| Jun 22, '11 |
2011 42nd Annual World Series of Poker |
$5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Six Handed |
3 |
+ |
Level 27: Winzeler Leads Mercier Heads-up; Merrifield 3rd
Jun 22, '11
Blinds: 25,000-50,000
Players Remaining: 2 out of 507
Average Chip Count: 3,802,500
Chip Counts:
1. Hans Winzeler – 4,125,000
2. Jason Mercier – 3,490,000
Eliminations:
3rd. Steven Merrifield – $239,100
Steven Merrifield Eliminated in 3rd Place ($239,100)
Steven Merrifield button-raised to 175,000 before the flop and Hans Winzeler called.
The flop came K J 10 , Winzeler checked, Merrifield moved all in for 350,000 and Winzeler called.
Merrifield: A K J 4
Winzeler: A Q 10 5
Winzeler flopped the ace-high straight and was ahead when the money went in while Merrifield trailed with two pair. The turn and rover were the 3 and the 3, no help to Steven Merrifield who was eliminated in 3rd place ($239,100).
NOTE With the elimination of Steven Merrifirld in 3rd place, Hans Winzeler took the chip lead into heads-up play with 4,125,000 to Jason Mercier’s 3,490,000.
Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.
Player Tags: Hans Winzeler, Steven Merrifield, Jason Mercier
Level 26: Final Three Close In Chips; Chiu 4th, Ressler 5th
Jun 22, '11
Blinds: 20,000-40,000
Players Remaining: 3 out of 507
Average Chip Count: 2,535,000
Chip Counts:
1. Steven Merrifield – 2,775,000
2. Jason Mercier – 2,540,000
3. Hans Winzeler – 2,300,000
Eliminations:
4th. David Chiu – $156,628
5th. Joseph Ressler – $105,967
Joseph Ressler Eliminated in 5th Place ($105,967)
Joseph Ressler opened the pot for 80,000 from under the gun, Steven Merrifield called from the small blind and Jason Mercier called from the big blind.
The flop came K 10 7 ,Merrifield and Mercier both checked, Ressler bet 150,000, Merrifield check-raised to 425,000, Mercier folded, Ressler moved all in and Merrifield called.
Ressler: K K 3 2
Merrifield: A 10 10 2
Ressler flopped top set while Merrifield flopped middle set. The turn and river were the 4 and the 10, giving Merrifield quad tens on the river to win the pot. Joseph Ressler got it in good with set-over-set, but was eliminated in 5th place ($105,967) when Steven Merrifield spiked a one-outer on the river to to make quads.
 David Chiu Eliminated in 4th Place ($156,628)
David Chiu opened the pot for a raise from the cutoff, Jason Mercier reraised from the big blind and Chiu called all in.
Chiu: A K J 4
Mercier: A Q J 9
The board came A 9 4 6 10, giving Mercier a flush on the river to win the pot. David Chiu was eliminated in 4th place ($156,628).
Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.
Player Tags: David Chiu, Steven Merrifield, Jason Mercier, Joseph Ressler
Level 24: Brooks Eliminated 7th, Final Table Now Underway
Jun 22, '11
NOTE: Play ended last night with 15 players and resumed today at 2:30pm. With the elimination of Gregory Brooks in 7th place ($53,210), the official six-handed final table is now underway.
Blinds: 12,000-24,000
Players Remaining: 6 out of 507
Average Chip Count: 1,267,500
Chip Counts:
1. Joseph Ressler – 2,000,000
2. Jason Mercier – 1,900,000
3. David Chiu – 1,710,000
4. Steven Merrifield – 1,485,000
5. Hans Winzeler – 1,240,000
6. Mike McDonald – 245,000
Payouts:
1st. $619,575
2nd. $383,075
3rd. $239,100
4th. $156,628
5th. $105,967
6th. $73,965
Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.
Player Tags: David Chiu, Mike McDonald, Hans Winzeler, Steven Merrifield, Jason Mercier, Joseph Ressler, Gregory Brooks
|
| Jun 18, '11 |
2011 42nd Annual World Series of Poker |
$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em |
3 |
+ |
Level 25: Shortway Leads Final Three
Jun 18, '11
Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 out of 2,500
Average Chip Count: 3,750,000
Chip Counts:
1. Robert Shortway – 5,400,000
2. Joshua Evans – 3,450,000
3. Andy Frankenberger – 2,400,000
Eliminations:
4th. Owen Crowe – $190,147
5th. Tyler Kenney – $138,847
6th. Steven Merrifield – $102,600
7th. Thao Nguyen – $76,747
 Thao Nguyen Eliminated in 7th Place ($76,747)
Steven Merrifield opened for 65,000, Andy Frankenberger reraised to 150,000, Thao Nguyen moved all in for 600,000, Merrifield folded and Frankenberger called.
Frankenberger had A A against Nguyen’s A Q.
The board came KQ 4 J 6, giving Nguyen a pair on the flop but he failed to improve by the river and was eliminated in 7th place ($76,747).
Steven Merrifield Eliminated in 6th Place ($102,600)
Robert Shortway opened for a raise to 75,000 before the flop and Steven Merrifield called from the big blind.
The flop came 9 8 7, Merrifield checked, Shortway bet 75,000, Merrifield check-raised to 200,000 and Shortway called.
The turn was the Q, Merrifield bet 175,000, Shortway raised to 675,000, Merrifield moved all in and Shortway called.
Merrifield turned over 10 9 for middle pair and an inside straight draw while Shortway showed J 10 for the made nut straight. Merrifield could not win the pot but was drawing live to a chop with a jack.
The river was the 8, and Steven Merrifield was eliminated in 6th place ($102,600).
Tyler Kenney Eliminated in 5th Place ($138,847)
Tyler Kenney opened for a raise to 70,000, Joshua Evans reraised to 250,000, Kenney moved all in and Evans called.
Evans lead with A J against Kenney’s 9 8.
The board came Q J 4 2 J, giving Evans a pair on the river to win the pot. Tyler Kenney was eliminated in 5th place ($138,847).
Owen Crowe Eliminated in 4th Place ($190,147)
Owen Crowe was all in before the flop with A 4 against Andy Frankenberger’s A 9.
The board came A Q 9 J K, giving Frankenberger two pair to win the pot. Owen Crowe was eliminated in 4th place ($190,147).
Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.
Player Tags: Owen Crowe, Steven Merrifield, Tyler Kenney, Andy Frankenberger, Robert Shortway, Thao Nguyen
Level 24: Shortway Leads; Hasson 8th, Hruby 9th
Jun 18, '11
Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 out of 2,500
Average Chip Count: 1,607,142
Chip Counts:
1. Robert Shortway – 2,745,000
2. Joshua Evans – 2,285,000
3. Andy Frankenberger – 1,830,000
4. Tyler Kenney – 1,350,000
5. Steven Merrifield – 1,300,000
6. Owen Crowe – 1,090,000
7. Thao Nguyen – 670,000
Eliminations:
8th. Sidney Hasson – $58,083
9th. Bret Hruby – $44,482
Bret Hruby Eliminated in 9th Place ($44,482)
Bret Hruby started the official nine-handed final table as one of the short stacks and was eliminated shortly after play started. Hruby open-shoved before the flop for 356,000 and Steven Merrifield re-shoved with no callers.
Merrifield lead with 10 10 against Hruby’s K J.
The board came 6 5 3 2 3, no help to Bret Hruby who was the first to go in 9th place ($44,482).
Shortway Doubles Through Merrifield For Chip Lead
In one of the first hands of the level, Robert Shortway four-bet all in for over 1 million before the flop with K K and Steven Merrifield called with Q Q.
The board came 4 2 7 4, no help for either player as Robert Shortway doubled up to over 2.1. Merrifield fell down to just about 1.3 million, losing the chip lead to Shortway that hand.
Sidney Hasson Eliminated in 8th Place ($50,083)
Sidney Hasson raised to 63,000 before the flop, Joshua Evans reraised to 172,000 and Hasson called.
The flop came A 10 9, Hasson checked, Evans bet, Hasson check-raised all in and Evans called.
Evans showed A J for top pair while Hasson showed K Q for the nut flush draw and an inside straight draw.
The turn and river were the 8 and the A, giving Evans trips on the river. Evans raked the pot and Sidney Hasson was eliminated in 8th place ($50,083).
Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.
Player Tags: Steven Merrifield, Bret Hruby, Robert Shortway, Sidney Hasson
Level 23: Official Nine-Handed Final Table Now Underway
Jun 18, '11
NOTE: Play ended last night with 28 players and resumed today at 4:00pm.
Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 out of 2,500
Average Chip Count: 1,250,000
Chip Counts:
1. Steven Merrifield – 2,895,000
2. Andy Frankenberger – 1,832,000
3. Joshua Evans – 1,771,000
4. Owen Crowe – 968,000
5. Sidney Hasson – 922,000
6. Robert Shortway – 817,000
7. Thao Nguyen – 656,000
8. Bret Hruby – 225,000
9. Tyler Kenney – 105,000
Payouts:
1st. $599,153
2nd. $372,498
3rd. $263,655
4th. $190,147
5th. $138,847
6th. $102,600
7th. $76,747
8th. $58,083
9th. $44,482
Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.
Player Tags: Owen Crowe, Steven Merrifield, Bret Hruby, Tyler Kenney, Andy Frankenberger, Robert Shortway, Sidney Hasson, Thao Nguyen
|
| Dec 14, '08 |
2008 Five Diamond World Poker Classic (WPT) |
WPT Doyle Brunson Classic Championship - Event 13 |
2 |
+ |
Level Two Update
Dec 14, '08
Level: 2
Blinds/Antes: 100-200
Scoreboard
Players Left: 285 of 291
Average: 46,000
Notable Chip Counts
Ben Palmer - 88,000
Kathy Liebert - 79,000
Mark Teltscher - 79,000
Alan Goehring - 76,000
Steven Merrifield - 75,000
Notable Eliminations
None
Big Hands:
 Steven Merrifield Takes Out Loose Cannon
Breakout tournament pro Steven Merrifield caught a break early in the tournament when the one amateur at his table decided to donate to his cause. According to Merrifield, the unknown tried a four-bet squeeze from the cutoff with pocket fours. Merrifield moved in with pocket queens and they held to give him a stack of 75,000.
Kathy Liebert Trips Up
Kathy Liebert, who has had a big year both on the World Poker Tour and at the World Series of Poker, made a set of tens work for her in the second level to increase her stack to 79,000.
Ben "ShankingYou" Palmer Wins Big With Set
Ben Palmer saw a flop of K-J-4 with three limpers. One limper bet 1,000 and was called. Palmer then raised to 3,500 and was called in both spots. The turn was a deuce and Palmer bet 8,700, again getting called in both spots. The river was a five and Palmer bet 18,000. He got one caller and took the pot with his set of fours. He now has 88,000 in chips.
Player Tags: Kathy Liebert, Benjamin Palmer, Steven Merrifield
|
| Dec 12, '08 |
2008 Five Diamond World Poker Classic (WPT) |
No-Limit Hold'em - Event 12 |
2 |
+ |
Steven Merrifield Eliminated in 8th Place ($23,450)
Dec 12, '08
Steven Merrifield is all in holding A K against Davidson Matthew's A 9 .
The board comes 1095Q5 and Merrifield is eliminated in 8th place. Matthew now has 525,000 despite being short stacked and all in with the worst hand three times today.
Player Tags: Davidson Matthew, Steven Merrifield
|
| Jun 14, '08 |
2008 39th Annual World Series of Poker |
Event 26 - Seven Card Razz |
2 |
+ |
$1,500 Razz - Day 2 - Level 10 Recap
Jun 14, '08
Note: Players are now on a 20-minute break
Limits: 800-1,600, 200 ante, 200 bring in
Players Left: 69 of 456
Chip Leaders:
David Levi - 61,000
Joseph Michael - 57,000
Jonathan Schwatz - 56,000
Barry Greenstein - 40,000
Christopher Viox - 33,000
Michael Wattel - 29,000
Anthony Viganola - 28,000
Ted Lawson - 28,000
Frank Kassela - 26,200
Steven Merrifield – 25,000
Average Stack: 19,850
Eliminations:
Dario Alioto
Dewey Tomko
Vanessa Rousso
Big Hands and Storylines:
How much?!
The tournament screen displaying information for the next level showed that the bring-in would be 3,000 chips. This prompted a word from the supervisor that the bring-in for the next level would in fact be 300 and not 3,000. That, of course, makes much more sense considering the stakes will only be 1,000-2,000.
 Nassif Takes a Pot Off Levi
Edward Nassif: 35K5
David Levi: 62Q2
The player in the 2 seat raised with the 5 up and David Levi called. Ed Nassif raised and both players came for 4th street. On 4th street Nassif bet, the 2 seat folded and Levi called. Levi then took the initiative and bet on 5th and 6th streets after two abysmal cards were dealt to Nassif. Nassif called twice however, and on 7th street both players checked. Levi turned over (7-3-3) for a Q-7-6-3-2 low and Nassif seemed shocked when his (Q-6-4) underneath allowed him to take down the pot with a meager Q-6-5-4-3. Nassif is now up to 19,000 and Levi is still tops with 61,000.
Merrifield on a Run
Starting the day with only 8,000, Steven Merrifield has done a tremendous job of running his stack up to 25,000. A good deal of that money came from a recent pot contested with Andy Bloch:
Merrifield: T672
Bloch: Q749
Merrifield bet out with his superior upcards on 5th, 6th, and 7th streets and on each occasion he was called by Bloch. Merrified showed T65 for a T-7-6-5-2 low, good enough to scoop the pot. After the pot Bloch was left with 18,000.
Sklansky Bucks Lawson
Ted Lawson bet on 4th street with the 4 up and David Sklansky called showing the 4. On 4th street, Lawson was dealt the 5 and Sklansky the 6; both players checked. On 6th street Sklansky was dealt the 7 and bet into Lawson who drew the Q. Lawson folded and Sklansky won the pot. It’s not all bad news for Ted Lawson though, as he still has nearly 30,000 in chips. Sklansky has about 10,000.
Player Tags: Frank Kassela, Barry Greenstein, David Levi, Andy Bloch, Dewey Tomko, Michael Wattel, Ted Lawson, David Sklansky, Vanessa Rousso, Edward Nassif, Chris Viox, Dario Alioto, Joseph Michael, Anthony Viganola, Steven Merrifield
|
| Jun 09, '08 |
2008 39th Annual World Series of Poker |
Event 13 - No-Limit Hold'em |
3 |
+ |
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Bell Captures the Crown
Jun 09, '08
 Steve Merrifield Takes a Big Lead
Duncan Bell raised to 175,000 and Steve Merrifield made the call. The flop came 852 and Merrifield bet 270,000. Bell called and the turn was the 4. Merrifield bet 475,000 and Bell called once again. The river was the 9 and Merrifield bet 1 million. Bell called and mucked when Merrifield turned over K9 for a rivered pair of nines. After the hand, Merrifield held an approximately 5-1 chip lead.
 Duncan Bell Doubles Up
Steve Merrifield raised to 175,000 and Duncan Bell called. The flop came 974 and Bell bet 200,000. Merrifield called and the turn was the 4. Bell bet 525,000 and Merrifield put him all in. Bell called and showed A9 and all Merrifield could must was pocket fives. The river was the 10 and Bell doubled up.
Duncan Bell Wins Event No. 13 ($666,697), Steve Merrifield Finishes in Second Place ($428,949)
On the 73rd hand of play, Steve Merrifield raised to 155,000 and Duncan Bell called. The flop came out 862 and Bell bet 150,000. Merrifield raised to 500,000 and Bell moved all in. Merrifield called showing pocket tens, but he was way behind to Bell's pocket aces. The turn and river bricked out and Duncan Bell won event No. 13, $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Player Tags: Duncan Bell, Steven Merrifield
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Not Slowing Down
Jun 09, '08
Blinds: 20,000 - 40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Chip Leaders:
Duncan Bell - 3,300,000
Steve Merrifield - 3,300,000
Eliminations: Brent Hanks (5th Place), Shawn Buchanan (4th Place), Nathan Doudney (3rd Place)
Big Hands and Storylines:
Steve Merrifield Doubles Through Brent Hanks
Brent Hanks raised to 115,000 and was called by Steve Merrifield in the small blind. The flop came down AK5 and Merrifield bet 200,000. Hanks raised to 525,000 and Merrifield moved all in. Hanks quickly called and showed AK for top two pair and Merrifield showed 87 for a flush draw. The turn was the 9, giving Merrifield three more outs and the river was the Q giving him the flush to double up.
 Nathan Doudney Doubles Through Shawn Buchanan
Steve Merrifield raised to 125,000 and Shawn Buchana reraised to 300,000. Nathan Doudney moved all in and Merrifield mucked. Buchanan called showing AK and was racing against Doudney's pocket jacks. The board came out 66497 and Doudney doubled up.
Brent "Bhanks11" Hanks Eliminated in 5th Place ($178,327)
Brent Hanks moved all in on the short stack and was called by Steve Merrifield. Hanks turned over A2 but was dominated by Merrifield's A10. The board ran JJ7K4 and Hanks was eliminated in fifth place.
Shawn Buchanan Eliminated in 4th Place ($218,491)
Steve Merrifield raised to 100,000 and Shawn Buchanan moved in. Merrifield made the call and his pocket nines held against AK when the board came 87625. Buchanan was eliminated in fourth place.
 Nathan Doudney Eliminated in 3rd Place ($260,261)
Steve Merrifield raised to 105,000 and Nathan Doudney moved all in. Merrifield made the call and showed A9 and was up against K8. The flop came AKJ hitting both players hands, but the turn put Doudney ahead when the 8 hit the board. The river was the 9 and Merrifield made Aces up to beat Doudney's Kings up. Doudney was eliminated in third place.
NOTE: There was a break as the bracelet and cash were brought out to the table.
Player Tags: Shawn Buchanan, Duncan Bell, Nathan Doudney, Brent Hanks, Steven Merrifield
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Short Stacks Go Home
Jun 09, '08
Blinds: 15,000 - 30,000 with a 4,000 ante
Chip Leaders:
Duncan Bell - 2,950,000
Brent Hanks - 1,400,000
Shawn Buchanan - 1,000,000
Steve Merrifield - 1,000,000
Nathan Doudney - 510,000
Eliminations: Nicolas Levi (9th Place), Brent Ditzik (8th Place), Ariel Soffer (7th Place), Jason Sanders (6th Place)
Big Hands and Storylines:
 Nicolas Levi Eliminated in 9th Place ($59,442)
Nicolas Levi was all in for 225,000 and Steve Merrifield made the call. Levi showed down pocket sevens and he was racing against the A10 of Merrifield. The board ran out 1066810 and Levi exited the table in ninth place just two hands into play.
 Brent Ditzik Eliminated in 8th Place ($83,541)
Duncan Bell raised to 90,000 and Brent Ditzik moved all in. Bell quickly called showing pocket jacks and was up against Ditzik's AQ. The flop brought a queen for Ditzik, but it also came with a jack. There were no runner-runner miracles for Ditzik and he was eliminated in eighth place.
 Ariel Soffer Eliminated in 7th Place ($107,639)
On just the eleventh hand of play, Duncan Bell raised to 110,000 and Ariel Soffer moved all in for his last 184,000 with pocket sixes. Bell had J10 and turned a king high straight to eliminate Soffer in seventh place.
Brent "Bhanks11" Hanks Doubles Up, Jason Sanders Crippled
Brent Hanks raised to 85,000 and Jason Sanders made the call. The flop came KJ10 and Sanders moved all in, having Hanks slightly covered. Hanks instantly called and flipped up KK for top set. Sanders sheepishly turned over Q2 for an open-ended straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. The turn ended things quickly when the K gave the young online pro quads and a new stack of 1.4 million. Sanders was left with just over a round of blinds.
 Jason Sanders Eliminated in 6th Place ($139,770)
Duncan Bell raised to 100,000 and Jason Sanders called all in with 107. Bell showed 22 and both players were off to the races. The flop of 966 gave Sanders many more outs, but the 2 on the turn ended the hand, and his tournament. Sanders finished in sixth place.
NOTE: Players then went on a 20-minute break while coloring up the 1,000 denomination chips.
Player Tags: Duncan Bell, Brent Hanks, Nicolas Levi, Steven Merrifield, Brent Ditzik, Ariel Soffer, Jason Sanders
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table Today
Jun 09, '08
The final table for event no. 13 will begin today at 2 p.m. The final 9 players will be vying for a first-prize of $666,777 and a World Series of Poker bracelet. If there is a theme for today’s final table it would have to be inexperience: four of the players today have never made a final table before, and three of the players are making their first ever money-finish in a tournament. Here is a rundown of the players at the final table:
Duncan Bell of Vancouver will be making his first ever final table, but his nerves might be tempered a bit by the massive stack of chips sitting in front of him. Bell comes into the final table as the big chipleader. With 1,966,000 chips he will be coming into the final day with nearly twice that of his second-place rival.
 British Columbia is sure to be represented well today: Shawn Buchanan, second in chips, is from Abbotsford, BC. Buchanan has 4 World Series of Poker cashes to his name, but his greatest accomplishment is taking down a World Poker Tour title at the 2007 Mandalay Bay Poker Championship. After taking home over $750,000 in that event, he should be more at ease at today’s final table.
Steven Merrifield has been slowly building his way toward this day. The Fairmont, West Virginia native has cashed in 3 World Series of Poker Circuit events this year, each score bigger than the last. Then last week, he made his first World Series cash, finishing 53rd in the $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event.
Jason Sanders will begin the day with 1,099,000 in chips, but regardless of where he finishes this is guaranteed to be his biggest score ever. Sanders has no major cashes to his name, but a final table at the World Series of Poker is quite a way to start the list. Sanders hails from Simi Valley, California.
You might not consider Brent Hanks a major threat going into this final table if you were to look solely at his live numbers. The Filmore, NY resident has only two lifetime live cashes totaling $8,000. The online tournament world knows full well the talent of Hanks however . "BHanks11" is currently 7th in Card Player's Online Player of the Year ranking, having won both the PokerStars Sunday Million and Nightly Hundred Grand this year. Hanks will hope to carry over his online success to the brick and mortar world with a win today.
Brent Ditzik of Phoenix, Arizona commences our group of players who will be starting with a short stack. With blinds starting at 12,000/24,000 and a 3,000 ante, Ditzik’s stack of 384,000 leaves him with only 16 big blinds to start the day. This is Ditzik’s first ever final table.
Nicolas Levi from France has only 4 major cashes in his career, but they are quite the collection. He has, to his credit: a European Poker Tour final table, finishing 7th in Dortmund; a World Series of Poker cash in a 6-handed event; a World Series of Poker Europe cash, finishing 27th in the Main Event in London; and just earlier this year he made his first ever money appearance in a World Poker Tour event at the Five-Star World Poker Classic. A 6th place finish today will surpass Levi’s best tournament cash of $112,667.
Hollywood’s Ariel Soffer has the odds stacked against him today. Not only has he never had a major tournament cash, but he is also coming into today’s event as a short-stack. A win today by Soffer would be a true underdog tale. Soffer will begin today’s event with 191,000.
Nathan Doudney will enter today’s event with less than 10 big blinds, but this event already has to be considered a success for. Until this tournament, despite three cashes, Doudney had never finished higher than 33rd in a World Series of Poker event. The man from Bend, Texas will need quite a bit of help from the poker gods today to go deep at the final table.
Player Tags: Shawn Buchanan, Duncan Bell, Nathan Doudney, Brent Hanks, Nicolas Levi, Steven Merrifield, Brent Ditzik, Ariel Soffer, Jason Sanders
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Level 14 recap
Jun 08, '08
Blinds-Antes: 2,000-4,000-500
Players left: 50 of 1,397
Average chip stack: 139,700
Chip leaders:
Frank Vukasin - 320,000
Dean Bui - 250,000
Vanessa Selbst - 230,000
Theo Tran - 220,000
Jason Manger - 210,000
Jason Mercier - 180,000
Anthony Phillips - 140,000
Eliminations:
Paul Kobel
Joe Simmons
Big hands:
Merrifield wins another big pot
In an attempt to steal a big pot, Loren Klein pushed all in with just 7-6 offsuit. He hoped to get Steven Merrifield and Vanessa Selbst to fold, but was unable to. Merrifield called, and after thinking for a few moments Selbst folded. Klein knew he was in trouble, but it was the worst possible situation; Merrifield had pocket sevens. Selbst folded Q-T, and was mad at herself for not going all in to force Merrifield to fold. After the hand Merrifield had about 200,000 chips.
 Theo takes a couple hits
After losing a pot when Craig Gray hit a three-outer on the river, Theo Tran lost some more chips soon after. Tran raised preflop and he and two callers saw a KQ8 flop. It checked to Pete de Best at the button position and he moved all in for for about the size of the pot. The third player in the hand folded and Tran made the call with QT. de Best showed KJ and the turn and river were 7 and J, respectively. Currently Tran has about 220,000 chips.
Chattha loses race
Charles Chattha raised to 11,000 preflop and faced an all in reraise for 26,000 more from Billy Ragatz in the small blind. Chattha called with two red tens and was up against AK. But the board came A725A. Currently Chattha has about 40,000 chips and Ragatz has 30,000 chips.
Bui's chip lead is no more
With the flop 859, Dean Bui bet 8,000. After one player folded, Joel Casper pushed all in for about 50,000 chips. Bui called immediately with JT, while Casper just had A4. With two hearts giving Bui the straight flush, Casper had just five outs. But one of those outs came on the turn, and then Bui didn't hit a two-outer on the river. After the hand Bui was down to 250,000 chips, while Casper's stack shot up to 120,000 chips.
Player Tags: Craig Gray, Billy Ragatz, Theo Tran, Charles Chattha, Steven Merrifield
|
| Jun 08, '08 |
2008 39th Annual World Series of Poker |
Event 13 - No-Limit Hold'em |
2 |
+ |
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Bell Captures the Crown
Jun 09, '08
Steve Merrifield Takes a Big Lead
Duncan Bell raised to 175,000 and Steve Merrifield made the call. The flop came 852 and Merrifield bet 270,000. Bell called and the turn was the 4. Merrifield bet 475,000 and Bell called once again. The river was the 9 and Merrifield bet 1 million. Bell called and mucked when Merrifield turned over K9 for a rivered pair of nines. After the hand, Merrifield held an approximately 5-1 chip lead.
Duncan Bell Doubles Up
Steve Merrifield raised to 175,000 and Duncan Bell called. The flop came 974 and Bell bet 200,000. Merrifield called and the turn was the 4. Bell bet 525,000 and Merrifield put him all in. Bell called and showed A9 and all Merrifield could must was pocket fives. The river was the 10 and Bell doubled up.
Duncan Bell Wins Event No. 13 ($666,697), Steve Merrifield Finishes in Second Place ($428,949)
On the 73rd hand of play, Steve Merrifield raised to 155,000 and Duncan Bell called. The flop came out 862 and Bell bet 150,000. Merrifield raised to 500,000 and Bell moved all in. Merrifield called showing pocket tens, but he was way behind to Bell's pocket aces. The turn and river bricked out and Duncan Bell won event No. 13, $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Player Tags: Duncan Bell, Steven Merrifield
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Not Slowing Down
Jun 09, '08
Blinds: 20,000 - 40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Chip Leaders:
Duncan Bell - 3,300,000
Steve Merrifield - 3,300,000
Eliminations: Brent Hanks (5th Place), Shawn Buchanan (4th Place), Nathan Doudney (3rd Place)
Big Hands and Storylines:
Steve Merrifield Doubles Through Brent Hanks
Brent Hanks raised to 115,000 and was called by Steve Merrifield in the small blind. The flop came down AK5 and Merrifield bet 200,000. Hanks raised to 525,000 and Merrifield moved all in. Hanks quickly called and showed AK for top two pair and Merrifield showed 87 for a flush draw. The turn was the 9, giving Merrifield three more outs and the river was the Q giving him the flush to double up.
Nathan Doudney Doubles Through Shawn Buchanan
Steve Merrifield raised to 125,000 and Shawn Buchana reraised to 300,000. Nathan Doudney moved all in and Merrifield mucked. Buchanan called showing AK and was racing against Doudney's pocket jacks. The board came out 66497 and Doudney doubled up.
Brent "Bhanks11" Hanks Eliminated in 5th Place ($178,327)
Brent Hanks moved all in on the short stack and was called by Steve Merrifield. Hanks turned over A2 but was dominated by Merrifield's A10. The board ran JJ7K4 and Hanks was eliminated in fifth place.
Shawn Buchanan Eliminated in 4th Place ($218,491)
Steve Merrifield raised to 100,000 and Shawn Buchanan moved in. Merrifield made the call and his pocket nines held against AK when the board came 87625. Buchanan was eliminated in fourth place.
Nathan Doudney Eliminated in 3rd Place ($260,261)
Steve Merrifield raised to 105,000 and Nathan Doudney moved all in. Merrifield made the call and showed A9 and was up against K8. The flop came AKJ hitting both players hands, but the turn put Doudney ahead when the 8 hit the board. The river was the 9 and Merrifield made Aces up to beat Doudney's Kings up. Doudney was eliminated in third place.
NOTE: There was a break as the bracelet and cash were brought out to the table.
Player Tags: Shawn Buchanan, Duncan Bell, Nathan Doudney, Brent Hanks, Steven Merrifield
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Short Stacks Go Home
Jun 09, '08
Blinds: 15,000 - 30,000 with a 4,000 ante
Chip Leaders:
Duncan Bell - 2,950,000
Brent Hanks - 1,400,000
Shawn Buchanan - 1,000,000
Steve Merrifield - 1,000,000
Nathan Doudney - 510,000
Eliminations: Nicolas Levi (9th Place), Brent Ditzik (8th Place), Ariel Soffer (7th Place), Jason Sanders (6th Place)
Big Hands and Storylines:
Nicolas Levi Eliminated in 9th Place ($59,442)
Nicolas Levi was all in for 225,000 and Steve Merrifield made the call. Levi showed down pocket sevens and he was racing against the A10 of Merrifield. The board ran out 1066810 and Levi exited the table in ninth place just two hands into play.
Brent Ditzik Eliminated in 8th Place ($83,541)
Duncan Bell raised to 90,000 and Brent Ditzik moved all in. Bell quickly called showing pocket jacks and was up against Ditzik's AQ. The flop brought a queen for Ditzik, but it also came with a jack. There were no runner-runner miracles for Ditzik and he was eliminated in eighth place.
Ariel Soffer Eliminated in 7th Place ($107,639)
On just the eleventh hand of play, Duncan Bell raised to 110,000 and Ariel Soffer moved all in for his last 184,000 with pocket sixes. Bell had J10 and turned a king high straight to eliminate Soffer in seventh place.
Brent "Bhanks11" Hanks Doubles Up, Jason Sanders Crippled
Brent Hanks raised to 85,000 and Jason Sanders made the call. The flop came KJ10 and Sanders moved all in, having Hanks slightly covered. Hanks instantly called and flipped up KK for top set. Sanders sheepishly turned over Q2 for an open-ended straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. The turn ended things quickly when the K gave the young online pro quads and a new stack of 1.4 million. Sanders was left with just over a round of blinds.
Jason Sanders Eliminated in 6th Place ($139,770)
Duncan Bell raised to 100,000 and Jason Sanders called all in with 107. Bell showed 22 and both players were off to the races. The flop of 966 gave Sanders many more outs, but the 2 on the turn ended the hand, and his tournament. Sanders finished in sixth place.
NOTE: Players then went on a 20-minute break while coloring up the 1,000 denomination chips.
Player Tags: Duncan Bell, Brent Hanks, Nicolas Levi, Steven Merrifield, Brent Ditzik, Ariel Soffer, Jason Sanders
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table Today
Jun 09, '08
The final table for event no. 13 will begin today at 2 p.m. The final 9 players will be vying for a first-prize of $666,777 and a World Series of Poker bracelet. If there is a theme for today’s final table it would have to be inexperience: four of the players today have never made a final table before, and three of the players are making their first ever money-finish in a tournament. Here is a rundown of the players at the final table:
Duncan Bell of Vancouver will be making his first ever final table, but his nerves might be tempered a bit by the massive stack of chips sitting in front of him. Bell comes into the final table as the big chipleader. With 1,966,000 chips he will be coming into the final day with nearly twice that of his second-place rival.
British Columbia is sure to be represented well today: Shawn Buchanan, second in chips, is from Abbotsford, BC. Buchanan has 4 World Series of Poker cashes to his name, but his greatest accomplishment is taking down a World Poker Tour title at the 2007 Mandalay Bay Poker Championship. After taking home over $750,000 in that event, he should be more at ease at today’s final table.
Steven Merrifield has been slowly building his way toward this day. The Fairmont, West Virginia native has cashed in 3 World Series of Poker Circuit events this year, each score bigger than the last. Then last week, he made his first World Series cash, finishing 53rd in the $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event.
Jason Sanders will begin the day with 1,099,000 in chips, but regardless of where he finishes this is guaranteed to be his biggest score ever. Sanders has no major cashes to his name, but a final table at the World Series of Poker is quite a way to start the list. Sanders hails from Simi Valley, California.
You might not consider Brent Hanks a major threat going into this final table if you were to look solely at his live numbers. The Filmore, NY resident has only two lifetime live cashes totaling $8,000. The online tournament world knows full well the talent of Hanks however . "BHanks11" is currently 7th in Card Player's Online Player of the Year ranking, having won both the PokerStars Sunday Million and Nightly Hundred Grand this year. Hanks will hope to carry over his online success to the brick and mortar world with a win today.
Brent Ditzik of Phoenix, Arizona commences our group of players who will be starting with a short stack. With blinds starting at 12,000/24,000 and a 3,000 ante, Ditzik’s stack of 384,000 leaves him with only 16 big blinds to start the day. This is Ditzik’s first ever final table.
Nicolas Levi from France has only 4 major cashes in his career, but they are quite the collection. He has, to his credit: a European Poker Tour final table, finishing 7th in Dortmund; a World Series of Poker cash in a 6-handed event; a World Series of Poker Europe cash, finishing 27th in the Main Event in London; and just earlier this year he made his first ever money appearance in a World Poker Tour event at the Five-Star World Poker Classic. A 6th place finish today will surpass Levi’s best tournament cash of $112,667.
Hollywood’s Ariel Soffer has the odds stacked against him today. Not only has he never had a major tournament cash, but he is also coming into today’s event as a short-stack. A win today by Soffer would be a true underdog tale. Soffer will begin today’s event with 191,000.
Nathan Doudney will enter today’s event with less than 10 big blinds, but this event already has to be considered a success for. Until this tournament, despite three cashes, Doudney had never finished higher than 33rd in a World Series of Poker event. The man from Bend, Texas will need quite a bit of help from the poker gods today to go deep at the final table.
Player Tags: Shawn Buchanan, Duncan Bell, Nathan Doudney, Brent Hanks, Nicolas Levi, Steven Merrifield, Brent Ditzik, Ariel Soffer, Jason Sanders
$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Level 14 recap
Jun 08, '08
Blinds-Antes: 2,000-4,000-500
Players left: 50 of 1,397
Average chip stack: 139,700
Chip leaders:
Frank Vukasin - 320,000
Dean Bui - 250,000
Vanessa Selbst - 230,000
Theo Tran - 220,000
Jason Manger - 210,000
Jason Mercier - 180,000
Anthony Phillips - 140,000
Eliminations:
Paul Kobel
Joe Simmons
Big hands:
Merrifield wins another big pot
In an attempt to steal a big pot, Loren Klein pushed all in with just 7-6 offsuit. He hoped to get Steven Merrifield and Vanessa Selbst to fold, but was unable to. Merrifield called, and after thinking for a few moments Selbst folded. Klein knew he was in trouble, but it was the worst possible situation; Merrifield had pocket sevens. Selbst folded Q-T, and was mad at herself for not going all in to force Merrifield to fold. After the hand Merrifield had about 200,000 chips.
Theo takes a couple hits
After losing a pot when Craig Gray hit a three-outer on the river, Theo Tran lost some more chips soon after. Tran raised preflop and he and two callers saw a KQ8 flop. It checked to Pete de Best at the button position and he moved all in for for about the size of the pot. The third player in the hand folded and Tran made the call with QT. de Best showed KJ and the turn and river were 7 and J, respectively. Currently Tran has about 220,000 chips.
Chattha loses race
Charles Chattha raised to 11,000 preflop and faced an all in reraise for 26,000 more from Billy Ragatz in the small blind. Chattha called with two red tens and was up against AK. But the board came A725A. Currently Chattha has about 40,000 chips and Ragatz has 30,000 chips.
Bui's chip lead is no more
With the flop 859, Dean Bui bet 8,000. After one player folded, Joel Casper pushed all in for about 50,000 chips. Bui called immediately with JT, while Casper just had A4. With two hearts giving Bui the straight flush, Casper had just five outs. But one of those outs came on the turn, and then Bui didn't hit a two-outer on the river. After the hand Bui was down to 250,000 chips, while Casper's stack shot up to 120,000 chips.
Player Tags: Craig Gray, Billy Ragatz, Theo Tran, Charles Chattha, Steven Merrifield
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