Justin Bonomo - Live Updates

Level 15 Hour 1 Update: J.C. Tran Doubles Up

Jul 11, '09

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 729 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,600,000
2. Ludovic Lacay – 925,000
3. Jason Brice – 838,500
4. Benjamin Jensen – 835,500
5. Eli Adler – 810,000
6. Kasper Cordes – 796,000
7. James Akenhead – 794,000
8. Billy Kopp – 792,000
9. Tyler Patterson – 784,000
10. Adam Bilzerian – 767,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 197,000
Phil Hellmuth – 235,000

Average Chip Count: 220,884

Notable Eliminations:

Maria Mayrinck
John Racener

Big Hands:

Happy Beginnings

On the third hand of the day, Steve Gahaghan moved all in from under the gun for 52,000. Jeff Shulman was next to act and made the quick call. Everyone else mucked and Gahaghan showed A8 while Shulman had JJ.

The flop fell 1096 giving Gahaghan a gutshot straight draw. The turn was the K taking a bunch of spades away from Gahaghan as outs. The river was the 5, giving Shulman a flush and the pot. Shulman was at 197,000.

Bilzerian Hits Runners to Stay Alive

Dan Bilzerian moved all in preflop and was called by Jesse Chinni for his last 67,500 chips. Chinni showed AQ and Bilzerian had 89. The flop was QK4 and Bilzerian was in bad shape.

The turn, however, gave Bilzerian some hope when the 8 fell. The miracle fell on the river as the 9 was turned over and kept Bilzerian in the tourney.

Bonomo Suffers Early Blow

Meyer Rainer was all in preflop against Justin Bonomo. Bonomo held AK, but was crushed by Rainer’s AA. The board was dry for Bonomo as it ran out 29552.

Rainer doubled up to 330,000, while Bonomo dropped to 310,000 in chips.

Sebok’s Big Slick Delivers Knockout

In yet another all in preflop confrontation, which seems to be the theme of the beginning of the day, Joe Sebok called the all in of a short stacked Mads Jacobsen. Sebok showed AK and dominated Jacobsen’s A10. Jacobsen had some more life on the flop as it was 545, meaning he could chop with a 5 and win with a spade or a 10.

The turn and river didn’t improve him when the J came on the turn and the 3 was dealt on the river. “So much drama,” cracked Sebok as he increased his stack to 315,000.

Theo Tran Gets A Good Flop

Theo Tran raised to 11,000 under the gun and action folded all the way around to Ray DeBruyn in the big blind. He made the call and both players saw the flop come down A5Q. Both players checked and the turn was the 4 and DeBruyn checked again. Tran bet 12,000 and was called. The river was the 6 and both players checked again.

DeBruyn turned over 1010, but Tran showed Q10 for a better pair and a flush draw on the flop. He took the pot and was at 445,000.

J.C. Tran Doubles Up

After losing over 100,000 a few hands prior when he ran his ace-king into pocket aces, J.C. Tran moved all in for his last 40,000 preflop. Mark Weil had originally raised to 11,000 and decided to make the call. Tran turned up AQ while Weil tabled A7. The flop came 854, giving Weil a gutshot straight draw. The turn was the 10, giving Weil no help.

“Put a face card out there, dealer,” Tran pleaded. The river was anything but a face card, bringing the 2. Tran was happy enough with that as he doubled up to 80,000.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Jeff Shulman,   Justin Bonomo,   Joe Sebok,   Theo Tran

Level 6 Hour 2 Update: Weber Running Away With Chip Lead

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 3,390 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 447,100
2. Carter King – 170,000
3. David Benyamine – 154,000
4. Jeff Lisandro – 152,000
5. Bertrand Grospellier – 145,000
6. J.C. Alvarado – 142,000
7. Tony Hachem – 140,000
8. Jon Kalmar – 135,050
9. Eugene Kachalov – 133,725
10. Andreas Altmeyer – 133,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 42,500
Phil Hellmuth – 40,000
Lee Watkinson – 91,050
Adam Schoenfeld – 94,825
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Shannon Shorr – 22,000
Steve Zolotow – 20,500
Thomas Keller – 95,625
Max Pescatori – 44,000
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 49.994

Notable Eliminations:

Isabelle Mercier
Paul Darden
Victor Ramdin
Bill Chen

Big Hands:

Victor Ramdin Busts

After a raise from the cutoff to 2,000, Victor Ramdin moved all in from the button. The player in the small blind jumped the fence and made the call. Everybody else got out of the way the hands were shown.

Ramdin showed 99 and the small blind showed QQ and Ramdin was way behind. The board ran out 108266 and Ramdin was sent home in the first level.

Darryll Fish Doubles Up

Darryll Fish and his opponent got in five bets preflop, which inevitably ended up with all of the chips in the middle and the cards turned on their backs. Fish showed QQ and was ahead of his opponent’s JJ.

The board ran out K5328 and Fish’s queens were able to hold up and doubled up to 66,500.

Lubarsky Dodges Straight Flush Draw

Hal Lubarsky and his opponent saw a flop of J1010 and then proceeded to get all of their chips into the middle. Lubarsky showed A10, giving him trip tens, but had to dodge some cards when he saw that his opponent had 78, good for a straight flush draw.

The turn was the 6 and the river was the K and Lubarsky’s hand held up, doubling him up to 40,000.

Wahlbeck Doubles Again, This Time With The Best Hand

Ville Wahlbeck got his second double up in the last hour, but this time he didn’t need to suck out on the river. Wahlbeck raised from the cutoff and was three-bet by the big blind. Wahlbeck put in another raise and the blind made the call.

The flop came 842 and Wahlbeck moved all in after a check from the small blind. The small blind called and showed QQ, but Wahlbeck had KK. The turn and river were safe for Wahlbeck and he now has just over 90,000 in chips.

Roller Coaster Beginning for Micon

Bryan Micon called a 1,700 bet preflop and saw a flop heads-up against his opponent. The flop was J34 and both players checked. The turn was the 7 and after his opponent checked, Micon bet 2,200, which was called. The river was the J and Micon bet 2,625 after his opponent checked again. Micon’s bet was called and he showed AJ and his opponent mucked.

A few hands later, Micon lost a little of that back when he held AA and got it all in preflop against a shorter stack’s KK. A king fell on the flop to dent Micon’s stack. He is still sitting on 42,000.

Bonomo Hits a Gutter, Cracks a Set

There was some flop action on a flop of 1059 and Justin Bonomo was heads-up with his opponent for the J that fell on the turn. All of the money got in through a series of raises and Bonomo turned over KQ, giving him the nut straight.

Bonomo needed to dodge the board pairing, as his opponent had flopped bottom set and tabled 55. When the river was the 3, Bonomo’s straight was safe and he now has 152,000.

Player Tags: Ville Wahlbeck,   Justin Bonomo,   Bryan Micon

Level 15 Hour 1 Update: J.C. Tran Doubles Up

Jul 11, '09

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 729 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,600,000
2. Ludovic Lacay – 925,000
3. Jason Brice – 838,500
4. Benjamin Jensen – 835,500
5. Eli Adler – 810,000
6. Kasper Cordes – 796,000
7. James Akenhead – 794,000
8. Billy Kopp – 792,000
9. Tyler Patterson – 784,000
10. Adam Bilzerian – 767,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 197,000
Phil Hellmuth – 235,000

Average Chip Count: 220,884

Notable Eliminations:

Maria Mayrinck
John Racener

Big Hands:

Happy Beginnings

On the third hand of the day, Steve Gahaghan moved all in from under the gun for 52,000. Jeff Shulman was next to act and made the quick call. Everyone else mucked and Gahaghan showed A8 while Shulman had JJ.

The flop fell 1096 giving Gahaghan a gutshot straight draw. The turn was the K taking a bunch of spades away from Gahaghan as outs. The river was the 5, giving Shulman a flush and the pot. Shulman was at 197,000.

Bilzerian Hits Runners to Stay Alive

Dan Bilzerian moved all in preflop and was called by Jesse Chinni for his last 67,500 chips. Chinni showed AQ and Bilzerian had 89. The flop was QK4 and Bilzerian was in bad shape.

The turn, however, gave Bilzerian some hope when the 8 fell. The miracle fell on the river as the 9 was turned over and kept Bilzerian in the tourney.

Bonomo Suffers Early Blow

Meyer Rainer was all in preflop against Justin Bonomo. Bonomo held AK, but was crushed by Rainer’s AA. The board was dry for Bonomo as it ran out 29552.

Rainer doubled up to 330,000, while Bonomo dropped to 310,000 in chips.

Sebok’s Big Slick Delivers Knockout

In yet another all in preflop confrontation, which seems to be the theme of the beginning of the day, Joe Sebok called the all in of a short stacked Mads Jacobsen. Sebok showed AK and dominated Jacobsen’s A10. Jacobsen had some more life on the flop as it was 545, meaning he could chop with a 5 and win with a spade or a 10.

The turn and river didn’t improve him when the J came on the turn and the 3 was dealt on the river. “So much drama,” cracked Sebok as he increased his stack to 315,000.

Theo Tran Gets A Good Flop

Theo Tran raised to 11,000 under the gun and action folded all the way around to Ray DeBruyn in the big blind. He made the call and both players saw the flop come down A5Q. Both players checked and the turn was the 4 and DeBruyn checked again. Tran bet 12,000 and was called. The river was the 6 and both players checked again.

DeBruyn turned over 1010, but Tran showed Q10 for a better pair and a flush draw on the flop. He took the pot and was at 445,000.

J.C. Tran Doubles Up

After losing over 100,000 a few hands prior when he ran his ace-king into pocket aces, J.C. Tran moved all in for his last 40,000 preflop. Mark Weil had originally raised to 11,000 and decided to make the call. Tran turned up AQ while Weil tabled A7. The flop came 854, giving Weil a gutshot straight draw. The turn was the 10, giving Weil no help.

“Put a face card out there, dealer,” Tran pleaded. The river was anything but a face card, bringing the 2. Tran was happy enough with that as he doubled up to 80,000.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Jeff Shulman,   Justin Bonomo,   Joe Sebok,   Theo Tran

Level 6 Hour 2 Update: Weber Running Away With Chip Lead

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 3,390 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 447,100
2. Carter King – 170,000
3. David Benyamine – 154,000
4. Jeff Lisandro – 152,000
5. Bertrand Grospellier – 145,000
6. J.C. Alvarado – 142,000
7. Tony Hachem – 140,000
8. Jon Kalmar – 135,050
9. Eugene Kachalov – 133,725
10. Andreas Altmeyer – 133,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 42,500
Phil Hellmuth – 40,000
Lee Watkinson – 91,050
Adam Schoenfeld – 94,825
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Shannon Shorr – 22,000
Steve Zolotow – 20,500
Thomas Keller – 95,625
Max Pescatori – 44,000
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 49.994

Notable Eliminations:

Isabelle Mercier
Paul Darden
Victor Ramdin
Bill Chen

Big Hands:

Victor Ramdin Busts

After a raise from the cutoff to 2,000, Victor Ramdin moved all in from the button. The player in the small blind jumped the fence and made the call. Everybody else got out of the way the hands were shown.

Ramdin showed 99 and the small blind showed QQ and Ramdin was way behind. The board ran out 108266 and Ramdin was sent home in the first level.

Darryll Fish Doubles Up

Darryll Fish and his opponent got in five bets preflop, which inevitably ended up with all of the chips in the middle and the cards turned on their backs. Fish showed QQ and was ahead of his opponent’s JJ.

The board ran out K5328 and Fish’s queens were able to hold up and doubled up to 66,500.

Lubarsky Dodges Straight Flush Draw

Hal Lubarsky and his opponent saw a flop of J1010 and then proceeded to get all of their chips into the middle. Lubarsky showed A10, giving him trip tens, but had to dodge some cards when he saw that his opponent had 78, good for a straight flush draw.

The turn was the 6 and the river was the K and Lubarsky’s hand held up, doubling him up to 40,000.

Wahlbeck Doubles Again, This Time With The Best Hand

Ville Wahlbeck got his second double up in the last hour, but this time he didn’t need to suck out on the river. Wahlbeck raised from the cutoff and was three-bet by the big blind. Wahlbeck put in another raise and the blind made the call.

The flop came 842 and Wahlbeck moved all in after a check from the small blind. The small blind called and showed QQ, but Wahlbeck had KK. The turn and river were safe for Wahlbeck and he now has just over 90,000 in chips.

Roller Coaster Beginning for Micon

Bryan Micon called a 1,700 bet preflop and saw a flop heads-up against his opponent. The flop was J34 and both players checked. The turn was the 7 and after his opponent checked, Micon bet 2,200, which was called. The river was the J and Micon bet 2,625 after his opponent checked again. Micon’s bet was called and he showed AJ and his opponent mucked.

A few hands later, Micon lost a little of that back when he held AA and got it all in preflop against a shorter stack’s KK. A king fell on the flop to dent Micon’s stack. He is still sitting on 42,000.

Bonomo Hits a Gutter, Cracks a Set

There was some flop action on a flop of 1059 and Justin Bonomo was heads-up with his opponent for the J that fell on the turn. All of the money got in through a series of raises and Bonomo turned over KQ, giving him the nut straight.

Bonomo needed to dodge the board pairing, as his opponent had flopped bottom set and tabled 55. When the river was the 3, Bonomo’s straight was safe and he now has 152,000.

Player Tags: Ville Wahlbeck,   Justin Bonomo,   Bryan Micon

Level 10 Update: Deeb Doubles Up, Allen Cunningham Elilminated

Jul 01, '09

Blinds: 600-1200

Players Remaining: 174 out of 928

Chip Counts:

1. Juha Helppi – 160,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 130,000
3. Sorel Mizzi – 128,000
4. Darrell Dicken – 105,000
5. William Chen – 100,000
6. Shannon Shorr – 75,000
7. Chris Ferguson – 69,000
8. David Benefield – 42,000
9. Mike Caro – 31,000
10. Phil Laak – 26,000

Average Chip Count: 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Allen Cunningham

Big Hands:

Edler Loses Blind vs. Blind Confrontation

It folded around to the blinds and the small blind raised and Bill Edler called from the big blind. The flop was Q29 and the small blind bet 8000 and after a few moments of thought, Bill Edler put enough chips out that would force the small blind all in. The small blind instantly called and the hands were shown.

The small blind tabled Q5, good top pair, which was ahead of Edler’s 33. The turn was the K and the river was the 4 and the small blind doubled up.

Deeb Has Aces Again, Doubles Up Again

Shaun Deeb raised under the gun and was met with a three-bet from the small blind. Deeb put in another raise and the small blind declared he was all in. Deeb called and showed AA and the small blind showed the 99.

The board ran out 8610K6 and Deeb’s aces held up. Deeb doubled up to over 120,000.

Bonomo Rivers Straight, Busts Opponent

With about 25,000 in the pot on the river, the board read 97J9K. The player in the cutoff bet 9000 and Justin Bonomo put out a stack of chips that would be enough to put the other player all in.

The other player had 22,000 behind and thought for a few minutes before finally making the call. Bonomo tabled the Q10 and the other player slammed down AJ. Bonomo’s straight was good for the pot and the other player stormed off from the table, visibly upset at what had happened.

Player Tags: Bill Edler,   Justin Bonomo,   Shaun Deeb

Level 7 Update: Harman Eliminated, Juanda Crippled

Jun 27, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 1,300-2,500, Limits – 2,500-5,000
Stud Games: Ante — 500, Bring-In — 700, Completion — 2,500, Limits — 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 84 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Hasan Habib – 440,000
2. Martin Vallo – 347,200
3. David Benyamine – 315,000
4. Matt Glantz – 300,000
5. Pat Bueno – 289,500
6. Alex Kravchenko – 270,000
7. Andy Black – 264,700
8. Jani Sointula – 261,000
9. Chris Ferguson – 259,600
10. Michael Saltzburg – 252,400

Average Chip Count: 161,747

Notable Eliminations:

Ali Eslami
Bryan Colin
Greg Mascio
Jennifer Harman
Gabe Kaplan
Alexander Jung
James Van Alstyne

Big Hands:

Hold’em

Jennifer Harman Crippled, Then Busts

Harman raised to 5,000 from under the gun and action folded to Max Pescatori in the cutoff. He three-bet to 7,500 and she was the only caller. The flop came down Q54. She checked and Pescatori bet 2,500. Harman raised to 5,000 and Pescatori made the call. The turn was the J and she led out with 5,000. Pescatori raised to 10,000 and she elected to muck her hand, leaving her with just 2,000 in chips.

Those chips went in on her big blind during the next hand and Steve Sung put her at risk.

Sung: KQ
Harman: Q4

Board: A85KK

Harman never received any help and she was eliminated from the tournament.

Ivey Runs Into Doyle’s Slick

Doyle Brunson raised to 5,000 from the button and Phil Ivey made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and both players saw a flop of K32. Ivey checked and Brunson bet 2,500. Ivey made the call and the 2 paired the board on the turn. Ivey checked and Brunson bet again, this time 5,000. Ivey called and the river brought the 5. Ivey checked a third time and Brunson bet 5,000 again. Ivey made the call.

Brunson then turned over AK for top pair and Ivey mucked. Brunson took the pot and he was at 195,000. Ivey was down to 140,000.

Omaha/8

Glantz Wins Big Pot In Battle Of The Blinds With Turner

Matt Glantz raised to 5,000 from the small blind and Jon Turner made the call from the big blind. The flop came down K5J and Glantz fired 2,500. Turner made the call and the 7 fell on the turn. Glantz led out again, this time 5,000. Turner then raised to 10,000 and action was back on Glantz. After a couple of moments, he took all of his chips back and threw a “25,000” chip into the middle, officially raising to 15,000. Turner made the call.

Action calmed down on the river as both players checked the A. Glantz then turned over AK8J for top two pair. Turner mucked and Glantz took in the pot. He was at 305,000 while Turner was aty 185,000.

Razz

Bonomo Betters Deeb

Picking up the action on fifth street, Justin Bonomo and Freddy Deeb were tangled in a hand.

Deeb: X-X-276
Bonomo: X-X-272

Deeb bet 5,000 and Bonomo made the call despite showing a pair on his board.

Deeb: X-X-2763
Bonomo: X-X-272A

Deeb bet another 5,000 and Bonomo made the call. The river was then dealt and Deeb checked to his opponent. Bonomo fired 5,000 and Deeb called after a few moments. Bonomo turned over (348) for a 7-low and Deeb mucked. Bonomo took the pot and improved to 117,000 while Deeb was at 111,000.

Stud High

The Art Of Catching On The River

Picking up the action on fifth street, Chau Giang, Daniel Negreanu and Scott Clements were involved in a hand.

Giang: X-X-K7Q
Negreanu: X-X-6109
Clements: X-X-Q34

Chau Giang bet 5,000 and both opponents called.

Giang: X-X-K7Q8
Negreanu: X-X-61094
Clements: X-X-Q345

Clements was the one who bet on sixth street, putting out 5,000. Negreanu and Giang both called. The river was dealt and everyone checked. Giang then said “Kings” to signify one pair. Clements showed (Q5-X) for two pair. But Giang had forgotten to look at his river card. He looked and turned over (KQ-X) for a better two-pair. Giang took the pot and proceeded to apologize to Clements. “It’s okay,” Clements replied. “I know you weren’t doing it on purpose.”

Giang was at 175,000, Clements was at 97,000 and Negreanu was at 207,000.

Stud/8

Seed Scoops Bloch

Andy Bloch completed to 2,500 and Huck Seed made the call. Here were there cards going into fourth street.

Seed: X-X-A8
Bloch: X-X-66

Bloch checked after he paired and Seed checked right behind him.

Seed: X-X-A89
Bloch: X-X-66J

Seed fired 5,000 after the action was checked to him and Bloch made the call.

Seed: X-X-A892
Bloch: X-X-66J10

Seed bet 5,000 and Bloch called. After the river was dealt, the same events took place as Bloch check-called a 5,000 bet from Seed. Seed then turned over (A74) for a pair of aces and no low. It was good enough as Bloch mucked his hand and Seed scooped the pot. He was at 245,000 while Bloch was at 140,000.

Juanda Crippled As Chiu Scoops

Picking up the action on fourth street, David Chiu, John Juanda and Johnny Chan were tangled in a hand.

Chiu: X-X-AQ
Juanda: X-X-87
Chan: X-X-8K

John Juanda bet 2,500 and both opponents called.

Chiu: X-X-AQJ
Juanda: X-X-877
Chan: X-X-8K8

Juanda paired and bet 5,000 after Chan checked to him. Both opponents called.

Chiu: X-X-AQJ6
Juanda: X-X-8773
Chan: X-X-8K85

Juanda bet another 5,000 and both opponents called. The river was dealt and everyone decided to check. Juanda tabled (A810) for two pair but Chiu showed (A6-X) for aces up. Chan mucked and Juanda threw his hand away as Chiu scooped the pot. His stack was over 200,000 while Chan was at 190,000. Juanda was worse for the wear as he was down to just 31,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Andy Bloch,   Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   David Chiu,   Johnny Chan,   Chau Giang,   Matthew Glantz,   Justin Bonomo,   Scott Clements,   Jon Turner,   Freddy Deeb

Level 3 Update: Steve Billirakis atop Chip Counts

Jun 26, '09

Flop Games: 600-1,200
Stud Games: Ante — 300, Bring-In — 300, Completion — 1,200, Limits — 1,200-2,400

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break and will return at 8 p.m.

Players Remaining: 95 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Steve Billirakis – 240,000
2. Justin Smith – 217,000
3. Bill Chen – 210,000
4. David Benyamine – 199,000
5. Chad Brown – 196,000
6. Jeff Lisandro – 188,000
7. Phil Ivey – 186,800
8. Daniel Negreanu – 185,000
9. Scotty Nguyen – 184,000

Big Hands:

Hold’Em

Two Bullets To The Head

The player in seat 6 raised to 2,400 preflop from the cutoff and the action was next on Justin Bonomo. He made it three bets to 3,600 and the blinds folded. Seat 6 made the call and the flop came down 1066.

Bonomo bet 1,200 after seat 6 checked. Seat 6 then check-raised to 2,400 and Bonomo just called. The turn was the 5 and seat 6 led out with 2,400. Bonomo made the call and the river was the 5. Seat 6 fired another 2,400 and Bonomo called. Seat 6 then showed AA and Bonomo mucked. Bonomo was at 130,000.

Steve Sung Gets Best of Andy Black

Steve Sung and Andy Black took a flop heads up of K34. Sung bet out 1200 and was raised to 2400 by black. The turn was the A and both players checked.

The river was the 8 and Sung bet 2400. Andy black tanked for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders and giving up the pot.

Omaha/8

Singer Gets Chopped Up

Three players were involved in a hand that saw a flop of A108. The player in seat 2 led out for 1,200 and David Singer raised to 2,400. David Benyamine made the call, as did seat 2. The turn was the 6 and action was checked to Singer. He bet 2,400 and Benyamine made the call. Seat 2 then raised to 4,800 and both opponents called.

The river was the 10 and seat 2 bet 2,400. Benyamine and Singer called and seat 2 turned over 5432 for the best low hand. Benyamine then showed down KQ109 for a set and the high half. Singer mucked and was left with nothing but the lint in his pockets. Benyamine was around 235,000 while Singer was at 122,000.

Ivey Vs. Hansen: Round 1 Goes to Ivey

Gus Hansen raised from early position and Phil Ivey defended from the big blind. The flop was K2J and Ivey checked and called 1200 from Hansen.

The turn was the 10 and Ivey checked, Hansen bet 2400 and was raised to 4800 by Ivey. Hansen made the call and both players checked when the 7 and Hansen was already motioning that he was going to muck his cards, conceding the pot to Ivey.

Ivey turned over AQ85 and took the pot.

Razz

Schulman Gets a River Fold, Wins Big Pot

Nick Schulman bet out on fourth street into three players and was raised to 2400 by his opponent. He made it three bets and raised to 3600 and he saw fifth street heads up.

Schulman: X-X-2-5-A
Seat 8: X-X-8-A-10

Schulman bet 2400 and was called by the player in seat 8.

Schulman: X-X-2-5-A-J
Seat 8: X-X-8-A-10-Q

Schulman bet 2400 and was called once again by his opponent. He bet 2400 again on the river and after a few moments of contemplation, his opponent mucked, giving the pot to Schulman.

Stud High

Lisandro Makes Two Pair to Best Matusow

Mike Matusow and Jeffrey Lisandro are heads up in a pot on fifth street. Lisandro bet 2400 and Matusow called. They went to sixth street with their boards looking like this.

Matusow: X-X-J-9-7-Q
Lisandro: X-X-K-6-8A

On the river Lisandro bet 2400 again and Matusow took a few moments before putting in the chips that indicated a call. Lissandro showed K-6--5 in the whole, good for two pair and the pot.

Stud/8

Chopping With Johnny Chan

Picking up the action on fourth street, James Van Alstyne and Johnny Chan were mixing it up in a hand.

Chan: X-X-84
Van Alstyne: X-X-2A

Van Alstyne bet 1,200 and Chan made the call.

Chan: X-X-844
Van Alstyne: X-X-2A5

Chan paired up and fired 2,400. Van Alstyne stuck around.

Chan: X-X-844A
Van Alstyne: X-X-2A5J

Chan bet another 2,400 and Van Alstyne called again. The river was dealt and both players decided to check. Chan then turned over (K63) for an 8-low. Van Alstyne tabled (JJ-X) for a pair of jacks and the high end of the pot. Chan was at 200,000 after the pot.

Negreanu and Antonius Chop Big Pot

On fifth street, Daniel Negreanu, Patrik Antonius, and Tong G put three bets into an already bloated pot. All three go to sixth street with their boards looking like this.

Tony G: X-X-5-8-10-A
Neagreanu: X-X-A-K-K-A
Antonius: X-X-7-2-3-8

Negreanu bet out 2400 on sixth and was met with a raise from Antonius. Tony G tanked for a long while before showing his cards to the player next to him and folding.

“Rolled up fives?” asked Negreanu. “I already knew that.”

Neagreanu calls the bet from Antonius and checks and calls a river bet. Negreanu shows the A-2-3 in the hole, making aces full of kings and Antonius showed 8 3 4, making two pair and a low. Antonius took the low half and Neagreanu took the high half, as they split Tony G’s chips.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Daniel Negreanu,   David Benyamine,   Mike Matusow,   David Singer,   Johnny Chan,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   James Van Alstyne,   Patrik Antonius,   Justin Bonomo,   Nick Schulman

Level 2 Update: A Few Big Names Stroll in Late

Jun 26, '09

Flop Games: 500-1000
Stud Games: Ante — 200, Bring-In — 300, Completion — 1,000, Stakes — 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 93 out of 93

Big Hands:

Hold’Em

Bill Chen’s Pocket Kings Run into Pocket Kings

Bill Chen and his opponent got in four bets preflop and took a flop heads-up. The flop was A92 and Chen bet 1000 after his opponent checked. The bet was called and the turn was the Q. Now Chen’s opponent bets 2,000 and Chen called.

The river was the 4 and both players check. Chen shows the KK, while his opponent shows the KK and they chop the pot.

David Chiu Smacked Down By Three Ladies

Jani Sointula and David Chiu crossed paths in a pot. The flop came down QQJ and Sointula bet 1,000. Chiu made the call and the turn was the 2. Sointula quickly threw in 2,000 and Chiu called just as quickly. The river was the 7 and another 2,000 went into the middle courtesy of Sointula. Chiu made the call and Sointula tabled AQ for a set and Chiu mucked his hand. After dropping that hand, Chiu was down to 130,000.

Omaha/8

Benyamine Scoops Tulchinskiy

David Benyamine and Mikhail Tulchinskiy were involved in a hand that saw more than 14,000 in chips enter the middle by the turn.

The board showed A595 and Tulchinskiy fired 2,000. Benyamine raised to 4,000 and was called. The river was the A and Benyamine checked again to Tulchinskiy. He fired another 2,000 and Benyamine looked disgusted. His head turned away from the felt, he threw in the call and Tulchinskiy showed 8342 for a bunch of busted draws. Benyamine showed K654 for a pair and an 8-low and scooped the pot. Benyamine was around 180,000 after winning the hand.

Scotty Nguyen Makes Quads, But Gets No Action

There was a bet and a raise on a flop of KJQ between Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Alaei, and Fabrice Soulier. All three of them saw the turn which was the J.

Nguyen leads out for 2,000 and gets two pretty quick folds. Disgusted with himself he shows the JJ.

“I only bet because I thought there were kings and queens full out there,” said Nguyen.

After the hand, the defending H.O.R.S.E champion’s stack improved to around 163,000 in chips.

Justin Smith Takes One

Four players called Annie Duke’s big blind of 1,000 and she checked her option. The flop came down J96 and Eli Elezra led out with 1,000. Duke mucked and David Chiu made the call. Alexander Kostritsyn also called and the action was lastly on Justin Smith. He raised to 2,000 and everyone called.

The turn brought the 10 and the action was checked around to Smith. He bet 2,000 and Elezra called. Chiu got out of the way and Kostritsyn made the call. The river was the J and the action was checked to Smith again. He bet another 2,000 and his opponents mucked, sending the pot his way. Smith was around 180,000 after the hand.

Razz

Justin Smith Tangles With Huck Seed in Weird Hand

Justin Smith and Huck Seed are heads up in a pot with on fourth street with their boards looking like this.

Seed: X-X-7-K
Smith: X-X-K-3

Smith checked called a 1,000 bet from Seed.

Seed: X-X-7-K-3
Smith: X-X-K-3-K

Even though Smith hit the worst card in the deck for his hand, he still called 2,000 from Seed.

Seed: X-X-7-K-3-4
Smith: X-X-K-3-K-5

Out of turn, Smith led out for 2,000. “You are betting now, you want to check?” said Seed. Since Smith’s action was out of turn, they both check and they go to the river. Seed bet 2,000 on the river and was called by Smith.

Seed announced “King-nine” as he showed the K-9-4 as he three down cards. Smith mucked and Seed took the pot.

John Hanson Rakes a Big Pot

John Hanson completed the bet on third street showing the 3 and was immediately raised by Ali Eslami, who was showing the 4. Joe Cassidy called two bets cold showing the 7 and John Hanson called the extra 1000.

Hanson: 3-6
Cassidy: 7-J
Eslami: 4-10

On fourth street, Hanson bet 1000 and was called in both spots.

Hanson: 3-6-6
Cassidy: 7-J-Q
Eslami: 4-10-K

Eslami checked fifth street, Hanson bet and got a fold from Cassidy, but Eslami stuck around for another card.

Hanson: 3-6-6-3
Eslami: 4-10-K-8

Eslami now bets and gets raised by Hanson. Eslami instantly calls and on the river Eslami checks and calls a bet from Hanson who shows the (A-4-8) as his down cards, good for an 8-6-4-3-A and the pot.

Stud High

Justin Bonomo Jacks Up Billirakis

Picking up the action on fourth street, Steve Billirakis and Justin Bonomo were tangled up in a hand.

Billirakis: X-X-K9
Bonomo: X-X-53

Billirakis bets 1,000 and Bonomo makes the call.

Billirakis: X-X-K96
Bonomo: X-X-533

Bonomo paired up and led out with 2,000. Billirakis made the call.

Billirakis: X-X-K96Q
Bonomo: X-X-533Q

Both players received a queen and both players checked. The river was dealt and both players checked again. Bonomo then showed down (JJK) and Billirakis mucked. Bonomo raked in the pot and was around 145,000 while Billiarakis was around 190,000.

Freedy Deeb Gets Best of Steve Sung

Freddy Deeb bet fourth street and got three callers. He bet fifth street and was only called by Steve Sung. They went to sixth street heads up.

Deeb: X-X-K-Q-10-3
Sung: X-X-A-10-K-8

Sung checked and called 2000 from Deeb on sixth street and the river was dealt face down. Sung checked the river and Deeb bet again. After a few moments, Sung turned his up-cards face down and mucked his hand, giving Deeb the pot.

Stud/8

“These No Limit Players”

Picking up the action on sixth street, Phil Ivey and Erick Lindgren were involved in a hand.

Ivey: X-X-2348
Lindgren: X-X-3102A

Erick Lindgren fired out 2,000 and Phil Ivey raised it to 4,000. Lindgren made the call and the river was dealt. Ivey bet another 2,000 on the river and Lindgren called after some thought. “No pair,” Ivey said as he showed (75-X) for 7-low. Lindgren tabled (AQ-X) and the players chopped the pot.

“I hate playing with these people that only play no-limit,” Ivey joked after the hand. Lindgren gave a grin and Ivey followed suit.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Erick Lindgren,   David Benyamine,   Eli Elezra,   David Chiu,   Phil Ivey,   Steve Billirakis,   Jani Sointula,   Justin Bonomo,   John Hanson,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Justin Smith,   Mikhail Tulchinskiy

Level 7 Update: Harman Eliminated, Juanda Crippled

Jun 27, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 1,300-2,500, Limits – 2,500-5,000
Stud Games: Ante — 500, Bring-In — 700, Completion — 2,500, Limits — 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 84 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Hasan Habib – 440,000
2. Martin Vallo – 347,200
3. David Benyamine – 315,000
4. Matt Glantz – 300,000
5. Pat Bueno – 289,500
6. Alex Kravchenko – 270,000
7. Andy Black – 264,700
8. Jani Sointula – 261,000
9. Chris Ferguson – 259,600
10. Michael Saltzburg – 252,400

Average Chip Count: 161,747

Notable Eliminations:

Ali Eslami
Bryan Colin
Greg Mascio
Jennifer Harman
Gabe Kaplan
Alexander Jung
James Van Alstyne

Big Hands:

Hold’em

Jennifer Harman Crippled, Then Busts

Harman raised to 5,000 from under the gun and action folded to Max Pescatori in the cutoff. He three-bet to 7,500 and she was the only caller. The flop came down Q54. She checked and Pescatori bet 2,500. Harman raised to 5,000 and Pescatori made the call. The turn was the J and she led out with 5,000. Pescatori raised to 10,000 and she elected to muck her hand, leaving her with just 2,000 in chips.

Those chips went in on her big blind during the next hand and Steve Sung put her at risk.

Sung: KQ
Harman: Q4

Board: A85KK

Harman never received any help and she was eliminated from the tournament.

Ivey Runs Into Doyle’s Slick

Doyle Brunson raised to 5,000 from the button and Phil Ivey made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and both players saw a flop of K32. Ivey checked and Brunson bet 2,500. Ivey made the call and the 2 paired the board on the turn. Ivey checked and Brunson bet again, this time 5,000. Ivey called and the river brought the 5. Ivey checked a third time and Brunson bet 5,000 again. Ivey made the call.

Brunson then turned over AK for top pair and Ivey mucked. Brunson took the pot and he was at 195,000. Ivey was down to 140,000.

Omaha/8

Glantz Wins Big Pot In Battle Of The Blinds With Turner

Matt Glantz raised to 5,000 from the small blind and Jon Turner made the call from the big blind. The flop came down K5J and Glantz fired 2,500. Turner made the call and the 7 fell on the turn. Glantz led out again, this time 5,000. Turner then raised to 10,000 and action was back on Glantz. After a couple of moments, he took all of his chips back and threw a “25,000” chip into the middle, officially raising to 15,000. Turner made the call.

Action calmed down on the river as both players checked the A. Glantz then turned over AK8J for top two pair. Turner mucked and Glantz took in the pot. He was at 305,000 while Turner was aty 185,000.

Razz

Bonomo Betters Deeb

Picking up the action on fifth street, Justin Bonomo and Freddy Deeb were tangled in a hand.

Deeb: X-X-276
Bonomo: X-X-272

Deeb bet 5,000 and Bonomo made the call despite showing a pair on his board.

Deeb: X-X-2763
Bonomo: X-X-272A

Deeb bet another 5,000 and Bonomo made the call. The river was then dealt and Deeb checked to his opponent. Bonomo fired 5,000 and Deeb called after a few moments. Bonomo turned over (348) for a 7-low and Deeb mucked. Bonomo took the pot and improved to 117,000 while Deeb was at 111,000.

Stud High

The Art Of Catching On The River

Picking up the action on fifth street, Chau Giang, Daniel Negreanu and Scott Clements were involved in a hand.

Giang: X-X-K7Q
Negreanu: X-X-6109
Clements: X-X-Q34

Chau Giang bet 5,000 and both opponents called.

Giang: X-X-K7Q8
Negreanu: X-X-61094
Clements: X-X-Q345

Clements was the one who bet on sixth street, putting out 5,000. Negreanu and Giang both called. The river was dealt and everyone checked. Giang then said “Kings” to signify one pair. Clements showed (Q5-X) for two pair. But Giang had forgotten to look at his river card. He looked and turned over (KQ-X) for a better two-pair. Giang took the pot and proceeded to apologize to Clements. “It’s okay,” Clements replied. “I know you weren’t doing it on purpose.”

Giang was at 175,000, Clements was at 97,000 and Negreanu was at 207,000.

Stud/8

Seed Scoops Bloch

Andy Bloch completed to 2,500 and Huck Seed made the call. Here were there cards going into fourth street.

Seed: X-X-A8
Bloch: X-X-66

Bloch checked after he paired and Seed checked right behind him.

Seed: X-X-A89
Bloch: X-X-66J

Seed fired 5,000 after the action was checked to him and Bloch made the call.

Seed: X-X-A892
Bloch: X-X-66J10

Seed bet 5,000 and Bloch called. After the river was dealt, the same events took place as Bloch check-called a 5,000 bet from Seed. Seed then turned over (A74) for a pair of aces and no low. It was good enough as Bloch mucked his hand and Seed scooped the pot. He was at 245,000 while Bloch was at 140,000.

Juanda Crippled As Chiu Scoops

Picking up the action on fourth street, David Chiu, John Juanda and Johnny Chan were tangled in a hand.

Chiu: X-X-AQ
Juanda: X-X-87
Chan: X-X-8K

John Juanda bet 2,500 and both opponents called.

Chiu: X-X-AQJ
Juanda: X-X-877
Chan: X-X-8K8

Juanda paired and bet 5,000 after Chan checked to him. Both opponents called.

Chiu: X-X-AQJ6
Juanda: X-X-8773
Chan: X-X-8K85

Juanda bet another 5,000 and both opponents called. The river was dealt and everyone decided to check. Juanda tabled (A810) for two pair but Chiu showed (A6-X) for aces up. Chan mucked and Juanda threw his hand away as Chiu scooped the pot. His stack was over 200,000 while Chan was at 190,000. Juanda was worse for the wear as he was down to just 31,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Andy Bloch,   Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   David Chiu,   Johnny Chan,   Chau Giang,   Matthew Glantz,   Justin Bonomo,   Scott Clements,   Jon Turner,   Freddy Deeb

Level 3 Update: Steve Billirakis atop Chip Counts

Jun 26, '09

Flop Games: 600-1,200
Stud Games: Ante — 300, Bring-In — 300, Completion — 1,200, Limits — 1,200-2,400

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break and will return at 8 p.m.

Players Remaining: 95 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Steve Billirakis – 240,000
2. Justin Smith – 217,000
3. Bill Chen – 210,000
4. David Benyamine – 199,000
5. Chad Brown – 196,000
6. Jeff Lisandro – 188,000
7. Phil Ivey – 186,800
8. Daniel Negreanu – 185,000
9. Scotty Nguyen – 184,000

Big Hands:

Hold’Em

Two Bullets To The Head

The player in seat 6 raised to 2,400 preflop from the cutoff and the action was next on Justin Bonomo. He made it three bets to 3,600 and the blinds folded. Seat 6 made the call and the flop came down 1066.

Bonomo bet 1,200 after seat 6 checked. Seat 6 then check-raised to 2,400 and Bonomo just called. The turn was the 5 and seat 6 led out with 2,400. Bonomo made the call and the river was the 5. Seat 6 fired another 2,400 and Bonomo called. Seat 6 then showed AA and Bonomo mucked. Bonomo was at 130,000.

Steve Sung Gets Best of Andy Black

Steve Sung and Andy Black took a flop heads up of K34. Sung bet out 1200 and was raised to 2400 by black. The turn was the A and both players checked.

The river was the 8 and Sung bet 2400. Andy black tanked for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders and giving up the pot.

Omaha/8

Singer Gets Chopped Up

Three players were involved in a hand that saw a flop of A108. The player in seat 2 led out for 1,200 and David Singer raised to 2,400. David Benyamine made the call, as did seat 2. The turn was the 6 and action was checked to Singer. He bet 2,400 and Benyamine made the call. Seat 2 then raised to 4,800 and both opponents called.

The river was the 10 and seat 2 bet 2,400. Benyamine and Singer called and seat 2 turned over 5432 for the best low hand. Benyamine then showed down KQ109 for a set and the high half. Singer mucked and was left with nothing but the lint in his pockets. Benyamine was around 235,000 while Singer was at 122,000.

Ivey Vs. Hansen: Round 1 Goes to Ivey

Gus Hansen raised from early position and Phil Ivey defended from the big blind. The flop was K2J and Ivey checked and called 1200 from Hansen.

The turn was the 10 and Ivey checked, Hansen bet 2400 and was raised to 4800 by Ivey. Hansen made the call and both players checked when the 7 and Hansen was already motioning that he was going to muck his cards, conceding the pot to Ivey.

Ivey turned over AQ85 and took the pot.

Razz

Schulman Gets a River Fold, Wins Big Pot

Nick Schulman bet out on fourth street into three players and was raised to 2400 by his opponent. He made it three bets and raised to 3600 and he saw fifth street heads up.

Schulman: X-X-2-5-A
Seat 8: X-X-8-A-10

Schulman bet 2400 and was called by the player in seat 8.

Schulman: X-X-2-5-A-J
Seat 8: X-X-8-A-10-Q

Schulman bet 2400 and was called once again by his opponent. He bet 2400 again on the river and after a few moments of contemplation, his opponent mucked, giving the pot to Schulman.

Stud High

Lisandro Makes Two Pair to Best Matusow

Mike Matusow and Jeffrey Lisandro are heads up in a pot on fifth street. Lisandro bet 2400 and Matusow called. They went to sixth street with their boards looking like this.

Matusow: X-X-J-9-7-Q
Lisandro: X-X-K-6-8A

On the river Lisandro bet 2400 again and Matusow took a few moments before putting in the chips that indicated a call. Lissandro showed K-6--5 in the whole, good for two pair and the pot.

Stud/8

Chopping With Johnny Chan

Picking up the action on fourth street, James Van Alstyne and Johnny Chan were mixing it up in a hand.

Chan: X-X-84
Van Alstyne: X-X-2A

Van Alstyne bet 1,200 and Chan made the call.

Chan: X-X-844
Van Alstyne: X-X-2A5

Chan paired up and fired 2,400. Van Alstyne stuck around.

Chan: X-X-844A
Van Alstyne: X-X-2A5J

Chan bet another 2,400 and Van Alstyne called again. The river was dealt and both players decided to check. Chan then turned over (K63) for an 8-low. Van Alstyne tabled (JJ-X) for a pair of jacks and the high end of the pot. Chan was at 200,000 after the pot.

Negreanu and Antonius Chop Big Pot

On fifth street, Daniel Negreanu, Patrik Antonius, and Tong G put three bets into an already bloated pot. All three go to sixth street with their boards looking like this.

Tony G: X-X-5-8-10-A
Neagreanu: X-X-A-K-K-A
Antonius: X-X-7-2-3-8

Negreanu bet out 2400 on sixth and was met with a raise from Antonius. Tony G tanked for a long while before showing his cards to the player next to him and folding.

“Rolled up fives?” asked Negreanu. “I already knew that.”

Neagreanu calls the bet from Antonius and checks and calls a river bet. Negreanu shows the A-2-3 in the hole, making aces full of kings and Antonius showed 8 3 4, making two pair and a low. Antonius took the low half and Neagreanu took the high half, as they split Tony G’s chips.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Daniel Negreanu,   David Benyamine,   Mike Matusow,   David Singer,   Johnny Chan,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   James Van Alstyne,   Patrik Antonius,   Justin Bonomo,   Nick Schulman

Level 2 Update: A Few Big Names Stroll in Late

Jun 26, '09

Flop Games: 500-1000
Stud Games: Ante — 200, Bring-In — 300, Completion — 1,000, Stakes — 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 93 out of 93

Big Hands:

Hold’Em

Bill Chen’s Pocket Kings Run into Pocket Kings

Bill Chen and his opponent got in four bets preflop and took a flop heads-up. The flop was A92 and Chen bet 1000 after his opponent checked. The bet was called and the turn was the Q. Now Chen’s opponent bets 2,000 and Chen called.

The river was the 4 and both players check. Chen shows the KK, while his opponent shows the KK and they chop the pot.

David Chiu Smacked Down By Three Ladies

Jani Sointula and David Chiu crossed paths in a pot. The flop came down QQJ and Sointula bet 1,000. Chiu made the call and the turn was the 2. Sointula quickly threw in 2,000 and Chiu called just as quickly. The river was the 7 and another 2,000 went into the middle courtesy of Sointula. Chiu made the call and Sointula tabled AQ for a set and Chiu mucked his hand. After dropping that hand, Chiu was down to 130,000.

Omaha/8

Benyamine Scoops Tulchinskiy

David Benyamine and Mikhail Tulchinskiy were involved in a hand that saw more than 14,000 in chips enter the middle by the turn.

The board showed A595 and Tulchinskiy fired 2,000. Benyamine raised to 4,000 and was called. The river was the A and Benyamine checked again to Tulchinskiy. He fired another 2,000 and Benyamine looked disgusted. His head turned away from the felt, he threw in the call and Tulchinskiy showed 8342 for a bunch of busted draws. Benyamine showed K654 for a pair and an 8-low and scooped the pot. Benyamine was around 180,000 after winning the hand.

Scotty Nguyen Makes Quads, But Gets No Action

There was a bet and a raise on a flop of KJQ between Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Alaei, and Fabrice Soulier. All three of them saw the turn which was the J.

Nguyen leads out for 2,000 and gets two pretty quick folds. Disgusted with himself he shows the JJ.

“I only bet because I thought there were kings and queens full out there,” said Nguyen.

After the hand, the defending H.O.R.S.E champion’s stack improved to around 163,000 in chips.

Justin Smith Takes One

Four players called Annie Duke’s big blind of 1,000 and she checked her option. The flop came down J96 and Eli Elezra led out with 1,000. Duke mucked and David Chiu made the call. Alexander Kostritsyn also called and the action was lastly on Justin Smith. He raised to 2,000 and everyone called.

The turn brought the 10 and the action was checked around to Smith. He bet 2,000 and Elezra called. Chiu got out of the way and Kostritsyn made the call. The river was the J and the action was checked to Smith again. He bet another 2,000 and his opponents mucked, sending the pot his way. Smith was around 180,000 after the hand.

Razz

Justin Smith Tangles With Huck Seed in Weird Hand

Justin Smith and Huck Seed are heads up in a pot with on fourth street with their boards looking like this.

Seed: X-X-7-K
Smith: X-X-K-3

Smith checked called a 1,000 bet from Seed.

Seed: X-X-7-K-3
Smith: X-X-K-3-K

Even though Smith hit the worst card in the deck for his hand, he still called 2,000 from Seed.

Seed: X-X-7-K-3-4
Smith: X-X-K-3-K-5

Out of turn, Smith led out for 2,000. “You are betting now, you want to check?” said Seed. Since Smith’s action was out of turn, they both check and they go to the river. Seed bet 2,000 on the river and was called by Smith.

Seed announced “King-nine” as he showed the K-9-4 as he three down cards. Smith mucked and Seed took the pot.

John Hanson Rakes a Big Pot

John Hanson completed the bet on third street showing the 3 and was immediately raised by Ali Eslami, who was showing the 4. Joe Cassidy called two bets cold showing the 7 and John Hanson called the extra 1000.

Hanson: 3-6
Cassidy: 7-J
Eslami: 4-10

On fourth street, Hanson bet 1000 and was called in both spots.

Hanson: 3-6-6
Cassidy: 7-J-Q
Eslami: 4-10-K

Eslami checked fifth street, Hanson bet and got a fold from Cassidy, but Eslami stuck around for another card.

Hanson: 3-6-6-3
Eslami: 4-10-K-8

Eslami now bets and gets raised by Hanson. Eslami instantly calls and on the river Eslami checks and calls a bet from Hanson who shows the (A-4-8) as his down cards, good for an 8-6-4-3-A and the pot.

Stud High

Justin Bonomo Jacks Up Billirakis

Picking up the action on fourth street, Steve Billirakis and Justin Bonomo were tangled up in a hand.

Billirakis: X-X-K9
Bonomo: X-X-53

Billirakis bets 1,000 and Bonomo makes the call.

Billirakis: X-X-K96
Bonomo: X-X-533

Bonomo paired up and led out with 2,000. Billirakis made the call.

Billirakis: X-X-K96Q
Bonomo: X-X-533Q

Both players received a queen and both players checked. The river was dealt and both players checked again. Bonomo then showed down (JJK) and Billirakis mucked. Bonomo raked in the pot and was around 145,000 while Billiarakis was around 190,000.

Freedy Deeb Gets Best of Steve Sung

Freddy Deeb bet fourth street and got three callers. He bet fifth street and was only called by Steve Sung. They went to sixth street heads up.

Deeb: X-X-K-Q-10-3
Sung: X-X-A-10-K-8

Sung checked and called 2000 from Deeb on sixth street and the river was dealt face down. Sung checked the river and Deeb bet again. After a few moments, Sung turned his up-cards face down and mucked his hand, giving Deeb the pot.

Stud/8

“These No Limit Players”

Picking up the action on sixth street, Phil Ivey and Erick Lindgren were involved in a hand.

Ivey: X-X-2348
Lindgren: X-X-3102A

Erick Lindgren fired out 2,000 and Phil Ivey raised it to 4,000. Lindgren made the call and the river was dealt. Ivey bet another 2,000 on the river and Lindgren called after some thought. “No pair,” Ivey said as he showed (75-X) for 7-low. Lindgren tabled (AQ-X) and the players chopped the pot.

“I hate playing with these people that only play no-limit,” Ivey joked after the hand. Lindgren gave a grin and Ivey followed suit.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Erick Lindgren,   David Benyamine,   Eli Elezra,   David Chiu,   Phil Ivey,   Steve Billirakis,   Jani Sointula,   Justin Bonomo,   John Hanson,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Justin Smith,   Mikhail Tulchinskiy

Level 1 Update: Event No.12 Begins

Jun 04, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 100-200 blinds and 200-400 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 50 ante, 50 bring-in, with a 200 completion and 200-400 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha (no ante): 50-100 blinds with a 25 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 170 out of 170

Chip Counts:

1. John Juanda – 30,000
2. David Pham – 30,000
3. Doyle Brunson – 30,000
4. Erick Lindgren – 30,000
5. Gavin Griffin – 30,000
6. Ted Forrest – 30,000
7. Mike Matusow – 30,000
8. Michael Binger – 30,000
9. Scotty Nguyen – 30,000
10. Barry Greenstein – 30,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Big Hands:

Justin Bonomo Losses To Full House

In Limit Hold’em Justin Bonomo called the 400 river bet by an another player. Bonomo’s opponent tabled the 22 for a full house on a board of 2AAJ8.

Left In The Deck:

The tables are stacked in this championship event.

Player Tags: Justin Bonomo

Final Table: Hour Four Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 8,265,000
2. Greg Raymer — 6,240,000
3. Dani Stern — 5,870,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 5,290,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Justin Bonomo – $413,166

Big Hands:

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised preflop to 200,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: 77
Stern: A10

Board: QQ4610

Stern doubled up on the hand to survive with 4 million and Raymer held strong with 5,315,000 after the hand.

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in Fifth Place ($413,166)

Justin Bonomo raised to 250,000 under the gun and Isaac Haxton made the call from the small blind. Greg Raymer also called from the big blind and the flop was dealt 1093. Haxton bet 300,000 and Raymer mucked. Bonomo then moved all in for 2,775,000 and Haxton made the call. Their cards:

Bonomo: JJ
Haxton: AA

Turn and River: 2A

Bonomo was eliminated in fifth place and Haxton grew his stack to 7,960,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour One Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,945,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,545,000
3. Dani Stern — 3,155,000
4. Justin Bonomo — 2,950,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,455,000
6. Alec Torelli — 2,405,000
7. Greg Raymer — 1,690,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 3,015,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Ted Forrest – $230,317

Big Hands:

Justin Bonomo Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised to 150,000 from the button and Justin Bonomo reraised all in for 1,440,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: A8
Bonomo: AJ

Board: K652A

Bonomo doubled up on the hand to 2,985,000 and Raymer took a hit down to 1,785,000.

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Lex Veldhuis raised to 175,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in for 1,455,000. Veldhuis made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Veldhuis: AK
Stern: AJ

Board: A95QJ

Stern doubled up to 3,045,000 after the hand.

Ted Forrest Eliminated in Ninth Place ($230,317)

Ted Forrest called in the small blind and Noah Schwartz raised to 400,000 from the big blind. Forest made the all-in call and they flipped up their cards:

Forrest: J10
Schwartz: 33

Board: K9284

Forrest was eliminated in ninth place and Schwartz moved his stack up to 865,000.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Noah Schwartz

End of Day 2 -- Justin Bonomo Leads Final 23

May 30, '09

With just 9 minutes remaining in the last level of the evening, Alec Torelli’s turned straight sent Neil Chriss to the rail on the bubble. Just six hands later, four player busted in the money, leaving only 23 survivors heading into day 3.

Those players will return tomorrow at 2:00 PST to battle down to the final table. Justin Bonomo leads the way with 2,678,000.

Here’s a look at the final 23 and their chip counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 2,678,000
2. Ted Forrest — 2,586,000
3. David Baker — 2,367,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,287,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,103,000
6. Keith Lehr — 1,257,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,080,000
8. Alec Torelli — 1,025,000
9. Matt Marafioti — 1,003,000
10. Brian Rast — 912,000
11. Dani Stern — 890,000
12. Doshi Suresh — 771,000
13. Brian Townsend — 671,000
14. Clark Hamagami — 641,000
15. Matthew Glantz — 580,000
16. Noah Schwartz — 541,000
17. Isaac Haxton — 539,000
18. David Chiu — 415,000
19. Antanas Guoga — 400,000
20. Neil Channing — 330,000
21. Andy Black — 210,000
22. Andrew Robl — 200,000
23. Frank Kassela — 167,000

Player Tags: Justin Bonomo

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 15 Update: Greg Raymer Gets Stronger

May 29, '09

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,660,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,400,000
3. Matth Glantz — 1,058,000
4. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
5. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
6. Ted Forrest — 940,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000
8. Sorel Mizzi — 840,000
9. Chris Moneymaker — 835,000
10. David Pham — 820,000

Average Chip Count: 603,000

Notable Eliminations:

James Mackey
Alex Jacob
Dale Pinchot

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Takes Out James Mackey

Shortly into the level, James Mackey found himself all in holding K-Q. Unfortunately, Greg Raymer woke up with A-K. The board brought a king, but Raymer’s kicker was enough to send Mackey home out of the money. After the hand, Raymer stacked ballooned to 1.67 million.

Alec Torelli Picks Up a Big Pot With an All-In Move

Greg Raymer opened from early position to 30,000 and Vanessa Rousso made the call. Brian Rast then raised to 105,000 in the hijack and the action moved over to Alec Torelli. After a few minutes in thought, Torelli moved all in for 810,000.

Raymer quickly folded, as did Rousso. Rast asked for a count, saw that his 650,000 was well covered and the folded. Torelli moved up to approximately 960,000.

Phil Galfond Doubles Through Justin Bonomo

Phil Galfond found himself all in holding a dominating A-K against Justin Bonomo and his A-J. A king hit the flop and Bonomo failed to catch up, doubling Galfond to 488,000 in chips. Bonomo is still healthy with about 1.1 million.

Sami Kelopuro Doubles Up Courtesy of Alan Sass

After an all-in and call, Sami Kelopuro revealed his pocket queens and was way ahead of Alan Sass and his pocket eights. The board ran out Q63J4 and Kelopuro’s set of queens were enough to double him up to about 375,000 in chips.

Chris Moneymaker Gives Up Some Chips to Noah Schwartz

Noah Schwartz was all in on the short stack holding pocket kings against the pocket sevens of Chris Moneymaker. The board failed to help the 2003 champion and Schwartz doubled up to 320,000. Moneymaker dropped below the million mark with 910,000.

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Through Frank Kassela

On a flop of J107 Sorel Mizzi is all in holding J-10 for top two pair against Frank Kassela’s and his pocket eights. Kassela needs an eight or a nine to bust Mizzi but the turn and river come 610, giving Mizzi a boat and a newly formed stack of about 750,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Vanessa Rousso,   Brian Rast,   Phil Galfond,   Alan Sass,   Noah Schwartz,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Sami Kelopuro

Level 13 Update: Antonio Esfandiari Eliminated, Justin Bonomo Climbs to the Top

May 29, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 60 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo- 1,280,000
2. Brian Townsend – 1,200,000
3. Brian Rast – 1,000,000
4. Alex Veldhuis – 990,000
5. Phil Galfond – 800,000
6. Matthew Glantz – 800,000
7. Ted Forrest – 690,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Isaac Haxton- 525,000

Average Chip Count: 402,000

Notable Eliminations:

Antonio Esfandiari
Kyle Wilson
Mark Seif
Phil Ivey
David Singer
Josh Arieh
David Benefield

Big Hands:

Antonio Esfandiari Knocked Out by Chris Moneymaker

Holding AQ, Antonio Esfandiari moved all in pre-flop and was called by the AK of Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker flopped a king and sent the Magician to the rail.

Kyle Wilson is Eliminated

Justin Bonomo and Kyle Wilson got it all-in pre-flop with Wilson holding ace queen off-suit against the KK of Justin Bonomo. Wilson failed to improve and was eliminated. Bonomo now has a monster stack of over 1 million.

Justin Bonomo adds to huge chip stack

In a hand versus J.C. Tran and Phil Galfond, Justin Bonomo made a 125,000 chip river bet on a board of 10Q867. Galfond thought briefly before folding and then Tran folded quickly. Bonomo is now up to 1,200,000.

Chris Moneymaker Continues to Leak Chips

On a board of 73AK, J.C. Tran checked to Chris Moneymaker on the button. Moneymaker checked behind and the 5 fell on the river. Tran checked and Moneymaker quickly fired a bet of 33,000 which was quickly called by Tran. Moneymaker said it was a good call and Tran flipped over the A10 to win the pot. Moneymaker is down to 400,000.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

David Baker limped from middle position and Humberto Brenes raised to 26,000 right behind him. Phil Ivey reraised all in for 84,000 and then Mizzi reraised to 150,000 from the small blind. Baker and Brenes mucked and then Ivey and Mizzi flipped up their cards:

Mizzi: 1010
Ivey: AQ

Board: J669K

Ivey was eliminated on the hand and Mizzi grew his stack to 760,000.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   J.C. Tran,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Chris Moneymaker,   Phil Ivey,   Justin Bonomo,   Phil Galfond,   Kyle Wilson,   Sorel Mizzi

Final Table: Hour Four Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 8,265,000
2. Greg Raymer — 6,240,000
3. Dani Stern — 5,870,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 5,290,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Justin Bonomo – $413,166

Big Hands:

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised preflop to 200,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: 77
Stern: A10

Board: QQ4610

Stern doubled up on the hand to survive with 4 million and Raymer held strong with 5,315,000 after the hand.

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in Fifth Place ($413,166)

Justin Bonomo raised to 250,000 under the gun and Isaac Haxton made the call from the small blind. Greg Raymer also called from the big blind and the flop was dealt 1093. Haxton bet 300,000 and Raymer mucked. Bonomo then moved all in for 2,775,000 and Haxton made the call. Their cards:

Bonomo: JJ
Haxton: AA

Turn and River: 2A

Bonomo was eliminated in fifth place and Haxton grew his stack to 7,960,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour One Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,945,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,545,000
3. Dani Stern — 3,155,000
4. Justin Bonomo — 2,950,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,455,000
6. Alec Torelli — 2,405,000
7. Greg Raymer — 1,690,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 3,015,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Ted Forrest – $230,317

Big Hands:

Justin Bonomo Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised to 150,000 from the button and Justin Bonomo reraised all in for 1,440,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: A8
Bonomo: AJ

Board: K652A

Bonomo doubled up on the hand to 2,985,000 and Raymer took a hit down to 1,785,000.

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Lex Veldhuis raised to 175,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in for 1,455,000. Veldhuis made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Veldhuis: AK
Stern: AJ

Board: A95QJ

Stern doubled up to 3,045,000 after the hand.

Ted Forrest Eliminated in Ninth Place ($230,317)

Ted Forrest called in the small blind and Noah Schwartz raised to 400,000 from the big blind. Forest made the all-in call and they flipped up their cards:

Forrest: J10
Schwartz: 33

Board: K9284

Forrest was eliminated in ninth place and Schwartz moved his stack up to 865,000.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Noah Schwartz

End of Day 2 -- Justin Bonomo Leads Final 23

May 30, '09

With just 9 minutes remaining in the last level of the evening, Alec Torelli’s turned straight sent Neil Chriss to the rail on the bubble. Just six hands later, four player busted in the money, leaving only 23 survivors heading into day 3.

Those players will return tomorrow at 2:00 PST to battle down to the final table. Justin Bonomo leads the way with 2,678,000.

Here’s a look at the final 23 and their chip counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 2,678,000
2. Ted Forrest — 2,586,000
3. David Baker — 2,367,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,287,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,103,000
6. Keith Lehr — 1,257,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,080,000
8. Alec Torelli — 1,025,000
9. Matt Marafioti — 1,003,000
10. Brian Rast — 912,000
11. Dani Stern — 890,000
12. Doshi Suresh — 771,000
13. Brian Townsend — 671,000
14. Clark Hamagami — 641,000
15. Matthew Glantz — 580,000
16. Noah Schwartz — 541,000
17. Isaac Haxton — 539,000
18. David Chiu — 415,000
19. Antanas Guoga — 400,000
20. Neil Channing — 330,000
21. Andy Black — 210,000
22. Andrew Robl — 200,000
23. Frank Kassela — 167,000

Player Tags: Justin Bonomo

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 15 Update: Greg Raymer Gets Stronger

May 29, '09

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,660,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,400,000
3. Matth Glantz — 1,058,000
4. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
5. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
6. Ted Forrest — 940,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000
8. Sorel Mizzi — 840,000
9. Chris Moneymaker — 835,000
10. David Pham — 820,000

Average Chip Count: 603,000

Notable Eliminations:

James Mackey
Alex Jacob
Dale Pinchot

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Takes Out James Mackey

Shortly into the level, James Mackey found himself all in holding K-Q. Unfortunately, Greg Raymer woke up with A-K. The board brought a king, but Raymer’s kicker was enough to send Mackey home out of the money. After the hand, Raymer stacked ballooned to 1.67 million.

Alec Torelli Picks Up a Big Pot With an All-In Move

Greg Raymer opened from early position to 30,000 and Vanessa Rousso made the call. Brian Rast then raised to 105,000 in the hijack and the action moved over to Alec Torelli. After a few minutes in thought, Torelli moved all in for 810,000.

Raymer quickly folded, as did Rousso. Rast asked for a count, saw that his 650,000 was well covered and the folded. Torelli moved up to approximately 960,000.

Phil Galfond Doubles Through Justin Bonomo

Phil Galfond found himself all in holding a dominating A-K against Justin Bonomo and his A-J. A king hit the flop and Bonomo failed to catch up, doubling Galfond to 488,000 in chips. Bonomo is still healthy with about 1.1 million.

Sami Kelopuro Doubles Up Courtesy of Alan Sass

After an all-in and call, Sami Kelopuro revealed his pocket queens and was way ahead of Alan Sass and his pocket eights. The board ran out Q63J4 and Kelopuro’s set of queens were enough to double him up to about 375,000 in chips.

Chris Moneymaker Gives Up Some Chips to Noah Schwartz

Noah Schwartz was all in on the short stack holding pocket kings against the pocket sevens of Chris Moneymaker. The board failed to help the 2003 champion and Schwartz doubled up to 320,000. Moneymaker dropped below the million mark with 910,000.

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Through Frank Kassela

On a flop of J107 Sorel Mizzi is all in holding J-10 for top two pair against Frank Kassela’s and his pocket eights. Kassela needs an eight or a nine to bust Mizzi but the turn and river come 610, giving Mizzi a boat and a newly formed stack of about 750,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Vanessa Rousso,   Brian Rast,   Phil Galfond,   Alan Sass,   Noah Schwartz,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Sami Kelopuro

Level 13 Update: Antonio Esfandiari Eliminated, Justin Bonomo Climbs to the Top

May 29, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 60 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo- 1,280,000
2. Brian Townsend – 1,200,000
3. Brian Rast – 1,000,000
4. Alex Veldhuis – 990,000
5. Phil Galfond – 800,000
6. Matthew Glantz – 800,000
7. Ted Forrest – 690,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Isaac Haxton- 525,000

Average Chip Count: 402,000

Notable Eliminations:

Antonio Esfandiari
Kyle Wilson
Mark Seif
Phil Ivey
David Singer
Josh Arieh
David Benefield

Big Hands:

Antonio Esfandiari Knocked Out by Chris Moneymaker

Holding AQ, Antonio Esfandiari moved all in pre-flop and was called by the AK of Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker flopped a king and sent the Magician to the rail.

Kyle Wilson is Eliminated

Justin Bonomo and Kyle Wilson got it all-in pre-flop with Wilson holding ace queen off-suit against the KK of Justin Bonomo. Wilson failed to improve and was eliminated. Bonomo now has a monster stack of over 1 million.

Justin Bonomo adds to huge chip stack

In a hand versus J.C. Tran and Phil Galfond, Justin Bonomo made a 125,000 chip river bet on a board of 10Q867. Galfond thought briefly before folding and then Tran folded quickly. Bonomo is now up to 1,200,000.

Chris Moneymaker Continues to Leak Chips

On a board of 73AK, J.C. Tran checked to Chris Moneymaker on the button. Moneymaker checked behind and the 5 fell on the river. Tran checked and Moneymaker quickly fired a bet of 33,000 which was quickly called by Tran. Moneymaker said it was a good call and Tran flipped over the A10 to win the pot. Moneymaker is down to 400,000.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

David Baker limped from middle position and Humberto Brenes raised to 26,000 right behind him. Phil Ivey reraised all in for 84,000 and then Mizzi reraised to 150,000 from the small blind. Baker and Brenes mucked and then Ivey and Mizzi flipped up their cards:

Mizzi: 1010
Ivey: AQ

Board: J669K

Ivey was eliminated on the hand and Mizzi grew his stack to 760,000.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   J.C. Tran,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Chris Moneymaker,   Phil Ivey,   Justin Bonomo,   Phil Galfond,   Kyle Wilson,   Sorel Mizzi

Justin Bonomo Eliminated

Mar 17, '09

Despite coming into the day as one of the bigger stacks, Justin Bonomo ran two overpairs into bigger overpairs to end his tournament run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo's Stack Gets Healthier

Mar 16, '09

Justin Bonomo raised to 600 from under the gun and Jimmy Tran called in the big blind. The flop came down Q74 and Tran checked.

Bonomo continued with a bet of 1,200 and Tran made the call. The turn was the 10 and Tran checked once again. Bonomo bet 3,400 and Tran made the call.

The river was the 5 and Tran checked. Bonomo fired in a bet of 8,500 and Tran called with Q4 for flopped two pair. Bonomo showed A6 for a flopped flush and took down the pot, increasing his stack to 66,200. Tran is left with 27,500.

 

 

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo Eliminated

Mar 17, '09

Despite coming into the day as one of the bigger stacks, Justin Bonomo ran two overpairs into bigger overpairs to end his tournament run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Justin Bonomo

Justin Bonomo's Stack Gets Healthier

Mar 16, '09

Justin Bonomo raised to 600 from under the gun and Jimmy Tran called in the big blind. The flop came down Q74 and Tran checked.

Bonomo continued with a bet of 1,200 and Tran made the call. The turn was the 10 and Tran checked once again. Bonomo bet 3,400 and Tran made the call.

The river was the 5 and Tran checked. Bonomo fired in a bet of 8,500 and Tran called with Q4 for flopped two pair. Bonomo showed A6 for a flopped flush and took down the pot, increasing his stack to 66,200. Tran is left with 27,500.

 

 

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Justin Bonomo