Tommy Vedes Poker Tournament Updates

Festa al Lago Main Event Begins Friday at Noon

Oct 14, '10

The World Poker Tour Festa al Lago Main Event will begin this Friday at noon PST. The tournament will feature a $10,000 buy-in and registration will remain open for the first eight levels of play.

That will allow players to register as late as day 2. Last year, Tommy Vedes bested a field of 275 en route to a $1,218,225 payday. Vedes defeated a stacked final table that included Shawn Cunix, Jason Burt, Freddy Deeb, Craig Crivello and Jason Lavallee.

The tournament action down at the Fontana Lounge has already seen its share of notable winners including November Nine member Matt Jarvis, John Cernuto, and James Van Alstyne. Card Player’s own Barry and Jeff Shulman both made the final table of the $1,000 limit hold’em event, finishing in fifth and third place respectively. John Phan took that event down after chopping with Joe Brandenburg.

The Festa al Lago Main Event will also feature the debut of Tony Dunst as a sideline reporter for an on air segment titled the “Raw Deal” which be be broadcasted on Fox Sports Net for the WPT’s ninth season.

Dunst is the latest in a number of changes for the WPT. This season Matt Savage was hired on as the Executive Tour Director, Kimberly Lansing returned as the tour’s anchor and the Royal Flush Girls were added to bring some sex appeal to the broadcast.

The Card Player reporting team will be live on location to bring you live updates, chip counts, photos and video interviews with all of your favorite players. Be sure to keep your browsers locked on cardplayer.com for all the action.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Tony Dunst

Final Table Update: Jurgens (9th), Scruggs (8th), Vedes (7th) Eliminated

Jul 01, '10

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 965

Average Chip Count: 1,447,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Jon Eaton – 2,160,000
2. Guillaume Darcourt – 1,450,000
3. Sergey Lebedev – 1,400,000
4. Ryan Welch – 1,350,000
5. Will Failla – 1,100,000
6. Bradley Craig – 620,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Tad Jurgens — $41,842
8. Noel Scruggs — $53,694
7. Tommy Vedes — $69,647

Big Hands:

Tad Jurgens Eliminated In Ninth Place ($41,842), Noel Scruggs Eliminated In Eighth Place ($53,694)

Tad Jurgens moved all in for 150,000 and the action was on Noel Scruggs. He then moved all in for 415,000 and the action folded around to Guillaume Darcourt in the small blind. He made the call, having both opponents covered.

Jurgens: QQ
Scruggs: AQ
Darcourt: 77

Jurgens was prime to triple up but the board ran out 97324 and Darcourt flopped a set to eliminate both players.

Tommy Vedes Eliminated In Seventh Place ($69,647)

Sergey Lebedev raised preflop and the action folded to Tommy Vedes in the big blind. He oved all in and Lebedev made the call. Here were their cards:

Vedes: A9
Lebedev: 88

The race was on as Vedes had two over cards, but the board ran out 5535J and Vedes could not pair up and he was out.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Tad Jurgens,   Guillaume Darcourt,   Sergey Lebedev

Level 16 Update: In The Money

Jun 11, '10

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 14 out of 101

Average Chip Count: 216,428

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu – 130,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. David Baker – 670,000
2. Vincent Musso – 310,000
3. Eric Kesselman – 310,000
4. George Danzer – 241,000
5. Doug Booth – 225,000
6. Erik Seidel – 195,000
7. John Juanda – 182,000
8. Yan Chen – 176,000
9. Andy Bloch – 172,000
10. John Monnette – 140,000

Notable Eliminations:

Tommy Vedes
Barry Greenstein
Stephen Chidwick
Anton Allemann
Par Hilderbrand

Big Hands:

Baker Knocks Out Vedes

George Danzer opened for 10,500 from the cutoff and David Baker raised to 35,000 from the button. Tommy Vedes then push all of his chips in for 105,400 total and Baker made the call after Danzer folded.

Vedes took one card and Baker stood pat. Baker showed the 10-8-7-5-4 and Vedes was drawing with his 8-6-5-3, but hit a jack to bust out of the tournament. Baker increases his chip lead and now has 505,000.

Seidel Bests Greenstein

Erik Seidel raised to 11,000 from the cutoff and Barry Greenstein moved all-in for 51,000 from the big blind. Seidel made the call and both players stood pat.

Seidel showed the 9-6-5-4-2 and bested Greenstein’s 10-low to take the pot and increase his stack to 218,000.

Stephen chidwick Eliminated

Stephen Chidwick was severely shortstacked and was all-in pre-draw against Peter Gould.

Both players drew one, but even though Gould could only make an ace-low, Chidwick paired up to send him to the rail.

Negreanu Doubles, Keeps Battling

Daniel Negreanu has been a short stack most of the day and has been wearing out the felt to stay alive.

In his most recent all-in, Eric Kesselman opened for 12,000 under-the-gun and Negreanu moved in for 44,000. Kesselman thought for a bit and then called.

Both players drew one card. Negreanu tabled the 7-5-4-2 and Kesselman showed the 9-5-3-2. Kesselman paired his 3 and Negreanu called for a paint card. He got his wish as he hit a king to get back up near the 100,000 mark. Kesselman is down to 152,000.

Anton Allemann Eliminated, Bubble Begins

David Baker raised to 13,000 from the button and Anton Allemann and Andy Bloch called from the blinds. All three players drew one card.

Allemann bet 40,000, Bloch folded and Baker raised to 320,000 which was much more than what Allemann had. Allemann called off his last 100,000 and tabled his 8-6-4-3-2. Baker showed his 7-6-4-3-2 and knocked Allemann out in 16th place. With just 15 players left, we are now offcially on the bubble and play will be hand-for-hand until one player is eliminated.

Negreanu Makes a Wheel to Double Up

John Juanda raised to 11,000 under-the-gun and Daniel Negreanu moved all in for 64,500. Juanda made the call and stood pat. Negreanu drew one and showed the 7-5-4-2 and needed to improve against Juanda’s 9-8-6-4-3.

Negreanu took a few moments to squeeze out his river card, which was a 3 to give him the wheel and the pot to double up to almost 130,000.

Hilderbrand Busts, Pops the Bubble

Par Hilderbrand raised to 11,500 from the cutoff and Doug Booth made it 31,500 from the button. After the blinds folded, Hilderbrand pushed all-in for 40,000 more and Booth called.

“We are in the money now,” Both said as he showed the 7-5-4-3-2, good for the wheel and the pot.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Barry Greenstein,   Tommy Vedes,   George Danzer,   David Baker

Level 5 Update: Professor Scoops a Pot

Jun 06, '10

Limits: Bring-in 200,, Ante 100 Limits 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 160 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 31,875

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 35,000
Phil Hellmuth – 23,000
Steve Zolotow – 38,000
Mark Gregorich – 39,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Sirous Jamshidi – 85,000
2. Barry Greenstein – 68,000
3. Jennifer Harman – 60,000
4. Josh Arieh – 57,000
5. Nick Schulman – 55,000
6. Bob Lauria – 54,000
7. Tommy Vedes – 51,000
8. Ozzy Sheikh – 50,000
9. Alexander Kostritsyn – 49,000
10. Eli Elezra – 47,000

Notable Eliminations:

Marco Traniello
Michael Binger

Big Hands:

Straight Scoops For Vedes

On fifth street, Tommy Vedes bet and was called by Jason Mercier and another opponent and the same action took place on sixth street.

Vedes: (X-X)-8-8-7-J
Mercier: (X-X)-Q-4-2-9
Opponent: (X-X)-2-8-3-4

On the river Vedes bet again and his first opponent took a while pondering his options and eventually tossed in a call. Mercier quickly grabbed 1,200 and threw in a call. Vedes turned over the 9-10-A, giving him a jack-high straight.

“Of course,” muttered Mercier as he and the player in seat 8 tossed their cards into he muck. Mercier slipped to 31,000 and seat 8 has just 4,500 left. Vedes now has 51,000.

Monette Bests Seidel

We picked up this hand on sixth street with John Monette tangling with Erik Seidel. Seidel checked and called a bet on sixth with the boards looking like this.

Monette: (X-X)-6-78-9
Seidel: (X-X)-A-Q-9-4

Seidel checked and Monette checked as well. Seidel showed a pair of aces, but Monette tabled two pair, sevens and eights, to take the pot. Seidel, who is playing simultaneously in the 2-7 tournament, dropped to 31,000 and Monette is up to 40,000.

Class is in Session, Professor Scoops One

Howard Lederer completed on third street and George Trigeorgis called. Lederer-check-called a bet on fourth and raised sixth street when Trigeorgis was first to act. Trigeorgis called and their boards on sixth street looked like this.

Lederer: (X-X)-7-J-6-3
Trigeorgis: (X-X)-4-7-K-8

Lederer bet sixth street and the river and was called both times. He showed the A-2-3, giving him a flush and a 7-6-3-2-A low. He scooped the pot and increased his stack to 48,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Howard Lederer,   Tommy Vedes,   Jason Mercier

Level 8 Update: Sam Stein Eliminated

May 29, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Entrants: 3,946

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 18,750
Julian Jaffrey Horan – out

Notable Eliminations:

Julian Jaffrey Horan
Sam Stein
Max Lykov

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Fabrice Soulier
Vanessa Rousso
Bryan Devonshire
Shaun Deeb
Jonathan Little

Big Hands:

Sam Stein Eliminated

On the river the board read JJ879 and after his opponent checked, Sam Stein moved all-in for his last 4,275 and was eventually called by his opponent who held pocket kings.

Stein, the NAPT Venetian Main Event runner-up, showed 76 and was eliminated from the tournament.

Max Lykov Crippled, Then Eliminated

On a flop of J103, Max Lykov got all of his chips in the middle against his opponent. His opponent tabled KK and Lykov showed J10 for top two pair. The turn came the 6 and the river was the 6 counterfitting Lykov’s two pair and leaving him with just 150.

Lykov was eliminated on the next hand.

Van Wert Bests Stelmak

Three players saw a flop of 475. David van Wert bet 2,700 after Dmitry Stelmak checked. The player in the cutoff folded and Stelmak made the call.

The turn was the 9 and both players checked. The river was the Q and after Stelmak checked, van Wert bet 4,500. Stelmak made the call and van Wert showed QQ. Stelmak mucked and dropped to 16,000, while van Wert shot up to 40,000

Lee Wins a Race, Doubles Up

Bernard Lee found all of his chips in the middle preflop with pocket nines against his opponents KQ.

The board ran out A7358 giving Lee the hand and doubling him up to 8,500.

Vedes Scores a Knockout

A player pushed his last 6,225 into the middle and Tommy Vedes made the call. Vedes showed A10 and was way behind the JJ of his opponent.

The flop was 834 and the turn was the 6, keeping the pocket jacks in the lead. The river, however was the A and gave Vedes the pot. Vedes climbed to about 30,000 with the win.

Left in the Deck:

Players will be taking a short break after this level.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Sam Stein

Level 16 Update: Tommy Vedes and Dan Lu Eliminated

May 31, '10

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

Players Remaining: 122 out of 4,345

Average Chip Count: 106,844

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Drew Crawford – 640,000
2. Marc Goldman – 265,000
3. Andrew Youngblood – 215,000
4. Jeremiah Degreef – 170,000
5. Nancy Todd Tyner – 161,000
6. Terry Fleischer – 130,000
7. Adam Shuman – 130,000
8. Braxton Dunaway – 130,000
9. Zvi Groysman – 130,000
10. David Vanwert – 126,000

Notable Eliminations:

Dan Lu – $3,363
Tommy Vedes – $3,363
Jared Hamby – $3,363

Big Hands:

Aguiar Avoids Three-Outer to Double

Joe Elpayaa raised to 9,000 and Jon Aguiar moved his last 50,000 into the middle. Elpayaa made the call and showed KQ, while Aguiar showed AQ.

The board ran 53J52 and Aguiar doubled up to just over 100,000.

Dan Lu Eliminated

A player in the cutoff open shoved for 500 and Dan Lu moved in from the button for 75,000 with A-Q. Unfortunately for Lu, one of the players in the blinds woke up with pocket aces and eliminated both Lu and the short stack.

Tommy Vedes Eliminated

Tommy Vedes and an opponent were tangled up on a flop of 652. Vedes check-raised all in from the big blind and was snapped called by his opponent. Vedes tabled the KK but was up against the AA of his opponent. Vedes failed to improve and was eliminated from the event.

The Master Doubles Up

There was a raise from early position and then Men Nguyen moved the last of his chips into the middle. Nguyen held QQ and was up against his opponent’s AK.

The flop contained a third queen for Nguyen and doubled up to 90,000.

Jared Hamby Eliminated

To make a long story short, Jared Hamby got all of his chips in the middle with pocket sixes and his opponent held pocket kings. The dealer couldn’t deliver a six for Hamby he hit the rail.

Drew Crawford Wins a Massive Pot

We caught up with the action on the flop of 763, where Drew Crawford called a 20,000 chip bet from an opponent. The 8 fell on the turn and Crawford’s opponent fired out again. Crawford went into the tank before announcing all in, having his opponent significantly covered. The player went into the tank before making the call for about 150,000 chips. Crawford tabled 8-8 for a turned set and had drawn out on the A-A of his opponent. Crawford won the hand and is now the overwhelming chip leader with 640,000, over double the closest competitor.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Andrew Crawford,   Dan Lu

Level 8 Update: Sam Stein Eliminated

May 29, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Entrants: 3,946

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 18,750
Julian Jaffrey Horan – out

Notable Eliminations:

Julian Jaffrey Horan
Sam Stein
Max Lykov

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Fabrice Soulier
Vanessa Rousso
Bryan Devonshire
Shaun Deeb
Jonathan Little

Big Hands:

Sam Stein Eliminated

On the river the board read JJ879 and after his opponent checked, Sam Stein moved all-in for his last 4,275 and was eventually called by his opponent who held pocket kings.

Stein, the NAPT Venetian Main Event runner-up, showed 76 and was eliminated from the tournament.

Max Lykov Crippled, Then Eliminated

On a flop of J103, Max Lykov got all of his chips in the middle against his opponent. His opponent tabled KK and Lykov showed J10 for top two pair. The turn came the 6 and the river was the 6 counterfitting Lykov’s two pair and leaving him with just 150.

Lykov was eliminated on the next hand.

Van Wert Bests Stelmak

Three players saw a flop of 475. David van Wert bet 2,700 after Dmitry Stelmak checked. The player in the cutoff folded and Stelmak made the call.

The turn was the 9 and both players checked. The river was the Q and after Stelmak checked, van Wert bet 4,500. Stelmak made the call and van Wert showed QQ. Stelmak mucked and dropped to 16,000, while van Wert shot up to 40,000

Lee Wins a Race, Doubles Up

Bernard Lee found all of his chips in the middle preflop with pocket nines against his opponents KQ.

The board ran out A7358 giving Lee the hand and doubling him up to 8,500.

Vedes Scores a Knockout

A player pushed his last 6,225 into the middle and Tommy Vedes made the call. Vedes showed A10 and was way behind the JJ of his opponent.

The flop was 834 and the turn was the 6, keeping the pocket jacks in the lead. The river, however was the A and gave Vedes the pot. Vedes climbed to about 30,000 with the win.

Left in the Deck:

Players will be taking a short break after this level.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Sam Stein

Level 16 Update: Tommy Vedes and Dan Lu Eliminated

May 31, '10

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

Players Remaining: 122 out of 4,345

Average Chip Count: 106,844

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Drew Crawford – 640,000
2. Marc Goldman – 265,000
3. Andrew Youngblood – 215,000
4. Jeremiah Degreef – 170,000
5. Nancy Todd Tyner – 161,000
6. Terry Fleischer – 130,000
7. Adam Shuman – 130,000
8. Braxton Dunaway – 130,000
9. Zvi Groysman – 130,000
10. David Vanwert – 126,000

Notable Eliminations:

Dan Lu – $3,363
Tommy Vedes – $3,363
Jared Hamby – $3,363

Big Hands:

Aguiar Avoids Three-Outer to Double

Joe Elpayaa raised to 9,000 and Jon Aguiar moved his last 50,000 into the middle. Elpayaa made the call and showed KQ, while Aguiar showed AQ.

The board ran 53J52 and Aguiar doubled up to just over 100,000.

Dan Lu Eliminated

A player in the cutoff open shoved for 500 and Dan Lu moved in from the button for 75,000 with A-Q. Unfortunately for Lu, one of the players in the blinds woke up with pocket aces and eliminated both Lu and the short stack.

Tommy Vedes Eliminated

Tommy Vedes and an opponent were tangled up on a flop of 652. Vedes check-raised all in from the big blind and was snapped called by his opponent. Vedes tabled the KK but was up against the AA of his opponent. Vedes failed to improve and was eliminated from the event.

The Master Doubles Up

There was a raise from early position and then Men Nguyen moved the last of his chips into the middle. Nguyen held QQ and was up against his opponent’s AK.

The flop contained a third queen for Nguyen and doubled up to 90,000.

Jared Hamby Eliminated

To make a long story short, Jared Hamby got all of his chips in the middle with pocket sixes and his opponent held pocket kings. The dealer couldn’t deliver a six for Hamby he hit the rail.

Drew Crawford Wins a Massive Pot

We caught up with the action on the flop of 763, where Drew Crawford called a 20,000 chip bet from an opponent. The 8 fell on the turn and Crawford’s opponent fired out again. Crawford went into the tank before announcing all in, having his opponent significantly covered. The player went into the tank before making the call for about 150,000 chips. Crawford tabled 8-8 for a turned set and had drawn out on the A-A of his opponent. Crawford won the hand and is now the overwhelming chip leader with 640,000, over double the closest competitor.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Andrew Crawford,   Dan Lu

Chris Ferguson Eliminated

Apr 19, '10

Tommy Vedes raised to 2,500 from late position and the cutoff made the call. Chris Ferguson reraised to 11,000 from the big blind. Vedes made the call and the cutoff mucked. The flop was dealt 7-6-3 rainbow and Ferguson bet 16,000. Vedes moved all in and Ferguson made the call. Their cards:

Ferguson: K-K
Vedes: 98

Turn and River: A-5

Vedes won the hand with a nine-high straight and Ferguson was eliminated. Vedes held 368,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Tommy Vedes

Tommy Vedes Eliminated

Apr 20, '10

Tommy Vedes was all in preflop for 130,000 on a flop of 633 and Nikolay Evdakov made the call. Their cards:

Vedes: JJ
Evdakov: A3

The 3 fell on the turn and Vedes was drawing dead. He was eliminated from the tournament and Evdakov grew his stack to 620,000.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Nikolay Evdakov

Olivier Busquet Doubles Up

Apr 20, '10

Tommy Vedes bet 18,900 on a board that read K102J and Olivier Busquet raised all in for 78,200 total. Vedes made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Busquet: 65
Vedes: AQ

River: Q

Busquet doubled up on the hand to 240,000 and Vedes fell to 80,000.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Olivier Busquet

Chris Ferguson Eliminated

Apr 19, '10

Tommy Vedes raised to 2,500 from late position and the cutoff made the call. Chris Ferguson reraised to 11,000 from the big blind. Vedes made the call and the cutoff mucked. The flop was dealt 7-6-3 rainbow and Ferguson bet 16,000. Vedes moved all in and Ferguson made the call. Their cards:

Ferguson: K-K
Vedes: 98

Turn and River: A-5

Vedes won the hand with a nine-high straight and Ferguson was eliminated. Vedes held 368,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Tommy Vedes

Tommy Vedes Eliminated

Apr 20, '10

Tommy Vedes was all in preflop for 130,000 on a flop of 633 and Nikolay Evdakov made the call. Their cards:

Vedes: JJ
Evdakov: A3

The 3 fell on the turn and Vedes was drawing dead. He was eliminated from the tournament and Evdakov grew his stack to 620,000.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Nikolay Evdakov

Olivier Busquet Doubles Up

Apr 20, '10

Tommy Vedes bet 18,900 on a board that read K102J and Olivier Busquet raised all in for 78,200 total. Vedes made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Busquet: 65
Vedes: AQ

River: Q

Busquet doubled up on the hand to 240,000 and Vedes fell to 80,000.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Olivier Busquet

Tommy Vedes Chips Up

Jan 07, '10

Tommy Vedes raised to 2,700 and Pietro Valente moved all in for 17,900 behind him. Vedes took his time before deciding to call, revealing 33.

Valente, stunned by the call, said, “You called me with threes!” as he turned over AK. The board gave Valente a straight when it came J1076Q, but it also gave Vedes a flush, giving him the pot and a new stack of 64,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes

Level 20 Update: Steve Brecher Busts

Oct 24, '09

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Left: 11 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,500,000

Notable Eliminations:

12. Steve Brecher — $47,710

Big Hands:

Tommy Vedes Gets Full

Shawn Cunix raised to 70,000 on the button and Kido Pham called from the small blind. Tommy Vedes then called from the big blind and the flop came out 653.

Everyone checked and the turn was the 5. Pham bets 150,000 and Vedes called. The river was the 7 and Pham checked. Vedes bet 164,000 and Pham made the call.

Vedes showed pocket sixes for the full house and Pham mucked. Vedes now has 1.6 million in chips.

Steve Brecher Eliminated in 12th Place ($47,710)

Steve Brecher was all in with pocket nines against Jason Burt’s KQ. The board gave Brecher a nine, but it also gave Burt the nut straight to send the former WPT champion to the rail in 12th place.

Burt now has over 1 million in chips again.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Tommy Vedes,   Jason Burt

Level 16 Update: Dan Shak Takes Horrible Beat

Oct 24, '09

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

Players Left: 33 of 275

Average Chip Count: 500,000

Chip Counts:

1. Jonas Entin — 1,070,000
2. Jason Lavallee — 1,030,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 1,010,000
4. Dee Luong — 735,000
5. Mark Seif — 715,000
6. Kido Pham — 700,000
7. Chad Batista — 650,000
8. Jason Burt — 600,000
9. Jason Somerville — 590,000
10. Shawn Cunix — 575,000

Notable Eliminations:

Nestor Martinez
Dan Shak
Mike Chiappetta
Cliff Josephy

Big Hands:

Chad Batista Gets Lucky To Stay Alive

Chad “lilholdem954” Batista (pictured right) found himself all in for over 300,000 in chips holding pocket jacks and was in bad shape against chip leader Corwin Cole’s pocket queens.

No problem for the online pro, however, when the board came J972A, giving him the winning set.

He now has over 630,000 while Cole took a hit down to 685,000.

Dan Shak Takes Really Tough Beat

Dan Shak and Tommy Vedes got into a raising war preflop that saw Shak’s AK go up against Vedes and his AQ.

The flop came out KK10 giving Shak trips, but the turn was the J, giving Vedes the Broadway straight.

Shak needed help on the river, but it was the 9 that ended his tournament, giving Vedes a huge pot and a stack of over 1 million.

Freddy Deeb Slows Down Jason Lavallee

Jason Lavallee raised to 25,000 and Freddy Deeb called in the cutoff. The flop came A76 and both players checked.

The turn was the A and Lavallee bet 41,000. Deeb minraised to 82,000 and Lavallee just called.

Both players checked down the 5 on the river and Lavallee showed AQ to win the pot and cross the million dollar mark.

Cliff Josephy Eliminated by Kido Pham

Some more bad luck for Cliff Josephy when his pocket jacks were cracked by the AJ of Kido Pham.

The board was safe until an ace hit the turn, giving Pham the elimination credit and a new stack of 700,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Dan Shak,   Kido Pham,   Cliff Josephy,   Tommy Vedes,   Freddy Deeb,   Chad Batista,   Jason Lavallee,   Corwin Cole

Level 23 Update: Three Busts -- Down to Seven

Oct 25, '09

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

Players Left: 7 of 275

Average Chip Count: 2,357,142

Chip Counts:

1. Shawn Cunix — 3,500,000
2. Freddy Deeb — 3,400,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 2,800,000
4. Jason Lavallee — 1,850,000
5. Craig Crivello — 1,750,000
6. Jason Burt — 1,450,000
7. Aaron Jones — 1,200,000

Notable Eliminations:

10. Chris Bjorin — $47,710
9. Richard Sciuto — $63,610
8. Kido Pham — $89,450

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in 10th Place ($47,710)

Tommy Vedes raised to 190,000 under the gun and Chris Bjorin (pictured right) reraised all in from early position. Vedes made the call and they turned over their cards:

Vedes: QQ
Bjorin: AK

Board: 105499

Vedes won the pot with pocket queens and Bjorin was eliminated in 10th place.

Richard Sciuto Eliminated in Ninth Place ($63,610)

Richard Sciuto moved all in preflop for 375,000 and Jason Lavallee made the call from the button. Their cards:

Sciuto: 99
Lavallee: KK

Board: J54108

Lavallee won the hand with pocket kings and Sciuto was eliminated in ninth place.

Kido Pham Eliminated in Eighth Place ($89,450)

Shawn Cunix raised to 185,000 from the button and Kido Pham reraised all in for 665,000. Cunix made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Pham: A10
Cunix: AQ

Board: 6434K

Cunix won the hand and Pham was eliminated in eighth place. One more player to go until the final television table is set.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Kido Pham,   Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Jason Lavallee,   Richard Sciuto

Level 22 Update: Slow Going at Bellagio

Oct 25, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,650,000

Chip Counts:

1. Freddy Deeb — 2,840,000
2. Shawn Cunix — 2,750,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 2,460,000
4. Jason Lavallee — 2,450,000
5. Jason Burt — 2,400,000
6. Aaron Jones — 1,700,000
7. Chris Bjorin — 950,000
8. Craig Crivello — 680,000
9. Kido Pham — 525,000
10. Richard Sciuto — 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Doubles Through Aaron Jones

Freddy Deeb raised to 95,000, Tommy Vedes called, Chris Bjorin (pictured right) moved all in and Aaron Jones moved all in behind him to isolate.

Deeb and Vedes folded and Jones showed AQ, which had Bjorin dominated with his QJ.

But the board ran out 108697 to give Bjorin the winning straight and a double up to nearly 1 million in chips.

Richard Sciuto Crippled Without Seeing River

Richard Sciuto raised to 160,000 in the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. Both players checked a board to the turn reading KJ105 and Sciuto bet 175,000, leaving himself with just 125,000 behind.

Nonetheless, Deeb moved all in and Sciuto folded for his last three big blinds. Sciuto later doubled up with pocket queens to stay alive, though he is still short stacked.

Aaron Jones Doubles Up Through Shawn Cunix

Aaron Jones pushed for his last 668,000 in middle position and Shawn Cunix called from the big blind with AK.

Jones showed pocket jacks and the board came a clean queen high to give him the double up to 1,250,000. Cunix is still strong with nearly 2 million.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Aaron Jones

Level 21 Update: Larry Berg Eliminated in 11th Place

Oct 25, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,650,000

Chip Counts

1. Jason Lavallee — 4,070,000
2. Shawn Cunix — 2,650,000
3. Freddy Deeb — 2,263,000
4. Tommy Vedes — 1,924,000
5. Aaron Jones — 1,671,000
6. Jason Burt — 1,343,000
7. Craig Crivello — 998,000
8. Richard Sciuto — 680,000
9. Kido Pham — 605,000
10. Chris Bjorin — 526,000

Notable Eliminations:

11: Larry Berg — $47,710

Big Hands:

Aaron Jones Triples Up

Tommy Vedes raised to 80,000 from the cutoff and Shawn Cunix made the call from the button. Aaron Jones moved all in from the small blind for 343,000 and both Cunix and Vedes made the call. The flop came KQ3 and both live players checked. The turn fell 10 and Vedes checked. Cunix bet 230,000 and Vedes mucked. Cunix and Jones then turned over their cards:

Cunix: Q10
Jones: 66

River: A

Jones tripled up on the hand and he holds 1,050,000. Cunix watched his stack shrink to 2,015,000 and Vedes held 1,707,000 after the hand.

Larry Berg Eliminated in 11th Place ($47,710)

Larry Berg moved all in preflop for 416,000 from the button and Tommy Vedes made the call from the big blind. Their cards:

Berg: QJ
Vedes: QJ

Board: 732K4

Vedes won the hand with a queen-high flush and Berg was eliminated in 11th place. The players then took new seats at the final table of ten.

Final-Table Seating Chart with Chip Counts

Seat 1. Tommy Vedes — 1,924,000
Seat 2. Chris Bjorin — 526,000
Seat 3. Aaron Jones — 1,671,000
Seat 4. Richard Sciuto — 680,000
Seat 5. Jason Lavallee — 4,070,000
Seat 6. Craig Crivello — 998,000
Seat 7. Freddy Deeb — 2,263,000
Seat 8. Jason Burt — 1,343,000
Seat 9. Shawn Cunix — 2,650,000
Seat 10. Kido Pham — 605,000

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Aaron Jones

Tommy Vedes Wins 2009 Festa Al Lago ($1,218,225)

Oct 26, '09

Tommy Vedes has had quite the year. After a deep run in this summer’s WSOP Main Event, Vedes drew some attention. Earlier this month he also went deep at the EPT London Main Event and started generating some hype.

Now with this victory here at the Bellagio Festa Al Lago, Vedes has proven that he is one of the newest threats on tour.

Undoubtedly, a win of this magnitude can’t come without some luck, which Vedes certainly received at this final table. Nonetheless, he is the newest WPT Champion and takes home $1,218,225, along with a $25,000 seat into the WPT Championship next April.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes

Jason Lavallee Eliminated in Second Place ($795,150)

Oct 26, '09

Level: 28

Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 15,000 ante

Average Chip Count: 8,250,000

Jason Lavallee moved all in for his last 2.775 million and Tommy Vedes called instantly with KQ.

Lavallee showed 86 and needed help. The board fell A95QQ and Lavallee was eliminated in second place.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Jason Lavallee

Vedes Now Dominant In Chips Over Lavallee

Oct 26, '09

Level: 28

Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 15,000 ante

Average Chip Count: 8,250,000

Tommy Vedes raised to 600,000 and Jason Lavallee put him all in. Vedes callled. More than 14 million of the 16.5 million is on the line as the players revealed their cards.

Lavallee showed pocket fours and Vedes showed pocket fives. The board ran out A106Q7 and Vedes held to double up to 14 million. Lavallee is left with just 2.45 million.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Jason Lavallee

Tommy Vedes Doubles Up

Oct 26, '09

Level: 28

Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 15,000 ante

Average Chip Count: 8,250,000

Jason Lavallee raised to 400,000 and Vedes moved all in for 3.76 million. Lavallee instantly called and the players revealed their cards.

Lavallee showed AJ and had Vedes and his A10 dominated.

Nonetheless, the board came 109947 and Vedes sucks out for the third time at this final table to double up and nearly even this match.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Jason Lavallee

Tommy Vedes Fights Back

Oct 26, '09

Level: 28

Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 15,000 ante

Average Chip Count: 8,250,000

Jason Lavallee raised to 400,000 and Tommy Vedes called. The flop came down K86 and Vedes checked.

Lavallee bet 475,000 and Vedes called. The turn was the 10 and both players checked.

The river was the Q and Vedes bet 600,000. Lavallee mucked and Vedes closed the gap a bit in the chip counts.

Vedes now has 7.1 million and Lavallee still maintains a slight lead with 9.35 million.

Player Tags: Tommy Vedes,   Jason Lavallee