Dustin Woolf Poker Tournament Updates

Level 4 Hour 2 Update: Soulier Doing Well

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Left: 720 of 873

Chip Counts:

1. Nick Maimone – 129,000
2. Vadim Gruzglin – 123,500
3. Jim Bookstaff – 119,000
4. Samer Rahman – 117,000
5. Craig Hopkins – 113,000
6. Jesse Rios – 112,000
7. Carlos Oliveira – 105,000
8. Fabrice Soulier – 99,000
9. Daniel Didech – 95,000
10. Karin Lehoussing – 87,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 35,000
Mike Matusow — 18,000

Notable Eliminations:

Dustin Woolf

Big Hands

Davis Runs Into Aces, Then Vents

Raymond Davis raised to 1,000 from under the gun and the action folded around to the big blind. He made the call and the flop came down K73. Both players decided to check and the 10 fell on the turn. The big blind bet 2,000 and Davis came along for the ride. The river was the 2 and the big blind fired 6,000. Davis made the call again and the big blind showed AA. Davis mucked and he was down to 63,900.

A few hands later, Davis was in the big blind and facing a raise to 800 from seat 3. Davis made the call and the flop came down 5-3-2 and seat 3 bet 1,200. Davis immediately raised to 3,200 and seat 3 mucked. Davis then showed 10-7 for a bluff. “I don’t miss every flop, just most of them,” Davis said. “That was a bit of frustration man,” he explained to Hoyt Corkins on his right. “I’ve been getting robbed all day.” Davis was at 65,000 after that hand.

Greenstein Back To The Beginning

Barry Greenstein raised to 800 preflop from middle position and the player on the button made the call. The flop came down 1065 and Greenstein led out with 1,200. The button quickly mucked and Greenstein took the pot, getting his stack back to the original starting stack of 30,000.

Soulier Takes One Off Hansen

After a flop of 432, Fabrice Soulier bet 1,000 and a player called. Thor Hansen then raised to 2,000 and Soulier was the only one to call. The turn was the A and both players checked. They did the same after the 8 fell on the river.

Soulier then showed A7 and Hansen mucked his hand. Soulier raked in the pot and was around 90,000 while Hansen was down to 17,150.

Yeah, That Just Happened

Dustin Woolf raised to 1,000 from the cutoff and the button mucked. The small blind then moved all in for over 15,000 and Woolf made the call, putting himself all in. The small blind showed AK while Woolf showed AK.

This being the fourth of July, the fireworks were about to drop as the flop came K98, leaving Woolf praying for two black cards on the turn and river to chop the pot. But the turn was the 4, giving the small blind the nut flush and knocking Woolf out of the main event in dramatic fashion.

Seidel Drops Some Chips

On a flop of Q22, the small blind led out with 2,000 and Erik Seidel raised to 5,000. The small blind called and the turn was the 3. The small blind checked to Seidel who bet 7,500. The small blind called and the A fell on the river.

Action was checked to Seidel again and he bet 10,000. The small blind quickly called and showed AQ for top two pair. Seidel mucked his hand and was under 25,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Barry Greenstein,   Raymond Davis,   Fabrice Soulier,   Dustin Woolf

Hour 3 Update: Steve O'Dwyer, Dustin Woolf Eliminated

Jun 15, '09

Hour 3 Update

Players Remaining: 5 out of 256

Matches (Winner In Bold):

1. Leo Wolpert vs. Dustin Woolf
2. Jamin Stokes vs. Johnny Chan
3. Nathan Doudney vs. Bryan Pellegrino
4. John Duthie vs. Steve O’Dwyer

Eliminations:

7. Steve O’Dwyer – $92,580
6. Dustin Woolf – $92,580

Big Hands:

Johnny Chan Takes Hit

Johnny Chan raised to 30,000 from the button and Jamin Stokes called. The flop came KQ9. Stokes checked to Chan, and the 10-time bracelet winner opted to check behind. The turn brought the 2 and Stokes bet out 35,000. Chan thought about it briefly before reraising to 105,000. Stokes made the call and the 5 fell on the river. Stokes bet 150,000 and Chan went into the tank. He eventually folded. Chan is down to 930,000 while Stokes is ahead with 1,010,000.

Dustin Woolf Doubles, Eliminated In Sixth Place ($92,580) Short After

Dustin Woolf got the last of his 175,000 into the pot with pocket jacks and was called by the A2 of Leo Wolpert. The board ran out safe for Woolf and he was able to double up to 350,000.

A few hands later, Dustin Woolf raised to 35,000 and was shoved in on by Leo Wolpert. Woolf wasn’t happy about it but called off the rest of his short stack of 310,000. Woolf tabled the 66 and saw the bad news that he wasn’t racing as Wolpert exposed the 77.

The flop came Q65, putting Woolf way out in front with a flopped set. Wolpert still had many runner-runner draws and one came as the 8 hit the turn, making him open-ended. Woolf needed to dodge any four, seven or nine in order to stay alive. However, the 4 fell on the river, eliminating Woolf in heartbreaking fashion after a fortunate flop.

Steve O’Dwyer Eliminated In 7th Place ($92,580)

On a flop of K65, John Duthie bet out 65,000. O’Dwyer contemplated briefly before making it 150,000 total. Duthie quickly called and the 2 hit the turn. Duthie checked to O’Dwyer, who bet just over 400,000, leaving himself with just 26,000 behind. Duthie then moved all-in and O’Dwyer, who was pot-committed, made the call. Duthie exposed the 34 for a turned straight, while O’Dwyer tabled the 108 for a flush draw. The 6 fell on the river, eliminating O’Dwyer.

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   John Duthie,   Dustin Woolf,   Steve O'Dwyer

Hour 9 Update: Timoshenko and Caro Sent to the Rail

Jun 14, '09

Hour 9 Update

Players Remaining: 13 out of 256

Completed Matches (Winner in Bold):

1. Nathan Doudney vs. Jason Mercier
2. Bryan Pellegrino vs. Yevgeniy Timoshenko
3. Dustin Woolf vs. Mike Caro

Eliminations:

16. Jason Mercier – $38,424
15. Yevgeniy Timoshenko – $38,424
14. Mike Caro – $38,424

Big Hands:

Mike Caro Eliminated by Dustin Woolf

After a stone bluff on the river was picked off by Dustin Woolf, Mike Caro was down to 127,000. He got all in on a flop of KKQ and was called by Woolf.

Woolf showed K10 and Caro showed the A4. Woolf didn’t need to sweat the flush draw for long as he hit the K on the turn for quads, and Caro was eliminated.

Timoshenko’s Draw Bricks Off, Eliminated by Pellegrino

After a raise to 13,000, Yevgeniy Timoshenko and Bryan Pellegrino take a flop of A510. Pellegrino check-raised Timoshenko’s 16,000 to 44,000 and Timoshenko decided to move all-in. Pellegrino made the call and tabled the A9 and Timoshenko showed the 23.

The 10 fell on the turn followed by the 10, meaning that Timoshenko’s flush and straight outs missed and sent Pellegrino into round 6.

Dwyer Painfully Folds to Romanello

Roberto Romanello raised to 16,000 and Steve O’Dwyer made it 58,000, which was called by Romanello. The flop was 824 and O’Dwyer led for 65,000, which was called by Romanello.

The turn was the 5 and O’Dwyer checked. Romanello moved in for all of O’Dwyer’s remaining chips. O’Dwyer tanked for minutes, while saying “It would be so sick if I folded this…. I could always suck out.” After a while, O’Dwyer tossed his cards into the muck and said “You could tilt me if you show a bluff.”

Left In The Deck:

On the river, Justin Smith checked and Johnny Chan moved all in. Smith thought a few moments before getting up and sprinting out the door. Apparently, Smith had to go to the bathroom. Chan was nice enough to get up and leave the table so Smith wouldn’t get blinded out.

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   Dustin Woolf,   Steve O'Dwyer,   Bryan Pellegrino

Hour 8 Update: Mercier Out Early

Jun 14, '09

Hour 8 Update

Players Remaining: 15 out of 256

Completed Round 5 Matches (Winner in Bold:

1. Nathan Doudney vs. Jason Mercier

Eliminations:

Jason Mercier – $38,424

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Eliminated by Nathan Doudney

Not even 10 minutes into the match, Jason Mercier found himself all in preflop with JJ vs. Doudney’s QQ. The board bricked out for Mercier, and was eliminated in 16th place.

Mike Caro Makes a Big Laydown

After a preflop raise, Mike Caro and Dustin Woolf take a flop of 10Q6. Woolf checked and called Caro’s 16,000 bet. The turn was the 2 and both players checked.

The river fell and was the 10. Woolf checks again and this time Caro fires 35,000. Woolf proceeds to check-raise to 120,000. Caro turns up his hand and shows 9 10 before folding. Woolf mucked his cards.

Justin Smith Gets the Best of Chan

Justin “BoostedJ” Smith raised the button to 10,000 and Johnny Chan calls. The flop fell 1066 and Chan checked and called 14,000 from Smith.

The turn was the 10 and both players checked. The 5 fell on the river and Chan now leads out for 16,000 and was met with a raise to 41,000 by Smith. After a moment, Chan tossed in the call and Smith showed him the Q10. Chan mucked his hand.

Pellegrino Makes a Good Call on Timoshenko

After a preflop raise, Bryan Pellegrino and Yevgeniy Timoshenko take a flop of 2 4 10.

Pellegrino checked and Timoshenko bet 13,000. Pellegrino then raised to 35,000 and Timoshenko made it 83,000. Pellegrino tanked for a few moments before making the call. The turn was the 3 and the river was the K, both of which were checked by both players. Pellegrino tabled the A4 and Timoshenko mucked.

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   Mike Caro,   Dustin Woolf,   Justin Smith

Hour 3 Update: Steve O'Dwyer, Dustin Woolf Eliminated

Jun 15, '09

Hour 3 Update

Players Remaining: 5 out of 256

Matches (Winner In Bold):

1. Leo Wolpert vs. Dustin Woolf
2. Jamin Stokes vs. Johnny Chan
3. Nathan Doudney vs. Bryan Pellegrino
4. John Duthie vs. Steve O’Dwyer

Eliminations:

7. Steve O’Dwyer – $92,580
6. Dustin Woolf – $92,580

Big Hands:

Johnny Chan Takes Hit

Johnny Chan raised to 30,000 from the button and Jamin Stokes called. The flop came KQ9. Stokes checked to Chan, and the 10-time bracelet winner opted to check behind. The turn brought the 2 and Stokes bet out 35,000. Chan thought about it briefly before reraising to 105,000. Stokes made the call and the 5 fell on the river. Stokes bet 150,000 and Chan went into the tank. He eventually folded. Chan is down to 930,000 while Stokes is ahead with 1,010,000.

Dustin Woolf Doubles, Eliminated In Sixth Place ($92,580) Short After

Dustin Woolf got the last of his 175,000 into the pot with pocket jacks and was called by the A2 of Leo Wolpert. The board ran out safe for Woolf and he was able to double up to 350,000.

A few hands later, Dustin Woolf raised to 35,000 and was shoved in on by Leo Wolpert. Woolf wasn’t happy about it but called off the rest of his short stack of 310,000. Woolf tabled the 66 and saw the bad news that he wasn’t racing as Wolpert exposed the 77.

The flop came Q65, putting Woolf way out in front with a flopped set. Wolpert still had many runner-runner draws and one came as the 8 hit the turn, making him open-ended. Woolf needed to dodge any four, seven or nine in order to stay alive. However, the 4 fell on the river, eliminating Woolf in heartbreaking fashion after a fortunate flop.

Steve O’Dwyer Eliminated In 7th Place ($92,580)

On a flop of K65, John Duthie bet out 65,000. O’Dwyer contemplated briefly before making it 150,000 total. Duthie quickly called and the 2 hit the turn. Duthie checked to O’Dwyer, who bet just over 400,000, leaving himself with just 26,000 behind. Duthie then moved all-in and O’Dwyer, who was pot-committed, made the call. Duthie exposed the 34 for a turned straight, while O’Dwyer tabled the 108 for a flush draw. The 6 fell on the river, eliminating O’Dwyer.

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   John Duthie,   Dustin Woolf,   Steve O'Dwyer

Hour 9 Update: Timoshenko and Caro Sent to the Rail

Jun 14, '09

Hour 9 Update

Players Remaining: 13 out of 256

Completed Matches (Winner in Bold):

1. Nathan Doudney vs. Jason Mercier
2. Bryan Pellegrino vs. Yevgeniy Timoshenko
3. Dustin Woolf vs. Mike Caro

Eliminations:

16. Jason Mercier – $38,424
15. Yevgeniy Timoshenko – $38,424
14. Mike Caro – $38,424

Big Hands:

Mike Caro Eliminated by Dustin Woolf

After a stone bluff on the river was picked off by Dustin Woolf, Mike Caro was down to 127,000. He got all in on a flop of KKQ and was called by Woolf.

Woolf showed K10 and Caro showed the A4. Woolf didn’t need to sweat the flush draw for long as he hit the K on the turn for quads, and Caro was eliminated.

Timoshenko’s Draw Bricks Off, Eliminated by Pellegrino

After a raise to 13,000, Yevgeniy Timoshenko and Bryan Pellegrino take a flop of A510. Pellegrino check-raised Timoshenko’s 16,000 to 44,000 and Timoshenko decided to move all-in. Pellegrino made the call and tabled the A9 and Timoshenko showed the 23.

The 10 fell on the turn followed by the 10, meaning that Timoshenko’s flush and straight outs missed and sent Pellegrino into round 6.

Dwyer Painfully Folds to Romanello

Roberto Romanello raised to 16,000 and Steve O’Dwyer made it 58,000, which was called by Romanello. The flop was 824 and O’Dwyer led for 65,000, which was called by Romanello.

The turn was the 5 and O’Dwyer checked. Romanello moved in for all of O’Dwyer’s remaining chips. O’Dwyer tanked for minutes, while saying “It would be so sick if I folded this…. I could always suck out.” After a while, O’Dwyer tossed his cards into the muck and said “You could tilt me if you show a bluff.”

Left In The Deck:

On the river, Justin Smith checked and Johnny Chan moved all in. Smith thought a few moments before getting up and sprinting out the door. Apparently, Smith had to go to the bathroom. Chan was nice enough to get up and leave the table so Smith wouldn’t get blinded out.

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   Dustin Woolf,   Steve O'Dwyer,   Bryan Pellegrino

Hour 8 Update: Mercier Out Early

Jun 14, '09

Hour 8 Update

Players Remaining: 15 out of 256

Completed Round 5 Matches (Winner in Bold:

1. Nathan Doudney vs. Jason Mercier

Eliminations:

Jason Mercier – $38,424

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Eliminated by Nathan Doudney

Not even 10 minutes into the match, Jason Mercier found himself all in preflop with JJ vs. Doudney’s QQ. The board bricked out for Mercier, and was eliminated in 16th place.

Mike Caro Makes a Big Laydown

After a preflop raise, Mike Caro and Dustin Woolf take a flop of 10Q6. Woolf checked and called Caro’s 16,000 bet. The turn was the 2 and both players checked.

The river fell and was the 10. Woolf checks again and this time Caro fires 35,000. Woolf proceeds to check-raise to 120,000. Caro turns up his hand and shows 9 10 before folding. Woolf mucked his cards.

Justin Smith Gets the Best of Chan

Justin “BoostedJ” Smith raised the button to 10,000 and Johnny Chan calls. The flop fell 1066 and Chan checked and called 14,000 from Smith.

The turn was the 10 and both players checked. The 5 fell on the river and Chan now leads out for 16,000 and was met with a raise to 41,000 by Smith. After a moment, Chan tossed in the call and Smith showed him the Q10. Chan mucked his hand.

Pellegrino Makes a Good Call on Timoshenko

After a preflop raise, Bryan Pellegrino and Yevgeniy Timoshenko take a flop of 2 4 10.

Pellegrino checked and Timoshenko bet 13,000. Pellegrino then raised to 35,000 and Timoshenko made it 83,000. Pellegrino tanked for a few moments before making the call. The turn was the 3 and the river was the K, both of which were checked by both players. Pellegrino tabled the A4 and Timoshenko mucked.

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   Mike Caro,   Dustin Woolf,   Justin Smith

2,000 NLHE - Day 2 - Level 13

Jun 05, '08

Note: Players are back from break

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 Ante Moving to 2,000-4,000 with a 500 Ante

Players Left: 77 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Manelic Minaya: 215,000
Kai Danilo Paulsen: 195,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 188,000
Andre De Montesquiou: 165,000
Brent Roberts: 150,000
Dustin Woolf: 146,000
John Chadwick: 133,000
Nick Romano: 130,000
David Gent: 120,000
Mihai Manole: 118,000

Average Stack: 82,700

Eliminations: Thomas Keller

Big Hands:

Hear the Thunder Roll... Out

Thomas Keller had an average sized stack coming in from the break. But he lost a huge pot when his opponent's pocket 8's held on a board that showed two queens. Keller's stack was pounded down to just over 8,000.

Moments later, Keller pushed his short stack all in. His opponent in seat 8 came over the top for all of his chips, but no one else dared to call. Keller showed KQ while his opponent showed down 99. Keller was in his race car with two over cards, but his engine exploded when the flop came 975. The 2 on the turn sealed his fate and Keller was eliminated.

Woolf Gets Rivered

On a flop showing KQ4, seat 5 bet 6,000 and Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf called. The 8 hit on the turn and both players checked. On the river, the J fell and Woolf checked. His opponent fired out a bet this time and Woolf quickly called. His opponent showed A10 for a broadway straight on the river. Woolf tabled QJ for two pair. Despite the loss, Woolf was still at around 110,000.

John "The Tank" Phan

Phan is going to have to change his nickname from "Razor" to "Tank." He has been taking a lot of time making his decisions, to the amusement of the spectators and even some players at his table.

Pawel Andrzejewski raised to 8,000 preflop and Phan took ages to fold his big blind. Later, Ryan Franklin raised to 9,000 preflop and Phan again took ages to make his decision. Eventually, he decided to reraise to 28,000 total. Franklin mucked in far less time and Phan was at around 50,000.

The next time around on his big blind, Phan decided that thinking for ages was not enough. He had to add some spice to it, and what better way than to eat an apple while taking his time. Andrzejewski raised to 25,000 from the cutoff and Phan took some bites from his green apple during his tank session, and then mucked his hand.

Myung Steals

Action folded around to John Myung on the button. He raised to 7,000 and the blinds folded their hands. After stealing the blinds and antes, Myung's stack was around 55,000.

Player Tags: John Phan,   John Myung,   Thomas Keller,   Dustin Woolf

2,000 NLHE - Day 2 - Level 11

Jun 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 800-1,600 with a 200 Ante

Players Left: 130 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Theo Tran: 145,800
Nick Romano: 126,500
David Gent: 120,000
Scott Montgomery: 117,000
John Myung: 106,800
Rocco Pace: 106,000
Thong Tran: 105,800
Chris Wiggins: 100,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 98,100
J.C. Tran: 93,200

Average Stack: 48,985

Eliminations: Aaron Kanter

Big Hands:

Shannon Shorr Knocks Flushes One Out
Shorr called seat 5's all in before the flop, but so did the players in seat 1 and seat 3. After the 7J4 fell on the flop, Shorr bet 8,600. Seat 1 folded and seat 3 went into the tank before finally giving up his hand. Shorr turned over 109 for a gutshot straight draw and a flush draw. Seat 5 showed K2. The K on the turn made Shorr his flush and seat 5 was eliminated.

J.C. Tran Adding to his Stack

With the board reading A97, the player in seat 7 checked and J.C. Tran moved 4,500 into the pot. Seat 7 thought for a bit and decided to exercise his right to fold. Tran's stack sat at around 94,000 after the hand.

Chu Uses the Force

Leif Force was all in against Hansu Chu. Force had A-K against Chu's 65. With two hearts and a Q- J on the board, the river came the 10, making a broadway straight for force, but also giving Chu the winning flush.

"Neverwin" Wins

Under the gun, Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf raised to 3,800. The action folded around to Eric Liu in the big blind who made the call. The flop came A87. After Liu checked, Woolf fired out another bet and Liu quickly threw his hand into the muck. Woolf had around 43,000 at that point.

Theo Tran Adds to his Lead

Tran called a preflop raise by Remy Biechel in seat 5. After the flop dropped K108, Tran fired 6,000 into the pot and Biechel folded. Tran added a pot of about 10,000 to his chip lead. He has 145,800.

Please Don't Stop The Music

Many players, including Shannon Shorr, had to be told to remove their headphones. Players are not allowed to listen to music once the field has reached the money. An announcement was made in the Amazon Room and the next infraction by any player will result in a one round penalty.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Dustin Woolf,   Shannon Shorr,   Hansu Chu,   Theo Tran

Pot-Limit Hold'em - Level 17

May 31, '08

 

Blinds/Antes: 8000/16000

Players Left: 18

Average Stack: 391,000

Chip Leaders:
Mike Sowers - 1,200,000
Andy Bloch - 800,000
Chris Bell - 700,000
Amit Makhija - 535,000
Phil Laak - 467,000
Nikolai Evdakov - 445,000
John Kabbaj - 425,000
Nenad Medic - 375,000
David Benefield - 300,000
Patrik Antonius - 300,000

Eliminations:
Eli Elezra
Dustin Woolf
Tony Licastro
Rolf Slotbloom

Big Hands:

Laak Takes Out Another After Dinner

On the first hand after returning from the dinner break, Phil Laak raised to 26,000 from under-the-gun. Dustin Woolf raised all in for an additional 48,000, which was called by Laak. Woolf held pocket 10s, well ahead of Laak’s Q8. However, the Q on the flop changed everything, and Woolf was eliminated.

Tony Licastro Eliminated in 21^st Place

Mike Sowers raised to 23,000 under-the-gun, and Tony Licastro called from the big blind. On the K46 flop, Licastro requested to know the maximum he could bet and fired 50,000 into the pot. Sowers raised to put Tony all in, and he called. Sowers held the K9 for top pair, and Licastro overturned Q7, which received no help on the turn. Tony Licastro, eliminated in 21^st place, would have needed running cards to overtake Sowers.

Benefield Takes a Pot, Kostritsyn Crippled

After calling a pre-flop raise in the big blind from David Benefield on the button, Alexander Kostritsyn checked the J43 flop. 0905 checked behind, and the turn brought the 8. Kostritsyn led out with a bet of 45,000, which was called by Benefield. On the 10 river, Kostritsyn fired again, this time to the tune of 77,000. When Benefield called, Kostritsyn mucked without showing. At the request of another player, Benefield flipped over J9. After that hand, Kostritsyn was down to 99,000 while Benefield built his stack to over 540,000.

Chris Bell Eliminates Rolf Slotbloom

Rolf Slotbloom was eliminated when his KQ failed to catch up to Chris Bell’s AK. Bell improved his stack to over 725,000.

Eli Elezra’s Chips Move to Sowers

In one very dramatic hand, Eli Elezra transferred the majority of his chips to Sowers, who now is among the tournament leaders. On a flop of AJT, Sowers bet 110,000, which was raised by Elezra. After Sowers reraised all in, Elezra called and showed Ah5h. Sowers flipped over KQ for a flopped straight. The Q on the turn gave Elezra a flush draw, but the 8 on the river failed to deliver for Eli, who ended up with only 250,000 after paying off Sowers. With over 700,000 in chips, Sowers continued to dominate his table by raising many hands per orbit.

Sowers Finishes the Job on Elezra

Mike Sowers finished what he started by eliminating early front-runner Eli Elezra in stunning fashion. After a flop of 623, Elezra bet 45,000 into a pot of 80,000. Sowers raised from the button and put an all-in decision on Elezra who had 280,000 in chips remaining. Elezra made the call and found he was ahead with his 6A. Sowers had the 64, but the 5 on the turn filled Sowers’ straight draw. A meaningless 3 on the river ended Elezra’s night. His 19th place finish ensured that all remaining players would earn at least $33,088.

Liebert, Medic Happy to Split
After a flop of QJ8, Nenad Medic bet 57,000 at the pot. Kathy Liebert raised by 145,000, and a call would have left  Medic with a mere 65,000 in chips. Medic forged ahead, and both players showed down Ace-queen. Nothing changed with the final two cards.
 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Chris Bell,   Dustin Woolf,   Anthony Licastro,   David Benefield,   Mike Sowers,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   European Report

Pot-Limit Hold'em - At Dinner Break

May 31, '08

 

Players are now on a 60-minute dinner break and will resume playing with level 17.

Blinds/Antes: 5000/10000

Players Left: 22

Average Stack: 320,000

Chip Leaders:
Andy Bloch – 730,000
Eli Elezra – 675,000
Chris Bell – 610,000
Amit Makhija – 550,000
Alexander Kostritsyn - 490,000
John Kabbaj – 400,000
Nenad Medic – 365,000
Patrik Antonius – 360,000
Phil Laak – 330,000

Eliminations:
Ted Lawson
Vivek Rajkumar
David Stroj

Big Hands:

Bell Chows Down

With just 20 minutes remaining before the players made their long anticipated break for dinner, Chris Bell gave tablemate Mike “Sowerss” Sowers something to chew on. The original bettor was Anthony Licastro, who opened from the cut-off for 25,000. Sowers called from the button, and Bell made the call from the small blind, creating a pot of 83,000.  Bell checked the 972 flop and Licastro continued his play with a 50,000 bet. Sowers, who has played the button aggressively through the first two days of the tourney, raised another 100,000 for a pot of 283,000 in chips. That’s when Bell stepped into the fray and check-raised all-in for 352,000. Licastro quickly stepped aside, and Sowers had a decision to make. He eventually folded, preserving his remaining 272,000 in chips.

The Action Continues

While Jennifer Tilly stopped by table 13 to wish Phil Laak good luck, the action continued to mount as the players all vied to move up in the money. Dustin Woolf raised to 21,000 pre-flop from middle position. Next to act, Justin Newton reraised an additional 58,000. Woolf released his hand.

Elezra’s Lead Slipping

After initially raising, Nikolai Evdakov called Eli Elezra’s 80,000 reraise and both players saw a flop of 976. Without hesitation, Evdakov pushed in his remaining 142,000 into the pot. Elezra pondered for close to five minutes before commenting that he put Evdakov on two 10s and folded AK face up.

Andy Bloch Dominates

Andy Bloch became one of the tournament leaders thanks to two back to back hands. In the first, Mike Sowers pushed in a 130,000 bet after being checked to by Bloch on a board of KQJ96. Bloch announced a call instantly as Sowers pushed his bet into the pot. Caught in a bluff, Sowers mucked his hand. While dragging the pot, Bloch flipped over the QTc. On the next hand, Andy Bloch eliminated David Stroj when his A8 held up against Stroj’s K8. Bloch now has over 800,000 in chips.

 

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Phil Laak,   Eli Elezra,   Chris Bell,   Dustin Woolf,   Anthony Licastro,   Patrik Antonius,   Nenad Medic,   Jennifer Tilly,   John Kabbaj,   Justin Newton,   Amit Makhija,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Mike Sowers,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   European Report

The Night Shift

Jul 06, '07

Always a Comedian
Brad Garrett's comedy act at table 8 continues.  In one hand the board showed AQ29, a player in seat six checked and Garrett moved all in.  As the cameras and media gathered, the deaerl instructed Garrett to move a stack into the middle of the table.  Garrett asked, "Just one stack?"  then went to his neighbors chips and gestured as if he was going to move them in.  Everyone had a laugh except seat six, who dejectedly mucked.

Nightmare Situation

Brandon Adams found himself in nightmare situation preflop, getting all of his money in with K K against A A.   The flop of Q 9 6 improved neither player and things where looking even more dire for Adams.  The turn completely flipped the situation when it brought the K giving Adams a dominating lead and leaving his opponent with only a 5% chance of winning the hand.  The J on  the river sealed Adam's victory and doubled him up to just over $50,000.  

Molina Busts

 Eric Molina, who got a lot of attention from camera crews at last years main event, will no grace the small screen for long in this years coverage.  Molina was eliminated this past hour, and against precedent he left quietly and quickly after busting.

Ian Johns Eliminated

A player limped in early position and the cutoff limped behind as well.  Ian Johns raised to $2,000 from the button.  The early position player then asked Johns how much he had behind which was about $11,000.  With this information he decided to just flat call, as did the cutoff.  The flop came J 5 4 and the cutoff bet out $3,000.  Johns raised all in and the cutoff made the call, showing 5 4. Johns reluctantly turned over the A J and needed help.  The turn and river came 2 4, giving the cutoff an unnecessary full house and eliminating Johns. 

SPA Doubles
Team Pokerstars member Steve Paul Ambrose (SPA to his friends and fanboys) has doubled up.  He pushed AQ from middle position and was called by 87 from the big blind.  The Board came A22510, doubling him up to $7,000.

Preflop Posturing
Mark Vos raised to $1,350, he was called by a player in seat nine and raised by the big blind to $2,400.  Vos reraised to $20,300 and the big blind  over $50,000 more. Vos thought then folded.  He asked the big blind to show one card, and he tabled the A.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Tony Ma,   Dustin Woolf,   Brandon Adams,   Alex Jacob,   Mark Vos,   Thomas Wahlroos,   Timten Olivier

Hour 7 Recap

Jul 06, '07

Official Numbers

Just following the dinner break the tournament officials announced the final numbers for the day.  A total of 1,287 players began the day, and there are about 850 remaining.  We will have wait and see how the other "Day Ones" stack up to this one.

Don't Want To Be Embarassed

Dustin Woolf used the attention his chipstack has gotten him.  Woolf, with over $80,000 in chips, has been sought out by the ESPN cameras recently, and he prompted an opponent to fold in their presence.  A player raised from middle position and Woolf defended from the big blind.  The flop was J 8 7, Woolf bet $2,100, and his opponent began to think.  Woolf then said "You know this is gonna be on ESPN," grinning.  His opponent folded and he raked in the pot.

Redrawn

In our Pro Blogs section Barry Greenstein has talked about the passivity of his table up to this point.  Recently his table was upgraded when Brandon Adams was moved there.  Greenstein needled him as he sat, "We asked for the worst player from your table, are you sure you want to own up to that?"  Adams simply smiled and took his seat.

Jacob  and Wahlroos Filled Out

Alex Jacob was knocked out when he made a full house with pocket fives only to run into his opponent's King's full.  Jacob and his no longer magic hair have been eliminated from the Main Event.  Thomas Wahlroos also ran into a full house to end his day.  Wahlroos raised to $3,000 and the player in seat 7 called.  The flop was 9 8 3, Seat 7 checked, Wahlroos moved all in, and Seat 7 called.  Wahlroos held Q Q, but his opponent had outflopped him with 9 9.  The turn was the 8 and the river the K, and Wahroos hit the rail.

Ma Outdrawn

Tony Ma, representative of www.PokerStars.com, raised to $1,600 from the button, the big blind moves all in for $1,150 more and Ma calls.  Ma holds A J against the big blind's A 4.  The flop Q 7 5 kept Ma in the lead, but the turn and river were the K and the 8, giving the big blind a runner-runner flush.

Big Shoes

Nolan Dalla just announced over the microphone that the first player to break $100,000 in chips (he actually has $120,000)  is Tinton Oliver.  A few players let out a few boos, but they should cheer up.  Its a kiss of death to be chip leader early in the Main Event.  Just ask Barry Greenstein about having that distinction in 2003, or better yet does anyone remember Dimitri Nobles?

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Tony Ma,   Dustin Woolf,   Brandon Adams,   Alex Jacob,   Thomas Wahlroos,   Timten Olivier

Hour 5

Jul 06, '07

Power of the Fro

 

Alex Jacob found a quick way to bring his chipstack some needed help.  On a board of 10s 7d 6s, the small blind bet $3,000, the player in seat 5 raised all in for about $5,000 more, and Jacob re-raised all in for about $4,000 on top of that.  He first was cited for a string-raise by the dealer for not announcing all in, but it was realized the amount he pushed in was not enough to constitute a full raise, and his last chips were then committed.  The original bettor made the call and Jacob was way ahead as he had drawn out on two overpairs with 7 7 against A A and Q Q.  The turn and river were the J and the 10, and Jacob more than doubled up with a full house.

 

Nothing’s Changed In a Year

 

Eric Molina, who on his way to finishing 31^st in the Main Event last year, was portrayed in the ESPN coverage as being the epitome of everything that is wrong with young poker player’s today, loud, brash, and cocky.  Apparently not much has changed.  Molina hasn’t been loud yet, but he has been a little cocky.  Molina moved all in on the river with the board showing 6 3 2 J K, he had called his opponent’s $3,000 bet on the flop, min-raised his opponent’s $4,000 bet on the turn, and then pushed him out as he folded on the river.  Molina then needled his prey showing the A 10 for the bluff.

 

FBT Done

 

Greg Mueller couldn’t find an answer for his table today.  The beginning of the end for him was when he raised to $1,100 and was called by the player in the cutoff.  The flop was 10 9 6, Mueller bet $600, his opponent raised to $1,200, and Mueller called.  The turn was the 8 Mueller checked, and his opponent bet $1,800 essentially putting Mueller all in.  He eventually folded.  But a few hands later he moved in with K-J, and was called by pocket Queens.  Mueller failed to improve and he was eliminated.

 

Ladies For Neverwin

 

Dustin Woolf won a decent pot defending his big blind from a button raise to $6,000.  The flop came A 7 3, both players checked, the turn was the Q, and both players checked again.  The river was the10, Woolf checked, his opponent bet $7,000, Woolf raised to $16,000, and his opponent called.  Woolf showed Q Q and his opponent mucked.

Everybody Loves Robert

Brad Garrett has been entertaining his table while accumulating a healthy chipstack.  Currently he has been flirting with his blonde dealer, asking how the long hours of sitting down affects her backside.

Pokerstars World

 

While not as prevalent as last year, an average of one player per table is wearing gear from www.Pokerstars.com.  Barry Greenstein continues to get respect, and these online players are trucking on until the dinner break which will be at 7:30.

Barry Greenstein	55000
Joe Awada	52000
Huck Seed	32600
Mike Sexton	29500
Kenny Tran	28000
Steve Paul-Ambrose	27600
Tony Cousineau	26200
Doyle Brunson	26000
Michael Mizrachi	25500
Ray Romano`	19600
Thomas Wahlroos	19100
Tobey Maguire	14000
Chad Batista	13500
Eugene Todd	13000
Minh Ly	10500
Mickey Appleman	10000
Chris Gotti	6100
Irv Gotti	6100
Johnny Chan	3200

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Greg Mueller,   Dustin Woolf,   Alex Jacob,   Eric Molina,   Brad Garrett

Hour Three Recap

Jul 06, '07

Players are busting out of today's day one heat at an alarming rate. Tables are breaking at a consistent pace and players with racks of chips are shuffling around the Amazon room on a quest to find their new tables. Thomas Wahlroos was literally moved from one end of the Amazon room to the other, only to find Liz Lieu seated to his right at his new table. The Amazon room is returning to a more familiar layout with about 115 tables left in the tournament and cash games and satellites emerging to add to the chaos.

The table adjacent to Wahlroos is home to Jeff Madsen who has been hovering just above $15,000 for much of the level. As mentioned earlier, Madsen is wearing what can only be called a ridiculous jester's outfit courtesy of Joe Sebok. Madsen looks like someone just kicked his dog and is constantly fidgeting with the jester costume that keeps covering his eyes and impeding his vision. Madsen looked up long enough to take a nice pot and build his stack to $24,000 courtesy of two unknown players at his table. With the board showing 10 10 7 3 Madsen bet out $1,500. The player in seat one called and so did the player in seat seven. The river was the 5 and this time Madsen led out with a $4,000 bet. The player in seat one took no time in folding and the player in seat seven called. Madsen showed the 10 and the player in seat seven folded.

Notable eliminations in the last hour include Marco Traniello, Shane Schleger, and Steve Billirakis. Schleger was eliminated by Richard "Quiet Lion" Brodie. Brodie made a preflop raise with pocket jacks and Schleger came back over the top all in for $10,000 more with A-K. Brodie made the and Schleger's hand didn't improve.

Andy Black and Vince Van Patten are jabbering away about poker TV and Mike Sexton. Black commented to a player at the table behind him that 'I though they were making people have IQ tests to get into the tournament this year.' after some inane boasting by on of this tablemates. Black has $23,000 in chips.

Former soccer stars Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino are playing a steady game. They have $20,500 in chips each.

Other Euro chip counts include Marty Smyth on $14,050 in chips, Des Wilson on $23,200, Dave Colclough on $16,300, Chris Bjorin on $12,850, Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott on $10,550, Julian Gardiner on $43,600 and Roy 'The Boy' Brindley on $16,000.

Brindley had an unhappy start to the day after arriving late and getting tangled in a losing pot on his first hand. He's since recouped some chips saying, 'Instead of being happy to walk out after two hours, I fancy i can sit here all day now. ' Read Roy's Pro Blog exclusively at CardPlayer.com.

The unofficial current chip leader is Nestor Martinez with $94,000. Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf and Barry Greenstein are both in the top ten in chips with $50,000 and $48,000 respectively.

Mike Sexton	31500
Michael Mizrachi	31200
Billy Baxter	29000
Steve Paul-Ambrose	27600
Huck Seed	27500
Alex Jacob	25500
Tony Cousineau	24000
Tobey Maguire	23000
Perry Friedman	22000
Joe Awada	20000
John D'Agostino	20000
Mickey Appleman	20000
Thomas Wahlroos	20000
Joe Beevers	19000
Tony Ma	19000
Jeff Madsen	17500
Debbie Burkhead	17000
Liz Lieu	17000
Minh Ly	16500
Dewey Tomko	15000
Janet Jones	13500
Johnny Chan	13000
Joe Tehan	12000
Josh Arieh	12000
David Grey	11600
Frankie O'Dell	11350
Ray Romano`	11000
Kenny Tran	7000
Marcel Luske	4200

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Richard Brodie,   Marco Traniello,   Dustin Woolf,   Steve Billirakis,   Shane Schleger,   Liz Lieu,   Joe Sebok,   Thomas Wahlroos,   Nestor Martinez,   Jeff Madsen

World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha Set to Begin

Jul 01, '07

The $10,000 World Championship of Pot-Limit Omaha is set to get underway at noon. Lee Watkinson outlasted 213 other players to take down the bracelet and the $655,746 first place prize last year. This is an action game, with each player having six two-card combinations.  With so much action and such a large buy-in, this event is sure to attract the cream of the gambling crop. Make sure to check in for hourly updates and the Pro Blogs of Humberto Brenes, Tim West, Dustin Woolf and Johnny Chan.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Humberto Brenes,   Dustin Woolf,   Tim West

Two Tables

Jun 29, '07

Alex Bolotin has continued his winning ways pushing his chipstack over $1.7 million.  He eliminated Phil Galfond calling his all in re-raise with A-K.  Bolotin flopped trip Aces and that was all she wrote for Galfond.  Bolotin also swung the executioner’s axe on Ram Vaswani, who was forced to make an all in push with an As 4s only to have Bolotin wake up with J J.  The board couldn’t produce an Ace and Vaswani bowed out in 14^th place earning $27,031.

 

Earlier in the round Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf had been eliminated in 16^th place by Vaswani, but Vaswani couldn’t put those chips to good enough use.

 

Going into the final two tables Bolotin has over $2.1 million in chips, the only other player over a million is Dutch Boyd.  Other notables still alive include Tony G, Gioi Luong, and Erik Friberg. 

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Antanas Guoga,   Ram Vaswani,   Dustin Woolf,   Phil Galfond,   Erik Friberg,   Dutch Boyd,   Alex Bolotin

Colored Up and Ready to Roll

Jun 28, '07

Players have returned from the color-up break.

Michael Mizrachi  and Chau Giang are few of the most recent notable eliminations.  Giang made his exit from the colorful Table 46 courtesy of Sorel Mizzi.  He was replaced at the table by Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf.  Woolf wasted no time taking a $25,000 pot off of Mizzi with pocket Queens.

A few tables over Phil Hellmuth re-raised a short-stacked opponent all-in with pocket Queens of his own, and proceeded to talk his flustered opponent to let his hand go telling him that he might, "put a bad beat on (him)"

Jamie Gold is not happy with his new table draw, and his once healthy chip-stack has dwindled down to a below-average $40,000.  CardPlayer's own Jeff Shulman took several of those chips, hitting a Queen high straight against Gold.

There are currently 128 players left on 23 tables.  If the eliminations continue as they have been then the money bubble will be reached quickly.  The top 78 finishers will be paid today.

Notable Chip Counts

Men "The Master" Nguyen	190,000
Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo	107,000
Dutch Boyd	97,000
Tony G	80,000
Fred Goldberg	77,000
Jeff Shulman	71,000
Allen Cunningham	66,000
Isabelle Mercier	65,000
Phil Hellmuth	57,000
Hoyt Corkins	55,000
Roland deWolfe	54,000
Jamie Gold	54,000
Tobey Maguire	52,000
Sorel "Imper1um" Mizzi	51,000
Mark Vos	49,000
Bill Edler	48,000
Phil Laak	41,000
Eugene Todd	37,000
Jon "pearljammer" Turner	32,300
Lee Watkinson	31,000
Nick Schulman	30,000
Howard Lederer	29,000
Jeff Madsen	28,000
Nam Le	26,000
Alex Jacob	26,000
Amir Vahedi	23,000
Erick Lindgren	22,000
Scott Clements	18,200
Bill Gazes	15,200
Erik Seidel	15,000
Joe Hachem	13,000

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Phil Hellmuth,   Michael Mizrachi,   Chau Giang,   Dustin Woolf,   Jamie Gold,   Sorel Mizzi

Two Tables

Jun 29, '07

Alex Bolotin has continued his winning ways pushing his chipstack over $1.7 million.  He eliminated Phil Galfond calling his all in re-raise with A-K.  Bolotin flopped trip Aces and that was all she wrote for Galfond.  Bolotin also swung the executioner’s axe on Ram Vaswani, who was forced to make an all in push with an As 4s only to have Bolotin wake up with J J.  The board couldn’t produce an Ace and Vaswani bowed out in 14^th place earning $27,031.

 

Earlier in the round Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf had been eliminated in 16^th place by Vaswani, but Vaswani couldn’t put those chips to good enough use.

 

Going into the final two tables Bolotin has over $2.1 million in chips, the only other player over a million is Dutch Boyd.  Other notables still alive include Tony G, Gioi Luong, and Erik Friberg. 

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Antanas Guoga,   Ram Vaswani,   Dustin Woolf,   Phil Galfond,   Erik Friberg,   Dutch Boyd,   Alex Bolotin

Colored Up and Ready to Roll

Jun 28, '07

Players have returned from the color-up break.

Michael Mizrachi  and Chau Giang are few of the most recent notable eliminations.  Giang made his exit from the colorful Table 46 courtesy of Sorel Mizzi.  He was replaced at the table by Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf.  Woolf wasted no time taking a $25,000 pot off of Mizzi with pocket Queens.

A few tables over Phil Hellmuth re-raised a short-stacked opponent all-in with pocket Queens of his own, and proceeded to talk his flustered opponent to let his hand go telling him that he might, "put a bad beat on (him)"

Jamie Gold is not happy with his new table draw, and his once healthy chip-stack has dwindled down to a below-average $40,000.  CardPlayer's own Jeff Shulman took several of those chips, hitting a Queen high straight against Gold.

There are currently 128 players left on 23 tables.  If the eliminations continue as they have been then the money bubble will be reached quickly.  The top 78 finishers will be paid today.

Notable Chip Counts

Men "The Master" Nguyen	190,000
Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo	107,000
Dutch Boyd	97,000
Tony G	80,000
Fred Goldberg	77,000
Jeff Shulman	71,000
Allen Cunningham	66,000
Isabelle Mercier	65,000
Phil Hellmuth	57,000
Hoyt Corkins	55,000
Roland deWolfe	54,000
Jamie Gold	54,000
Tobey Maguire	52,000
Sorel "Imper1um" Mizzi	51,000
Mark Vos	49,000
Bill Edler	48,000
Phil Laak	41,000
Eugene Todd	37,000
Jon "pearljammer" Turner	32,300
Lee Watkinson	31,000
Nick Schulman	30,000
Howard Lederer	29,000
Jeff Madsen	28,000
Nam Le	26,000
Alex Jacob	26,000
Amir Vahedi	23,000
Erick Lindgren	22,000
Scott Clements	18,200
Bill Gazes	15,200
Erik Seidel	15,000
Joe Hachem	13,000

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Phil Hellmuth,   Michael Mizrachi,   Chau Giang,   Dustin Woolf,   Jamie Gold,   Sorel Mizzi

Day Two

Jun 14, '07

Day two of event #22, $5,000 No Limit Hold 'Em is set to begin at 2 p.m. Play ended last night at 2 a.m. and out of the large field of 640 only 85 remained. The money starts at 63 players and it should take this group of gamblers no time at all to reach it.

Play will resume in level 13 with blinds of $2,000-$4,000 with a $500 ante. Dustin Dirksen is our chip leader with almost $280,000 but not far behind are John "Tex" Barch, Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf, Kathy Liebert, Jennifer Tilly and Nick Schulman. Stay with CardPlayer.com to find out what happens and visit our Pro Blog section to hear from Mike Sexton on how day two shapes up.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   John Barch,   Dustin Woolf,   Jennifer Tilly,   Nick Schulman,   Dustin Dirksen

Clonie Bested By The Devil

Jun 13, '07

Early on in level 9 Clonie Gowen found herself crippled by a cooler.  In a three-way pot Gowen called in early position raise from the button with 44, the player in the big blind called as well. The flop came A 6 4, the big blind moved all in, the pre-flop raiser folded, and Gowen called, leaving herself with less than $10,000 behind.  The big blind flipped up 66.  The turn J and river 8 were no help to Gowen and she remains on life support. 

Meanwhile John Racener, Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf, and Jan Sorenson have been very active trading chips at their table.  On a board of A 3 2 6 8, Woolf bet out $15,000 on the river, drawing a call from Sorenson.  Woof showed AQ, and Sorenson mucked. 

Meanwhile in a three-way pot, with a flop of K 7 2, Racener led out with a $3,400 bet from the small blind, Woolf called from the big blind, as did Sorenson from the cut-off. Racener fired $13,600 after the 10 hit on the turn, Woolf folded, Sorenson quickly moved all in, and Racener folded just as quickly. Racener was able to gain back some ground isolating a short stack all in, and having his A-J hold up against K-Q.

 
The 16 remaning tables are nine handed, with 144 players remaining. Notable eliminations include, Howard Lederer, Antonio Esfandiari, and Minh Ly

Player Tags: Minh Ly,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Howard Lederer,   Clonie Gowen,   Jan Sorensen,   Dustin Woolf,   John Racener