Josh Arieh Poker Tournament Updates

Josh Arieh Leads Final 29

Jul 05, '11

With only 29 players remaining in the 2011 $50,000 WSOP Player’s Championship, we are just 14 spots away from one of the biggest money bubbles in poker.

On Tuesday, just over half of the surviving field will make the money and be guaranteed $108,503. The others will have to wait until next year and wonder what could have been.

Those who will battle it out for day 4 action include chip leader Josh Arieh, who is stacked with three times the average with 1,819,000. Unlike some others who had a wild, variance-filled day in the 10-game mixed format, Arieh stayed strong and steady, slowly accumulating chips to build upon his eighth place standing heading into the day.

There are five others who will join Arieh in the overnight seven-figure chip club including Brian Rast, George Lind, Vladimir Schchemelev, Phil Hellmuth and Scott Seiver.

Now that David Bach has been eliminated, there are no remaining former champions in contention. Bach last nearly the entire day before losing a pot-limit Omaha hand to Gus Hansen’s turned quad kings.

The action will resume at 3:00 PST at the Rio with a plan in place to battle down to the final table of eight. With some much money on the line, there’s a chance that play could tighten up. Then again, the mounting blinds and antes could force these players to gamble sooner than later if they want to stay in the hunt for the bracelet, the Chip Reese trophy and the $1,720,328 first-place prize.

Among notables still in the hunt are… pretty much everyone remaining in the field. Check out the chip counts below for the complete list.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh

Arieh Leads Final 29

Jul 05, '11

With only 29 players remaining in the 2011 $50,000 WSOP Player’s Championship, we are just 14 spots away from one of the biggest money bubbles in poker.

On Tuesday, just over half of the surviving field will make the money and be guaranteed $108,503. The others will have to wait until next year and wonder what could have been.

Those who will battle it out for day 4 action include chip leader Josh Arieh, who is stacked with three times the average with 1,819,000. Unlike some others who had a wild, variance-filled day in the 10-game mixed format, Arieh stayed strong and steady, slowly accumulating chips to build upon his eighth place standing heading into the day.

There are five others who will join Arieh in the overnight seven-figure chip club including Brian Rast, George Lind, Vladimir Schchemelev, Phil Hellmuth and Scott Seiver.

Now that David Bach has been eliminated, there are no remaining former champions in contention. Bach last nearly the entire day before losing a pot-limit Omaha hand to Gus Hansen’s turned quad kings.

The action will resume at 3:00 PST at the Rio with a plan in place to battle down to the final table of eight. With some much money on the line, there’s a chance that play could tighten up. Then again, the mounting blinds and antes could force these players to gamble sooner than later if they want to stay in the hunt for the bracelet, the Chip Reese trophy and the $1,720,328 first-place prize.

Among notables still in the hunt are… pretty much everyone remaining in the field. Check out the chip counts below for the complete list.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh

Josh Arieh Leads Final 29

Jul 05, '11

With only 29 players remaining in the 2011 $50,000 WSOP Player’s Championship, we are just 14 spots away from one of the biggest money bubbles in poker.

On Tuesday, just over half of the surviving field will make the money and be guaranteed $108,503. The others will have to wait until next year and wonder what could have been.

Those who will battle it out for day 4 action include chip leader Josh Arieh, who is stacked with three times the average with 1,819,000. Unlike some others who had a wild, variance-filled day in the 10-game mixed format, Arieh stayed strong and steady, slowly accumulating chips to build upon his eighth place standing heading into the day.

There are five others who will join Arieh in the overnight seven-figure chip club including Brian Rast, George Lind, Vladimir Schchemelev, Phil Hellmuth and Scott Seiver.

Now that David Bach has been eliminated, there are no remaining former champions in contention. Bach last nearly the entire day before losing a pot-limit Omaha hand to Gus Hansen’s turned quad kings.

The action will resume at 3:00 PST at the Rio with a plan in place to battle down to the final table of eight. With some much money on the line, there’s a chance that play could tighten up. Then again, the mounting blinds and antes could force these players to gamble sooner than later if they want to stay in the hunt for the bracelet, the Chip Reese trophy and the $1,720,328 first-place prize.

Among notables still in the hunt are… pretty much everyone remaining in the field. Check out the chip counts below for the complete list.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh

Arieh Leads Final 29

Jul 05, '11

With only 29 players remaining in the 2011 $50,000 WSOP Player’s Championship, we are just 14 spots away from one of the biggest money bubbles in poker.

On Tuesday, just over half of the surviving field will make the money and be guaranteed $108,503. The others will have to wait until next year and wonder what could have been.

Those who will battle it out for day 4 action include chip leader Josh Arieh, who is stacked with three times the average with 1,819,000. Unlike some others who had a wild, variance-filled day in the 10-game mixed format, Arieh stayed strong and steady, slowly accumulating chips to build upon his eighth place standing heading into the day.

There are five others who will join Arieh in the overnight seven-figure chip club including Brian Rast, George Lind, Vladimir Schchemelev, Phil Hellmuth and Scott Seiver.

Now that David Bach has been eliminated, there are no remaining former champions in contention. Bach last nearly the entire day before losing a pot-limit Omaha hand to Gus Hansen’s turned quad kings.

The action will resume at 3:00 PST at the Rio with a plan in place to battle down to the final table of eight. With some much money on the line, there’s a chance that play could tighten up. Then again, the mounting blinds and antes could force these players to gamble sooner than later if they want to stay in the hunt for the bracelet, the Chip Reese trophy and the $1,720,328 first-place prize.

Among notables still in the hunt are… pretty much everyone remaining in the field. Check out the chip counts below for the complete list.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh

Level 24: Josh Arieh Eliminated in 9th Place ($42,514)

Jun 08, '11

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Limits: 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 202

Average Chip Count: 757,500

Chip Counts:

1. Mack Lee – 980,000
2. George Lind – 950,000
3. Vyacheslav Zhukov 910,000
4. Richard Ashby – 720,000
5. Steve Billirakis – 690,000
6. Jason Steinberg – 575,000
7. Guillaume Rivet – 565,000
8. Mikael Thuritz – 550,000

Eliminations:

9th. Josh Arieh – $42,514

Josh Arieh Eliminated in 9th Place ($42,514)

Josh Arieh opened for a raise from the cutoff, Vyacheslav Zhukov reraised the button, Mack Lee called from the big blind and Arieh called all in.

The flop came 8 5 2, Lee bet, Zhukov raised, Lee three-bet and Zhukov called.

The turn was the Q, Lee checked, Zhukov bet and Lee called.

The river was the 5, Lee checked, Zhukov bet and Lee calld.

Arieh turned over K K 8 4 for two pair (kings and fives), but was behind Zhukov’s better two pair, A A Q 10 (aces and fives). Arieh had no qualifying low hand and was eliminated in 9th place ($42,514) while Zhukov won the high pot with two pair and Lee raked the low pot with A 7 3 3.

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

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Mack Lee

Level 24: Barlow Eliminated 10th, Final Table Now Underway

Jun 08, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night with 22 players and resumed today at 3:00pm. The final 10 players consolidated to one table, and with the elimination of Todd Barlow in 10th place ($33,172), the official nine-handed final table is now underway.

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Limits: 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 202

Average Chip Count: 673,333

Chip Counts:

1. Vyacheslav Zhukov – 1,190,000
2. Josh Arieh – 835,000
3. Mack Lee – 725,000
4. Richard Asby – 695,000
5. George Lind – 650,000
6. Mikael Thuritz – 600,000
7. Guillaume Rivet – 515,000
8. Jason Steinberg – 490,000
9. Steve Billirakis – 360,000

Payouts:

1st. $465,216
2nd. $287,554
3rd. $214,697
4th. $161,379
5th. $122,054
6th. $92,908
7th. $71,148
8th. $54,837
9th. $42,514

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

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Steve Billirakis,   Mack Lee,   Jason Steinberg,   Richard Ashby,   Mikael Thuritz,   Guillaume Rivet,   George Lind

Late Double Ups

Feb 26, '11

Shortly before the last level of the night began David Oppenheim doubled up through Phil Ivey to bring each of their stacks close to 24,000.

Now Josh Arieh has scored a double up as well. He called all in with 5 4 on a J 6 2 3 board and the hand held to move him back up to 65,000.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh

Josh Arieh Eliminated in 21st Place ($27,779)

Oct 31, '10

Josh Arieh got the last of his chips all in preflop (190,000) and Thomas Marchese made the call. Their cards:

Arieh: A K
Marchese: A Q

Board: 10 6 2 10 4

Arieh was eliminated in 21st place and he will take home $27,779 in prize money. Marchese held 800,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Thomas Marchese

Level 15 Update: So Close to the Bubble

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 28 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Hunichen — 660,000
2. Josh Arieh — 500,000
3. Ben Klier — 450,000
4. Keven Stammen — 450,000
5. Jeff Forest — 410,000
6. Mohsin Charania — 400,000
7. Gavin Smith — 340,000
8. Bob Courtney — 280,000
9. Jason Mercier — 280,000
10. Thomas Marcehse — 275,000

Average Chip Count: 250,344

Notable Eliminations:

Brock Parker

Big Hands:

Mizzi vs. Beasley

With a flop of A 9 3 on the table Sorel Mizzi bet 16,300 and Mike Beasely raised all in for 111,000. Mizzi went into the tank for quite some time and eventually mucked. Beasley flipped over A Q as he collected the pot.

Stammen Takes a Hit

UTG+1 was all in and he had UTG covered, who was also all in. Stammen had both of them covered in middle position and he made the call preflop. Their cards:

Stammen: K K
UTG: Q Q
UTG+1: A A

Board: 10 7 3 9 J

Stammen took a slight hit on the hand, UTG+1 was eliminated to take things down to 28 players remaining and UTG close to tripled up on the hand.

Arieh vs. Marchese

The flop read J 9 4 when Thomas Marchese bet 17,000 under the gun and Josh Arieh made the call from the big blind. The 6 fell on the turn and Marchese fired 41,000. Arieh made the call and the river fell 5. This time Arieh bet 40,000 but Marchese decided not to follow and tossed his cards into the muck.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Kyle Bowker, Bryan Piccioli

Table 2: Ben Klier, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania, Ronald Lee

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, Keven Stammen

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Mike Beasley, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Sorel Mizzi,   Keven Stammen,   Mike Beasley,   Thomas Marchese

Level 14 Update: Greenstein and Lederer Busted

Oct 30, '10

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

Players Remaining: 37 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Hunichen — 440,000
2. Josh Arieh — 440,000
3. Keven Stammen — 415,000
4. Ben Klier — 410,000
5. Jeff Forest — 330,000
6. Mohsin Charania — 330,000
7. Hoyt Corkins — 315,000
8. Byron Springer — 280,000
9. Thomas Marcehse — 275,000
10. Lance Steinberg — 265,000

Average Chip Count: 168,837

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Greenstein
Howard Lederer
Jonathan Aguiar
Todd Terry
Christian Harder
Andrew Frankenberger

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein got it all in preflop for the last of his chips (27,400) and Hoyt Corkins called him down. Their cards:

Greenstein: 9 9
Corkins: A K

Board: K J 2 3 3

Greenstein was eliminated on the hand.

Klier Keeps Building his Stack

Three players limped to a K J 2 flop and Ben Klier bet 12,200 from middle position. Ronald Lee check-raised under the gun to 29,000 and Hoyt Corkins got out of the way UTG+1. Klier then reraised 18,200 more and Lee made the call.

The turn fell 9 and Klier bet 42,000. Lee made the call and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked and Klier flipped over the K Q. Lee said, “I have an 8,” and mucked his hand. Klier climbed above 400,000 with the win.

Stammen vs. Arieh

Three players limped to a Q 10 2 flop and Josh Arieh then bet 9,000 from the cutoff. Thomas Marchese made the call from the small blind and Keven Stammen made the call UTG+1.

Arieh opened the action on turn betting 21,300 after the J hit the table. Marchese mucked and Stammen made the call. The 7 fell on the river and once again Ariah opened the action. He bet 45,000 and Stammen decided to muck. Arieh was up to 440,000 after the hand.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Kyle Bowker, Howard Lederer, Bryan Piccioli

Table 2: Ben Klier, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania, Ronald Lee

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, Keven Stammen

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jonathan Aguiar, Mike Beasley

Table 5: Brock Parker, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen, Christian Harder

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Keven Stammen,   Ronald Lee

Level 11 Update: Big Names Fall Early

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 62 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Ben Klier — 350,000
2. Josh Arieh — 258,200
3. Byron Springer — 247,300
4. Gavin Smith — 245,800
5. Todd Freeman — 229,100
6. Kyle Bowker — 197,000
7. Besnik Ziba — 188,400
8. Ronald Lee — 187,100
9. Christopher Bonita — 184,400
10. Eli Berg — 177,200

Average Chip Count: 119,016

Notable Eliminations:

Erik Seidel
Chad Brown
Former WPT World Poker Finals Champion Mike Vela

Big Hands:

Erik Seidel Eliminated

Erik Seidel got the last of his chips into the middle with pocket queens and Nikolai Yakovenko woke up with pocket kings and made the call. The kings held and Seidel was eliminated.

Chad Brown Eliminated

There was 20,000 in the pot and a board that read K 10 4 2 sitting on the table when Chad Brown checked from the big blind. Ben Kiler bet 9,700 from the hijack and Borwn check-raised all in for 50,000. Klier made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Brown: K 10
Klier: A A

River: 4

Brown was eliminated on the hand, making for the second big name to fall in the early going today.

Mike Vela Eliminated

Back in the fall of 2007 Mike Vela won this WPT main event, but unfortunately that will not be the case again here in 2010. Vela was all in preflop and one opponent made the call. Their cards:

Vela: 9 9
Opponent: A Q

Board: J J 2 A 3

Vela was eliminated from the tournament by the ace on the turn.

Allen Kessler Doubles Up

Allen Kessler was all in preflop and one opponent called him down. Their cards:

Kessler: 10 10
Opponent: A 9

Board: K K Q 6 J

Kessler doubled up on the hand to survive.

Left In The Deck:

Table Pairings

Table 1: Allen Kessler, Kyle Bowker, Jason Somerville

Table 2: Erik Seidel, John Cernuto, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Chad Brown, Barry Greenstein

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, David Peters

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry

Table 5: Brock Parker, Jonathan Little, Hoyt Corkins, Sorel Mizzi

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

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

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Josh Arieh,   Michael Vela

Josh Arieh Eliminated in 21st Place ($27,779)

Oct 31, '10

Josh Arieh got the last of his chips all in preflop (190,000) and Thomas Marchese made the call. Their cards:

Arieh: A K
Marchese: A Q

Board: 10 6 2 10 4

Arieh was eliminated in 21st place and he will take home $27,779 in prize money. Marchese held 800,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Thomas Marchese

Level 15 Update: So Close to the Bubble

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 28 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Hunichen — 660,000
2. Josh Arieh — 500,000
3. Ben Klier — 450,000
4. Keven Stammen — 450,000
5. Jeff Forest — 410,000
6. Mohsin Charania — 400,000
7. Gavin Smith — 340,000
8. Bob Courtney — 280,000
9. Jason Mercier — 280,000
10. Thomas Marcehse — 275,000

Average Chip Count: 250,344

Notable Eliminations:

Brock Parker

Big Hands:

Mizzi vs. Beasley

With a flop of A 9 3 on the table Sorel Mizzi bet 16,300 and Mike Beasely raised all in for 111,000. Mizzi went into the tank for quite some time and eventually mucked. Beasley flipped over A Q as he collected the pot.

Stammen Takes a Hit

UTG+1 was all in and he had UTG covered, who was also all in. Stammen had both of them covered in middle position and he made the call preflop. Their cards:

Stammen: K K
UTG: Q Q
UTG+1: A A

Board: 10 7 3 9 J

Stammen took a slight hit on the hand, UTG+1 was eliminated to take things down to 28 players remaining and UTG close to tripled up on the hand.

Arieh vs. Marchese

The flop read J 9 4 when Thomas Marchese bet 17,000 under the gun and Josh Arieh made the call from the big blind. The 6 fell on the turn and Marchese fired 41,000. Arieh made the call and the river fell 5. This time Arieh bet 40,000 but Marchese decided not to follow and tossed his cards into the muck.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Kyle Bowker, Bryan Piccioli

Table 2: Ben Klier, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania, Ronald Lee

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, Keven Stammen

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Mike Beasley, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Sorel Mizzi,   Keven Stammen,   Mike Beasley,   Thomas Marchese

Level 14 Update: Greenstein and Lederer Busted

Oct 30, '10

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

Players Remaining: 37 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Hunichen — 440,000
2. Josh Arieh — 440,000
3. Keven Stammen — 415,000
4. Ben Klier — 410,000
5. Jeff Forest — 330,000
6. Mohsin Charania — 330,000
7. Hoyt Corkins — 315,000
8. Byron Springer — 280,000
9. Thomas Marcehse — 275,000
10. Lance Steinberg — 265,000

Average Chip Count: 168,837

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Greenstein
Howard Lederer
Jonathan Aguiar
Todd Terry
Christian Harder
Andrew Frankenberger

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein got it all in preflop for the last of his chips (27,400) and Hoyt Corkins called him down. Their cards:

Greenstein: 9 9
Corkins: A K

Board: K J 2 3 3

Greenstein was eliminated on the hand.

Klier Keeps Building his Stack

Three players limped to a K J 2 flop and Ben Klier bet 12,200 from middle position. Ronald Lee check-raised under the gun to 29,000 and Hoyt Corkins got out of the way UTG+1. Klier then reraised 18,200 more and Lee made the call.

The turn fell 9 and Klier bet 42,000. Lee made the call and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked and Klier flipped over the K Q. Lee said, “I have an 8,” and mucked his hand. Klier climbed above 400,000 with the win.

Stammen vs. Arieh

Three players limped to a Q 10 2 flop and Josh Arieh then bet 9,000 from the cutoff. Thomas Marchese made the call from the small blind and Keven Stammen made the call UTG+1.

Arieh opened the action on turn betting 21,300 after the J hit the table. Marchese mucked and Stammen made the call. The 7 fell on the river and once again Ariah opened the action. He bet 45,000 and Stammen decided to muck. Arieh was up to 440,000 after the hand.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Kyle Bowker, Howard Lederer, Bryan Piccioli

Table 2: Ben Klier, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania, Ronald Lee

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, Keven Stammen

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jonathan Aguiar, Mike Beasley

Table 5: Brock Parker, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen, Christian Harder

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Keven Stammen,   Ronald Lee

Level 11 Update: Big Names Fall Early

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 62 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Ben Klier — 350,000
2. Josh Arieh — 258,200
3. Byron Springer — 247,300
4. Gavin Smith — 245,800
5. Todd Freeman — 229,100
6. Kyle Bowker — 197,000
7. Besnik Ziba — 188,400
8. Ronald Lee — 187,100
9. Christopher Bonita — 184,400
10. Eli Berg — 177,200

Average Chip Count: 119,016

Notable Eliminations:

Erik Seidel
Chad Brown
Former WPT World Poker Finals Champion Mike Vela

Big Hands:

Erik Seidel Eliminated

Erik Seidel got the last of his chips into the middle with pocket queens and Nikolai Yakovenko woke up with pocket kings and made the call. The kings held and Seidel was eliminated.

Chad Brown Eliminated

There was 20,000 in the pot and a board that read K 10 4 2 sitting on the table when Chad Brown checked from the big blind. Ben Kiler bet 9,700 from the hijack and Borwn check-raised all in for 50,000. Klier made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Brown: K 10
Klier: A A

River: 4

Brown was eliminated on the hand, making for the second big name to fall in the early going today.

Mike Vela Eliminated

Back in the fall of 2007 Mike Vela won this WPT main event, but unfortunately that will not be the case again here in 2010. Vela was all in preflop and one opponent made the call. Their cards:

Vela: 9 9
Opponent: A Q

Board: J J 2 A 3

Vela was eliminated from the tournament by the ace on the turn.

Allen Kessler Doubles Up

Allen Kessler was all in preflop and one opponent called him down. Their cards:

Kessler: 10 10
Opponent: A 9

Board: K K Q 6 J

Kessler doubled up on the hand to survive.

Left In The Deck:

Table Pairings

Table 1: Allen Kessler, Kyle Bowker, Jason Somerville

Table 2: Erik Seidel, John Cernuto, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Chad Brown, Barry Greenstein

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, David Peters

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry

Table 5: Brock Parker, Jonathan Little, Hoyt Corkins, Sorel Mizzi

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

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

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Josh Arieh,   Michael Vela

Level Three, Hour Two: Lisandro Loses Big One, Still Healthy

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Khamsy Nuanmanee – 132,000
2. Brent Baldrey – 128,000
3. Paul Noriega – 112,000
4. Anh Van Nguyen – 98,000
5. David Benyamine – 87,000
6. Lyle Berman – 87,800
7. Dan Heimiller – 87,500
8. Victor Mendicuti – 76,000
9. Steve Billirakis – 70,500
10. Eddie Sabat – 68,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 7,300
Steve Zolotow — 39,500
Jen Harman — 59,800

Big Hands:

Lisandro Loses a Big One

Jeff Lisandro called a large bet on a flop of 4AJ and when the 3 fell on the turn his opponent bet 5,000. Lisandro again called and the 7 fell on the river. This time, both players slowed and checked the end. Their hands:

Lisandro: AK
Opponent: AJ

Lisandro had flopped top pair but his opponent flopped top two pair. Lisandro lost the pot and dropped to around 23,000 in chips.

Ivey Bullies Table Out of Pot

In a limped three-way pot Phil Ivey bet 600 after the flop of 569. Both of his opponents called and quickly checked to him on the 9 turn.

Ivey bet 1,800 this time and seat 3 folded, while seat 4 smiled and looked at Ivey, seemingly happy to be losing another pot to the best. He folded and Ivey took it down.

Ivey had around 25,000 after the hand.

Mercier Keeps Rolling

The player under the gun raised to 800 and the small blind made the call. Jason Mercier was in the big blind and called as well and the three players saw the flop come down K87.

Both blinds checked to the player under the gun and he fired 1,500. Mercier was the only caller and the turn was the 10. Both players checked and the 5 fell on the river.

Both players checked again and Mercier showed 65 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fives. It was good as his opponent mucked and Mercier was at 72,000.

Greenstein Muscled Out

Picking up the action after the flop, the board read J42. The player in seat 1 fired 1,000 and Barry Greenstein made it 2,000.

Seat 1 then shoved for the rest of his stack. Greenstein had a perplexed look on his face after the move, then shrugged his shoulders and mucked. He was at 38,000.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Chris Ferguson Wins a Pot

With about 6,000 in the pot on a board of J763 Chris Ferguson bet 5,000 and his opponent went into the tank. Ferguson’s opponent asked him if he would show but once he didn’t get a response from the poker pro he folded and tabled the 99 for a pair of nines. Ferguson flashed 7-3 for two pair and raked in the pot. He was at 38,000 after the hand.

Fred Goldberg Drops a Pot

A player bet into Fred Goldberg on the river. Goldberg made the call and his opponent tabled Q-J for the nut straight. Goldberg mucked and was down to 15,025 after the hand.

Sheikhan Doubles Up

Shawn Sheikhan moved his short stack all in on a flop of K73 and was called by the player in seat 2. Their hands:

Sheikhan: K10
Seat 2: QQ

Sheikhan held the lead and his opponent was in trouble with only two queens or running hearts remaining as his saving grace. The 6 and 9 finished the board and Mr. Sheikhan doubled up to around 17,000.

Arieh With the Huge Double Up

Jason Potter raised to 725 and Josh Arieh three-bet it to 1,900. The player on the button called, but Potter got out of the way.

The flop ran 492 and Arieh bet out 2,325. The button player raised to 6,600 and Arieh made the call. On the Q turn Arieh checked and the button bet 10,000. Arieh moved all in for 19,400 and the button called. Their hands:

Arieh: 56
Opponent: KK

Arieh held the flopped flush and his opponent was drawing dead. The 4 finished the board and Arieh doubled up to 57,500.

Varkonyi Chipping Up

The 2002 winner of the main event Robert Varkonyi bet 7,000 on a board of 9810K and was called by one player. Varkonyi bet 7,000 again on the 7 river and his opponent tanked, eventually folding.

Varkonyi had around 47,000 after the hand.

Jason Alexander Wins Big One With Kings

Jason Alexander bet 1,000 on a flop of 253 and was called by one player. The 2 came on the turn and Alexander bet 5,000 into the pot.

His opponent called and the Q finished the board. Alexander checked for the first time and his opponent bet 7,000. Alexander called and they showed their hands:

Alexander: KK
Opponent: JJ

Both players held high pocket pairs, but Alexander’s was best. He took the pot and boosted his stack to 33,000.

J.C. Tran Wins a Pot

J.C. Tran bet 700 preflop and was called by the player directly to his left. The flop came 9-7-7 and Tran bet 4,075. His opponent quickly folded and Tran raked in the pot. He was up to 48,000 after the hand.

David Saab Takes Some off Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran bet 800 and David Saab three-bet to 2,000. Tran thought about it for awhile before making the call. The flop came K54 and action went check-check. The 2 fell on the turn and Tran checked again. Saab fired out a bet of 7,000 and Tran went into the tank. He eventually decided to muck his hand. He was at 30,000 after the hand while Saab increased his stack to 60,000.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Barry Greenstein,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Robert Varkonyi,   Fred Goldberg,   Jason Alexander,   Jason Mercier

Level Three, Hour One: Mizzi Doubles

Jul 08, '10

The Numbers Are In

The tournament director has just made the announcement everyone has been waiting for. There are officially 7,319 players who registered in this year’s main event, creating a prize pool of $68,798,600. That’s nearly 1,000 more players than last year’s 6,494.
There will be 747 players who make the money (at least $19,260) and whoever is skilled enough, and definitely lucky enough, to take down the grand prize will receive $8,944,138.

Blinds: 150-300

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Khamsy Nuanmanee – 132,000
2. Steve Billirakis – 92,000
3. Dan Heimiller – 87,000
4. Alex Aram – 77,000
5. Jason Mercier – 73,000
6. David Benyamine – 72,800
7. Anh Van Nguyen – 71,400
8. Brent Baldrey – 69,000
9. Corey Emery – 64,500
10. Bill Chen – 64,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 8,900
Steve Zolotow — 28,500

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Up

Sorel Mizzi moved all in preflop for 10,450 and the player in seat 4 made the call. Here were their cards:

Mizzi: KQ
Seat 4: 1010

The race was on and Mizzi jumped out ahead when the flop fell Q77. The board finished off 3 and 8 and Mizzi doubled to 21,000.

Benyamine Comes Out Shooting

A player raised to 1,050 and David Benyamine raised it to 3,300 from the cutoff. The raiser then repopped to 8,050 and Benyamine responded by putting his opponent all in. The call was made and they turned over their cards:

Benyamine: AA
Opponent: KK

The deck was officially freezing for Benyamine’s opponent and the board ran out 108355 and Benyamine was up to 72,000 after the knockout.

Doug Lee Splits His All In

On a flop of 3J7d, Doug Lee pushed his few remaining chips in, around 2,800 total. Everyone folded except one player, who called. Their hands:

Opponent: QJ
Lee: QJ

The A3 finished the board and they chopped the pot. Lee still only had around 5,000 after the hand.

Arieh Gives One Up on River

Josh Arieh checked to his opponent and she fired 1,600 on a flop of J102. Arieh made the call and when the K hit on the turn he checked to his opponent again and she quickly fired 3,000. Arieh didn’t look pleased and laid his hand down. He had around 32,000 after the loss.

Vivek Checks His Draw, Saves Money

Vivek Rajkumar raised to 750 and was called by the player in the big blind. Rajkumar and his opponent checked the flop of 6K3 and again on the A turn. On the 2 river the big blind threw out 1,000 and Rajkumar folded, showing QJ for a busted flush draw and nothing more. The big blind showed big slick and said he was surprised Rajkumar didn’t bet the draw on the turn.

Despite saving himself some lost money on the pot, Rajkumar had only around 15,000 after the hand.

Hachem’s Boat Takes It

Joe Hachem and his opponent checked down an entire board of 51010J10. Hachem flipped over 66 and his opponent showed just 87. Hachem raked the pot and had around 39,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Update

Shawn Sheikhan Doubles Up an Opponent

We caught up with the hand with Shawn Sheikhan in the tank on a board of Q97J8. A player in the blinds had checked to Sheikhan on the end. Sheikhan fired out a bet of 3,000 into a pot of about 15,000. His opponent check-rasied all in for 16,400 total. Sheikhan was deliberating and said, “I don’t like folding sets.” He eventually made the call and his opponent tabled the 1010 for a straight. Sheikhan mucked and was down to about 7,000 after the hand. Sheikhan also made sure the dealer knew that he didn’t like the dealing by saying, “nice dealing, dealer.”

Joe Hachem Wins a Pot

On a board of 9648, Joe Hachem bet 5,525 into his opponent on the button. The player tanked before eventually folding. Hachem was over 30,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   David Benyamine,   Joe Hachem,   Sorel Mizzi,   Vivek Rajkumar

Level 3 Update: Arieh Tops Jesus

Jun 06, '10

Limits: 100, Ante 100, Limits 400-800

Players Remaining: 170 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 36,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Eli Elezra - 55,000
2. Chad Brown – 45,500
3. Jennifer Harman – 45,000
4. Sirous Jamshidi – 43,000
5. Mark Gregorich – 42,000
6. NIck Schulman – 40,000
7. Andy Bloch – 40,000
8. Daniel Negreanu – 38,000
9. Eugene Katchalov – 36,800
10. Barry Shulman – 36,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Jesus Gets Scooped

Steve Zolotow completed on third street and was called by Chris Ferguson and Josh Arieh. Zolotow checked on fourth and Arieh bet. Both Ferguson and Zolotow called. Arieh was first to act and bet on fifth street and was only called by Ferguson.

Zolotow: (X-X)-A-4-10/
Arieh: (X-X)-6-4-4-5
Ferguson: (X-X)-2-4-7-J

Arieh bet sixth and seventh street and was called by Ferguson. Arieh showed A-7-3 for a seven high straight and a 6-5-4-3-A low and scooped the whole pot. Arieh is up to 38,000 while Ferguson slipped to 31,500.

Defending Champ Trumps Shak

Last year’s champion in this event, Jeffrey Lisandro called a bet from Dan Shak on fourth and fifth street. On sixth street, both players checked and their boards looked like this.

Shak: (X-X)-7-8-4-Q
Lisandro: (X-X)-5-Q-K-10

Lisandro bet the river and was called by Shak. Lisandro showed the A-A-4, giving him an ace-high flush and Shak mucked his hand. Shak dropped to 17,500 in chips, while Lisandro climbed to 28,000.

Bellande’s Low Good for Half

Jean Robert bellande checked behind his opponent on fourth street and called bets on every street after.

Bellande: (X-X)-5-2-8-Q
Opponent: (X-X)-A-A-3-4

Bellande’s opponent showed 10-10-3 in the hole, giving him two pair, but Bellande got half when he showed A-7-2, making him an 8-7-5-2-A low. Bellande has 27,400 in chips.

Left in the Deck:

Final Table Isn’t Enough

Tom Dwan is currently at a final table of the $1,500 no-limit hold’em event, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking his dinner break to play the seven card stud high/low event.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Daniel Shak

Level Eight: Seidel Climbing, Raymer, Alioto and Negreanu Out

May 29, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 1,500-3,000 blinds; 3,000-6,000 stakes
Stud Games: 700 ante, 1,000 bring-in, 3,000-6,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em/PLO: 400 ante, 800-1,600 blinds

Players Remaining: 90 out of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. Brian Hastings – 340,000
2. Daniel Alaei – 335,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 329,100
4. Alexander Kostritsyn – 315,000
5. David Oppenheim – 313,800
6. Roman Yitzhaki – 290,000
7. Justin Smith – 270,000
8. Doyle Brunson – 269,200
9. Steve Zolotow – 265,000
10. Mike Gorodinsky – 260,000

Average Chip Count: 193,333

Notable Eliminations:

Greg Raymer
Daniel Negreanu
Dario Alioto
Todd Brunson
Phil Galfond

Note: Players have gone on a 60-minute dinner break. They will return at approximately 9:10 p.m.

Big Hands:

Omaha/8

Seidel Takes A Pot

Isaac Haxton raised to 6,000 and Erik Seidel made the call from the big blind. Dan Kelly also made the call and the flop came down 973.

Seidel led out with 3,000 and Kelly called. Haxton also tagged along and the turn was the K.

Seidel bet 6,000 and Kelly raised to 12,000. Haxton got out of the way and Seidel repopped to 18,000. Kelly went into the tank for a few minutes before mucking his hand.

Seidel took the pot and was at 215,000 while Kelly was down to 65,000.

Brown Takes Pot Off Arieh

Picking up the action on a flop of Q109, Chad Brown checked to Josh Arieh who bet 3,000. Brown made the call and the Q hit on the turn.

Brown checked again and Arieh bet 6,000. Brown then check-raised to 12,000 and Arieh called.

The river was the 7 and Brown led out with 6,000. Arieh called and Brown tabled KJA6 for a straight flush and took down a nice pot. He was at 145,000 after the hand while Arieh was at 135,000.

Bach Gets None of Massive Pot

David Bach won this event a year ago, but his odds of repeating aren’t looking so good.

In one hand Bach raised to 6,000 and was called by seat 3, Chad Brown, Rafe Furst, and Josh Arieh. The flop came 872 and Bach fired 3,000 into the pot. Everyone called except Arieh.

The 3 hit on the turn, and Bach bet 6,000. Seat 3 called, Brown raised to 12,000, Furst folded and Bach reraised to 18,000. Seat 3 called and Brown repopped it yet again to 24,000 and was called by both Bach and seat 3.

The players checked down the 7 river card and showed their hands.
Bach: 8-4-3-2
Brown: A-10-8-4
Seat 3: A-5-4-3

Brown and Seat 3 split the pot of more than 100,000 and last year’s champion was left with just around 65,000. Chad Brown sits with around 165,000.

Seven Card Stud

Ferguson Takes Pot

Chris Ferguson was showing 985 against Tuan Le’s J92 after fifth street.

Ferguson bet 6,000 and Le mucked his hand rather quickly, surrendering the pot to Ferguson.

Ferguson was at 130,000 after the hand while Le was at 127,000.

Sorel Mizzi Beats Benyamine

Sorel Mizzi and David Benyamine were locked up in a hand on fifth street. Both players checked sixth and seventh street and showed down their hands.

Mizzi tabled (AJ3)Q896 while Benyamine showed (632)109AQ.

Mizzi had A-Q-J high to edge out Benyamine and take the pot. He was at 200,000 while Benyamine was at 130,000.

No Limit Hold’em_

Brunson Makes His Exits, Courtesy Of Aces

A short-staked Todd Brunson hoped to make a quick double up in the no limit hold’em round but his K9 ran into the AA of Roman Yitzhaki and Brunson’s hand didn’t improve, sending him to the rail.

Alioto Ousted

Dario Alioto moved all in for his last 8,500. Eli Elezra called, as did Noah Boeken from the big blind.

The flop came down Q44 and both players checked. The turn was the 3 and Boeken fired 12,000 into the pot.

Elezra got out of the way and Boeken tabled 109 for a flush. Alioto showed cracked kings, KK. The river was the J and Alioto was eliminated. Boeken improved to 210,000.

2-7 Low

Baker’s Jack Low Takes It

Entering the action at the first draw, David Baker and Abe Mosseri both drew 1. Mosseri checked to Baker who bet 3,000. Mosseri called and both players drew 1 again. Baker fired out 6,000 and Mosseri called.
Baker stood pat and Mosseri tried for one more card. Both players checked the end and Mosseri announced “king” low. Baker turned over J-8-7-6-3 and Mosseri looked furious.
Baker had around 225,000 after the hand, while Mosseri dropped to around 175,000.

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

For up to the minute information straight from the player’s themselves, be sure to check out the Card Player Twitter page.

Phil Hellmuth
Doyle Brunson
Scotty Nguyen
Jennifer Harman
Rafe Furst
Andy Bloch
Steve Sung
Justin Bonomo
Barry Greenstein
Matthew Glantz
Howard Lederer
Justin Smith
Erik Seidel

Card Player Video: Check out David Oppenheim’s thoughts on the event.

Player Tags: David Baker,   Erik Seidel,   Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Tuan Le,   Todd Brunson,   David Benyamine,   Eli Elezra,   David Bach,   Abe Mosseri,   Dario Alioto,   Sorel Mizzi,   Isaac Haxton

Level Four: Durrrr Eliminated

May 29, '10

Note: Following this round the players have agreed to cut the break down from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.

Blinds

Limit Games: 800-1,500; 1,500-3,000 Stakes
Stud Games: 300 ante; 500 bring-in; 1,500-3,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em: 200 ante; 400-800

Players Remaining: 112 out of 116

Notable Chip Counts:

Hasan Habib – 200,000
Barry Greenstein- 194,000
Howard Lederer – 180,000
Daniel Negreanu- 170,800
Scott Seiver- 155,000
Scotty Nguyen – 150,000
Andy Bloch- 144,100
Matt Glantz- 98,000

Eliminations:

Tom Dwan
Marc Karam
Big Hands:

Pot Limit Omaha

Dwan Gets Short, Busts

Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan and Shawn Buchanan checked a flop of A 94.

After the J fell on the turn Negreanu bet 5,000 and both Dwan and Buchanan called.

The 10 hit on the river and Negreanu and Buchanan checked to Dwan who bet 11,200. Negreanu folded but Buchanan called Dwan down and showed QJ109 for two pair. Dwan said, “Ace” implying he had a pair, and mucked.

Shortly after, Dwan busted out of the tournament.

No Limit Hold’em

Seiver doubles through Dario

After several significant preflop raises, Scott Seiver managed to get his 75,100 all in against Dario Minieri. With a board of 642 Seiver showed A6 to Dario’s AK, and the board finished with 38 to give Seiver a flush and double him up back over the day’s starting count of 150,000.

Floor Ruling Costs Deeb A Little More

Steve Zolotow raised to 2,100 from under the gun and Ralph Perry called behind him. Action folded around to Freddy Deeb who reraised to 12,100. Tim Phan made the call from the button and Zolotow and Perry mucked.

The flop came down A104 and Deeb fired 13,000. Phan made the call and the turn was the 5.

Deeb threw out a 5,000 chip and announced, “Fifteen.” While it was likely Deeb meant 15,000, Zolotow pointed out that the bet was more likely 1,500 since the chip was valued lower than 15,000. The floor was called over and ruled that the bet was 15,000.

Phan made the call regardless and both players checked the 7 on the river.

“Nines,” Deeb told Phan, never turning over his hand.

Phan then turned over AQ when Deeb confirmed he did not have a club. Phan took down the pot with top pair and Deeb was down under 100,000. Phan improved to around 200,000.

Arieh Takes Big Pot Off Phan

On the very next hand at the table, Tim Phan raised to 6,500 after seat 7 made 2,100 to go. Josh Arieh then repopped it to 16,800 from the button. Seat 7 mucked but Phan made the call.

The flop came down 553 and Phan checked. Arieh bet 25,000 and Phan called.

The turn was the 4 and both players checked. They did the same on the 8 river and Arieh tabled 99. Phan mucked and was around 175,000 after the hand. Arieh took down the pot and was at 215,000.

Binger getting into opponent’s heads

Michael Binger is making his table think. First, he brought the topic of time travel into the table’s conversation. If you could time travel 20 years backward for forward, where would it be? Jeff Lisandro answered, "Who cares? As long as you know the Kentucky Derby winners. Doyle Brunson mirrored that response with, “And Super Bowl winners.” It’s all making the money, Lisandro concluded.

The following hand, Binger bet 2500 on a flop of 882 and Nick Schulman folded.

Limit Hold’em

Binger High Fives Schulman

On a board showing 75410, Michael Binger bet 3,000 into the pot and Nick Schulman made the call.

The river brought the J and Binger fired another bet of 3,000. Schulman made the call once more and Binger turned over 55 for a flopped set.

Schulman mucked and was down to 182,000. Binger improved his stack to 123,000.

Omaha/8

Habib Bests Schulman

On a flop of J97, Nick Schulman led out with 1,500 from the big blind. Hasan Habib made the call from the hijack and the 4 fell on the turn.

Schulman led out again, this time for 3,000. Habib then raised it to 6,000 and Schulman made the call.

The river was the 8 and Schulman checked to Habib who fired 3,000. Schulman called and Habib tabled A5103 for the nut flush and a 8-7-4-3 low. Schulman mucked and was down to around 135,000. Habib took the pot and was around 200,000.

Ivey, Benyamine clash in a friendly game of poker

The most entertaining table in event 2 has to be the one containing Scotty Nguyen and Chau Giang. Giang has been especially energetic, while sharing stories to keep the table smiling. During these story times there has also been some poker.

On the other side of the table Phil Ivey check-called David Benyamine all the way down on a board of J74Q4. Benyamine showed AA510, prompting Ivey to say “very nice,” and muck.

Lisandro Bets Out Doyle

After a flop of J67, Jeffrey Lisandro bet 1,500 and Doyle Brunson made the call.

Bill Chen folded his hand and the turn was the 2. Lisandro fired another bet, this one 3,000. Brunson tagged along and the two players saw the 5 fall on the river.

Lisandro bet 3,000 again and Brunson had enough as he mucked his hand. Lisandro took the pot and was around 142,000 while Brunson was at 145,000.

Card Player TV: Players Championship Begins:

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Hasan Habib,   Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   David Benyamine,   Doyle Brunson,   Shawn Buchanan,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Chau Giang,   Phil Ivey,   Tim Phan,   Michael Binger,   Nick Schulman,   Tom Dwan,   Dario Minieri,   Freddy Deeb,   Scott Seiver,   Ralph Perry

Level One Update: Nguyen and Raymer Chipping Up

May 28, '10

Blinds:

Limit Games: 400-800; 800-1,600 Stakes
Stud Games: 200 ante; 200 bring-in; 800-1,600 limits
No Limit Games: 200-400

Players Remaining 113

Starting Stack: 150,000

Big Hands:

Stud

Scotty Nguyen takes it to Ivey

The Prince of Poker is hoping to repeat his 2008 win, even if he has to go through Phil Ivey along the way. The two have tangled frequently already, with Nguyen getting the better of the exchanges.

With Ivey showing 796A and Nguyen showing J10J3, Scotty bet and Ivey folded, stating, “Take another one, Scotty.”

Scotty replied with, “Not a flush draw, baby. I had a hand,” followed by his infectious laugh. The “baby’s” have begun.

Scotty and Ivey… a familiar picture

The very next hand Ivey showed AK4, compared to Scotty’s A610. When Scotty hit the A for his next card Ivey quickly folded.

Forrest grows his stack

Showing 9Q8Q, Ted Forrest bet 1600. Brian Townsend showed 10JJ and thought long before folding.

Elezra’s aces no good

Alexander Kostritsyn checked after showing 29K and Eli Elezra fired out a bet of 1600 with his shown QJ10.
Kostritsyn checked after being given the K and Elezra fired 1600 again. Kostritsyn called and checked the final card. Elezra did the same and showed an A to pair up with his A for a pair, and Kostritsyn showed his last card to be the 9 for two pair, kings and nines. The Russian took a nice pot and Elezra went on with his conversation with his neighbor Mike Matusow.

Omaha 8OB

Seidel Loses Some Chips

On a board of K834 Erik Seidel bet 800 and was raised by Kirk Morrison. Seidel quickly folded and Morrison took the small pot.

Razz

Seidel Takes Another Hit

Phil Galfond and Erik Seidel were engaged in a relatively large pot. Galfond bet and Seidel called. Galfond exposed a 7-high low and Seidel mucked. The online pro raked in the 15,000 chip pot and is up to 170,000.

Raymer Looking Good

Greg Raymer and Dario Minieri were involved in a small razz pot. Minieri checked and Raymer made a bet on the end from middle position. Minieri called and Raymer flipped over a 6-low. Minieri mucked and Raymer added to his stack.

Limit Hold Em

Giang Takes One Off Lawson

Ted Lawson, David Benyamine, Chau Giang and Phil Ivey all limped preflop and saw a flop of 927.

Lawson bet 800 and Benyamine folded. Giang raised to 1,600 causing Ivey to fold. Lawson stuck around and the turn was the 8.

Giang fired 1,600 and Lawson called. The same happened on the 7 river. Giang showed down J9 for two pair with a jack kicker. Lawson only showed the 9 and mucked his hand.

Giang took down the pot and was at 165,000. Lawson dropped to 140,000.

Left in the Deck:

Some players have to wait. Pros such as Amnon Filippi, Barry Greenstein and Josh Arieh are waiting to buy into the event. The ruling on the floor is that they have to wait till the beginning of level two.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Erik Seidel,   Josh Arieh,   Barry Greenstein,   Ted Forrest,   Ted Lawson,   Eli Elezra,   Chau Giang,   Phil Ivey,   Greg Raymer,   Amnon Filippi,   Phil Galfond,   Dario Minieri,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level Eight: Seidel Climbing, Raymer, Alioto and Negreanu Out

May 29, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 1,500-3,000 blinds; 3,000-6,000 stakes
Stud Games: 700 ante, 1,000 bring-in, 3,000-6,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em/PLO: 400 ante, 800-1,600 blinds

Players Remaining: 90 out of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. Brian Hastings – 340,000
2. Daniel Alaei – 335,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 329,100
4. Alexander Kostritsyn – 315,000
5. David Oppenheim – 313,800
6. Roman Yitzhaki – 290,000
7. Justin Smith – 270,000
8. Doyle Brunson – 269,200
9. Steve Zolotow – 265,000
10. Mike Gorodinsky – 260,000

Average Chip Count: 193,333

Notable Eliminations:

Greg Raymer
Daniel Negreanu
Dario Alioto
Todd Brunson
Phil Galfond

Note: Players have gone on a 60-minute dinner break. They will return at approximately 9:10 p.m.

Big Hands:

Omaha/8

Seidel Takes A Pot

Isaac Haxton raised to 6,000 and Erik Seidel made the call from the big blind. Dan Kelly also made the call and the flop came down 973.

Seidel led out with 3,000 and Kelly called. Haxton also tagged along and the turn was the K.

Seidel bet 6,000 and Kelly raised to 12,000. Haxton got out of the way and Seidel repopped to 18,000. Kelly went into the tank for a few minutes before mucking his hand.

Seidel took the pot and was at 215,000 while Kelly was down to 65,000.

Brown Takes Pot Off Arieh

Picking up the action on a flop of Q109, Chad Brown checked to Josh Arieh who bet 3,000. Brown made the call and the Q hit on the turn.

Brown checked again and Arieh bet 6,000. Brown then check-raised to 12,000 and Arieh called.

The river was the 7 and Brown led out with 6,000. Arieh called and Brown tabled KJA6 for a straight flush and took down a nice pot. He was at 145,000 after the hand while Arieh was at 135,000.

Bach Gets None of Massive Pot

David Bach won this event a year ago, but his odds of repeating aren’t looking so good.

In one hand Bach raised to 6,000 and was called by seat 3, Chad Brown, Rafe Furst, and Josh Arieh. The flop came 872 and Bach fired 3,000 into the pot. Everyone called except Arieh.

The 3 hit on the turn, and Bach bet 6,000. Seat 3 called, Brown raised to 12,000, Furst folded and Bach reraised to 18,000. Seat 3 called and Brown repopped it yet again to 24,000 and was called by both Bach and seat 3.

The players checked down the 7 river card and showed their hands.
Bach: 8-4-3-2
Brown: A-10-8-4
Seat 3: A-5-4-3

Brown and Seat 3 split the pot of more than 100,000 and last year’s champion was left with just around 65,000. Chad Brown sits with around 165,000.

Seven Card Stud

Ferguson Takes Pot

Chris Ferguson was showing 985 against Tuan Le’s J92 after fifth street.

Ferguson bet 6,000 and Le mucked his hand rather quickly, surrendering the pot to Ferguson.

Ferguson was at 130,000 after the hand while Le was at 127,000.

Sorel Mizzi Beats Benyamine

Sorel Mizzi and David Benyamine were locked up in a hand on fifth street. Both players checked sixth and seventh street and showed down their hands.

Mizzi tabled (AJ3)Q896 while Benyamine showed (632)109AQ.

Mizzi had A-Q-J high to edge out Benyamine and take the pot. He was at 200,000 while Benyamine was at 130,000.

No Limit Hold’em_

Brunson Makes His Exits, Courtesy Of Aces

A short-staked Todd Brunson hoped to make a quick double up in the no limit hold’em round but his K9 ran into the AA of Roman Yitzhaki and Brunson’s hand didn’t improve, sending him to the rail.

Alioto Ousted

Dario Alioto moved all in for his last 8,500. Eli Elezra called, as did Noah Boeken from the big blind.

The flop came down Q44 and both players checked. The turn was the 3 and Boeken fired 12,000 into the pot.

Elezra got out of the way and Boeken tabled 109 for a flush. Alioto showed cracked kings, KK. The river was the J and Alioto was eliminated. Boeken improved to 210,000.

2-7 Low

Baker’s Jack Low Takes It

Entering the action at the first draw, David Baker and Abe Mosseri both drew 1. Mosseri checked to Baker who bet 3,000. Mosseri called and both players drew 1 again. Baker fired out 6,000 and Mosseri called.
Baker stood pat and Mosseri tried for one more card. Both players checked the end and Mosseri announced “king” low. Baker turned over J-8-7-6-3 and Mosseri looked furious.
Baker had around 225,000 after the hand, while Mosseri dropped to around 175,000.

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

For up to the minute information straight from the player’s themselves, be sure to check out the Card Player Twitter page.

Phil Hellmuth
Doyle Brunson
Scotty Nguyen
Jennifer Harman
Rafe Furst
Andy Bloch
Steve Sung
Justin Bonomo
Barry Greenstein
Matthew Glantz
Howard Lederer
Justin Smith
Erik Seidel

Card Player Video: Check out David Oppenheim’s thoughts on the event.

Player Tags: David Baker,   Erik Seidel,   Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Tuan Le,   Todd Brunson,   David Benyamine,   Eli Elezra,   David Bach,   Abe Mosseri,   Dario Alioto,   Sorel Mizzi,   Isaac Haxton

Level Four: Durrrr Eliminated

May 29, '10

Note: Following this round the players have agreed to cut the break down from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.

Blinds

Limit Games: 800-1,500; 1,500-3,000 Stakes
Stud Games: 300 ante; 500 bring-in; 1,500-3,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em: 200 ante; 400-800

Players Remaining: 112 out of 116

Notable Chip Counts:

Hasan Habib – 200,000
Barry Greenstein- 194,000
Howard Lederer – 180,000
Daniel Negreanu- 170,800
Scott Seiver- 155,000
Scotty Nguyen – 150,000
Andy Bloch- 144,100
Matt Glantz- 98,000

Eliminations:

Tom Dwan
Marc Karam
Big Hands:

Pot Limit Omaha

Dwan Gets Short, Busts

Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan and Shawn Buchanan checked a flop of A 94.

After the J fell on the turn Negreanu bet 5,000 and both Dwan and Buchanan called.

The 10 hit on the river and Negreanu and Buchanan checked to Dwan who bet 11,200. Negreanu folded but Buchanan called Dwan down and showed QJ109 for two pair. Dwan said, “Ace” implying he had a pair, and mucked.

Shortly after, Dwan busted out of the tournament.

No Limit Hold’em

Seiver doubles through Dario

After several significant preflop raises, Scott Seiver managed to get his 75,100 all in against Dario Minieri. With a board of 642 Seiver showed A6 to Dario’s AK, and the board finished with 38 to give Seiver a flush and double him up back over the day’s starting count of 150,000.

Floor Ruling Costs Deeb A Little More

Steve Zolotow raised to 2,100 from under the gun and Ralph Perry called behind him. Action folded around to Freddy Deeb who reraised to 12,100. Tim Phan made the call from the button and Zolotow and Perry mucked.

The flop came down A104 and Deeb fired 13,000. Phan made the call and the turn was the 5.

Deeb threw out a 5,000 chip and announced, “Fifteen.” While it was likely Deeb meant 15,000, Zolotow pointed out that the bet was more likely 1,500 since the chip was valued lower than 15,000. The floor was called over and ruled that the bet was 15,000.

Phan made the call regardless and both players checked the 7 on the river.

“Nines,” Deeb told Phan, never turning over his hand.

Phan then turned over AQ when Deeb confirmed he did not have a club. Phan took down the pot with top pair and Deeb was down under 100,000. Phan improved to around 200,000.

Arieh Takes Big Pot Off Phan

On the very next hand at the table, Tim Phan raised to 6,500 after seat 7 made 2,100 to go. Josh Arieh then repopped it to 16,800 from the button. Seat 7 mucked but Phan made the call.

The flop came down 553 and Phan checked. Arieh bet 25,000 and Phan called.

The turn was the 4 and both players checked. They did the same on the 8 river and Arieh tabled 99. Phan mucked and was around 175,000 after the hand. Arieh took down the pot and was at 215,000.

Binger getting into opponent’s heads

Michael Binger is making his table think. First, he brought the topic of time travel into the table’s conversation. If you could time travel 20 years backward for forward, where would it be? Jeff Lisandro answered, "Who cares? As long as you know the Kentucky Derby winners. Doyle Brunson mirrored that response with, “And Super Bowl winners.” It’s all making the money, Lisandro concluded.

The following hand, Binger bet 2500 on a flop of 882 and Nick Schulman folded.

Limit Hold’em

Binger High Fives Schulman

On a board showing 75410, Michael Binger bet 3,000 into the pot and Nick Schulman made the call.

The river brought the J and Binger fired another bet of 3,000. Schulman made the call once more and Binger turned over 55 for a flopped set.

Schulman mucked and was down to 182,000. Binger improved his stack to 123,000.

Omaha/8

Habib Bests Schulman

On a flop of J97, Nick Schulman led out with 1,500 from the big blind. Hasan Habib made the call from the hijack and the 4 fell on the turn.

Schulman led out again, this time for 3,000. Habib then raised it to 6,000 and Schulman made the call.

The river was the 8 and Schulman checked to Habib who fired 3,000. Schulman called and Habib tabled A5103 for the nut flush and a 8-7-4-3 low. Schulman mucked and was down to around 135,000. Habib took the pot and was around 200,000.

Ivey, Benyamine clash in a friendly game of poker

The most entertaining table in event 2 has to be the one containing Scotty Nguyen and Chau Giang. Giang has been especially energetic, while sharing stories to keep the table smiling. During these story times there has also been some poker.

On the other side of the table Phil Ivey check-called David Benyamine all the way down on a board of J74Q4. Benyamine showed AA510, prompting Ivey to say “very nice,” and muck.

Lisandro Bets Out Doyle

After a flop of J67, Jeffrey Lisandro bet 1,500 and Doyle Brunson made the call.

Bill Chen folded his hand and the turn was the 2. Lisandro fired another bet, this one 3,000. Brunson tagged along and the two players saw the 5 fall on the river.

Lisandro bet 3,000 again and Brunson had enough as he mucked his hand. Lisandro took the pot and was around 142,000 while Brunson was at 145,000.

Card Player TV: Players Championship Begins:

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Hasan Habib,   Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   David Benyamine,   Doyle Brunson,   Shawn Buchanan,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Chau Giang,   Phil Ivey,   Tim Phan,   Michael Binger,   Nick Schulman,   Tom Dwan,   Dario Minieri,   Freddy Deeb,   Scott Seiver,   Ralph Perry

Level One Update: Nguyen and Raymer Chipping Up

May 28, '10

Blinds:

Limit Games: 400-800; 800-1,600 Stakes
Stud Games: 200 ante; 200 bring-in; 800-1,600 limits
No Limit Games: 200-400

Players Remaining 113

Starting Stack: 150,000

Big Hands:

Stud

Scotty Nguyen takes it to Ivey

The Prince of Poker is hoping to repeat his 2008 win, even if he has to go through Phil Ivey along the way. The two have tangled frequently already, with Nguyen getting the better of the exchanges.

With Ivey showing 796A and Nguyen showing J10J3, Scotty bet and Ivey folded, stating, “Take another one, Scotty.”

Scotty replied with, “Not a flush draw, baby. I had a hand,” followed by his infectious laugh. The “baby’s” have begun.

Scotty and Ivey… a familiar picture

The very next hand Ivey showed AK4, compared to Scotty’s A610. When Scotty hit the A for his next card Ivey quickly folded.

Forrest grows his stack

Showing 9Q8Q, Ted Forrest bet 1600. Brian Townsend showed 10JJ and thought long before folding.

Elezra’s aces no good

Alexander Kostritsyn checked after showing 29K and Eli Elezra fired out a bet of 1600 with his shown QJ10.
Kostritsyn checked after being given the K and Elezra fired 1600 again. Kostritsyn called and checked the final card. Elezra did the same and showed an A to pair up with his A for a pair, and Kostritsyn showed his last card to be the 9 for two pair, kings and nines. The Russian took a nice pot and Elezra went on with his conversation with his neighbor Mike Matusow.

Omaha 8OB

Seidel Loses Some Chips

On a board of K834 Erik Seidel bet 800 and was raised by Kirk Morrison. Seidel quickly folded and Morrison took the small pot.

Razz

Seidel Takes Another Hit

Phil Galfond and Erik Seidel were engaged in a relatively large pot. Galfond bet and Seidel called. Galfond exposed a 7-high low and Seidel mucked. The online pro raked in the 15,000 chip pot and is up to 170,000.

Raymer Looking Good

Greg Raymer and Dario Minieri were involved in a small razz pot. Minieri checked and Raymer made a bet on the end from middle position. Minieri called and Raymer flipped over a 6-low. Minieri mucked and Raymer added to his stack.

Limit Hold Em

Giang Takes One Off Lawson

Ted Lawson, David Benyamine, Chau Giang and Phil Ivey all limped preflop and saw a flop of 927.

Lawson bet 800 and Benyamine folded. Giang raised to 1,600 causing Ivey to fold. Lawson stuck around and the turn was the 8.

Giang fired 1,600 and Lawson called. The same happened on the 7 river. Giang showed down J9 for two pair with a jack kicker. Lawson only showed the 9 and mucked his hand.

Giang took down the pot and was at 165,000. Lawson dropped to 140,000.

Left in the Deck:

Some players have to wait. Pros such as Amnon Filippi, Barry Greenstein and Josh Arieh are waiting to buy into the event. The ruling on the floor is that they have to wait till the beginning of level two.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Erik Seidel,   Josh Arieh,   Barry Greenstein,   Ted Forrest,   Ted Lawson,   Eli Elezra,   Chau Giang,   Phil Ivey,   Greg Raymer,   Amnon Filippi,   Phil Galfond,   Dario Minieri,   Alexander Kostritsyn