Day 1B - The 2006 Bicycle Casino Legends of PokerIvey, Negreanu, and Many Other Big Names In No-Limit Texas Hold'em Participate in the Second Flight of The WPT Event |
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Day 1B of the 2006 World Poker Tour Bicycle Casino Legends of Poker looked a heck of lot like day 1A. Top-flight poker talent: check. A secluded setting that felt more like an exclusive backroom card game than an average tournament: check. Starting stacks of $20,000 and a blind structure that promoted poker strategy over luck-of-the-draw gambling: check.
For the second day in a row, poker's best and brightest turned out for the first major event following the 2006 WSOP; yet, unlike day 1A, the 227 players gathered on 1B were privy to two essential facts - when the money bubble would burst, and the exact dollar amount of the first-place cash prize.
But before news of bubble boys and greenbacks hit the air, day 1B play began at 2 p.m. PDT with $50-$100 blinds.
For many of the pros in attendance, the sight of a talent-rich field offered plenty of excitement in the hours prior to the release of the payout structure. Daniel Negreanu, who flew in from Las Vegas on Hustler publisher Larry Flynt's private jet, admitted to feeling "giddy" about day one of the LOP.
"The style of play is completely different. The World Series of Poker, you just have so many tight-weak players," Negreanu explained, "but here I'm at a table with some tough players."
"I'm just happy to be back. The World Poker Tour is finally back in action," he continued.
While the 2006 WSOP remained in Negreanu's rearview mirror, a few names made famous during the two-monthlong tournament refused to become distant memories. Richard Lee, the main event sixth-place finisher, Paul Wasicka, the runner-up to Jamie Gold, and Jeff Madsen, the 2006 WSOP Player of the Year all participated on day 1B of the Legends of Poker.
Like the previous day 1, the second heat featured numerous high-profile matchups and challenging draws. Kenna James, the 2005 LOP runner-up, found a familiar foe at his table, last year's sixth place finisher Kevin O'Donnell.
"He decided to have another scoop of the Kenna James," James joked with Card Player's Scott Huff about his pairing with O'Donnell.
After two-and-a-half hours, and in spite of the dangerous field, James, O'Donnell, and most of the other big-name pros survived long enough to hear the official payout announcement.
In all, 460 players entered the event, generating a $4,436,500 total prize pool. Tournament personnel set the money bubble to burst after the 46th elimination, with the 45th-place finisher earning $15,530.
The top five payouts are as follows:
1st place - $1,577,170 (plus a $25,000 entry into the WPT championship)
2nd - $776,385
3rd - $381,540
4th - $226,260
5th - $177,460
Fan favorite Phil Ivey accumulated chips during the first hours of action, and built his stack to over $34,000. Considered by many to be one of the best tournament players alive, Ivey appeared to be making a strong push for day 2 when he entered into a hand with Ray Faltinsky.
With $5,000 already in the pot, Ivey bet $7,000 on a 10
8
3
flop. Faltinsky spent a couple minutes in the tank then reraised all in. Ivey made a quick call, and Faltinsky flipped over the 10 10. Ivey frowned, and showed the 8
8. The J turn and 6 river offered the Fulltilt pro no help, and Ivey exited tournament play.
While the sudden departure of Ivey came as a surprise, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi lost a number of pots and seemed destined for day 1 elimination. The current Card Player Player of the Year points leader, however, had other plans.
Mizrachi's climb up the leaderboard started with an all-in move on a A 10 7 7 board. Chris Bell called, but his Q 10 put him in a huge hole when Mizrachi flipped over 7 6. Mizrachi dragged a pot that put his chip stack at the $24,000 mark.
Flopped trips helped Mizrachi get back on his feet, but a good old-fashioned bluff sent him shooting up the standings. The hand started when an opponent in seat No. 1 bet $3,500 on a Q Q 6 flop and Mizrachi fired back with a $10,000 reraise. The opponent checked the 6 turn, and Mizrachi made the action $5,000 to go. After taking a moment, and watching Mizrachi "fake muck," the opponent folded, only to have Mizrachi turn over the 10 7 while raking the pot. The win bumped Mizrachi up to $55,000.
As the evening rolled on, amateur player Masoud Pourhabib separated himself from the pack, and became the chip boss when his stack exceeded $135,000.
At 11:53 p.m. PST, level 6 ended and play concluded for the second flight of the 2006 Legends of Poker.
Some notables who failed to advance to the next stage of the tournament included Joe Cassidy, Evelyn Ng, Men "The Master" Nguyen, David Singer, Joe Bartholdi, Max Pescatori, Bill Edler, Sean Sheikhan, Daniel Negreanu, David "Chip" Reese, Erica Schoenberg, Layne Flack, Amir Vahedi, Jeff Madsen, and Gavin Smith.
For final day 1B chip counts, please click the "View All Chip Counts" link on the CardPlayer.com homepage.
The 127 remaining players from day 1A and the survivors of 1B return to the Bicycle Casino at 2 p.m. PST for day 3 action.
Also, on Tuesday, August 29, WPT Player of the Year Gavin Smith and the Bicycle Casino will host a charity tournament in memory of Paul Hannum, a WPT cameraman who passed away earlier this month. Proceeds will go to Hannum's fiancée and unborn daughter. For more information, please visit http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_news/news_story/1296?class=PokerNews.
Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for live updates, chip counts, photos, videos, and for a new episode of "The Circuit."
Quote of the day: "Did Tiger [Woods] end the day yesterday as chip leader?" - Gavin Smith mixing his sports terminology.
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