Isabelle Mercier Poker Tournament Updates

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Level 2 Hour 2 Update: Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Yan Chen – 79,500
2. Frank Kassela – 69,500
3. Andy Seth – 69,000
4. David Singer – 68,000
5. Suzie Lederer – 68,000
6. James Vanderhaar – 63,200
7. Paul Magriel – 63,200
8. David Baker – 60,000
9. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
10. Justin Smith – 56,500

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 25,000

Notable Eliminations:

Daniel Negreanu
David Saab
David Chicotsky
Evelyn Ng
Chino Rheem

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu called a raise preflop and his opponent bet 4,200 on a flop of 10710.

Negreanu moved all in for 6,075 and his opponent made the call. Negreanu tabled 33 and was behind the QQ of his opponent. The turn was the 6 and the river was the J, ending Neagreanu’s World Series for this year.

As soon as Negreanu busted, the spectator area seemed to clear out as many fans left disappointed to see “Kid Poker” no longer in the main event.

Tarver Takes A Pot

After the board ran out A106210, Antonio Tarver and his opponent each checked their option. Tarver then showed down QQ and took down the pot.

“I turned a flush draw,” his opponent said. Tarver took the pot but was still relatively short with 12,000.

Scotty Knocks One Out

Scotty Nguyen raised to 600 from the cutoff and the player on the button immediately moved all in for 4,200 total. The blinds mucked and Nguyen made the call. The button turned over 77 and Nguyen was racing with 109. The flop came J49 and Nguyen took the lead. The turn was the 8, giving the button a straight draw, but also eliminating a seven as one of his outs as it would make Nguyen a straight.

The river paired the board with the 8 and Nguyen scored the knockout. He took the pot and was at 60,000 in chips.

Miami John Scores A Pot

Picking up the action on the turn, the board showed A3910. The small blind was first to act, but did nothing for a while. This gave time for the ESPN cameras to swarm the table and the dealer finally informed the small blind the action was on him. He checked and John Cernuto bet 6,000 into the pot. The small blind mucked and Cernuto took the pot, his stack at 33,000 after the win.

Liz Lieu Trips Up Opponent In Battle Of The Blinds

Picking up the action after the river, the board read K46A4 and the small blind checked to Liz Lieu. She was in the big blind and she bet out 5,000 into the pot. The small blind called and Lieu tabled 54 for trip fours.

The small blind mucked and Lieu took in the pot. She was at 40,000 after the hand.

Good Bet From Mercier Takes It Down

With 1,500 in the pot preflop, the flop came down 923 and Isabelle Mercier fired 800. The button made the call and the turn brought the K. Mercier led out again, this time with 1,250. “It’s a good bet,” the button said as he released his hand. Mercier took the pot and she was at 53,000.

Evelyn Ng Busts Out

Evelyn Ng was short stacked and moved all in with A5. She was called by one opponent who tabled pocket jacks. The flop came Q83, giving Ng very little help. The turn was the 8 and Ng could only double up by hitting an ace on the river.

The river brought the 9 and Ng was sent to the rail, ending her main event early in day 1c.

Filippi Gets No Action For His Aces

After a flop of J83, the player in the big blind checked to Amnon Filippi, who fired 800 into the pot. The big blind mucked and the pot was pushed toward Filippi.

“Ah, one time,” Filippi said in a frustrated tone. He then tabled AA. Despite getting no action, Filippi was doing well with 44,000 in chips.

Riding The Griffin

Picking up the action on the river, the board read 85310J. There was 6,000 in the pot and Gavin Griffin checked to the player on the button. He bet 5,000 and Griffin took a few moments to think about what to do.

When he finally announced a call, the button said, “I have a five.” Griffin then tabled 99 for a better hand and raked in the pot. He was at 57,000 after taking the pot.

Bill Chen Muscled Out

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J7K6. The small blind bet 3,000 into a pot of 6,000. Bill Chen made the call from late position and the river was the 3. The small blind led out again, this time with 9,000. Chen mucked his hand and he was at 31,000.

Double Up With A Bullet

The player on the button raised to 1,200 preflop and the small blind folded. Maya Gellar was next to act in the big blind and she moved in for her final 16,000. The button made the call and tabled KK. Normally that’s a bad hand to go up against, but not when you are holding AA as Gellar was.

The board ran out Q6378 and Gellar’s pair of bullets held up. She doubled up to 35,000 in chips.

Hachem Cracks The Cowboys

A player raised to 650 preflop and Joe Hachem made the call. The flop came down 974 and the player fired 950. Hachem called again and the turn was the 3. Hachem called another bet by his opponent, this one 2,200. The river was the 4 and action was checked to Hachem. He bet 6,200 and his opponent called.

Hachem then tabled 54 for trip fours and his opponent showed KK for the losing hand. Hachem took the pot and he was at 38,000.

Fish Hooks Hold for McEvoy

Tom McEvoy raised preflop after a limper from the cutoff and was called by the button, the small blind and the limper.

The flop was AA3 and all four players checked. The turn was the 7 and it was checked to the player on the button who bet 750 and was called by McEvoy.

The river was the 2 and both players checked. McEvoy showed JJ and the player on the button mucked.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Evelyn Ng,   Daniel Negreanu,   Gavin Griffin,   Amnon Filippi,   Isabelle Mercier,   Liz Lieu,   Joe Hachem,   Antonio Tarver,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

Level 2 Hour 1 Update: Mercier Cracks Top Ten

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Yan Chen – 83,400
2. James Vanderhaa – 74,500
3. Andy Seth – 67,000
4. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
5. Lee Watkinson – 51,000
6. Jeff Lisandro – 50,500
7. Isabelle Mercier – 47,000
8. Gavin Griffin – 46,000
9. Terrence Chan – 46,000
10. Matt Savage – 43,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 25,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Mercy Is For The Weak

Picking up the action on the flop, the board read J49 and Isabelle Mercier bet 600 into a 1,500 pot. Her opponent made the call and the 8 dropped on the turn. Both players checked and the 3 completed the board on the river. Mercier bet 1,500 and her opponent called again.

Mercier then tabled KK and her opponent mucked. Mercier took in the pot and she was at 47,000.

Gellar Takes Two Bullets

Picking up the action on the river, the board showed 108487. Gellar called a bet of 4,500 from her opponent and was shown AA. Gellar could not beat it and mucked her hand and her stack dropped to just 15,000.

Kassela Falls In The River

With the board reading 985K, Frank Kassela checked from the small blind and his opponent bet 3,000. Kassela then raised to 10,000 and the call was made. The river brought the A and both players checked.

Kassela showed K9 for two pair but his opponent tabled AK for a better two pair on the river and took the pot. Kassela was down to 22,000.

Rheem Gets Accidentally Three-Bet

David “Chino” Rheem made it 600 from early position. It folded around to the button who tossed in a yellow chip and a black chip, which was 1,100. The dealer announced raise and the player on the button said it was not a raise, as he must have thought that he tossed in a blue and a black, which would have been enough for a call.

The dealer called for a floorperson and Jean Robert-Bellande claimed there was no need to and that it was a legal raise to 1,100. After it was ruled that it was indeed a raise to 1,100, it folded back to chino who sloppily tossed in a pile of chips, amounting to around 11,000.

“I know you didn’t mean to raise, but I’m not taking advantage of you,” said Rheem. “I’ve just got the best hand.” The player on the button folded and Rheem claimed that he had pocket nines.

Wasicka Sees Bad River Card, Makes Tough Fold

After some action preflop, Paul Wasicka takes a flop heads-up against his opponent. The flop was 985 and Wasicka bet 1,000 and was met with a raise to 2,100. Wasica made the call and both players checked when the 7 fell on the turn.

The river was the 10 and Wasicka checked again and now was faced with a bet of 4,500. Wasicka went into the tank and stayed there for four minutes or so. After checking and re-checking his cards, Wasicka picked up the orange chip that would be needed to make the call and then tossed his cards into the muck.

Bellande Fires One Shell and Gives Up

Jean-Robert Bellande raised to 1,000 out of the big blind after several people limped in, every limper called him and they saw the flop five ways. The flop fell A410 and Bellande bet 3,500. Everybody folded to the player on the button who called.

The turn was the 10 and both players checked. The river was the 7 and Bellande checked again. After a few moments of thought, the player on the button checked behind. Bellande announced that he did not have a pair and the button tabled AJ, good for top pair, and the pot.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   Isabelle Mercier,   Chino Rheem,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

Mercier Shown "No Mercy"

Feb 18, '09

Isabelle Mercier has busted running A-10 into A-A and Alex Kravchenko is also out.

Player Tags: Isabelle Mercier

Level 9 Update

Dec 15, '08

Scoreboard

Level: 9
Blinds/Antes: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 173 of 497
Average: 129,000

Notable Chip Counts

Chuck Kelley - 465,000
Antonio Esfandiari - 390,000
Clonie Gowen - 320,000
Kido Pham - 310,000
Tuan Le - 305,000

Notable Eliminations

Vivek Rajkumar
Alex Bolotin
Isabelle Mercier
Andrew Robl

Big Hands:

Coinflips Take Out a Few Notables

Greg Raymer hung on for as long as he could, but eventually busted when his A-K failed to catch up to Allen Cunningham's pocket queens. Isabelle Mercier, fighting with a short stack for most of the last level, finally busted when her pocket threes were out flopped by Kevin Saul's A-K.

Andrew Robl Eliminated

Andrew Robl, who got off to a great start yesterday, couldn't get much going today. His A-J ran into A-K during the last level to send him to the rail.

Chuck Kelley Gifted the Chip Lead by the Poker Gods

Chuck Kelley decided to move all in preflop while holding Q 3. He had both Surinder Sunar (A K) and the Button (2 2) covered but he was way behind. That was until the board hit the table Q 9 9 4 8 to help Kelley knock out two opponents.

Player Tags: Allen Cunningham,   Greg Raymer,   Isabelle Mercier,   Kevin Saul

Carnage, Doom, and No Mercy

Nov 16, '08

In the opening 30 minutes of day 2 we have lost 15 players. The clock now reads 91 left. There are tables of doom all over the place including:

Katja Thater, Alan Smurfit, and Andreas Krause
Roland De Wolfe and Marty Smyth (carried over from yesterday)
Arnaud Mattern, Sebastian Ruthenberg, and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier
Johnny Lodden and Antony Lellouche
Dario Minieri, Gino Alacqua, and Gavin Griffin
Michael Keiner, Isabelle Mercier, and Jonas Molander

A case in point of the activeness of play was Isabelle Mercier reraising a 2,000 chip bet preflop to 5,100 and then facing an all in bet of 7,300. She reluctantly called to find her A-Q up against A-K which held. She's been knocked back to 10,325 and will now have to dig deep to survive with less than 20 big blinds left.

Johannes Strassman has been busted by Dario Minieri - Q-Q vs A-Q and the diminutive Italian hit his requisite ace - and Michael Keiner is also an early casualty.

The ever opinionated pundits in the media room are predicting a short day and are already discussing what they might do with some time off. Play is shceduled to reach the money this evening - 24 players - and forward thinking tournament director Andrzej Maj is already breaking tables from the middle of the room to help with media access.

Player Tags: Isabelle Mercier,   Dario Minieri,   Johannes Strassmann

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1C - Level 5, Hour 1

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200/400/50

Players Remaining: 1,116 of 1,928

Chip Counts:

Henning Granstad - 205,000
Arnaud Mattern - 147,000
David Baker - 145,000
Andrew Tisler - 140,000
Michael Souza - 133,000
Moshin Charania - 122,000
David Singer - 121,000
Howard Berchuwitz - 118,000
Serj Markarian - 115,000
Andrew Brokos - 112,000

Eliminations:

Jared Hamby

Big Hands and Storylines:

Jacob Under the Heat

The table featuring both Alex Jacob and Clonie Gowen is the next due to be broken in the main event, and it can’t come soon enough for Jacob, now down to below 10,000 in chips. After folding both his blinds and the button in the face of raises, Jacob was finally one from the cut-off when he opened the proceedings for 1100. The button called, and that may have persuaded both the small blind and big blind to also look Jacob up. The flop came KJ5, and after both blinds checked Jacob bet 2000 into the pot. The button folded, as did the small blind, but the big blind check-raised all-in, which would have cost Jacob another 5000. With only 8500 in chips remaining, Jacob laid his hand down.

While, Jacob may be happy to change tables, Gowen is likely to be disappointed as she has profited from the situation. As well, David Baker is also sorry to move along, having amassed 145,000 in chips from the current arrangement.

Nenad's Kings Dead, Still Way Ahead

After taking a break from his solitaire game on his iPod, Nenad Medic raised to 1,200 from middle position.  The player next to act reraised to a total of 3,800, and the action folded around back to Medic.  Without delay, Medic tossed enough orange 5,000 chips into the pot to put his opponent all in.  His opponent went into the tank, voicing his concern over the strength of Medic’s hand.  After several minutes, the player made the call and Medic flipped over KK.  “That’s what I thought,” his opponent said as he turned over AQ.  The QJ7 flop brought some hope for the player, and the A on the turn was just enough to overtake the kings.  The 4 on the river failed to improve Medic, and he paid off his opponent to the tune of 6,900 in chips.  Despite the loss, Medic still had over 60,000 in chips during the level.

Board allows Mahmood to take away pot

Ayaz Mahmood raised to 1,500 from early position and a player reraised to 3,000. Mahmood called and checked in the dark on the flop. The flop came A73 and the preflop reraiser checked. The 4 came on the turn and Mahmood bet 4,000. His opponent called and the river was the 4. Mahmood now bet 6,000 and his opponent folded KK face up. Mahmood flashed the K and took down the pot.

Singer takes a hit

David Singer limped into the pot from middle position and saw the flop with both blinds. The flop came A97 and a woman in the small blind bet out 700. The big blind folded and Singer made the call. The turn was the T and she bet 1,200. This time Singer raised to 3,600. She called, and when the river came the 8 she bet out 5,000. Singer thought it over for a couple minutes and ultimately made the call. His opponent flipped over QJ and took down the pot. The small hit to Singer's stack dropped him to around 100,000 chips.

Overbet puts Mercier to the test

Following a flop of A76 Isabelle Mercier bet 1,850 and was raised to 4,000. She made the call and the turn was the J. She checked and her opponent moved all in for 18,025, roughly twice as much as was in the pot. The odd bet had Mercier frustrated, and her opponent -- who had pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and ducked his head down to completely hide -- was offering no clues. Ultimately she folded her hand and opted not to risk any of her remaining 35,000 chips.

Sklansky gets some breathing room

After a player in middle position limped into the pot David Sklansky raised to 1,500. The limper called and the players saw a T82 flop. After his opponent checked, Sklansky moved all in for 8,800 and took down the pot. After the hand he had just under 13,000 chips, about one-third of the average at this point.

Player Tags: Clonie Gowen,   David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Isabelle Mercier,   Nenad Medic,   Alex Jacob,   David Baker

$10,000 Main Event - Isabelle Mercier Doubles Up

Jul 05, '08

Note: Players went on break at 4:30 p.m. and have just returned to play with the blinds at 150-300.

Blinds/Antes: 100-200

Chip Leaders:
Clonie Gowen: 70,000
Rhett Butler: 63,000
Carl Henriksson: 62,000
Jeff Madsen: 59,000
Brian Townsend: 59,000
Rajesh Vohra: 58,000
Sam Farha: 53,000
Chris Moneymaker: 51,650
Jared Brintz: 50,000
Dennis Jacobs: 48,500

CP Chip Counts:
Mike Matusow: 41,400
Rolf Slotboom: 35,000
Isaac Haxton: 31,000
Marcel Luske: 19,800
Michael Binger: 18,100
Mark Gregorich: 15,200
Bertrand Grospellier: 3,500
Gavin Griffin: 3,000

Big Hands:

Mercier Doubles Up

Starting the hand with about 15,000, Isabelle Mercier was staring at a board showing K4103. She checked to her opponent who fired 3,000 into the pot. Mercier check-raised to 9,000. Her opponent then shoved all in, having Mercier covered. Mercier called all of her chips into the middle and turned over 1010 for a set on the flop. Her opponent showed AK for top pair with top kicker. Mercier had her opponent drawing dead and the 9 fell on the river to complete the board. Mercier doubled to about 30,000.

Townsend Wins Race To K.O. Opponent

Sitting with around 53,000 Brian Townsend raised to 600 from late position only to have the short-stacked player in seat 5 move all for around 2,400. Townsend made the call and showed AK. His opponent showed 55 and they were in a race situation. The flop was good for seat 5, running 987. But the turn brought the K ,connecting with Townsend to give him the best hand. The river 3 missed both players and Townsend sent his opponent to the rail while increasing his stack to 56,000.

Markus Lehmann Wins a Nice Pot

Markus Lehmann raised to 600 from the cutoff and the player on the button made the call as did the player in the big blind. The flop came 1084, and the action was checked around to Lehmann who bet 1,200. The player on the button folded the hand while the player in the big blind made the call. The turn was the 4 and once again the big blind checked to Lehmann who this time bet 2,300. The big blind called and the river was the Q. Both players checked the river, the big blind turned over 86 for two pair (eight and fours) while Lehmann showed a better two pair (tens and fours). Lehmann raked another nice pot, bringing his current chip count to just about even, or 20,000.

Player Tags: Isabelle Mercier,   Markus Lehmann,   Brian Townsend

$1,500 Limit Shootout - Hour Three

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 75-150
Stakes: 150-300

Players: 823
Eliminations: Layne Flack, Mark Vos, Joe Tehan, Isabelle Mercier, Doug Lee, Barny Boatman, Todd Brunson, Maria Ho, Bret Jungblut, Erick Lindgren, John Hennigan, Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Jeff Shulman Getting Closer and Closer

With three players in the hand before the flop, the action was capped at 600 each and one player was all in for the exact amount. There was 1,800 in the main pot before the flop which came 1085. The player in seat 2 bet 150 into the side pot and Jeff Shulman raised to 300. Seat 2 folded his cards and Shulman raked the side pot. The turn was the Q and the river was the K. Shulman turned over K10 for two pair and the player in seat 3 mucked his cards. Shulman eliminated another opponent from his table, bringing his chip count up to just under 5,000. Only four plyers remain at Table 13 (Orange) including Jeff Shulman and event no. 18 ($1,500 NLHE Shootout) winner, Jason Young.

Isabelle Mercier Eliminated

With no action in front of her, Isabelle Mercier raised to 300 from the small blind and the player in the big blind made the call. The flop came 976, and Mercier bet 150. The big blind raised to 300 and Mercier called all in for the rest of her chips. Both players turned over their cards.

Mercier: K10
Big Blind: 76

Mericer flopped over cards and an inside straight draw while her opponent made two pair. The turn brought the 8, giving Mercier her straight to the ten, but the river brought the 6, giving her opponent a full house (sixes full of sevens). Isabelle Mercier was eliminated from the tournament.

Joe Tehan Eliminated

Joe Tehan got it all in pre-flop with K9 and was called by an opponent holding K10. The board came 103279, flopping top pair (tens) for his opponent while Tehan paired his nine on the river. A little too late asTehan was eliminated from the tournament at the begining of this level.

"Johnny World" Eliminated

With the action capped at 600 each pre-flop, John Hennigan was all in against two other opponents. The flop came 332, and one of Hennigan's opponents bet at the side pot, the other one called. The turn was the 4 and both opponents got in one bet each. The river was the Q, and once again each player put one bet in the middle. One player turned over KK and both Hennigan and his opponent mucked their cards. John Hennigan was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   John Hennigan,   Jason Young,   Isabelle Mercier,   Joe Tehan

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 1 - Level 7 Recap

Jun 29, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  200-400 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  100 ante, 100 bring in, 400-800 stakes

Players Left: 224 of 803

Chip Leaders:
Victor Ramdin - 23,000
Arash Ghaneian - 22,900
Phil Hellmuth Jr. - 19,000
Chad Brown - 18,000
Keith Sexton - 17,000
Mary Jones - 17,000
Perry Friedman - 15,200
John Juanda - 15,000
Eugene Katchalov - 14,100
Michael Binger - 12,500

Average Stack: 10,750

Eliminations:
Brian Micon
David Sklansky
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Table 28: The Place To Be

Though table 28 has lost David Chiu since we last left them,  that doesn’t mean that the action has slowed down any. Victor Ramdin has been getting in a number of pots while David Sklansky has remained his usual tight, mathematically sound self (edit: until he was eliminated late in the level). And with Bryan Micon and Mike Matusow providing an endless soundtrack for the players and rail alike, this table is worth keeping tabs on even while the dealer is shuffling the cards. A series of entertaining hands took place in rapid succession during the seven-card-stud eight or better round. Here are those hands:

The Mouth Approves

Going into fourth street with a 7 against Victor Ramdin’s 5 and another player’s 4, Matusow, short-stacked, implored of the dealer, “I really need an ace on this next street.” The dealer gave the first player a K, Ramdin the T, and, to Matusow’s delight, he was delivered the A. He exploded, “That’s how to deal this game dealer!” Matusow bet out with his newfound confidence and the first player folded quickly. While Ramdin was thinking over his decision, Matusow kept up that chatter, saying that he didn’t care whether Ramdin called or not, that either way was good for him. Eventually though, Ramdin folded and Matusow raked in the pot.

A Dramatic Finale... Or Not

Ramdin: 58AK
Matusow: 103J8

Victor Ramdin completed with the 5 and Matusow raised with the 10. Ramdin called. Matusow bet fourth street, Ramdin raised, and Matusow called. Ramdin bet fifth street and Matusow called; the same happened on sixth street, only this time Matusow had no further chips to bet. Ramdin showed (Q)(J) and Matusow, professing to having a pair of tens, called for Ramdin to catch “any baby red.” Matusow flipped up his cards: (A)(10). Matusow did have a pair of tens, but the fact that he also had an ace-high flush had completely escaped him until that moment. “I already have a flush!” The only card that Ramdin could catch to win the pot was the A, and when his final card blanked, the 8,000 chip pot was Matusow’s. After the hand, Matusow continued on about his myopia (figuratively, though I believe he is also near-sighted): “I didn’t even know I had it! I knew I had ten-ten-ace...” Fortunately for Matusow he was all-in by the end of the hand anyway, so he didn’t miss gaining an extra bet anywhere.

Ramdwn’d

As Bryan Micon waxed about one of his recent bad beats, Matusow interrupted him and told him that he wasn’t allowed to tell any bad beat stories at the table. In fact, Matusow asserted, Micon was never in front during the hand; Ramdin was the favorite the entire way through. Micon explained his thought process during the hand, “I knew I was beat high but I had infinite odds; I was trying to scoop low.” At just that moment the fairly subdued Ramdin piped in with some of his own bombast. He averred, “You’re playing against Victor Ramdin. You’re not supposed to scoop the low.” This comment earned a (much coveted) high five from Mike Matusow. By the end of the level Ramdin was chip leader with 23,000, so he had reason to be cocksure.

Micon Gone

Bryan Micon found his remaining 1,200 chips all-in against an opponent on 4^th street with the following cards:

Micon: (K)(9)K10
Opponent: (A)(6)8A

Micon needed two-pair to escape elimination, but things took a turn for the worse just seconds later when his opponent was dealt the 8 for aces up. “You are in a world of hurt, my friend,” opined Matusow, despite Micon drawing the 10. Matusow was right, and Micon’s final card blanked. Micon, one of the chip leaders during the early stages of the day, could not quite make it to the end of day 1.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Mike Matusow,   Phil Hellmuth,   Victor Ramdin,   Arash Ghaneian,   Keith Sexton,   Perry Friedman,   Isabelle Mercier,   Eugene Katchalov,   Mary Jones,   Michael Binger,   Brian Micon

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 1 - Level 3 Recap

Jun 29, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  50-100 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  25 ante, 25 bring in, 100-200 stakes

Entrants: 803

Chip Leaders:
Phil Gordon - 8,500
Marsha Waggoner - 7,400
Sam Simon - 7,000
Perry Friedman - 7,000
Thomas Hunt - 7,000
Richard Brodie - 6,700
Keith Sexton - 6,500
Isabelle Mercier - 6,000
Bryan Micon - 5,800
Lou Esposito - 5,500

Big Hands and Storylines:

Stud

Alex Jacob Wins Pot, Busts Opponent

Alex Jacob: K108J
Opponent: 10242

Alex Jacob and a short-stacked opponent went to fourth street with a K and 10 showing respectively. On fourth street, Jacob bet and his opponent called, leaving himself only 525 behind. Jacob bet again on 6^th street and the other player contemplated for a while, picked up his final few chips and said, “What am I going to do with these anyway?” He tossed them in for the call, but would regret it almost immediately. After 7^th street was dealt, Jacob showed (A)(Q)(J) for the straight. The pot gives Jacob 5,200 early on day 1.

Small But Important Pot Gives Ferguson Some Breathing Room

Chris Ferguson: A538
Opponent: Q64A

Ferguson completed on third street and his opponent raised. Ferguson made the call and the two players saw fourth street. On fourth street Ferguson checked and his opponent bet. Ferguson made the call. On fifth street Ferguson again checked, and his opponent put in the last of his chips. Ferguson made the call and the two turned over:

Ferguson: (K)(K)A538
Opponent: (J)(10)Q64A

Ferguson’s opponent said, “Well, I started out okay,” as he flipped over his cards. His river card was the 7 and he was eliminated mid-way through level 3. This pot, though not particularly large, was important for Ferguson as it represented a sizeable portion of his stack. He now sits with 2,600 in chips.

Stud/8b

Andy Bloch Gets Set-up

Andy Bloch: A5JK
Opponent: QJQ8

A player completed to 100 and Andy Bloch raised to 200. The player called and each player was dealt a fourth card. Bloch bet out and his opponent called. The hand switched gears when the opposing player was given a pair of open queens. As a result, he bet out on the final three streets, getting called all the way down by Bloch. Bloch’s showed his set when he flipped over his Q and that was good enough to win the pot. Bloch’s stack took a bit of a hit and now he has 3,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Richard Brodie,   Andy Bloch,   Phil Gordon,   Marsha Waggoner,   Keith Sexton,   Perry Friedman,   Isabelle Mercier,   Sam Simon,   Alex Jacob,   Lou Esposito,   Bryan Micon

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E - Negreanu Chipping Up

Jun 29, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20-minute break

Blinds:

Hold'em and Omaha-8: 50-75

Razz, Stud, Eight-or-Better: 25 Ante, 25 Bring In, 75 Completion

Entrants: 787 (Approx.)

Big Hands:

Hold'em

The Thorn in the Side

Daniel Negreanu raised to 150 and the player in seat 3 made the call. "You sir, you're the old thorn in the side," Negreanu said. The flop came AA3 and Negreanu bet. The thorn in the side stuck around and the turn was the 6. Both players checked and the A landed on the river. Negreanu checked and seat 3 bet. Negreanu made the call and saw the bad news as his opponent showed 1010. Negreanu mucked his hand. He was down to 2,500, but he would get relief when the game switched to Omaha.

Omaha-8

A Star On Broadway

Negreanu rasied to 150 from the button and the player in seat 4 made the call. The flop came K105 and Negreanu bet after the action was checked to him. Seat 4 then raised Negreanu and "Kid Poker" made the call. The turn was the Q and seat 4 led out. Negreanu stuck around and the river was the J. Seat 4 led out again, but this time Negreanu turned the tables as he raised it up. Seat 4 called. Negreanu showed AQ85 for a broadway straight on the river. Seat 4 showed the losing AKA9. Negreanu's stack built up to around 4,000 after the hand.

Eight-or-Better

Mercier Keeps the Pressure On

Isabelle Mercier: JQ(x-x)
Seat 6: J2 muck
Seat 7: 73 muck

Mercier bet on thrid street and, for some reason, her opponents decided to call. She did the same on 4th street and her opponents wised up, mucking their hands, much to the dismay of Mercier. "Monster," Mercier said with a smile as she tapped the Q she caught of 4th street. She was over 5,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Isabelle Mercier

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E - Negreanu Having Some Fun

Jun 29, '08

Blinds:

Hold'em and Omaha-8: 25-50

Razz, Stud, Eight-or-Better: 100 Ante, 25 Bring In, 50 Completion

Entrants: 746 (Approx.)

Big Hands:

Hold'em

Allyn Jaffrey Shulman Off to a Good Start

The player in seat 1 called the big blind, which is where Shulman resided. She checked her option and the flop came QJ7. Shulman led out with 50 and her opponent made the call. She fired 100 into the pot after the Q landed on the turn. Her opponent mucked his hand and Shulman was off on the right foot.

Omaha-8

No Mercy for Haxton

Picking up the action on the river, Isaac Haxton bet 100 on a board that read 51021010. Isabelle "No Mercy" Mercier made the call. "I suppose you can beat Q-J," Haxton said as he showed his QJ43. Mercier tabled 3322 and scooped an early pot.

Razz

I Said No Mercy!

Mercier: 7425(3-x-x)
Haxton: 627 muck
Seat 2: 84K3 muck

Picking up the action on 4th street, Mercier fired a bet and Haxton made the call, along with the player in seat 2. Mercier did the same on 5th street and Haxton had enough punishment and mucked his hand, but seat 2 insisted on staying in the hand. The 5 on 6th street provoked another bet and seat 2 finally had enough. Mercier took another pot and was around 6,000 after the hand.

Let's Get Hammered!

Daniel Negreanu is having fun. He is using his Borat voice at his table during hands. But apparently, he's not having enough fun. He got up from his chair and announced to the world that he would like to get plastered tonight. He called Chris Reslock and told him his idea. Reslock said he would like to join Negreanu. "Kid Poker" sat down briefly to look at his hand, then he got up again and asked a pretty little photographer a simple question. "Hey, do you feel like getting drunk?" A chorus of laughter ensued as the young woman was taken by surprise. "I fee like getting drunk," Negreanu said. "Right now!" But "Kid Poker" is very picky on his alcohol. A player at a neighboring table offered to buy Negreanu a shot, to which he replied, "No. I don't do shots."

Player Tags: Allyn Shulman,   Daniel Negreanu,   Isabelle Mercier,   Isaac Haxton

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - End of Day

Jun 25, '08

Play is done for the day. Day 2 action will resume at 3 p.m.

Blinds:
Hold'em: 800-1,500
Omaha 8: 800-1,500
Razz: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion
Eight or Better: 500 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion

Players Left: 140 of 148

Chip Counts:
Chris Reslock: 220,000
James Mackey: 200,000
Pat Pezzin: 185,000
Phil Galfond: 180,000
Raymond Dehkharghani: 180,000
Joe Cassidy: 176,000
Ralph Perry: 175,000
Patrik Antonius: 170,000
Bill Chen: 170,000

Elimination: Phil Hellmuth, David Williams

Big Hands:

Hold'em

Flopped It

The player in seat 7 raised in position and David Benyamine called from the small blind and Billy "The Croc" Argyros called from middle the position. The flop came 875 and both Benyamine and Argyros checked to seat 7, who bet. Benyamine and Argyros made the call. The turn was the J and action was again checked to seat 7. He bet and Benyamine called, but Argyros mucked. The river was the 4, putting four hearts on the board. Benyamine bet out for the first time and seat 7 tanked. After lots of thought he made the call and Benyamine flipped over A2, for the flopped ace-high flush, and raked the pot.

A Full Tilt Collision

Full Tilt's Phil Ivey and Perry Friedman (who still has the Full Tilt logo on the side of his head) got involved in a pot when Ivey raised and Perry re-raised in position. Ivey made the call and the flop came K86. Ivey checked, Friedman bet out and Ivey made the call. The turn was the 10 and both players checked. Ivey bet out instantly when the 2 hit on the river and Friedman mucked his hand. Still, day one has not been kind to Ivey. He ended it with around 40,000 in chips.

Omaha 8

Set of Jacks for Antonius

When his opponent bet out on the river on a board of K-J-5-8-2, Patrik Antonius raised. His opponent called and Antonius showed J-J-6-4 for a set of jacks to take the pot while his opponent sat shaking his head.

Razz

Schneider Takes One Down

Tom Schneider bet every street until 7th street, where he slowed down and checked. His opponent called all the way and checked with Schneider on the end. Their cards were:
Schneider: 486J (A-2-Q)
His opponent: 9A69 (X-X-X)
Seeing that Schneider made an 8-low, his opponent mucked and Schneider took the pot.

Oppenheim Makes 9-Low For Pot

After some serious betting early, David Oppenheim and his opponent checked sixth and seventh street. Their cards here:
Oppenheim: 6K59 (9-4-2)
His opponent: 88A3 (Q-10-2)
Oppenheim's 9-low was good enough to edge out his opponent's 10-low and he raked a sizeable pot.

Good Hands

Surely Bill Chen and the player in seat 7 thought they were going to win the heavily bet pot before them. But when they showed down their best razz hands they saw something surprising:
Chen: 6-5-4-3-2-X-X-X
Seat 7: 6-5-4-3-2-X-X-X
Both players made the six-low and they split the pot.

Stud

Guess I'll Fold

Brandon Adams was showing the A when he bet out. His opponent was showing the Q and made the call. When Adams hit the A for his next card, his opponent shrugged at the early pair of aces in front of Adams and mucked his visible Q9.

Stud 8

Hellmuth Elminated by Fitoussi

In a three-way pot with Bruno Fitoussi and Rafi Amit, Phil Hellmuth got all in on fifth street. Their hands were:
Hellmuth: 6492 (6-9-x)
Fitoussi: 84K10 (KQ10)
Amit: 57105 (x-x-x)
Fitoussi's two pair was better than Hellmuth's and Hellmuth was eliminated late in day one.

Dwan Flushes Hennigan's Two-Pair

Tom Dwan has gotten the better of John Hennigan in a number of pots. In one hand Hennigan was showing two pair, yet couldn't get the better of the young internet-sensation. Their cards were:
Hennigan: 33KK (x-x-x)
Dwan: 42J9 (A85)
Dwan hit his ace-high flush and Hennigan angrily mucked his hand.

Leonidas Gets Better of Kostritsyn

Toto Leonidas bet every street during the hand. Isabelle Mercier got out of the way after fourth street but Leonidas was called down by Alexander Kostritsyn. Their showdown revealed:
Leonidas: A654 (A-7-6)
Kostritsyn: AJ4Q (Muck)
Seeing Leonidas' two pair, Kostritsyn slowly mucked his cards and Leonidas took the pot.

Player Tags: Toto Leonidas,   David Oppenheim,   David Benyamine,   Phil Hellmuth,   John Hennigan,   Tom Schneider,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   Isabelle Mercier,   Patrik Antonius,   Bill Chen,   Brandon Adams,   Billy Argyros,   Tom Dwan,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   European Report

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. - Day 2 - Level 8

Jun 26, '08

Note: Players took a one hour dinner break at the completion of Level 8, and will return at approx. 9:30 pm local time to begin Level 9.

Blinds/Antes:
Hold'em-Omaha 8/b: 1,500-2,500
Razz-Stud-Stud 8/b: 500 ante, 700 bring-in, 2,500 completion

Players Left: 109 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Abe Mosseri: 315,000
Isabelle Mercier: 295,000
Doyle Brunson: 292,000
Lyle Berman: 290,000
Alex Kostritsyn: 285,000
James Mackey: 280,000
Erick Lindgren: 265,000
Stephen Wolff: 263,000
Pat Pezzin: 248,000
Tom Dwan: 241,000

Eliminations: David Grey, Eli Elezra, Alex Kravchenko, Michael Fiorito, Bruno Fitoussi, Chris Ferguson, Soheil Shamseddin

Big Hands:

Alex Kravchanko Eliminated

Hold'em
A short stacked Alex Kravchenko got it all in preflop with 77 against the AJ of Ted Forrest. The board came AQJ98, giving Forrest two pair on the flop. Kravchenko got it in with the best hand, but this is poker and that doesn't count for much. Kravchenko was eliminated while Forrest raked another pot.

Isabelle Mercier Scoops a Pot Off of Patrik Antonius

Omaha
Daniel Negreanu limped from under the gun and Isabelle Mercier raised from middle position. Patrik Antonuis called the raise from the big blind as did Negreanu. The flop came AQJ, and both Antonius and Negreanu checked to Mercier who bet. Antonius called and Negreanu folded. The turn was the 3 and Anonius checked to Mercier who bet, Antonius called. The river was the 4 and once again Antonius check-called Mericer on the river. Mercier turned over AA65 for top set (high) and a 6-5-4-3-A low. Mericer scooped the pot.

Allen Kessler Takes a Pot From Patrik Antonius

Razz

Patrik Antonius continues to lose chips at his table, this time to Allen kessler. Antonius bet the door car and Kessler called. On fourth street Jessler paired aces and check-called Antonius. When Antonius paired nines on fifth street, Kessler took the betting lead and continued to bet on sixth street. Antonius called him down and both palyers checked on the river.

Antonius: 6493 - X-X-X
Kessler: AA56 - Jx83

Kessler turned over an 8-6 (8-6-5-3-A) and Antonius mucked his hand. Antonius is now down to just over 50,000 in chips while Kessler moves up over 175,000 after this hand.

Dewey Tomko Staying Alive

Stud
Dewey Tonko completed the bet with the 9 in the door and Marc Goodwin called the raise with the A. Goodwin hit the 3 on fourth street and led out with a bet. Tomko called with the 8. Tomko made a pair of eights on fifth street and took the betting lead the rest of the way. Goodwin looked him up with a showdown on the river.

Tomko: 98810 - JJ7
Goodwin: A3Q2 - X-X-X

Tomko turned over two pair (jacks and eights) on seventh street and Goodwin mucked his hand. Tonko climbed up fom the short stack a little bit to around 60,000 while Goodwin fell down to about 120,000 in chips after this hand.

Eli Elezra Eliminated

Stud 8/b
A short stacked Eli Elezra played his final hand of Stud 8/b against Isabelle Mercier, getting it all in fifth street and heading to the rail shortly there after.

Elezra: A274 - X-X-X
Mercier: 6988 - K32

Elezra made two pair on the river, no low, while Mercier turned over three clubs for a king-high flush. Elezra is eliminated from the tournament while Mercier chips up to just about 300,000.

Player Tags: Dewey Tomko,   Eli Elezra,   Allen Kessler,   David Grey,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Isabelle Mercier,   Patrik Antonius,   Marc Goodwin

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 7 Recap

Jun 26, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  1,000-2,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  500 ante, 500 bring in, 2,000-4,000 stakes

Players Left: 122 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Steve Wolff - 285,000
Tom Dwan - 280,000
Isabelle Mercier - 280,000
Abraham "Abe" Mosseri - 260,000
Joe Cassidy - 257,000
Ray Dehkharghani - 245,000
Doug Ganger - 230,000
William Chen - 225,000
Minh Ly - 200,000
Pat Pezzin - 196,500

Average Stack: 121,300

Eliminations:
Andrew Black
David Grey
Antanas “Tony G” Guoga

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ivey Climbing

Robert Mizrachi raised from early position and was met by a re-raise from Phil Ivey on the button. Mizrachi called and the two saw a AK7 flop. Mizrachi check-raised Ivey’s continuation bet and Ivey made the call. Mizrachi bet 4,000 on the 7 turn and Ivey made a quick call. The river was the 6. Mizrachi checked and Ivey bet. Mizrachi mulled it over his decision for a minute or so before announcing a call. Ivey turned over AJ. His pair of aces was good enough to take down the pot and grow his stack to 130,000. Mizrachi now has about 12 big bets left with 50,000.

Razz

Chipping Up Off The Old Bloch

Hawrilenko: 85JA
Bloch: 42109

Matt “Hoss_TBF” Hawrilenko completed with the 8 and was raised by Andy Bloch on his left. Johnny Chan and Mike Wattel both called, as did Hawrilenko, and the 4 each drew a fourth card. Hawrilenko caught a 5, Bloch a 2, Chan a J, and Wattel the K. Bloch led out with his 4-low, Chan and Wattel called, but Hawrilenko put in a raise and then Bloch 3-bet, squeezing Chan and Wattel out of the pot, much to their consternation. On 5^th street, Bloch bet and Hawrilenko called. The tables turned on 6^th street and Bloch check-called a bet from Hawrilenko. Both players checked the river and Hawrilenko’s (A-6-4) gave him an 8-low. Bloch briefly showed (9-7-3) and mucked his 9-low. With the pot Hawrilenko moved up to 90,000.

Stud

David Grey Eliminated

Andy Bloch completed with the T and was raised by David Grey with the Q up. Grey admitted that, with about 13,000 chips to start the hand, he was almost certainly going to end up all-in on the hand. That is indeed what ended up happening, with he and Bloch all-in on 6^th street:

Grey: (Q)(6)Q478
Bloch: (K)(J)1025A

Grey’s pair of queens was ahead of Bloch going to the final card, but Bloch had a slew of outs: any diamond, ace, king, or queen would give him the lead in the hand. Bloch flipped over his final card like it was hot: Q. Grey could only laugh as Bloch made a straight with the card that he so desperately needed.

Bloch now has an impressive 180,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Gus’ Flush Trips Up Kravchenko

With boards of:

Hansen: 8355
Kravchenko: 76KK

Hansen was the aggressor on all streets, betting when checked to and leading out when acting first. On 7^th street, Kravchenko timidly check-called Hansen’s river bet and was not happy to see Gus table (Q)(J)(7) for a flush. Kravchenko could not produce a low and the pot was shipped to the Dane. Hansen now has  60,000.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Antanas Guoga,   Andy Bloch,   Minh Ly,   Gus Hansen,   Joe Cassidy,   David Grey,   Phil Ivey,   Abe Mosseri,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Isabelle Mercier,   Steve Wolff,   Andy Black,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Bill Chen,   Tom Dwan,   Doug Ganger

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  4,000-8,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  2,000 ante, 2,000 bring in, 8,000-16,000 stakes

Players Left: 46 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Joseph Michael - 730,000
Edwin Ting - 690,000
Barry Greenstein - 655,000
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Michael DeMichele - 590,000
Chad Brown - 550,000
Huck Seed - 525,000
James Mackey - 510,000
Farzad "Fred" Bonyadi - 480,000
David Oppenheim - 475,000

Average Stack: 321,750

Eliminations:
Dario Minieri
Greg Mueller
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Omaha/8b

Minh Ly Doubles Up

Minh Ly raised from early position and was called by Barry Greenstein in middle position, Phil Ivey in the small blind, and Layne Flack in the big blind. The flop was Q97 and Ivey bet out and Flack folded. Ly raised, Greenstein folded, and Ivey called.  On the 3 turn Ivey check-called a bet from Ly. The river was the A and Ivey checked again. Ly bet, leaving himself only 20,000 behind, and Ivey folded rather quickly. The pot brought Ly up to 150,000 and knocked Ivey down to a perilously low 100,000.

Razz

Greg Mueller Eliminated

After a raise and a re-raise, Greg Mueller was all-in on third street against Chris Reslock:

Mueller: (2)(9)4JJ109
Reslock: (3)(6)45J107

After all of the cards had been dealt, Reslock’s 7-low was good to take down the smallish pot. Mueller, unlike most players who dart from the tournament floor at light speed, lingered around his table for a few minutes before taking a leisurely walk out of the Amazon Room.

Dario Minieri Eliminated

Having gotten all-in as a short-stack a number of times in the Omaha/8b portion of the event only to repeatedly claim a chopped pot, Dario Minieri got himself all-in on third street against Andy Bloch in razz. There would be no split pot this time; it was either double up or go home for Minieri. Unfortunately for the diminutive Italian, he would be sent packing.  Despite starting with 5-2-A, he could only make a 9-8 low. Bloch’s 5-3-2 turned into an 8-5 on seventh street and the pot was his. Bloch now has about 210,000.

Stud

Isabelle Mercier Eliminated

Ralph Perry: AA93
Justin Bonomo: J974
Isabelle Mercier: 7322

On seventh street, with Isabelle Mercier all-in, Ralph Perry bet into Justin Bonomo. Bonomo mulled over a decision and opted to simply call. Perry insta-mucked, not even giving Bonomo a chance to show his cards. When Bonomo did reveal his downcards – (Q)(6)(5) – it was apparent to Mercier that he had made a flush, and that her day was over. Bonomo is now up to 170,000.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Minh Ly,   Huck Seed,   David Oppenheim,   Greg Mueller,   Lyle Berman,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey,   Isabelle Mercier,   Justin Bonomo,   Dario Minieri,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Edwin Ting,   European Report

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - End of Day

Jun 25, '08

Play is done for the day. Day 2 action will resume at 3 p.m.

Blinds:
Hold'em: 800-1,500
Omaha 8: 800-1,500
Razz: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion
Eight or Better: 500 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion

Players Left: 140 of 148

Chip Counts:
Chris Reslock: 220,000
James Mackey: 200,000
Pat Pezzin: 185,000
Phil Galfond: 180,000
Raymond Dehkharghani: 180,000
Joe Cassidy: 176,000
Ralph Perry: 175,000
Patrik Antonius: 170,000
Bill Chen: 170,000

Elimination: Phil Hellmuth, David Williams

Big Hands:

Hold'em

Flopped It

The player in seat 7 raised in position and David Benyamine called from the small blind and Billy "The Croc" Argyros called from middle the position. The flop came 875 and both Benyamine and Argyros checked to seat 7, who bet. Benyamine and Argyros made the call. The turn was the J and action was again checked to seat 7. He bet and Benyamine called, but Argyros mucked. The river was the 4, putting four hearts on the board. Benyamine bet out for the first time and seat 7 tanked. After lots of thought he made the call and Benyamine flipped over A2, for the flopped ace-high flush, and raked the pot.

A Full Tilt Collision

Full Tilt's Phil Ivey and Perry Friedman (who still has the Full Tilt logo on the side of his head) got involved in a pot when Ivey raised and Perry re-raised in position. Ivey made the call and the flop came K86. Ivey checked, Friedman bet out and Ivey made the call. The turn was the 10 and both players checked. Ivey bet out instantly when the 2 hit on the river and Friedman mucked his hand. Still, day one has not been kind to Ivey. He ended it with around 40,000 in chips.

Omaha 8

Set of Jacks for Antonius

When his opponent bet out on the river on a board of K-J-5-8-2, Patrik Antonius raised. His opponent called and Antonius showed J-J-6-4 for a set of jacks to take the pot while his opponent sat shaking his head.

Razz

Schneider Takes One Down

Tom Schneider bet every street until 7th street, where he slowed down and checked. His opponent called all the way and checked with Schneider on the end. Their cards were:
Schneider: 486J (A-2-Q)
His opponent: 9A69 (X-X-X)
Seeing that Schneider made an 8-low, his opponent mucked and Schneider took the pot.

Oppenheim Makes 9-Low For Pot

After some serious betting early, David Oppenheim and his opponent checked sixth and seventh street. Their cards here:
Oppenheim: 6K59 (9-4-2)
His opponent: 88A3 (Q-10-2)
Oppenheim's 9-low was good enough to edge out his opponent's 10-low and he raked a sizeable pot.

Good Hands

Surely Bill Chen and the player in seat 7 thought they were going to win the heavily bet pot before them. But when they showed down their best razz hands they saw something surprising:
Chen: 6-5-4-3-2-X-X-X
Seat 7: 6-5-4-3-2-X-X-X
Both players made the six-low and they split the pot.

Stud

Guess I'll Fold

Brandon Adams was showing the A when he bet out. His opponent was showing the Q and made the call. When Adams hit the A for his next card, his opponent shrugged at the early pair of aces in front of Adams and mucked his visible Q9.

Stud 8

Hellmuth Elminated by Fitoussi

In a three-way pot with Bruno Fitoussi and Rafi Amit, Phil Hellmuth got all in on fifth street. Their hands were:
Hellmuth: 6492 (6-9-x)
Fitoussi: 84K10 (KQ10)
Amit: 57105 (x-x-x)
Fitoussi's two pair was better than Hellmuth's and Hellmuth was eliminated late in day one.

Dwan Flushes Hennigan's Two-Pair

Tom Dwan has gotten the better of John Hennigan in a number of pots. In one hand Hennigan was showing two pair, yet couldn't get the better of the young internet-sensation. Their cards were:
Hennigan: 33KK (x-x-x)
Dwan: 42J9 (A85)
Dwan hit his ace-high flush and Hennigan angrily mucked his hand.

Leonidas Gets Better of Kostritsyn

Toto Leonidas bet every street during the hand. Isabelle Mercier got out of the way after fourth street but Leonidas was called down by Alexander Kostritsyn. Their showdown revealed:
Leonidas: A654 (A-7-6)
Kostritsyn: AJ4Q (Muck)
Seeing Leonidas' two pair, Kostritsyn slowly mucked his cards and Leonidas took the pot.

Player Tags: Toto Leonidas,   David Oppenheim,   David Benyamine,   Phil Hellmuth,   John Hennigan,   Tom Schneider,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   Isabelle Mercier,   Patrik Antonius,   Bill Chen,   Brandon Adams,   Billy Argyros,   Tom Dwan,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   European Report

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. - Day 2 - Level 8

Jun 26, '08

Note: Players took a one hour dinner break at the completion of Level 8, and will return at approx. 9:30 pm local time to begin Level 9.

Blinds/Antes:
Hold'em-Omaha 8/b: 1,500-2,500
Razz-Stud-Stud 8/b: 500 ante, 700 bring-in, 2,500 completion

Players Left: 109 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Abe Mosseri: 315,000
Isabelle Mercier: 295,000
Doyle Brunson: 292,000
Lyle Berman: 290,000
Alex Kostritsyn: 285,000
James Mackey: 280,000
Erick Lindgren: 265,000
Stephen Wolff: 263,000
Pat Pezzin: 248,000
Tom Dwan: 241,000

Eliminations: David Grey, Eli Elezra, Alex Kravchenko, Michael Fiorito, Bruno Fitoussi, Chris Ferguson, Soheil Shamseddin

Big Hands:

Alex Kravchanko Eliminated

Hold'em
A short stacked Alex Kravchenko got it all in preflop with 77 against the AJ of Ted Forrest. The board came AQJ98, giving Forrest two pair on the flop. Kravchenko got it in with the best hand, but this is poker and that doesn't count for much. Kravchenko was eliminated while Forrest raked another pot.

Isabelle Mercier Scoops a Pot Off of Patrik Antonius

Omaha
Daniel Negreanu limped from under the gun and Isabelle Mercier raised from middle position. Patrik Antonuis called the raise from the big blind as did Negreanu. The flop came AQJ, and both Antonius and Negreanu checked to Mercier who bet. Antonius called and Negreanu folded. The turn was the 3 and Anonius checked to Mercier who bet, Antonius called. The river was the 4 and once again Antonius check-called Mericer on the river. Mercier turned over AA65 for top set (high) and a 6-5-4-3-A low. Mericer scooped the pot.

Allen Kessler Takes a Pot From Patrik Antonius

Razz

Patrik Antonius continues to lose chips at his table, this time to Allen kessler. Antonius bet the door car and Kessler called. On fourth street Jessler paired aces and check-called Antonius. When Antonius paired nines on fifth street, Kessler took the betting lead and continued to bet on sixth street. Antonius called him down and both palyers checked on the river.

Antonius: 6493 - X-X-X
Kessler: AA56 - Jx83

Kessler turned over an 8-6 (8-6-5-3-A) and Antonius mucked his hand. Antonius is now down to just over 50,000 in chips while Kessler moves up over 175,000 after this hand.

Dewey Tomko Staying Alive

Stud
Dewey Tonko completed the bet with the 9 in the door and Marc Goodwin called the raise with the A. Goodwin hit the 3 on fourth street and led out with a bet. Tomko called with the 8. Tomko made a pair of eights on fifth street and took the betting lead the rest of the way. Goodwin looked him up with a showdown on the river.

Tomko: 98810 - JJ7
Goodwin: A3Q2 - X-X-X

Tomko turned over two pair (jacks and eights) on seventh street and Goodwin mucked his hand. Tonko climbed up fom the short stack a little bit to around 60,000 while Goodwin fell down to about 120,000 in chips after this hand.

Eli Elezra Eliminated

Stud 8/b
A short stacked Eli Elezra played his final hand of Stud 8/b against Isabelle Mercier, getting it all in fifth street and heading to the rail shortly there after.

Elezra: A274 - X-X-X
Mercier: 6988 - K32

Elezra made two pair on the river, no low, while Mercier turned over three clubs for a king-high flush. Elezra is eliminated from the tournament while Mercier chips up to just about 300,000.

Player Tags: Dewey Tomko,   Eli Elezra,   Allen Kessler,   David Grey,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Isabelle Mercier,   Patrik Antonius,   Marc Goodwin

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 7 Recap

Jun 26, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  1,000-2,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  500 ante, 500 bring in, 2,000-4,000 stakes

Players Left: 122 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Steve Wolff - 285,000
Tom Dwan - 280,000
Isabelle Mercier - 280,000
Abraham "Abe" Mosseri - 260,000
Joe Cassidy - 257,000
Ray Dehkharghani - 245,000
Doug Ganger - 230,000
William Chen - 225,000
Minh Ly - 200,000
Pat Pezzin - 196,500

Average Stack: 121,300

Eliminations:
Andrew Black
David Grey
Antanas “Tony G” Guoga

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ivey Climbing

Robert Mizrachi raised from early position and was met by a re-raise from Phil Ivey on the button. Mizrachi called and the two saw a AK7 flop. Mizrachi check-raised Ivey’s continuation bet and Ivey made the call. Mizrachi bet 4,000 on the 7 turn and Ivey made a quick call. The river was the 6. Mizrachi checked and Ivey bet. Mizrachi mulled it over his decision for a minute or so before announcing a call. Ivey turned over AJ. His pair of aces was good enough to take down the pot and grow his stack to 130,000. Mizrachi now has about 12 big bets left with 50,000.

Razz

Chipping Up Off The Old Bloch

Hawrilenko: 85JA
Bloch: 42109

Matt “Hoss_TBF” Hawrilenko completed with the 8 and was raised by Andy Bloch on his left. Johnny Chan and Mike Wattel both called, as did Hawrilenko, and the 4 each drew a fourth card. Hawrilenko caught a 5, Bloch a 2, Chan a J, and Wattel the K. Bloch led out with his 4-low, Chan and Wattel called, but Hawrilenko put in a raise and then Bloch 3-bet, squeezing Chan and Wattel out of the pot, much to their consternation. On 5^th street, Bloch bet and Hawrilenko called. The tables turned on 6^th street and Bloch check-called a bet from Hawrilenko. Both players checked the river and Hawrilenko’s (A-6-4) gave him an 8-low. Bloch briefly showed (9-7-3) and mucked his 9-low. With the pot Hawrilenko moved up to 90,000.

Stud

David Grey Eliminated

Andy Bloch completed with the T and was raised by David Grey with the Q up. Grey admitted that, with about 13,000 chips to start the hand, he was almost certainly going to end up all-in on the hand. That is indeed what ended up happening, with he and Bloch all-in on 6^th street:

Grey: (Q)(6)Q478
Bloch: (K)(J)1025A

Grey’s pair of queens was ahead of Bloch going to the final card, but Bloch had a slew of outs: any diamond, ace, king, or queen would give him the lead in the hand. Bloch flipped over his final card like it was hot: Q. Grey could only laugh as Bloch made a straight with the card that he so desperately needed.

Bloch now has an impressive 180,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Gus’ Flush Trips Up Kravchenko

With boards of:

Hansen: 8355
Kravchenko: 76KK

Hansen was the aggressor on all streets, betting when checked to and leading out when acting first. On 7^th street, Kravchenko timidly check-called Hansen’s river bet and was not happy to see Gus table (Q)(J)(7) for a flush. Kravchenko could not produce a low and the pot was shipped to the Dane. Hansen now has  60,000.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Antanas Guoga,   Andy Bloch,   Minh Ly,   Gus Hansen,   Joe Cassidy,   David Grey,   Phil Ivey,   Abe Mosseri,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Isabelle Mercier,   Steve Wolff,   Andy Black,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Bill Chen,   Tom Dwan,   Doug Ganger

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  4,000-8,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  2,000 ante, 2,000 bring in, 8,000-16,000 stakes

Players Left: 46 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Joseph Michael - 730,000
Edwin Ting - 690,000
Barry Greenstein - 655,000
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Michael DeMichele - 590,000
Chad Brown - 550,000
Huck Seed - 525,000
James Mackey - 510,000
Farzad "Fred" Bonyadi - 480,000
David Oppenheim - 475,000

Average Stack: 321,750

Eliminations:
Dario Minieri
Greg Mueller
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Omaha/8b

Minh Ly Doubles Up

Minh Ly raised from early position and was called by Barry Greenstein in middle position, Phil Ivey in the small blind, and Layne Flack in the big blind. The flop was Q97 and Ivey bet out and Flack folded. Ly raised, Greenstein folded, and Ivey called.  On the 3 turn Ivey check-called a bet from Ly. The river was the A and Ivey checked again. Ly bet, leaving himself only 20,000 behind, and Ivey folded rather quickly. The pot brought Ly up to 150,000 and knocked Ivey down to a perilously low 100,000.

Razz

Greg Mueller Eliminated

After a raise and a re-raise, Greg Mueller was all-in on third street against Chris Reslock:

Mueller: (2)(9)4JJ109
Reslock: (3)(6)45J107

After all of the cards had been dealt, Reslock’s 7-low was good to take down the smallish pot. Mueller, unlike most players who dart from the tournament floor at light speed, lingered around his table for a few minutes before taking a leisurely walk out of the Amazon Room.

Dario Minieri Eliminated

Having gotten all-in as a short-stack a number of times in the Omaha/8b portion of the event only to repeatedly claim a chopped pot, Dario Minieri got himself all-in on third street against Andy Bloch in razz. There would be no split pot this time; it was either double up or go home for Minieri. Unfortunately for the diminutive Italian, he would be sent packing.  Despite starting with 5-2-A, he could only make a 9-8 low. Bloch’s 5-3-2 turned into an 8-5 on seventh street and the pot was his. Bloch now has about 210,000.

Stud

Isabelle Mercier Eliminated

Ralph Perry: AA93
Justin Bonomo: J974
Isabelle Mercier: 7322

On seventh street, with Isabelle Mercier all-in, Ralph Perry bet into Justin Bonomo. Bonomo mulled over a decision and opted to simply call. Perry insta-mucked, not even giving Bonomo a chance to show his cards. When Bonomo did reveal his downcards – (Q)(6)(5) – it was apparent to Mercier that he had made a flush, and that her day was over. Bonomo is now up to 170,000.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Minh Ly,   Huck Seed,   David Oppenheim,   Greg Mueller,   Lyle Berman,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey,   Isabelle Mercier,   Justin Bonomo,   Dario Minieri,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Edwin Ting,   European Report

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - End of Day

Jun 25, '08

Play is done for the day. Day 2 action will resume at 3 p.m.

Blinds:
Hold'em: 800-1,500
Omaha 8: 800-1,500
Razz: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion
Eight or Better: 500 ante, 500 bring-in, 1,500 completion

Players Left: 140 of 148

Chip Counts:
Chris Reslock: 220,000
James Mackey: 200,000
Pat Pezzin: 185,000
Phil Galfond: 180,000
Raymond Dehkharghani: 180,000
Joe Cassidy: 176,000
Ralph Perry: 175,000
Patrik Antonius: 170,000
Bill Chen: 170,000

Elimination: Phil Hellmuth, David Williams

Big Hands:

Hold'em

Flopped It

The player in seat 7 raised in position and David Benyamine called from the small blind and Billy "The Croc" Argyros called from middle the position. The flop came 875 and both Benyamine and Argyros checked to seat 7, who bet. Benyamine and Argyros made the call. The turn was the J and action was again checked to seat 7. He bet and Benyamine called, but Argyros mucked. The river was the 4, putting four hearts on the board. Benyamine bet out for the first time and seat 7 tanked. After lots of thought he made the call and Benyamine flipped over A2, for the flopped ace-high flush, and raked the pot.

A Full Tilt Collision

Full Tilt's Phil Ivey and Perry Friedman (who still has the Full Tilt logo on the side of his head) got involved in a pot when Ivey raised and Perry re-raised in position. Ivey made the call and the flop came K86. Ivey checked, Friedman bet out and Ivey made the call. The turn was the 10 and both players checked. Ivey bet out instantly when the 2 hit on the river and Friedman mucked his hand. Still, day one has not been kind to Ivey. He ended it with around 40,000 in chips.

Omaha 8

Set of Jacks for Antonius

When his opponent bet out on the river on a board of K-J-5-8-2, Patrik Antonius raised. His opponent called and Antonius showed J-J-6-4 for a set of jacks to take the pot while his opponent sat shaking his head.

Razz

Schneider Takes One Down

Tom Schneider bet every street until 7th street, where he slowed down and checked. His opponent called all the way and checked with Schneider on the end. Their cards were:
Schneider: 486J (A-2-Q)
His opponent: 9A69 (X-X-X)
Seeing that Schneider made an 8-low, his opponent mucked and Schneider took the pot.

Oppenheim Makes 9-Low For Pot

After some serious betting early, David Oppenheim and his opponent checked sixth and seventh street. Their cards here:
Oppenheim: 6K59 (9-4-2)
His opponent: 88A3 (Q-10-2)
Oppenheim's 9-low was good enough to edge out his opponent's 10-low and he raked a sizeable pot.

Good Hands

Surely Bill Chen and the player in seat 7 thought they were going to win the heavily bet pot before them. But when they showed down their best razz hands they saw something surprising:
Chen: 6-5-4-3-2-X-X-X
Seat 7: 6-5-4-3-2-X-X-X
Both players made the six-low and they split the pot.

Stud

Guess I'll Fold

Brandon Adams was showing the A when he bet out. His opponent was showing the Q and made the call. When Adams hit the A for his next card, his opponent shrugged at the early pair of aces in front of Adams and mucked his visible Q9.

Stud 8

Hellmuth Elminated by Fitoussi

In a three-way pot with Bruno Fitoussi and Rafi Amit, Phil Hellmuth got all in on fifth street. Their hands were:
Hellmuth: 6492 (6-9-x)
Fitoussi: 84K10 (KQ10)
Amit: 57105 (x-x-x)
Fitoussi's two pair was better than Hellmuth's and Hellmuth was eliminated late in day one.

Dwan Flushes Hennigan's Two-Pair

Tom Dwan has gotten the better of John Hennigan in a number of pots. In one hand Hennigan was showing two pair, yet couldn't get the better of the young internet-sensation. Their cards were:
Hennigan: 33KK (x-x-x)
Dwan: 42J9 (A85)
Dwan hit his ace-high flush and Hennigan angrily mucked his hand.

Leonidas Gets Better of Kostritsyn

Toto Leonidas bet every street during the hand. Isabelle Mercier got out of the way after fourth street but Leonidas was called down by Alexander Kostritsyn. Their showdown revealed:
Leonidas: A654 (A-7-6)
Kostritsyn: AJ4Q (Muck)
Seeing Leonidas' two pair, Kostritsyn slowly mucked his cards and Leonidas took the pot.

Player Tags: Toto Leonidas,   David Oppenheim,   David Benyamine,   Phil Hellmuth,   John Hennigan,   Tom Schneider,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   Isabelle Mercier,   Patrik Antonius,   Bill Chen,   Brandon Adams,   Billy Argyros,   Tom Dwan,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   European Report

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. - Day 2 - Level 8

Jun 26, '08

Note: Players took a one hour dinner break at the completion of Level 8, and will return at approx. 9:30 pm local time to begin Level 9.

Blinds/Antes:
Hold'em-Omaha 8/b: 1,500-2,500
Razz-Stud-Stud 8/b: 500 ante, 700 bring-in, 2,500 completion

Players Left: 109 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Abe Mosseri: 315,000
Isabelle Mercier: 295,000
Doyle Brunson: 292,000
Lyle Berman: 290,000
Alex Kostritsyn: 285,000
James Mackey: 280,000
Erick Lindgren: 265,000
Stephen Wolff: 263,000
Pat Pezzin: 248,000
Tom Dwan: 241,000

Eliminations: David Grey, Eli Elezra, Alex Kravchenko, Michael Fiorito, Bruno Fitoussi, Chris Ferguson, Soheil Shamseddin

Big Hands:

Alex Kravchanko Eliminated

Hold'em
A short stacked Alex Kravchenko got it all in preflop with 77 against the AJ of Ted Forrest. The board came AQJ98, giving Forrest two pair on the flop. Kravchenko got it in with the best hand, but this is poker and that doesn't count for much. Kravchenko was eliminated while Forrest raked another pot.

Isabelle Mercier Scoops a Pot Off of Patrik Antonius

Omaha
Daniel Negreanu limped from under the gun and Isabelle Mercier raised from middle position. Patrik Antonuis called the raise from the big blind as did Negreanu. The flop came AQJ, and both Antonius and Negreanu checked to Mercier who bet. Antonius called and Negreanu folded. The turn was the 3 and Anonius checked to Mercier who bet, Antonius called. The river was the 4 and once again Antonius check-called Mericer on the river. Mercier turned over AA65 for top set (high) and a 6-5-4-3-A low. Mericer scooped the pot.

Allen Kessler Takes a Pot From Patrik Antonius

Razz

Patrik Antonius continues to lose chips at his table, this time to Allen kessler. Antonius bet the door car and Kessler called. On fourth street Jessler paired aces and check-called Antonius. When Antonius paired nines on fifth street, Kessler took the betting lead and continued to bet on sixth street. Antonius called him down and both palyers checked on the river.

Antonius: 6493 - X-X-X
Kessler: AA56 - Jx83

Kessler turned over an 8-6 (8-6-5-3-A) and Antonius mucked his hand. Antonius is now down to just over 50,000 in chips while Kessler moves up over 175,000 after this hand.

Dewey Tomko Staying Alive

Stud
Dewey Tonko completed the bet with the 9 in the door and Marc Goodwin called the raise with the A. Goodwin hit the 3 on fourth street and led out with a bet. Tomko called with the 8. Tomko made a pair of eights on fifth street and took the betting lead the rest of the way. Goodwin looked him up with a showdown on the river.

Tomko: 98810 - JJ7
Goodwin: A3Q2 - X-X-X

Tomko turned over two pair (jacks and eights) on seventh street and Goodwin mucked his hand. Tonko climbed up fom the short stack a little bit to around 60,000 while Goodwin fell down to about 120,000 in chips after this hand.

Eli Elezra Eliminated

Stud 8/b
A short stacked Eli Elezra played his final hand of Stud 8/b against Isabelle Mercier, getting it all in fifth street and heading to the rail shortly there after.

Elezra: A274 - X-X-X
Mercier: 6988 - K32

Elezra made two pair on the river, no low, while Mercier turned over three clubs for a king-high flush. Elezra is eliminated from the tournament while Mercier chips up to just about 300,000.

Player Tags: Dewey Tomko,   Eli Elezra,   Allen Kessler,   David Grey,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Isabelle Mercier,   Patrik Antonius,   Marc Goodwin

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 7 Recap

Jun 26, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  1,000-2,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  500 ante, 500 bring in, 2,000-4,000 stakes

Players Left: 122 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Steve Wolff - 285,000
Tom Dwan - 280,000
Isabelle Mercier - 280,000
Abraham "Abe" Mosseri - 260,000
Joe Cassidy - 257,000
Ray Dehkharghani - 245,000
Doug Ganger - 230,000
William Chen - 225,000
Minh Ly - 200,000
Pat Pezzin - 196,500

Average Stack: 121,300

Eliminations:
Andrew Black
David Grey
Antanas “Tony G” Guoga

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Ivey Climbing

Robert Mizrachi raised from early position and was met by a re-raise from Phil Ivey on the button. Mizrachi called and the two saw a AK7 flop. Mizrachi check-raised Ivey’s continuation bet and Ivey made the call. Mizrachi bet 4,000 on the 7 turn and Ivey made a quick call. The river was the 6. Mizrachi checked and Ivey bet. Mizrachi mulled it over his decision for a minute or so before announcing a call. Ivey turned over AJ. His pair of aces was good enough to take down the pot and grow his stack to 130,000. Mizrachi now has about 12 big bets left with 50,000.

Razz

Chipping Up Off The Old Bloch

Hawrilenko: 85JA
Bloch: 42109

Matt “Hoss_TBF” Hawrilenko completed with the 8 and was raised by Andy Bloch on his left. Johnny Chan and Mike Wattel both called, as did Hawrilenko, and the 4 each drew a fourth card. Hawrilenko caught a 5, Bloch a 2, Chan a J, and Wattel the K. Bloch led out with his 4-low, Chan and Wattel called, but Hawrilenko put in a raise and then Bloch 3-bet, squeezing Chan and Wattel out of the pot, much to their consternation. On 5^th street, Bloch bet and Hawrilenko called. The tables turned on 6^th street and Bloch check-called a bet from Hawrilenko. Both players checked the river and Hawrilenko’s (A-6-4) gave him an 8-low. Bloch briefly showed (9-7-3) and mucked his 9-low. With the pot Hawrilenko moved up to 90,000.

Stud

David Grey Eliminated

Andy Bloch completed with the T and was raised by David Grey with the Q up. Grey admitted that, with about 13,000 chips to start the hand, he was almost certainly going to end up all-in on the hand. That is indeed what ended up happening, with he and Bloch all-in on 6^th street:

Grey: (Q)(6)Q478
Bloch: (K)(J)1025A

Grey’s pair of queens was ahead of Bloch going to the final card, but Bloch had a slew of outs: any diamond, ace, king, or queen would give him the lead in the hand. Bloch flipped over his final card like it was hot: Q. Grey could only laugh as Bloch made a straight with the card that he so desperately needed.

Bloch now has an impressive 180,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Gus’ Flush Trips Up Kravchenko

With boards of:

Hansen: 8355
Kravchenko: 76KK

Hansen was the aggressor on all streets, betting when checked to and leading out when acting first. On 7^th street, Kravchenko timidly check-called Hansen’s river bet and was not happy to see Gus table (Q)(J)(7) for a flush. Kravchenko could not produce a low and the pot was shipped to the Dane. Hansen now has  60,000.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Antanas Guoga,   Andy Bloch,   Minh Ly,   Gus Hansen,   Joe Cassidy,   David Grey,   Phil Ivey,   Abe Mosseri,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Isabelle Mercier,   Steve Wolff,   Andy Black,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Bill Chen,   Tom Dwan,   Doug Ganger

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  4,000-8,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  2,000 ante, 2,000 bring in, 8,000-16,000 stakes

Players Left: 46 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Joseph Michael - 730,000
Edwin Ting - 690,000
Barry Greenstein - 655,000
Lyle Berman - 603,000
Michael DeMichele - 590,000
Chad Brown - 550,000
Huck Seed - 525,000
James Mackey - 510,000
Farzad "Fred" Bonyadi - 480,000
David Oppenheim - 475,000

Average Stack: 321,750

Eliminations:
Dario Minieri
Greg Mueller
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Omaha/8b

Minh Ly Doubles Up

Minh Ly raised from early position and was called by Barry Greenstein in middle position, Phil Ivey in the small blind, and Layne Flack in the big blind. The flop was Q97 and Ivey bet out and Flack folded. Ly raised, Greenstein folded, and Ivey called.  On the 3 turn Ivey check-called a bet from Ly. The river was the A and Ivey checked again. Ly bet, leaving himself only 20,000 behind, and Ivey folded rather quickly. The pot brought Ly up to 150,000 and knocked Ivey down to a perilously low 100,000.

Razz

Greg Mueller Eliminated

After a raise and a re-raise, Greg Mueller was all-in on third street against Chris Reslock:

Mueller: (2)(9)4JJ109
Reslock: (3)(6)45J107

After all of the cards had been dealt, Reslock’s 7-low was good to take down the smallish pot. Mueller, unlike most players who dart from the tournament floor at light speed, lingered around his table for a few minutes before taking a leisurely walk out of the Amazon Room.

Dario Minieri Eliminated

Having gotten all-in as a short-stack a number of times in the Omaha/8b portion of the event only to repeatedly claim a chopped pot, Dario Minieri got himself all-in on third street against Andy Bloch in razz. There would be no split pot this time; it was either double up or go home for Minieri. Unfortunately for the diminutive Italian, he would be sent packing.  Despite starting with 5-2-A, he could only make a 9-8 low. Bloch’s 5-3-2 turned into an 8-5 on seventh street and the pot was his. Bloch now has about 210,000.

Stud

Isabelle Mercier Eliminated

Ralph Perry: AA93
Justin Bonomo: J974
Isabelle Mercier: 7322

On seventh street, with Isabelle Mercier all-in, Ralph Perry bet into Justin Bonomo. Bonomo mulled over a decision and opted to simply call. Perry insta-mucked, not even giving Bonomo a chance to show his cards. When Bonomo did reveal his downcards – (Q)(6)(5) – it was apparent to Mercier that he had made a flush, and that her day was over. Bonomo is now up to 170,000.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Minh Ly,   Huck Seed,   David Oppenheim,   Greg Mueller,   Lyle Berman,   Phil Ivey,   James Mackey,   Isabelle Mercier,   Justin Bonomo,   Dario Minieri,   Michael DeMichele,   Joseph Michael,   Edwin Ting,   European Report