Michael Gracz - Live Updates

Level 7 Hour 1 Update: Sam Farha Doubles Up

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 3,956 of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 235,000
2. Greg Mueller – 176,000
3. Coba Cao – 175,100
4. Tom Schneider – 165,000
5. Andy Black – 162,000
6. Kirk Banks – 157,000
7. Jim Bookstaff – 155,000
8. Nick Maimone – 154,000
9. David Sands – 147,000
10. Redmond Lee – 140,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson – 41,000
Ciaran O’Leary – 33,400
Mike Matusow – 20,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Shaun Deeb

Big Hands:

The River Is Good To Farha

After a series of raises between Sam Farha, Karga Holt and seat 7, Farha moved all in for 11,550. Jaka mucked but seat 7 made the call. Farha turned over 77. Seat 7 showed AQ and they were off to the races.

Seat 7 spiked an ace on the flop when it came AJ2. The turn offered no help to Farha as it was the K. The river was the 7 and Farha pulled off his miracle and doubled up to 32,000.

Helppi Picks Off A Bluff

After the river was dealt, the board read A10284. The player in seat 7 bet 4,200 and Helppi made the call.

“Good call,” seat 7 said as he showed Helppi K-J for a busted straight draw. Helppi turned over 86 for just a pair of eights and took down the pot. He was at 81,000.

Sometimes, It’s Good When You Miss

The player in seat 2 raised to 1,500 from the cutoff and Todd Brunson made the call from the small blind. The flop came down K96 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and Brunson checked. The cutoff bet 3,500 and Brunson came along. The river was the 2 and Brunson checked again. The cutoff fired another shot, this one 6,000. Brunson finally released his hand into the muck and his opponent showed KK for a full house.

“I’m lucky I missed,” Brunson said after seeing the hand. He was down to 40,000.

Erik Cajelais Caught With Counterfeit Diamonds

Erik Cajelais raised from the button and the big blind called. The flop was K22. The big blind checked and Cajelais bet 4,000. The big blind raised all in to 22,000. Cajelais made the call with 65. The big blind tabled A10 and Cajelais’ flush draw was rendered useless. The turn was the 9 and the river was the 3 and neither player hit anything, giving the big blind the double up with ace-high. Cajelais was at 60,000.

Shaun Deeb Annihilated By Rockets

Shaun Deeb raised to 13,000 and then Corwin Cole repopped it to 30,000. Deeb then shoved for 60,000. Cole made the call and tabled AA. Deeb showed down A9 and was in deep trouble.

The board ran out JJ10K8 and Deeb threw away 600 big blinds in the blink of an eye and was eliminated.

Michael Gracz Doubles Up

Michael Gracz moved all in for 14,000 preflop and was called by one player. Gracz showed 55 while his opponent tabled A7. The board ran out K1068Q and Gracz doubled up to 28,000.

Hoyt Corkins Doubles Again And His Stack Nothing To Mess With Now

A late position player put in a raise preflop and Hoyt Corkins called from the big blind. The small blind came along as well and the flop was J75. Action was checked to the late position player who bet out. The small blind called and Corkins moved in for 30,000. The small blind was the only caller and tabled KK. Corkins showed 98 for just a double belly-buster straight draw.

The turn was the A and Corkins had one foot out the door. But the river was the 10 and Corkins cracked the cowboys, making his straight and doubling to over 70,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Juha Helppi,   Michael Gracz,   Todd Brunson,   Sam Farha,   Erik Cajelais,   Shaun Deeb

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Jerry Yang Eliminated

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 921 out of 1116

Chip Counts:

1. Dragan Galic – 110,000
2. Jeff Williams – 100,000
3. Jeremy Ausmus – 88,000
4. Radek Stockner – 88,000
5. Eli Elezra – 84,300
6. Kevin Stammen – 74,000
7. Bryan Colin – 72,000
8. Michael Kamran – 72,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 40,000
10. Barry Shulman – 28,500

Notable Eliminations:

Jerry Yang, Perry Friedman, Darryl Dicken

Big Hands:

Jerry Yang Eliminated

A short stacked Jerry Yang was all in preflop with J7 and was up against his opponent’s AK. Yang caught a good flop when it came 789, but the K on the turn put Yang in a bad spot.

Yang’s fate was sealed as the 4 fell on the river. Yang’s quest for a a second main event title will have to be postponed for at least another year.

Mark Gregorich Takes A Pot

On a board showing 10535, Mark Gregorich and his opponent checked with the pot around 4,000. The river was then the K and the action was checked to Gregorich. He bet 3,500 and his opponent went into the tank. After some thought, he said, “I’ll let you have it,” and mucked his cards. Gregorich raked in the pot and he was at 41,300.

By George!

The player in seat 6 opened the action for a raise to 1,150 and action folded around to Jason Alexander. He then reraised to 3,200 and seat 6 made the call. The flop then fell J52 and the action was checked to Alexander. He fired 6,000 and seat 6 came over the top, moving all in for 26,500. Alexander took a session in the tank and then pushed in the call.

Seat 6 showed 86 for a made flush and Alexander turned over 1010. He needed a lot of help and the J paired the board on the turn. The river then brought the J, giving Alexander a backdoor full house and the massive pot. He was at 84,500 after the hand.

Brad Garrett then had a little fun with his friend. “Wow,” he started. “As bad as your game is buddy, that’s incredible.” The table had a laugh and Alexander left his chips strewn about in front of him. “I’ll be back,” he joked, pretending to walk away from the table. “Yeah, to the pharmacy,” Garrett joked again. After all of this, Garrett forgot to input his ante and the dealer asked him to do it. “I’m sorry sweetheart,” he said. “Can I just get a minute to absorb what just happened.” Garrett then placed his ante in and play continued.

Duthie Shows Some Heart

Picking up the action on the turn, action was checked to John Duthie with the board showing Q7510. He fired a bet of 2,000 and his three opponents quickly mucked. Duthie took in the pot, but was still below his starting stack with just 20,000 in chips.

Michael Gracz Doubles His Opponent

Michael Gracz called his opponent’s all in bet, totaling around 24,000. Here were their hands.

Gracz: AK
Opponent: JJ

Board: J536A

Gracz hit his ace, but unfortunately for him it was after his opponent flopped a set. Gracz took a hit down to 50,000.

Those Flush Draws Will Cost You

After a flop of 724, Steve-Paul Ambrose called his opponent’s all in bet of about 21,000. Ambrose showed J9 for a flush draw, but his opponent held AA and Ambrose needed help. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 5 and Ambrose lost a big chunk of his stack, going down to 15,000.

Affleck Gets Opponent to Fold a Set

Matt “mcmatto” Affleck, the winner of the $3000 SCOOP event on PokerStars, and his opponent on the button got in 5600 preflop and took a flop of AKQ. Affleck bet 6500 and was called by the player on the button.

The turn was the 4 and Affleck bet 11,200 and was called. The river was the 5 and Affleck bet 24,000 of his 26,000 stack. The player on the button stood up and announced that he had a set and was seriously considering folding it. “This is disgusting,” said the player on the button as he agonized with his decision.

Finally, after a few minutes of thought, he tossed the QQ face up into the muck. Even though the entire table begged Affleck to show his hand, he did not oblige and tossed his hand into the muck without showinig.

Left In The Deck:

There were 1,116 players in day 1a for this year’s main event. This is down just slightly from last year’s numbers, as there were 1,297 players in 2008.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Mark Gregorich,   Steve Paul Ambrose,   Jerry Yang,   Jason Alexander

Level 7 Hour 1 Update: Sam Farha Doubles Up

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 3,956 of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 235,000
2. Greg Mueller – 176,000
3. Coba Cao – 175,100
4. Tom Schneider – 165,000
5. Andy Black – 162,000
6. Kirk Banks – 157,000
7. Jim Bookstaff – 155,000
8. Nick Maimone – 154,000
9. David Sands – 147,000
10. Redmond Lee – 140,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson – 41,000
Ciaran O’Leary – 33,400
Mike Matusow – 20,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Shaun Deeb

Big Hands:

The River Is Good To Farha

After a series of raises between Sam Farha, Karga Holt and seat 7, Farha moved all in for 11,550. Jaka mucked but seat 7 made the call. Farha turned over 77. Seat 7 showed AQ and they were off to the races.

Seat 7 spiked an ace on the flop when it came AJ2. The turn offered no help to Farha as it was the K. The river was the 7 and Farha pulled off his miracle and doubled up to 32,000.

Helppi Picks Off A Bluff

After the river was dealt, the board read A10284. The player in seat 7 bet 4,200 and Helppi made the call.

“Good call,” seat 7 said as he showed Helppi K-J for a busted straight draw. Helppi turned over 86 for just a pair of eights and took down the pot. He was at 81,000.

Sometimes, It’s Good When You Miss

The player in seat 2 raised to 1,500 from the cutoff and Todd Brunson made the call from the small blind. The flop came down K96 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and Brunson checked. The cutoff bet 3,500 and Brunson came along. The river was the 2 and Brunson checked again. The cutoff fired another shot, this one 6,000. Brunson finally released his hand into the muck and his opponent showed KK for a full house.

“I’m lucky I missed,” Brunson said after seeing the hand. He was down to 40,000.

Erik Cajelais Caught With Counterfeit Diamonds

Erik Cajelais raised from the button and the big blind called. The flop was K22. The big blind checked and Cajelais bet 4,000. The big blind raised all in to 22,000. Cajelais made the call with 65. The big blind tabled A10 and Cajelais’ flush draw was rendered useless. The turn was the 9 and the river was the 3 and neither player hit anything, giving the big blind the double up with ace-high. Cajelais was at 60,000.

Shaun Deeb Annihilated By Rockets

Shaun Deeb raised to 13,000 and then Corwin Cole repopped it to 30,000. Deeb then shoved for 60,000. Cole made the call and tabled AA. Deeb showed down A9 and was in deep trouble.

The board ran out JJ10K8 and Deeb threw away 600 big blinds in the blink of an eye and was eliminated.

Michael Gracz Doubles Up

Michael Gracz moved all in for 14,000 preflop and was called by one player. Gracz showed 55 while his opponent tabled A7. The board ran out K1068Q and Gracz doubled up to 28,000.

Hoyt Corkins Doubles Again And His Stack Nothing To Mess With Now

A late position player put in a raise preflop and Hoyt Corkins called from the big blind. The small blind came along as well and the flop was J75. Action was checked to the late position player who bet out. The small blind called and Corkins moved in for 30,000. The small blind was the only caller and tabled KK. Corkins showed 98 for just a double belly-buster straight draw.

The turn was the A and Corkins had one foot out the door. But the river was the 10 and Corkins cracked the cowboys, making his straight and doubling to over 70,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Juha Helppi,   Michael Gracz,   Todd Brunson,   Sam Farha,   Erik Cajelais,   Shaun Deeb

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Jerry Yang Eliminated

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 921 out of 1116

Chip Counts:

1. Dragan Galic – 110,000
2. Jeff Williams – 100,000
3. Jeremy Ausmus – 88,000
4. Radek Stockner – 88,000
5. Eli Elezra – 84,300
6. Kevin Stammen – 74,000
7. Bryan Colin – 72,000
8. Michael Kamran – 72,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 40,000
10. Barry Shulman – 28,500

Notable Eliminations:

Jerry Yang, Perry Friedman, Darryl Dicken

Big Hands:

Jerry Yang Eliminated

A short stacked Jerry Yang was all in preflop with J7 and was up against his opponent’s AK. Yang caught a good flop when it came 789, but the K on the turn put Yang in a bad spot.

Yang’s fate was sealed as the 4 fell on the river. Yang’s quest for a a second main event title will have to be postponed for at least another year.

Mark Gregorich Takes A Pot

On a board showing 10535, Mark Gregorich and his opponent checked with the pot around 4,000. The river was then the K and the action was checked to Gregorich. He bet 3,500 and his opponent went into the tank. After some thought, he said, “I’ll let you have it,” and mucked his cards. Gregorich raked in the pot and he was at 41,300.

By George!

The player in seat 6 opened the action for a raise to 1,150 and action folded around to Jason Alexander. He then reraised to 3,200 and seat 6 made the call. The flop then fell J52 and the action was checked to Alexander. He fired 6,000 and seat 6 came over the top, moving all in for 26,500. Alexander took a session in the tank and then pushed in the call.

Seat 6 showed 86 for a made flush and Alexander turned over 1010. He needed a lot of help and the J paired the board on the turn. The river then brought the J, giving Alexander a backdoor full house and the massive pot. He was at 84,500 after the hand.

Brad Garrett then had a little fun with his friend. “Wow,” he started. “As bad as your game is buddy, that’s incredible.” The table had a laugh and Alexander left his chips strewn about in front of him. “I’ll be back,” he joked, pretending to walk away from the table. “Yeah, to the pharmacy,” Garrett joked again. After all of this, Garrett forgot to input his ante and the dealer asked him to do it. “I’m sorry sweetheart,” he said. “Can I just get a minute to absorb what just happened.” Garrett then placed his ante in and play continued.

Duthie Shows Some Heart

Picking up the action on the turn, action was checked to John Duthie with the board showing Q7510. He fired a bet of 2,000 and his three opponents quickly mucked. Duthie took in the pot, but was still below his starting stack with just 20,000 in chips.

Michael Gracz Doubles His Opponent

Michael Gracz called his opponent’s all in bet, totaling around 24,000. Here were their hands.

Gracz: AK
Opponent: JJ

Board: J536A

Gracz hit his ace, but unfortunately for him it was after his opponent flopped a set. Gracz took a hit down to 50,000.

Those Flush Draws Will Cost You

After a flop of 724, Steve-Paul Ambrose called his opponent’s all in bet of about 21,000. Ambrose showed J9 for a flush draw, but his opponent held AA and Ambrose needed help. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 5 and Ambrose lost a big chunk of his stack, going down to 15,000.

Affleck Gets Opponent to Fold a Set

Matt “mcmatto” Affleck, the winner of the $3000 SCOOP event on PokerStars, and his opponent on the button got in 5600 preflop and took a flop of AKQ. Affleck bet 6500 and was called by the player on the button.

The turn was the 4 and Affleck bet 11,200 and was called. The river was the 5 and Affleck bet 24,000 of his 26,000 stack. The player on the button stood up and announced that he had a set and was seriously considering folding it. “This is disgusting,” said the player on the button as he agonized with his decision.

Finally, after a few minutes of thought, he tossed the QQ face up into the muck. Even though the entire table begged Affleck to show his hand, he did not oblige and tossed his hand into the muck without showinig.

Left In The Deck:

There were 1,116 players in day 1a for this year’s main event. This is down just slightly from last year’s numbers, as there were 1,297 players in 2008.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Mark Gregorich,   Steve Paul Ambrose,   Jerry Yang,   Jason Alexander

$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

Event 11 - No Limit Hold 'Em Shootout - The Winners

Jun 06, '08

Note: Play has ended for the day and will resume with a new round of tournaments tomorrow.  Below is a list of all of today's tournament winners and their new seat assignments.  All of today's winners represent the money group for this event and are guaranteed to receive at least $16,920 in prize money.

Table One:
Seat One: Evan McNiff
Seat Two: John Murphy
Seat Thee: Eugene Katchalov
Seat Four: Thomas Roupe
Seat Five: Joe Sebok
Seat Six: William Palmer

Table Two:
Seat One: Mats Gavatin
Seat Two: Pier Ruscalla
Seat Three: Christopher Howard
Seat Four: Leo Wolpert
Seat Five: Michael Gracz
Seat Six: Jacobo Fernandez

Table Three:
Seat One: Isaac Haxton
Seat Two: Greg Mueller
Seat Three: Burt Boutin
Seat Four: Adam Levy
Seat Five: Paul Roper
Seat Six: Ryan Thurlow

Table Four:
Seat One: Tony G
Seat Two: Robert Firestone
Seat Three: Sinous Jamshidi
Seat Four: Elton Beebe
Seat Five: Alex Jacob
Seat Six: John Monnette

Table Five:
Seat One: John Juanda
Seat Two: Eric Froehlich
Seat Three: Andrey Zaichenko
Seat Four: Gabriel Costner
Seat Five: Timothy West
Seat Six: Erik Seidel

Table Six:
Seat One: Andre Biechel Remy
Seat Two: Gregg Turk
Seat Three: William Blanda
Seat Four: Phillip Tom
Seat Five: Richard Kirsch
Seat Six: Ariel Schneller

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Michael Gracz,   Erik Seidel,   John Juanda,   Greg Mueller,   Eugene Katchalov,   Joe Sebok,   European Report

Table #54, Hands #79-80: Michael Gracz Eliminated in 11th Place ($131,910)

Apr 24, '08

The blinds are still 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante. Both tables play two hands of hand-for-hand play.

Hand #79  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, and everyone folds to Tom Dwan, giving him a walk in the big blind.

Hand #80  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Michael Gracz raises from middle position to 180,000, and Gus Hansen calls from the big blind. The flop comes 832, Hansen checks, Gracz bets 400,000, Hansen moves all in, and Gracz calls with 22 for a set of deuces. Hansen shows A5 for a gutshot straight draw with a club flush draw, and he'll need to hit one or the other to bust Gracz here.

The turn card is the A, giving Hansen a meaningless pair. He needs a four or any club (except the three of clubs, which would pair the board) on the river.

The river card is -- the 10! Gus Hansen rivers a club flush to win the pot, and Michael Gracz is eliminated in 11th place, earning $131,910.
 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen

Table #54, Hands #71-74: Another Chop

Apr 24, '08

The blinds are still 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Tom "Durrrr" Dwan is moved from the other table into seat 4 at this table.

Hand #71  -  There is a dead button in seat 8, Tom Dwan limps from the cutoff for 60,000, Gus Hansen reraises from the effective button to 315,000, Michael Gracz reraises from the small blind to 600,000, and both Dwan and Hansen fold. Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #72  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, and Tom Dwan raises from early position, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #73  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, and Tom Dwan raises under the gun to 160,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #74  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Bryan Devonshire raises from the small blind to 200,000, Tom Dwan reraises from the big blind to 1.2 million, and Devonshire calls all in with A2. Dwan shows A2, and unless somebody flushes, it'll be a chop.

The board comes A87KQ, and Dwan and Devonshire chop the pot.
 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu,   Bryan Devonshire,   Tom Dwan,   Karga Holt

Table #54, Hands #57-60

Apr 24, '08

The blinds have increased to 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #57  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, and David Chiu raises under the gun to 185,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #58  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, and Gus Hansen raises under the gun to 165,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #59  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, David Tran limps under the gun for 60,000, Michael Gracz raises from the cutoff to 240,000, and Tran calls. The flop comes Q77, and both players check. The turn is the K, Tran checks, Gracz bets 300,000, and Tran folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #60  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Gus Hansen raises from the small blind to 225,000, winning the blinds and antes.
 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu

Table #54, Hands #50-53

Apr 24, '08

Hand #50  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, Gus Hansen raises from early position to 125,000, and Karga Holt calls from the big blind. The flop comes AA7, Holt checks, Hansen bets 170,000, and Holt calls. The turn is the 4, and both players check. The river is the Q, Holt checks, Hansen bets 500,000, and Holt calls. Gus Hansen shows A9 to win the pot with trip aces, and Karga Holt mucks.

Hand #51  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, Robert Mizrachi raises from the cutoff to 100,000, and David Chiu calls from the big blind. The flop comes J44, Chiu checks, Mizrachi bets 160,000, and Chiu calls. The turn is the 9, and both players check. The river is the 8, and they check again. Chiu shows QJ for two pair, jacks and fours, and Mizrachi mucks. David Chiu wins the pot.

Hand #52  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, Nick Binger raises from early position to 110,000, Robert Mizrachi reraises from late position to 510,000, and Binger folds A10 face up. Robert Mizrachi takes the pot.

Hand #53  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Gus Hansen enters the pot from the small blind, while David Tran plays from the big blind. (We're unsure of the preflop action.) The flop comes J106, and both players check. The turn is the A, Hansen checks, Tran bets 120,000, and Hansen folds. David Tran takes the pot.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #46-49

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #46  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Robert Mizrachi raises from early position to 100,000, Karga Holt calls from the cutoff, David Tran reraises from the big blind to 400,000, and Mizrachi and Holt both fold. David Tran takes the pot.

Hand #47  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, and he raises to 125,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #48  -  David Tran has the button in seat 6, David Chiu raises from late position to 110,000, Gus Hansen reraises from the cutoff to 420,000, and Chiu tanks for about four minutes before he folds. Gus Hansen takes the pot.

Hand #49  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, Gus Hansen raises from late position to 120,000, Michael Gracz moves all in from the big blind for 815,000, and Hansen folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.
 

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #33-40

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #33  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, David Chiu raises from the cutoff to 90,000, Hansen calls from the button, and David Tran calls from the small blind. The flop comes A109, Tran checks, Chiu bets 260,000, and Hansen and Tran both fold. David Chiu takes the pot.

Hand #34  -  David Tran has the button in seat 6, and Nick Binger raises from the small blind to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #35  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, and David Chiu raises from middle position to 85,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #36  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, Gus Hansen raises from early position to 120,000, Nick Binger reraises from the cutoff to 300,000, and Hansen folds. Nick Binger takes the pot.

Hand #37  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, David Tran raises from middle position to 120,000, Gracz moves all in from the button for 760,000, and Tran folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #38  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, David Tran limps under the gun for 40,000, Nick Binger limps from early position, Gus Hansen raises from the big blind to 260,000, and Tran and Binger both fold. Gus Hansen takes the pot.

Hand #39  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Robert Mizrachi raises from early position to 115,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #40  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, and Robert Mizrachi raises under the gun to 115,000, winning the blinds and antes.
 

Player Tags: David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #26-32

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #26  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, and he raises to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #27  -  David Tran has the button in seat 6, Michael Gracz raises under the gun to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #28  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, and Robert Mizrachi raises from the small blind to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #29  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, David Tran raises from late position to 115,000, Michael Gracz calls from the small blind, Karga Holt moves all in from the big blind, Tran folds, and Gracz calls with 66. Holt shows [8d8s], and he's a favorite to double up here.

The board comes [1053105, and Holt wins the pot with two pair, tens and eights, doubling up in chips.

Hand #30  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, Robert Mizrachi raises from the cutoff to 115,000, Karga Holt reraises from the small blind to 390,000, and Mizrachi folds. Karga Holt takes the pot.

Hand #31  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, and everyone folds to Gus Hansen, giving him a walk in the big blind.

Hand #32  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Michael Gracz raises from late position to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.
 

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #21-25

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #21  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, Gus Hansen raises from late position to 125,000, Robert Mizrachi calls from the small blind, and Michael Gracz calls from the big blind. The flop comes J108, and all three players check. The turn card is the 6, Mizrachi bets 260,000, and Gracz and Hansen both fold. Robert Mizrachi takes the pot.

Hand #22  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, and Gus Hansen raises from middle position to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #23  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, and Kenny Tran raises from middle position to 110,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #24  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, Michael Gracz raises from the cutoff to 120,000, and Gus Hansen calls from the big blind. The flop comes KJ8, Gracz makes a motion to bet, and Hansen says, "You win," as he mucks his cards. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #25  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Robert Mizrachi raises from early position to 125,000, Gus Hansen moves all in, and Mizrachi folds. Gus Hansen takes the pot.
 

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   Kenny Tran,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #1-2: Andy Black Eliminated in 16th Place ($105,525)

Apr 24, '08

Blinds are still at 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante.

Hand #1  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, Gus Hansen raises from middle position to 100,000, and Gracz calls from the button. The flop comes Q55, and both players check. The turn card is the 6, Hansen checks, Gracz bets 125,000, and Hansen folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Tom "Durrrr" Dwan is moved over to Table 53 to balance the two tables.

Hand #2  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, Robert Mizrachi raises from late position to 85,000, Andy Black moves all in from the big blind for 403,000, and Mizrachi tanks for about two minutes before he calls with J9. Black shows AA, and he's a big favorite to double up here.

The flop comes 10106, and Mizrachi needs something runner-runner to bust Black. The turn card is the 7, and Mizrachi picks up a gutshot straight draw, needing an eight.

The river card is -- the 8!

Robert Mizrachi catches a jack-high straight to win the pot, building his stack to about 1.5 million.

Andy Black is painfully eliminated in 16th place, earning $105,525.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Gracz,   Andy Black,   Karga Holt

Michael Gracz Doubles Up Through Gus Hansen

Apr 23, '08

With the final board showing 87659 (a nine-high straight on the board with three spades), Gus Hansen bets 250,000 from the big blind, and Michael Gracz moves all in for about 755,000 from under the gun.

Hansen tanks for about five minutes, considering the situation, and a crowd gathers around the table to sweat the action. Gus talks himself through the hand a bit, but not really loud enough for the crowd to hear.

Hansen finally calls, and Gracz says, "Jack of hearts, ten of spades," and turns over exactly that -- J10. He rivered a jack-high straight to beat the board.

Hansen mucks, and Gracz takes the pot, doubling his stack to about 1.7 million.

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen

Table #54, Hands #79-80: Michael Gracz Eliminated in 11th Place ($131,910)

Apr 24, '08

The blinds are still 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante. Both tables play two hands of hand-for-hand play.

Hand #79  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, and everyone folds to Tom Dwan, giving him a walk in the big blind.

Hand #80  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Michael Gracz raises from middle position to 180,000, and Gus Hansen calls from the big blind. The flop comes 832, Hansen checks, Gracz bets 400,000, Hansen moves all in, and Gracz calls with 22 for a set of deuces. Hansen shows A5 for a gutshot straight draw with a club flush draw, and he'll need to hit one or the other to bust Gracz here.

The turn card is the A, giving Hansen a meaningless pair. He needs a four or any club (except the three of clubs, which would pair the board) on the river.

The river card is -- the 10! Gus Hansen rivers a club flush to win the pot, and Michael Gracz is eliminated in 11th place, earning $131,910.
 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen

Table #54, Hands #71-74: Another Chop

Apr 24, '08

The blinds are still 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Tom "Durrrr" Dwan is moved from the other table into seat 4 at this table.

Hand #71  -  There is a dead button in seat 8, Tom Dwan limps from the cutoff for 60,000, Gus Hansen reraises from the effective button to 315,000, Michael Gracz reraises from the small blind to 600,000, and both Dwan and Hansen fold. Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #72  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, and Tom Dwan raises from early position, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #73  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, and Tom Dwan raises under the gun to 160,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #74  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Bryan Devonshire raises from the small blind to 200,000, Tom Dwan reraises from the big blind to 1.2 million, and Devonshire calls all in with A2. Dwan shows A2, and unless somebody flushes, it'll be a chop.

The board comes A87KQ, and Dwan and Devonshire chop the pot.
 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu,   Bryan Devonshire,   Tom Dwan,   Karga Holt

Table #54, Hands #57-60

Apr 24, '08

The blinds have increased to 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #57  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, and David Chiu raises under the gun to 185,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #58  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, and Gus Hansen raises under the gun to 165,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #59  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, David Tran limps under the gun for 60,000, Michael Gracz raises from the cutoff to 240,000, and Tran calls. The flop comes Q77, and both players check. The turn is the K, Tran checks, Gracz bets 300,000, and Tran folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #60  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Gus Hansen raises from the small blind to 225,000, winning the blinds and antes.
 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu

Table #54, Hands #50-53

Apr 24, '08

Hand #50  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, Gus Hansen raises from early position to 125,000, and Karga Holt calls from the big blind. The flop comes AA7, Holt checks, Hansen bets 170,000, and Holt calls. The turn is the 4, and both players check. The river is the Q, Holt checks, Hansen bets 500,000, and Holt calls. Gus Hansen shows A9 to win the pot with trip aces, and Karga Holt mucks.

Hand #51  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, Robert Mizrachi raises from the cutoff to 100,000, and David Chiu calls from the big blind. The flop comes J44, Chiu checks, Mizrachi bets 160,000, and Chiu calls. The turn is the 9, and both players check. The river is the 8, and they check again. Chiu shows QJ for two pair, jacks and fours, and Mizrachi mucks. David Chiu wins the pot.

Hand #52  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, Nick Binger raises from early position to 110,000, Robert Mizrachi reraises from late position to 510,000, and Binger folds A10 face up. Robert Mizrachi takes the pot.

Hand #53  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Gus Hansen enters the pot from the small blind, while David Tran plays from the big blind. (We're unsure of the preflop action.) The flop comes J106, and both players check. The turn is the A, Hansen checks, Tran bets 120,000, and Hansen folds. David Tran takes the pot.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #46-49

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #46  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Robert Mizrachi raises from early position to 100,000, Karga Holt calls from the cutoff, David Tran reraises from the big blind to 400,000, and Mizrachi and Holt both fold. David Tran takes the pot.

Hand #47  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, and he raises to 125,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #48  -  David Tran has the button in seat 6, David Chiu raises from late position to 110,000, Gus Hansen reraises from the cutoff to 420,000, and Chiu tanks for about four minutes before he folds. Gus Hansen takes the pot.

Hand #49  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, Gus Hansen raises from late position to 120,000, Michael Gracz moves all in from the big blind for 815,000, and Hansen folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.
 

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #33-40

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #33  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, David Chiu raises from the cutoff to 90,000, Hansen calls from the button, and David Tran calls from the small blind. The flop comes A109, Tran checks, Chiu bets 260,000, and Hansen and Tran both fold. David Chiu takes the pot.

Hand #34  -  David Tran has the button in seat 6, and Nick Binger raises from the small blind to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #35  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, and David Chiu raises from middle position to 85,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #36  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, Gus Hansen raises from early position to 120,000, Nick Binger reraises from the cutoff to 300,000, and Hansen folds. Nick Binger takes the pot.

Hand #37  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, David Tran raises from middle position to 120,000, Gracz moves all in from the button for 760,000, and Tran folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #38  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, David Tran limps under the gun for 40,000, Nick Binger limps from early position, Gus Hansen raises from the big blind to 260,000, and Tran and Binger both fold. Gus Hansen takes the pot.

Hand #39  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Robert Mizrachi raises from early position to 115,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #40  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, and Robert Mizrachi raises under the gun to 115,000, winning the blinds and antes.
 

Player Tags: David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   David Chiu,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #26-32

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #26  -  Gus Hansen has the button in seat 5, and he raises to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #27  -  David Tran has the button in seat 6, Michael Gracz raises under the gun to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #28  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, and Robert Mizrachi raises from the small blind to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #29  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, David Tran raises from late position to 115,000, Michael Gracz calls from the small blind, Karga Holt moves all in from the big blind, Tran folds, and Gracz calls with 66. Holt shows [8d8s], and he's a favorite to double up here.

The board comes [1053105, and Holt wins the pot with two pair, tens and eights, doubling up in chips.

Hand #30  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, Robert Mizrachi raises from the cutoff to 115,000, Karga Holt reraises from the small blind to 390,000, and Mizrachi folds. Karga Holt takes the pot.

Hand #31  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, and everyone folds to Gus Hansen, giving him a walk in the big blind.

Hand #32  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, and Michael Gracz raises from late position to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.
 

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Tran,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   Karga Holt,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #21-25

Apr 24, '08

Blinds still at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Hand #21  -  Nick Binger has the button in seat 7, Gus Hansen raises from late position to 125,000, Robert Mizrachi calls from the small blind, and Michael Gracz calls from the big blind. The flop comes J108, and all three players check. The turn card is the 6, Mizrachi bets 260,000, and Gracz and Hansen both fold. Robert Mizrachi takes the pot.

Hand #22  -  Robert Mizrachi has the button in seat 8, and Gus Hansen raises from middle position to 120,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #23  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, and Kenny Tran raises from middle position to 110,000, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #24  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, Michael Gracz raises from the cutoff to 120,000, and Gus Hansen calls from the big blind. The flop comes KJ8, Gracz makes a motion to bet, and Hansen says, "You win," as he mucks his cards. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Hand #25  -  David Chiu has the button in seat 2, Robert Mizrachi raises from early position to 125,000, Gus Hansen moves all in, and Mizrachi folds. Gus Hansen takes the pot.
 

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen,   Kenny Tran,   Nick Binger

Table #54, Hands #1-2: Andy Black Eliminated in 16th Place ($105,525)

Apr 24, '08

Blinds are still at 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante.

Hand #1  -  Michael Gracz has the button in seat 9, Gus Hansen raises from middle position to 100,000, and Gracz calls from the button. The flop comes Q55, and both players check. The turn card is the 6, Hansen checks, Gracz bets 125,000, and Hansen folds. Michael Gracz takes the pot.

Tom "Durrrr" Dwan is moved over to Table 53 to balance the two tables.

Hand #2  -  Karga Holt has the button in seat 1, Robert Mizrachi raises from late position to 85,000, Andy Black moves all in from the big blind for 403,000, and Mizrachi tanks for about two minutes before he calls with J9. Black shows AA, and he's a big favorite to double up here.

The flop comes 10106, and Mizrachi needs something runner-runner to bust Black. The turn card is the 7, and Mizrachi picks up a gutshot straight draw, needing an eight.

The river card is -- the 8!

Robert Mizrachi catches a jack-high straight to win the pot, building his stack to about 1.5 million.

Andy Black is painfully eliminated in 16th place, earning $105,525.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Gracz,   Andy Black,   Karga Holt

Michael Gracz Doubles Up Through Gus Hansen

Apr 23, '08

With the final board showing 87659 (a nine-high straight on the board with three spades), Gus Hansen bets 250,000 from the big blind, and Michael Gracz moves all in for about 755,000 from under the gun.

Hansen tanks for about five minutes, considering the situation, and a crowd gathers around the table to sweat the action. Gus talks himself through the hand a bit, but not really loud enough for the crowd to hear.

Hansen finally calls, and Gracz says, "Jack of hearts, ten of spades," and turns over exactly that -- J10. He rivered a jack-high straight to beat the board.

Hansen mucks, and Gracz takes the pot, doubling his stack to about 1.7 million.

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Gus Hansen

Mike Gracz Takes Down a Big Pot

Apr 11, '08

After a long tank, Mike Gracz calls on the river of a scary board full of possible straights and flushes. His opponent turns over 6 5, which equated to a middle pair. Gracz turns up pocket eights for a set and takes down a huge pot. He now sits with more than 22,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz

Michael Gracz Eliminated

Mar 11, '08

Michael Gracz is all in against Steve Billirakis with AK against MrSmokey1's 55. The board comes J1037J and Gracz has been eliminated.

Billirakis collects a $5,000 bounty.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Steve Billirakis

Shooting Star: Michael Gracz Eliminated

Mar 11, '08

Michael Gracz has been eliminated by Steve Billirakis. The hand is coming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Gracz

Hour Four Update

Jul 02, '07

Largely Unnamed Field
A vast majority of the field is unknown players.  The chances of a stacked final table are pretty small at this point.  But remember just because the players aren't big names doesn't mean they can't play. 

Break
Players are on a 15 minute break.

Play Resumes
Play starts with the game Stud High, and the betting structure is $200 ante, $300 Bring in $1,000-$2,000 ante.

Approaching the Money
The tournament will pay out the top 70 spots, and we will go hand for hand at 72 players.

Gracz Eliminated
Michael Gracz has been eliminated during the seven card stud portion of the tournament. 

Down to 10
The field has been narrowed to 10 tables and we are rapidly approaching the money.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz

Level 13 Recap

Jul 01, '07

Play continued at a furious pace in the 13th level and the field is down to 100. Notable eliminations in the last round include Chad Brown, Mike Gracz and 2006 Senior Event Champion Paul McKinney.

Gracz was eliminated shortly after losing a race for half his stack. Gracz raised to $12,000 preflop and the player in the seven seat reraises all in for $23,000. Gracz called and turned over A 10. The player in seat seven was ahead with Q Q. The flop came Q J 7 and Gracz was even further behind but picked up a gut shot straight draw. The turn brought the K and Gracz looked relieved. The player in seat seven pleaded for the dealer to pair the board and the river did just that, bringing the J. Gracz lost to his opponent's full house and was down to under $30,000 after the hand. Gracz was eliminated a few hands later.

Chad Brown was sent to the rail in the last level as well. Brown was all in with A K up against his opponent's A Q. A queen hit on the flop and Brown couldn't catch on the turn or the river.

Getting your aces cracked seems to be a common theme in this event and it happened to both Brad Berman and Shaun Deeb in seperate hands. Deeb bet out and was reraised all in by Jesse Martin who had about $40,000 behind him. Deeb had Martin well covered and instantly made the call showing A A. Martin realized he chose a bad time to push and showed 8 8. The flop came Q 8 5 and Martin was silent with two cards to come. Deeb simply shook his head and started counting out the right amount of chips to pay off Martin. The turn was the 3 and the river brought the 10. Martin doubled up to $86,000. On an adjacent table, Brad Berman was all in preflop against his opponent's pocket queens. The board came J 6 3 6 Q and the river gave Berman's opponent the pot. Berman tried to mask his frustration as he shipped $54,000 to his opponent.

Greg Mueller continued his roller coaster like journey in the last level and now sits with $115,000 in chips. The player in seat five raised all in from the small blind for $48,000 and Mueller had a decision for most of his chips. The two had tangled earlier in the day and you could sense Mueller wanted to snap him off. Mueller eventually called and turned up K 9. The player in seat five showed 5 5. The board came K 6 6 J J and Mueller was rewarded by eliminating a headache and picking up a large amount of chips. "I'm the wrong person to do that to" said Mueller. "I dont' get pushed around!"


Notable Chip Counts

Greg "FBT" Mueller	180,000
Shaun Deeb	130,000
Brad Berman	125,000
Shannon Shorr	75,000
Arnold Spee	38,000
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi	36,000

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Chad Brown,   Greg Mueller,   Bradley Berman,   Jesse Martin,   Shaun Deeb

Dinner Break

Jun 30, '07

The players in today's $1,500 No Limit Hold 'Em event are on the dinner break until 10 p.m. The top five chip leaders heading into the dinner break are Jorryt Van Hoof, Jonathan Little, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Michael Gracz and Shannon Shorr.

Kathy Liebert was eliminated before the dinner break when her A-7 ran into A-10.

Jason Newitt has moved up in the chip counts and now has almost $35,000. Newitt caught a two-outer and a four-outer to punish the players at his table and add to his chip stack. Newitt raised from the small blind and the player in seat ten called from the big blind. The flop came 5-3-3 and the player in seat ten bet out. Newitt pushed all in and the player in seat ten called. Newitt showed A 2 and the player in seat ten had him dominated with K-3. The turn was a brick and the river brought a four for Newitt and he doubled up.

Check back after the dinner break with CardPlayer.com  to see who in this record sized field makes it to day two.

Notable Chip Counts

Jorryt Van Hoof	54,000
Jonathon Little	50,000
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi	39,000
Michael Gracz	37,000
Shannon Shorr	36,000
Chad Brown	32,000
Arnold Spee	27,000
Greg "FBT" Mueller	26,600
Eugene Todd	21,800
Chris Reslock	13,000
Juha Helppi	8,900
Bill Chen	8,300
Thomas Wahlroos	6,600
Kenna James	5,500
Chris Ferguson	4,600
Doug Carli	4,100

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Kathy Liebert,   Michael Mizrachi,   Jason Newitt,   Jonathan Little,   Shannon Shorr

Level Five Recap

Jun 30, '07

Event #49, $1,500 No Limit Hold 'Em just keeps rolling along. There are still around 2,000 players with few notable pros remaining. Chad Brown and Mike Gracz are both in the top five in chips however and Brown has tightened up a bit after doubling up an opponent when his pocket kings ran into pocket aces.

Eric Freolich was eliminated in the last round, his A-Q didn't improve against another opponent's A-A. Men "The Master" Nguyen was also eliminated in the last round. Battling a shorter stack for most of the day, Nguyen was all in with K Q and his opponent showed Q Q. Nguyen couldn't catch a card and was sent to the rail.

Notable Chip Counts

Chad Brown	29,000
Michael Gracz	27,500
Greg "FBT" Mueller	26,600
Arnold Spee	22,000
Young Phan	21,500
Shannon Shorr	18,000
Mark Wilds	16,800
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi	16,500
Eugene Todd	14,300
Chris Reslock	13,000
Warren Karp	12,000
Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo	9,900
Juha Helppi	8,900
Bill Chen	8,300
Thomas Wahlroos	6,600
Chris Ferguson	4,600
Kathy Liebert	4,500
Lou Diamond Phillips	3,125
Kenna James	2,800

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Chad Brown,   Men Nguyen,   Eric Froehlich