Evan McNiff Poker Tournament Updates

Evan McNiff McBusts

Feb 27, '11

Evan McNiff was all in holding pocket jacks against the A-4 of Shannon Shorr.

According to tablemate Jason Mercier, he was drawing dead by the turn. There are now 70 players remaining.

Player Tags: Evan McNiff

Seeing Double

Oct 01, '09

So far today there have been double ups galore.

Evan McNiff (pictured right) is up to 129,000 after his A-K beat an opponent’s A-J.

Dario Minieri moved all in with K 2 versus J 10 on an A K 9 flop.

They both had a piece of the action – Minieri with middle pair and the flush draw, his opponent with a flush draw and an inside straight draw. The turn was the 3 and the river the 2.

Minieri doubled up his 92,000 stack to 184,000.

Sorel Mizzi [pictured left] has been taking a hands on approach to his short stack, and so far it has been paying off. Betting 7,200 from the hijack, Sargon Ruya called from the button and the flop came A 9 2. Mizzi kept the pressure on betting out 8,300 and Ruya passed.

In the very next hand, Mizzi bet 7,200 again. Vicky Coren to his left made the call, and Sargon Ruya raised it up to 23,000 from the cutoff. Mizzi considered the bet for a few moments and eyed Ruya’s stack pensively. He then said, “I’m all in.” It wasn’t clear whether Ruya was calling, so the dealer asked him, and he nodded. He flipped over A 10 while Mizzi showed Q Q, and we were off to the races.

The board came Q 10 3 4 10 and Mizzi doubled up to 160,000.

Player Tags: Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Double Up For Gus Hansen's Killer

Sep 30, '09

Before the hand began, Sorel Mizzi began a discussion with the table (possibly a bet), about a scenario where Erik Cajelais and Gus Hansen fight to the death.

As the table begins to wonder how long it would take for either person to kill the other, using no weapons, Justin Smith raises to 1,650. Behind him, Evan McNiff makes it 6,500.

It folds around to Cajelais himself, who moves all in for 16,000 or so. McNiff makes the call with AK and is in bad shape against Cajelais pocket aces.

The board rolled out safely and Cajelais doubled up. Meanwhile, the table continued to discuss the important matter of the fake to-the-death fight in question.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Erik Cajelais,   Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Seeing Double

Oct 01, '09

So far today there have been double ups galore.

Evan McNiff (pictured right) is up to 129,000 after his A-K beat an opponent’s A-J.

Dario Minieri moved all in with K 2 versus J 10 on an A K 9 flop.

They both had a piece of the action – Minieri with middle pair and the flush draw, his opponent with a flush draw and an inside straight draw. The turn was the 3 and the river the 2.

Minieri doubled up his 92,000 stack to 184,000.

Sorel Mizzi [pictured left] has been taking a hands on approach to his short stack, and so far it has been paying off. Betting 7,200 from the hijack, Sargon Ruya called from the button and the flop came A 9 2. Mizzi kept the pressure on betting out 8,300 and Ruya passed.

In the very next hand, Mizzi bet 7,200 again. Vicky Coren to his left made the call, and Sargon Ruya raised it up to 23,000 from the cutoff. Mizzi considered the bet for a few moments and eyed Ruya’s stack pensively. He then said, “I’m all in.” It wasn’t clear whether Ruya was calling, so the dealer asked him, and he nodded. He flipped over A 10 while Mizzi showed Q Q, and we were off to the races.

The board came Q 10 3 4 10 and Mizzi doubled up to 160,000.

Player Tags: Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Double Up For Gus Hansen's Killer

Sep 30, '09

Before the hand began, Sorel Mizzi began a discussion with the table (possibly a bet), about a scenario where Erik Cajelais and Gus Hansen fight to the death.

As the table begins to wonder how long it would take for either person to kill the other, using no weapons, Justin Smith raises to 1,650. Behind him, Evan McNiff makes it 6,500.

It folds around to Cajelais himself, who moves all in for 16,000 or so. McNiff makes the call with AK and is in bad shape against Cajelais pocket aces.

The board rolled out safely and Cajelais doubled up. Meanwhile, the table continued to discuss the important matter of the fake to-the-death fight in question.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Erik Cajelais,   Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Level 17 Update: Getting Close to the Bubble

May 29, '09

Blinds: 9,000-18,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 29 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 2,200,000
2. Greg Raymer — 1,750,000
3. David Baker — 1,530,000
4. Lex Veldhuis — 1,450,000
5. Dani Stern — 1,250,000
6. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,150,000
7. Brian Townsend — 1,060,000
8. Doshi Suresh — 1,000,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 955,000
10. Sorel Mizzi — 940,000

Average Chip Count: 868,965

Notable Eliminations:

Ali Eslami
Alan Sass
Sami Kelopuro
Kirill Gerasimov
Evan McNiff
Marco Johnson
Nam Le

Big Hands:

David Chiu Doubles Through Greg Raymer

Just a few moments into the level, David Chiu was all in holding A-K against the A-9 of Greg Raymer. The board bricked for both players and Chiu doubled up to 260,000. Raymer is still far and away the chip leader with 2.5 million.

Sami Kelopuro Busts to Lex Veldhuis

Lex Vedlhuis raised to 45,000 and Sami Kelopuro moved all in for his last 300,000. Veldhuis made the call and showed AJ for a dominating hand against Kelopuro’s A9.

The board came KK7K8 and Veldhuis came out on top, sending Kelopuro to the rail out of the money. Veldhuis has closed the gap on the chip leaders with 1,405,000.

Alan Sass Hits the Rail

Alan Sass jammed it in preflop with A6 and David Pham made the call with AK. A king on the flop and a blank on the turn had Sass drawing dead. Pham now sits with a slightly healthier 420,000.

Double Elimination For David Baker

Kirill Gerasimov was short stacked and moved all in holding K5. Evan McNiff tried to isolate behind him holding A-8 offsuit. Unfortunately for both players, David Baker woke up with pocket queens behind them and made the call.

The flop came AJ2 giving McNiff the best hand with a pair of aces and Gerasimov the nut flush draw. Visably upset, Baker hit his slim outs on the turn when the Q hit. The river was a safe 7 and Baker took out both players.

Marco Johnson Busts to Justin Bonomo

Marco Johnson was all in holding K10 against the AQ of Justin Bonomo. The board didn’t help Johnson and he exited from the tournament floor. Bonomo now has 2.2 million.

Nam Le Busts In a Suck, Re-Suck Situation

Nam Le got it all in on a AK10 flop holding AJ against the K10 of Dani Stern. The turn was great for Le when the J hit, but the K on the river sent Le to the rail. Stern is now sitting with 1.25 million.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Nam Le,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Alan Sass,   Marco Johnson,   David Baker,   Evan McNiff,   Dani Stern

Level 14 Update: Mike Matusow Eliminated

May 29, '09

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 44 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Brian Townsend – 1,470,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 1,320,000
3. Greg Raymer – 1,300,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 1,270,000
5. Matthew Glantz – 1,058,000
6. Brian Rast – 1,020,000
7. Ted Forrest – 1,020,000
8. Chris Moneymaker – 920,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 785,000
10. Frank Kassela — 750,000

Average Chip Count: 548,181

Notable Eliminations:

Emil Patel
Huck Seed
Mike Matusow
Bruno Fitoussi

Big Hands:

Huck Seed is Eliminated

On a board of 75AQ, Huck Seed checked from the small blind to Alec Torelli on the button. Torelli fired out 37,000 and Seed called. The river was the J and the action went check-check. Torelli said, “I think you got me,” and Huck turned over the 107. To Torelli’s surprise he rivered Seed, and exposed J10 for a pair of jacks. Seed was severely short stacked and moved all-in the next hand with 76 from the button only to be called by Greg Raymer in the small blind with K9. Seed failed to hit and was knocked out of Event 2 of the World Series of Poker.

Nam Le Doubles Up

Nam Le and Sorel Mizzi got it all in on the flop with Le holding the 107 and Mizzi holding the KQ. The board read 89J, with Le holding a straight but leaving Mizzi with a lot of outs. Those outs failed to arrive on the turn and river, and Le doubled up to around 700,000.

Mike Matusow Eliminated

Mike Matusow raised to 25,000 preflop from the big blind and Keith Lehr reraised enough to put Matusow all in under the gun. Matusow made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Matusow: 77
Lehr: A10

Board: Q84KA

Matusow was eliminated on the hand and Lehr moved up to 600,000.

Matthew Glantz Flops a Set

On a board of J9AQ6, Matthew Glantz fired a big river bet into Evan McNiff. McNiff mulled it over before finally calling. Glantz turned over the 99 for a set of nines and raked in the 500,000 chip pot. Glantz is no over 1,000,000 in chips.

Brian Townsend Eliminates Emil Patel

Emil Patel and Brian Townsend got it all-in pre-flop with Patel holding AK and Townsend holding 1010. The flop of 7103 was perfect for Townsend, as Patel was drawing dead with no back door draws. Townsend is up to 1,500,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

Table 60 is a stacked table with pros Greg Raymer, Andrew Robl, Vanessa Rousso, Steve Zolotow, Brian Rast, Alec Torelli and formerly Bruno Fitoussi before he was eliminated and Andrew Black before he was moved.

The players are on a 60 minute dinner break. The action tonight will conclude when they have reached 18 players or have played four more levels.

Player Tags: Nam Le,   Huck Seed,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer,   Matthew Glantz,   Emil Patel,   Brian Townsend,   Keith Lehr,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Evan McNiff Eliminated in 43rd Place ($32,685)

Apr 22, '09

Evan McNiff and Owen Crowe get it all in on a flop of 6 5 3. Crowe shows 8 7 for an open-ended straight draw and McNiff shows 7 6 for top pair with a straight draw.

The turn and river come 3 8 and Crowe makes a higher pair to bust McNiff in 43rd place. Crowe now has over 1 million in chips.

Player Tags: Owen Crowe,   Evan McNiff

Evan McNiff Eliminated in 9th Place ($20,176)

Mar 18, '09

Evan McNiff found himself all in holding pocket eights and up against the pocket tens of Keith Ferrera.

The board rolled out A776K and McNiff was eliminated in ninth place, earning $20,176.

Ferrera now has over 450,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Keith Ferrera,   Evan McNiff

Chris Amaral Eliminated in Huge Pot

Mar 17, '09

Evan McNiff raised to 3,100 in the cutoff and was called by Chris Amaral on the button, Jimmy Fricke in the small blind and Sam Stein in the big blind.

The flop came down A-9-3 and McNiff continued with a bet of 5,400. Amaral raised 9,500 on top and Fricke and Stein both folded.

McNiff then reraised an additional 20,500 on top of that and Amaral moved all in for 87,000. McNiff made the call and showed A-9 for top two pair. Amaral could only show K-Q high and failed to get the running hearts he needed to stay alive.

McNiff is now the runaway chip leader with 415,000.

Player Tags: Chris Amaral,   Evan McNiff

Evan McNiff Eliminated in 9th Place ($20,176)

Mar 18, '09

Evan McNiff found himself all in holding pocket eights and up against the pocket tens of Keith Ferrera.

The board rolled out A776K and McNiff was eliminated in ninth place, earning $20,176.

Ferrera now has over 450,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Keith Ferrera,   Evan McNiff

Chris Amaral Eliminated in Huge Pot

Mar 17, '09

Evan McNiff raised to 3,100 in the cutoff and was called by Chris Amaral on the button, Jimmy Fricke in the small blind and Sam Stein in the big blind.

The flop came down A-9-3 and McNiff continued with a bet of 5,400. Amaral raised 9,500 on top and Fricke and Stein both folded.

McNiff then reraised an additional 20,500 on top of that and Amaral moved all in for 87,000. McNiff made the call and showed A-9 for top two pair. Amaral could only show K-Q high and failed to get the running hearts he needed to stay alive.

McNiff is now the runaway chip leader with 415,000.

Player Tags: Chris Amaral,   Evan McNiff

Level 25

Dec 19, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 25
Blinds/Antes: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Left: 2 of 497
Average: 11,182,500

Notable Chip Counts

Chino Rheem - 8,185,000
Justin Young - 14,100,000

Eliminations

5th: Amnon Filippi -- $288,235
4th: Steve Sung -- $396,205
3rd: Evan McNiff -- $540,440

Big Hands:

Amnon Filippi Doubles Up

Evan McNiff opened up a pot for 250,000 preflop and Amnon Filippi raised all in for 1.3 million. McNiff made the call and they turned up their hands:

McNiff: A5
Filippi: AJ

Board: A76106

Filippi doubled up on the hand to survive and play continued five handed.

Justin Young Knocks Out Two

Amnon Filippi moved all in for 975,000 and Steve Sung made the call. Justin Young then moved all in over the top of everyone and Sung called all in to produce a three-way all in. Their cards:

Sung: KK
Young: AA
Filippi: 99

Board: 7443J

Filippi was eliminated in fifth place ($288,235), Sung was eliminated in fourth place ($396,205), and Young became the dominant chip leader at the final table with over 14 million after the hand.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up

Justin Young raised to 260,000 and Evan McNiff reraised to 825,000. Rheem then moved all in for 2.87 million and Young mucked. McNiff made the call and they turned up their hands:

McNiff: AJ
Rheem: A9

Board: A7793

Rheem doubled up on the hand to survive and McNiff was crippled.

Evan McNiff Eliminated in Third Place ($540,440)

Evan McNiff moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem called him down. Their cards:

McNiff: 104
Rheem: 109

Board: 732AK

McNiff was eliminated in third place and action was down to heads up.

Heads-Up Chip Counts

Justin Young: 14,100,000
Chino Rheem: 8,185,000

Player Tags: Amnon Filippi,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 24

Dec 19, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 24
Blinds/Antes: 40,000-80,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Left: 5 of 497
Average: 4,473,000

Notable Chip Counts

Seat 1: Chino Rheem - 3,940,000
Seat 2: Amnon Filippi - 1,865,000
Seat 4: Steve Sung - 4,250,000
Seat 5: Justin Young - 6,310,000
Seat 6: Evan McNiff - 6,020,000

Eliminations

6th: Hoyt Corkins ($216,795)

Big Hands:

Justin Young Doubles Up Through Chino Rheem

Justin Young raised to 220,000 from under the gun and got a caller in Chino Rheem. The flop came A52 and Young bet 310,000. Rheem raised to 835,000 and Young moved in for 1,335,0000. Rheem called with AJ but was behind to Young's flopped two pair with A5. The turn and river came 64 and Young doubled up to nearly 5 million in chips.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in Sixth Place ($216,795)

Hoyt Corkins almost moved all in from under the gun for about 1.5 million. He left a few chips on his hole cards as a card protector and forgot to say all in. Justin Young called and both players got the other 10,000 in chips all in on a flop of KQ6. Corkins revealed AQ but was in terrible shape against Young's AK. The turn and river came K10 and Corkins was eliminated from the tournament in sixth place.

Evan McNiff Picks Off a Bluff

Steve Sung limped on the button, Justin Young completed and Evan McNiff checked his option in the big blind. The flop came J93 and Young checked to McNiff, who bet 175,000. Sung called and Young folded. The turn was the 10 and McNiff checked to Sung who bet 400,000. McNiff called and the river was the A. Sung continued with a large bet of 1.2 million and McNiff made the call after thinking it over for just under a minutes. McNiff showed QJ and Sung mucked, giving his opponent a large pot.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up With Broadway, Then a Flush

Evan McNiff raised to 210,000 from under the gun and Chino Rheem moved all in for 1.7 million. McNiff called with pocket nines and Rheem needed help with QJ. The flop came down AK10 giving Rheem a broadway straight and a shot at the royal flush. The turn was the 5 giving Rheem a flush and the winning hand, doubling him up to 4 million in chips.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 23

Dec 19, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 23
Blinds/Antes: 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Left: 6 of 497
Average: 3,727,500

Notable Chip Counts

Seat 1: Chino Rheem - 3,570,000
Seat 2: Amnon Filippi - 2,365,000
Seat 3: Hoyt Corkins - 2,045,000
Seat 4: Steve Sung - 5,635,000
Seat 5: Justin Young - 2,235,000
Seat 6: Evan McNiff - 6,535,000

Eliminations

None

Steve Sung Lays It Down Early

Amnon Filippi raised to 160,000 and Steve Sung took some time before reraising to 480,000. Filippi called and the flop came J72. Filippi led for 575,000 and Sung mucked, surrendering the first pot of the evening.

Evan McNiff Chips Up With Top Pair

Evan McNiff raised to 150,000 on the button and Amnon Filippi called in the big blind. The flop came down J96 and Filippi checked. McNiff bet 210,000 and Filippi called. The turn was the 10 and agin McNiff fired, this time a bet of 525,000. Filippi called and the river was the 4. Both players checked and McNiff showed AJ to take the pot.

One More For McNiff

Evan McNiff raised to 180,000 from the small blind and Chino Rheem called from the big blind. The flop came Q53 and both players checked. The turn was the A and McNiff bet 240,000. Rheem raised to 780,000 and McNiff announced a reraise. Before he could even spit out the amount, Rheem mucked and surrendered the pot.

Player Tags: Amnon Filippi,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 22 Update

Dec 18, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 22
Blinds/Antes: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 497
Average: 2,485,000

Notable Chip Counts

Evan McNiff - 5,695,000
Chino Rheem - 3,170,000
Steve Sung - 2,860,000
Ben Straate - 2,785,000
Justin Young - 2,350,000
Amnon Filippi - 1,785,000
Hoyt Corkins - 1,510,000
Joe McGowan - 1,160,000
Mike Matusow - 860,000

In the Money Eliminations

$72,060
12th: Brett Richey
11th: Robert Mizrachi

$86,470
10th: Clonie Gowen

Big Hands:

Steve Sung Gets Frustrated Into the Break

Steve Sung raised from middle position to 80,000 and Evan McNiff called from the cutoff. The flop came 443 and Sung checked. McNiff bet 100,000 and Sung check raised to 250,000. McNiff called and the turn was the 2. Sung bet 400,000 and McNiff moved all in. Sung tanked for over 10 minutes, well into the break, going over each and ever possibility. Eventually, the clock was called and Sung mucked his hand, saving his last 1 million in chips for later. McNiff raised his chip lead to 3.8 million.

Steve Sung Doubles Through Clonie Gowen

Right after the break, Steve Sung got his chips back and then some from Clonie Gowen. Gowen raised to 100,000 from the small blind and Sung made the call from the big blind. The flop came down 1084 and Gowen bet 100,000. Sung called and the turn was the 4. Gowen checked, Sung bet 250,000 and Gowen moved in. Sung tanked for a minute before calling with 109 for top pair. Gowen could only show 98 for middle pair and the river 2 doubled Sung up. After the hand, Sung was up to 2 million while Gowen took a hit down to 1 million.

Brett Richey Eliminated in 12th Place ($72,060)

Brett Richey raised to 110,000 and Chino Rheem reraised to 410,000 from the big blind. Richey moved all in and Rheem instantly called with pocket aces. Richey showed big slick and was unable to catch up, busting in 12th place.

Robert Mizrachi Eliminated in 11th Place ($72,060)

Evan McNiff raised to 100,000 from the button and Robert Mizrachi reraised to 375,000 from the small blind. McNiff moved in and Mizrachi called with AJ. McNiff showed pocket queens and they held when the board failed to produce any aces or diamonds, busting Mizrachi in 11th place.

Clonie Gowen Eliminated in 10th Place ($86,470)

Clonie Gowen raised to 110,000 in middle position and Steve Sung reraised to 340,000. Gowen moved all in for 825,000 and Sung called with AQ. Gowen showed pocket sixes, but they failed to hold up when the board came Q332A.

Left In The Deck:

After reviewing the tapes, it was determined that Tom Pniak's elimination hand was still in progress when the shuffle began on the other table. As a result, the ruling is that all three players will share 14th place and chop the prize money. After averaging it out, each player pocketed $67,255.

Player Tags: Clonie Gowen,   Brett Richey,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 21 Update

Dec 18, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 21
Blinds/Antes: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Left: 12 of 497
Average: 1,720,385

Notable Chip Counts

Evan McNiff - 3,430,000
Ben Straate - 2,360,000
Justin Young - 2,215,000
Amnon Filippi - 2,100,000
Clonie Gowen - 2,050,000
Chino Rheem - 1,891,000
Hoyt Corkins - 1,787,000
Brett Richey - 1,770,000
Steve Sung - 1,628,000
Mike Matusow - 1,140,000
Robert Mizrachi - 878,000
Joe McGowan - 694,000

In the Money Eliminations

$57,635

18th: Bill Klein
17th: Ben Tollerene
16th: Tom Pniak

$72,060

15th: Martin DeKnijff
14th: Jack Wu
13th: Nick Schulman

Big Hands:

Bill Klein Eliminated in 18th Place ($57,635)

Evan McNiff raised to 75,000 preflop and Bill Klein reraised to 215,000. McNiff reraised all in and Klein made the all-in call. Their cards:

Klein: JJ
McNiff: AK

Board: K9278

Klein was eliminated in 18th place, the first elimination of the day coming six hands in to play.

Ben Tollerene Eliminated in 17th Place ($57,635)

Ben Tollerene moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem made the call. Their cards:

Rheem: AK
Tollerene: A9

Board: 76228

Tollerene was eliminated in 17th place and Rheem was up to 1.85 million.

Tom Pniak Elimimnated in 16th Place ($57,635)

Tom Pniak raised from the small blind to 85,000 and Hoyt Corkins reraised all in from the big blind. Pniak made the all-in call and they turned up their cards:

Corkins: Q8
Pniak: 99

Board: AK7Q3

Pniak was eliminated in 16th place and Corkins grew his stack to more than 1.7 million.

Clonie Gowen Scores a Double Knockout

Martin DeKnijff moved all in under the gun and Clonie Gowen moved all in over the top of him from the small blind. Jack Wu made the call from the big blind and Gowen had both of her opponents covered. Their cards:

Gowen: QQ
DeKnijff: AJ
Wu: AQ

Board: 652210

Gowen knocks out DeKnijj in 15th place and Wu in 14th place, but there is some confusion regarding the elimination order for spots 16-14 (you can read more about this below in Left in the Deck). In any case Gowen now holds just over 2 million.

Nick Schulman's Swan Song

Nick Schulman was the short stack left in the field with 13 remaining and he decided to move his chips into the middle to make something happen. Two times for him this worked out well, as he doubled up with king-high to take his stack to 303,000, and then he doubled up again with sevens-up to jump up to 580,000. He eventually met his doom though, when he moved all in preflop with pocket jacks against Justin Young, who held A-K. The board was dealt A-K-10-3-3 to send Schulman to the rail in 13th place. He will take home $72,060 in prize money.
 

Left in the Deck:

To the Tapes

The Bellagio tournament staff is currently reviewing the elimination hands for Tom Pniak, Martin DeKnijff, and Jack Wu. The staff said that it looks like both hands began simultaneously so they are now firguing out how to split up the prize money for places 16-14. We'll let you know if they break it down by stack sizes or just divide things evenly among the three, and how the payouts are adjusted when that information is released by the tournament staff.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Tom Pniak,   Clonie Gowen,   Chino Rheem,   Martin DeKnijff,   Evan McNiff,   Jack Wu,   Bill Klein,   Benjamin Tollerene

Level 25

Dec 19, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 25
Blinds/Antes: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Left: 2 of 497
Average: 11,182,500

Notable Chip Counts

Chino Rheem - 8,185,000
Justin Young - 14,100,000

Eliminations

5th: Amnon Filippi -- $288,235
4th: Steve Sung -- $396,205
3rd: Evan McNiff -- $540,440

Big Hands:

Amnon Filippi Doubles Up

Evan McNiff opened up a pot for 250,000 preflop and Amnon Filippi raised all in for 1.3 million. McNiff made the call and they turned up their hands:

McNiff: A5
Filippi: AJ

Board: A76106

Filippi doubled up on the hand to survive and play continued five handed.

Justin Young Knocks Out Two

Amnon Filippi moved all in for 975,000 and Steve Sung made the call. Justin Young then moved all in over the top of everyone and Sung called all in to produce a three-way all in. Their cards:

Sung: KK
Young: AA
Filippi: 99

Board: 7443J

Filippi was eliminated in fifth place ($288,235), Sung was eliminated in fourth place ($396,205), and Young became the dominant chip leader at the final table with over 14 million after the hand.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up

Justin Young raised to 260,000 and Evan McNiff reraised to 825,000. Rheem then moved all in for 2.87 million and Young mucked. McNiff made the call and they turned up their hands:

McNiff: AJ
Rheem: A9

Board: A7793

Rheem doubled up on the hand to survive and McNiff was crippled.

Evan McNiff Eliminated in Third Place ($540,440)

Evan McNiff moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem called him down. Their cards:

McNiff: 104
Rheem: 109

Board: 732AK

McNiff was eliminated in third place and action was down to heads up.

Heads-Up Chip Counts

Justin Young: 14,100,000
Chino Rheem: 8,185,000

Player Tags: Amnon Filippi,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 24

Dec 19, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 24
Blinds/Antes: 40,000-80,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Left: 5 of 497
Average: 4,473,000

Notable Chip Counts

Seat 1: Chino Rheem - 3,940,000
Seat 2: Amnon Filippi - 1,865,000
Seat 4: Steve Sung - 4,250,000
Seat 5: Justin Young - 6,310,000
Seat 6: Evan McNiff - 6,020,000

Eliminations

6th: Hoyt Corkins ($216,795)

Big Hands:

Justin Young Doubles Up Through Chino Rheem

Justin Young raised to 220,000 from under the gun and got a caller in Chino Rheem. The flop came A52 and Young bet 310,000. Rheem raised to 835,000 and Young moved in for 1,335,0000. Rheem called with AJ but was behind to Young's flopped two pair with A5. The turn and river came 64 and Young doubled up to nearly 5 million in chips.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in Sixth Place ($216,795)

Hoyt Corkins almost moved all in from under the gun for about 1.5 million. He left a few chips on his hole cards as a card protector and forgot to say all in. Justin Young called and both players got the other 10,000 in chips all in on a flop of KQ6. Corkins revealed AQ but was in terrible shape against Young's AK. The turn and river came K10 and Corkins was eliminated from the tournament in sixth place.

Evan McNiff Picks Off a Bluff

Steve Sung limped on the button, Justin Young completed and Evan McNiff checked his option in the big blind. The flop came J93 and Young checked to McNiff, who bet 175,000. Sung called and Young folded. The turn was the 10 and McNiff checked to Sung who bet 400,000. McNiff called and the river was the A. Sung continued with a large bet of 1.2 million and McNiff made the call after thinking it over for just under a minutes. McNiff showed QJ and Sung mucked, giving his opponent a large pot.

Chino Rheem Doubles Up With Broadway, Then a Flush

Evan McNiff raised to 210,000 from under the gun and Chino Rheem moved all in for 1.7 million. McNiff called with pocket nines and Rheem needed help with QJ. The flop came down AK10 giving Rheem a broadway straight and a shot at the royal flush. The turn was the 5 giving Rheem a flush and the winning hand, doubling him up to 4 million in chips.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 23

Dec 19, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 23
Blinds/Antes: 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Left: 6 of 497
Average: 3,727,500

Notable Chip Counts

Seat 1: Chino Rheem - 3,570,000
Seat 2: Amnon Filippi - 2,365,000
Seat 3: Hoyt Corkins - 2,045,000
Seat 4: Steve Sung - 5,635,000
Seat 5: Justin Young - 2,235,000
Seat 6: Evan McNiff - 6,535,000

Eliminations

None

Steve Sung Lays It Down Early

Amnon Filippi raised to 160,000 and Steve Sung took some time before reraising to 480,000. Filippi called and the flop came J72. Filippi led for 575,000 and Sung mucked, surrendering the first pot of the evening.

Evan McNiff Chips Up With Top Pair

Evan McNiff raised to 150,000 on the button and Amnon Filippi called in the big blind. The flop came down J96 and Filippi checked. McNiff bet 210,000 and Filippi called. The turn was the 10 and agin McNiff fired, this time a bet of 525,000. Filippi called and the river was the 4. Both players checked and McNiff showed AJ to take the pot.

One More For McNiff

Evan McNiff raised to 180,000 from the small blind and Chino Rheem called from the big blind. The flop came Q53 and both players checked. The turn was the A and McNiff bet 240,000. Rheem raised to 780,000 and McNiff announced a reraise. Before he could even spit out the amount, Rheem mucked and surrendered the pot.

Player Tags: Amnon Filippi,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 22 Update

Dec 18, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 22
Blinds/Antes: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Left: 9 of 497
Average: 2,485,000

Notable Chip Counts

Evan McNiff - 5,695,000
Chino Rheem - 3,170,000
Steve Sung - 2,860,000
Ben Straate - 2,785,000
Justin Young - 2,350,000
Amnon Filippi - 1,785,000
Hoyt Corkins - 1,510,000
Joe McGowan - 1,160,000
Mike Matusow - 860,000

In the Money Eliminations

$72,060
12th: Brett Richey
11th: Robert Mizrachi

$86,470
10th: Clonie Gowen

Big Hands:

Steve Sung Gets Frustrated Into the Break

Steve Sung raised from middle position to 80,000 and Evan McNiff called from the cutoff. The flop came 443 and Sung checked. McNiff bet 100,000 and Sung check raised to 250,000. McNiff called and the turn was the 2. Sung bet 400,000 and McNiff moved all in. Sung tanked for over 10 minutes, well into the break, going over each and ever possibility. Eventually, the clock was called and Sung mucked his hand, saving his last 1 million in chips for later. McNiff raised his chip lead to 3.8 million.

Steve Sung Doubles Through Clonie Gowen

Right after the break, Steve Sung got his chips back and then some from Clonie Gowen. Gowen raised to 100,000 from the small blind and Sung made the call from the big blind. The flop came down 1084 and Gowen bet 100,000. Sung called and the turn was the 4. Gowen checked, Sung bet 250,000 and Gowen moved in. Sung tanked for a minute before calling with 109 for top pair. Gowen could only show 98 for middle pair and the river 2 doubled Sung up. After the hand, Sung was up to 2 million while Gowen took a hit down to 1 million.

Brett Richey Eliminated in 12th Place ($72,060)

Brett Richey raised to 110,000 and Chino Rheem reraised to 410,000 from the big blind. Richey moved all in and Rheem instantly called with pocket aces. Richey showed big slick and was unable to catch up, busting in 12th place.

Robert Mizrachi Eliminated in 11th Place ($72,060)

Evan McNiff raised to 100,000 from the button and Robert Mizrachi reraised to 375,000 from the small blind. McNiff moved in and Mizrachi called with AJ. McNiff showed pocket queens and they held when the board failed to produce any aces or diamonds, busting Mizrachi in 11th place.

Clonie Gowen Eliminated in 10th Place ($86,470)

Clonie Gowen raised to 110,000 in middle position and Steve Sung reraised to 340,000. Gowen moved all in for 825,000 and Sung called with AQ. Gowen showed pocket sixes, but they failed to hold up when the board came Q332A.

Left In The Deck:

After reviewing the tapes, it was determined that Tom Pniak's elimination hand was still in progress when the shuffle began on the other table. As a result, the ruling is that all three players will share 14th place and chop the prize money. After averaging it out, each player pocketed $67,255.

Player Tags: Clonie Gowen,   Brett Richey,   Chino Rheem,   Steve Sung,   Evan McNiff

Level 21 Update

Dec 18, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 21
Blinds/Antes: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Left: 12 of 497
Average: 1,720,385

Notable Chip Counts

Evan McNiff - 3,430,000
Ben Straate - 2,360,000
Justin Young - 2,215,000
Amnon Filippi - 2,100,000
Clonie Gowen - 2,050,000
Chino Rheem - 1,891,000
Hoyt Corkins - 1,787,000
Brett Richey - 1,770,000
Steve Sung - 1,628,000
Mike Matusow - 1,140,000
Robert Mizrachi - 878,000
Joe McGowan - 694,000

In the Money Eliminations

$57,635

18th: Bill Klein
17th: Ben Tollerene
16th: Tom Pniak

$72,060

15th: Martin DeKnijff
14th: Jack Wu
13th: Nick Schulman

Big Hands:

Bill Klein Eliminated in 18th Place ($57,635)

Evan McNiff raised to 75,000 preflop and Bill Klein reraised to 215,000. McNiff reraised all in and Klein made the all-in call. Their cards:

Klein: JJ
McNiff: AK

Board: K9278

Klein was eliminated in 18th place, the first elimination of the day coming six hands in to play.

Ben Tollerene Eliminated in 17th Place ($57,635)

Ben Tollerene moved all in preflop and Chino Rheem made the call. Their cards:

Rheem: AK
Tollerene: A9

Board: 76228

Tollerene was eliminated in 17th place and Rheem was up to 1.85 million.

Tom Pniak Elimimnated in 16th Place ($57,635)

Tom Pniak raised from the small blind to 85,000 and Hoyt Corkins reraised all in from the big blind. Pniak made the all-in call and they turned up their cards:

Corkins: Q8
Pniak: 99

Board: AK7Q3

Pniak was eliminated in 16th place and Corkins grew his stack to more than 1.7 million.

Clonie Gowen Scores a Double Knockout

Martin DeKnijff moved all in under the gun and Clonie Gowen moved all in over the top of him from the small blind. Jack Wu made the call from the big blind and Gowen had both of her opponents covered. Their cards:

Gowen: QQ
DeKnijff: AJ
Wu: AQ

Board: 652210

Gowen knocks out DeKnijj in 15th place and Wu in 14th place, but there is some confusion regarding the elimination order for spots 16-14 (you can read more about this below in Left in the Deck). In any case Gowen now holds just over 2 million.

Nick Schulman's Swan Song

Nick Schulman was the short stack left in the field with 13 remaining and he decided to move his chips into the middle to make something happen. Two times for him this worked out well, as he doubled up with king-high to take his stack to 303,000, and then he doubled up again with sevens-up to jump up to 580,000. He eventually met his doom though, when he moved all in preflop with pocket jacks against Justin Young, who held A-K. The board was dealt A-K-10-3-3 to send Schulman to the rail in 13th place. He will take home $72,060 in prize money.
 

Left in the Deck:

To the Tapes

The Bellagio tournament staff is currently reviewing the elimination hands for Tom Pniak, Martin DeKnijff, and Jack Wu. The staff said that it looks like both hands began simultaneously so they are now firguing out how to split up the prize money for places 16-14. We'll let you know if they break it down by stack sizes or just divide things evenly among the three, and how the payouts are adjusted when that information is released by the tournament staff.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Tom Pniak,   Clonie Gowen,   Chino Rheem,   Martin DeKnijff,   Evan McNiff,   Jack Wu,   Bill Klein,   Benjamin Tollerene

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 19

Jun 02, '08

Note: Many of the players are getting frustrated with the late (maybe early is more appropriate) hours here at the $1,500 no-limit hold’em event. As a result of the dissension, the players just had a vote to decide whether they would continue to play down to 9 or depart now and come back at 1:30. The first vote tied 6-6, so they had a re-vote. Remarkably, the re-vote also tied: 8 votes in favor of playing on and 8 votes in favor of stopping now. The decision was made to play down to 18 players now and then have another vote at that point.

Blinds/Antes: 8,000/16,000 – 2,000 ante

Players Left:  22 of 3929

Chip Leaders:

Theo Tran - 1,557,000
Aaron Coulthard - 1,125,000
Joshua Engerdahl - 1,115,000
Joe Rutledge - 824,000
Eric Hicks - 788,000
Melvin Jones - 755,000
James Akenhead - 720,000
Matthew Kearney - 662,000
Jeff Wiedenhoeft - 576,000
Brandon Blake - 465,000

Average Stack: 535,000

Eliminations:
Andre Boyer
Avraham Arguan
Thomas Fuller
Ryan D'Angelo
Pia Jeppesen

Big Hands and Storylines:

Akenhead Joins the Million Chip Club in Style

Evan McNiff and James Akenhead got all-in pre-flop. McNiff showed TT and Akenhead tabled 88. The flop and turn brought disappointment for Akenhead: 922, A but the river was the case 8 (a tablemate had admitted to folding one). This pot shot Akenhead up to over a million in chips and the young Englishman is now in prime position to make the final table.

Ferguson Doubles Through Tran

Theo Tran raised to 45,000 from the button and Chris Ferguson re-raised 200,000 total from the big blind. Tran peeked at his cards, then at his chips, then back at his cards. This cycle continued for a while until he eventually made the call. Tran showed K9 and was dominated by Ferguson’s A9. The flop came with an ace: A66 and Tran was drawing dead after the turn 2. Ferguson now has about 420,000.

Bach Bests D’Angelo

David Bach raised pre-flop to 44,000 and was re-raised to 130,000 by Ryan D’Angelo. Bach made the call and the two saw a flop of T52. Bach had only 50,000 left behind so it was inevitable that the two would get it all in with their holdings: KK for Bach; AK for D’Angelo. The turn and river came 9 and 6 and Bach now sits behind a stack of 360,000 in chips. D'Angelo was eliminated soon after.

Full House Houses Fuller

Thomas Fuller and Aaron Coulthand got all-in pre-flop with A9 and 77 respectively. The flop came 996 to give Fuller a seemingly insurmountable lead, but a 7 on the turn changed everything and the hand swung right back in Coulthand’s favor. The 4 on the river sealed it for Coulthand and Fuller hit the rail just in time to hit the breakfast buffet.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Chris Bach,   Thomas Fuller,   Theo Tran,   Ryan D'Angelo,   James Akenhead,   Evan McNiff,   European Report

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 18

Jun 02, '08

Note: There was an unscheduled 10-minute break during this level for reasons that will be explained later in this update...

Blinds/Antes: 6,000/12,000 – 1,000 ante

Players Left: 31 of 3929

Chip Leaders:
Theo Tran - 1,345,000
Aaron Coulthard - 1,150,000
Joshua Engerdahl - 1,080,000
Joe Rutledge - 860,000
Pia Jeppesen - 750,000
Matthew Kearney - 650,000
Melvin Jones - 590,000
Chris Ferguson - 506,000
James Akenhead - 502,000
Perry Friedman - 404,000

Average Stack: 380,000

Eliminations:
Nadim Shabou
Cesar Flores
David Robertson
Scott Montgomery

Big Hands and Storylines:

Raise, Raise, All-In, All-In

Maybe the late hour is starting to make players antsy: Perry Friedman opened the pot to 35,000, and Frank Sinopoli raised behind him to 90,000. The player to Sinopoli’s left, David Robertson, then moved his stack of about 75,000 into the pot, and after that Elia Ahmadian, one seat to Robertson’s left, shipped his last 100,000 into the middle. Friedman folded, but Sinopoli made the call and the players showed:

Ahmadian: AA
Robertson: AQ
Sinopoli: TT

The board came ragged: 76428 and Ahmadian’s rockets boosted him to 300,000. Sinopoli took a hit and is down to 200,000, and Robertson can finally get some sleep.

Engerdahl Takes Off

Josh Engerdahl raised three times the blinds from late position and Cesar Flores made a massive raise to 400,000. Action folded back around to Engerdahl who look dismayed as he called and turned over AK. He was in tremendous shape, however, as Flores was caught making a move with AJ. The board, Q88T4, didn’t change a thing and Engerdahl’s stack grew to 900,000. After the hand Flores told Engerdahl, “I put you on a steal.”

The very next hand Engerdahl continued his winning ways, tangling with fellow chip leader Pia Jeppesen. Engerdahl again raised from late position to 36,000 and was met by a raise to 105,000 from Jeppesen in the small blind. Undeterred, Engerdahl put in another raise to 300,000 total. Jeppesen did not think too long before folding her hand, conceding the pot. Engerdahl now sits near the chip lead with over a million.

Slow and Steady Nguyen Wins Race (Okay, Not Quite a Race)

Minh Nguyen tossed his final 150,000 chips into the middle from late position and was called by Evan McNiff. Nguyen’s A2 was in bad shape against McNiff’s JJ. The flop KQT left Nguyen drawing to only two outs. The 2 was about the best card McNiff could have hoped for on the turn, but the river was a killer: J. Minh Nguyen, despite not showing down very many hands today, is now up to 300,000.

Tran Busts Montgomery

Theo Tran got caught stealing against Scott Montgomery. Tran's T9 was in dire straits against Montgomery's pocket aces. The flop came with three hearts, however, and Montgomery, without the ace of hearts, was drawing close to dead. The turn and river gave Montgomery no aid, and he was eliminated in 30th place. Tran is now the clear chipleader with close to 1,400,000 chips.

Wiedenhoeft Wins More Than He Bargained For

Steve Chu raised under-the-gun to 50,000 and Jeff Wiedenhoeft made it 100,000 to go from the button. Chu took the bait and re-raised all-in for 10,000 more. He was immediately called by Wiedenhoeft who flipped over AA, crushing Chu’s AQ. Wiedenhoeft’s aces held up on a board of KJ456, but the action was only beginning. While raking in his chips indiscriminately, Wiedenhoeft somehow managed to confuse the pot with neighbor Thomas Fuller’s chips. By the time Fuller returned from his seat, his stack was about 250,000 chips lighter. To remedy the situation, the powers-that-be decided to take a short break and sort the situation out. Everything was eventually settled, but as a result of this stoppage the next break will only last 10 minutes.

Player Tags: Frank Sinopoli,   Minh Nguyen,   Perry Friedman,   Elia Ahmadian,   Theo Tran,   Scott Montgomery,   Evan McNiff,   Joshua Engerdahl,   European Report