Ylon Schwartz - Live Updates

Level 8 Hour 2 Update: Ylon Schwartz Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,827 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 475,000
2. Joh Hammer — 350,000
3. Andreas Altmeyer — 318,000
4. Brian Lemke — 291,000
5. Amir Lehavot — 280,000
6. Bertrand Grospellier — 250,000
7. Phil Ivey — 245,000
8. Adam Latimer — 242,000
9. Brennan Hanson — 240,000
10. Dan Bilzerian — 237,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 139,000
Lee Watkinson – 80,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 125,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 20,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Noah Schwartz
Adam Levy
Robert Williamson III
Ylon Schwartz

Big Hands:

Miami John Gets Doubled Through

A player at the table moves all in before the flop and Miami John Cernuto calls, he has him slightly covered.

Cernuto: Pocket Eights
Opponent: AQ

Board: KQ924

Cernuto’s opponent flops a queen and doubles through. Cernuto takes a small hit to his stack as he ships roughly 12,000 across the table.

Theo Tran Breaks 100K…And Still Going

Theo Tran raises before the flop, only to be reraised by another player at the table. Tran calls and the flop comes 832, both players check. The turn is the A, Tran checks, his opponent bets 6,100 and Tran calls. The river is the 4 and Tran bets 45,000, putting his opponent to a decision for the rest of his chips. After a minute in the tank his opponent folds and Tran rakes the pot, breaking the 100,000 mark.

A few hands later and Theo Tran gets involved in a three-way all in pot, Tran getting the best of it once again.

Tran: AA
Opponent 1: AQ
Opponent 2: KJ

Board: KQ953

Tran’s aces hold, eliminating two opponents this hand as he chips up to 130,000.

Tony Hachem Knocks One Out

Tony Hachem calls a 2,000 raise from the button and goes to the flop with one opponent. The flop comes J104, there is a 3,700 bet and Hachem quickly raises to 7,900. The original bettor moves all in for 11,000 and Hachem calls.

Hachem: J10
Opponent: AQ

Hachem flops top two against the royal flush draw of his opponent. The J hits the turn, filling Hachem and not a moment too soon as his opponent ends up making his flush with the 7 on the river. Hachem eliminated yet another player at his table and chips up to 180,000 this hand.

Hellmuth Flops Top Set, Doesn’t Get Paid Off, Shows Cards Anyway

With a raise of 2,500 and one caller in front of him, Phil Hellmuth reraises to 10,000 from hijack. The original raiser calls and the original caller folds. The flop comes KQ8, and it is checked to Hellmuth who bets 7,000. His opponent folds, but Hellmuth shows him anyway, turning over pocket kings for top set. Hellmuth rakes the pot and brings his stack up to 139,000 this hand.

David Plastik Doubles Up

On a flop of 862, David Plastik gets it all in against one opponent.

Plastik: 88
Opponent: 97

Plastik flops top set against his opponent’s open-ended straight draw. The turn and river are the 4 and the J, no help to his opponent a Plastik doubles up to 45,000 in chips this hand.

Ville Wahlbeck Doubles Up

On a flop of A42, Ville Wahlbeck gets it all in and is called in one spot.

Wahlbeck: A4
Opponent: AK

Wahlbeck flops top set against his opponent’s top pair. The turn and river are the 3 and the K, giving his opponent two pair, too late. Wahlbeck doubles up to 109,000 this hand.

Elky Breaks 250,000

On a board of K8626, Bertrand Grospellier bets the pot (40,000) and gets one caller. Grospellier turns over 86 for a full house while his opponent shows K7 for two pair. Grospellier rakes the pot and breaks the quart-million mark this hand.

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated by Bill Gazes

Ylon Schwartz gets it all in pre-flop against Bill Gazes.

Schwartz: K-K
Gazes: A-K

Board: A92QQ

Schwartz gets it in good but Gazes pairs his ace on the flop. Ylon Schwartz is eliminated from the main event.

Left in the Deck

Players are now on their last twenty-minute break of the night and will return at approximately 8:40 pm PDT to begin the last level of the day.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   David Plastik,   Bill Gazes,   Phil Hellmuth,   Ylon Schwartz,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Theo Tran,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Tony Hachem

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Level 8 Hour 2 Update: Ylon Schwartz Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,827 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 475,000
2. Joh Hammer — 350,000
3. Andreas Altmeyer — 318,000
4. Brian Lemke — 291,000
5. Amir Lehavot — 280,000
6. Bertrand Grospellier — 250,000
7. Phil Ivey — 245,000
8. Adam Latimer — 242,000
9. Brennan Hanson — 240,000
10. Dan Bilzerian — 237,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 139,000
Lee Watkinson – 80,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 125,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 20,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Noah Schwartz
Adam Levy
Robert Williamson III
Ylon Schwartz

Big Hands:

Miami John Gets Doubled Through

A player at the table moves all in before the flop and Miami John Cernuto calls, he has him slightly covered.

Cernuto: Pocket Eights
Opponent: AQ

Board: KQ924

Cernuto’s opponent flops a queen and doubles through. Cernuto takes a small hit to his stack as he ships roughly 12,000 across the table.

Theo Tran Breaks 100K…And Still Going

Theo Tran raises before the flop, only to be reraised by another player at the table. Tran calls and the flop comes 832, both players check. The turn is the A, Tran checks, his opponent bets 6,100 and Tran calls. The river is the 4 and Tran bets 45,000, putting his opponent to a decision for the rest of his chips. After a minute in the tank his opponent folds and Tran rakes the pot, breaking the 100,000 mark.

A few hands later and Theo Tran gets involved in a three-way all in pot, Tran getting the best of it once again.

Tran: AA
Opponent 1: AQ
Opponent 2: KJ

Board: KQ953

Tran’s aces hold, eliminating two opponents this hand as he chips up to 130,000.

Tony Hachem Knocks One Out

Tony Hachem calls a 2,000 raise from the button and goes to the flop with one opponent. The flop comes J104, there is a 3,700 bet and Hachem quickly raises to 7,900. The original bettor moves all in for 11,000 and Hachem calls.

Hachem: J10
Opponent: AQ

Hachem flops top two against the royal flush draw of his opponent. The J hits the turn, filling Hachem and not a moment too soon as his opponent ends up making his flush with the 7 on the river. Hachem eliminated yet another player at his table and chips up to 180,000 this hand.

Hellmuth Flops Top Set, Doesn’t Get Paid Off, Shows Cards Anyway

With a raise of 2,500 and one caller in front of him, Phil Hellmuth reraises to 10,000 from hijack. The original raiser calls and the original caller folds. The flop comes KQ8, and it is checked to Hellmuth who bets 7,000. His opponent folds, but Hellmuth shows him anyway, turning over pocket kings for top set. Hellmuth rakes the pot and brings his stack up to 139,000 this hand.

David Plastik Doubles Up

On a flop of 862, David Plastik gets it all in against one opponent.

Plastik: 88
Opponent: 97

Plastik flops top set against his opponent’s open-ended straight draw. The turn and river are the 4 and the J, no help to his opponent a Plastik doubles up to 45,000 in chips this hand.

Ville Wahlbeck Doubles Up

On a flop of A42, Ville Wahlbeck gets it all in and is called in one spot.

Wahlbeck: A4
Opponent: AK

Wahlbeck flops top set against his opponent’s top pair. The turn and river are the 3 and the K, giving his opponent two pair, too late. Wahlbeck doubles up to 109,000 this hand.

Elky Breaks 250,000

On a board of K8626, Bertrand Grospellier bets the pot (40,000) and gets one caller. Grospellier turns over 86 for a full house while his opponent shows K7 for two pair. Grospellier rakes the pot and breaks the quart-million mark this hand.

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated by Bill Gazes

Ylon Schwartz gets it all in pre-flop against Bill Gazes.

Schwartz: K-K
Gazes: A-K

Board: A92QQ

Schwartz gets it in good but Gazes pairs his ace on the flop. Ylon Schwartz is eliminated from the main event.

Left in the Deck

Players are now on their last twenty-minute break of the night and will return at approximately 8:40 pm PDT to begin the last level of the day.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   David Plastik,   Bill Gazes,   Phil Hellmuth,   Ylon Schwartz,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Theo Tran,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Tony Hachem

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Final Table Update: Down to Three

Jun 26, '09

Blinds:

No-Limit: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Limit: 25,000-50,000 with 50,000-100,000 limits

Note: Players have gone on a one hour dinner break.

Players Remaining: 3 out of 527

Chip Counts:

1. Ylon Schwartz — 2,000,000
2. John McGuiness — 1,200,000
3. Bahador Ahmadi — 750,000

Average Chip Count: 1,317,500

Notable Eliminations:

5. Barry Greenstein – $57,761
4. Karlo Lopez – $78,628

Elimination Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in Fifth Place ($57,761)

Ylon Schwartz raised to 80,000 preflop and Barry Greenstein made the call. The flop was dealt K22 and Greenstein raised all in. Schwartz made the call. Their cards:

Schwartz: QQ
Greenstein: 86

Turn and River: 109

Greenstein was eliminated in fifth place.

Karlo Lopez Eliminated in Fourth Place ($78,628)

Ylon Schwartz raised to 80,000 preflop and Karlo Lopez reraised to 120,000. John McGuiness reraised it to 160,000 and both Schwartz and Lopez made the call. The flop was dealt 632 and McGuiness bet 40,000. Schwartz made the call and Lopez called all in.

The turn fell Q and McGuiness bet 80,000. Schwartz mucked and McGuinnes turned over pocket sixes. Lopez turned over K-9 and after the 3 fell on the river he was eliminated in fifth place.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Karlo Lopez,   Ylon Schwartz,   John McGuinness

Ylon Schwartz is Eliminated

Apr 29, '09

Ylon Schwartz is all-in on a J 7 6 flop with K J. His opponent on the small blind has A J, and the 10 turn and J river don't change a thing. Ylon Schwartz hits the rail late on day 1B.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated

Jan 08, '09

Ylon Schwartz was severely short stacked and all in against Kevin Saul for his last 40,000.

Saul showed AQ and Schwartz was relieved to see two live cards in his K6.

The board ran out A104710 and Schwartz was eliminated from the tournament in 61st place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Kevin Saul

Final Table -- Hour Eleven -- Ylon Schwartz Eliminated in Fourth Place ($3,794,974)

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante

Players Left: 3 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Peter Eastgate: 64,925,000
Ivan Demidov: 52,375,000
Dennis Phillips: 19,925,000

Average: 45,626,666

Big Hands:

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated in Fourth Place ($3,794,974)

Peter Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop under the gun and Dennis Phillip mucked on the button. Ylon Schwartz made the call in the small blind and Ivan Demidov got out of the way in the big blind. The flop was dealt K 8 2 and both players checked. The K fell on the turn and Schwartz checked. Eastgate bet 1.75 million and Schwartz made the call. The river brought the 5 and Schwartz checked again. Eastgate bet 4.6 million and Schwartz check-raised all in . Eastgate made the call and Schwartz flipped over A 10. Eastgate flipped over pocket fives and he won the hand with a full house to take the chip lead and eliminate Schwartz in fourth place. Schwartz took home $3,794,974 in prize money, which makes him the leading money winner in tournament poker for 2008 until the third-place player busts out of the tournament.
 

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour 10

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante

Players Left: 4 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 49,100,000
Peter Eastgate: 47,625,000
Ylon Schwartz: 22,175,000
Dennis Phillips: 17,325,000

Average: 34,220,000

Big Hands:

Blinds Up

The blinds are now 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante for the start of level 37.

Phillips Evens Up With Schwartz

Dennis Phillips and Ylon Schwartz see a flop of K 9 2 from the small and big blind before Schwartz opened the action for one million. Phillips made the call and the turn fell 10. Both players checked and the 5 fell on the river. Phillips bet 1.5 million and Schwartz called him down. Phillips turned up K 8 and Schwartz mucked his hand. The two players were about even at 20 million after the hand.

Ylon Schwartz Takes a Hit

Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.5 million under the gun and Ivan Demidov reraised to 4.925 million. The flop was dealt 9 7 2 and Schwartz checked. Demidov bet 7.125 million and Schwartz mucked. The hand knocked him down to 15 million as the short stack of the final four players.

Chop up the Anxiety

Peter Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop and Ylon Schwartz reraised to 4.5 million. Eastgate came over the top of him and moved all in. Schwartz quickly made the call and the crowd jumped to its feet and stirred with excitement. Until they saw the two players cards:

Schwartz: A K
Eastgate: A K

Board: J 9 7 7 5

The two players chopped the pot and play continued four handed.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Six

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200,000-400,000 with a 50,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 38,975,000
Peter Eastgate: 25,725,000
Dennis Phillips: 21,400,000
Ylon Schwartz: 20,675,000
Scott Montgomery: 16,700,000
Darus Suharto: 8,300,000
David Rheem: 4,450,000

Average: 19,554,285

Big Hands:

Dennis Phillips Doubles Up

Chino Rheem raised to 1 million preflop and Dennis Phillips made the call. Ylon Schwartz reraised to 4.4 million. Rheem mucked and then Phillips moved all in for 10.05 million total. Schwartz called him down. Their cards:

Schwartz: Q Q
Phillips: A Q

Board: A J 4 6 3

Phillips doubled up on the hand and his large cheering section went nuts.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Dennis Phillips

Final Table -- Hour Five -- Kelly Kim Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,288,217)

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200,000-400,000 with a 50,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 40,875,000
Ylon Schwartz: 32,175,000
Peter Eastgate: 21,675,000
Scott Montgomery: 16,400,000
Dennis Phillips: 10,650,000
Darus Suharto: 8,550,000
David Rheem: 5,900,000

Average: 19,554,285

Big Hands:

Kelly Kim Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,288,217)

Kelly Kim moved all in preflop and Ylon Schwartz, Ivan Demidov, and Darus Suharto each called the additional 150,000. The flop was dealt 9 6 2 and Demidov bet 600,000. Schwartz mucked and Suharto made the call. The A fell on the turn and both players checked. The river brought the Qd and both live players checked again. Everyone then turned up their cards:

Suharto: 10 9
Demidov: 9 5
Kim: muck

Suharto won the hand and Kim was eliminated in eighth place. He will take home $1,288,217 in prize money after starting the day on a short stack.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up

Chino Rheem moved all in preflop for 2.7 million and Ivan Demidov called him down. Their cards:

Rheem: A K
Demidov: 9 9

Board: 8 7 5 K J

Rheem doubled up on the hand to survive.

Darus Suharto Doubles Up

Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.1 million preflop and Darus Suharto moved all in for 3.9 million total. Schwartz made the call. Their cards:

Suharto: A K
Schwartz: Q 8

Board: Q 6 2 K A

Suharto doubled up on the hand to survive.

Break Time

The players went on a 20-minute break after Suharto double up.

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Darus Suharto,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Three

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150,000-300,000 with a 40,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ylon Schwartz: 40,020,000
Ivan Demidov: 27,880,000
Peter Eastgate: 21,370,000
Darus Suharto: 11,790,000
Scott Montgomery: 11,505,000
Dennis Phillips: 9,830,000
David Rheem: 6,655,000
Craig Marquis: 6,080,000
Kelly Kim: 1,735,000

Average: 15,208,888

Big Hands:

Schwartz Takes the Lead

Ivan Demidov raised to 775,000 preflop from middle position and Ylon Schwartz made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt K 10 2 and Schwartz bet 1.15 million. Demidov made the call and the turn fell 3. Schwartz led out again, this time for 2.45 million. The 6 fell on the river and Schwartz checked. Demidov bet 3.7 million and Schwartz made the call. Demidov turned over A K and Schwartz turned up K 10 to win the 16.5 million pot and take the chip lead.

Kelly Kim Doubles Up

Action was folded around to Ivan Demidov in the small blind, and he moved all in. Kim made the all-in call from the big blind and the two players flipped up their hands:

Kim: K K
Demidov: K 10

Board: 7 7 6 9 3

Kim doubled up on the hand to survive.

Kim Tempts Fate Again

Kim once again had his tournament life at rick preflop, and this time it was Chin Rheem that had him covered. Their cards:

Kim: A K
Rheem: A K

Board: J 10 8 Q Q

Despite flopping four to a flush Rheem faild to hit the draw on the turn or river and Kim survived once again as his section of the crowd gave a loud round of applause and then began chanting, “Kel-ly! Kel-ly!”

Dennis Phillips Doubles Up

Dennis Phillips moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem made the call. Their cards:

Phillips:Q Q
Rheem: J J

Board: K 5 3 9 6

Phillips doubled up to survive and his section of the crowd burst into thunderous applause.

Break Time

When the hour concluded the players went on a 20-minute break and the 5,000 chips were colored up.

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Two

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150,000-300,000 with a 40,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 35,875,000
Peter Eastgate: 23,855,000
Ylon Schwartz: 18,595,000
Scott Montgomery: 18,095,000
Darus Suharto: 13,605,000
David Rheem: 9,180,000
Dennis Phillips: 8,310,000
Craig Marquis: 7,780,000
Kelly Kim: 1,690,000

Average: 15,208,888

Big Hands:

Ivan Demidov Takes a Huge Lead

Ivan Demidov raised to 1.025 million preflop from the button after Dennis Phillips limped under the gun and then Phillips reraised to 3.525 million. Demidov reraised to 8.225 million and Phillips made the call after about 30 seconds of deliberation. The flop was dealt J 10 8 and Phillips bet 4.5 million. Demidov decided to move all in and Phillips went into the tank. He eventually mucked and now holds around 9 million after starting the final table with the chip lead. Demidov now has an impressive chip lead with 35,875,000.

Break Time

The players went on a 15-minute break during the hour that was more of a 25-minute break by the time all of them were chased back down to the final table.

Ylon Schwartz Makes a Move

Dennis Phillips limped into a pot preflop and then Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.4 million in the small blind. Scott Montgomery made the call in the big blind and Phillips made the call as well. The flop was dealt Q 10 2 and Schwartz bet 5 million. Montgomery made the call and Phillips mucked. The turn brought the 8 and Schwartz moved all in. Montgomery mucked and Schwartz took down a nice pot.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Dennis Phillips,   Scott Montgomery,   Ivan Demidov

$10,000 Main Event - The Final March To November Begins

Jul 14, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds/Antes: 100,000-200,000 with a 30,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demdidov: 21,000,000
Scott Montgomery: 20,900,000
Dennis Phillips: 19,600,000
Ylon Schwartz: 16,500,000
Darus Suharto: 16,040,000
Dean Hamrick: 12,420,000
Peter Eastgate: 11,480,000
David Rheem: 10,100,000
Craig Marquis: 6,200,000
Kelly Kim: 4,180,000

Big Hands:

Schwartz Picks Up Rockets On First Hand Back...

Craig Marquis raised to 525,000 from late position and the action got to Ylon Schwartz on the button. He reraised to 1.6 million and the blinds folded. Action was back on Marquis, who made it 4.5 million to go. Schwartz immediately moved all in and Marquis went into the tank. He shook his head in disgust as he decided to fold his hand. Schwartz tabled AA and raked in a very big pot.

... Then Keeps Picking On Marquis

Craig Marquis raised preflop to 525,000 and Schwartz was next to act. He popped it to 1.1 million and Marquis made the call. The flop came J83 and Marquis checked. Schwartz moved all in and Marquis mucked his hand. Schwartz was at 17 million in chips while Marquis was down to about 6.5 million.

Phillips and Eastgate in a Dance

Peter Eastgate raised to 575,000 and Dennis Phillips made the call. The flop came Q4J and both players decided to check. The turn was the 3 and again both players checked. The river brought some action as the 7 hit the felt, inducing an 800,000 bet by Phillips. Eastgate made the call and Phillips showed 107 for a pair on the river. But Eastgate showed KJ for a better pair on the flop and he took down the pot.

Rheem Flops a Set But Gets No Action

David "Chino" Rheem opened for a raise to 600,000 from middle position. Action folded around to Dennis Phillips in the small blind who made the call. The big blind mucked and the flop came down AA8. Phillips checked and Rheem fired 750,000 into the pot. Phillips mucked and the crowd burst into cheers as Rheem took the pot. He then tabled AK to show that he indeed had a set.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Craig Marquis,   Dennis Phillips

$10,000 Main Event - Day 7 - Level 31 (Hr. 1)

Jul 14, '08

Blinds/Antes: 80,000 / 160,000 / 20,000

Players Remaining: 13 of 6,844

Average Stack: 10,000,000

Chip Counts:

Recent Eliminations:
Gert Andersen Eliminated in 14th place ($463,201)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Gert Andersen Eliminated in 14th place ($463,201)

On the third hand after the dinner break on the featured table, Ylon Schwartz open raised for a total of 500,000.  The action folded to Gert Andersen in the small blind, who reraised all in for his remaining 3,810,000 in chips.  Schwartz quickly called and turned over AK, a strong favorite over Andersen’s AJ.  The tension was high as the flop came Q102, giving Andersen a gut-shot straight draw but removing the remaining jacks from his list of outs.  The turn fell 8, improving Andersen’s straight draw and giving him four additional outs.  The 5 on the river was a miss, and Andersen exited the tournament area in 14th place to collect his $463,201 in prize money.  Schwartz improved his chip stack to over 17 million, putting him in second place on the leader board.

Tough Rail!

The remaining two tables have attracted quite a crowd of spectators, including many notable poker pros who have showed up to sweat the action.  The current list of railbirds at the secondary featured table includes Andy Bloch, Michael Mizrachi, Mel Judah, J.C. Tran, and Marcel Luske.

Chino Rheem Takes One Away from Darus Suharto

On a flop of AJ4, Chino Rheem checked to Darus Suharto.  After some deliberation, Suharto counted out a bet of 475,000 and pushed it towards the middle.  Rheem check-raised an additional 600,000, prompting Suharto to go into the tank.  Suharto eventually made the call and the 8 fell on the turn.  Rheem led out with a bet of 1,500,000, to which Suharto folded his hand.  Rheem dragged the pot and stacked his chips, which now total over 11 million.

Kelly Kim Loses One to Joe Bishop

Kelly Kim open raised to 500,000 from his position under the gun, and the action folded to Joe Bishop in the big blind.  After taking some time to fiddle with his chips, Bishop sloppily tossed out what appeared to be an arbitrary amount of chips.  The dealer counted it down to discover that it was a reraise of an additional 1,060,000.  Kim contemplated for a few moments before mucking his hand.  As he took the pot, Bishop flashed the A to his tablemates.

 

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Darus Suharto,   Joe Bishop,   Gert Andersen

$10,000 Main Event - Day 7 - Level 28 (Hr.2)

Jul 14, '08

Players have returned from a 20-minute break.

Blinds/Antes: 20,000-40,000 with 2,000 ante

Players Left: 24 of 6844

Chip Leaders:

Dennis Phillips - 14,430,000
Peter Eastgate - 12,000,000
Craig Marquis - 9,500,000
Joe Bishop - 9,300,000
Kelly Kim - 8,930,000
Ylon Schwartz - 7,300,000
David Rheem - 7,000,000
Scott Montgomery - 5,700,000
Darus Suharto - 5,700,000
Paul Snead - 5,600,000

Player Eliminations: Niklas Flisberg (25th), Aaron Gordon (24th).

Big Hands/Storylines

Schwartz catches fortunate turn, doubles up

Ylon Schwartz raised from late position and was called by Paul Snead on the button and Scott Montgomery in the big blind. The flop came KJJ and Schwartz bet 380,000. Snead raised to 1.2 million and after Montgomery folded Schwartz made the call. The turn was the K and Schwartz bet out 900,000. Snead moved all in and Schwartz called all in.

Snead: AJ
Schwartz: AK

Schwartz got the king he needed on the turn. The river was the 7 and Schwartz doubled up to over seven million chips.

Rheem Makes his Move

Chino Rheem was in the small blind and was the second player to call a raise to 220,000. Dennis Phillips also called from the big blind and four players saw the flop come 987. Rheem checked and Phillips stepped out for 500,000. Chris Klodnicki, the original raiser, made the call, and after Judet Toni Cristian folded, Rheem then put in a check-raise for 1.5 million more. Both his opponents folded and Rheem took down the pot of over two million.

Suharto Successfully Uses All-in Twice

Darus Suharto had play folded to him on the button and raised to 210,000, which Judet Toni Cristian called from the big blind. The flop came 1096, and Cristian check-called a bet of 310,000 from Suharto. Both players checked after the K fell on the turn, and then the Q completed the board on the river. Cristian stepped out for a 500,000 bet, and Suharto then announced all-in. Cristian folded and showed A7, while Suharto revealed the K10 for two pair.

In an earlier hand, Aaron Gordon had raised to 225,000 and Suharto called. Chris Klodnicki then reraised to 800,000 from the cut-off. Gordon folded, but Suharto then announced all-in for another 2.5 million. Klodnicki folded and Suharto took down the pot.

Suharto Eliminates Gordon

Aaron Gordon was all-in for his tournament life with the Q10, and found himself up against the pocket jacks of Darus Suharto. The flop came K62, with the 5 on the turn giving Gordon the flush draw. But the 7 on the river ended his main event and Suharto took the chips.

Riesenberg Shows the Bluff

Judet Toni Cristian raised to 230,000 preflop and was called by Dennis Phillips, chip leader to begin the day. Jason Riesenberg then called from the big blind and the flop came AQJ. All three players checked and the 10 created an even more interesting board. Riesenberg bet 250,000 at the pot, Cristian folded, and Phillips called. The 3 was the river and Riesenberg bet 800,000. Phillips folded, then at the loud encouragement from his supporters on the rail to “show the bluff” Riesenberg did exactly that, flashing the 107.

Nice Start for Phillips

In one of the first hands of the level, chip leade Dennis Phillips called an initial raise to 225,000 from Chino Rheem. Darus Suharto on the button then reraised to 825,000, Rheem folded and Phillips called. The flop came A87, and Phillips bet 700,000 at the pot. Suharto folded.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Paul Snead,   Aaron Gordon,   Darus Suharto,   Dennis Phillips,   Jason Riesenberg

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 18

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 4,000-8,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 239 of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 567,9670

Eliminations:

Alan Jaffray
Eric Tom
Marco Marcon

Big Hands and Storylines:  

Nicholas Sliwinski Eliminates Phongthep Thiptinnakon

Action folded around to Phongthep Thiptinnakon who moved in for 115,000. Action folded to Nicholas Sliwinski in the big blind. He insta-called and showed AK. Thiptinnakon’s KQ was dominated and when the board came A647A he was eliminated. That infusion of chips lifts Sliwinski to almost 800,000.

Ylon Schwartz Joins The Million Chip Club

On a board of JJ7, Edward Roger had to decide whether or not to call Ylon Schwartz’s bet of 309,000. After quiet and careful deliberation, Roger made the call. The two showed their hands:

Schwartz: QQ
Roger: 88

The turn was the J, sealing the hand for Schwarz. With that pot, Schwartz jumps to just over one million in chips. Roger is still more than healthy with about 750,000.

David Saab Hits Alan Jaffray Hard

An important hand occurred in the last level that we just got wind of via David Saab:

Action folded around to Helge Pederen in the cutoff who raised to 18,000. Alan Jaffray called on the button. David Saab, in the small blind, made it 60k to go after a bit of hesitation. Pedersen laid down his hand and action was back on Jaffray. Jaffray, perhaps suspicious of Saab (who had squeezed earlier), raised to 300k. Saab then moved all-in for another 500,000 and Jaffray made the call. Saab showed A-K and his hand held up against Jaffray’s A-9 offsuit. That hand decimated Jaffray’s stack, and he would be eliminated a short time later.

Saab now sits as one of the chip leaders with 1.7 million.

'Raptor' Swoops in for a Monster

David “Raptor” Benefield swept in with such precision, Eric Tom never knew what hit him. There was a raise to 24,000 from a player in early position, and Tom smooth-called from middle position. The player in front of the cut-off made the call as well, and Benefield in the small blind called to create a four-way pot, as James McManus in the big blind folded. The flop came 875, and after two checks, Tom stepped out for 100,000. Play was folded to Benefield, who called. The J hit the turn, and after Benefield checked, Tom announced all-in for 320,000. Benefield snap-called and showed the bad news – 96 in his hand for the nut straight plus a flush draw. Tom, with his QQ, was drawing dead as the 3 hit the river, and Benefield scooped in the monster 980,000 pot. 

Queens Work for Qiu

Unlike Tom, the red ladies worked for Andrew Qiu. He was all-in for 149,000 with QQ against the AK of Terry Lade. The board ran out 95329 and Qiu doubled up.

Billirakis Bounces Marcon

Marco Marcon announced all-in from middle position for 113,000, and play was folded to Steve Billarakis in the small blind who made the call. Marcon held 77 while Billirakis held A10. Marcon watched as an ace flopped, coming A99, and never caught up with the 8 on the turn and 2 on the river.

Matusow Doubles Through Keller with Aces

On a flop of 983, Mike Matusow shipped in his remaining 271,000 into a pot already containing over 100,000 in chips.  His opponent, Thomas Keller, went into the tank and deliberated for several minutes while considering his options.  After counting out the necessary amount for a call, Keller announced as much and turned over 1010.  Matusow stood up and pumped his fists into the air as he flipped over AA.  After Matusow settled down, the dealer put down the K on the turn.  “A jack would have been more interesting,” commented Gus Hansen, who wandered over from his nearby table to watch the action and brought a burst of laughter from the spectators.  “I mean, for me.  I’m just passing by,” he added.  The 2 fell on the river, and Matusow won a large pot bringing his stack to almost 700,000.  Keller was crippled and left with under 200,000 in chips.

Cantu bluffs to take down huge pot of over 700k

With the board 1010Q2, the small blind checked and then Brandon Cantu bet 125,000 from the button. The small blind thought it over for a long time before raising to 275,000. Cantu immediately asked how many chips he had left. When he heard about 350,000 he moved all in. The small blind folded and Cantu jumped out of his seat and flipped over AJ. Mike Matusow, who recently doubled up, turned around and took a look at the table. "Did you check-raise bluff Brandon?" Matusow asked. "You should have moved all in then. You have no idea how sick he is?"

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Thomas Keller,   Ylon Schwartz,   Steve Billirakis,   Eric Tom,   Brandon Cantu,   David Benefield,   David Saab,   Alan Jaffray

Final Table -- Hour Eleven -- Ylon Schwartz Eliminated in Fourth Place ($3,794,974)

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante

Players Left: 3 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Peter Eastgate: 64,925,000
Ivan Demidov: 52,375,000
Dennis Phillips: 19,925,000

Average: 45,626,666

Big Hands:

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated in Fourth Place ($3,794,974)

Peter Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop under the gun and Dennis Phillip mucked on the button. Ylon Schwartz made the call in the small blind and Ivan Demidov got out of the way in the big blind. The flop was dealt K 8 2 and both players checked. The K fell on the turn and Schwartz checked. Eastgate bet 1.75 million and Schwartz made the call. The river brought the 5 and Schwartz checked again. Eastgate bet 4.6 million and Schwartz check-raised all in . Eastgate made the call and Schwartz flipped over A 10. Eastgate flipped over pocket fives and he won the hand with a full house to take the chip lead and eliminate Schwartz in fourth place. Schwartz took home $3,794,974 in prize money, which makes him the leading money winner in tournament poker for 2008 until the third-place player busts out of the tournament.
 

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour 10

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante

Players Left: 4 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 49,100,000
Peter Eastgate: 47,625,000
Ylon Schwartz: 22,175,000
Dennis Phillips: 17,325,000

Average: 34,220,000

Big Hands:

Blinds Up

The blinds are now 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante for the start of level 37.

Phillips Evens Up With Schwartz

Dennis Phillips and Ylon Schwartz see a flop of K 9 2 from the small and big blind before Schwartz opened the action for one million. Phillips made the call and the turn fell 10. Both players checked and the 5 fell on the river. Phillips bet 1.5 million and Schwartz called him down. Phillips turned up K 8 and Schwartz mucked his hand. The two players were about even at 20 million after the hand.

Ylon Schwartz Takes a Hit

Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.5 million under the gun and Ivan Demidov reraised to 4.925 million. The flop was dealt 9 7 2 and Schwartz checked. Demidov bet 7.125 million and Schwartz mucked. The hand knocked him down to 15 million as the short stack of the final four players.

Chop up the Anxiety

Peter Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop and Ylon Schwartz reraised to 4.5 million. Eastgate came over the top of him and moved all in. Schwartz quickly made the call and the crowd jumped to its feet and stirred with excitement. Until they saw the two players cards:

Schwartz: A K
Eastgate: A K

Board: J 9 7 7 5

The two players chopped the pot and play continued four handed.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Six

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200,000-400,000 with a 50,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 38,975,000
Peter Eastgate: 25,725,000
Dennis Phillips: 21,400,000
Ylon Schwartz: 20,675,000
Scott Montgomery: 16,700,000
Darus Suharto: 8,300,000
David Rheem: 4,450,000

Average: 19,554,285

Big Hands:

Dennis Phillips Doubles Up

Chino Rheem raised to 1 million preflop and Dennis Phillips made the call. Ylon Schwartz reraised to 4.4 million. Rheem mucked and then Phillips moved all in for 10.05 million total. Schwartz called him down. Their cards:

Schwartz: Q Q
Phillips: A Q

Board: A J 4 6 3

Phillips doubled up on the hand and his large cheering section went nuts.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Dennis Phillips

Final Table -- Hour Five -- Kelly Kim Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,288,217)

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200,000-400,000 with a 50,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 40,875,000
Ylon Schwartz: 32,175,000
Peter Eastgate: 21,675,000
Scott Montgomery: 16,400,000
Dennis Phillips: 10,650,000
Darus Suharto: 8,550,000
David Rheem: 5,900,000

Average: 19,554,285

Big Hands:

Kelly Kim Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,288,217)

Kelly Kim moved all in preflop and Ylon Schwartz, Ivan Demidov, and Darus Suharto each called the additional 150,000. The flop was dealt 9 6 2 and Demidov bet 600,000. Schwartz mucked and Suharto made the call. The A fell on the turn and both players checked. The river brought the Qd and both live players checked again. Everyone then turned up their cards:

Suharto: 10 9
Demidov: 9 5
Kim: muck

Suharto won the hand and Kim was eliminated in eighth place. He will take home $1,288,217 in prize money after starting the day on a short stack.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up

Chino Rheem moved all in preflop for 2.7 million and Ivan Demidov called him down. Their cards:

Rheem: A K
Demidov: 9 9

Board: 8 7 5 K J

Rheem doubled up on the hand to survive.

Darus Suharto Doubles Up

Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.1 million preflop and Darus Suharto moved all in for 3.9 million total. Schwartz made the call. Their cards:

Suharto: A K
Schwartz: Q 8

Board: Q 6 2 K A

Suharto doubled up on the hand to survive.

Break Time

The players went on a 20-minute break after Suharto double up.

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Darus Suharto,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Three

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150,000-300,000 with a 40,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ylon Schwartz: 40,020,000
Ivan Demidov: 27,880,000
Peter Eastgate: 21,370,000
Darus Suharto: 11,790,000
Scott Montgomery: 11,505,000
Dennis Phillips: 9,830,000
David Rheem: 6,655,000
Craig Marquis: 6,080,000
Kelly Kim: 1,735,000

Average: 15,208,888

Big Hands:

Schwartz Takes the Lead

Ivan Demidov raised to 775,000 preflop from middle position and Ylon Schwartz made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt K 10 2 and Schwartz bet 1.15 million. Demidov made the call and the turn fell 3. Schwartz led out again, this time for 2.45 million. The 6 fell on the river and Schwartz checked. Demidov bet 3.7 million and Schwartz made the call. Demidov turned over A K and Schwartz turned up K 10 to win the 16.5 million pot and take the chip lead.

Kelly Kim Doubles Up

Action was folded around to Ivan Demidov in the small blind, and he moved all in. Kim made the all-in call from the big blind and the two players flipped up their hands:

Kim: K K
Demidov: K 10

Board: 7 7 6 9 3

Kim doubled up on the hand to survive.

Kim Tempts Fate Again

Kim once again had his tournament life at rick preflop, and this time it was Chin Rheem that had him covered. Their cards:

Kim: A K
Rheem: A K

Board: J 10 8 Q Q

Despite flopping four to a flush Rheem faild to hit the draw on the turn or river and Kim survived once again as his section of the crowd gave a loud round of applause and then began chanting, “Kel-ly! Kel-ly!”

Dennis Phillips Doubles Up

Dennis Phillips moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem made the call. Their cards:

Phillips:Q Q
Rheem: J J

Board: K 5 3 9 6

Phillips doubled up to survive and his section of the crowd burst into thunderous applause.

Break Time

When the hour concluded the players went on a 20-minute break and the 5,000 chips were colored up.

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Two

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150,000-300,000 with a 40,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 35,875,000
Peter Eastgate: 23,855,000
Ylon Schwartz: 18,595,000
Scott Montgomery: 18,095,000
Darus Suharto: 13,605,000
David Rheem: 9,180,000
Dennis Phillips: 8,310,000
Craig Marquis: 7,780,000
Kelly Kim: 1,690,000

Average: 15,208,888

Big Hands:

Ivan Demidov Takes a Huge Lead

Ivan Demidov raised to 1.025 million preflop from the button after Dennis Phillips limped under the gun and then Phillips reraised to 3.525 million. Demidov reraised to 8.225 million and Phillips made the call after about 30 seconds of deliberation. The flop was dealt J 10 8 and Phillips bet 4.5 million. Demidov decided to move all in and Phillips went into the tank. He eventually mucked and now holds around 9 million after starting the final table with the chip lead. Demidov now has an impressive chip lead with 35,875,000.

Break Time

The players went on a 15-minute break during the hour that was more of a 25-minute break by the time all of them were chased back down to the final table.

Ylon Schwartz Makes a Move

Dennis Phillips limped into a pot preflop and then Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.4 million in the small blind. Scott Montgomery made the call in the big blind and Phillips made the call as well. The flop was dealt Q 10 2 and Schwartz bet 5 million. Montgomery made the call and Phillips mucked. The turn brought the 8 and Schwartz moved all in. Montgomery mucked and Schwartz took down a nice pot.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Dennis Phillips,   Scott Montgomery,   Ivan Demidov

$10,000 Main Event - The Final March To November Begins

Jul 14, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds/Antes: 100,000-200,000 with a 30,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demdidov: 21,000,000
Scott Montgomery: 20,900,000
Dennis Phillips: 19,600,000
Ylon Schwartz: 16,500,000
Darus Suharto: 16,040,000
Dean Hamrick: 12,420,000
Peter Eastgate: 11,480,000
David Rheem: 10,100,000
Craig Marquis: 6,200,000
Kelly Kim: 4,180,000

Big Hands:

Schwartz Picks Up Rockets On First Hand Back...

Craig Marquis raised to 525,000 from late position and the action got to Ylon Schwartz on the button. He reraised to 1.6 million and the blinds folded. Action was back on Marquis, who made it 4.5 million to go. Schwartz immediately moved all in and Marquis went into the tank. He shook his head in disgust as he decided to fold his hand. Schwartz tabled AA and raked in a very big pot.

... Then Keeps Picking On Marquis

Craig Marquis raised preflop to 525,000 and Schwartz was next to act. He popped it to 1.1 million and Marquis made the call. The flop came J83 and Marquis checked. Schwartz moved all in and Marquis mucked his hand. Schwartz was at 17 million in chips while Marquis was down to about 6.5 million.

Phillips and Eastgate in a Dance

Peter Eastgate raised to 575,000 and Dennis Phillips made the call. The flop came Q4J and both players decided to check. The turn was the 3 and again both players checked. The river brought some action as the 7 hit the felt, inducing an 800,000 bet by Phillips. Eastgate made the call and Phillips showed 107 for a pair on the river. But Eastgate showed KJ for a better pair on the flop and he took down the pot.

Rheem Flops a Set But Gets No Action

David "Chino" Rheem opened for a raise to 600,000 from middle position. Action folded around to Dennis Phillips in the small blind who made the call. The big blind mucked and the flop came down AA8. Phillips checked and Rheem fired 750,000 into the pot. Phillips mucked and the crowd burst into cheers as Rheem took the pot. He then tabled AK to show that he indeed had a set.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Craig Marquis,   Dennis Phillips

$10,000 Main Event - Day 7 - Level 31 (Hr. 1)

Jul 14, '08

Blinds/Antes: 80,000 / 160,000 / 20,000

Players Remaining: 13 of 6,844

Average Stack: 10,000,000

Chip Counts:

Recent Eliminations:
Gert Andersen Eliminated in 14th place ($463,201)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Gert Andersen Eliminated in 14th place ($463,201)

On the third hand after the dinner break on the featured table, Ylon Schwartz open raised for a total of 500,000.  The action folded to Gert Andersen in the small blind, who reraised all in for his remaining 3,810,000 in chips.  Schwartz quickly called and turned over AK, a strong favorite over Andersen’s AJ.  The tension was high as the flop came Q102, giving Andersen a gut-shot straight draw but removing the remaining jacks from his list of outs.  The turn fell 8, improving Andersen’s straight draw and giving him four additional outs.  The 5 on the river was a miss, and Andersen exited the tournament area in 14th place to collect his $463,201 in prize money.  Schwartz improved his chip stack to over 17 million, putting him in second place on the leader board.

Tough Rail!

The remaining two tables have attracted quite a crowd of spectators, including many notable poker pros who have showed up to sweat the action.  The current list of railbirds at the secondary featured table includes Andy Bloch, Michael Mizrachi, Mel Judah, J.C. Tran, and Marcel Luske.

Chino Rheem Takes One Away from Darus Suharto

On a flop of AJ4, Chino Rheem checked to Darus Suharto.  After some deliberation, Suharto counted out a bet of 475,000 and pushed it towards the middle.  Rheem check-raised an additional 600,000, prompting Suharto to go into the tank.  Suharto eventually made the call and the 8 fell on the turn.  Rheem led out with a bet of 1,500,000, to which Suharto folded his hand.  Rheem dragged the pot and stacked his chips, which now total over 11 million.

Kelly Kim Loses One to Joe Bishop

Kelly Kim open raised to 500,000 from his position under the gun, and the action folded to Joe Bishop in the big blind.  After taking some time to fiddle with his chips, Bishop sloppily tossed out what appeared to be an arbitrary amount of chips.  The dealer counted it down to discover that it was a reraise of an additional 1,060,000.  Kim contemplated for a few moments before mucking his hand.  As he took the pot, Bishop flashed the A to his tablemates.

 

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Darus Suharto,   Joe Bishop,   Gert Andersen

$10,000 Main Event - Day 7 - Level 28 (Hr.2)

Jul 14, '08

Players have returned from a 20-minute break.

Blinds/Antes: 20,000-40,000 with 2,000 ante

Players Left: 24 of 6844

Chip Leaders:

Dennis Phillips - 14,430,000
Peter Eastgate - 12,000,000
Craig Marquis - 9,500,000
Joe Bishop - 9,300,000
Kelly Kim - 8,930,000
Ylon Schwartz - 7,300,000
David Rheem - 7,000,000
Scott Montgomery - 5,700,000
Darus Suharto - 5,700,000
Paul Snead - 5,600,000

Player Eliminations: Niklas Flisberg (25th), Aaron Gordon (24th).

Big Hands/Storylines

Schwartz catches fortunate turn, doubles up

Ylon Schwartz raised from late position and was called by Paul Snead on the button and Scott Montgomery in the big blind. The flop came KJJ and Schwartz bet 380,000. Snead raised to 1.2 million and after Montgomery folded Schwartz made the call. The turn was the K and Schwartz bet out 900,000. Snead moved all in and Schwartz called all in.

Snead: AJ
Schwartz: AK

Schwartz got the king he needed on the turn. The river was the 7 and Schwartz doubled up to over seven million chips.

Rheem Makes his Move

Chino Rheem was in the small blind and was the second player to call a raise to 220,000. Dennis Phillips also called from the big blind and four players saw the flop come 987. Rheem checked and Phillips stepped out for 500,000. Chris Klodnicki, the original raiser, made the call, and after Judet Toni Cristian folded, Rheem then put in a check-raise for 1.5 million more. Both his opponents folded and Rheem took down the pot of over two million.

Suharto Successfully Uses All-in Twice

Darus Suharto had play folded to him on the button and raised to 210,000, which Judet Toni Cristian called from the big blind. The flop came 1096, and Cristian check-called a bet of 310,000 from Suharto. Both players checked after the K fell on the turn, and then the Q completed the board on the river. Cristian stepped out for a 500,000 bet, and Suharto then announced all-in. Cristian folded and showed A7, while Suharto revealed the K10 for two pair.

In an earlier hand, Aaron Gordon had raised to 225,000 and Suharto called. Chris Klodnicki then reraised to 800,000 from the cut-off. Gordon folded, but Suharto then announced all-in for another 2.5 million. Klodnicki folded and Suharto took down the pot.

Suharto Eliminates Gordon

Aaron Gordon was all-in for his tournament life with the Q10, and found himself up against the pocket jacks of Darus Suharto. The flop came K62, with the 5 on the turn giving Gordon the flush draw. But the 7 on the river ended his main event and Suharto took the chips.

Riesenberg Shows the Bluff

Judet Toni Cristian raised to 230,000 preflop and was called by Dennis Phillips, chip leader to begin the day. Jason Riesenberg then called from the big blind and the flop came AQJ. All three players checked and the 10 created an even more interesting board. Riesenberg bet 250,000 at the pot, Cristian folded, and Phillips called. The 3 was the river and Riesenberg bet 800,000. Phillips folded, then at the loud encouragement from his supporters on the rail to “show the bluff” Riesenberg did exactly that, flashing the 107.

Nice Start for Phillips

In one of the first hands of the level, chip leade Dennis Phillips called an initial raise to 225,000 from Chino Rheem. Darus Suharto on the button then reraised to 825,000, Rheem folded and Phillips called. The flop came A87, and Phillips bet 700,000 at the pot. Suharto folded.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Paul Snead,   Aaron Gordon,   Darus Suharto,   Dennis Phillips,   Jason Riesenberg

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 18

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 4,000-8,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 239 of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 567,9670

Eliminations:

Alan Jaffray
Eric Tom
Marco Marcon

Big Hands and Storylines:  

Nicholas Sliwinski Eliminates Phongthep Thiptinnakon

Action folded around to Phongthep Thiptinnakon who moved in for 115,000. Action folded to Nicholas Sliwinski in the big blind. He insta-called and showed AK. Thiptinnakon’s KQ was dominated and when the board came A647A he was eliminated. That infusion of chips lifts Sliwinski to almost 800,000.

Ylon Schwartz Joins The Million Chip Club

On a board of JJ7, Edward Roger had to decide whether or not to call Ylon Schwartz’s bet of 309,000. After quiet and careful deliberation, Roger made the call. The two showed their hands:

Schwartz: QQ
Roger: 88

The turn was the J, sealing the hand for Schwarz. With that pot, Schwartz jumps to just over one million in chips. Roger is still more than healthy with about 750,000.

David Saab Hits Alan Jaffray Hard

An important hand occurred in the last level that we just got wind of via David Saab:

Action folded around to Helge Pederen in the cutoff who raised to 18,000. Alan Jaffray called on the button. David Saab, in the small blind, made it 60k to go after a bit of hesitation. Pedersen laid down his hand and action was back on Jaffray. Jaffray, perhaps suspicious of Saab (who had squeezed earlier), raised to 300k. Saab then moved all-in for another 500,000 and Jaffray made the call. Saab showed A-K and his hand held up against Jaffray’s A-9 offsuit. That hand decimated Jaffray’s stack, and he would be eliminated a short time later.

Saab now sits as one of the chip leaders with 1.7 million.

'Raptor' Swoops in for a Monster

David “Raptor” Benefield swept in with such precision, Eric Tom never knew what hit him. There was a raise to 24,000 from a player in early position, and Tom smooth-called from middle position. The player in front of the cut-off made the call as well, and Benefield in the small blind called to create a four-way pot, as James McManus in the big blind folded. The flop came 875, and after two checks, Tom stepped out for 100,000. Play was folded to Benefield, who called. The J hit the turn, and after Benefield checked, Tom announced all-in for 320,000. Benefield snap-called and showed the bad news – 96 in his hand for the nut straight plus a flush draw. Tom, with his QQ, was drawing dead as the 3 hit the river, and Benefield scooped in the monster 980,000 pot. 

Queens Work for Qiu

Unlike Tom, the red ladies worked for Andrew Qiu. He was all-in for 149,000 with QQ against the AK of Terry Lade. The board ran out 95329 and Qiu doubled up.

Billirakis Bounces Marcon

Marco Marcon announced all-in from middle position for 113,000, and play was folded to Steve Billarakis in the small blind who made the call. Marcon held 77 while Billirakis held A10. Marcon watched as an ace flopped, coming A99, and never caught up with the 8 on the turn and 2 on the river.

Matusow Doubles Through Keller with Aces

On a flop of 983, Mike Matusow shipped in his remaining 271,000 into a pot already containing over 100,000 in chips.  His opponent, Thomas Keller, went into the tank and deliberated for several minutes while considering his options.  After counting out the necessary amount for a call, Keller announced as much and turned over 1010.  Matusow stood up and pumped his fists into the air as he flipped over AA.  After Matusow settled down, the dealer put down the K on the turn.  “A jack would have been more interesting,” commented Gus Hansen, who wandered over from his nearby table to watch the action and brought a burst of laughter from the spectators.  “I mean, for me.  I’m just passing by,” he added.  The 2 fell on the river, and Matusow won a large pot bringing his stack to almost 700,000.  Keller was crippled and left with under 200,000 in chips.

Cantu bluffs to take down huge pot of over 700k

With the board 1010Q2, the small blind checked and then Brandon Cantu bet 125,000 from the button. The small blind thought it over for a long time before raising to 275,000. Cantu immediately asked how many chips he had left. When he heard about 350,000 he moved all in. The small blind folded and Cantu jumped out of his seat and flipped over AJ. Mike Matusow, who recently doubled up, turned around and took a look at the table. "Did you check-raise bluff Brandon?" Matusow asked. "You should have moved all in then. You have no idea how sick he is?"

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Thomas Keller,   Ylon Schwartz,   Steve Billirakis,   Eric Tom,   Brandon Cantu,   David Benefield,   David Saab,   Alan Jaffray

Final Table -- Hour Eleven -- Ylon Schwartz Eliminated in Fourth Place ($3,794,974)

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante

Players Left: 3 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Peter Eastgate: 64,925,000
Ivan Demidov: 52,375,000
Dennis Phillips: 19,925,000

Average: 45,626,666

Big Hands:

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated in Fourth Place ($3,794,974)

Peter Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop under the gun and Dennis Phillip mucked on the button. Ylon Schwartz made the call in the small blind and Ivan Demidov got out of the way in the big blind. The flop was dealt K 8 2 and both players checked. The K fell on the turn and Schwartz checked. Eastgate bet 1.75 million and Schwartz made the call. The river brought the 5 and Schwartz checked again. Eastgate bet 4.6 million and Schwartz check-raised all in . Eastgate made the call and Schwartz flipped over A 10. Eastgate flipped over pocket fives and he won the hand with a full house to take the chip lead and eliminate Schwartz in fourth place. Schwartz took home $3,794,974 in prize money, which makes him the leading money winner in tournament poker for 2008 until the third-place player busts out of the tournament.
 

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour 10

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante

Players Left: 4 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 49,100,000
Peter Eastgate: 47,625,000
Ylon Schwartz: 22,175,000
Dennis Phillips: 17,325,000

Average: 34,220,000

Big Hands:

Blinds Up

The blinds are now 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante for the start of level 37.

Phillips Evens Up With Schwartz

Dennis Phillips and Ylon Schwartz see a flop of K 9 2 from the small and big blind before Schwartz opened the action for one million. Phillips made the call and the turn fell 10. Both players checked and the 5 fell on the river. Phillips bet 1.5 million and Schwartz called him down. Phillips turned up K 8 and Schwartz mucked his hand. The two players were about even at 20 million after the hand.

Ylon Schwartz Takes a Hit

Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.5 million under the gun and Ivan Demidov reraised to 4.925 million. The flop was dealt 9 7 2 and Schwartz checked. Demidov bet 7.125 million and Schwartz mucked. The hand knocked him down to 15 million as the short stack of the final four players.

Chop up the Anxiety

Peter Eastgate raised to 1.5 million preflop and Ylon Schwartz reraised to 4.5 million. Eastgate came over the top of him and moved all in. Schwartz quickly made the call and the crowd jumped to its feet and stirred with excitement. Until they saw the two players cards:

Schwartz: A K
Eastgate: A K

Board: J 9 7 7 5

The two players chopped the pot and play continued four handed.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Six

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200,000-400,000 with a 50,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 38,975,000
Peter Eastgate: 25,725,000
Dennis Phillips: 21,400,000
Ylon Schwartz: 20,675,000
Scott Montgomery: 16,700,000
Darus Suharto: 8,300,000
David Rheem: 4,450,000

Average: 19,554,285

Big Hands:

Dennis Phillips Doubles Up

Chino Rheem raised to 1 million preflop and Dennis Phillips made the call. Ylon Schwartz reraised to 4.4 million. Rheem mucked and then Phillips moved all in for 10.05 million total. Schwartz called him down. Their cards:

Schwartz: Q Q
Phillips: A Q

Board: A J 4 6 3

Phillips doubled up on the hand and his large cheering section went nuts.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Dennis Phillips

Final Table -- Hour Five -- Kelly Kim Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,288,217)

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200,000-400,000 with a 50,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 40,875,000
Ylon Schwartz: 32,175,000
Peter Eastgate: 21,675,000
Scott Montgomery: 16,400,000
Dennis Phillips: 10,650,000
Darus Suharto: 8,550,000
David Rheem: 5,900,000

Average: 19,554,285

Big Hands:

Kelly Kim Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,288,217)

Kelly Kim moved all in preflop and Ylon Schwartz, Ivan Demidov, and Darus Suharto each called the additional 150,000. The flop was dealt 9 6 2 and Demidov bet 600,000. Schwartz mucked and Suharto made the call. The A fell on the turn and both players checked. The river brought the Qd and both live players checked again. Everyone then turned up their cards:

Suharto: 10 9
Demidov: 9 5
Kim: muck

Suharto won the hand and Kim was eliminated in eighth place. He will take home $1,288,217 in prize money after starting the day on a short stack.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up

Chino Rheem moved all in preflop for 2.7 million and Ivan Demidov called him down. Their cards:

Rheem: A K
Demidov: 9 9

Board: 8 7 5 K J

Rheem doubled up on the hand to survive.

Darus Suharto Doubles Up

Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.1 million preflop and Darus Suharto moved all in for 3.9 million total. Schwartz made the call. Their cards:

Suharto: A K
Schwartz: Q 8

Board: Q 6 2 K A

Suharto doubled up on the hand to survive.

Break Time

The players went on a 20-minute break after Suharto double up.

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Darus Suharto,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Three

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150,000-300,000 with a 40,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ylon Schwartz: 40,020,000
Ivan Demidov: 27,880,000
Peter Eastgate: 21,370,000
Darus Suharto: 11,790,000
Scott Montgomery: 11,505,000
Dennis Phillips: 9,830,000
David Rheem: 6,655,000
Craig Marquis: 6,080,000
Kelly Kim: 1,735,000

Average: 15,208,888

Big Hands:

Schwartz Takes the Lead

Ivan Demidov raised to 775,000 preflop from middle position and Ylon Schwartz made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt K 10 2 and Schwartz bet 1.15 million. Demidov made the call and the turn fell 3. Schwartz led out again, this time for 2.45 million. The 6 fell on the river and Schwartz checked. Demidov bet 3.7 million and Schwartz made the call. Demidov turned over A K and Schwartz turned up K 10 to win the 16.5 million pot and take the chip lead.

Kelly Kim Doubles Up

Action was folded around to Ivan Demidov in the small blind, and he moved all in. Kim made the all-in call from the big blind and the two players flipped up their hands:

Kim: K K
Demidov: K 10

Board: 7 7 6 9 3

Kim doubled up on the hand to survive.

Kim Tempts Fate Again

Kim once again had his tournament life at rick preflop, and this time it was Chin Rheem that had him covered. Their cards:

Kim: A K
Rheem: A K

Board: J 10 8 Q Q

Despite flopping four to a flush Rheem faild to hit the draw on the turn or river and Kim survived once again as his section of the crowd gave a loud round of applause and then began chanting, “Kel-ly! Kel-ly!”

Dennis Phillips Doubles Up

Dennis Phillips moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem made the call. Their cards:

Phillips:Q Q
Rheem: J J

Board: K 5 3 9 6

Phillips doubled up to survive and his section of the crowd burst into thunderous applause.

Break Time

When the hour concluded the players went on a 20-minute break and the 5,000 chips were colored up.

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Chino Rheem,   Dennis Phillips,   Ivan Demidov

Final Table -- Hour Two

Nov 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150,000-300,000 with a 40,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demidov: 35,875,000
Peter Eastgate: 23,855,000
Ylon Schwartz: 18,595,000
Scott Montgomery: 18,095,000
Darus Suharto: 13,605,000
David Rheem: 9,180,000
Dennis Phillips: 8,310,000
Craig Marquis: 7,780,000
Kelly Kim: 1,690,000

Average: 15,208,888

Big Hands:

Ivan Demidov Takes a Huge Lead

Ivan Demidov raised to 1.025 million preflop from the button after Dennis Phillips limped under the gun and then Phillips reraised to 3.525 million. Demidov reraised to 8.225 million and Phillips made the call after about 30 seconds of deliberation. The flop was dealt J 10 8 and Phillips bet 4.5 million. Demidov decided to move all in and Phillips went into the tank. He eventually mucked and now holds around 9 million after starting the final table with the chip lead. Demidov now has an impressive chip lead with 35,875,000.

Break Time

The players went on a 15-minute break during the hour that was more of a 25-minute break by the time all of them were chased back down to the final table.

Ylon Schwartz Makes a Move

Dennis Phillips limped into a pot preflop and then Ylon Schwartz raised to 1.4 million in the small blind. Scott Montgomery made the call in the big blind and Phillips made the call as well. The flop was dealt Q 10 2 and Schwartz bet 5 million. Montgomery made the call and Phillips mucked. The turn brought the 8 and Schwartz moved all in. Montgomery mucked and Schwartz took down a nice pot.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Dennis Phillips,   Scott Montgomery,   Ivan Demidov

$10,000 Main Event - The Final March To November Begins

Jul 14, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds/Antes: 100,000-200,000 with a 30,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Ivan Demdidov: 21,000,000
Scott Montgomery: 20,900,000
Dennis Phillips: 19,600,000
Ylon Schwartz: 16,500,000
Darus Suharto: 16,040,000
Dean Hamrick: 12,420,000
Peter Eastgate: 11,480,000
David Rheem: 10,100,000
Craig Marquis: 6,200,000
Kelly Kim: 4,180,000

Big Hands:

Schwartz Picks Up Rockets On First Hand Back...

Craig Marquis raised to 525,000 from late position and the action got to Ylon Schwartz on the button. He reraised to 1.6 million and the blinds folded. Action was back on Marquis, who made it 4.5 million to go. Schwartz immediately moved all in and Marquis went into the tank. He shook his head in disgust as he decided to fold his hand. Schwartz tabled AA and raked in a very big pot.

... Then Keeps Picking On Marquis

Craig Marquis raised preflop to 525,000 and Schwartz was next to act. He popped it to 1.1 million and Marquis made the call. The flop came J83 and Marquis checked. Schwartz moved all in and Marquis mucked his hand. Schwartz was at 17 million in chips while Marquis was down to about 6.5 million.

Phillips and Eastgate in a Dance

Peter Eastgate raised to 575,000 and Dennis Phillips made the call. The flop came Q4J and both players decided to check. The turn was the 3 and again both players checked. The river brought some action as the 7 hit the felt, inducing an 800,000 bet by Phillips. Eastgate made the call and Phillips showed 107 for a pair on the river. But Eastgate showed KJ for a better pair on the flop and he took down the pot.

Rheem Flops a Set But Gets No Action

David "Chino" Rheem opened for a raise to 600,000 from middle position. Action folded around to Dennis Phillips in the small blind who made the call. The big blind mucked and the flop came down AA8. Phillips checked and Rheem fired 750,000 into the pot. Phillips mucked and the crowd burst into cheers as Rheem took the pot. He then tabled AK to show that he indeed had a set.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Peter Eastgate,   Craig Marquis,   Dennis Phillips

$10,000 Main Event - Day 7 - Level 31 (Hr. 1)

Jul 14, '08

Blinds/Antes: 80,000 / 160,000 / 20,000

Players Remaining: 13 of 6,844

Average Stack: 10,000,000

Chip Counts:

Recent Eliminations:
Gert Andersen Eliminated in 14th place ($463,201)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Gert Andersen Eliminated in 14th place ($463,201)

On the third hand after the dinner break on the featured table, Ylon Schwartz open raised for a total of 500,000.  The action folded to Gert Andersen in the small blind, who reraised all in for his remaining 3,810,000 in chips.  Schwartz quickly called and turned over AK, a strong favorite over Andersen’s AJ.  The tension was high as the flop came Q102, giving Andersen a gut-shot straight draw but removing the remaining jacks from his list of outs.  The turn fell 8, improving Andersen’s straight draw and giving him four additional outs.  The 5 on the river was a miss, and Andersen exited the tournament area in 14th place to collect his $463,201 in prize money.  Schwartz improved his chip stack to over 17 million, putting him in second place on the leader board.

Tough Rail!

The remaining two tables have attracted quite a crowd of spectators, including many notable poker pros who have showed up to sweat the action.  The current list of railbirds at the secondary featured table includes Andy Bloch, Michael Mizrachi, Mel Judah, J.C. Tran, and Marcel Luske.

Chino Rheem Takes One Away from Darus Suharto

On a flop of AJ4, Chino Rheem checked to Darus Suharto.  After some deliberation, Suharto counted out a bet of 475,000 and pushed it towards the middle.  Rheem check-raised an additional 600,000, prompting Suharto to go into the tank.  Suharto eventually made the call and the 8 fell on the turn.  Rheem led out with a bet of 1,500,000, to which Suharto folded his hand.  Rheem dragged the pot and stacked his chips, which now total over 11 million.

Kelly Kim Loses One to Joe Bishop

Kelly Kim open raised to 500,000 from his position under the gun, and the action folded to Joe Bishop in the big blind.  After taking some time to fiddle with his chips, Bishop sloppily tossed out what appeared to be an arbitrary amount of chips.  The dealer counted it down to discover that it was a reraise of an additional 1,060,000.  Kim contemplated for a few moments before mucking his hand.  As he took the pot, Bishop flashed the A to his tablemates.

 

Player Tags: Kelly Kim,   Ylon Schwartz,   Darus Suharto,   Joe Bishop,   Gert Andersen

$10,000 Main Event - Day 7 - Level 28 (Hr.2)

Jul 14, '08

Players have returned from a 20-minute break.

Blinds/Antes: 20,000-40,000 with 2,000 ante

Players Left: 24 of 6844

Chip Leaders:

Dennis Phillips - 14,430,000
Peter Eastgate - 12,000,000
Craig Marquis - 9,500,000
Joe Bishop - 9,300,000
Kelly Kim - 8,930,000
Ylon Schwartz - 7,300,000
David Rheem - 7,000,000
Scott Montgomery - 5,700,000
Darus Suharto - 5,700,000
Paul Snead - 5,600,000

Player Eliminations: Niklas Flisberg (25th), Aaron Gordon (24th).

Big Hands/Storylines

Schwartz catches fortunate turn, doubles up

Ylon Schwartz raised from late position and was called by Paul Snead on the button and Scott Montgomery in the big blind. The flop came KJJ and Schwartz bet 380,000. Snead raised to 1.2 million and after Montgomery folded Schwartz made the call. The turn was the K and Schwartz bet out 900,000. Snead moved all in and Schwartz called all in.

Snead: AJ
Schwartz: AK

Schwartz got the king he needed on the turn. The river was the 7 and Schwartz doubled up to over seven million chips.

Rheem Makes his Move

Chino Rheem was in the small blind and was the second player to call a raise to 220,000. Dennis Phillips also called from the big blind and four players saw the flop come 987. Rheem checked and Phillips stepped out for 500,000. Chris Klodnicki, the original raiser, made the call, and after Judet Toni Cristian folded, Rheem then put in a check-raise for 1.5 million more. Both his opponents folded and Rheem took down the pot of over two million.

Suharto Successfully Uses All-in Twice

Darus Suharto had play folded to him on the button and raised to 210,000, which Judet Toni Cristian called from the big blind. The flop came 1096, and Cristian check-called a bet of 310,000 from Suharto. Both players checked after the K fell on the turn, and then the Q completed the board on the river. Cristian stepped out for a 500,000 bet, and Suharto then announced all-in. Cristian folded and showed A7, while Suharto revealed the K10 for two pair.

In an earlier hand, Aaron Gordon had raised to 225,000 and Suharto called. Chris Klodnicki then reraised to 800,000 from the cut-off. Gordon folded, but Suharto then announced all-in for another 2.5 million. Klodnicki folded and Suharto took down the pot.

Suharto Eliminates Gordon

Aaron Gordon was all-in for his tournament life with the Q10, and found himself up against the pocket jacks of Darus Suharto. The flop came K62, with the 5 on the turn giving Gordon the flush draw. But the 7 on the river ended his main event and Suharto took the chips.

Riesenberg Shows the Bluff

Judet Toni Cristian raised to 230,000 preflop and was called by Dennis Phillips, chip leader to begin the day. Jason Riesenberg then called from the big blind and the flop came AQJ. All three players checked and the 10 created an even more interesting board. Riesenberg bet 250,000 at the pot, Cristian folded, and Phillips called. The 3 was the river and Riesenberg bet 800,000. Phillips folded, then at the loud encouragement from his supporters on the rail to “show the bluff” Riesenberg did exactly that, flashing the 107.

Nice Start for Phillips

In one of the first hands of the level, chip leade Dennis Phillips called an initial raise to 225,000 from Chino Rheem. Darus Suharto on the button then reraised to 825,000, Rheem folded and Phillips called. The flop came A87, and Phillips bet 700,000 at the pot. Suharto folded.

Player Tags: Ylon Schwartz,   Paul Snead,   Aaron Gordon,   Darus Suharto,   Dennis Phillips,   Jason Riesenberg

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 18

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 4,000-8,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 239 of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 567,9670

Eliminations:

Alan Jaffray
Eric Tom
Marco Marcon

Big Hands and Storylines:  

Nicholas Sliwinski Eliminates Phongthep Thiptinnakon

Action folded around to Phongthep Thiptinnakon who moved in for 115,000. Action folded to Nicholas Sliwinski in the big blind. He insta-called and showed AK. Thiptinnakon’s KQ was dominated and when the board came A647A he was eliminated. That infusion of chips lifts Sliwinski to almost 800,000.

Ylon Schwartz Joins The Million Chip Club

On a board of JJ7, Edward Roger had to decide whether or not to call Ylon Schwartz’s bet of 309,000. After quiet and careful deliberation, Roger made the call. The two showed their hands:

Schwartz: QQ
Roger: 88

The turn was the J, sealing the hand for Schwarz. With that pot, Schwartz jumps to just over one million in chips. Roger is still more than healthy with about 750,000.

David Saab Hits Alan Jaffray Hard

An important hand occurred in the last level that we just got wind of via David Saab:

Action folded around to Helge Pederen in the cutoff who raised to 18,000. Alan Jaffray called on the button. David Saab, in the small blind, made it 60k to go after a bit of hesitation. Pedersen laid down his hand and action was back on Jaffray. Jaffray, perhaps suspicious of Saab (who had squeezed earlier), raised to 300k. Saab then moved all-in for another 500,000 and Jaffray made the call. Saab showed A-K and his hand held up against Jaffray’s A-9 offsuit. That hand decimated Jaffray’s stack, and he would be eliminated a short time later.

Saab now sits as one of the chip leaders with 1.7 million.

'Raptor' Swoops in for a Monster

David “Raptor” Benefield swept in with such precision, Eric Tom never knew what hit him. There was a raise to 24,000 from a player in early position, and Tom smooth-called from middle position. The player in front of the cut-off made the call as well, and Benefield in the small blind called to create a four-way pot, as James McManus in the big blind folded. The flop came 875, and after two checks, Tom stepped out for 100,000. Play was folded to Benefield, who called. The J hit the turn, and after Benefield checked, Tom announced all-in for 320,000. Benefield snap-called and showed the bad news – 96 in his hand for the nut straight plus a flush draw. Tom, with his QQ, was drawing dead as the 3 hit the river, and Benefield scooped in the monster 980,000 pot. 

Queens Work for Qiu

Unlike Tom, the red ladies worked for Andrew Qiu. He was all-in for 149,000 with QQ against the AK of Terry Lade. The board ran out 95329 and Qiu doubled up.

Billirakis Bounces Marcon

Marco Marcon announced all-in from middle position for 113,000, and play was folded to Steve Billarakis in the small blind who made the call. Marcon held 77 while Billirakis held A10. Marcon watched as an ace flopped, coming A99, and never caught up with the 8 on the turn and 2 on the river.

Matusow Doubles Through Keller with Aces

On a flop of 983, Mike Matusow shipped in his remaining 271,000 into a pot already containing over 100,000 in chips.  His opponent, Thomas Keller, went into the tank and deliberated for several minutes while considering his options.  After counting out the necessary amount for a call, Keller announced as much and turned over 1010.  Matusow stood up and pumped his fists into the air as he flipped over AA.  After Matusow settled down, the dealer put down the K on the turn.  “A jack would have been more interesting,” commented Gus Hansen, who wandered over from his nearby table to watch the action and brought a burst of laughter from the spectators.  “I mean, for me.  I’m just passing by,” he added.  The 2 fell on the river, and Matusow won a large pot bringing his stack to almost 700,000.  Keller was crippled and left with under 200,000 in chips.

Cantu bluffs to take down huge pot of over 700k

With the board 1010Q2, the small blind checked and then Brandon Cantu bet 125,000 from the button. The small blind thought it over for a long time before raising to 275,000. Cantu immediately asked how many chips he had left. When he heard about 350,000 he moved all in. The small blind folded and Cantu jumped out of his seat and flipped over AJ. Mike Matusow, who recently doubled up, turned around and took a look at the table. "Did you check-raise bluff Brandon?" Matusow asked. "You should have moved all in then. You have no idea how sick he is?"

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Thomas Keller,   Ylon Schwartz,   Steve Billirakis,   Eric Tom,   Brandon Cantu,   David Benefield,   David Saab,   Alan Jaffray

$2,000 Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 10 Recap

Jun 11, '08

Blinds: 400/800

Players Left: 89 of 480

Chip Leaders:
Daniel Negreanu - 50,000
Daniel Makowsky - 49,200
Eric Buchman - 42,000
Ylon Schwartz - 37,500
Ayaz Mahmood - 37,500
Hien Tran - 34,000
Alon Croitoru - 33,700
Casey McCarrell - 31,600
Brendan Taylor - 30,300
Ardell Willis - 30,000

Average Stack: 21,500

Eliminations:
Babak Razi
Vivek Rajkumar

Big Hands and Storylines:

The Table of Death Breaks

For the first two hours, Table 47 over in the blue section contained by far the most talent in the room. Daniel Negreanu, Shannon Shorr, John Phan, J.C. Tran, and Mike Schneider made up the table of death. Fortunately for them (and even more fortunately for their tablemates) the table was just broken and the group was scattered amongst the rest of the tournament field.

What Does It Mean?

Before the table broke, however, Daniel Negreanu was doing some hard-hitting journalistic work. Noticing Mike Schneider’s CardRunners accoutrement, Negreanu asked about the origins of the poker training site’s name, “What does it mean?” Schneider was befuddled and had no answer for Negreanu. Negreanu’s next question was just as difficult to answer, if only because it was a bit more rhetorical: “...do you guys run?”

Schneider Claims One

Unconcerned with the banter of Daniel Negreanu, Mike Schneider involved himself in a pot with Yue Huang. Huang raised from middle position and Schneider raised from the small blind. Huang called and the two saw a 976 flop. Schneider bet and Huang called. Another bet-call ensued on the A turn. Schneider fired a third bullet on the river but Huang laid down his hand, deciding to pick a better spot. The hand took Schneider up to about 20,000, a respectable stack given his table draw.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   John Phan,   J.C. Tran,   Daniel Negreanu,   Eric Buchman,   Babak Razi,   Ylon Schwartz,   Casey McCarrell,   Ardell Willis,   Brendan Taylor,   Shannon Shorr,   Mike Schneider,   Hien Tran,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Daniel Makowsky,   Yue Huang

Event 2 - $1,500 NLH - Day 2 - Hour 1

Jun 02, '08

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante (Moving to 600-1,200 with a 100 ante)

Players Left: 414 of 3,929

Chip Counts:

David Bach: 120,000
Allan Puzontyan: 111,400
Ryan D'Angelo: 105,800
Frank Sinopoli: 103,900
Pat White: 92,300
Shane Schleger: 89,000
Henry Tran: 80,300
John Carlson: 80,200
Grant Hinkle: 77,800

Average Chip Stack: 28,300

Big Hands:

Gaspard Takes Out Another One

Jean Gaspard raised to 4,000 and Ylon Schwartz called all in. Schwartz showed AJ, Gaspard turned over AK. The board ran 8321010 and Schwartz was eliminated.

Quad Fours Beats Two Queens

Charles Ambrogi hit quad 4s on the flop against Parimal Parmar's Q-Q. Ambrogi doubled up to over 28,000 while Parmar still had well over 40,000.

Nguyen Takes a Pot

Minh Nguyen won an early three-way pot when the board showed Q63J and he bet 2,000 into the pot and he got no callers.

Erica Schoenberg and Ryan Daut Tangle

Schoenberg called Daut's preflop raise and the flop came AQ3. Schoenberg led out with 4,000 and Daut thought for a moment then folded. 

Player Tags: Minh Nguyen,   Ylon Schwartz,   Parimal Parmar,   Erica Schoenberg,   Charles Ambrogi,   Ryan Daut,   Jean Gaspard,   European Report