Josh Arieh - Live Updates

Level 14 Hour 1 Update: Vitaly Lunkin Triples Up

Jul 10, '09

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

Players Remaining: 864 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,250,000
2. Ludovic Lacay – 890,000
3. Christian Heich – 870,00
4. Saar Wilf – 820,000
5. Jordan Morgan – 773,000
6. Gabe Walls – 725,000
7. James Akenhead – 698,000
8. Brennan Hanson – 685,000
9. Owen Crowe – 650,000
10. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 188,000

Average Chip Count: 220,884

Notable Eliminations:

Lee Markholt
Shane Schleger
Jason Alexander

Big Hands:

Steven Van Zadelhoff Doubles Up

Sorel Mizzi reraised all in preflop for 209,000 and Steven Van Zadelhoff made the call. Mizzi flipped over K-6 and Van Zadelhoff showed down A-K. The board came all blanks and Van Zadelhoff grew his stack to 440,000.

Kostritsyn vs. Arieh

Kostritsyn raised preflop and four players made the call. The flop was dealt 544 and Kostritsyn bet 15,000. Josh Arieh made the call and the two other players mucked. The turn fell 8 and action was checked around. The river fell K, Kostritsyn bet 55,000 and Arieh went into the tank. He mucked and Arieh was down to 75,000. Kostritsyn was up to 620,000 after the hand.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Triple Up Miracle

A player in middle position raised to 8,000 and Vitaly Lunkin went all in for 38,900 on his immediate left. A player in late position contemplated briefly before making the call. Action was back to the initial raiser who quickly moved all in for about 100,000 more. The player in late position who smooth called Lunkin’s all-in instantly called and tabled the AA. The player in middle position who was the initial raiser exposed the KK while Lunkin exposed the dominated K7. The flop came 1084 and the aces were still way out in front. The 6 hit the turn, giving Lunkin as double gutshot straight draw. It got there on the river as the 9 fell, doubling up Lunkin to about 120,000.

Bertrand Grospellier Continues to Roll

On a board of A33K2, Bertrand Grospellier bet 33,300 and a player in middle position went into the tank. He eventually made the call and Elky exposed the 93 for trip threes. His opponent was stunned and eventually mucked. Elky is at 1,250,000.

Jeff Shulman Wins a Pot

Jeff Shulman bet 8,000 on the button and a player in the small blind made it 23,500. Shulman made the call and the flop came 763. Both checked and the 4 hit the turn. The small blind once again checked and Shulman bet 30,000. The small blind folded and Shulman took the pot. He is at 188,000.

Peter Eatgate Takes a Hit

Peter Eastgate raised to 7,500 preflop and the small blind reraised to 24,400. The flop was dealt K109 and both players checked. The 9s fell on the turn and both players checked again. The 9 fell on the river and the small blind bet 15,000. Eastgate tanked for a moment and then mucked. His stack was down to 235,000 after the hand.

Jason Alexander Eliminated

Christian Heich raised to 8,000 from early position and one player called before Carter King raised to 30,400 from late position. Jason Alexander made the call from the small blind and Heich called as well. The original caller mucked and the flop was dealt 643. Alexander bet 25,000 and Heich raised all in. King mucked and Alexander went into the tank before making the all-in call. Their cards:

Alexander: JJ
Heich: 65

Turn and River: 96

Heich made trips on the river to win the pot and grow his stack to 870,000. Alexander was eliminated on the hand.

Jeffrey Lisandro Eliminated

With 100,000 in the pot on the turn with a board of 985 John Myung checked and Jeffrey Lisandro moved all in for 43,200. Myung made the call and Lisandro flipped over KK. Myung showed J7. The turn and river fell 24. Myung moved up to 200,000 and Lisandro was eliminated

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Jeff Shulman,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 13 Hour 2 Update: Elky Over a Million!

Jul 10, '09

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 930 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,200,000
2. Owen Crowe – 1,030,000
3. Gabe Walls – 873,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 870,000
5. Brennan Hanson – 670,000
6. James Akenhead – 660,000
7. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000
8. Brian Powel – 620,000
9. Tony Cavezza – 620,000
10. Kenny Tran – 590,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 175,000
Thomas Keller – out

Average Chip Count: 195,015

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizarachi
Amit Makhija
Alexia Portal
Nam Le
Dutch Boyd

Big Hands:

Betrand Grospellier Wins the Largest Hand of the Tournament so Far

A board of 972KA and 40,000 sat on the table when Jerry Wong bet 33,000. Bertrand Grospellier raised to 133,000 and then Wong moved all in for 250,000 more. Grospellier made the call and then flipped over 99. Wong showed down KQ and he was eliminated from the tournament. Grospellier won the huge pot and he now holds 1.1 million as the chip leader.

Jason Alexander Grabs Some Chips

Jason Alexander raised to 7,500 preflop from the hi-jack Christian Heich raised to 22,000. The flop came 862 flop and Alexander bet 20,000. Heich raised to 56,000 and Alexander tanked for a minute before he reraised all in for 131,600 more. Heich tanked and then mucked. Alexander grew his stack to 300,000.

Vitaly Lunkin Doubles Up

Vitaly Lunkin was faced with a preflop raised from the cutoff and decided to reraise to 18,000. The cutoff quickly announced he was all in for 81,150 total and Lunkin quickly called. The cutoff announced he was sick of being reraised by Lunkin and tabled the 75. Lunkin exposed the AQ and was ahead. The flop came 1098, and Lunkin was still in front with ace-high but his opponent had a massive drawing hand with a flush draw and straight draw. The 6 hit the turn and gave the cutoff a straight. The 6 fell on the river and Lunkin lost the 85,000 chip pot. Lunkin is down to 85,000.

Betrand Grospellier Dominating

Elky has been dominating his table since his massive surge to the chip lead. Grospellier raised preflop and was called by an opponent in the big blind. The flop came 833 and the big blind checked to Elky who elected to check behind. The 2 hit the turn and the big blind checked. Elky bet 6,500 and his opponent made the call. The 4 fell on the river and the big blind checked. Elky checked behind and the big blind exposed the A-10 but was no good against the A-J of Elky. Elky has been raising almost every hand and is running through his table. Elky is at 1,200,000.

Alex Kostritsyn Takes One Down

On a flop of K53, Phill Hellmuth bet 16,000 from middle position and Alex Kostritsyn called from the button. Josh Arieh elected to call from the small blind. The turn brought the 8 and action was checked around. The river brought the 4 and action was once again checked around. Arieh exposed the 64 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fours. Hellmuth didn’t show and said he just had a five. Kostritsyn exposed the 77 to take down the pot. Kostritsyn is at 620,000.

Peter Eastgate Eliminates Opponent

The defending main event champion got all the chips into the middle with the AK and was up against the 88. The board ran out AQ10J9 as Eastgate eliminated his opponent and is at 375,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Alexander,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Peter Eastgate,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 7 Hour 1 Update: More Notables Hit the Rail

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 3,006 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 367,000
2. Dan Bilzerian – 264,000
3. Chance Kornouth – 180,000
4. Josh Arieh – 180,000
5. Bertrand Grospellier – 160,000
6. David Benyamine – 154,000
7. Rick Fuller – 150,000
8. J.C. Alvarado – 142,000
9. Justin Bonomo – 140,000
10. Jon Kalmar – 135,050

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 55,000
Phil Hellmuth – 75,000
Lee Watkinson – 91,050
Adam Schoenfeld – 83,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 32,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 54,452

Notable Eliminations:

Steve Wong
Shannon Shorr
Vanessa Rousso
Brett Jungblut
Jonathan Little
Scotty Nguyen

Big Hands:

Arieh’s Big Call Gives Him Big Stack

After the button raised, Josh Arieh made the call in the small blind and the big blind also called. The flop was 987 and Arieh led out for 5,700 and was raised by the player in the big blind to 15,000. The button folded and Arieh made the call.

The turn was the 5 and Arieh checked and called 20,000 from his opponent. The river was the 8 and Arieh checked and the player in the big blind moved all in for his last 21,475. After a few moments of thought Arieh made the call and showed 54, for just a pair of fives, but it was good as his opponent showed AQ, for nothing but ace-high. With that pot, Arieh moves to 180,000 in chips.

Elky Puts On Running Sneakers

Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier made it 1,500 preflop and was met with a reraise from the small blind who made it 5,000. Elky then made it 18,500 and after a few seconds, the small blind moved all in and was called by Elky.

Elky showed AK and was in a race situation against his opponent’s QQ. The flop and turn were dry fro Elky as it came 2923, but the K on the river gave the pot to Elky. His stack is now up to 160,000.

Steve Wong Eliminated

There was a raise to 1,700 and a call before Steve Wong called from the big blind. The flop was 4Q5 and Wong and the original raiser checked and the third player in the hand bet 3,200. Wong made the call and the preflop raiser folded.

The turn was the A and Wong moved all in for his last 16,000, which was instantly called by his opponent, who showed AQ, while Wong only had A2. The river was the 6, meaning Wong missed his straight draw and his WSOP was over.

Wayans Sends One to the Rail

After a flop of 9104, the big blind led out for 2,800 and got two callers, one of whom being Marlon Wayans. The turn was the 8 and the big blind now checked and Wayans bet 10,000. The player behind him tanked for some time before raising all in for 15,000. The big blind folded and Wayans made the call.

Wayans showed QJ, making the nut straight on the turn, and his opponent was drawing dead as he tabled the 76, making the lesser straight on the turn. The river was meaningless and Wayans is at 42,000.

Scotty Nguyen’s Aces Cracked, Sent Packing

Scotty Nguyen and Brandon Lee got all of the chips in on the turn reading 5510K. Scotty turned over AA and was in good shape against Brandon Lee’s K10. That is, until the dealer put dealt the K on the river, giving Lee a full house and eliminating the former main event champion.

Little Bricks Off On Big Draw to End Main Event Run

Jonathan Little moved all in on the turn with the board reading J3105. His opponent called and showed KJ, which was good at the moment, but needed to dodge a lot of cards as Little showed KQ.

Any Q, spade, 9, or A would give Little the pot, but the 2 on the river sealed Little’s fate and was sent home early in the day.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Steve Wong

Level 5 Hour 2 Update: End of Day 1D

Jul 07, '09

NOTE: Play has ended for the night on day 1D. Check back in tomorrow at noon PDT for day 2A action.

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 340,000
2. Carter King – 172,000
3. Josh Arieh – 136,000
4. Dutch Boyd – 135,000
5. Blair Hinkle – 116,805
6. Bertrand Grospellier – 114,000
7. J.C. Tran – 113,000
8. Phil Ivey – 105,000
9. Prahlad Friedman – 101,000
10. David Benyamine – 102,200

Card Player Chip Counts:

Adam Schoenfeld – 100,000
Thomas Keller – 95,625
Jeff Shulman – 53,000
Matthew Hilger – 52,000
Shannon Shorr – 29,800
Steve Zolotow – 25,900

Average Chip Count: 42,750

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Fischman

Big Hands

Scott Fischman Eliminated by David Benyamine

It’s a three-way all in pot on a flop of 732.

Fischman: 62
Benyamine: 77
Opponent: JJ

Fischman flops bottom pair and is in third place behind Benyamine who flops top set and the third player in the hand with an overpair of jacks. The turn and river are the A and the Q, no help to Scott Fischman who is eliminated from the tournament as David Benyamine climbs up the leaderboard with over 100,000 in chips.

Vanessa Rousso Getting Short

Vanessa Rousso and an unknown opponent were tangled up on a board of K75103. Rousso bet 4,000 and was quickly called by her opponent. Rousso exposed the J9 for a jack-high flush that she nailed on the turn. However, she was no good as her opponent exposed the QQ for a higher flush that got there on the river. Rousso is down to 17,500.

Josh Arieh Aggressively Building Stack

The 2004 main event third place finisher has been hammering away at his table. He has built his stack up to well over 100,000 and is among the chip leaders. In one hand a player in middle position raised to 1,200 and the player to his left reraised to 3,400. Arieh held the button and thought for awhile before making it 9,300. Both his opponents folded. Arieh is at 132,000.

Ryan Young Wins a Small One

Ryan Young raised to 1,200 preflop and was called by Glen Chorny and another opponent. The flop came JJ3 and Young bet out 1,400. Chorny folded and his opponent on the button thought about it briefly, asking Young if he wanted a call. Young said no which prompted a quick call from the button. The J hit the turn and Young asked the dealer about the quad jacks bonus that has been a part of the day ones. Young eventually checked and so did his opponent. The river brought the 10 and Young checked again. The button also checked and exposed the 97 for a busted flush draw. Young tabled K-Q to take the pot with king-high. Young is at just about the starting amount of 30,000.

Elky Eliminates an Opponent

Bertrand Grospellier and his opponent got it all in preflop. Grospellier tabled the JJ while his opponent exposed the KQ. The board ran out AJ798 and Grospellier added 13,000 to his stack. Elky is at 114,000.

Dutch Boyd Takes a Pot from Phil Ivey

On a board of A63, Dutch Boyd led out with 1,500 from the big blind and Ivey reraised to 4,500. Boyd made the call and both players saw a 4 hit the turn. Both checked and the 8 fell on the river. Action was checked again and Boyd tabled the 63 for two pair and Ivey mucked. Boyd has 135,000 while Ivey has 105,000.

Troy Weber Charges to the Chip Lead

A pot held 15,000 when the flop hit the table J83. Troy Weber checked and the player immediately to his left bet 7,000. Weber made the call and the turn fell 8. Weber checked again and his opponent bet 11,000. Weber then check-raised to 30,000. His opponent reraised all in for 55,375 and Weber made the call after thinking it over for a few moments. Weber turned over 108 after his opponent quickly flipped up pocket queens, and the 9 fell on the river. Weber grew his stack to a massive 340,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Scott Fischman,   David Benyamine,   Vanessa Rousso,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 5 Hour 1 Update: Scott Clements Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Josh Arieh – 125,000
3. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
4. Chad Brown – 105,000
5. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
6. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
7. Phil Ivey – 82,000
8. John Racener – 79,000
9. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 56,000

Notable Eliminations:

Amir Vahedi
Scott Clements
Sully Erna

Big Hands

Amir Vahedi Eliminated by Marc Karam

Amir Vahedi gets it all in before the flop, Marc Karam calls and has him covered.

Vahedi: AK
Karam: AQ

Board: 832Q6

Vahedi gets it in as the favorite, but Karam spikes a queen on the turn, eliminating Amir Vahedi just minutes into Level 5.

Scott Clements Eliminated

Scott Clements was short stacked and holding the QQ on a board of J559. Clements got the rest of his chips into the middle with the over pair but was drawing dead against the 55 of his opponent. Clements was sent to the rail.

Sully Erna Eliminated

Godsmack member Sully Erna was crippled when put an opponent all in on a board of J326. His opponent called and tabled the AQ for the nuts. Erna mucked and was eliminated shortly after when his short stack of 1,150 didn’t last.

Kristy Gazes Flops the Nuts, Gets Paid Off

On a flop of J85, the player in seat 7 bets 1,100 and Kristy Gazes calls. The turn is the K, and this time Gazes leads out for 2,675. The river is the K, Gazes bets 5,125 and her opponent goes into the tank. After a few minutes he makes the call and Gazes turns over AQ for the nut flush. Gazes rakes the pot, bringing her stack up to 45,000 at the moment.

Arieh On a Run, Breaks 100K

On a flop of AK7, Josh Arieh bets 2,000 from the cutoff and the player on the button makes the call. The turn is the 4, Arieh bets 5,000 and the button calls. The river is the 7, and once again Arieh bets 5,000 and gets a call. Arieh turns over A9 for top pair, his opponent exposes K10 for middle pair. Arieh rakes the pot, bringing his stack up to 125,000 this hand.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Josh Arieh,   Kristy Gazes,   Scott Clements,   Marc Karam,   Sully Erna

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Alec Torelli, Jeff Madsen, Mark Seif, Lynette Chan Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 2,371 out of 2,809

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
3. Chad Brown – 105,000
4. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
5. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
6. Josh Arieh – 82,500
7. Thomas Keller – 80,500
8. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
9. Jeff Shulman – 62,000
10. Kenny Tran – 61,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 62,000
Matthew Hilger – 68,000

Average Chip Count: 35,541

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Seif
Jeff Madsen
Alec Torelli
Lynette Chan
Christian Harder
Svetlana Gromenkova

Big Hands:

Jean Gaspard Wins a Pot

The player from under the gun raises to 1,200 and Jean Gaspard calls from the big blind. The flop comes 964, the UTG player bets 3,500 and Gaspard quickly calls. The turn (4) pairs the board and both players check. The river is the 10, and once gain both players check. Gaspard turns over 96 for two pair and his opponent mucks his cards. Gaspard is back up to 35,000 in chips after this hand.

Josh Arieh Folds Ace-King

A player in middle position bet 1,200 and a player in the cutoff just called. Arieh reraised from the small blind 3,100 on top. The initial raiser threw out another raise, making it 5,300 more. The cutoff went into the tank with the 98 but eventually mucked. Arieh contemplated briefly before mucking the AK face up. Arieh made a good fold as his opponent held the KK. Arieh is at 82,500

Scott Clements Wins Small Pot With K-high

Scotty Clements raised preflop with the KQ and was called be an opponent in the small blind with the KJ. Both players checked down a board that was all small cards. Clements raked in the small pot but is still at just 12,025.

Lynette Chan Eliminated

Lynette Chan gets it all in preflop against one opponent.

Chan: 109
Opponent: AK

Board: 85263

Chan gets it in behind, but turns a flush draw and a straight draw to pick up some outs. The river bricks and Lynette Chan is sent to the rail.

Johnny Bax Cracks Kings

On a flop of 1052, there is a bet of 1,800 followed by a raise to 7,000. Cliff Josephy calls the raise and the original bettor folds. The turn is the A and both players check around. The river is the Q, Josephy bets 13,500 and his opponent calls. Josephy turns over A3 for the nut flush on the river. His opponent looks sick as he tosses kings into the mucks. Bax is up to almost 100,000 in chips after this hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Cliff Josephy,   Lynette Chan,   Jean Gaspard

Level 14 Hour 1 Update: Vitaly Lunkin Triples Up

Jul 10, '09

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

Players Remaining: 864 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,250,000
2. Ludovic Lacay – 890,000
3. Christian Heich – 870,00
4. Saar Wilf – 820,000
5. Jordan Morgan – 773,000
6. Gabe Walls – 725,000
7. James Akenhead – 698,000
8. Brennan Hanson – 685,000
9. Owen Crowe – 650,000
10. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 188,000

Average Chip Count: 220,884

Notable Eliminations:

Lee Markholt
Shane Schleger
Jason Alexander

Big Hands:

Steven Van Zadelhoff Doubles Up

Sorel Mizzi reraised all in preflop for 209,000 and Steven Van Zadelhoff made the call. Mizzi flipped over K-6 and Van Zadelhoff showed down A-K. The board came all blanks and Van Zadelhoff grew his stack to 440,000.

Kostritsyn vs. Arieh

Kostritsyn raised preflop and four players made the call. The flop was dealt 544 and Kostritsyn bet 15,000. Josh Arieh made the call and the two other players mucked. The turn fell 8 and action was checked around. The river fell K, Kostritsyn bet 55,000 and Arieh went into the tank. He mucked and Arieh was down to 75,000. Kostritsyn was up to 620,000 after the hand.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Triple Up Miracle

A player in middle position raised to 8,000 and Vitaly Lunkin went all in for 38,900 on his immediate left. A player in late position contemplated briefly before making the call. Action was back to the initial raiser who quickly moved all in for about 100,000 more. The player in late position who smooth called Lunkin’s all-in instantly called and tabled the AA. The player in middle position who was the initial raiser exposed the KK while Lunkin exposed the dominated K7. The flop came 1084 and the aces were still way out in front. The 6 hit the turn, giving Lunkin as double gutshot straight draw. It got there on the river as the 9 fell, doubling up Lunkin to about 120,000.

Bertrand Grospellier Continues to Roll

On a board of A33K2, Bertrand Grospellier bet 33,300 and a player in middle position went into the tank. He eventually made the call and Elky exposed the 93 for trip threes. His opponent was stunned and eventually mucked. Elky is at 1,250,000.

Jeff Shulman Wins a Pot

Jeff Shulman bet 8,000 on the button and a player in the small blind made it 23,500. Shulman made the call and the flop came 763. Both checked and the 4 hit the turn. The small blind once again checked and Shulman bet 30,000. The small blind folded and Shulman took the pot. He is at 188,000.

Peter Eatgate Takes a Hit

Peter Eastgate raised to 7,500 preflop and the small blind reraised to 24,400. The flop was dealt K109 and both players checked. The 9s fell on the turn and both players checked again. The 9 fell on the river and the small blind bet 15,000. Eastgate tanked for a moment and then mucked. His stack was down to 235,000 after the hand.

Jason Alexander Eliminated

Christian Heich raised to 8,000 from early position and one player called before Carter King raised to 30,400 from late position. Jason Alexander made the call from the small blind and Heich called as well. The original caller mucked and the flop was dealt 643. Alexander bet 25,000 and Heich raised all in. King mucked and Alexander went into the tank before making the all-in call. Their cards:

Alexander: JJ
Heich: 65

Turn and River: 96

Heich made trips on the river to win the pot and grow his stack to 870,000. Alexander was eliminated on the hand.

Jeffrey Lisandro Eliminated

With 100,000 in the pot on the turn with a board of 985 John Myung checked and Jeffrey Lisandro moved all in for 43,200. Myung made the call and Lisandro flipped over KK. Myung showed J7. The turn and river fell 24. Myung moved up to 200,000 and Lisandro was eliminated

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Jeff Shulman,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 13 Hour 2 Update: Elky Over a Million!

Jul 10, '09

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 930 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,200,000
2. Owen Crowe – 1,030,000
3. Gabe Walls – 873,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 870,000
5. Brennan Hanson – 670,000
6. James Akenhead – 660,000
7. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000
8. Brian Powel – 620,000
9. Tony Cavezza – 620,000
10. Kenny Tran – 590,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 175,000
Thomas Keller – out

Average Chip Count: 195,015

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizarachi
Amit Makhija
Alexia Portal
Nam Le
Dutch Boyd

Big Hands:

Betrand Grospellier Wins the Largest Hand of the Tournament so Far

A board of 972KA and 40,000 sat on the table when Jerry Wong bet 33,000. Bertrand Grospellier raised to 133,000 and then Wong moved all in for 250,000 more. Grospellier made the call and then flipped over 99. Wong showed down KQ and he was eliminated from the tournament. Grospellier won the huge pot and he now holds 1.1 million as the chip leader.

Jason Alexander Grabs Some Chips

Jason Alexander raised to 7,500 preflop from the hi-jack Christian Heich raised to 22,000. The flop came 862 flop and Alexander bet 20,000. Heich raised to 56,000 and Alexander tanked for a minute before he reraised all in for 131,600 more. Heich tanked and then mucked. Alexander grew his stack to 300,000.

Vitaly Lunkin Doubles Up

Vitaly Lunkin was faced with a preflop raised from the cutoff and decided to reraise to 18,000. The cutoff quickly announced he was all in for 81,150 total and Lunkin quickly called. The cutoff announced he was sick of being reraised by Lunkin and tabled the 75. Lunkin exposed the AQ and was ahead. The flop came 1098, and Lunkin was still in front with ace-high but his opponent had a massive drawing hand with a flush draw and straight draw. The 6 hit the turn and gave the cutoff a straight. The 6 fell on the river and Lunkin lost the 85,000 chip pot. Lunkin is down to 85,000.

Betrand Grospellier Dominating

Elky has been dominating his table since his massive surge to the chip lead. Grospellier raised preflop and was called by an opponent in the big blind. The flop came 833 and the big blind checked to Elky who elected to check behind. The 2 hit the turn and the big blind checked. Elky bet 6,500 and his opponent made the call. The 4 fell on the river and the big blind checked. Elky checked behind and the big blind exposed the A-10 but was no good against the A-J of Elky. Elky has been raising almost every hand and is running through his table. Elky is at 1,200,000.

Alex Kostritsyn Takes One Down

On a flop of K53, Phill Hellmuth bet 16,000 from middle position and Alex Kostritsyn called from the button. Josh Arieh elected to call from the small blind. The turn brought the 8 and action was checked around. The river brought the 4 and action was once again checked around. Arieh exposed the 64 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fours. Hellmuth didn’t show and said he just had a five. Kostritsyn exposed the 77 to take down the pot. Kostritsyn is at 620,000.

Peter Eastgate Eliminates Opponent

The defending main event champion got all the chips into the middle with the AK and was up against the 88. The board ran out AQ10J9 as Eastgate eliminated his opponent and is at 375,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Alexander,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Peter Eastgate,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 7 Hour 1 Update: More Notables Hit the Rail

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 3,006 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 367,000
2. Dan Bilzerian – 264,000
3. Chance Kornouth – 180,000
4. Josh Arieh – 180,000
5. Bertrand Grospellier – 160,000
6. David Benyamine – 154,000
7. Rick Fuller – 150,000
8. J.C. Alvarado – 142,000
9. Justin Bonomo – 140,000
10. Jon Kalmar – 135,050

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 55,000
Phil Hellmuth – 75,000
Lee Watkinson – 91,050
Adam Schoenfeld – 83,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 32,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 54,452

Notable Eliminations:

Steve Wong
Shannon Shorr
Vanessa Rousso
Brett Jungblut
Jonathan Little
Scotty Nguyen

Big Hands:

Arieh’s Big Call Gives Him Big Stack

After the button raised, Josh Arieh made the call in the small blind and the big blind also called. The flop was 987 and Arieh led out for 5,700 and was raised by the player in the big blind to 15,000. The button folded and Arieh made the call.

The turn was the 5 and Arieh checked and called 20,000 from his opponent. The river was the 8 and Arieh checked and the player in the big blind moved all in for his last 21,475. After a few moments of thought Arieh made the call and showed 54, for just a pair of fives, but it was good as his opponent showed AQ, for nothing but ace-high. With that pot, Arieh moves to 180,000 in chips.

Elky Puts On Running Sneakers

Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier made it 1,500 preflop and was met with a reraise from the small blind who made it 5,000. Elky then made it 18,500 and after a few seconds, the small blind moved all in and was called by Elky.

Elky showed AK and was in a race situation against his opponent’s QQ. The flop and turn were dry fro Elky as it came 2923, but the K on the river gave the pot to Elky. His stack is now up to 160,000.

Steve Wong Eliminated

There was a raise to 1,700 and a call before Steve Wong called from the big blind. The flop was 4Q5 and Wong and the original raiser checked and the third player in the hand bet 3,200. Wong made the call and the preflop raiser folded.

The turn was the A and Wong moved all in for his last 16,000, which was instantly called by his opponent, who showed AQ, while Wong only had A2. The river was the 6, meaning Wong missed his straight draw and his WSOP was over.

Wayans Sends One to the Rail

After a flop of 9104, the big blind led out for 2,800 and got two callers, one of whom being Marlon Wayans. The turn was the 8 and the big blind now checked and Wayans bet 10,000. The player behind him tanked for some time before raising all in for 15,000. The big blind folded and Wayans made the call.

Wayans showed QJ, making the nut straight on the turn, and his opponent was drawing dead as he tabled the 76, making the lesser straight on the turn. The river was meaningless and Wayans is at 42,000.

Scotty Nguyen’s Aces Cracked, Sent Packing

Scotty Nguyen and Brandon Lee got all of the chips in on the turn reading 5510K. Scotty turned over AA and was in good shape against Brandon Lee’s K10. That is, until the dealer put dealt the K on the river, giving Lee a full house and eliminating the former main event champion.

Little Bricks Off On Big Draw to End Main Event Run

Jonathan Little moved all in on the turn with the board reading J3105. His opponent called and showed KJ, which was good at the moment, but needed to dodge a lot of cards as Little showed KQ.

Any Q, spade, 9, or A would give Little the pot, but the 2 on the river sealed Little’s fate and was sent home early in the day.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Steve Wong

Level 5 Hour 2 Update: End of Day 1D

Jul 07, '09

NOTE: Play has ended for the night on day 1D. Check back in tomorrow at noon PDT for day 2A action.

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 340,000
2. Carter King – 172,000
3. Josh Arieh – 136,000
4. Dutch Boyd – 135,000
5. Blair Hinkle – 116,805
6. Bertrand Grospellier – 114,000
7. J.C. Tran – 113,000
8. Phil Ivey – 105,000
9. Prahlad Friedman – 101,000
10. David Benyamine – 102,200

Card Player Chip Counts:

Adam Schoenfeld – 100,000
Thomas Keller – 95,625
Jeff Shulman – 53,000
Matthew Hilger – 52,000
Shannon Shorr – 29,800
Steve Zolotow – 25,900

Average Chip Count: 42,750

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Fischman

Big Hands

Scott Fischman Eliminated by David Benyamine

It’s a three-way all in pot on a flop of 732.

Fischman: 62
Benyamine: 77
Opponent: JJ

Fischman flops bottom pair and is in third place behind Benyamine who flops top set and the third player in the hand with an overpair of jacks. The turn and river are the A and the Q, no help to Scott Fischman who is eliminated from the tournament as David Benyamine climbs up the leaderboard with over 100,000 in chips.

Vanessa Rousso Getting Short

Vanessa Rousso and an unknown opponent were tangled up on a board of K75103. Rousso bet 4,000 and was quickly called by her opponent. Rousso exposed the J9 for a jack-high flush that she nailed on the turn. However, she was no good as her opponent exposed the QQ for a higher flush that got there on the river. Rousso is down to 17,500.

Josh Arieh Aggressively Building Stack

The 2004 main event third place finisher has been hammering away at his table. He has built his stack up to well over 100,000 and is among the chip leaders. In one hand a player in middle position raised to 1,200 and the player to his left reraised to 3,400. Arieh held the button and thought for awhile before making it 9,300. Both his opponents folded. Arieh is at 132,000.

Ryan Young Wins a Small One

Ryan Young raised to 1,200 preflop and was called by Glen Chorny and another opponent. The flop came JJ3 and Young bet out 1,400. Chorny folded and his opponent on the button thought about it briefly, asking Young if he wanted a call. Young said no which prompted a quick call from the button. The J hit the turn and Young asked the dealer about the quad jacks bonus that has been a part of the day ones. Young eventually checked and so did his opponent. The river brought the 10 and Young checked again. The button also checked and exposed the 97 for a busted flush draw. Young tabled K-Q to take the pot with king-high. Young is at just about the starting amount of 30,000.

Elky Eliminates an Opponent

Bertrand Grospellier and his opponent got it all in preflop. Grospellier tabled the JJ while his opponent exposed the KQ. The board ran out AJ798 and Grospellier added 13,000 to his stack. Elky is at 114,000.

Dutch Boyd Takes a Pot from Phil Ivey

On a board of A63, Dutch Boyd led out with 1,500 from the big blind and Ivey reraised to 4,500. Boyd made the call and both players saw a 4 hit the turn. Both checked and the 8 fell on the river. Action was checked again and Boyd tabled the 63 for two pair and Ivey mucked. Boyd has 135,000 while Ivey has 105,000.

Troy Weber Charges to the Chip Lead

A pot held 15,000 when the flop hit the table J83. Troy Weber checked and the player immediately to his left bet 7,000. Weber made the call and the turn fell 8. Weber checked again and his opponent bet 11,000. Weber then check-raised to 30,000. His opponent reraised all in for 55,375 and Weber made the call after thinking it over for a few moments. Weber turned over 108 after his opponent quickly flipped up pocket queens, and the 9 fell on the river. Weber grew his stack to a massive 340,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Scott Fischman,   David Benyamine,   Vanessa Rousso,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 5 Hour 1 Update: Scott Clements Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Josh Arieh – 125,000
3. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
4. Chad Brown – 105,000
5. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
6. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
7. Phil Ivey – 82,000
8. John Racener – 79,000
9. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 56,000

Notable Eliminations:

Amir Vahedi
Scott Clements
Sully Erna

Big Hands

Amir Vahedi Eliminated by Marc Karam

Amir Vahedi gets it all in before the flop, Marc Karam calls and has him covered.

Vahedi: AK
Karam: AQ

Board: 832Q6

Vahedi gets it in as the favorite, but Karam spikes a queen on the turn, eliminating Amir Vahedi just minutes into Level 5.

Scott Clements Eliminated

Scott Clements was short stacked and holding the QQ on a board of J559. Clements got the rest of his chips into the middle with the over pair but was drawing dead against the 55 of his opponent. Clements was sent to the rail.

Sully Erna Eliminated

Godsmack member Sully Erna was crippled when put an opponent all in on a board of J326. His opponent called and tabled the AQ for the nuts. Erna mucked and was eliminated shortly after when his short stack of 1,150 didn’t last.

Kristy Gazes Flops the Nuts, Gets Paid Off

On a flop of J85, the player in seat 7 bets 1,100 and Kristy Gazes calls. The turn is the K, and this time Gazes leads out for 2,675. The river is the K, Gazes bets 5,125 and her opponent goes into the tank. After a few minutes he makes the call and Gazes turns over AQ for the nut flush. Gazes rakes the pot, bringing her stack up to 45,000 at the moment.

Arieh On a Run, Breaks 100K

On a flop of AK7, Josh Arieh bets 2,000 from the cutoff and the player on the button makes the call. The turn is the 4, Arieh bets 5,000 and the button calls. The river is the 7, and once again Arieh bets 5,000 and gets a call. Arieh turns over A9 for top pair, his opponent exposes K10 for middle pair. Arieh rakes the pot, bringing his stack up to 125,000 this hand.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Josh Arieh,   Kristy Gazes,   Scott Clements,   Marc Karam,   Sully Erna

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Alec Torelli, Jeff Madsen, Mark Seif, Lynette Chan Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 2,371 out of 2,809

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
3. Chad Brown – 105,000
4. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
5. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
6. Josh Arieh – 82,500
7. Thomas Keller – 80,500
8. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
9. Jeff Shulman – 62,000
10. Kenny Tran – 61,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 62,000
Matthew Hilger – 68,000

Average Chip Count: 35,541

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Seif
Jeff Madsen
Alec Torelli
Lynette Chan
Christian Harder
Svetlana Gromenkova

Big Hands:

Jean Gaspard Wins a Pot

The player from under the gun raises to 1,200 and Jean Gaspard calls from the big blind. The flop comes 964, the UTG player bets 3,500 and Gaspard quickly calls. The turn (4) pairs the board and both players check. The river is the 10, and once gain both players check. Gaspard turns over 96 for two pair and his opponent mucks his cards. Gaspard is back up to 35,000 in chips after this hand.

Josh Arieh Folds Ace-King

A player in middle position bet 1,200 and a player in the cutoff just called. Arieh reraised from the small blind 3,100 on top. The initial raiser threw out another raise, making it 5,300 more. The cutoff went into the tank with the 98 but eventually mucked. Arieh contemplated briefly before mucking the AK face up. Arieh made a good fold as his opponent held the KK. Arieh is at 82,500

Scott Clements Wins Small Pot With K-high

Scotty Clements raised preflop with the KQ and was called be an opponent in the small blind with the KJ. Both players checked down a board that was all small cards. Clements raked in the small pot but is still at just 12,025.

Lynette Chan Eliminated

Lynette Chan gets it all in preflop against one opponent.

Chan: 109
Opponent: AK

Board: 85263

Chan gets it in behind, but turns a flush draw and a straight draw to pick up some outs. The river bricks and Lynette Chan is sent to the rail.

Johnny Bax Cracks Kings

On a flop of 1052, there is a bet of 1,800 followed by a raise to 7,000. Cliff Josephy calls the raise and the original bettor folds. The turn is the A and both players check around. The river is the Q, Josephy bets 13,500 and his opponent calls. Josephy turns over A3 for the nut flush on the river. His opponent looks sick as he tosses kings into the mucks. Bax is up to almost 100,000 in chips after this hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Cliff Josephy,   Lynette Chan,   Jean Gaspard

Level 14 Hour 1 Update: Vitaly Lunkin Triples Up

Jul 10, '09

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

Players Remaining: 864 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,250,000
2. Ludovic Lacay – 890,000
3. Christian Heich – 870,00
4. Saar Wilf – 820,000
5. Jordan Morgan – 773,000
6. Gabe Walls – 725,000
7. James Akenhead – 698,000
8. Brennan Hanson – 685,000
9. Owen Crowe – 650,000
10. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 188,000

Average Chip Count: 220,884

Notable Eliminations:

Lee Markholt
Shane Schleger
Jason Alexander

Big Hands:

Steven Van Zadelhoff Doubles Up

Sorel Mizzi reraised all in preflop for 209,000 and Steven Van Zadelhoff made the call. Mizzi flipped over K-6 and Van Zadelhoff showed down A-K. The board came all blanks and Van Zadelhoff grew his stack to 440,000.

Kostritsyn vs. Arieh

Kostritsyn raised preflop and four players made the call. The flop was dealt 544 and Kostritsyn bet 15,000. Josh Arieh made the call and the two other players mucked. The turn fell 8 and action was checked around. The river fell K, Kostritsyn bet 55,000 and Arieh went into the tank. He mucked and Arieh was down to 75,000. Kostritsyn was up to 620,000 after the hand.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Triple Up Miracle

A player in middle position raised to 8,000 and Vitaly Lunkin went all in for 38,900 on his immediate left. A player in late position contemplated briefly before making the call. Action was back to the initial raiser who quickly moved all in for about 100,000 more. The player in late position who smooth called Lunkin’s all-in instantly called and tabled the AA. The player in middle position who was the initial raiser exposed the KK while Lunkin exposed the dominated K7. The flop came 1084 and the aces were still way out in front. The 6 hit the turn, giving Lunkin as double gutshot straight draw. It got there on the river as the 9 fell, doubling up Lunkin to about 120,000.

Bertrand Grospellier Continues to Roll

On a board of A33K2, Bertrand Grospellier bet 33,300 and a player in middle position went into the tank. He eventually made the call and Elky exposed the 93 for trip threes. His opponent was stunned and eventually mucked. Elky is at 1,250,000.

Jeff Shulman Wins a Pot

Jeff Shulman bet 8,000 on the button and a player in the small blind made it 23,500. Shulman made the call and the flop came 763. Both checked and the 4 hit the turn. The small blind once again checked and Shulman bet 30,000. The small blind folded and Shulman took the pot. He is at 188,000.

Peter Eatgate Takes a Hit

Peter Eastgate raised to 7,500 preflop and the small blind reraised to 24,400. The flop was dealt K109 and both players checked. The 9s fell on the turn and both players checked again. The 9 fell on the river and the small blind bet 15,000. Eastgate tanked for a moment and then mucked. His stack was down to 235,000 after the hand.

Jason Alexander Eliminated

Christian Heich raised to 8,000 from early position and one player called before Carter King raised to 30,400 from late position. Jason Alexander made the call from the small blind and Heich called as well. The original caller mucked and the flop was dealt 643. Alexander bet 25,000 and Heich raised all in. King mucked and Alexander went into the tank before making the all-in call. Their cards:

Alexander: JJ
Heich: 65

Turn and River: 96

Heich made trips on the river to win the pot and grow his stack to 870,000. Alexander was eliminated on the hand.

Jeffrey Lisandro Eliminated

With 100,000 in the pot on the turn with a board of 985 John Myung checked and Jeffrey Lisandro moved all in for 43,200. Myung made the call and Lisandro flipped over KK. Myung showed J7. The turn and river fell 24. Myung moved up to 200,000 and Lisandro was eliminated

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Jeff Shulman,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 13 Hour 2 Update: Elky Over a Million!

Jul 10, '09

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 930 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,200,000
2. Owen Crowe – 1,030,000
3. Gabe Walls – 873,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 870,000
5. Brennan Hanson – 670,000
6. James Akenhead – 660,000
7. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000
8. Brian Powel – 620,000
9. Tony Cavezza – 620,000
10. Kenny Tran – 590,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 175,000
Thomas Keller – out

Average Chip Count: 195,015

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizarachi
Amit Makhija
Alexia Portal
Nam Le
Dutch Boyd

Big Hands:

Betrand Grospellier Wins the Largest Hand of the Tournament so Far

A board of 972KA and 40,000 sat on the table when Jerry Wong bet 33,000. Bertrand Grospellier raised to 133,000 and then Wong moved all in for 250,000 more. Grospellier made the call and then flipped over 99. Wong showed down KQ and he was eliminated from the tournament. Grospellier won the huge pot and he now holds 1.1 million as the chip leader.

Jason Alexander Grabs Some Chips

Jason Alexander raised to 7,500 preflop from the hi-jack Christian Heich raised to 22,000. The flop came 862 flop and Alexander bet 20,000. Heich raised to 56,000 and Alexander tanked for a minute before he reraised all in for 131,600 more. Heich tanked and then mucked. Alexander grew his stack to 300,000.

Vitaly Lunkin Doubles Up

Vitaly Lunkin was faced with a preflop raised from the cutoff and decided to reraise to 18,000. The cutoff quickly announced he was all in for 81,150 total and Lunkin quickly called. The cutoff announced he was sick of being reraised by Lunkin and tabled the 75. Lunkin exposed the AQ and was ahead. The flop came 1098, and Lunkin was still in front with ace-high but his opponent had a massive drawing hand with a flush draw and straight draw. The 6 hit the turn and gave the cutoff a straight. The 6 fell on the river and Lunkin lost the 85,000 chip pot. Lunkin is down to 85,000.

Betrand Grospellier Dominating

Elky has been dominating his table since his massive surge to the chip lead. Grospellier raised preflop and was called by an opponent in the big blind. The flop came 833 and the big blind checked to Elky who elected to check behind. The 2 hit the turn and the big blind checked. Elky bet 6,500 and his opponent made the call. The 4 fell on the river and the big blind checked. Elky checked behind and the big blind exposed the A-10 but was no good against the A-J of Elky. Elky has been raising almost every hand and is running through his table. Elky is at 1,200,000.

Alex Kostritsyn Takes One Down

On a flop of K53, Phill Hellmuth bet 16,000 from middle position and Alex Kostritsyn called from the button. Josh Arieh elected to call from the small blind. The turn brought the 8 and action was checked around. The river brought the 4 and action was once again checked around. Arieh exposed the 64 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fours. Hellmuth didn’t show and said he just had a five. Kostritsyn exposed the 77 to take down the pot. Kostritsyn is at 620,000.

Peter Eastgate Eliminates Opponent

The defending main event champion got all the chips into the middle with the AK and was up against the 88. The board ran out AQ10J9 as Eastgate eliminated his opponent and is at 375,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Alexander,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Peter Eastgate,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 7 Hour 1 Update: More Notables Hit the Rail

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 3,006 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 367,000
2. Dan Bilzerian – 264,000
3. Chance Kornouth – 180,000
4. Josh Arieh – 180,000
5. Bertrand Grospellier – 160,000
6. David Benyamine – 154,000
7. Rick Fuller – 150,000
8. J.C. Alvarado – 142,000
9. Justin Bonomo – 140,000
10. Jon Kalmar – 135,050

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 55,000
Phil Hellmuth – 75,000
Lee Watkinson – 91,050
Adam Schoenfeld – 83,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 32,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 54,452

Notable Eliminations:

Steve Wong
Shannon Shorr
Vanessa Rousso
Brett Jungblut
Jonathan Little
Scotty Nguyen

Big Hands:

Arieh’s Big Call Gives Him Big Stack

After the button raised, Josh Arieh made the call in the small blind and the big blind also called. The flop was 987 and Arieh led out for 5,700 and was raised by the player in the big blind to 15,000. The button folded and Arieh made the call.

The turn was the 5 and Arieh checked and called 20,000 from his opponent. The river was the 8 and Arieh checked and the player in the big blind moved all in for his last 21,475. After a few moments of thought Arieh made the call and showed 54, for just a pair of fives, but it was good as his opponent showed AQ, for nothing but ace-high. With that pot, Arieh moves to 180,000 in chips.

Elky Puts On Running Sneakers

Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier made it 1,500 preflop and was met with a reraise from the small blind who made it 5,000. Elky then made it 18,500 and after a few seconds, the small blind moved all in and was called by Elky.

Elky showed AK and was in a race situation against his opponent’s QQ. The flop and turn were dry fro Elky as it came 2923, but the K on the river gave the pot to Elky. His stack is now up to 160,000.

Steve Wong Eliminated

There was a raise to 1,700 and a call before Steve Wong called from the big blind. The flop was 4Q5 and Wong and the original raiser checked and the third player in the hand bet 3,200. Wong made the call and the preflop raiser folded.

The turn was the A and Wong moved all in for his last 16,000, which was instantly called by his opponent, who showed AQ, while Wong only had A2. The river was the 6, meaning Wong missed his straight draw and his WSOP was over.

Wayans Sends One to the Rail

After a flop of 9104, the big blind led out for 2,800 and got two callers, one of whom being Marlon Wayans. The turn was the 8 and the big blind now checked and Wayans bet 10,000. The player behind him tanked for some time before raising all in for 15,000. The big blind folded and Wayans made the call.

Wayans showed QJ, making the nut straight on the turn, and his opponent was drawing dead as he tabled the 76, making the lesser straight on the turn. The river was meaningless and Wayans is at 42,000.

Scotty Nguyen’s Aces Cracked, Sent Packing

Scotty Nguyen and Brandon Lee got all of the chips in on the turn reading 5510K. Scotty turned over AA and was in good shape against Brandon Lee’s K10. That is, until the dealer put dealt the K on the river, giving Lee a full house and eliminating the former main event champion.

Little Bricks Off On Big Draw to End Main Event Run

Jonathan Little moved all in on the turn with the board reading J3105. His opponent called and showed KJ, which was good at the moment, but needed to dodge a lot of cards as Little showed KQ.

Any Q, spade, 9, or A would give Little the pot, but the 2 on the river sealed Little’s fate and was sent home early in the day.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Steve Wong

Level 5 Hour 2 Update: End of Day 1D

Jul 07, '09

NOTE: Play has ended for the night on day 1D. Check back in tomorrow at noon PDT for day 2A action.

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 340,000
2. Carter King – 172,000
3. Josh Arieh – 136,000
4. Dutch Boyd – 135,000
5. Blair Hinkle – 116,805
6. Bertrand Grospellier – 114,000
7. J.C. Tran – 113,000
8. Phil Ivey – 105,000
9. Prahlad Friedman – 101,000
10. David Benyamine – 102,200

Card Player Chip Counts:

Adam Schoenfeld – 100,000
Thomas Keller – 95,625
Jeff Shulman – 53,000
Matthew Hilger – 52,000
Shannon Shorr – 29,800
Steve Zolotow – 25,900

Average Chip Count: 42,750

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Fischman

Big Hands

Scott Fischman Eliminated by David Benyamine

It’s a three-way all in pot on a flop of 732.

Fischman: 62
Benyamine: 77
Opponent: JJ

Fischman flops bottom pair and is in third place behind Benyamine who flops top set and the third player in the hand with an overpair of jacks. The turn and river are the A and the Q, no help to Scott Fischman who is eliminated from the tournament as David Benyamine climbs up the leaderboard with over 100,000 in chips.

Vanessa Rousso Getting Short

Vanessa Rousso and an unknown opponent were tangled up on a board of K75103. Rousso bet 4,000 and was quickly called by her opponent. Rousso exposed the J9 for a jack-high flush that she nailed on the turn. However, she was no good as her opponent exposed the QQ for a higher flush that got there on the river. Rousso is down to 17,500.

Josh Arieh Aggressively Building Stack

The 2004 main event third place finisher has been hammering away at his table. He has built his stack up to well over 100,000 and is among the chip leaders. In one hand a player in middle position raised to 1,200 and the player to his left reraised to 3,400. Arieh held the button and thought for awhile before making it 9,300. Both his opponents folded. Arieh is at 132,000.

Ryan Young Wins a Small One

Ryan Young raised to 1,200 preflop and was called by Glen Chorny and another opponent. The flop came JJ3 and Young bet out 1,400. Chorny folded and his opponent on the button thought about it briefly, asking Young if he wanted a call. Young said no which prompted a quick call from the button. The J hit the turn and Young asked the dealer about the quad jacks bonus that has been a part of the day ones. Young eventually checked and so did his opponent. The river brought the 10 and Young checked again. The button also checked and exposed the 97 for a busted flush draw. Young tabled K-Q to take the pot with king-high. Young is at just about the starting amount of 30,000.

Elky Eliminates an Opponent

Bertrand Grospellier and his opponent got it all in preflop. Grospellier tabled the JJ while his opponent exposed the KQ. The board ran out AJ798 and Grospellier added 13,000 to his stack. Elky is at 114,000.

Dutch Boyd Takes a Pot from Phil Ivey

On a board of A63, Dutch Boyd led out with 1,500 from the big blind and Ivey reraised to 4,500. Boyd made the call and both players saw a 4 hit the turn. Both checked and the 8 fell on the river. Action was checked again and Boyd tabled the 63 for two pair and Ivey mucked. Boyd has 135,000 while Ivey has 105,000.

Troy Weber Charges to the Chip Lead

A pot held 15,000 when the flop hit the table J83. Troy Weber checked and the player immediately to his left bet 7,000. Weber made the call and the turn fell 8. Weber checked again and his opponent bet 11,000. Weber then check-raised to 30,000. His opponent reraised all in for 55,375 and Weber made the call after thinking it over for a few moments. Weber turned over 108 after his opponent quickly flipped up pocket queens, and the 9 fell on the river. Weber grew his stack to a massive 340,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Scott Fischman,   David Benyamine,   Vanessa Rousso,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 5 Hour 1 Update: Scott Clements Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Josh Arieh – 125,000
3. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
4. Chad Brown – 105,000
5. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
6. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
7. Phil Ivey – 82,000
8. John Racener – 79,000
9. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 56,000

Notable Eliminations:

Amir Vahedi
Scott Clements
Sully Erna

Big Hands

Amir Vahedi Eliminated by Marc Karam

Amir Vahedi gets it all in before the flop, Marc Karam calls and has him covered.

Vahedi: AK
Karam: AQ

Board: 832Q6

Vahedi gets it in as the favorite, but Karam spikes a queen on the turn, eliminating Amir Vahedi just minutes into Level 5.

Scott Clements Eliminated

Scott Clements was short stacked and holding the QQ on a board of J559. Clements got the rest of his chips into the middle with the over pair but was drawing dead against the 55 of his opponent. Clements was sent to the rail.

Sully Erna Eliminated

Godsmack member Sully Erna was crippled when put an opponent all in on a board of J326. His opponent called and tabled the AQ for the nuts. Erna mucked and was eliminated shortly after when his short stack of 1,150 didn’t last.

Kristy Gazes Flops the Nuts, Gets Paid Off

On a flop of J85, the player in seat 7 bets 1,100 and Kristy Gazes calls. The turn is the K, and this time Gazes leads out for 2,675. The river is the K, Gazes bets 5,125 and her opponent goes into the tank. After a few minutes he makes the call and Gazes turns over AQ for the nut flush. Gazes rakes the pot, bringing her stack up to 45,000 at the moment.

Arieh On a Run, Breaks 100K

On a flop of AK7, Josh Arieh bets 2,000 from the cutoff and the player on the button makes the call. The turn is the 4, Arieh bets 5,000 and the button calls. The river is the 7, and once again Arieh bets 5,000 and gets a call. Arieh turns over A9 for top pair, his opponent exposes K10 for middle pair. Arieh rakes the pot, bringing his stack up to 125,000 this hand.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Josh Arieh,   Kristy Gazes,   Scott Clements,   Marc Karam,   Sully Erna

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Alec Torelli, Jeff Madsen, Mark Seif, Lynette Chan Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 2,371 out of 2,809

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
3. Chad Brown – 105,000
4. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
5. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
6. Josh Arieh – 82,500
7. Thomas Keller – 80,500
8. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
9. Jeff Shulman – 62,000
10. Kenny Tran – 61,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 62,000
Matthew Hilger – 68,000

Average Chip Count: 35,541

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Seif
Jeff Madsen
Alec Torelli
Lynette Chan
Christian Harder
Svetlana Gromenkova

Big Hands:

Jean Gaspard Wins a Pot

The player from under the gun raises to 1,200 and Jean Gaspard calls from the big blind. The flop comes 964, the UTG player bets 3,500 and Gaspard quickly calls. The turn (4) pairs the board and both players check. The river is the 10, and once gain both players check. Gaspard turns over 96 for two pair and his opponent mucks his cards. Gaspard is back up to 35,000 in chips after this hand.

Josh Arieh Folds Ace-King

A player in middle position bet 1,200 and a player in the cutoff just called. Arieh reraised from the small blind 3,100 on top. The initial raiser threw out another raise, making it 5,300 more. The cutoff went into the tank with the 98 but eventually mucked. Arieh contemplated briefly before mucking the AK face up. Arieh made a good fold as his opponent held the KK. Arieh is at 82,500

Scott Clements Wins Small Pot With K-high

Scotty Clements raised preflop with the KQ and was called be an opponent in the small blind with the KJ. Both players checked down a board that was all small cards. Clements raked in the small pot but is still at just 12,025.

Lynette Chan Eliminated

Lynette Chan gets it all in preflop against one opponent.

Chan: 109
Opponent: AK

Board: 85263

Chan gets it in behind, but turns a flush draw and a straight draw to pick up some outs. The river bricks and Lynette Chan is sent to the rail.

Johnny Bax Cracks Kings

On a flop of 1052, there is a bet of 1,800 followed by a raise to 7,000. Cliff Josephy calls the raise and the original bettor folds. The turn is the A and both players check around. The river is the Q, Josephy bets 13,500 and his opponent calls. Josephy turns over A3 for the nut flush on the river. His opponent looks sick as he tosses kings into the mucks. Bax is up to almost 100,000 in chips after this hand.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Cliff Josephy,   Lynette Chan,   Jean Gaspard

Level 24 Update: Barry Greenstein, Richard Austin, Josh Arieh Eliminated

Jun 22, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 295

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 2,660,000
2. Matt Graham — 1,650,000
3. Stefan Mattsson — 1,550,000
4. Ferit Gabriellson — 1,200,000
5. Robin Keston — 1,020,000
6. Van Marcus — 580,000

Average Chip Count: 1,475,000

Eliminations:

9. Barry Greenstein – $82,746
8. Richard Austin – $88,681
7. Josh Arieh – $99,856

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in 9th Place ($82,746)

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 120,000 with Barry Greenstein and Josh Arieh calling from the blinds. The flop came 962. Greenstein and Arieh both checked to Lunkin, who fired out a bet of 200,000. Greenstein check raised to 800,000 and Arieh quickly folded. Lunkin went into the tank for a few minutes before finally announcing all-in, having Greenstein covered. Greenstein made the quick call and exposed the 9785 for a wrap and a flush draw. Lunkin exposed the AA87, for the best hand at the moment. Lunkin had only a 25 percent chance to win however, against the massive drawing hand of Greenstein. The turn was the Q, offering Greenstein no help. The 3 fell on the river and the 3-time bracelet winner missed all of his draws, going to the rail first at the final table. Lunkin is now up to 2,660,000 in chips and looks poised to become a double bracelet winner this year.

Richard Austin Eliminated In 8th Place ($88,681)

Vitaly Lunkin raised in early position to 120,000 and Richard Austin made the call from the big blind. The flop came A65 and Austin bet out 120,000. Lunkin quickly raised enough to put the recent PLO bracelet winner all-in. Austin made the call and exposed the 9875 for a pair of fives and a wrap. Lunkin tabled the KK42 for a pair of kings, the nut flush draw and a straight draw to boot. Lunkin was a 2-1 favorite to win the hand as the J hit the turn. The dealer pealed off the 8 on the river, nailing Austin’s straight but giving the Event No. 2 ($40,000 no-limit hold’em) champion a flush. Austin was sent home early after another strong showing in PLO.

Josh Arieh Eliminated In 7th Place ($99,856)

Josh Arieh got the rest of his shorter stack in the middle with the AA49. He was called by Ferit Gabriellson who tabled the KK310. The flop came KQ10, giving Gabriellson a set and putting Arieh on the brink. The J hit the turn, giving Arieh some light with a flush draw, but unfortunately his opponent also held two clubs in his hand. The K fell on the river, making quads for Gabriellson and eliminating Arieh. Gabriellson is now up to 1,200,000.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Barry Greenstein,   Ferit Gabriellson,   Richard Austin,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 23 Update: Vitaly Lunkin Builds Stack

Jun 22, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 295

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Graham — 1,450,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,440,000
3. Barry Greenstein — 1,230,000
4. Robin Keston — 960,000
5. Josh Arieh — 860,000
6. Richard Austin — 680,000
7. Stefan Mattsson — 652,000
8. Ferit Gabriellson — 630,000
9. Van Marcus — 385,000

Average Chip Count: 983,333

Big Hands:

Vitaly Lunkin Builds Stack

With already more money won at this year’s World Series of Poker than anyone else, Russian Vitaly Lunkin is rising up the chip counts. Lunkin raised preflop to 90,000 and Richard Austin made the call. The flop came JJ4, and Austin checked to Lunkin, who proceeded to throw out a small bet out 75,000. Austin announced raised and made it 230,000. Lunkin quickly announced pot and Austin instantly folded his cards.

A few hands later Josh Arieh and Richard Austin limped in. Lunkin checked from the big blind and all three players saw a flop of AQ3. Action was checked to Austin, who bet 80,000. Lunkin quickly announced pot and made it 265,000 more. Arieh and Austin both mucked. Lunkin is at 1,440,000 in the early stages of the final table.

Josh Arieh Leaking Chips

Ferit Gabriellson raised to 80,000 and Josh Arieh called from the small blind. The flop came A65. Arieh checked and Gabriellson fired out 110,000. Arieh quickly called and the Q hit the turn. Arieh once again checked and Gabriellson bet 300,000. Arieh elected to call once more and the 2 fell on the river. Arieh checked for a third time and Gabriellson went all-in for 340,000. Arieh went into the tank before finally folding. Gabriellson showed the 108 for what looked like a bluff. Arieh is down to 860,000 after once being the chip leader with 1,600,000.

Left In The Deck:

The players are now on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Richard Austin,   Vitaly Lunkin

End of Day 2: Noah Schwartz Out In Front

Jun 22, '09

Day 2 has come to an end and the remaining 25 players will return at 1:00 pm PDT and play down to a winner. Be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com for all of the action.

Players Remaining: 25 out of 295

Chip Counts:

Noah Schwartz — 1,220,000
Marcus Golser — 621,000
Robin Keston — 606,000
Matt Graham — 586,000
Natha Doudney — 585,000
Freit Gabreillson — 547,000
Steffan Mattsson — 484,000
Barry Greenstein — 467,000
Matt Vengrin — 389,000
Josh Arieh — 356,000
Richard Austin — 331,000
Howard Lederer — 326,000
David Podgurski — 261,000
Padraig Parkinson — 259,000
James Taylor — 254,000
Van Marcus — 246,000
Vitaly Lunkin — 220,000
Rodrigo dos Santos — 204,000
David Williams — 198,000
Nate Lindsay — 171,000
Chau Giang — 129,000
Nenad Medic — 128,000
Henri Kettunen — 100,000
Tony Cousineau — 100,000
Todd Barlow — 97,000
Average Chip Count: 354,000

Notable Eliminations:

28. Nam Le — $0.00
27. Erick Lindgren — $25,817
26. Jonas Entin — $25,817

Big Hands

Nam Le Bubbles

Stefan Mattsson raises to 25,000 before the flop and Nam Le moves all in from the big blind.

Nam Le: K1096
Mattsson: AA84

Board: JJ5710

Mattsson’s aces hold up and Nam Le is eliminated on the bubble. The remaing 27 players are all in the money and guaranteed to cash for at least $25,817.

Erick Lindgren Eliminated in 27th place ($25,817)

On a flop of AQ8, Erick Lindgren gets it all in against Josh Arieh.

Lindgren: QJ108
Arieh: AAJ8

Lindgren got it in with two pair and a straight draw while Arieh flopped top set. The turn and river are 9 and the Q, filling Arieh and eliminating Erick Lindgren in 27th place ($25,817).

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Erick Lindgren,   Nam Le,   Noah Schwartz,   Stefan Mattsson

Level 24 Update: Barry Greenstein, Richard Austin, Josh Arieh Eliminated

Jun 22, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 295

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 2,660,000
2. Matt Graham — 1,650,000
3. Stefan Mattsson — 1,550,000
4. Ferit Gabriellson — 1,200,000
5. Robin Keston — 1,020,000
6. Van Marcus — 580,000

Average Chip Count: 1,475,000

Eliminations:

9. Barry Greenstein – $82,746
8. Richard Austin – $88,681
7. Josh Arieh – $99,856

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in 9th Place ($82,746)

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 120,000 with Barry Greenstein and Josh Arieh calling from the blinds. The flop came 962. Greenstein and Arieh both checked to Lunkin, who fired out a bet of 200,000. Greenstein check raised to 800,000 and Arieh quickly folded. Lunkin went into the tank for a few minutes before finally announcing all-in, having Greenstein covered. Greenstein made the quick call and exposed the 9785 for a wrap and a flush draw. Lunkin exposed the AA87, for the best hand at the moment. Lunkin had only a 25 percent chance to win however, against the massive drawing hand of Greenstein. The turn was the Q, offering Greenstein no help. The 3 fell on the river and the 3-time bracelet winner missed all of his draws, going to the rail first at the final table. Lunkin is now up to 2,660,000 in chips and looks poised to become a double bracelet winner this year.

Richard Austin Eliminated In 8th Place ($88,681)

Vitaly Lunkin raised in early position to 120,000 and Richard Austin made the call from the big blind. The flop came A65 and Austin bet out 120,000. Lunkin quickly raised enough to put the recent PLO bracelet winner all-in. Austin made the call and exposed the 9875 for a pair of fives and a wrap. Lunkin tabled the KK42 for a pair of kings, the nut flush draw and a straight draw to boot. Lunkin was a 2-1 favorite to win the hand as the J hit the turn. The dealer pealed off the 8 on the river, nailing Austin’s straight but giving the Event No. 2 ($40,000 no-limit hold’em) champion a flush. Austin was sent home early after another strong showing in PLO.

Josh Arieh Eliminated In 7th Place ($99,856)

Josh Arieh got the rest of his shorter stack in the middle with the AA49. He was called by Ferit Gabriellson who tabled the KK310. The flop came KQ10, giving Gabriellson a set and putting Arieh on the brink. The J hit the turn, giving Arieh some light with a flush draw, but unfortunately his opponent also held two clubs in his hand. The K fell on the river, making quads for Gabriellson and eliminating Arieh. Gabriellson is now up to 1,200,000.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Barry Greenstein,   Ferit Gabriellson,   Richard Austin,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 23 Update: Vitaly Lunkin Builds Stack

Jun 22, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 295

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Graham — 1,450,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,440,000
3. Barry Greenstein — 1,230,000
4. Robin Keston — 960,000
5. Josh Arieh — 860,000
6. Richard Austin — 680,000
7. Stefan Mattsson — 652,000
8. Ferit Gabriellson — 630,000
9. Van Marcus — 385,000

Average Chip Count: 983,333

Big Hands:

Vitaly Lunkin Builds Stack

With already more money won at this year’s World Series of Poker than anyone else, Russian Vitaly Lunkin is rising up the chip counts. Lunkin raised preflop to 90,000 and Richard Austin made the call. The flop came JJ4, and Austin checked to Lunkin, who proceeded to throw out a small bet out 75,000. Austin announced raised and made it 230,000. Lunkin quickly announced pot and Austin instantly folded his cards.

A few hands later Josh Arieh and Richard Austin limped in. Lunkin checked from the big blind and all three players saw a flop of AQ3. Action was checked to Austin, who bet 80,000. Lunkin quickly announced pot and made it 265,000 more. Arieh and Austin both mucked. Lunkin is at 1,440,000 in the early stages of the final table.

Josh Arieh Leaking Chips

Ferit Gabriellson raised to 80,000 and Josh Arieh called from the small blind. The flop came A65. Arieh checked and Gabriellson fired out 110,000. Arieh quickly called and the Q hit the turn. Arieh once again checked and Gabriellson bet 300,000. Arieh elected to call once more and the 2 fell on the river. Arieh checked for a third time and Gabriellson went all-in for 340,000. Arieh went into the tank before finally folding. Gabriellson showed the 108 for what looked like a bluff. Arieh is down to 860,000 after once being the chip leader with 1,600,000.

Left In The Deck:

The players are now on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Richard Austin,   Vitaly Lunkin

End of Day 2: Noah Schwartz Out In Front

Jun 22, '09

Day 2 has come to an end and the remaining 25 players will return at 1:00 pm PDT and play down to a winner. Be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com for all of the action.

Players Remaining: 25 out of 295

Chip Counts:

Noah Schwartz — 1,220,000
Marcus Golser — 621,000
Robin Keston — 606,000
Matt Graham — 586,000
Natha Doudney — 585,000
Freit Gabreillson — 547,000
Steffan Mattsson — 484,000
Barry Greenstein — 467,000
Matt Vengrin — 389,000
Josh Arieh — 356,000
Richard Austin — 331,000
Howard Lederer — 326,000
David Podgurski — 261,000
Padraig Parkinson — 259,000
James Taylor — 254,000
Van Marcus — 246,000
Vitaly Lunkin — 220,000
Rodrigo dos Santos — 204,000
David Williams — 198,000
Nate Lindsay — 171,000
Chau Giang — 129,000
Nenad Medic — 128,000
Henri Kettunen — 100,000
Tony Cousineau — 100,000
Todd Barlow — 97,000
Average Chip Count: 354,000

Notable Eliminations:

28. Nam Le — $0.00
27. Erick Lindgren — $25,817
26. Jonas Entin — $25,817

Big Hands

Nam Le Bubbles

Stefan Mattsson raises to 25,000 before the flop and Nam Le moves all in from the big blind.

Nam Le: K1096
Mattsson: AA84

Board: JJ5710

Mattsson’s aces hold up and Nam Le is eliminated on the bubble. The remaing 27 players are all in the money and guaranteed to cash for at least $25,817.

Erick Lindgren Eliminated in 27th place ($25,817)

On a flop of AQ8, Erick Lindgren gets it all in against Josh Arieh.

Lindgren: QJ108
Arieh: AAJ8

Lindgren got it in with two pair and a straight draw while Arieh flopped top set. The turn and river are 9 and the Q, filling Arieh and eliminating Erick Lindgren in 27th place ($25,817).

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Erick Lindgren,   Nam Le,   Noah Schwartz,   Stefan Mattsson

Level 9 Update: Chris Ferguson, Mike Baxter Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 800-1,500

Players Remaining: 116 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Jen Harman – 128,000
2. Maria Ho – 113,000
3. Josh Arieh – 112,000
4. Shaun Deeb – 106,000
5. Chino Rheem – 87,400
6. Vitaly Lunkin – 86,500
7. David Benyamine – 74,600
8. Greg Muelller – 72,000
9. Barry Greenstein – 67,100
10. Todd Brunson – 67,000

Average Chip Count: 47,844

Notable Eliminations:

Chris Ferguson
Mike Baxter

Big Hands:

Chris Ferguson Eliminated

Riding a short stack for quite some time, Chris Ferguson bet the last of his remaining chips with ace-queen on a board A76, and was called by the A7 of Josh Arieh. The 9 hit the turn and the 8 fell on the river, eliminating Ferguson. Arieh is now at 112,000.

Joe Cassidy Calls With Queen-High

In a blind vs. blind battle, Joe Cassidy was faced with a 3,000 chip bet on the river. Cassidy went into the tank and made the call, leaving just 10,000 behind in his stack. His opponent tabled eight-three for just eight high, and Cassidy exposed the QJ for queen-high to take the pot.

Mike Baxter Eliminated

Baxter bet the last of his remaining chips with the 1010 and was called by the KJ of an opponent. The flop was ugly for Baxter as it came K96. The turn brought the 3 and the K fell on the river, eliminating Baxter.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Joe Cassidy,   Mike Baxter

Level 7 Update: Ho Continues To Roll

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 141 out of 185

Chip Counts

1. Josh Arieh – 103,000
2. Greg Mueller – 95,000
3. Shaun Deeb – 88,000
4. Lex Veldhuis – 74,000
5. Markus Golser – 74,000
6. Mike Sowers – 72,500
7. Maria Ho – 70,000
8. Peter Gould – 60,000
9. Dario Minieri – 58,000
10. Jennifer Harman – 57,000

Average Stack: 37,248

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Newhouse
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Ivey

Big Hands:

Hawrilenko Takes One Off Mueller

Matt Hawrilenko and Greg Mueller were in for 2,000 preflop. The flop then came down A73 and Hawrilenko bet 1,000. Mueller made the call and the 8 fell on the turn. Hawrilenko bet 2,000 and Mueller called again. The K came on the river and Hawrilenko fired another 2,000 into the pot. Mueller called again and Hawrilenko showed A10 for top pair. Mueller flashed QQ and then threw it into the muck. Mueller dropped the pot but he was still around 100,000 in chips.

Dario Blasts Boeken

On a board reading J10910, Dario Minieri bet 2,000 and Noah Boeken made the call. The 10 came on the river and Minieri bet another 2,000. Boeken made the call and Minieri showed down the bullets, AA. Boeken mucked his hand and he was down to 40,000. Minieri was at 74,000 after the hand.

Ho’s Boat On The River Sinks Opponent

Mario Ho raised to 2,000 preflop and the players in seat 1 and 2 made the call. The flop came A94 and action was checked to Ho. She fired 1,000 and seat 1 raised to 2,000. Seat 2 mucked and Ho three-bet to 3,000. Seat 1 then raised himself all in and Ho made the call.

Ho: A10
Seat 1: AJ

Ho was trailing and the case A came on the turn, giving each player a set. But the 10 dropped on the river, giving Ho a full house and sending her opponent to the rail. She raked in the pot and she was at 80,000.

Matusow Struggling

Mike Matusow raised to 2,000 and the player in seat 9 three-bet to 3,000. Matusow made the call and the flop came AJ5. Seat 9 bet 1,000 and Matusow called. The turn was the 6 and seat 9 bet 2,000. Matusow had enough and mucked his hand. He was at 14,200 after dropping that pot.

Set Of Sailboats Flushed For Doyle

Josh Arieh raised to 2,000 preflop and four players called, including David Pham and Doyle Brunson. The flop came 854 and Pham led out with 1,000. Everyone called and the turn was the 4. Pham bet 2,000 and then Brunson raised to 4,000. Arieh got out of the way but Pham called as did seat 1. The river was the Q and Pham bet 4,000. Seat 1 called and Brunson quickly mucked A4 face up. Pham then showed down J8 for a flush, but seat 1 showed A5 for the nut flush. Pham was down to 12,000 while Brunson was down to 20,000.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Josh Arieh,   Greg Mueller,   Mike Matusow,   Doyle Brunson,   Noah Boeken,   Maria Ho,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Dario Minieri

Level 9 Update: Chris Ferguson, Mike Baxter Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 800-1,500

Players Remaining: 116 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Jen Harman – 128,000
2. Maria Ho – 113,000
3. Josh Arieh – 112,000
4. Shaun Deeb – 106,000
5. Chino Rheem – 87,400
6. Vitaly Lunkin – 86,500
7. David Benyamine – 74,600
8. Greg Muelller – 72,000
9. Barry Greenstein – 67,100
10. Todd Brunson – 67,000

Average Chip Count: 47,844

Notable Eliminations:

Chris Ferguson
Mike Baxter

Big Hands:

Chris Ferguson Eliminated

Riding a short stack for quite some time, Chris Ferguson bet the last of his remaining chips with ace-queen on a board A76, and was called by the A7 of Josh Arieh. The 9 hit the turn and the 8 fell on the river, eliminating Ferguson. Arieh is now at 112,000.

Joe Cassidy Calls With Queen-High

In a blind vs. blind battle, Joe Cassidy was faced with a 3,000 chip bet on the river. Cassidy went into the tank and made the call, leaving just 10,000 behind in his stack. His opponent tabled eight-three for just eight high, and Cassidy exposed the QJ for queen-high to take the pot.

Mike Baxter Eliminated

Baxter bet the last of his remaining chips with the 1010 and was called by the KJ of an opponent. The flop was ugly for Baxter as it came K96. The turn brought the 3 and the K fell on the river, eliminating Baxter.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Joe Cassidy,   Mike Baxter

Level 7 Update: Ho Continues To Roll

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 141 out of 185

Chip Counts

1. Josh Arieh – 103,000
2. Greg Mueller – 95,000
3. Shaun Deeb – 88,000
4. Lex Veldhuis – 74,000
5. Markus Golser – 74,000
6. Mike Sowers – 72,500
7. Maria Ho – 70,000
8. Peter Gould – 60,000
9. Dario Minieri – 58,000
10. Jennifer Harman – 57,000

Average Stack: 37,248

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Newhouse
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Ivey

Big Hands:

Hawrilenko Takes One Off Mueller

Matt Hawrilenko and Greg Mueller were in for 2,000 preflop. The flop then came down A73 and Hawrilenko bet 1,000. Mueller made the call and the 8 fell on the turn. Hawrilenko bet 2,000 and Mueller called again. The K came on the river and Hawrilenko fired another 2,000 into the pot. Mueller called again and Hawrilenko showed A10 for top pair. Mueller flashed QQ and then threw it into the muck. Mueller dropped the pot but he was still around 100,000 in chips.

Dario Blasts Boeken

On a board reading J10910, Dario Minieri bet 2,000 and Noah Boeken made the call. The 10 came on the river and Minieri bet another 2,000. Boeken made the call and Minieri showed down the bullets, AA. Boeken mucked his hand and he was down to 40,000. Minieri was at 74,000 after the hand.

Ho’s Boat On The River Sinks Opponent

Mario Ho raised to 2,000 preflop and the players in seat 1 and 2 made the call. The flop came A94 and action was checked to Ho. She fired 1,000 and seat 1 raised to 2,000. Seat 2 mucked and Ho three-bet to 3,000. Seat 1 then raised himself all in and Ho made the call.

Ho: A10
Seat 1: AJ

Ho was trailing and the case A came on the turn, giving each player a set. But the 10 dropped on the river, giving Ho a full house and sending her opponent to the rail. She raked in the pot and she was at 80,000.

Matusow Struggling

Mike Matusow raised to 2,000 and the player in seat 9 three-bet to 3,000. Matusow made the call and the flop came AJ5. Seat 9 bet 1,000 and Matusow called. The turn was the 6 and seat 9 bet 2,000. Matusow had enough and mucked his hand. He was at 14,200 after dropping that pot.

Set Of Sailboats Flushed For Doyle

Josh Arieh raised to 2,000 preflop and four players called, including David Pham and Doyle Brunson. The flop came 854 and Pham led out with 1,000. Everyone called and the turn was the 4. Pham bet 2,000 and then Brunson raised to 4,000. Arieh got out of the way but Pham called as did seat 1. The river was the Q and Pham bet 4,000. Seat 1 called and Brunson quickly mucked A4 face up. Pham then showed down J8 for a flush, but seat 1 showed A5 for the nut flush. Pham was down to 12,000 while Brunson was down to 20,000.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Josh Arieh,   Greg Mueller,   Mike Matusow,   Doyle Brunson,   Noah Boeken,   Maria Ho,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Dario Minieri

Level 13 Update: Tournament Supervisors Put to Work

Jun 08, '09

Level 13 Update

Blinds: 2000-4000

Players Remaining: 57 out of 197

Chip Counts:

1. Scott Clements — 255,000
2. James Van Alstyne — 250,000
3. Sam Khouiss — 183,000
4. John Monette — 175,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck — 175,000
6. Ben Gold — 155,000
7. Ted Lawson — 140,000
8. Tom Koral — 140,000
9. Rob Hollink — 135,000
10. Cameron McKinley — 134,000

Average Chip Count: 94,210

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Wattel, Mel Judah, Kirill Gerasimov, David Chiu

Big Hands:

Giang Doubles up Even After Exposing his Hand

On the turn with the board reading KQ
107, with a third player already all in, Chau Giang raised Scott Clements and announced he was all in for another 3500. Clements announced a call and they both turned up their hands.

Giang showed the A 7 J 6, good for the nut straight while Clements showed the 9 9 Q J, which was good for a lesser straight. When they counted out the chips, they realized that Giang had another 5500, instead of 3500, and Clements owed another 2000 to the pot. A floor was called over and it was ruled that Clements must make the call.

Clements was drawing dead and needed an A to chop the pot with Chau. The 5 on the river didn’t do it and Chau doubled up, while eliminating a third player in the process.

Arieh Gets a Fold and Stays Alive

Heads up with James Van Alstyne on a flop of A2J, there was enough betting to get Josh Arieh all in. It was just one more bet to Van Alstyne and he tanked for a few moments before folding.

After the fold, Arieh turned over the AAKQ, which was good for top set, a straight draw, and the nut flush draw.

Bellande Makes Quads and Gets Paid

We pick up the action on the turn with board reading 2925.

It was four-handed and the small blind led for 8000, was called, and then Jean-Robert raised to 16,000. John Hennigan got out of the way, as did the initial bettor and the other player called. The river was the 2 and the player checked and called Bellande’s bet.

Bellande turned over the A 6 4 2, showing that he made quads on the river. His opponent mucked.

Left In The Deck:

As the players inch closer to the money, each decision has become more intense. This has been evident as tournament officials have been called over to tables three different times in the first ten minutes of the level to make official rulings on specific hands.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chau Giang,   James Van Alstyne,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Scott Clements

Leven 10 Update: Players Starting to Drop

Jun 08, '09

Level 10 Update:

Blinds: 1000-2000

Players Remaining: 105 out of 179

Chip Counts:

1. Scott Clements — 136,000
2. Chris Bjorin — 134,400
3. Phil Hellmuth — 125,000
4. Tom Koral — 120,000
5. Matt Savage — 110,000
6. Phil Ivey — 101,000
7. Patrick Bueno — 98,400
8. David Benyamine — 94,800
9. Cameron McKinley — 91,000
10. Pat Rao — 89,800

Average Chip Count: 51,142

Notable Eliminations:

Perry Friedman, John Juanda, Max Pescatori, Brandon Cantu, Doyle Brunson, Nick Schulman, Lee Markholt

Big Hands:

Lawson Takes 3/4 After Flopping the Nuts

Ted Lawson raised from late position and was re-raised by the small blind. Lawson made the call and they took the flop heads up. The flop was Q89 and they got in four bets. The turn was the 7 and Lawson called a bet. The river was the 4 and Lawson called the last bet and said “I think we have the same hand, I have a straight.”

Lawson turned over the A 3 J 10 and his opponent turned over the A A J 10. Lawson’s A 3 was good enough for the low half of the pot and they split the high half.

Jamie Pickering Scoops One off Josh Arieh

We pick up the action five-handed on a flop of 876. Josh Arieh leads out for 2000 from the blind and is called by Jamie Pickering. The turn is the 6 and Arieh bets 4000 and is again called by Pickering. Arieh fires the river, which was the 5 and Pickering calls one last time.

Pickering shows the A853, good for a rivered flush and the second nut low. Arieh mucks his hand.

Leonidas and Ivey Chop One Up

After a raise and three calls preflop, we pick up the action on a four-handed flop of J98.

Josh Arieh bet out 2000 and was raised by Toto Leonidas. Leonidas was then raised to 6000 by Phil Ivey. Arieh got out of the way and Leonidas made the call. The turn was the 6 and the river was the 3 and Leonidas checked and called 4000 on each street.

Ivey showed the KQJ10, which was good for runner-runner flush after flopping the nut straight. Leonidas showed the 88A4, which was good for a set of eights and qualifying low hand, which got him half of the pot.

Player Tags: Toto Leonidas,   Josh Arieh,   Ted Lawson,   Jamie Pickering

Level 8 Update

Mar 17, '09

Big Hands:

Michael Binger Eliminated by Devin Porter

Michael Binger moved all in preflop and Devin Porter called him down. Their cards:

Binger: KK
Porter: AA

Board: 7542Q

Binger was eliminated on the hand and Porter took home the $5,000 bounty.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated by Josh Arieh

Barry Greenstein moved all in on a board of J535 and Josh Arieh called him down. Their cards:

Arieh: JJ
Greenstein: 76

River: Q

Greenstein hit his flush on the river but Arieh won the hand with jacks full to take home the $5,000 bounty offered on Greenstein.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Barry Greenstein,   Devin Porter,   Michael Binger

$10,000 Main Event - The Shulmans Go In Opposite Directions

Jul 03, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break and will return at 5:10 pm to Level 3 with increased blinds of 150-300.

Blinds/Antes: 100-200

Chip Leaders:
Yan Chen: 81,000
Nate Eaton: 80,000
David Rheem: 72,000
Jonah Rogers: 64,500
Kido Pham: 64,000
Ryan Jones: 62,800
Robert Whalen: 61,000
Barry Shulman: 32,500
Roy Winston: 28,000
Shannon Shorr: 20,700

Eliminations: Freddy Deeb, Maureen Feduniak, Vanessa Selbst, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, Eli Elezra, Luis Velador,

Big Hands:

Cat Fight at Table 38

Erica Schoenberg raised to 525 from early position. The player in the big blind made the call. The flop was 1074 and Schoenberg bet 700. The big blind made the call. The turn was the K and Schoenberg bet another 1,500. The big blind called and the river was the 8. Once again, the big blind checked to Schoenberg who bet again, this time 2,500. The big blind says "make it 5,000" as she throws in an orange chip. Schoenberg, along with the rest of the table, didn't hear the raise and assumed it was a call. Schoenberg showed K10 for top two pair. The woman in the big blind turned her hand over, thinking Schoenberg had called and turned over 65 for a straight.

After realizing that Schoenberg never completed the raise, the big blind started to get vocal, all but demanding the dealer make Schoenberg call the raise. The floor was called over and sort of dismissed the whole thing because there were mixed signals. Half the table acknoledging they heard the raise and the other half admitting that they did not hear the raise. The floor dismissed the whole fiasco, considering that both hands were already exposed and that Schoenberg would not call with a losing hand.

Brown Cracks Aces, Doubles Up

Chad Brown raised to 500 preflop and the player in the big blind repopped to 2,200. Brown made the call and the flop came down J62. The big blind bet 4,500 and Brown made the call. The turn brought the 2 and the big blind moved all in. Brown snap called and turned over JJ for a full house on the turn. The big blind showed AA for two pair and needed to hit one of the remaining aces to knock Brown out. The river was the K, however, and Brown doubled to about 40,000 in chips.

Barry Shulman Rakes In a Pot

On a flop of K98, Barry Shulman bet 500 and the player in the small blind raised to 1,500 and Shulman called. The turn was the 7 and both players checked. The river was the J and the small blind bet 1,000. Shulman raised to 3,200 and the small blind angrily mucked his cards, exposing the 8 face up. Shulman raked the pot and his stack was around 33,000.

Don't Lie to Arieh

Josh Arieh raised to 700 before the flop and had one opponent make the call. The flop came down K1010 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and Arieh checked again. His opponent bet 1,100 and Arieh made the call. The river brought the 10 and Arieh checked again. His opponent bet out another 1,500 and Arieh stuck around. His opponent showed Q9 for a busted straight draw while Arieh turned over a couple of ladies, QQ. Arieh scooped up the pot and was around 18,000 after the hand.

Allyn Jaffrey Shulman is Eliminated

On a board that read 8846, Shulman moved all in for about 6,000. Her opponent made the call and turned over 108 for a flopped set. Shulman was apparently drawing dead as she threw her hand in the muck before the J fell on the river.

Elezra Turned Away

Eli Elezra called a preflop raise to 600 by one opponent. Both players saw a flop of K410. Elezra called his opponent's bet of 1,000 and the turn brought the J. Elezra's opponent moved all in for about 8,000 and Elezra called all in for about 4,000. Elezra showed KQ for top pair, but his opponent improved to two pair on the turn as he showed KJ. The river was the 6 and Elezra was out.

Player Tags: Allyn Jaffrey Shulman,   Josh Arieh,   Chad Brown,   Eli Elezra,   Barry Shulman,   Erica Schoenberg