James Mackey - Live Updates

Level 12 Update: Mike Matusow, Phil Ivey, and Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Oct 23, '09

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Left: 68 of 275

Average Chip Count: 242,647

Chip Counts:

1. Jason Somerville — 775,000
2. Jonas Entin — 725,000
3. Jason Lavallee — 575,000
4. Richard Sciuto — 457,000
5. Dutch Boyd — 450,000
6. Gary Gibbs — 400,000
7: Matt Glantz — 380,000
7. Dan Shak — 380,000
9. Lee Markholt — 360,000
10. Scott Clements — 340,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Matusow
Russell Rosenblum
Joseph Elpayaa
Eugene Katchalov
Barry Greenstein
Phil Ivey

Big Hands:

Mike Matusow Eliminated

Mike Matusow (pictured right) opened the action with a raise preflop from early position. Jonas Entin called from the big blind and the flop fell K77. Entin checked and Matusow bet 15,000. Entin check-raised to 36,000 and Matusow moved all in. Entin made the call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Entin: 87
Matusow: AK

Turn and River: J9

Entin won the hand to grow his stack to 450,000 and Matusow was eliminated on the hand.

Russell Rosenblum Eliminated by the Quads of Jonas Entin

James Mackey raised to 8,000 and Jonas Entin made the call preflop. Russell Rosenblum reraised to 33,000 and Mackey mucked. Entin made the call and the flop was dealt A82. Both players checked and the turn fell 8. Rosenblum checked again and Entin bet 40,000. Rosenblum raised all in and Entin made the call. Their cards:

Entin: KK
Rosenblum: 88

Rosenblum won the hand with quad eights to grow his stack to 580,000 and Rosenlbum was eliminated.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein (pictured left) moved all in preflop on a short stack and James Mackey called him down. Their cards:

Mackey: 55
Greenstein: KJ

Board: 53364

Greenstein was eliminated on the hand and Mackey moved up to 280,000.

Kathy Liebert Doubles up and Cripples Phil Ivey

Kathy Liebert moved all in from the cutoff for 42,700 and Phil Ivey made the call from the button. Thier cards:

Ivey: AJ
Liebert: A9

Board: KQ967

Ivey was crippled on the hand, holding only 3,000. He moved that all in two hands later and an opponent knocked him out of the tournament with a pair of deuces.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Barry Greenstein,   Mike Matusow,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey,   Jonas Entin

James Mackey Eliminated in 11th Place ($32,700)

Aug 25, '09

After a series of preflop raises, James Mackey was all in holding pocket kings against Matt Marafioti’s pocket aces.

Marafioti asked for the board to hold and the dealer obliged by spreading a safe jack-high flop and two bricks on the turn and river to send Mackey to the payouts cage.

Player Tags: James Mackey,   Matt Marafioti

Level 8 Update

Aug 23, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 104 out of 278

Chip Counts:

1. Steven Begleiter — 330,000
2. Matt Widdoes — 250,000
3. Kevin Schaffel — 175,000
4. Bryan Devonshire — 170,000
5. Josh Schlein — 165,000
6. Nick Schulman — 158,000
7. Sam Stein — 146,000
8. Mikey Nguyen — 145,000
9. Amir Vahedi — 144,000
10. Dwyte Pilgrim — 136,000

Average Chip Count: 80,480

Notable Eliminations:

David Pham
Freddy Deeb
Kenna James
Scott Montgomery
David Baker
Jimmy Tran
Gavin Griffin
Jeff Madsen
Scott Clements
Mike Leah
Justin Young
Nick Cassavetes
Stephen O’Dwyer

Hand of the Level:

James Mackey Takes a Hit in a Huge Pot

Late position raised to 5,300 after two players limped preflop and James Mackey reraised to 15,000 from the big blind. The two limpers mucked and late position reraised all in for 75,400. Mackey made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Mackey: AK
Late Position: KK

Board: J99QJ

Late position won the pot with pocket kings and Mackey watched his stack plummet downward to just 52,000.

Level Summary:

Another level on day 2 of the 2009 Legends of Poker, and another fast level of action. It felt like the field was racing down to 100 players during the level, and when they headed to break just 104 players remained. The money bubble will not happen until 27 players remain so it looks like things won’t slow down anytime soon either.

A lot of professional players beat up on each other during the level. Bryan Devonshire eliminated Kenna James early, and then Men Nguyen doubled up through Billy Baxter. Scott Montgomery was eliminated by Mickey Mills, Zach Clark was taken out by chip leader Steven Begleiter, and Allen Carter was eliminated by Allen Kessler. The chips continue to fly here are the Bike.

Player Tags: James Mackey

James Mackey Eliminated in 11th Place ($32,700)

Aug 25, '09

After a series of preflop raises, James Mackey was all in holding pocket kings against Matt Marafioti’s pocket aces.

Marafioti asked for the board to hold and the dealer obliged by spreading a safe jack-high flop and two bricks on the turn and river to send Mackey to the payouts cage.

Player Tags: James Mackey,   Matt Marafioti

Level 8 Update

Aug 23, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 104 out of 278

Chip Counts:

1. Steven Begleiter — 330,000
2. Matt Widdoes — 250,000
3. Kevin Schaffel — 175,000
4. Bryan Devonshire — 170,000
5. Josh Schlein — 165,000
6. Nick Schulman — 158,000
7. Sam Stein — 146,000
8. Mikey Nguyen — 145,000
9. Amir Vahedi — 144,000
10. Dwyte Pilgrim — 136,000

Average Chip Count: 80,480

Notable Eliminations:

David Pham
Freddy Deeb
Kenna James
Scott Montgomery
David Baker
Jimmy Tran
Gavin Griffin
Jeff Madsen
Scott Clements
Mike Leah
Justin Young
Nick Cassavetes
Stephen O’Dwyer

Hand of the Level:

James Mackey Takes a Hit in a Huge Pot

Late position raised to 5,300 after two players limped preflop and James Mackey reraised to 15,000 from the big blind. The two limpers mucked and late position reraised all in for 75,400. Mackey made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Mackey: AK
Late Position: KK

Board: J99QJ

Late position won the pot with pocket kings and Mackey watched his stack plummet downward to just 52,000.

Level Summary:

Another level on day 2 of the 2009 Legends of Poker, and another fast level of action. It felt like the field was racing down to 100 players during the level, and when they headed to break just 104 players remained. The money bubble will not happen until 27 players remain so it looks like things won’t slow down anytime soon either.

A lot of professional players beat up on each other during the level. Bryan Devonshire eliminated Kenna James early, and then Men Nguyen doubled up through Billy Baxter. Scott Montgomery was eliminated by Mickey Mills, Zach Clark was taken out by chip leader Steven Begleiter, and Allen Carter was eliminated by Allen Kessler. The chips continue to fly here are the Bike.

Player Tags: James Mackey

Level 15 Update: Greg Raymer Gets Stronger

May 29, '09

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,660,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,400,000
3. Matth Glantz — 1,058,000
4. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
5. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
6. Ted Forrest — 940,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000
8. Sorel Mizzi — 840,000
9. Chris Moneymaker — 835,000
10. David Pham — 820,000

Average Chip Count: 603,000

Notable Eliminations:

James Mackey
Alex Jacob
Dale Pinchot

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Takes Out James Mackey

Shortly into the level, James Mackey found himself all in holding K-Q. Unfortunately, Greg Raymer woke up with A-K. The board brought a king, but Raymer’s kicker was enough to send Mackey home out of the money. After the hand, Raymer stacked ballooned to 1.67 million.

Alec Torelli Picks Up a Big Pot With an All-In Move

Greg Raymer opened from early position to 30,000 and Vanessa Rousso made the call. Brian Rast then raised to 105,000 in the hijack and the action moved over to Alec Torelli. After a few minutes in thought, Torelli moved all in for 810,000.

Raymer quickly folded, as did Rousso. Rast asked for a count, saw that his 650,000 was well covered and the folded. Torelli moved up to approximately 960,000.

Phil Galfond Doubles Through Justin Bonomo

Phil Galfond found himself all in holding a dominating A-K against Justin Bonomo and his A-J. A king hit the flop and Bonomo failed to catch up, doubling Galfond to 488,000 in chips. Bonomo is still healthy with about 1.1 million.

Sami Kelopuro Doubles Up Courtesy of Alan Sass

After an all-in and call, Sami Kelopuro revealed his pocket queens and was way ahead of Alan Sass and his pocket eights. The board ran out Q63J4 and Kelopuro’s set of queens were enough to double him up to about 375,000 in chips.

Chris Moneymaker Gives Up Some Chips to Noah Schwartz

Noah Schwartz was all in on the short stack holding pocket kings against the pocket sevens of Chris Moneymaker. The board failed to help the 2003 champion and Schwartz doubled up to 320,000. Moneymaker dropped below the million mark with 910,000.

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Through Frank Kassela

On a flop of J107 Sorel Mizzi is all in holding J-10 for top two pair against Frank Kassela’s and his pocket eights. Kassela needs an eight or a nine to bust Mizzi but the turn and river come 610, giving Mizzi a boat and a newly formed stack of about 750,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Vanessa Rousso,   Brian Rast,   Phil Galfond,   Alan Sass,   Noah Schwartz,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Sami Kelopuro

Level 11 Update -- Day 2 Begins

May 29, '09

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 79 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Bruno Fitoussi – 812,500
2. Chris Moneymaker – 805,000
3. Sorel Mizzi – 772,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 738,000
5. Alexander Veldhuis – 646,500
6. Kyle Wilson – 611,500
7. Brian Townsend – 609,000
8. Emil Patel – 494,500
9. Alan Sass – 491,000
10. Alex Jacob – 450,000

Average Chip Count: 271,011

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Watson
Shawn Buchanan
Amit Makhija

Big Hands:

Sorel Mizzi Wins Huge Double Up

On a board of 88s4, Sorel Mizzi bet out 40,000 and Michael DeMichele contemplated briefly before calling. The pot stood at 150,000 at the moment. The turn brought the 4 and Mizzi tanked before betting 90,500 into DeMichele. DeMichele eventually called and the 4 landed on the river, putting a full house on board. Mizzi once again tanked before announcing he was all-in. DeMichele looked shocked and tanked for minutes before finally calling the 266,500 chip all-in from Mizzi. Mizzi turned over the AA and DeMichele eventually mucked. Mizzi is now among the top chip leaders, with 772,000.

Mike Watson is Elminated

The short stacked Michael Watson moved all in with AQ and was called by James Mackey with pocket sixes and another opponent with pocket queens. Watson failed to hit the ace and was knocked out of the tournament.

Vitaly Lunkin Eliminates an Opponent

The button moved all in preflop and Vitaly Lunkin made the call from late position, covering his opponent. The recent RPT Moscow champion flipped over 1010 and the button showed down 88. The board ran out A6K99 and Lunkin won the hand to grow his stack to 289,000. The button was eliminated and made his way to the rail.

Brian Rast Doubles Up

Brian Rast moved all in from late position for 136,500 preflop and the button called him down. Their cards:

Rast: AJ
Button: AQ

Board: 81038J

Rast doubled up on the hand to survive with more than 270,000.

Amit Makhija is Eliminated By Mike Matusow

Amit Makhija moved all in pre-flop with ace king off-suit and was called by the AA of Mike Matusow. Makhija failed to hit any miracle and was eliminated by the three-time bracelet winner.

Alex Jacob Moves All-in On The River

On a board of 48Q1010, Alex Jacob moved all in for 137,000 against the big stack of Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker went into the tank for quite some time asking Jacob if he would show his hand if he folded. Jacob was stone faced and took down the large pot once Moneymaker folded. Jacob is now up to 450,000.

James Mackey Wins a Coin-flip, Eliminates Shawn Buchanan

After some raising, James Mackey moved all-in pre-flop for 114,500 and Shawn went into the tank for minutes. Buchanan counted his chips, noticing that Mackey had him covered and eventually made the call. Mackey turned over KQ and Buchanan tabled the 1010. The flop of JJ5 was safe for Buchanan but the Q on the turn made the situation grim. The river brought the 7 and Mackey’s chip stack rose to 310,000.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Shawn Buchanan,   James Mackey,   Michael Watson,   Michael DeMichele,   Sorel Mizzi,   Amit Makhija

James Mackey Eliminated in 3rd Place ($100,000)

Feb 20, '09

Vivek Rajkumar has won his tenth match of the tournament, eliminating James "mig.com" Mackey and advancing to face Chris Moore in the finals.

Rajkumar took an early lead in the match with a series of four bets that were never called. Then, he made a set of threes, taking a huge pot and a 3-1 chip lead.

On the final hand, Rajkumar slow played aces and got Mackey to pay him off with his entire stack. Mackey earns $100,000 for his finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: James Mackey,   Vivek Rajkumar

Chris Moore Defeats James Mackey

Feb 20, '09

Chris Moore grinded down James Mackey from the start and quickly built a large and what proved to be insurmountable lead.

On the final hand, Mackey got his last few thousand in with Q-8 only to see Moore show a dominating A-8. The board helped neither player and Moore moved on to the finals to face whoever it is that advances from the loser's bracket.

Mackey will still have a shot to be that player, but he's going to have to wait a few rounds to get his revenge.

Player Tags: James Mackey,   Chris Moore

James Mackey Defeats Evan Roberts

Feb 20, '09

James Mackey Defeats Evan Roberts

After grinding him down to his final 2,000 in chips, James Mackey pushed with Q-6 to put his short stacked opponent, Evan Roberts all in. Roberts woke up with pocket threes, but it failed to hold when Mackey paired up.

Mackey advances to the final two in the winner's bracket and Roberts must now fight his way back from the loser's bracket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: James Mackey,   Evan Roberts

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  4,000-8,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  2,000 ante, 2,000 bring in, 8,000-16,000 stakes

Players Left: 46 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Joseph Michael - 730,000
Edwin Ting - 690,000
Barry Greenstein - 655,000
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Michael DeMichele - 590,000
Chad Brown - 550,000
Huck Seed - 525,000
James Mackey - 510,000
Farzad "Fred" Bonyadi - 480,000
David Oppenheim - 475,000

Average Stack: 321,750

Eliminations:
Dario Minieri
Greg Mueller
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Omaha/8b

Minh Ly Doubles Up

Minh Ly raised from early position and was called by Barry Greenstein in middle position, Phil Ivey in the small blind, and Layne Flack in the big blind. The flop was Q97 and Ivey bet out and Flack folded. Ly raised, Greenstein folded, and Ivey called.  On the 3 turn Ivey check-called a bet from Ly. The river was the A and Ivey checked again. Ly bet, leaving himself only 20,000 behind, and Ivey folded rather quickly. The pot brought Ly up to 150,000 and knocked Ivey down to a perilously low 100,000.

Razz

Greg Mueller Eliminated

After a raise and a re-raise, Greg Mueller was all-in on third street against Chris Reslock:

Mueller: (2)(9)4JJ109
Reslock: (3)(6)45J107

After all of the cards had been dealt, Reslock’s 7-low was good to take down the smallish pot. Mueller, unlike most players who dart from the tournament floor at light speed, lingered around his table for a few minutes before taking a leisurely walk out of the Amazon Room.

Dario Minieri Eliminated

Having gotten all-in as a short-stack a number of times in the Omaha/8b portion of the event only to repeatedly claim a chopped pot, Dario Minieri got himself all-in on third street against Andy Bloch in razz. There would be no split pot this time; it was either double up or go home for Minieri. Unfortunately for the diminutive Italian, he would be sent packing.  Despite starting with 5-2-A, he could only make a 9-8 low. Bloch’s 5-3-2 turned into an 8-5 on seventh street and the pot was his. Bloch now has about 210,000.

Stud

Isabelle Mercier Eliminated

Ralph Perry: AA93
Justin Bonomo: J974
Isabelle Mercier: 7322

On seventh street, with Isabelle Mercier all-in, Ralph Perry bet into Justin Bonomo. Bonomo mulled over a decision and opted to simply call. Perry insta-mucked, not even giving Bonomo a chance to show his cards. When Bonomo did reveal his downcards – (Q)(6)(5) – it was apparent to Mercier that he had made a flush, and that her day was over. Bonomo is now up to 170,000.

Player Tags: Fred Bonyadi,   Barry Greenstein,   Minh Ly,   Chad Brown,   Huck Seed,   David Oppenheim,   Greg Mueller,   Lyle Berman,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey,   Isabelle Mercier,   Justin Bonomo,   Dario Minieri,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Edwin Ting,   European Report

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 3 - Level 12 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  3,000-6,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  1,500 ante, 2,000 bring in, 6,000-12,000 stakes

Players Left: 59 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Barry Greenstein - 505,000
Phil Ivey - 501,000
William Chen - 420,000
Huck Seed - 420,000
Joseph Michael - 410,000
Michael DeMichele - 390,000
Chris Reslock - 384,000
David Bach - 380,000
Gene Fisher - 375,000

Average Stack: 256,900

Eliminations:
Doug Ganger
Jeff Lisandro
Lee Markholt
Steve Sung

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ace-High No Good For Mackey

James “mig.com” Mackey, who has found quite a bit of success in mixed events this year, hit a bit of a road block in Alexander Kostritsyn in the last level. Kostritsyn raised to 12,000 on the button and Mackey upped it to 18,000 in the big blind. Kostritsyn called. On a flop of KJ6, Mackey bet and the young Russian called. Mackey bet and Kostritsyn called again on the 5 turn. Action halted on the river when both players checked the 6. Mackey showed A3 for ace-high and was beaten by Kostritsyn’s pair of jacks with J10. The hand boosted Kostritsyn to 180,000.

Omaha/8b

Big Stacks Tangle

The holders of two of the biggest stacks of the tournament, Phil Ivey and Bill Chen, played an Omaha eight-or-better pot in the last round that resulted in a scoop for one of the two. Ivey raised from early position and it folded around to Chen in the big blind. Chen made the call and the flop came off 865. Chen check-raised Ivey on the flop and Ivey made the call. Chen bet the 2 turn and Ivey made another call. Both players checked the 4 river and Chen showed QQ74 for a straight and a 7-low. Ivey rapped the table and Chen raked in a pot to move to 420,000 in chips. Ivey is not to be pitied though, as he ended the level with 500,000.

Razz

From Russia With Low

Ralph Perry: 2J3Q
Justin Bonomo: A28J

Michael Joseph completed with the 3 showing on third street, Perry raised, and Bonomo made it 18,000. Both Joseph and Perry called. On fourth street, Bonomo bet out with A2 showing, Michael, having drawn a Q, folded, and Perry called despite drawing a jack. On fifth and sixth streets, Bonomo bet and Perry called. Both players checked the river and Bonomo tabled (3)(2)(J). Perry surveyed Bonomo’s cards very closely, then scrutinized his own, before finally revealing (A)(5)(5) for a J-5 low, narrowly edging out Bonomo’s J-8 low.

The pot gave Perry a stack of 245,000. Bonomo is hovering near the 300,000 chip mark.

Stud

Marcel Luske Eliminates Steve Sung

Steve Sung, desperately short-stacked, got his chips all-in against Marcel Luske. The news was bad for Sung when Luske showed (A)(Q)10JK3 for the broadway straight. Sung had a flush draw though – (9)(5)KQ62. Sung looked at his final card and then stood up and quickly left the table. After winning the pot Luske was up to 290,000.

James Mackey Eliminates Doug Ganger

Doug Ganger: 2K75
James Mackey: A738
Mickey Appleman: K4108

With only a few thousand chips left, Ganger brought in with his deuce and found himself all-in on third street. Mackey bet every street on the hand and Appleman called him down all the way until seventh street where he folded. Mackey showed (A)(10)(9) and that was good enough to take down the pot and eliminate Ganger. After some early trouble in the level, Mackey has bounced back to 250,000.

Player Tags: Gene Fisher,   Lee Markholt,   Barry Greenstein,   Huck Seed,   David Bach,   Lyle Berman,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Marcel Luske,   James Mackey,   Chris Reslock,   Justin Bonomo,   William Chen,   Steve Sung,   Ralph Perry,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Doug Ganger,   Alexander Kostritsyn

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 4

Jun 25, '08

Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds:
Hold'em: 600-1,200
Omaha 8: 600-1,200
Razz: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Eight or Better: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion

Chip Counts:
Ray Dehkharghani: 190,000
James Mackey: 185,000
Ralph Perry: 170,000
Shawn Sheikhan: 167,000
Chris Reslock: 152,000
Minh Ly: 152,000
Greg Mascio: 152,000
Steve Sung: 150,000
Rafi Amit: 150,000
Bill Chen: 148,000

Storylines:

The Drunken Fan

It's late, it's Vegas, and during the level a drunken spectator was thrilled to be able talk (yell) over the rail to Scotty Nguyen and express his admiration. Clearly excited to see poker's superstars in person, the man later noticed Tony G and began to tell Tony how great he is, to which Tony just smiled and gave two thumbs up. This made the drunk's night. Too bad he won't remember it in the morning...

Hold'em

Hansen Strong Out Of The Small Blind

David Williams raised and the player in seat 2 re-raised all preflop. Gus Hansen, sitting in the small blind, made the call and so did Williams. The flop came 1077, Hansen checked, David Williams checked and seat 2 bet out. Hansen quickly re-raised, Williams folded and seat 2 folded AK face up. Hansen didn't show and just raked his chips while talking about how he played the hand.

Friedman's Pair of Aces Beats Dwan

Perry Friedman bet and was called by Tom Dwan on every street of a A65108 board. Friedman flipped over A4 for a pair of aces, and it was good enough to take the pot.

Omaha 8

Mackey Takes One From Some Tough Competition

On a flop of A106 James Mackey checked and David Singer bet. Both Andy Bloch and Mackey made the call. The J came on the turn and Mackey checked again, allowing Singer to bet. Bloch made the call and Mackey said raise, then put in some more chips. Singer didn't hear Mackey say raise and the floor was called to the table. The dealer explained to the floorman that he did indeed hear Mackey say raise before he put his chips in, then he said it again while putting them in. The floorman said the raise stood and Singer and Bloch both made the call. The players checked the 3 river card and Mackey turned over AK4Q for the nut straight. When he saw Mackey's hand Bloch laughed and mucked. Singer also mucked and Mackey won a nice three-way pot again two of the better H.O.R.S.E players in the tournament. At the end of the level he sat with around 185,000 in chips.

Flack Scoops

Layne Flack raised from late position and was called by Hasan Habib, Justin Bonomo and John Cernuto. The flop came 973 and action was checked to Flack who bet out. Both Habib and Bonomo called, but Cernuto folded. The turn was the 10 and action was again checked to Flack who bet out. Both opponents made the call again and the river brought the 7. Action checked to Flack, he bet, Habib called and Bonomo folded.
Flack turned over 9-9-A-4, giving him a set of nines to scoop the entire pot.

Brown Missteps

The player in seat 2 bet the A108 flop and Chad Brown made the call. On the 2 turn card seat 2 bet and Brown raised. Both players checked the 4 river and Brown turned over A-8-4-6. His opponent showed A-10-5-7. There was some brief confusion as to who got what, but the dealer explained that Brown's opponent had the best two pair and low hand because Brown had not made a low hand.

Razz

Sheikhan Ready To Gamble

Shawn Sheikhan bet out on every street and was called by the player in seat 4. Their cards were:
Sheikhan: 4A23 (K-9-6)
Seat 4: 58J3 (A-4-8)

Sheikhan went ahead and bet blind after being dealt the final card. He showed a big hand - 6-low. Seat 4 paired his 8 on the end and Sheikhan took down a big pot.
After the hand Sheikhan told the table, "You guys want to gamble - I'll gamble."
Sheikhan had around 167,000 in chips.

Stud

Forrest Takes Monster Pot From Hellmuth

Ted Forrest bet every street and was called by Phil Hellmuth all the way down to seventh street. Hellmuth took off his sunglasses to look at his last down card. He put out a bet and started to put his shades back on but stopped dead in his tracks when Forrest raised him. A frustrated Hellmuth made the call and Forrest turned over his hand. Their cards were:
Forrest: QQ5A (Q-J-5)
Hellmuth: 764K (X-X-X)

Seeing Forrest's three queens, Hellmuth quietly slid his cards into the muck.

Stud 8

An Aggressive Galfond Bets Out Ivey and Williamson

Phil Galfond bet on fifth and sixth street and was called by Robert Williamson III and Phil Ivey. When Galfond led out on the end, Ivey mucked his hand and Williamson looked pained as he thought over his decision.
Galfond: AKQJ (X-X-X)
Ivey: 59QK
Williamson III: 82J9 (X-X-X)

Williamson eventually mucked, and Dwan started to infer about his friend Galfond's hand. Galfond smiled and the table laughed when he showed only one card - the 7.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Hasan Habib,   Chad Brown,   Gus Hansen,   Ted Forrest,   Layne Flack,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   David Williams,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Robert Williamson III,   Tom Dwan

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  4,000-8,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  2,000 ante, 2,000 bring in, 8,000-16,000 stakes

Players Left: 46 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Joseph Michael - 730,000
Edwin Ting - 690,000
Barry Greenstein - 655,000
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Michael DeMichele - 590,000
Chad Brown - 550,000
Huck Seed - 525,000
James Mackey - 510,000
Farzad "Fred" Bonyadi - 480,000
David Oppenheim - 475,000

Average Stack: 321,750

Eliminations:
Dario Minieri
Greg Mueller
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Omaha/8b

Minh Ly Doubles Up

Minh Ly raised from early position and was called by Barry Greenstein in middle position, Phil Ivey in the small blind, and Layne Flack in the big blind. The flop was Q97 and Ivey bet out and Flack folded. Ly raised, Greenstein folded, and Ivey called.  On the 3 turn Ivey check-called a bet from Ly. The river was the A and Ivey checked again. Ly bet, leaving himself only 20,000 behind, and Ivey folded rather quickly. The pot brought Ly up to 150,000 and knocked Ivey down to a perilously low 100,000.

Razz

Greg Mueller Eliminated

After a raise and a re-raise, Greg Mueller was all-in on third street against Chris Reslock:

Mueller: (2)(9)4JJ109
Reslock: (3)(6)45J107

After all of the cards had been dealt, Reslock’s 7-low was good to take down the smallish pot. Mueller, unlike most players who dart from the tournament floor at light speed, lingered around his table for a few minutes before taking a leisurely walk out of the Amazon Room.

Dario Minieri Eliminated

Having gotten all-in as a short-stack a number of times in the Omaha/8b portion of the event only to repeatedly claim a chopped pot, Dario Minieri got himself all-in on third street against Andy Bloch in razz. There would be no split pot this time; it was either double up or go home for Minieri. Unfortunately for the diminutive Italian, he would be sent packing.  Despite starting with 5-2-A, he could only make a 9-8 low. Bloch’s 5-3-2 turned into an 8-5 on seventh street and the pot was his. Bloch now has about 210,000.

Stud

Isabelle Mercier Eliminated

Ralph Perry: AA93
Justin Bonomo: J974
Isabelle Mercier: 7322

On seventh street, with Isabelle Mercier all-in, Ralph Perry bet into Justin Bonomo. Bonomo mulled over a decision and opted to simply call. Perry insta-mucked, not even giving Bonomo a chance to show his cards. When Bonomo did reveal his downcards – (Q)(6)(5) – it was apparent to Mercier that he had made a flush, and that her day was over. Bonomo is now up to 170,000.

Player Tags: Fred Bonyadi,   Barry Greenstein,   Minh Ly,   Chad Brown,   Huck Seed,   David Oppenheim,   Greg Mueller,   Lyle Berman,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey,   Isabelle Mercier,   Justin Bonomo,   Dario Minieri,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Edwin Ting,   European Report

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 3 - Level 12 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  3,000-6,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  1,500 ante, 2,000 bring in, 6,000-12,000 stakes

Players Left: 59 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Barry Greenstein - 505,000
Phil Ivey - 501,000
William Chen - 420,000
Huck Seed - 420,000
Joseph Michael - 410,000
Michael DeMichele - 390,000
Chris Reslock - 384,000
David Bach - 380,000
Gene Fisher - 375,000

Average Stack: 256,900

Eliminations:
Doug Ganger
Jeff Lisandro
Lee Markholt
Steve Sung

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ace-High No Good For Mackey

James “mig.com” Mackey, who has found quite a bit of success in mixed events this year, hit a bit of a road block in Alexander Kostritsyn in the last level. Kostritsyn raised to 12,000 on the button and Mackey upped it to 18,000 in the big blind. Kostritsyn called. On a flop of KJ6, Mackey bet and the young Russian called. Mackey bet and Kostritsyn called again on the 5 turn. Action halted on the river when both players checked the 6. Mackey showed A3 for ace-high and was beaten by Kostritsyn’s pair of jacks with J10. The hand boosted Kostritsyn to 180,000.

Omaha/8b

Big Stacks Tangle

The holders of two of the biggest stacks of the tournament, Phil Ivey and Bill Chen, played an Omaha eight-or-better pot in the last round that resulted in a scoop for one of the two. Ivey raised from early position and it folded around to Chen in the big blind. Chen made the call and the flop came off 865. Chen check-raised Ivey on the flop and Ivey made the call. Chen bet the 2 turn and Ivey made another call. Both players checked the 4 river and Chen showed QQ74 for a straight and a 7-low. Ivey rapped the table and Chen raked in a pot to move to 420,000 in chips. Ivey is not to be pitied though, as he ended the level with 500,000.

Razz

From Russia With Low

Ralph Perry: 2J3Q
Justin Bonomo: A28J

Michael Joseph completed with the 3 showing on third street, Perry raised, and Bonomo made it 18,000. Both Joseph and Perry called. On fourth street, Bonomo bet out with A2 showing, Michael, having drawn a Q, folded, and Perry called despite drawing a jack. On fifth and sixth streets, Bonomo bet and Perry called. Both players checked the river and Bonomo tabled (3)(2)(J). Perry surveyed Bonomo’s cards very closely, then scrutinized his own, before finally revealing (A)(5)(5) for a J-5 low, narrowly edging out Bonomo’s J-8 low.

The pot gave Perry a stack of 245,000. Bonomo is hovering near the 300,000 chip mark.

Stud

Marcel Luske Eliminates Steve Sung

Steve Sung, desperately short-stacked, got his chips all-in against Marcel Luske. The news was bad for Sung when Luske showed (A)(Q)10JK3 for the broadway straight. Sung had a flush draw though – (9)(5)KQ62. Sung looked at his final card and then stood up and quickly left the table. After winning the pot Luske was up to 290,000.

James Mackey Eliminates Doug Ganger

Doug Ganger: 2K75
James Mackey: A738
Mickey Appleman: K4108

With only a few thousand chips left, Ganger brought in with his deuce and found himself all-in on third street. Mackey bet every street on the hand and Appleman called him down all the way until seventh street where he folded. Mackey showed (A)(10)(9) and that was good enough to take down the pot and eliminate Ganger. After some early trouble in the level, Mackey has bounced back to 250,000.

Player Tags: Gene Fisher,   Lee Markholt,   Barry Greenstein,   Huck Seed,   David Bach,   Lyle Berman,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Marcel Luske,   James Mackey,   Chris Reslock,   Justin Bonomo,   William Chen,   Steve Sung,   Ralph Perry,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Doug Ganger,   Alexander Kostritsyn

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 4

Jun 25, '08

Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds:
Hold'em: 600-1,200
Omaha 8: 600-1,200
Razz: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Eight or Better: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion

Chip Counts:
Ray Dehkharghani: 190,000
James Mackey: 185,000
Ralph Perry: 170,000
Shawn Sheikhan: 167,000
Chris Reslock: 152,000
Minh Ly: 152,000
Greg Mascio: 152,000
Steve Sung: 150,000
Rafi Amit: 150,000
Bill Chen: 148,000

Storylines:

The Drunken Fan

It's late, it's Vegas, and during the level a drunken spectator was thrilled to be able talk (yell) over the rail to Scotty Nguyen and express his admiration. Clearly excited to see poker's superstars in person, the man later noticed Tony G and began to tell Tony how great he is, to which Tony just smiled and gave two thumbs up. This made the drunk's night. Too bad he won't remember it in the morning...

Hold'em

Hansen Strong Out Of The Small Blind

David Williams raised and the player in seat 2 re-raised all preflop. Gus Hansen, sitting in the small blind, made the call and so did Williams. The flop came 1077, Hansen checked, David Williams checked and seat 2 bet out. Hansen quickly re-raised, Williams folded and seat 2 folded AK face up. Hansen didn't show and just raked his chips while talking about how he played the hand.

Friedman's Pair of Aces Beats Dwan

Perry Friedman bet and was called by Tom Dwan on every street of a A65108 board. Friedman flipped over A4 for a pair of aces, and it was good enough to take the pot.

Omaha 8

Mackey Takes One From Some Tough Competition

On a flop of A106 James Mackey checked and David Singer bet. Both Andy Bloch and Mackey made the call. The J came on the turn and Mackey checked again, allowing Singer to bet. Bloch made the call and Mackey said raise, then put in some more chips. Singer didn't hear Mackey say raise and the floor was called to the table. The dealer explained to the floorman that he did indeed hear Mackey say raise before he put his chips in, then he said it again while putting them in. The floorman said the raise stood and Singer and Bloch both made the call. The players checked the 3 river card and Mackey turned over AK4Q for the nut straight. When he saw Mackey's hand Bloch laughed and mucked. Singer also mucked and Mackey won a nice three-way pot again two of the better H.O.R.S.E players in the tournament. At the end of the level he sat with around 185,000 in chips.

Flack Scoops

Layne Flack raised from late position and was called by Hasan Habib, Justin Bonomo and John Cernuto. The flop came 973 and action was checked to Flack who bet out. Both Habib and Bonomo called, but Cernuto folded. The turn was the 10 and action was again checked to Flack who bet out. Both opponents made the call again and the river brought the 7. Action checked to Flack, he bet, Habib called and Bonomo folded.
Flack turned over 9-9-A-4, giving him a set of nines to scoop the entire pot.

Brown Missteps

The player in seat 2 bet the A108 flop and Chad Brown made the call. On the 2 turn card seat 2 bet and Brown raised. Both players checked the 4 river and Brown turned over A-8-4-6. His opponent showed A-10-5-7. There was some brief confusion as to who got what, but the dealer explained that Brown's opponent had the best two pair and low hand because Brown had not made a low hand.

Razz

Sheikhan Ready To Gamble

Shawn Sheikhan bet out on every street and was called by the player in seat 4. Their cards were:
Sheikhan: 4A23 (K-9-6)
Seat 4: 58J3 (A-4-8)

Sheikhan went ahead and bet blind after being dealt the final card. He showed a big hand - 6-low. Seat 4 paired his 8 on the end and Sheikhan took down a big pot.
After the hand Sheikhan told the table, "You guys want to gamble - I'll gamble."
Sheikhan had around 167,000 in chips.

Stud

Forrest Takes Monster Pot From Hellmuth

Ted Forrest bet every street and was called by Phil Hellmuth all the way down to seventh street. Hellmuth took off his sunglasses to look at his last down card. He put out a bet and started to put his shades back on but stopped dead in his tracks when Forrest raised him. A frustrated Hellmuth made the call and Forrest turned over his hand. Their cards were:
Forrest: QQ5A (Q-J-5)
Hellmuth: 764K (X-X-X)

Seeing Forrest's three queens, Hellmuth quietly slid his cards into the muck.

Stud 8

An Aggressive Galfond Bets Out Ivey and Williamson

Phil Galfond bet on fifth and sixth street and was called by Robert Williamson III and Phil Ivey. When Galfond led out on the end, Ivey mucked his hand and Williamson looked pained as he thought over his decision.
Galfond: AKQJ (X-X-X)
Ivey: 59QK
Williamson III: 82J9 (X-X-X)

Williamson eventually mucked, and Dwan started to infer about his friend Galfond's hand. Galfond smiled and the table laughed when he showed only one card - the 7.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Hasan Habib,   Chad Brown,   Gus Hansen,   Ted Forrest,   Layne Flack,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   David Williams,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Robert Williamson III,   Tom Dwan

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 13

Jun 12, '08

Limits:

Hold'em/Omaha8b: 2,000-4,000
Razz/Stud/Stud8b: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 45 of 414

Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman-Traniello: 120,000
Phil Ivey: 115,000
Doug Ganger: 114,000
James Mackey: 95,000
Tad Jurgens: 93,000
Marco Traniello: 80,000
Hoyt Corkins: 78,000
Alexander Jung: 78,000
Kevin Saul: 76,000
Mandy Calara: 73,000

Average Stack: 55,200

Eliminations: Shannon Elizabeth, Berry Johnston

Big Hands and Storylines:

Razz

A Champion Falls

Berry Johnston was battling a short stack for a long time before gettin gall in against Kevin Saul. Their cards were:
Johnston: K-Q-5-4 (X-X-X)
Saul: 6-6-4-A (9-5-4)
Saul showed a 9-low and Johnston mucked his band and was eliminated.

Ivey Crushes Razz

Phil Ivey has repeatedly raised throughout the razz level, making his opponents fold and taking several small pots. He has around 115,000 in chips.

Hold'em

Broadway Ends the Star's Run

After much deliberation, Shannon Elizabeth called a bet of 4,000 after the turn on a board of KJ10Q. The river brought the 6 and her opponent bet enough to put her all in. Elizabeth looked disgusted but made the call. She showed J-J for a flopped set of jacks, but her opponent had made the broadway straight on the turn with A-K and Elizabeth was eliminated.

Dutchman Flying High

Marcel Luske raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in the small blind. The flop came K63. The small blind checked and Luske bet out 2,000. His opponent called and both players checked the 6 turn card. The A came on the river and Luske immediately bet out 4,000, causing his opponent to shake his head and fold.

Omaha

A Trio of Threes

James Mackey raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in seat 5. The flop came 1083 and Mackey continued his aggressive play, betting 2,000. Seat 5 made the call and the 3 hit on the turn. The player called again and both players checked on the 2 river. Mackey showed 6643 for a set of threes and his opponent angrily tossed his cards high into the air and into the muck. Mackey ended the level well, with around 95,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Marcel Luske,   Berry Johnston,   James Mackey,   Kevin Saul,   Shannon Elizabeth,   European Report

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 12 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,500-3,000, 800-1,500 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,500-3,000, 300 ante, 500 bring-in,

Players Left:  61 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Doug Ganger - 126,000
Jennifer Harman-Traniello - 90,000
James Mackey - 77,000
Dewey Tomko - 64,000
J.J. Hazan - 60,000
David Levi - 56,000
Joshua Woolsey - 54,000
Marco Traniello - 54,000
Eric Froehlich - 53,000
Tad Jurgens - 52,000
Farzad Rouhani - 45,000
Phil Ivey - 44,000

Average Stack:  40,700

Eliminations:
Max Pescatori
Michael Gracz
Ted Forrest

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ivey Gaining Steam

The action picks up on the flop of A24. The small blind bet into Ivey and he made the call. The turn was the 4 and again the other player bet and was met by a call from Ivey. The river was the J and the action went bet-call a third time. The players showed their hands:

Small blind: A7
Phil Ivey: AQ

The pot was a big one for Ivey who now has a better than average stack of 44,000

Stud

AAA Rescues Binger, But Only Temporarily

Binger: A2J10
Opponent 3728

Michael Binger, perilously low on chips, bet on every street and was called all the way down. On 7^th street Binger put his last 2,400 chips into the middle. His opponent, not showing a tremendously dangerous board, thought for over a minute before making the call. Binger flipped over (AA5) and took down the pot, doubling up to 20,000. Unfortunately for Binger, he would be eliminated before the end of the level.

Razz

Jurgens on the Move

Tad Jurgens: 2973
Opponent: 27A5

The action on this hand is quite simple to relate. On 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th streets Tad Jurgen called a bet from his opponent. On 7^th street the other player bet again but this time Jurgens tossed in a raise. His opponent called and was not at all pleased to see Jurgens turn over (A64) for the second-nut low.  The hand brings Jurgens up to 52,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Ted Forrest,   Dewey Tomko,   Marco Traniello,   Jennifer Harman,   James Mackey,   Eric Froehlich,   Michael Binger,   Joshua Woolsey,   Tad Jurgens,   Doug Ganger,   J.J. Hazan

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 11 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,200-2,400, 600-1,200 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,200-2,400, 300 ante, 300 bring-in,

Players Left:  73 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Doug Ganger - 94,000
Jennifer Harman-Traniello - 68,000
Mark Wilds - 64,000
James Mackey – 59,000
Joshua Woolsey - 58,000
David Levi - 56,000
Kevin Saul - 55,000
Marco Traniello - 54,000
Eric Froehlich - 53,000
Farzad Rouhani - 45,000
Billy Argyros - 44,000
Loi Tran – 41,000

Average Stack: 34,050

Eliminations:
Felipe Tavares
Mike Sexton

Big Hands and Storylines:

It Just Keeps Getting Worse

Table 48 continues to add superb players to its ranks. The latest to be moved over to the table is Michael Binger. He joins Marco Traniello, Max Pescatori, James Mackey, Ted Forrest, and Steve Zolotow.

Hold’em

Mackey Making His Mark

Marco Traniello raised pre-flop from middle position and James Mackey three-bet him from the small blind. Traniello made the call. Mackey led out at the A84 flop and Traniello swiftly called. Mackey checked the 7 turn and Traniello bet 2,400. Mackey made it 4,800 and Traniello called. Mackey again bet out on the river 3 and Traniello called. Mackey showed 88 for the flopped set and Traniello, perhaps thinking he had won the pot, momentarily flipped over A-K then scrambled to return his cards face down. Traniello is still in no danger of elimination with nearly 55,000 in chips, but Mackey has him beat with 59,000.

Razz

Tran-tastic

Todd Brunson: A3K2
Loi Tran: 2446

Todd Brunson raised with the A showing and Loi Tran called him with the 2. On 4^th street, Brunson led out and Tran quickly called. Brunson check-called on 5^th street when he was dealt a king, then again on the river. On the end, Brunson again checked and Tran continued his pattern of betting. Brunson took more time to make this decision but ended up making the call. Tran showed (7-5-3) for 6-high and that was enough to win the pot, boosting him to 41,000. Brunson has 28,000.

Stud

Gracz vs. Glantz Part II

Glantz: T366
Gracz: Q2JQ

Matthew Glantz raised with the T showing and Michael Gracz called him with the Q. Gracz check-called on 4^th street and checked again on 5^th. Glantz too checked on 5^th street, slowing down a bit. 6^th street paired both players, sixes for Glantz and queens for Gracz. Gracz bet out and Glantz dejectedly folded. After the hand Glantz was left with a meager 6,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Ted Forrest,   Todd Brunson,   Steve Zolotow,   Marco Traniello,   Jennifer Harman,   Loi Tran,   Mike Sexton,   Mark Wilds,   James Mackey,   Matthew Glantz,   Eric Froehlich,   Kevin Saul,   Billy Argyros,   Joshua Woolsey,   Doug Ganger,   Felipe Tavares

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 10 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Note: The players have just returned from a 20-minute break. In addition, the powers-that-be here at the Rio have just announced that there will be another 20-minute break after two more levels. Then, when the money is reached (which is expected to be soon after) the players will go on an hour-long dinner break.

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,000-2,000, 500-1,000 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,000-2,000, 200 ante, 300 bring-in,

Players Left:  87 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Kevin Saul - 51,000
Christopher Gentile- 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
Erich Kollmann - 44,000
Joshua Woolsey - 43,000
David Levi - 43,000
James Mackey - 42,900
Todd Brunson - 42,000
Marc Goodwin – 41,000

Average Stack: 28,550

Eliminations:
Annie Duke
Greg Raymer
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Gracz Busts Raymer

Greg Raymer, on a short stack, gets all his chips in against Michael Gracz on a J73K9 board. Raymer seemed optimistic about his pair of jacks but was met with bad news when Gracz revealed KK for a set of kings. The newly busted Raymer let everyone know his thoughts about the game that ousted him, shouting, “Limit poker sucks!” Michael Gracz, now with 17,000 chips, might disagree.

Omaha/8b

Glantz Doubles Up

On a board of QT7K3, Matthew Glantz gets it all in against his opponent. Glantz happily tables AJ52 and takes down the whole pot with the broadway straight. Despite this pot, Glantz still has a lot of work to do with only 13,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Aces-Up Propel Luske

Marcell Luske has an opponent all in after 3^rd street and the two reveal their cards:

Luske: (AA)2
Opponent: (QQ)2

Luske’s next card was the 2 and his two-pair would go on to claim the pot. Despite sitting at a table with Todd Brunson and Kevin Saul, Luske has managed to work his way to 37,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Todd Brunson,   Marcel Luske,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Matthew Glantz,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Erich Kollmann,   Joshua Woolsey,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 9 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  800-1600, 400-800 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  800-1600, 200 ante, 200 bring-in,

Players Left: 112 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Kevin Saul - 57,000
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Christopher Gentile - 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
James Mackey - 42,900
Marc Goodwin - 41,500
Todd Brunson - 38,000
David Levi - 38,000
James Van Alstyne - 36,000
Linda Drucker - 36,000

Average Stack: 22,175

Eliminations:
Mark Vos
Todd Lundwell
Shinchi Chien
J.W. Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Oh the Zhu-manity

Mark Vos got the majority of his 9,000 chips in pre-flop against Yueqi Zhu and the rest went in on a K53 flop. “That’s a good flop for me,” said Vos. It was indeed, as Vos turned over AK. Zhu’s 77 was drawing to two outs. The J on the turn was unimportant, but the river was a stunning 7, eliciting an emphatic “Yes!” from Zhu and causing Vos to spring from his chair and leave the area in incredibly swift fashion. Zhu is now up to quite a hale 35,500.

Omaha/8b

Saul’s Solid Stack Skyrockets

Seated right next to one another, Todd Brunson and Kevin “bel0wab0ve” Saul tangled in a pot. Brunson raised from the small blind and Saul called from the big blind. The flop came AQ4 and Brunson bet into Saul. Saul called and the duo saw a 3 turn. Brunson checked this time, but called after Saul’s bet of 1,600. Brunson wasn’t so keen about the 6 on the river apparently, as he check-folded, dropping his stack down to 39,000. Kevin Saul’s stack of 57,000 is now top among the chip leaders.

Mark Roland Doubles Up

After a great deal of betting pre-flop and on the flop, Mark Roland found himself all in against Max Pescatori on a 1043 flop. Pescatori declared that he had nut-nut and flopped over A633, a decidedly non-nut hand but still good for a set of threes. Mark Roland showed the goods however (as good as a series of draws can be anyway), revealing AA72 for the nut flush draw, a gutshot straight draw and the nut low draw. The river was the 9, which didn’t help Roland at all. But the J on the river was Roland’s saving grace, giving him the entire pot and doubling him up to 14,000. Pescatori’s loss drops him to 18,000.

Player Tags: David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Todd Brunson,   James Van Alstyne,   J.W. Smith,   James Mackey,   Mark Roland,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Mark Vos,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung,   Linda Drucker,   Zhu Yueqi,   Shinchi Chien

Event 22 - H.O.R.S.E - Level 6

Jun 11, '08

Blinds/Antes:

Hold'em-Omaha 8: 200-400
Razz-Stud-Stud8: 100 ante, 100 bring-in, 200 completion

Players Left: 224 of 414

Chip Stacks:

Marcel Luske: 27,000
Shannon Elizabeth: 22,000
Markus Golser: 21,000
Kenna James: 17,600
Cliff Josephy: 17,500
Hoyt Corkins: 17,300
Perry Friedman: 17,000
Chris Reslock: 16,000
Bill Chen: 15,500

Average Chip Stack: 10,707

Eliminations: Cindy Violette

Big Hands:

Limit Hold’em

Three to Tango

One tough table features the runner up in Event 8, the World Championship Mixed Event James Mackey, Keith Sexton and Phil Ivey sitting in seats 4-6.
During some limit hold’em the trio repeatedly battled. In one hand Ivey raised to 800 from the button and Mackey called. The flop came 954, Ivey bet 400 and Mackey folded.
The very next hand Mackey raised to 800 and Sexton called. The flop was similar, coming 954 and Mackey bet out 400. Sexton folded and Mackey saw his stack grow to around 15,000.
A few hands later, Ivey and Mackey battled again. Mackey made it 800 to go and Ivey repopped it up to 1,200. Mackey made the call and the flop came 964. Ivey bet out 400 and Mackey called. The turn brought the 7, Ivey bet out 800 and Mackey called again. Both players checked the Q on the river and Ivey showed A6. Mackey looked disappointed and mucked his hand. Ivey had around 13,000 after the level.

Omaha

“You got four deuces?”

Ted Forrest bet 800 on a board of A1029. Cliff “JohnyBax” Josephy thought for a moment then let his cards go, but the player in seat 1 reraised the pot to 1,600. Forrest raised the player another 800 and the player called. The river brought the 2 and the showdown didn’t go as Forrest expected.
”Four deuces,” the player in seat 1 said.
“You got four deuces?” a surprised Forrest said. Sure enough, his opponent rolled over 22 for quads and took the pot. Forrest had around 10,000 after losing the pot.

Omaha 8

McEvoy Surprised to Win

On a board of J109J2 Tom McEvoy looked ready to see his chips head towards his opponent as he flipped over his modest hand of A-K-10-3. Instead, his opponent patted the table and accepted his defeat.
“Whoah,” was all McEvoy could say when he realized his pair of 10s had won the entire pot.

Bloch Splits Crucial Pot, Remains Short on Chips

On a board of 8647A Andy Bloch showed AKQQ for a flush and the best high hand and his opponent showed 1082A for the best low hand, splitting the pot and putting Bloch’s stack around 3,000.

Player Tags: Tom McEvoy,   Andy Bloch,   Ted Forrest,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 13

Jun 12, '08

Limits:

Hold'em/Omaha8b: 2,000-4,000
Razz/Stud/Stud8b: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 45 of 414

Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman-Traniello: 120,000
Phil Ivey: 115,000
Doug Ganger: 114,000
James Mackey: 95,000
Tad Jurgens: 93,000
Marco Traniello: 80,000
Hoyt Corkins: 78,000
Alexander Jung: 78,000
Kevin Saul: 76,000
Mandy Calara: 73,000

Average Stack: 55,200

Eliminations: Shannon Elizabeth, Berry Johnston

Big Hands and Storylines:

Razz

A Champion Falls

Berry Johnston was battling a short stack for a long time before gettin gall in against Kevin Saul. Their cards were:
Johnston: K-Q-5-4 (X-X-X)
Saul: 6-6-4-A (9-5-4)
Saul showed a 9-low and Johnston mucked his band and was eliminated.

Ivey Crushes Razz

Phil Ivey has repeatedly raised throughout the razz level, making his opponents fold and taking several small pots. He has around 115,000 in chips.

Hold'em

Broadway Ends the Star's Run

After much deliberation, Shannon Elizabeth called a bet of 4,000 after the turn on a board of KJ10Q. The river brought the 6 and her opponent bet enough to put her all in. Elizabeth looked disgusted but made the call. She showed J-J for a flopped set of jacks, but her opponent had made the broadway straight on the turn with A-K and Elizabeth was eliminated.

Dutchman Flying High

Marcel Luske raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in the small blind. The flop came K63. The small blind checked and Luske bet out 2,000. His opponent called and both players checked the 6 turn card. The A came on the river and Luske immediately bet out 4,000, causing his opponent to shake his head and fold.

Omaha

A Trio of Threes

James Mackey raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in seat 5. The flop came 1083 and Mackey continued his aggressive play, betting 2,000. Seat 5 made the call and the 3 hit on the turn. The player called again and both players checked on the 2 river. Mackey showed 6643 for a set of threes and his opponent angrily tossed his cards high into the air and into the muck. Mackey ended the level well, with around 95,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Marcel Luske,   Berry Johnston,   James Mackey,   Kevin Saul,   Shannon Elizabeth,   European Report

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 12 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,500-3,000, 800-1,500 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,500-3,000, 300 ante, 500 bring-in,

Players Left:  61 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Doug Ganger - 126,000
Jennifer Harman-Traniello - 90,000
James Mackey - 77,000
Dewey Tomko - 64,000
J.J. Hazan - 60,000
David Levi - 56,000
Joshua Woolsey - 54,000
Marco Traniello - 54,000
Eric Froehlich - 53,000
Tad Jurgens - 52,000
Farzad Rouhani - 45,000
Phil Ivey - 44,000

Average Stack:  40,700

Eliminations:
Max Pescatori
Michael Gracz
Ted Forrest

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ivey Gaining Steam

The action picks up on the flop of A24. The small blind bet into Ivey and he made the call. The turn was the 4 and again the other player bet and was met by a call from Ivey. The river was the J and the action went bet-call a third time. The players showed their hands:

Small blind: A7
Phil Ivey: AQ

The pot was a big one for Ivey who now has a better than average stack of 44,000

Stud

AAA Rescues Binger, But Only Temporarily

Binger: A2J10
Opponent 3728

Michael Binger, perilously low on chips, bet on every street and was called all the way down. On 7^th street Binger put his last 2,400 chips into the middle. His opponent, not showing a tremendously dangerous board, thought for over a minute before making the call. Binger flipped over (AA5) and took down the pot, doubling up to 20,000. Unfortunately for Binger, he would be eliminated before the end of the level.

Razz

Jurgens on the Move

Tad Jurgens: 2973
Opponent: 27A5

The action on this hand is quite simple to relate. On 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th streets Tad Jurgen called a bet from his opponent. On 7^th street the other player bet again but this time Jurgens tossed in a raise. His opponent called and was not at all pleased to see Jurgens turn over (A64) for the second-nut low.  The hand brings Jurgens up to 52,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Ted Forrest,   Dewey Tomko,   Marco Traniello,   Jennifer Harman,   James Mackey,   Eric Froehlich,   Michael Binger,   Joshua Woolsey,   Tad Jurgens,   Doug Ganger,   J.J. Hazan

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 11 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,200-2,400, 600-1,200 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,200-2,400, 300 ante, 300 bring-in,

Players Left:  73 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Doug Ganger - 94,000
Jennifer Harman-Traniello - 68,000
Mark Wilds - 64,000
James Mackey – 59,000
Joshua Woolsey - 58,000
David Levi - 56,000
Kevin Saul - 55,000
Marco Traniello - 54,000
Eric Froehlich - 53,000
Farzad Rouhani - 45,000
Billy Argyros - 44,000
Loi Tran – 41,000

Average Stack: 34,050

Eliminations:
Felipe Tavares
Mike Sexton

Big Hands and Storylines:

It Just Keeps Getting Worse

Table 48 continues to add superb players to its ranks. The latest to be moved over to the table is Michael Binger. He joins Marco Traniello, Max Pescatori, James Mackey, Ted Forrest, and Steve Zolotow.

Hold’em

Mackey Making His Mark

Marco Traniello raised pre-flop from middle position and James Mackey three-bet him from the small blind. Traniello made the call. Mackey led out at the A84 flop and Traniello swiftly called. Mackey checked the 7 turn and Traniello bet 2,400. Mackey made it 4,800 and Traniello called. Mackey again bet out on the river 3 and Traniello called. Mackey showed 88 for the flopped set and Traniello, perhaps thinking he had won the pot, momentarily flipped over A-K then scrambled to return his cards face down. Traniello is still in no danger of elimination with nearly 55,000 in chips, but Mackey has him beat with 59,000.

Razz

Tran-tastic

Todd Brunson: A3K2
Loi Tran: 2446

Todd Brunson raised with the A showing and Loi Tran called him with the 2. On 4^th street, Brunson led out and Tran quickly called. Brunson check-called on 5^th street when he was dealt a king, then again on the river. On the end, Brunson again checked and Tran continued his pattern of betting. Brunson took more time to make this decision but ended up making the call. Tran showed (7-5-3) for 6-high and that was enough to win the pot, boosting him to 41,000. Brunson has 28,000.

Stud

Gracz vs. Glantz Part II

Glantz: T366
Gracz: Q2JQ

Matthew Glantz raised with the T showing and Michael Gracz called him with the Q. Gracz check-called on 4^th street and checked again on 5^th. Glantz too checked on 5^th street, slowing down a bit. 6^th street paired both players, sixes for Glantz and queens for Gracz. Gracz bet out and Glantz dejectedly folded. After the hand Glantz was left with a meager 6,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Ted Forrest,   Todd Brunson,   Steve Zolotow,   Marco Traniello,   Jennifer Harman,   Loi Tran,   Mike Sexton,   Mark Wilds,   James Mackey,   Matthew Glantz,   Eric Froehlich,   Kevin Saul,   Billy Argyros,   Joshua Woolsey,   Doug Ganger,   Felipe Tavares

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 10 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Note: The players have just returned from a 20-minute break. In addition, the powers-that-be here at the Rio have just announced that there will be another 20-minute break after two more levels. Then, when the money is reached (which is expected to be soon after) the players will go on an hour-long dinner break.

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,000-2,000, 500-1,000 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,000-2,000, 200 ante, 300 bring-in,

Players Left:  87 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Kevin Saul - 51,000
Christopher Gentile- 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
Erich Kollmann - 44,000
Joshua Woolsey - 43,000
David Levi - 43,000
James Mackey - 42,900
Todd Brunson - 42,000
Marc Goodwin – 41,000

Average Stack: 28,550

Eliminations:
Annie Duke
Greg Raymer
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Gracz Busts Raymer

Greg Raymer, on a short stack, gets all his chips in against Michael Gracz on a J73K9 board. Raymer seemed optimistic about his pair of jacks but was met with bad news when Gracz revealed KK for a set of kings. The newly busted Raymer let everyone know his thoughts about the game that ousted him, shouting, “Limit poker sucks!” Michael Gracz, now with 17,000 chips, might disagree.

Omaha/8b

Glantz Doubles Up

On a board of QT7K3, Matthew Glantz gets it all in against his opponent. Glantz happily tables AJ52 and takes down the whole pot with the broadway straight. Despite this pot, Glantz still has a lot of work to do with only 13,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Aces-Up Propel Luske

Marcell Luske has an opponent all in after 3^rd street and the two reveal their cards:

Luske: (AA)2
Opponent: (QQ)2

Luske’s next card was the 2 and his two-pair would go on to claim the pot. Despite sitting at a table with Todd Brunson and Kevin Saul, Luske has managed to work his way to 37,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Todd Brunson,   Marcel Luske,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Matthew Glantz,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Erich Kollmann,   Joshua Woolsey,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 9 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  800-1600, 400-800 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  800-1600, 200 ante, 200 bring-in,

Players Left: 112 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Kevin Saul - 57,000
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Christopher Gentile - 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
James Mackey - 42,900
Marc Goodwin - 41,500
Todd Brunson - 38,000
David Levi - 38,000
James Van Alstyne - 36,000
Linda Drucker - 36,000

Average Stack: 22,175

Eliminations:
Mark Vos
Todd Lundwell
Shinchi Chien
J.W. Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Oh the Zhu-manity

Mark Vos got the majority of his 9,000 chips in pre-flop against Yueqi Zhu and the rest went in on a K53 flop. “That’s a good flop for me,” said Vos. It was indeed, as Vos turned over AK. Zhu’s 77 was drawing to two outs. The J on the turn was unimportant, but the river was a stunning 7, eliciting an emphatic “Yes!” from Zhu and causing Vos to spring from his chair and leave the area in incredibly swift fashion. Zhu is now up to quite a hale 35,500.

Omaha/8b

Saul’s Solid Stack Skyrockets

Seated right next to one another, Todd Brunson and Kevin “bel0wab0ve” Saul tangled in a pot. Brunson raised from the small blind and Saul called from the big blind. The flop came AQ4 and Brunson bet into Saul. Saul called and the duo saw a 3 turn. Brunson checked this time, but called after Saul’s bet of 1,600. Brunson wasn’t so keen about the 6 on the river apparently, as he check-folded, dropping his stack down to 39,000. Kevin Saul’s stack of 57,000 is now top among the chip leaders.

Mark Roland Doubles Up

After a great deal of betting pre-flop and on the flop, Mark Roland found himself all in against Max Pescatori on a 1043 flop. Pescatori declared that he had nut-nut and flopped over A633, a decidedly non-nut hand but still good for a set of threes. Mark Roland showed the goods however (as good as a series of draws can be anyway), revealing AA72 for the nut flush draw, a gutshot straight draw and the nut low draw. The river was the 9, which didn’t help Roland at all. But the J on the river was Roland’s saving grace, giving him the entire pot and doubling him up to 14,000. Pescatori’s loss drops him to 18,000.

Player Tags: David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Todd Brunson,   James Van Alstyne,   J.W. Smith,   James Mackey,   Mark Roland,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Mark Vos,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung,   Linda Drucker,   Zhu Yueqi,   Shinchi Chien

Event 22 - H.O.R.S.E - Level 6

Jun 11, '08

Blinds/Antes:

Hold'em-Omaha 8: 200-400
Razz-Stud-Stud8: 100 ante, 100 bring-in, 200 completion

Players Left: 224 of 414

Chip Stacks:

Marcel Luske: 27,000
Shannon Elizabeth: 22,000
Markus Golser: 21,000
Kenna James: 17,600
Cliff Josephy: 17,500
Hoyt Corkins: 17,300
Perry Friedman: 17,000
Chris Reslock: 16,000
Bill Chen: 15,500

Average Chip Stack: 10,707

Eliminations: Cindy Violette

Big Hands:

Limit Hold’em

Three to Tango

One tough table features the runner up in Event 8, the World Championship Mixed Event James Mackey, Keith Sexton and Phil Ivey sitting in seats 4-6.
During some limit hold’em the trio repeatedly battled. In one hand Ivey raised to 800 from the button and Mackey called. The flop came 954, Ivey bet 400 and Mackey folded.
The very next hand Mackey raised to 800 and Sexton called. The flop was similar, coming 954 and Mackey bet out 400. Sexton folded and Mackey saw his stack grow to around 15,000.
A few hands later, Ivey and Mackey battled again. Mackey made it 800 to go and Ivey repopped it up to 1,200. Mackey made the call and the flop came 964. Ivey bet out 400 and Mackey called. The turn brought the 7, Ivey bet out 800 and Mackey called again. Both players checked the Q on the river and Ivey showed A6. Mackey looked disappointed and mucked his hand. Ivey had around 13,000 after the level.

Omaha

“You got four deuces?”

Ted Forrest bet 800 on a board of A1029. Cliff “JohnyBax” Josephy thought for a moment then let his cards go, but the player in seat 1 reraised the pot to 1,600. Forrest raised the player another 800 and the player called. The river brought the 2 and the showdown didn’t go as Forrest expected.
”Four deuces,” the player in seat 1 said.
“You got four deuces?” a surprised Forrest said. Sure enough, his opponent rolled over 22 for quads and took the pot. Forrest had around 10,000 after losing the pot.

Omaha 8

McEvoy Surprised to Win

On a board of J109J2 Tom McEvoy looked ready to see his chips head towards his opponent as he flipped over his modest hand of A-K-10-3. Instead, his opponent patted the table and accepted his defeat.
“Whoah,” was all McEvoy could say when he realized his pair of 10s had won the entire pot.

Bloch Splits Crucial Pot, Remains Short on Chips

On a board of 8647A Andy Bloch showed AKQQ for a flush and the best high hand and his opponent showed 1082A for the best low hand, splitting the pot and putting Bloch’s stack around 3,000.

Player Tags: Tom McEvoy,   Andy Bloch,   Ted Forrest,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey

$5,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Begins at Noon

Jun 11, '08

The action begins at noon for the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event at the 2008 World Series of Poker.  Last year’s winner, James Mackey, bested a field of 640 players to claim his prize of $730,740 and his first gold bracelet.

All players will begin with 10,000 in chips.  Play will continue today until the 10^th 60-minute round has been completed. 

Player Tags: James Mackey