph Perry. After a few minutes of thought, he raised to 35,000 total. The action was back on his opponent and he took a massive tank session. After more the six minutes, the clock was finally called and he had one minute to decide what to do with his holding. Not long after the clock was called, he released his hand and Perry took the pot, improving to 90,000.

Ride With The Devil

On a flop of Q72, David Ulliott moved all in and was called by Jesper Hougaard.

Hougaard: AQ87
Ulliott: KK107

Ulliott was trailing Hougaard’s two pair but the 5 on the turn gave him a flush and the 3 on the river offered no help to Hougaard. Ulliott was at 110,000 after the double while Hougaard was at 88,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Andy Black,   Robert Williamson III,   Ralph Perry,   Jesper Hougaard,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 17 Update: Action Starting to Pick Up

Jun 18, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 17 out of 363

Chip Counts:

1. Sorel Mizzi — 700,000
2. Cliff Josephy — 690,000
3. Isaac Baron — 510,000
4. Rifat Palevic — 475,000
5. Ralph Perry — 470,000
6. Felipe Ramos — 395,000
7. Matt Gianetti — 310,000
8. Peter Jetten — 240,000
9. Samuel Ngai — 235,000
10. Van Marcus — 222,000

Average Chip Count: 320,294

Notable Eliminations:

Jesper Hougaard, Fabrice Soulier, Mike Watson

Big Hands:

Mizzi Doubles Through Jesper Hougaard to Vault into the Chip Lead

After taking a flop of Q810, Sorel Mizzi led out for 30,000. After a fold, Jesper Hougaard raised to 100,000. After a few moments, Mizzi raised all in and Hougaard made the call. The cards were turned up and Hougaard showed the 9 10 J Q, good for top two pair and the nut straight, while Mizzi showed the Q89A, good for top and bottom two pair and the nut flush draw.

The turn card was the A and Mizzi picked up a few extra outs, but the J on the river made Mizzi’s flush and gave him the pot. This pot put Mizzi well over the 500,000 mark.

Watson Folds to Palevic’s River Bet

After a short stacked player in early position raised to 25,000, Rifat Palevic called, and then Mike Watson min-raised to 42,000. Both players called and they took the flop three-handed.

The flop was A39 and both players checked to Watson, who bet 52,000. The short stacked player folded and Palevic called.

The 7 was the turn card and both players checked. The 3 was the river card and Palevic then wanted to know how much Watson had left. After getting an answer, he thought for a few moments before just tossing in a pile of chips that was approximately 60,000 and Watson folded as soon as the chips hit the felt.

Ralph Perry Runs a Big Bluff

After a player in late position came in for a raise, Ralph Perry three-bet for the size of the pot. They took the flop heads up and it came KK4. Perry then fired out 75,000 and his opponent went into the tank before showing two aces and folding.

“Do you want to see,” said Perry before showing the J1079 which completely missed the flop.

Player Tags: Cliff Josephy,   Ralph Perry,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 16 Update: Three Tables Left

Jun 18, '09

Level 16 Update

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Remaining: 27 out of 363

Chip Counts:

1. Jesper Hougaard — 500,000
2. Rifat Pelevic — 390,000
3. Sorel Mizzi — 350,000
4. Isaac Baron — 320,000
5. Evan Sofer — 280,000
6. Richard Austin — 240,000
7. Matt Gianetti — 235,000
8. Van Marcus — 200,000
9. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy — 195,000
10. Ralph Perry — 177,000

Average Chip Count: 201,666

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Lisandro

Big Hands:

Baron’s Big Draw Bricks, Doubles up Van Marcus

After taking a three-handed flop of 257, Van Marcus leads out or 27,000. Sorel Mizzi gets out of the way and Isaac Baron asks him how much he has left. After a moment of contemplation, Baron raised to 80,000 and Marcus moves all in and was instantly called by Baron.

Van Marcus turns over 22Q5, good for bottom set and had to fade the big draw that Baron showed when he exposed the 64K7. The board bricked off for Baron is it came 10K and Van Marcus doubled up.

Ralph Perry Punishes Limpers to Take Down Pot

After five players limped in, it was up to Ralph Perry in the big blind. Perry took his option and decided to make it 30,000. Sorel Mizzi, after limping in under the gun, tanked for a few moments before making the call. Isaac Baron mucked, as did Fabrice Soulier, and the small blind decided to make the call.

The flop came down K37 and the small blind checked. Perry cut out some chips and bet out 75,000. Sorel Mizzi pondered his options for a minute or so before finally releasing his hand, and the small blind quickly mucked, allowing Perry to rake the pot.

Cliff Josephy Tangles With Jesper Hougaard

Cliff Josephy and Jesper Hougaard seem to be mixing it up a fair amount. On a flop of A103, Hougaard bet out and is called by Josephy. The turn is the 5 and Hougaard bet 35,000, which is once again called by Josephy.

The river is the J and Hougaard fired one last bullet, this time 85,000. Josephy thought for a few moments before calling. Hougaard announced “aces up” and Josephy said “No good, I have a straight,” as he tabled the QJK2, which ironically was good for a flush.

A few hands later, on a flop of K109, after Hougaard checked, Josephy bet 35,000. Hougaard called and the third party got out of the way. The 9 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 2 was the river card and Hougaard checked again. Josephy bet 40,000 and was called by Hougaard. Josephy just mucked his cards when he was called and Hougaard tabled the QJK2, which was good for a straight.

Left In The Deck:

During the color-up period, David “Devilfish” Ulliott took the microphone that the tournament directors use and began singing “All Shook Up.”

Player Tags: Cliff Josephy,   Isaac Baron,   Sorel Mizzi,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 9 Update: Williamson Busts

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 90 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Ralph Perry – 155,800
2. Jeff Lisandro – 150,000
3. Cliff Josephy – 140,000
4. Steve Sarrafzadeh – 132,000
5. Jesper Hougaard – 130,000
6. Mortiz Schmejkal – 126,000
7. Sorel Mizzi – 125,000
8. Tex Barch – 123,000
9. David Ulliott – 110,000
10. Bruno Fitoussi – 92,000

Average Chip Count: 55,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Williamson III
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Williamson’s Heart Broken On The River

Preflop, Robert Williamson was all in and received two callers, including Sorel Mizzi. “I don’t even want to look,” Williamson announced as he turned his head away from the board. “It won’t make a bit of difference.”

The flop came down K98 and the player in seat 4 put out a bet. Mizzi mucked his hand and then the players turned over their hands.

Williamson: K9Q10
Seat 4: AAJ5

Williamson got a great flop and was in the lead. The turn was even better when the K gave him a full house. But Williamson should have kept his head turned away as the A was the death card for Williamson and he was eliminated.

Fitoussi Straightens Out His Opponent

On a board showing QJ96, Bruno Fitoussi bet 5,400 and his opponent in seat 4 made the call. The river brought the K and Fitoussi fired another shot, this one worth 12,000. His opponent tanked for a bit and then decided to make the call. Fitoussi turned over A10QJ for Broadway on the river. His opponent mucked and Fitoussi was at 85,000.

Clements Falters

Scott Clements raised to 7,200 preflop and his opponent in the big blind made the call, putting himself all in.

Clements: AA83
Big Blind: K987

Board: 1010657

Clements was ahead with the bullets for most of the way but his opponent hit the money card on the river as the 7 gave him a straight to crack Clements’ aces. Clements surrendered the pot and he was down to 34,000.

Benyamine Tangles With Hougaard

After David Ulliott called 1,200 from the hijack, Jesper Hougaard raised to 4,000 preflop from the cutoff and the button folded. David Benyamine was next to act in the small blind and he reraised to 9,500. Ulliott mucked and Hougaard made the call.

The flop came down 952 and the action was passive enough as both players checked. The 2 on the turn ignited a fuse as Benyamine fired 10,500. Hougaard then tanked for a few minutes and came back with two towers worth 50,000. Benyamine quickly released his hand and he was down to 40,000 while Hougaard improved to 128,000.

Player Tags: David Benyamine,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Scott Clements,   Robert Williamson III,   Sorel Mizzi,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 8 Update: Black Drops Some Chips Then Goes Bust

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 99 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Cliff Josephy – 166,000
2. Jeff Lisandro – 142,000
3. Isaac Baron – 120,000
4. David Ulliott – 109,000
5. Sorel Mizzi – 100,000
6. Ralph Perry – 91,000
7. Tex Barch – 90,000
8. Jesper Hougaard – 85,000
9. Andrew Chen – 81,500
10. Nam Le – 76,000

Average Chip Count: 50,417

Notable Eliminations:

Ted Lawson
Michael Binger
Isaac Haxton
Greg Raymer
Andy Black

Big Hands:

Black Muscled Off Hand, Loses Half Of His Chips

In a three way pot totaling 6,000 Andrew Black and his two opponents saw a flop of KK3. The player in seat 1 led out with 6,000 and Black raised to 18,000 total. Seat 4 mucked and the action was back on seat 1. He then reached for two stacks and raised 30,000 more. Black went in the tank for a bit and eventually decided to cut his losses and muck his hand. He was down to just 14,000. He would later lose the rest of those chips and make his exit from the tournament.

Big Names, Small Pot

Robert Williamson III, Hoyt Corkins and Nikolay Evdakov each called 1,000 preflop. The flop then came down J97 and everyone checked. The turn brought the 2 and Williamson decided to lead out, firing 2,500 into the 4,000 pot. Evdakov mucked and Corkins followed suit. Williamson took the pot but was still quite short with 13,000. Evdakov was at 22,000 and Corkins was at 65,000.

Perry Wins As Clock Is Called On Opponent

After a flop of AQ9 hit the felt, the player in seat 6 fired 10,500 into the pot. All other players in the hand folded except for Ralph Perry. After a few minutes of thought, he raised to 35,000 total. The action was back on his opponent and he took a massive tank session. After more the six minutes, the clock was finally called and he had one minute to decide what to do with his holding. Not long after the clock was called, he released his hand and Perry took the pot, improving to 90,000.

Ride With The Devil

On a flop of Q72, David Ulliott moved all in and was called by Jesper Hougaard.

Hougaard: AQ87
Ulliott: KK107

Ulliott was trailing Hougaard’s two pair but the 5 on the turn gave him a flush and the 3 on the river offered no help to Hougaard. Ulliott was at 110,000 after the double while Hougaard was at 88,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Andy Black,   Robert Williamson III,   Ralph Perry,   Jesper Hougaard,   Nikolay Evdakov

Event No. 28 Begins at Noon on Saturday

Jun 13, '09

Event No. 28 ($1,500 no-limit hold’em) will begin at noon PDT on Saturday, June 13. Players will begin with 4,500 in tournament chips and blinds will begin at 25-50. Levels will be 60-minutes long and there will be a 20-minute break after every two levels. There will be a 90-minute dinner break after level 6 on day 1. Here is a look at the schedule for the event:

Saturday, June 13, noon: Day 1 (play 10 levels)
Sunday, June 14, 2 p.m.: Day 2 (play down to final table)
Monday, June 15, 2 p.m.: Final Table

In 2008 this event attracted 2,447 players and the champion was Jesper Hougaard, who took home $610,304 in prize money. CardPlayer.com will bring you a summary of the action at the dinner break and end of play each day for this event.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard

Jesper Hougaard Eliminated

Mar 11, '09

The small blind raises 400 and the big blind reraises it to 1,250.  Jesper Hougaard calls.

The flop comes AJ6 and the big blind bets 1,750. Hougaard raises it up to 3,500.

His opponent thinks for about two minutes and then pushes all in. Hougaard instantly calls and flips over Q10 for the flush draw and inside straight draw. His opponent shows AK for top pair.

The turn drops the J and the river, the 10 and the chips are counted. He has Hougaard covered and hands are shaken.

Hougaard is out mid-session.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard

Things are Slow; Pots are Big

Jan 21, '09

Things have slowed down here as the clock ticks down towards end of play.

Some unknowns have managed to acquire some large chip stacks, and the table featuring the "Devilfish" has broken up with only minutes left to go - adding some spice to the mix.

Jesper Hougaard called another player's all-in for 15,475, and before he even had the time to get the chips out, the player flipped over pocket aces.

Hougaard had to then get the chips together and put them in, but remained hopeful as he flipped over pocket queens.

The board came down: 765102

"Argh!" sighed Hougaard.

On a table nearby Alessio Isaia took down another big pot with AK versus pocket sixes.

The board came down completely in the illuminous pink-haired Isaia's favor: AA325.

He is sitting on about 88,000 in chips now.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard,   Alessio Isaia

Introducing Mr. Hougaard

Jan 20, '09

Max Pescatori decided to show up mid-level 3. In that short time frame he hasn't been doing very well. He is now down to 3,800.

Jesper Hougaard just came to sit beside him and got involved in his first hand at the table.

One player raised the blind to 700, Hougaard called and the blinds folded. The flop came down 654.

Hougaard's opponent bet 800. Hougaard raised to 2,100, and after some thought his opponent folded. "Three?" he asked the Dane. "No, over," Hougaard replied while pointing upwards. "Yeah, me too," the other player responded and stared at Hougaard, trying to work out the newcomer to his table.

"Friendly game, isn't it?" Hougaard said off the cuff.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard

European Player Profile

Oct 01, '08

Jesper Hougaard

Jesper Hougaard, from Copenhagen, Denmark is a professional poker player. Before poker, though, there was table tennis. Hougaard played and then later coached for the Danish National Table Tennis Team. Inspired by fellow Dane Gus Hansen, Hougaard began playing poker. He really caught on fire at the 2008 World Series of Poker. He cashed in two events before winning his first bracelet in a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event. Hougaard received more than $610,000 for that win. Hougaard than followed that up by winning Event No. 1 ( £1,500 no-limit hold'em) at the World Series of Poker Europe just a few months later to give him second gold bracelet.






 

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard