Christian Harder Poker Tournament Updates

Level 18 Update: Daniel Negreanu Up to 330K

Jul 15, '11

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: Approximately 399 out of 6,865

Chip Leaders:

1. Manoj Viswanathan — 2,175,000
2. Stephane Albertini — 1,840,000
3. Pius Heinz — 1,800,000
4. David Barter — 1,700,000
5. Sam Barnhart — 1,700,000
6. Daryl Jace — 1,690,000
7. Max Heinzelmann — 1,520,000
8. Chris Bonita — 1,480,000
9. Matthew Kay — 1,450,000
10. Joseph Cheong — 1,300,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu — 330,000
Todd Brunson — 250,000

Notables Eliminated:

Blair Hinkle
Bryan Micon
Jani Sointula

Hands:

Blair Hinkle Busts

A short-stacked player shoved and Blair Hinkle reshoved. A player in the big blind woke up with kings and had Hinkle’s 5-5 dominated. The board offered no help for Hinkle and he was gone.

Bryan Pellegrino Going Up

Holding pocket eights, Bryan Pellegrino was able to eliminate a player who held A-K. All of his opponent’s 260,000 went in preflop, and Pellegrino held 770,000 after the hand.

Bryan Micon Eliminated

Bryan Micon’s 9-9 was in bad shape against Sami Kelopuro’s Q-Q. The board offered no help for Micon and he was gone. Kelopuro was up to about 900,000 after the hand.

Christian Harder Gets Some Chips

Christian Harder is up to about 250,000 after his A-6 won against an opponent’s A-9, all in preflop.

Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Daniel Negreanu is up to 330,000 after his Q 8 got him a double up after an 8-5-2 flop with two hears. Negreanu turned a flush and now has some chips to work with.

Freddy Deeb Doubles Up

Freddy Deeb got all of his stack in the middle with A-K and was up against pocket tens. Deeb was looking for help until the river when he hit his hand and doubled to 200,000.

Jean-Robert Bellande Backdoors Gin

Jean-Robert turned 8-6 offsuit into runner-runner straight after a K-Q-4 flop. He barreled on the flop and after he turned an open-ended straight draw. When he got there on the end he fired 300,000 and his opponent called. Bellande was at 900,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: David Bach,   Bryan Micon,   Blair Hinkle,   Christian Harder,   Sami Kelopuro,   Bryan Pellegrino,   Daniel Retallick

Level Two Update: Brad Garret Hits Quads -- Billirakis Bounced

Jul 09, '11

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips. Registration will remain open until the end of the second level.

Players on Day 1C: Approximately 978

Blinds: 100-200

Notables Remaining:

Notables Eliminated This Level:

Steve Billirakis
Allen Bari
Jason Somerville
David Steicke
Liz Lieu

Hands:

Shak vs. Billirakis

Fate picked the wrong time to deal pocket queens to Steve Billirakis. That is because Dan Shak was dealt a set of eights on the same hand. Billirakis was all in by the end of the hand and he was eliminated in the aftermath that saw Shak grow his stack to 50,000.

Duhamel Watch — Defending Champ Doubles Up

The defending champion kept his head above water when he doubled up with a full house to survive. He held 48,000 after the hand.

Everybody Loves Brad Garrett

Everybody Loves Raymond co-stars Ray Romano and Brad Garrett are both playing in the main event on Day 1C. In a recent pot Garrett raised to 600 preflop and Max Cohn and the big blind made the call. The flop fell K 9 4 and all three players checked.

The turn fell 6 and Garrett opened the action again, this time for 1,000. Cohn raised to 3,000 and the big blind mucked. Garrett made the call and the river fell K. Garrett and Cohn both checked and then Garrett flipped over K K for quad kings. Cohn mucked and Garrett grew his stack to 40,000.

Jonathan Jaffe Grows his Stack

In a recent pot the flop fell 10-9-3 and Jonathan Jaffe held pocket jacks. His opponent checked and Jaffe bet 1,900. His opponent called the turn brought a 5. Jaffe bet again, this time for 2,900 after he opponent checked.

The river then delivered a deuce and Jaffe bet 3,600 after yet another check from his opponent. Jaffe revealed his jacks and his opponent mucked. Jaffe won the pot and he is now up to 60,000.

Brenes Ahead from Start to Finish

Humberto Brenes raised to 1,100 preflop from middle position and UTG+1 made the call. The flop fell J 4 4 and Brenes bet 2,100. His opponent made the call and the turn fell J. Both players checked and the 8 fell on the river. Both players checked again and Brenes revealed A K. His opponent mucked 7 6 face up on the table while Brenes collected the pot to replenish his stack and hold steady at 30,000.

Featured Poker Tweet — Donkey Watch from the Pros:

Chris Bell Picks the Right time to Make his Move

The flop read 9 6 4 and the big blind bet 2,000 after Chris Bell checked in the small blind. Bell made the call and the A fell on the turn.

The big blind bet 2,000 again after Bell checked and he made the call once again. The river then delivered the 10 and Bell went on the offensive. Bell bet 6,600 and the big blind went into the tank. He eventually mucked and Bell collected the pot to grow his stack to 35,000.

CardPlayer TV — Patrik Antonius on First-Day Main Event Flights

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   Daniel Shak,   Chris Bell,   Steve Billirakis,   Jonathan Jaffe,   Brad Garrett,   Jonathan Duhamel,   Darryll Fish,   Ray Romano,   Christian Harder

Level 18 Update: Daniel Negreanu Up to 330K

Jul 15, '11

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: Approximately 399 out of 6,865

Chip Leaders:

1. Manoj Viswanathan — 2,175,000
2. Stephane Albertini — 1,840,000
3. Pius Heinz — 1,800,000
4. David Barter — 1,700,000
5. Sam Barnhart — 1,700,000
6. Daryl Jace — 1,690,000
7. Max Heinzelmann — 1,520,000
8. Chris Bonita — 1,480,000
9. Matthew Kay — 1,450,000
10. Joseph Cheong — 1,300,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu — 330,000
Todd Brunson — 250,000

Notables Eliminated:

Blair Hinkle
Bryan Micon
Jani Sointula

Hands:

Blair Hinkle Busts

A short-stacked player shoved and Blair Hinkle reshoved. A player in the big blind woke up with kings and had Hinkle’s 5-5 dominated. The board offered no help for Hinkle and he was gone.

Bryan Pellegrino Going Up

Holding pocket eights, Bryan Pellegrino was able to eliminate a player who held A-K. All of his opponent’s 260,000 went in preflop, and Pellegrino held 770,000 after the hand.

Bryan Micon Eliminated

Bryan Micon’s 9-9 was in bad shape against Sami Kelopuro’s Q-Q. The board offered no help for Micon and he was gone. Kelopuro was up to about 900,000 after the hand.

Christian Harder Gets Some Chips

Christian Harder is up to about 250,000 after his A-6 won against an opponent’s A-9, all in preflop.

Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Daniel Negreanu is up to 330,000 after his Q 8 got him a double up after an 8-5-2 flop with two hears. Negreanu turned a flush and now has some chips to work with.

Freddy Deeb Doubles Up

Freddy Deeb got all of his stack in the middle with A-K and was up against pocket tens. Deeb was looking for help until the river when he hit his hand and doubled to 200,000.

Jean-Robert Bellande Backdoors Gin

Jean-Robert turned 8-6 offsuit into runner-runner straight after a K-Q-4 flop. He barreled on the flop and after he turned an open-ended straight draw. When he got there on the end he fired 300,000 and his opponent called. Bellande was at 900,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: David Bach,   Bryan Micon,   Blair Hinkle,   Christian Harder,   Sami Kelopuro,   Bryan Pellegrino,   Daniel Retallick

Level Two Update: Brad Garret Hits Quads -- Billirakis Bounced

Jul 09, '11

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips. Registration will remain open until the end of the second level.

Players on Day 1C: Approximately 978

Blinds: 100-200

Notables Remaining:

Notables Eliminated This Level:

Steve Billirakis
Allen Bari
Jason Somerville
David Steicke
Liz Lieu

Hands:

Shak vs. Billirakis

Fate picked the wrong time to deal pocket queens to Steve Billirakis. That is because Dan Shak was dealt a set of eights on the same hand. Billirakis was all in by the end of the hand and he was eliminated in the aftermath that saw Shak grow his stack to 50,000.

Duhamel Watch — Defending Champ Doubles Up

The defending champion kept his head above water when he doubled up with a full house to survive. He held 48,000 after the hand.

Everybody Loves Brad Garrett

Everybody Loves Raymond co-stars Ray Romano and Brad Garrett are both playing in the main event on Day 1C. In a recent pot Garrett raised to 600 preflop and Max Cohn and the big blind made the call. The flop fell K 9 4 and all three players checked.

The turn fell 6 and Garrett opened the action again, this time for 1,000. Cohn raised to 3,000 and the big blind mucked. Garrett made the call and the river fell K. Garrett and Cohn both checked and then Garrett flipped over K K for quad kings. Cohn mucked and Garrett grew his stack to 40,000.

Jonathan Jaffe Grows his Stack

In a recent pot the flop fell 10-9-3 and Jonathan Jaffe held pocket jacks. His opponent checked and Jaffe bet 1,900. His opponent called the turn brought a 5. Jaffe bet again, this time for 2,900 after he opponent checked.

The river then delivered a deuce and Jaffe bet 3,600 after yet another check from his opponent. Jaffe revealed his jacks and his opponent mucked. Jaffe won the pot and he is now up to 60,000.

Brenes Ahead from Start to Finish

Humberto Brenes raised to 1,100 preflop from middle position and UTG+1 made the call. The flop fell J 4 4 and Brenes bet 2,100. His opponent made the call and the turn fell J. Both players checked and the 8 fell on the river. Both players checked again and Brenes revealed A K. His opponent mucked 7 6 face up on the table while Brenes collected the pot to replenish his stack and hold steady at 30,000.

Featured Poker Tweet — Donkey Watch from the Pros:

Chris Bell Picks the Right time to Make his Move

The flop read 9 6 4 and the big blind bet 2,000 after Chris Bell checked in the small blind. Bell made the call and the A fell on the turn.

The big blind bet 2,000 again after Bell checked and he made the call once again. The river then delivered the 10 and Bell went on the offensive. Bell bet 6,600 and the big blind went into the tank. He eventually mucked and Bell collected the pot to grow his stack to 35,000.

CardPlayer TV — Patrik Antonius on First-Day Main Event Flights

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   Daniel Shak,   Chris Bell,   Steve Billirakis,   Jonathan Jaffe,   Brad Garrett,   Jonathan Duhamel,   Darryll Fish,   Ray Romano,   Christian Harder

Sam Stein Wins Event #31 ($420,802)

Jun 20, '11

Ben Lamb Eliminated in 2nd Place ($259,918)

Ben Lamb started the final heads-up match at a 2:1 chip disadvantage and was never able to overcome the deficit. There was a little back and forth action but nothing major until about a half hour into the level when Sam Stein button-raised to 120,000 before the flop and Ben Lamb called from the big blind.

The flop came K J 3, Lamb bet 150,000 and Stein called.

The turn was the 10, Lamb bet 225,000, Stein reraised the size of the pot, Lamb moved all in and Stein called.

Lamb: Q J 9 4
Stein: A Q J 6

Stein had turned the ace-high straight and could not lose the pot. Although Lamb was not drawing dead on the turn, he was drawing to only a chop with another ace. The river was the 2, and Ben Lamb was eliminated in 2nd place ($259,918). Sam Stein wins the gold bracelet for Event #31 and the $420,802 grand prize.

NOTE: With the elimination of Warren Fund in 3rd place, Sam Stein took the chip lead going into heads-up play with 4,245,000 to Ben Lamb’s 1,920,000.

Warren Fund Eliminated in 3rd Place ($184,368)

Warren Fund button-raised to 180,000 before the flop and Sam Stein called from the big blind.

Fund: A A 10 7
Stein: K Q J 6

Stein was ahead on the flop with two pair. The turn and river were the 2 and the 9, no help to Warren Fund who was eliminated in 3rd place ($184,368).

Christian Harder Eliminated in 4th Place ($132,623)

Ben Lamb button-raised to 120,000, Christian Harder reraised the size of the pot to 420,000, Lamb shoved and Harder called all in.

Lamb: A J 9 9
Harder: K J 9 8

Harder was behind and he would need to catch up to stay alive. The board came A 7 5 Q 4, giving Lamb top pair on the flop to win the pot. Christian Harder was eliminated in 4th place ($132,623).

Player Tags: Warren Fund,   Ben Lamb,   Christian Harder

Level 22: Barch 10th; Final Table Now Underway

Jun 19, '11

NOTE: Play resumed today at 4:00pm with 25 players, and with the elimination of John Barch in 10th place ($24,441), the official nine-handed final table is now underway.

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 685

Average Chip Count: 685,000

Chip Counts:

1. Ben Lamb – 2,005,000
2. Christian Harder – 1,250,000
3. Adam Junglen – 818,000
4. Austin Scott – 670,000
5. Sam Stein – 635,000
6. Warren Fund – 625,000
7. Zimnan Ziyard – 500,000
8. Brock Parker – 362,000
9. Dilyan Kovachev – 195,000

Payouts:

1st. $420,802
2nd. $259,918
3rd. $184,368
4th. $132,623
5th. $96,737
6th. $71.548
7th. $53,633
8th. $40,748
9th. $31,360

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: John Barch,   Brock Parker,   Warren Fund,   Austin Scott,   Ben Lamb,   Adam Junglen,   Christian Harder,   Dilyan Kovachev

Poker Tweet -- Christian Harder

Feb 26, '11

Here is a poker tweet from Christian Harder about his elimination:

Player Tags: Christian Harder

Christian Harder Eliminated

Dec 21, '10

Christian Harder moved all in preflop from the button and Jason Burt reraised all in from the small blind. Victor Ramdin spent some time in the tank on the big blind but eventually mucked. Their cards:

Harder: Q 10
Burt: 8 8

Board: J 7 7 8 7

Harder was eliminated on the hand and Burt grew his stack to 420,000.

Player Tags: Victor Ramdin,   Christian Harder,   Jason Burt

Doubles Ups for Pros with Kings

Dec 20, '10

Beth Shak recently doubled up when her pocket kings were joined by a third king on the river of a hand where she had moved all in. She was still short stacked despite the windfall of chips.

In another table Christian Harder (small blind) got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Dwyte Pilgrim (cutoff) preflop. Their cards:

Harder: K K
Pilgrim: 2 2

Board: Q J 9 8 3

Harder doubled up on the hand to survive.

Player Tags: Beth Shak,   Christian Harder

Christian Harder Eliminated

Dec 21, '10

Christian Harder moved all in preflop from the button and Jason Burt reraised all in from the small blind. Victor Ramdin spent some time in the tank on the big blind but eventually mucked. Their cards:

Harder: Q 10
Burt: 8 8

Board: J 7 7 8 7

Harder was eliminated on the hand and Burt grew his stack to 420,000.

Player Tags: Victor Ramdin,   Christian Harder,   Jason Burt

Doubles Ups for Pros with Kings

Dec 20, '10

Beth Shak recently doubled up when her pocket kings were joined by a third king on the river of a hand where she had moved all in. She was still short stacked despite the windfall of chips.

In another table Christian Harder (small blind) got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Dwyte Pilgrim (cutoff) preflop. Their cards:

Harder: K K
Pilgrim: 2 2

Board: Q J 9 8 3

Harder doubled up on the hand to survive.

Player Tags: Beth Shak,   Christian Harder

Christian Harder Eliminated

Dec 04, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Albert Kim raised to 2,100 and was called by another player. Men Nguyen called and Phil Ivey called from the cutoff. Eric Blair also called from the small blind, as does Christian Harder in the big blind.

The flop came KQ10 and the middle position player bet 7,500. Nguyen called, Ivey and Blair folded and Harder check-raised all in for his last 13,600.

Kim folded and the other player called. Nguyen called and the turn was the 8. Both players checked and the river was the 9. Both players checked again and the middle position player showed pocket jacks for a rivered straight. Nguyen mcuked and Harder showed 98 for two pair and a missed flush draw, ending his tournament.

Player Tags: Christian Harder

Level 12 Update: Big Names Rising

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 54 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Ben Klier — 340,000
2. Josh Arieh — 290,000
3. Mohsin Charania — 270,000
4. Ronald Lee — 230,000
5. Sorel Mizzi — 225,000
6. Thomas Marcehse — 220,000
7. Chris Hunichen — 215,000
8. Byron Springer — 215,000
9. Gavin Smith — 210,000
10. Keven Stammen — 200,000

Average Chip Count: 125,172

Notable Eliminations:

David Peters
Jonathan Little
Darryll Fish

Big Hands:

Charania Counterfeited

The flop read J 10 9 when the hijack bet 6,000 and Mohsin raised to 19,000. His opponent made the call and then they both checked the Q on the turn and the 3 on the river. Charania flipped over Q 8, but his opponent caught up to him and made a straight on the turn with 9 8 in the hole.

Christian Harder Bets Hard on the River

Christian Harder reraised to 25,000 preflop from the small blind after an opponent raised to 12,000 on the button. The two players then checked down a board of J 9 6 3 10 before Harder fired out a 50,000 bet on the river. His opponent went into the tank but eventually mucked.

Left In The Deck:

Chip Movers and Shaker

The professional players in the field have taken over the top 10 in the chip counts during the last level of play. Mohsin Charania has vaulted to third with 270,000, right behind Jaosh Arieh, who holds 290,000. Ronald Lee, Sorel Mizzi, Gavin Smith, Keven Stammen, and Card Player Player of the Year contender Thomas Marchese.

Slow Play Sets In

Less than 10 players fell during this level as the pace of play has slowed down. If this rate of eliminations continues it is a close call on if the money bubble will be reached by the end of play tonight (through five levels — level 15).

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Allen Kessler, Kyle Bowker, Jason Somerville

Table 2: Ben Klier, John Cernuto, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, David Peters

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jake Bazely

Table 5: Brock Parker, Jonathan Little, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen

Table 6: Andrew Frankenberger, Keven Stammen, Mike Beasley, Darryll Fish, Ronald Lee

Table 7: Mohsin Charania, Christian Harder, Jonathan Aguiar, Howard Lederer

Player Tags: Jonathan Little,   Christian Harder,   Mohsin Charania

Level 9 Update: Annette Obrestad Dominating

Oct 16, '10

Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 128 out of 335 (Unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Annette Obrestad — 480,000
2. Matt Affleck — 456,000
3. Men Nguyen — 300,000
4. Owen Crowe — 280,000
5. Trevor Pope — 260,000
6. Barry Greenstein — 220,000
7. Mark Newhouse — 215,000
8. Thomas Marchese — 210,000
9. Jared Jaffee — 200,000
10. Sorel Mizzi — 190,000

Average Chip Count: 104,687

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Shulman
Howard Lederer
Isabelle Mercier
Erica Schoenberg
Hafiz Khan
Kara Scott
Christian Harder
Phil Ivey

Big Hands:

Annette Obrestad Increases her Chip Lead

Dan Schiff raised to 3,000 from the button and Annette Obrestad reraised to 10,000 from the small blind. Schiff made the call and the flop fell Q 9 9. Obrestad bet 13,500 and Schiff raised to 32,000. Obrestad reraised to 68,500 and Schiff made the call.

The turn fell 7 and both players checked. The 6 fell on the river and Schiff bet 35,000. Obrestad made the call and Schiff flipped over A J. Obrestad showed down A Q and Schiff lost the hand to drop his stack to 24,000. Obrestad held 461,000 after the hand and the chip lead.

Jeff Shulman Eliminated

A player under the gun raised to 3,500 preflop and Jeff Shulman made the call right behind him. The hi-jack then reraised to 11,400 and both opponents made the call. The flop fell 6 4 2 and all three players checked. The turn fell K and Shulman bet 15,000.

UTG mucked and the hi-jack made the call. The river fell 8 and Shulman bet 25,000. His opponent raised all in and Shulman made the all-in call. The hi-jack flipped over 5 3 for the flopped straight and Shulman was eliminated on the hand.

Christian Harder Eliminated

Christian Harder was all in preflop and Jeff Madsen had him covered. Their cards:

Harder: A J
Madsen: Q Q

Board: K 6 2 8 3

Madsen won the hand to grow his stack to 265,000 and Harder was eliminated.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

Phil Ivey moved all in for 35,500 under the gun preflop and Michael Benvenuti made the call in late position. Their cards:

Ivey: J 8
Benvenuti: A 10

The board bricked out on Ivey and he was eliminated on the hand. Benvenuti was up to 85,000 after collecting the pot.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Phil Ivey,   Jeff Madsen,   Annette Obrestad,   Christian Harder,   Michael Benvenuti

Christian Harder Eliminated

Oct 02, '10

Christian Harder got it all in preflop and Matt Perrins made the call. Their cards:

Harder: A K
Perrins: Q Q

Board: 8 8 7 4 7

Harder was eliminated on the hand.

Player Tags: Christian Harder

Easier now for Harder

Oct 01, '10

Christian Harder was all in for 58,300 preflop from the small blind and Greg Raymer made the call from the big blind. Their cards:

Harder: K K
Raymer: 9 9

Board: 8 3 2 3 7

Harder doubled up on the hand and he now holds over 100,000.

Player Tags: Christian Harder