Arnold Spee Poker Tournament Updates

Level 16 Recap

Jul 01, '07

There are currently 32 players left on 4 tables.

The most recent pro to hit the rail was Arnold Spee.  Spee had been short on chips and found himself butting heads with the current chip leader Taylor Douglas.  Spee managed to double his $78,000 through Douglas when he moved all in with A A, and got Douglas to call with A J, The board ran out 4 3 3 6 4, and Spee had about $170,000 in chips, which was still below the average, but considerably healthier.  Spee ran into Douglas again with the best of it a few hands later, but he was drawn out on, and was eliminated in 34th place earning $20,860.

Greg "FBT" Mueller has been very active at his table, often offering free advice to his opponents.  He has about an average chip stack at the moment.  Also still alive are Jesse Martin and Shaun Deeb.

The players are now on dinner break until 10:20 pm.
Notable Chip Counts

Marc Phan	482,000
Greg "FBT" Mueller	270,000

Player Tags: Arnold Spee,   Greg Mueller,   Jesse Martin,   Shaun Deeb

Play Ends For The Night

Jun 14, '07

Play has ended for the night with 23 players still alive.  They will return at 2pm PST tomorrow to play down to the end of the tournament.

Among the returning players there are several professionals who are having very productive World Series so far.  Demonstrative chip leader Scott Clements and Eric Lynch, both already have one final table, and one additional cash this World Series.  Arnold Spee and Johnny Chan have also cashed twice previously this year.  Most eyes will be on Johnny Chan, who sits in third chip position, primed to make a run at his 11^th World Series bracelet.  Andrew Black has a previous cash this year, as does recent bracelet winner Burt Boutin.  If Boutin can make it to the final table in this event, he will be the early frontrunner in the World Series Player of the Year race.

Be sure to keep your browers set to CardPlayer.com as we will continue to follow the progress of Eric Lynch in our Pro Blogs section.

Player Tags: Arnold Spee,   Burt Boutin,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Andy Black,   Eric Lynch

Three Tables

Jun 14, '07

Ayaz Mahmood flopped a set of Kings on the last hand before the break, turned a full house and got all of his money into the pot. Following that double up the $100 chips were raced off the table.  After the color up, the players went on a 15 minute break.  Once the break had finished it was decided that play will continue tonight until just after 2am PST.

 

In unusual situation, the two chip leaders butted heads with four tables remaining.  Scott Clements and Justin Scott got all of their money in on the flop, with Clements ahead with bottom set against Scott’s flush draw.  Scott hit the flush, but the board paired on the river, and Clements now has over $250,000, when the average stack is merely $50,000

 

Eric Lynch, and Johnny Chan have pushed their stacks to around $90,000, while Burt Boutin, Matt Matros, and Arnold Spee continue to hang on.  They have redrawn the final three tables, for the last hour of play.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Arnold Spee,   Burt Boutin,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Justin Scott,   Eric Lynch

Clements Still King

Jun 14, '07

Scott Clements is still in command of his table.  Given that this event had a smaller buy-in compared to some of the other events, the payouts are still particularly small.  It seems no one is going to be satisfied with only a cash in this event, and they are now playing very close to the vest.

Johnny Chan has gotten his chip stack into the average range, as has Arnold Spee.  Matt Matros and Eric Lynch both are on life support, and will need a few double ups to keep things going.

There are currently 38 players remaining on 5 tables.

Player Tags: Arnold Spee,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Eric Lynch

Bubble Looms

Jun 14, '07

There are currently 57 players left on 7 tables.  Play has tightened up considerably.  Several notable names have fallen in the last hour of play, including Chris Ferguson, Josh Arieh, and Noah Boeken.

Arnold Spee has been enjoying some good fortune at his table.  Seated in the 2 seat, he's enjoying getting the better of the 1 seat Matt Matros.  Spee made a large pre-flop reraise against Matros, taking down the pot with a continuation bet on the flop.  A few hands later the two tangled again.  Matros debating making a call on the river, and ultimately mucked.  Spee was playfully upset, showing Matros that he had the nut flush as he raked in the pot.

Scott Clements, the current chip leader is having a great time at his table.  He lamented that no one will play with him as he took down one pot pre flop.  A few hands later he folded a hand on the river, and his opponent showed him a straight flush.  He seems to be dodging the bullets, and he has about $115,000 in chips.

Ten-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan is still alive, but he is getting short on chips. 

Players are on a break until 10:45

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Arnold Spee,   Noah Boeken,   Scott Clements

Day Two - Hour Two

Jun 15, '07

Double Trouble

Players were on a fifteen minute break for the fist part of the hour ,and when they returned action got down to the final two tables quickly. Eric Lynch, Arnold Spee, the talkative Dau Ly, and Andy Black were seated together at table 67. Scott Clements was seated with Ayaz Mahmood on table 61. Clements was still the chip leader with $340,000 and Ly trailed in second with $260,000.

Ayaz Mahmood Eliminated in 15th

A board of Q Q 8 K 5 sat on the table when Mahmood’s opponent flipped over A A 10 3. Mahmood mucked his hand, rapped the table in a good-natured salute, and headed toward the payout table in 15th place.

Arnold Spee’s Last Stand

Spee was down to his final chip stack of 20 by this point and he entered all-in mode. His first push received no call. That trend didn’t continue for long though, he was called a few hands later and put his tournament life on the line with A K 7 6. Dau Ly turned over A 8 3 2. The board was dealt A Q 5 9 2 and Spee was the unlucky 13th-place finisher.

The Ly Files

Dau Ly continued to provide a quote per minute. Here are some of his highlights from the hour:

“The heat is on.”
“Rock and roll, let’s go!”
“If you bet, you’ll win this pot.”
After winning a hand – “It’s good, of course it’s good.”
Right before folding - “If I put you all in, you’ll be 11th [place].”

Down to the Final Ten

Scott Clements then eliminated Gary Lungren in 12th place when he turned over Q Q 5 2 on a board of Q J J 5 3. Hilbert Shirey was busted soon after in 11th place and action was down to the final table. The players took a ten minute break, while all the chips were moved to the featured final table stage.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Arnold Spee,   Scott Clements,   Dau Ly

Play Ends For The Night

Jun 14, '07

Play has ended for the night with 23 players still alive.  They will return at 2pm PST tomorrow to play down to the end of the tournament.

Among the returning players there are several professionals who are having very productive World Series so far.  Demonstrative chip leader Scott Clements and Eric Lynch, both already have one final table, and one additional cash this World Series.  Arnold Spee and Johnny Chan have also cashed twice previously this year.  Most eyes will be on Johnny Chan, who sits in third chip position, primed to make a run at his 11^th World Series bracelet.  Andrew Black has a previous cash this year, as does recent bracelet winner Burt Boutin.  If Boutin can make it to the final table in this event, he will be the early frontrunner in the World Series Player of the Year race.

Be sure to keep your browers set to CardPlayer.com as we will continue to follow the progress of Eric Lynch in our Pro Blogs section.

Player Tags: Arnold Spee,   Burt Boutin,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Andy Black,   Eric Lynch

Three Tables

Jun 14, '07

Ayaz Mahmood flopped a set of Kings on the last hand before the break, turned a full house and got all of his money into the pot. Following that double up the $100 chips were raced off the table.  After the color up, the players went on a 15 minute break.  Once the break had finished it was decided that play will continue tonight until just after 2am PST.

 

In unusual situation, the two chip leaders butted heads with four tables remaining.  Scott Clements and Justin Scott got all of their money in on the flop, with Clements ahead with bottom set against Scott’s flush draw.  Scott hit the flush, but the board paired on the river, and Clements now has over $250,000, when the average stack is merely $50,000

 

Eric Lynch, and Johnny Chan have pushed their stacks to around $90,000, while Burt Boutin, Matt Matros, and Arnold Spee continue to hang on.  They have redrawn the final three tables, for the last hour of play.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Arnold Spee,   Burt Boutin,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Justin Scott,   Eric Lynch

Clements Still King

Jun 14, '07

Scott Clements is still in command of his table.  Given that this event had a smaller buy-in compared to some of the other events, the payouts are still particularly small.  It seems no one is going to be satisfied with only a cash in this event, and they are now playing very close to the vest.

Johnny Chan has gotten his chip stack into the average range, as has Arnold Spee.  Matt Matros and Eric Lynch both are on life support, and will need a few double ups to keep things going.

There are currently 38 players remaining on 5 tables.

Player Tags: Arnold Spee,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Eric Lynch

Bubble Looms

Jun 14, '07

There are currently 57 players left on 7 tables.  Play has tightened up considerably.  Several notable names have fallen in the last hour of play, including Chris Ferguson, Josh Arieh, and Noah Boeken.

Arnold Spee has been enjoying some good fortune at his table.  Seated in the 2 seat, he's enjoying getting the better of the 1 seat Matt Matros.  Spee made a large pre-flop reraise against Matros, taking down the pot with a continuation bet on the flop.  A few hands later the two tangled again.  Matros debating making a call on the river, and ultimately mucked.  Spee was playfully upset, showing Matros that he had the nut flush as he raked in the pot.

Scott Clements, the current chip leader is having a great time at his table.  He lamented that no one will play with him as he took down one pot pre flop.  A few hands later he folded a hand on the river, and his opponent showed him a straight flush.  He seems to be dodging the bullets, and he has about $115,000 in chips.

Ten-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan is still alive, but he is getting short on chips. 

Players are on a break until 10:45

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Arnold Spee,   Noah Boeken,   Scott Clements

Day Two - Hour Two

Jun 15, '07

Double Trouble

Players were on a fifteen minute break for the fist part of the hour ,and when they returned action got down to the final two tables quickly. Eric Lynch, Arnold Spee, the talkative Dau Ly, and Andy Black were seated together at table 67. Scott Clements was seated with Ayaz Mahmood on table 61. Clements was still the chip leader with $340,000 and Ly trailed in second with $260,000.

Ayaz Mahmood Eliminated in 15th

A board of Q Q 8 K 5 sat on the table when Mahmood’s opponent flipped over A A 10 3. Mahmood mucked his hand, rapped the table in a good-natured salute, and headed toward the payout table in 15th place.

Arnold Spee’s Last Stand

Spee was down to his final chip stack of 20 by this point and he entered all-in mode. His first push received no call. That trend didn’t continue for long though, he was called a few hands later and put his tournament life on the line with A K 7 6. Dau Ly turned over A 8 3 2. The board was dealt A Q 5 9 2 and Spee was the unlucky 13th-place finisher.

The Ly Files

Dau Ly continued to provide a quote per minute. Here are some of his highlights from the hour:

“The heat is on.”
“Rock and roll, let’s go!”
“If you bet, you’ll win this pot.”
After winning a hand – “It’s good, of course it’s good.”
Right before folding - “If I put you all in, you’ll be 11th [place].”

Down to the Final Ten

Scott Clements then eliminated Gary Lungren in 12th place when he turned over Q Q 5 2 on a board of Q J J 5 3. Hilbert Shirey was busted soon after in 11th place and action was down to the final table. The players took a ten minute break, while all the chips were moved to the featured final table stage.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Arnold Spee,   Scott Clements,   Dau Ly

Win Some, Lose Some on Table 57

Jun 05, '07

Right along the rail lies table 57 which has been the hottest spot to sweat players all day long. Table 57 has seen the likes of Phil Ivey, Young Phan, Arnold Spee, and now Gavin Griffin.

Eric Froehlich was eliminated by the hands, or should I say hand of Young Phan when Froehlich pushes all-in with pocket fives from the small blind. Young Phan makes the call with A10 and the flop comes J98, giving Phan a straight draw, a flush draw and leaving him with two live cards. The A hits the turn giving Phan the higher pair, and a brick on the river sends Eric Froehlich to the rail.

It wasn’t all bad news on Table 57, especially for table newcomer, Gavin Griffin. Griffin raises the pot $1,200 before the flop and the player in seat 7 re-raises to $3,600. Everyone folds back to Griffin who re-raises all-in for $13,500. Seat 7 makes the call and flips over AA while Griffin shows JJ. The board comes 6659J and Griffin spikes a jack on the river to win the pot and double up.

There was a new player sitting in Phil Hellmuth’s seat after the break, so I went and asked Billy Baxter if Phil was eliminated. Baxter asked me if I was writing an update saying, “Yes, Phil was eliminated and we took a vote at the table and no one is sad about it.” Apparently a player to Phil’s right raised the pot $900 with aces when Phil re-raised to $4,000. His opponent moved all-in and Phil called. Hellmuth showed queens and his opponent had aces. No help on the board and Hellmuth hits the rail.

Players are now on dinner break and will return at 9:00p.m.

Player Tags: Young Phan,   Arnold Spee,   Phil Hellmuth,   Phil Ivey,   Gavin Griffin,   Eric Froehlich

A Railbird's Dream

Jun 05, '07

As the field started to narrow and tables started to break, Phil Ivey among others, found himself sitting along the rail at quite possibly one of the toughest tables remaining. Ivey’s new table draw puts him right alongside of Young Pham, Eric Froehlich and Arnold Spee. At table 59, the very next table over, sits William Chen, Dewey Tomko and J.J. Liu, followed by J.C.Tran, Danny Wong and David Levi at table 57.

J.C. Tran didn’t last too long though, when he bets $550 before the flop and the player to his left makes the call. Both players check to a flop of Q-Q-rag, and J.C. moves all-in on the turn when he pairs his 10. His opponent calls and flips over A-J while Tran shows A-10 for the lead. A king comes on the river giving his opponent Broadway and eliminating J.C. from the tournament.

 As Shane Schleger’s table broke, he too found himself at a terrible disadvantage by drawing a seat right between Phil Hellmuth and Billy Baxter, and directly across from Dan Alspach, and Dutch Boyd.

Dutch Boyd was the next one to go when Phil Hellmuth set a trap for him by limping in the pot with queens from under the gun. Phil Hellmuth, Shane Schleger and Billy Baxter all limp into the pot from an early position. Dutch Boyd moves all-in from the button for $3,650 and Hellmuth quickly calls. Schleger and Baxter both fold and just as soon as Hellmuth can get his chips into the pot he flops over QQ. Boyd shows the bluff with K5 as the board comes J49910. Boyd says to Hellmuth, “Nice trap.”, as he gets out of his seat to leave. Then he turns to the media and jokingly asks us to write that he had A-K rather than K-5. Dan Alspach looks at Phil and says, “I tried to warn him, I said Holy-Moly when you limped in from under the gun.”

The re-buy portion of this event is now over and the numbers should prove to be staggering…once they are officially released. In an unlikely turn of events, Daniel Negreanu said that he only had one re-buy today with an add-on right before the end of Level 2, shocking considering that two years ago Daniel had gone into his pocket 25 times. J.J. Liu on the other hand said that she had 15 re-buys, and she still has barely any chips in front of her.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Dan Alspach,   David Levi,   Arnold Spee,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Hellmuth,   Phil Ivey,   Joanne Liu,   Shane Schleger,   Eric Froehlich,   Dutch Boyd,   Danny Wong,   Young Pham