Philip Hilm Poker Tournament Updates

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1b - Level 5 (Hour 2)

Jul 04, '08

Blinds: 200/400 - 50 ante

Chip Leaders:
Ben Sarnoff - 165,000
Robert Mizrachi - 131,000
Nicholas Caltabiano - 120,000
Patrik Antonius - 116,000
Robert Eckstut - 115,000
Marc Karam - 113,000
Brian Schaedlich - 110,000
Giles Smadia - 110,000
Liya Gerasimova - 107,000
Sigurd Eskeland - 106,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Shaun Deeb Crippled

Four players saw the raised flop of K94 and all four of them checked. The turn was the 9 and after the big blind checked, the player in the 4 seat led out for 3,500. Shaun Deeb called and everybody else folded. The river was the J and bettor checked to Deeb, who bet 7,300. Within a few seconds Deeb was faced with a check-raise for an additional 18,000 chips. Deeb looked sick, but resigned himself to calling. “I suck out,” said his opponent with a thick accent, showing JJ. After the hand, Deeb was down to only 7,000.

Late Blow for Myung

John Myung was cruising along until the dreaded pocket jacks got him in trouble with less than 15 minutes remaining in the final level of the night. Myung raised to 1200 from the cut-off, and drew a call from the small blind. The big blind then reraised for 3000 more. Myung responded by asking for a count from the player, who had 14,500 in chips remaining. Myung then reraised to put the player all-in. His opponent called and showed AQ. Myung held JJ. The ace hit the flop, coming A98. The 7 on the turn gave Myung some additional outs for a straight, but the 5 on the river sent the chips in the other direction, and dropped Myung to 38,300 in chips.
Sam Grizzle Finally Fizzles, Snoop Dog Unavailable for Comment

Sam Grizzle took his stand with a king-high flush draw and got all of his chips into the middle against an opponent holding a wired pair. The turn and river bricked for Grizzle, and he was sent to the rail as one of the many day one victims.

McKenna Wins the Dough Without Having to Show

A player in early position made it 1,500 to go, and the action folded to Michael McKenna in middle position. McKenna reraised to a total of 4,500, and the action folded back to the original raiser, who called. The flop brought Q97 and a check from the original raiser. McKenna continued his aggression with a bet of 6,000, and his opponent quickly mucked. McKenna improved his stack to just under 30,000 in chips.

Mueller Wins Small Pot

Greg Mueller limped under the gun and play was folded to the small blind who limped along. The big blind checked and the flop came K85. Both blinds checked and Mueller bet 500. The small blind folded and the big blind called. The board paired with the 5 on the turn and after the big blind checked, Mueller bet 3100. The big blind reluctantly folded, showing the K. Mueller never showed his own cards.

Nielsen Strikes Against Hilm

Rasmus Nielsen is no stranger to big hands in this WSOP. He raced to a second place finish in event 49, a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event, and in the main event just raked in a monster against Philip Hilm, who advanced to the final table of the main event last year. After a flop of K32, the 5 came on the turn. Nielsen, in the small blind, checked and Hilm bet out 12,500. Nielsen then check-raised all-in, a move that would cost Hilm 20,000 more. Hilm tanked for several minutes, then opted to make the call. Nielsen showed him AA, two of the outs that Hilm would need, as he held 43 for one pair and an open-ended straight draw. The board paired with the 5 on the river and Nielsen raked in the monster pot of 91,000. Hilm is now below 40,000.

Nines Prove Troubling For Lady Maverick

The player under-the-gun raised pre-flop and Vanessa Rousso was the only caller. The raiser led out for 2,200 on a J73 flop. Rousso declared a raise and tossed out one orange T5,000 chip. Her opponent made the call. Both players were quick to check the 6 on the turn. The river was the 8 and under-the-gun led out again, this time for 8,000. Rousso stared him down hoping to get some information. After a minute of thought she made the decision to call and her opponent showed JJ for a flopped set. Rousso complimented him on his play and mucked 99 face up. After losing the hand Rousso was down to 56,000.

Player Tags: John Myung,   Greg Mueller,   Vanessa Rousso,   Philip Hilm

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 6

Jul 08, '08

Blinds/Antes: 250-500, 50 ante

Eliminations:

Anna Wroblewski
Phillip Hilm

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scotty Nguyen Pulls a Hellmuth

Dodging through the masses of spectators in the Amazon Room, Scotty Nguyen scrambled to his seat – seat 1, table 1 in the orange section – 30 minutes into level 1. Nguyen explained to the table and all of the people on the rail that he was late not for any fashionable purpose, but because he thought that he was playing tomorrow. “I’m serious,” Nguyen said, “Lucky my wife waked me up.” Despite starting his day off on a bit of an off note, Nguyen remains in very high spirits.

Anna Wroblewski Crippled, Eliminated

On a 3-handed flop of 1075 an early position player checked and the middle player made a near pot-sized bet of about 6,000. Action was then on Wroblewski who went into the tank. ESPN cameras scrambled to get into a better position to hopefully catch a big hand with the poker starlet, and they were given a treat when Wroblewski raised an additional 6,500, putting her opponent all-in. The early position player folded and action was back to her opponent who, after sighing heavily, made the call. The two showed their hands:

Wroblewski: 99
Opponent: JJ

The turn and river were the 6 and 4.

That hand would knock Wroblewski down to 12,000, but she would be eliminated a scant few hands later, an early casualty of day 2a.

Brandon Adams Bullying All

Brandon Adams, coming into the day at the top of the leaderboard with over 175,000, has started the day with aggression befitting a chip leader. Adams has been raising pots left and right, meeting little resistance from his tablemates. It will be interesting to see if they begin to play back at Adams or, fearing elimination, continue to let him dominate the table.

Corkins Busts One

Hoyt Corkins raised from under the gun and was called by the player to his immediate left, as well as the big blind. The flop came K64, and after the big blind and Corkins checked, the last remaining player bet 2500 of his short-stack. The big blind called, then Corkins check-raised to 7500. The next player pondered his fate, then elected to push all-in for his remaining 11,300. The big blind folded and Corkins made the call, showing AA. His opponent held K10. The 9 fell on the turn and the 8 completed the board on the river and Corkins raked in the pot.

Karam Talks Himself into Trouble

Marc Karam was the button and called a raise from a player in middle position. The flop came AQ7 and his heads-up opponent bet out 6000. Karam called. After the 5 on the turn his opponent bet another 6000, and again Karam called. The river brought the 10, and a third 6000 bet followed. Karam tanked, mulling over his predicament. “I really thought you had kings,” he muttered, “but maybe I was wrong.” He continued to tank, then reluctantly made the call, saying “I really think you have kings.” His opponent didn’t have kings, but rather had AQ for top two pair and gathered in the chips.

Greenstein picks up chips but still short

After a player in the hijack raised to 1,600 Barry Greenstein moved all in. The raise was 11,150 and it took the initial raiser a minute to fold his hand. Greenstein is up to 15,550 after the hand.

Hasan Habib Hot

On a board of Q9742, Hasan Habib made a bet of 8,200 against his lone opponent into a pot containing over 10,000 in chips. The player deliberated heavily for several minutes, counting out the amount of chips necessary to make a call. He ultimately folded, and Habib took the pot without a show. Habib’s stack grew to over 80,000 with the addition of the chips gained from the pot.

Michael McKenna Mucks

Michael McKenna checked a flop of AK7, and another opponent checked. The last player bet 1,200, and both his opponents called. The turn brought the 10, and this time McKenna led out for 3,500. The next player to act made the minimum raise to a total of 7,000 and the remaining player cold called. McKenna also called, and the dealer put down the J on the river, and the action checked to the last player, who made a bet of 7,000. McKenna and the other player folded. McKenna’s stack sat at 17,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Scotty Nguyen,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Michael McKenna,   Philip Hilm,   Brandon Adams,   Marc Karam,   Anna Wroblewski

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1b - Level 5 (Hour 2)

Jul 04, '08

Blinds: 200/400 - 50 ante

Chip Leaders:
Ben Sarnoff - 165,000
Robert Mizrachi - 131,000
Nicholas Caltabiano - 120,000
Patrik Antonius - 116,000
Robert Eckstut - 115,000
Marc Karam - 113,000
Brian Schaedlich - 110,000
Giles Smadia - 110,000
Liya Gerasimova - 107,000
Sigurd Eskeland - 106,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Shaun Deeb Crippled

Four players saw the raised flop of K94 and all four of them checked. The turn was the 9 and after the big blind checked, the player in the 4 seat led out for 3,500. Shaun Deeb called and everybody else folded. The river was the J and bettor checked to Deeb, who bet 7,300. Within a few seconds Deeb was faced with a check-raise for an additional 18,000 chips. Deeb looked sick, but resigned himself to calling. “I suck out,” said his opponent with a thick accent, showing JJ. After the hand, Deeb was down to only 7,000.

Late Blow for Myung

John Myung was cruising along until the dreaded pocket jacks got him in trouble with less than 15 minutes remaining in the final level of the night. Myung raised to 1200 from the cut-off, and drew a call from the small blind. The big blind then reraised for 3000 more. Myung responded by asking for a count from the player, who had 14,500 in chips remaining. Myung then reraised to put the player all-in. His opponent called and showed AQ. Myung held JJ. The ace hit the flop, coming A98. The 7 on the turn gave Myung some additional outs for a straight, but the 5 on the river sent the chips in the other direction, and dropped Myung to 38,300 in chips.
Sam Grizzle Finally Fizzles, Snoop Dog Unavailable for Comment

Sam Grizzle took his stand with a king-high flush draw and got all of his chips into the middle against an opponent holding a wired pair. The turn and river bricked for Grizzle, and he was sent to the rail as one of the many day one victims.

McKenna Wins the Dough Without Having to Show

A player in early position made it 1,500 to go, and the action folded to Michael McKenna in middle position. McKenna reraised to a total of 4,500, and the action folded back to the original raiser, who called. The flop brought Q97 and a check from the original raiser. McKenna continued his aggression with a bet of 6,000, and his opponent quickly mucked. McKenna improved his stack to just under 30,000 in chips.

Mueller Wins Small Pot

Greg Mueller limped under the gun and play was folded to the small blind who limped along. The big blind checked and the flop came K85. Both blinds checked and Mueller bet 500. The small blind folded and the big blind called. The board paired with the 5 on the turn and after the big blind checked, Mueller bet 3100. The big blind reluctantly folded, showing the K. Mueller never showed his own cards.

Nielsen Strikes Against Hilm

Rasmus Nielsen is no stranger to big hands in this WSOP. He raced to a second place finish in event 49, a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event, and in the main event just raked in a monster against Philip Hilm, who advanced to the final table of the main event last year. After a flop of K32, the 5 came on the turn. Nielsen, in the small blind, checked and Hilm bet out 12,500. Nielsen then check-raised all-in, a move that would cost Hilm 20,000 more. Hilm tanked for several minutes, then opted to make the call. Nielsen showed him AA, two of the outs that Hilm would need, as he held 43 for one pair and an open-ended straight draw. The board paired with the 5 on the river and Nielsen raked in the monster pot of 91,000. Hilm is now below 40,000.

Nines Prove Troubling For Lady Maverick

The player under-the-gun raised pre-flop and Vanessa Rousso was the only caller. The raiser led out for 2,200 on a J73 flop. Rousso declared a raise and tossed out one orange T5,000 chip. Her opponent made the call. Both players were quick to check the 6 on the turn. The river was the 8 and under-the-gun led out again, this time for 8,000. Rousso stared him down hoping to get some information. After a minute of thought she made the decision to call and her opponent showed JJ for a flopped set. Rousso complimented him on his play and mucked 99 face up. After losing the hand Rousso was down to 56,000.

Player Tags: John Myung,   Greg Mueller,   Vanessa Rousso,   Philip Hilm

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 6

Jul 08, '08

Blinds/Antes: 250-500, 50 ante

Eliminations:

Anna Wroblewski
Phillip Hilm

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scotty Nguyen Pulls a Hellmuth

Dodging through the masses of spectators in the Amazon Room, Scotty Nguyen scrambled to his seat – seat 1, table 1 in the orange section – 30 minutes into level 1. Nguyen explained to the table and all of the people on the rail that he was late not for any fashionable purpose, but because he thought that he was playing tomorrow. “I’m serious,” Nguyen said, “Lucky my wife waked me up.” Despite starting his day off on a bit of an off note, Nguyen remains in very high spirits.

Anna Wroblewski Crippled, Eliminated

On a 3-handed flop of 1075 an early position player checked and the middle player made a near pot-sized bet of about 6,000. Action was then on Wroblewski who went into the tank. ESPN cameras scrambled to get into a better position to hopefully catch a big hand with the poker starlet, and they were given a treat when Wroblewski raised an additional 6,500, putting her opponent all-in. The early position player folded and action was back to her opponent who, after sighing heavily, made the call. The two showed their hands:

Wroblewski: 99
Opponent: JJ

The turn and river were the 6 and 4.

That hand would knock Wroblewski down to 12,000, but she would be eliminated a scant few hands later, an early casualty of day 2a.

Brandon Adams Bullying All

Brandon Adams, coming into the day at the top of the leaderboard with over 175,000, has started the day with aggression befitting a chip leader. Adams has been raising pots left and right, meeting little resistance from his tablemates. It will be interesting to see if they begin to play back at Adams or, fearing elimination, continue to let him dominate the table.

Corkins Busts One

Hoyt Corkins raised from under the gun and was called by the player to his immediate left, as well as the big blind. The flop came K64, and after the big blind and Corkins checked, the last remaining player bet 2500 of his short-stack. The big blind called, then Corkins check-raised to 7500. The next player pondered his fate, then elected to push all-in for his remaining 11,300. The big blind folded and Corkins made the call, showing AA. His opponent held K10. The 9 fell on the turn and the 8 completed the board on the river and Corkins raked in the pot.

Karam Talks Himself into Trouble

Marc Karam was the button and called a raise from a player in middle position. The flop came AQ7 and his heads-up opponent bet out 6000. Karam called. After the 5 on the turn his opponent bet another 6000, and again Karam called. The river brought the 10, and a third 6000 bet followed. Karam tanked, mulling over his predicament. “I really thought you had kings,” he muttered, “but maybe I was wrong.” He continued to tank, then reluctantly made the call, saying “I really think you have kings.” His opponent didn’t have kings, but rather had AQ for top two pair and gathered in the chips.

Greenstein picks up chips but still short

After a player in the hijack raised to 1,600 Barry Greenstein moved all in. The raise was 11,150 and it took the initial raiser a minute to fold his hand. Greenstein is up to 15,550 after the hand.

Hasan Habib Hot

On a board of Q9742, Hasan Habib made a bet of 8,200 against his lone opponent into a pot containing over 10,000 in chips. The player deliberated heavily for several minutes, counting out the amount of chips necessary to make a call. He ultimately folded, and Habib took the pot without a show. Habib’s stack grew to over 80,000 with the addition of the chips gained from the pot.

Michael McKenna Mucks

Michael McKenna checked a flop of AK7, and another opponent checked. The last player bet 1,200, and both his opponents called. The turn brought the 10, and this time McKenna led out for 3,500. The next player to act made the minimum raise to a total of 7,000 and the remaining player cold called. McKenna also called, and the dealer put down the J on the river, and the action checked to the last player, who made a bet of 7,000. McKenna and the other player folded. McKenna’s stack sat at 17,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Scotty Nguyen,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Michael McKenna,   Philip Hilm,   Brandon Adams,   Marc Karam,   Anna Wroblewski

3am

Jul 15, '07

 

Player Tags: Alexander Kravchenko,   Philip Hilm

Night Train

Jul 15, '07

Nguyen and Lam Battle Again
Pokerstars qualifier Tuan Lam raises from the small blind to $480,000 and Scotty Nguyen reraises to $1,48,000.  Lam makes the call, and the flop comes K54.  Lam checks and Nguyen bets out $700,000.  Lam again makes the call and the turn brings the K.  Both players check and the river is the J.  Lam leads for $1,000,000 and Nguyen raises to $3,500,000.  Lam goes deep into the tank, and after almost five minutes makes the call.  Nguyen shows down 43, and Lam rolls over 1010 for a better two pair.  Lam rakes the pot worth $11,460,000.

Scotty Nguyen Crippled
Scotty Nguyen raises to $530,000 from the small blind and is called by Philip Hilm from the big blind.  The flop falls Q 6 5 and Nguyen bets out $600,000.  Hilm makes the call, and the turn brings the K.  Nguyen checks, and Hilm fires out $1,200,000.  Nguyen moves all in, and Hilm insta-calls with 55.  Nguyen is drawing dead when he tables AQ, and the river is the 4.  Hilm has $6,845,000, and doubles over the $12,000,000 mark.  Nguyen is left with just $1,350,000.

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated 11th ($476,926)
Philip Hilm raises under the gun to $480,000 and Scotty Nguyen calls from the big blind.  The flop comes K73, and Nguyen pushes all in for his remaining chips.  Hilm quickly calls and turns over KQ while Nguyen tables 109 for the flush draw.  The suspense is thick in the air, as the next two cards determine the fate of the 1998 World Series of Poker  main event champion.  The turn brings the 2 and Nguyen is down to his final card.  The river is the Q, and the spectators let out a collective gasp and cheer and the Prince its eliminated from the tournament.  He leaves the stage quickly but soon returns to the arena to make an impromptu speech to the crowd.  He thanks the fans, saying without them there would be no Scotty Nguyen.  He said the they give him all the energy he needed to preform and that he would be back next year.  He takes a $476,926 and a whole lot of poker history to the rail. 

Final Ten Set
The final 10 players in the main event are set.  Floors staff has introduced the Lavender $100,000 chips into play and seat five will have the button.   Here are their seating assignments and chip counts:

Seat one -- Raymond Rahme -- $12,875,000
Seat two -- Alex Kravchenko -- $2,810,000
Seat three -- Lee Childs - -$18,050,000
Seat four -- Jerry Yang -- $6,130,000
Seat five -- Lee Watkinson -- $11,715,000
Seat six -- Steven Garfinkle -- $4,925,000
Seat seven -- Tuan Lam -- $20,100,000
Seat eight -- Philip Hilm -- $19,310,000
Seat nine -- Jon Kalmar -- $20,200,000
Seat ten -- Hevad "RainKhan" Khan -- 11,035,000

Break
Players are on a 20 minute break before play starts.
Poker Stars Online Qualifiers
Tuan Lam
Hevad "Rain" Khan
www.pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Tuan Lam,   Philip Hilm

Night Train

Jul 15, '07

Raymond Rahme Takes Huge Pot
It is folded to Philip Hilm in the small blind, he calls and Raymond Rahme checks in the big blind.  The flop comes 633, Hilm bets $120,000 and Rahme makes the call.  The turn is the 2. Hilm checks and Rahme bets out $250,000.  Hilm check-raises to $750,000 and Rahme goes into the tank.  He finally makes the call, and the river brings the 4.  Hilm bets $1,200,000 and Rahme calls almost instantly.  Hilm tables K3 for trip threes, but Rahme roll over 65 for the straight.  He rakes a massive pot, worth over $5,000,000.

Tuan Lam
Tuan Lam, who qualified for the main event online at www.pokerstars.com has some added help on his side, sweating him in the stands is fellow Canadian Anh Van Nguyen.  Nguyen won a Bellagio preliminary event earlier in the year, and attributed some of his success to coaching from J.C. Tran.  Whomever has helped Lam has clearly done an amazing job. 

David Tran Eliminated 14th ($429,114)
Tuan Lam raises in early position and it is folded to David Tran.  He looks down at his cards, them moves all in for $2,605,000. It is folded back to Lam and he goes into the tank.  He thinks for several minutes, then simply says, "Call."  He tables AK, and Tran shows 66.  The flop comes K103, and Lam lets out a rare show of emotion.  The next two cards come 42, and Tran is send from the main event in 14th place for a payday of $429,114.  There are now just 13 players remaining.

William Spadea Eliminated 13th ($429,114)

William Spadea was all in with Big Slick, but he was covered by Jon Kalmer, who held pocket aces. The board rolled out A 8 8 2 5. Spadea was eliminated in 13th place and he took home $429,114 in prize money. Kalmer jumped into the chip lead after the hand.

Make it Rain

Hevad Kahn picked up a large pot off of Kalmer right before the break. He overbet the river, which induced Kalmer to call on a board of K 10 J 4 K. Kahn flipped over K 10 and went into his standard operating procedure victory celebration.

Break
Players are on a 20 minute break, there are 12 remaining.
Notable Chip Counts

Lee Watkinson	9,845,000
Scotty Nguyen	7,495,000

Poker Stars Online Qualifiers
    Tuan Lam                 20300000
    Hevad Khan             12740000
www.pokerstars.com

Player Tags: David Tran,   Tuan Lam,   Philip Hilm,   Raymond Rahme

Hour One Recap

Jul 15, '07

The first hour of play on day six is over and already the field has narrowed to 31 players. ESPN film crews are swarming the tournament area in an effort to catch every piece of action and the shuffling of personnel has given the tournament area the feel of a madhouse. A player can't so much as raise the blinds without a camera directly in his face watching every moment.

Tran Donates a Little
David Tran came into day six as the official chip leader by only $30,000 but has taken a few hits in the first hour and has slipped down the leaderboard. Tran got involved in a pot with Jeff Bryan and both players saw a flop of A Q 4. Tran led out with a bet of $285,000 and Bryan called. The turn was the 6 and this time Tran turned up the heat with a $625,000 bet. Bryan thought for a moment and declared that he was all in for $1,215,000 more. Tran eyed his opponent and mucked his hand. Bryan picked up almost a $1,000,000 in chips without ever having to show his hand.

Movin' On Up
Shortly before being moved to the ESPN featured table, Daniel Alaei raised to $165,000 under the gun. David Tran, Philip Hilm and Jeff Bryan all made the call. "This would be a good time to get aces" joked Ryan Elson who was in the big blind. Elson looked at his cards and said "I raise." Elson counted out the $165,000 he owed and then said "I'm all in." The raise was for $1,540,000. Alaei folded, as did Tran. Hilm called from the four seat and Bryan got out of the way. Elson turned over 10 10 and Hilm was holding 6 6. The flop came 8 5 4 and Elson stood out of his seat and started yelling to his fans on the rail. The turn was the 9 and Elson started yelling for paint on the river. The river brought the Q and Elson doubled to over $3,000,000. While Elson stacked his newly acquired chips, he was so happy after doubling up that he folded his small blind without ever looking at his cards.

Freeman Takes a Hit
Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman took a $3,000,000 hit in the first hour courtesy of Raymone Rahme. Freeman and Rahme were all in before the flop with Freeman showing pocket kings and Rahme holding pocket aces. The board bricked out for both players and Rahme's aces held up, giving him the almost $6,000,000 pot.

Kevin Kim Eliminated in 32nd Place ($285,678)
Paulo Loureiro raised to $200,000 from the button and Kevin Kim reraises all in from the small blind for $380,000 more. Louriero thought for a moment and called. Kim showed A K and Loureiro was holding A 9. The flop came J 9 8 and Louriero jumped into the lead. The turn was the Q and Kim picked up a few more outs. Any spade, ten or king would give Kim the pot and keep him alive. The river proved unkind for Kim when it brought the 6. Louriero took down the pot and Kim was eliminated in 32nd place.

Recent Eliminations
36th Place - Robin Bergren ($285,678)
35th Place - Allan King ($285,678)
34th Place - Hoa Nguyen ($285,678)
33rd Place - Christian Togsverd ($285,678)
32nd Place - Kevin Kim ($285,678)

Notables

Lee Watkinson	3,650,000
Daniel Alaei	2,900,000
Alex Kravchenko	1,430,000
Scotty Nguyen	1,400,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	7,100,000
Jason Welch	1,525,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Hoa Nguyen,   David Tran,   Robin Bergren,   Paulo Loureiro,   Kevin Kim,   Philip Hilm,   Jeff Bryan,   Christian Togsverd,   Allan King,   Raymond Rahme,   Ryan Elson,   Scott Freeman

Day Six Set to Begin

Jul 15, '07

Thirty six players return today at 12 p.m. to battle down to a final nine. Historically, today is usually the longest day of the tournament as stacks increase and play gets tight. The chip leader heading into day six is David Tran who has $10,030,000. Philip Hilm is in a close second with $10,000,000 and looking to take the lead.

Notables playing today are Daniel Alaei, Bill Edler, Lee Watkinson and the only former Main Event champion left in the field, Scotty Nguyen. Look for these players to make their mark today in this year's Main event with some superb play.

The players are unbagging their chips and the cards are just about to hit the air. Keep your browser locked to CardPlayer.com to follow all the action right up to the final table. A list of players we will be following in our Pro Blogs section will be posted shortly.

Lee Watkinson	3,900,000
Daniel Alaei	2,830,000
Bill Edler	2,300,000
Scotty Nguyen	2,250,000
Alex Kravchenko	1,500,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	7,950,000
Jason Welch	1,225,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   David Tran,   Daniel Alaei,   Bill Edler,   Philip Hilm

Hour One

Jul 17, '07

Gooooooooaaalllllll!

The final table area has taken on the look of a word cup match. Fans are touting flags in support of their chosen players. Because of the international flavor of this year’s main event the flags of Canada, South Africa, Denmark and the good old U.S. of A are draped across the crowd. The energy is electric and in some cases the players and the fans are feeding off of each other in a frenzy of energy. This was no more evident than when www.pokerstars.com online qualifier, Hevad Khan , was announced and he rushed over to his group of friends. He blended with them as one for a brief moment, and looked as if he was cheering on a friend himself in the overflow of excitement.

Railbirds

During the early action of the afternoon former world champion Johnny Chan has stopped by to catch the action. So has Scandinavian legend, Thor Hansen, who had a very strong showing at the year’s World Series of Poker, including a brief appearance at the H.O.R.S.E. final table. Ted Lawson is along the rail in full support of his friend Lee Watkinson. Lars Bonding and Mads Anderson are a part of the Denmark contingent that is here to root on Philip Hilm. More professional players are sure to stream through the crowd all day long here at the final table.

Price of Admission: One Million Dollars

Not too many chips have changed hands at the final table as of yet, but one interesting trend has emerged. The standard raise amount has become $1 million. The price of poker is indeed high at this point in the game.

First Big Pot

With $6 million sitting in the pot after a battle of raises between Lee Childs and Jerry Yang, the flop was rolled out 7 4 2. Childs then fired out $3 million and Yang raised all in. Childs went into the tank and pondered the call that would also put himself all in. He eventually mucked two queens faceup and Yang took down the $11+ million pot.

Yang Wins another Huge Pot

Jerry Yang raised to $2.5 million and Phillip Hilm went into the tank. Hilm eventually made the call and the flop rolled out A 10 8. Hilm checked and Yang fired out $3 million. Hilm hastily called and the turn brought the 3. Hilm checked and Yang moved all in. Hilm folded his hand and Yang took down yet another large pot at the final table. Yang is now the chip leader with over $25 million.

Phillip Hilm Elminated in Ninth Place ($525, 934)

Hilm and Yang clashed again a few hands later, but this battle woud be their last. On a board of K J 5 2 Jerry Yang bet $4 million and Hilm moved all in. Yang made the call and flipped over A K. Hilm showed 8 5 and the crowd reacted with a mix of glee, dissappointment from the Denmark contingent, and excitment. The river brought the 6and Hilm was eliminated in ninth place. He played an aggressive game early, but Yang was just as aggressive, and the Scandanavian player went from the largest chip stack at the start of the day, to the first player to be eliminated. He will take home $525,934 in prize money as a consolation prize though. Yang is now the overwhelming chip leader and he has a third of the chips in play with over $44 million.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Philip Hilm,   Jerry Yang,   Hevad Khan,   Lee Childs

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3am

Jul 15, '07

 

Player Tags: Alexander Kravchenko,   Philip Hilm

Night Train

Jul 15, '07

Nguyen and Lam Battle Again
Pokerstars qualifier Tuan Lam raises from the small blind to $480,000 and Scotty Nguyen reraises to $1,48,000.  Lam makes the call, and the flop comes K54.  Lam checks and Nguyen bets out $700,000.  Lam again makes the call and the turn brings the K.  Both players check and the river is the J.  Lam leads for $1,000,000 and Nguyen raises to $3,500,000.  Lam goes deep into the tank, and after almost five minutes makes the call.  Nguyen shows down 43, and Lam rolls over 1010 for a better two pair.  Lam rakes the pot worth $11,460,000.

Scotty Nguyen Crippled
Scotty Nguyen raises to $530,000 from the small blind and is called by Philip Hilm from the big blind.  The flop falls Q 6 5 and Nguyen bets out $600,000.  Hilm makes the call, and the turn brings the K.  Nguyen checks, and Hilm fires out $1,200,000.  Nguyen moves all in, and Hilm insta-calls with 55.  Nguyen is drawing dead when he tables AQ, and the river is the 4.  Hilm has $6,845,000, and doubles over the $12,000,000 mark.  Nguyen is left with just $1,350,000.

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated 11th ($476,926)
Philip Hilm raises under the gun to $480,000 and Scotty Nguyen calls from the big blind.  The flop comes K73, and Nguyen pushes all in for his remaining chips.  Hilm quickly calls and turns over KQ while Nguyen tables 109 for the flush draw.  The suspense is thick in the air, as the next two cards determine the fate of the 1998 World Series of Poker  main event champion.  The turn brings the 2 and Nguyen is down to his final card.  The river is the Q, and the spectators let out a collective gasp and cheer and the Prince its eliminated from the tournament.  He leaves the stage quickly but soon returns to the arena to make an impromptu speech to the crowd.  He thanks the fans, saying without them there would be no Scotty Nguyen.  He said the they give him all the energy he needed to preform and that he would be back next year.  He takes a $476,926 and a whole lot of poker history to the rail. 

Final Ten Set
The final 10 players in the main event are set.  Floors staff has introduced the Lavender $100,000 chips into play and seat five will have the button.   Here are their seating assignments and chip counts:

Seat one -- Raymond Rahme -- $12,875,000
Seat two -- Alex Kravchenko -- $2,810,000
Seat three -- Lee Childs - -$18,050,000
Seat four -- Jerry Yang -- $6,130,000
Seat five -- Lee Watkinson -- $11,715,000
Seat six -- Steven Garfinkle -- $4,925,000
Seat seven -- Tuan Lam -- $20,100,000
Seat eight -- Philip Hilm -- $19,310,000
Seat nine -- Jon Kalmar -- $20,200,000
Seat ten -- Hevad "RainKhan" Khan -- 11,035,000

Break
Players are on a 20 minute break before play starts.
Poker Stars Online Qualifiers
Tuan Lam
Hevad "Rain" Khan
www.pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Tuan Lam,   Philip Hilm

Night Train

Jul 15, '07

Raymond Rahme Takes Huge Pot
It is folded to Philip Hilm in the small blind, he calls and Raymond Rahme checks in the big blind.  The flop comes 633, Hilm bets $120,000 and Rahme makes the call.  The turn is the 2. Hilm checks and Rahme bets out $250,000.  Hilm check-raises to $750,000 and Rahme goes into the tank.  He finally makes the call, and the river brings the 4.  Hilm bets $1,200,000 and Rahme calls almost instantly.  Hilm tables K3 for trip threes, but Rahme roll over 65 for the straight.  He rakes a massive pot, worth over $5,000,000.

Tuan Lam
Tuan Lam, who qualified for the main event online at www.pokerstars.com has some added help on his side, sweating him in the stands is fellow Canadian Anh Van Nguyen.  Nguyen won a Bellagio preliminary event earlier in the year, and attributed some of his success to coaching from J.C. Tran.  Whomever has helped Lam has clearly done an amazing job. 

David Tran Eliminated 14th ($429,114)
Tuan Lam raises in early position and it is folded to David Tran.  He looks down at his cards, them moves all in for $2,605,000. It is folded back to Lam and he goes into the tank.  He thinks for several minutes, then simply says, "Call."  He tables AK, and Tran shows 66.  The flop comes K103, and Lam lets out a rare show of emotion.  The next two cards come 42, and Tran is send from the main event in 14th place for a payday of $429,114.  There are now just 13 players remaining.

William Spadea Eliminated 13th ($429,114)

William Spadea was all in with Big Slick, but he was covered by Jon Kalmer, who held pocket aces. The board rolled out A 8 8 2 5. Spadea was eliminated in 13th place and he took home $429,114 in prize money. Kalmer jumped into the chip lead after the hand.

Make it Rain

Hevad Kahn picked up a large pot off of Kalmer right before the break. He overbet the river, which induced Kalmer to call on a board of K 10 J 4 K. Kahn flipped over K 10 and went into his standard operating procedure victory celebration.

Break
Players are on a 20 minute break, there are 12 remaining.
Notable Chip Counts

Lee Watkinson	9,845,000
Scotty Nguyen	7,495,000

Poker Stars Online Qualifiers
    Tuan Lam                 20300000
    Hevad Khan             12740000
www.pokerstars.com

Player Tags: David Tran,   Tuan Lam,   Philip Hilm,   Raymond Rahme

Hour One Recap

Jul 15, '07

The first hour of play on day six is over and already the field has narrowed to 31 players. ESPN film crews are swarming the tournament area in an effort to catch every piece of action and the shuffling of personnel has given the tournament area the feel of a madhouse. A player can't so much as raise the blinds without a camera directly in his face watching every moment.

Tran Donates a Little
David Tran came into day six as the official chip leader by only $30,000 but has taken a few hits in the first hour and has slipped down the leaderboard. Tran got involved in a pot with Jeff Bryan and both players saw a flop of A Q 4. Tran led out with a bet of $285,000 and Bryan called. The turn was the 6 and this time Tran turned up the heat with a $625,000 bet. Bryan thought for a moment and declared that he was all in for $1,215,000 more. Tran eyed his opponent and mucked his hand. Bryan picked up almost a $1,000,000 in chips without ever having to show his hand.

Movin' On Up
Shortly before being moved to the ESPN featured table, Daniel Alaei raised to $165,000 under the gun. David Tran, Philip Hilm and Jeff Bryan all made the call. "This would be a good time to get aces" joked Ryan Elson who was in the big blind. Elson looked at his cards and said "I raise." Elson counted out the $165,000 he owed and then said "I'm all in." The raise was for $1,540,000. Alaei folded, as did Tran. Hilm called from the four seat and Bryan got out of the way. Elson turned over 10 10 and Hilm was holding 6 6. The flop came 8 5 4 and Elson stood out of his seat and started yelling to his fans on the rail. The turn was the 9 and Elson started yelling for paint on the river. The river brought the Q and Elson doubled to over $3,000,000. While Elson stacked his newly acquired chips, he was so happy after doubling up that he folded his small blind without ever looking at his cards.

Freeman Takes a Hit
Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman took a $3,000,000 hit in the first hour courtesy of Raymone Rahme. Freeman and Rahme were all in before the flop with Freeman showing pocket kings and Rahme holding pocket aces. The board bricked out for both players and Rahme's aces held up, giving him the almost $6,000,000 pot.

Kevin Kim Eliminated in 32nd Place ($285,678)
Paulo Loureiro raised to $200,000 from the button and Kevin Kim reraises all in from the small blind for $380,000 more. Louriero thought for a moment and called. Kim showed A K and Loureiro was holding A 9. The flop came J 9 8 and Louriero jumped into the lead. The turn was the Q and Kim picked up a few more outs. Any spade, ten or king would give Kim the pot and keep him alive. The river proved unkind for Kim when it brought the 6. Louriero took down the pot and Kim was eliminated in 32nd place.

Recent Eliminations
36th Place - Robin Bergren ($285,678)
35th Place - Allan King ($285,678)
34th Place - Hoa Nguyen ($285,678)
33rd Place - Christian Togsverd ($285,678)
32nd Place - Kevin Kim ($285,678)

Notables

Lee Watkinson	3,650,000
Daniel Alaei	2,900,000
Alex Kravchenko	1,430,000
Scotty Nguyen	1,400,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	7,100,000
Jason Welch	1,525,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Hoa Nguyen,   David Tran,   Robin Bergren,   Paulo Loureiro,   Kevin Kim,   Philip Hilm,   Jeff Bryan,   Christian Togsverd,   Allan King,   Raymond Rahme,   Ryan Elson,   Scott Freeman

Day Six Set to Begin

Jul 15, '07

Thirty six players return today at 12 p.m. to battle down to a final nine. Historically, today is usually the longest day of the tournament as stacks increase and play gets tight. The chip leader heading into day six is David Tran who has $10,030,000. Philip Hilm is in a close second with $10,000,000 and looking to take the lead.

Notables playing today are Daniel Alaei, Bill Edler, Lee Watkinson and the only former Main Event champion left in the field, Scotty Nguyen. Look for these players to make their mark today in this year's Main event with some superb play.

The players are unbagging their chips and the cards are just about to hit the air. Keep your browser locked to CardPlayer.com to follow all the action right up to the final table. A list of players we will be following in our Pro Blogs section will be posted shortly.

Lee Watkinson	3,900,000
Daniel Alaei	2,830,000
Bill Edler	2,300,000
Scotty Nguyen	2,250,000
Alex Kravchenko	1,500,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	7,950,000
Jason Welch	1,225,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   David Tran,   Daniel Alaei,   Bill Edler,   Philip Hilm

Hour One

Jul 17, '07

Gooooooooaaalllllll!

The final table area has taken on the look of a word cup match. Fans are touting flags in support of their chosen players. Because of the international flavor of this year’s main event the flags of Canada, South Africa, Denmark and the good old U.S. of A are draped across the crowd. The energy is electric and in some cases the players and the fans are feeding off of each other in a frenzy of energy. This was no more evident than when www.pokerstars.com online qualifier, Hevad Khan , was announced and he rushed over to his group of friends. He blended with them as one for a brief moment, and looked as if he was cheering on a friend himself in the overflow of excitement.

Railbirds

During the early action of the afternoon former world champion Johnny Chan has stopped by to catch the action. So has Scandinavian legend, Thor Hansen, who had a very strong showing at the year’s World Series of Poker, including a brief appearance at the H.O.R.S.E. final table. Ted Lawson is along the rail in full support of his friend Lee Watkinson. Lars Bonding and Mads Anderson are a part of the Denmark contingent that is here to root on Philip Hilm. More professional players are sure to stream through the crowd all day long here at the final table.

Price of Admission: One Million Dollars

Not too many chips have changed hands at the final table as of yet, but one interesting trend has emerged. The standard raise amount has become $1 million. The price of poker is indeed high at this point in the game.

First Big Pot

With $6 million sitting in the pot after a battle of raises between Lee Childs and Jerry Yang, the flop was rolled out 7 4 2. Childs then fired out $3 million and Yang raised all in. Childs went into the tank and pondered the call that would also put himself all in. He eventually mucked two queens faceup and Yang took down the $11+ million pot.

Yang Wins another Huge Pot

Jerry Yang raised to $2.5 million and Phillip Hilm went into the tank. Hilm eventually made the call and the flop rolled out A 10 8. Hilm checked and Yang fired out $3 million. Hilm hastily called and the turn brought the 3. Hilm checked and Yang moved all in. Hilm folded his hand and Yang took down yet another large pot at the final table. Yang is now the chip leader with over $25 million.

Phillip Hilm Elminated in Ninth Place ($525, 934)

Hilm and Yang clashed again a few hands later, but this battle woud be their last. On a board of K J 5 2 Jerry Yang bet $4 million and Hilm moved all in. Yang made the call and flipped over A K. Hilm showed 8 5 and the crowd reacted with a mix of glee, dissappointment from the Denmark contingent, and excitment. The river brought the 6and Hilm was eliminated in ninth place. He played an aggressive game early, but Yang was just as aggressive, and the Scandanavian player went from the largest chip stack at the start of the day, to the first player to be eliminated. He will take home $525,934 in prize money as a consolation prize though. Yang is now the overwhelming chip leader and he has a third of the chips in play with over $44 million.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Philip Hilm,   Jerry Yang,   Hevad Khan,   Lee Childs

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