Brandon Adams Poker Tournament Updates

Level 5 Update: Greenstein Eliminated, Nenad Knocks Out Opponent

Jun 23, '09

Blinds: 300-600

Players Remaining: 189 out of 276

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Greenstein, Sandra Naujoks, Antonio Esfandiari

Big Hands:

Medic Limps a Big Hand, Knocks Out Opponent

Nenad Medic limped in from late position and after a couple limpers, the player in the big blind raised the size of the pot, to 4200.

Medic then decided to raise to 9600 and it folded back to the big blind who shrugged his shoulders and moved all in for his last 15,000. Medic made the call and showed QQ and was up against AQ.

The board ran out 108J42 and Medic’s queens held up to win the pot and knock out an opponent.

Antonio Esfandiari Eliminated

After a raise to middle position and a call from the button, Antonio Esfandiari put in another raise to 3,000. The original raiser folded and the button decided to put Esfandiari all in, for just another 3,000. Esfandiari made the call and tabled the A9, which was well behind the AJ of his opponent.

The flop was 789 which gave Esfandiari the lead and he stayed in the lead when the 3 fell on the turn. The J on the river, however, sent the magician to the rail.

Brandon Adams Calls Flop Bet, Folds Turn

Brandon Adams raised to 1500 from late position and was called on the button. The big blind then decided to raise to 4500 and Adams made the call and they took the flop heads up.

After a flop of AQ8, the big blind bet 8000 and Adams called. The Q fell on the turn and the player in the big blind pondered his option. He waited so long that Adams asked if there was a check. The big blind eventually bet 8000 and Adams studied for a while before folding.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Nenad Medic,   Brandon Adams

Level 2 Update: Adams Makes a Big Call

Jun 23, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Players Remaining: 263 out of 263

Big Hands:

Brandon Adams Picks Off Mizzi’s River Bluff

On a board reading Q1056, Brandon Adams checked and called 3200 from Sorel Mizzi.

The river card was the 6, completing a flush draw, and Brandon Adams checked and instantly called 7500 from Mizzi. Mizzi announced “Jack Nine” meaning he missed his straight draw and Adams tabled the A10, good for second pair.

“Weeee insta-call,” said Antonio Esfandiari, who is sitting to the right of Mizzi. “These young whipper snappers can’t help but three-bet you.”

Boutin Scoops a Pot, Eliminates Player

On a board reading Q874, Burt Boutin bet 5500 and was called by Chad Batista. Another player was all in for his last 5200.

The river card was the 10 and both Boutin and Batista checked. Boutin tabled 56, showing that he made a flush on the turn and eliminated an opponent while raking a pot.

Filippi Makes a Good Call on Veldhuis

After a preflop raise from Lex Veldhuis was called by Amnon Filippi, the two see a flop of 2J4. Filippi checked and called 1400 from Veldhuis.

The turn was the 7 and Filippi checked and called 3800. The 3 fell on the river and Filippi checked again. Veldhuis bet 8700 and was instantly called by Filippi. Veldhuis announced that he “missed” and Filippi tabled 99 and took the pot.

Player Tags: Burt Boutin,   Amnon Filippi,   Brandon Adams,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 1 Update: Late Start, 250 Players So Far

Jun 20, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Players Remaining: 250

Big Hands:

Hasan Habib vs. Brandon Adams

Hasan Habib limps in the pot for 100 from under the gun, seat 7 raises to 600 from the button, Brandon Adams calls from the small blind and Habib calls the raise as well.

The flop comes 874 and everyone checks around.

The turn is the 6, Adams bets 1,000, Habib calls and seat 7 folds.

The river is the A and both players check.

Adams shows 87 for two pair, but Habib turns over 54 for a straight, raking the pot.

Devilfish vs. Stefan Mattsson

Stefan Mattsson raises to 300 from under the gun and David “Devilfish” Ulliott calls from the button.

The flop comes A97, Mattsson bets 600 and Ulliott calls.

The turn is the J, and this time Mattsson checks. Ulliott bets 2,000 and Mattsson calls.

The river is the 6, Ulliott bets 5,000 and Mattsson tanks for a minute before folding.

Left In The Deck:

Play was scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm this evening, but things got off to a slow start and cards didn’t hit the air until a bout 5:25 pm PDT.

Player Tags: Hasan Habib,   Brandon Adams,   Stefan Mattsson

Level 8 Update: Negreanu, Oppenheim, Froehlich Bust Before Night Is Done

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 121 out of 185

Chip Counts

1. Josh Arieh – 108,000
2. Shaun Deeb – 106,000
3. Greg Mueller – 102,000
4. Pat Pezzin – 85,400
5. Barry Greenstein – 79,000
6. Lex Veldhuis – 79,000
7. Mike Sowers – 72,500
8. Steve Kim – 72,000
9. Maria Ho – 68,000
10. Todd Brunson – 68,000

Average Stack: 43,023

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Froehlich
Daniel Negreanu
Gavin Smith
Rob Hollink
Max Pescatori
Toto Leonidas
Mike Matusow
Liz Lieu
John Juanda

Big Hands:

Eric Froehlich Busted By Vitaly Lunkin

On a flop of 1067, Vitaly Lunkin bet 1,200 and Eric Froehlich raised to 2,400. Lunkin thought for a good amount of time and then raised to 3,600. Froehlich moved all in and Lunkin called.

Froehlich: A9
Lunkin: AQ

Lunkin had Froehlich dominated and the Q all but sealed Froehlich’s fate. He needed an eight to make a straight but the 7 on the river paired the board and Froehlich was eliminated. Lunkin was at 77,000.

Adams Drops A Pot

Brandon Adams raised to 2,400 and the player in seat 4 made the call. The flop came KKJ and Adams led out with 1,200. His opponent called and the turn was the 9. Both players checked and they did the same after the 6 fell on the river. Seat 4 showed A5 and it was good enough as Adams mucked. He was down to 70,000 in chips.

Negreanu Gets Short, Then Busts

On a flop of 957, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Daniel Negreanu raised to 2,400. Seat 2 called and the 5 came on the turn. Seat 2 led out again, this time for 2,400. Negreanu immediately mucked and he was down to his last 8,000 in chips.

Later, Negreanu raised to 2,400 from middle position and was called by the player on the button. The flop came down AQ8 and Negreanu checked. His opponent bet and Negreanu called himself all in.

Negreanu: 55
Button: A4

Negreanu got outflopped and the 9 on the turn and 2 on the river offered no help to Negreanu who made his exit just before the end of day 1.

Boeken Gets Some Off Elezra

Eli Elezra raised to 2,400 preflop and Noah Boeken made it 3,600 to go. Elezra made the call and the flop came down 1064 and Elezra checked. Boeken fired 1,200 and Elezra mucked. He was down to 70,000 while Boeken was at 18,000.

Oppenheim Makes A Grand Exit

With the board reading J632, David Oppenheim called a bet of 2,400 by Ville Wahlbeck. The river brought the 8 and Wahlbeck said, “I raise” as he bet enough to put Oppenheim all in. “You raise?” Oppenheim said. Wahlbeck was having a little fun with his opponent and Oppenheim called the bet. Wahlbeck showed 86 for two pair and that’s when the fun began.

Oppenheim showed the table QQ. “Hey Mikey,” he said to Mike Matusow a table over. He showed him the queens and Matusow asked, “Did they hold up?” Oppenheim replied, “Of course not” and he threw them in the muck. As he got up, Oppenheim shouted an obscenity to Todd Brunson in jest. “That’s definitely a penalty,” Matusow said. Brunson began laughing and shot back, “Thanks buddy. How about I buy you another double shot before you drive home.” Everyone had a good laugh and Oppenheim took his leave from the tournament.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Todd Brunson,   David Oppenheim,   Eli Elezra,   Noah Boeken,   Eric Froehlich,   Brandon Adams,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 16 Update: Mizrachi Rakes In A Pot

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 4,000-8,000 blinds and 8,000-16,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 2,000 ante, 2,000 bring-in, with a 8,000 completion and 8,000-16,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 2,000-4,000 blinds with a 1,000 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 33 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. Soheil Shamseddin – 338,000
2. Ville Wahlbeck – 320,000
3. Adam Friedman – 305,000
4. Eric Froehlich – 290,000
5. Steve Sung – 278,000
6. Todd Brunson – 256,000
7. Brian Powell – 243,000
8. Brian Mizok – 240,000
9. Doyle Brunson – 237,000
10. Huck Seed – 234,000

Average Chip Count: 166,256

Notable Eliminations:

Erick Lindgren

Big Hands:

PLO

Mizrachi Gets The Best Of Adams

Robert Mizrachi bet the pot preflop and Brandon Adams made the call. The flop came down J54 and both players checked. The turn was the 3 and Mizrachi checked again. Adams had enough checking and fired the pot, 22,000. Mizrachi called and the river brought the 2. Both players checked and Mizrachi showed down J4107 for two pair, jacks and fours. Adams mucked his cards and his stack was down to 40,000 while Mizrachi improved to 150,000.

NLHE

Sung Wounded By Bullets

Preflop, the player in seat 1 raised to 11,500 and the action was on Steve Sung. He made the call and everyone else got out of the way. The flop came Q10J and both players played it cautiously electing to check. The turn was the 3 and both players checked again. The river brought the 6 and seat 1 finally led out with a bet, firing 15,000. Sung thought for a few moments and made the call. Seat 1 then showed down AA and Sung mucked his hand. Sung was around 170,000 after the hand.

2-7 Triple Draw

Lindgren Drops Some Chips, Busts Later

The player in seat 5 raised to 12,000 before the first draw. The player in seat 7 called from the small blind and Erick Lindgren followed suit in the big blind.

First Draw: Seat 7 draws 2 cards, Lindgren draws 2 cards, seat 5 draws 1 card.

Seat 5 fired another 6,000 into the pot and seat 7 called, as did Lindgren.

Second Draw: Seat 7 draws 2 cards, Lindgren draws 2 cards, seat 5 stands pat.

Seat 5 fired 12,000 into the pot and seat 7 folded. Lindgren followed suit and his stack was down to 30,400. He was eliminated by David Chiu moments later.

Lunkin Doubles His Opponent’s Stack

Prior to the first draw, the player in seat 8 moved all in for his last 24,000. Vitaly Lunkin made the call and Michael Binger took a long tank session before he mucked his hand. Mark Gregorich followed suit and the first draw was on.

First Draw: Lunkin draws 1 card, seat 8 draws 1 card

Second Draw: Lunkin draws 1 card, seat 8 draws 1 card

Third Draw: Lunkin stands pat, seat 8 draws 1 card

After seat 8 requested his card, Lunkin showed down 106542 for a 10 low. Seat 8 turned over his four cards, 5432 and needed something lower than a 10 without pairing up to double up. He flipped over the 8 and he took down the pot. Lunkin was down to 120,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Erick Lindgren,   Steve Sung,   Brandon Adams,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 14 Update: Adams Knocks Out Schulman, Habib Also Out

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 2,500-5,000 blinds and 5,000-10,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 1,000 ante, 2,000 bring-in, with a 5,000 completion and 5,000-10,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 1,200-2,400 blinds with a 600 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 41 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. Soheil Shamseddin – 305,000
2. Eric Froehlich – 230,000
3. Joe Tehan – 204,000
4. Michael Binger – 197,000
5. Brian Mizok – 196,000
6. Joe Serock – 196,000
7. Brian Powell – 186,000
8. John Hanson – 186,000
9. Jimmy Fricke – 180,000
10. Adam Friedman – 177,000

Average Chip Count: 126,522

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Hasan Habib
Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

NLHE

Oppenheim Trying To Get Some Fighting Chips Back

With 13,000 in the pot, the flop came down 82. The player in seat 4 checked and the action was on David Oppenheim. He proceeded to raise it to 10,200 and seat 4 went in for a session in the tank. After much deliberation, he finally decided his hand was not ready for this kind of confrontation and threw his hand into the muck. Oppenheim raked in the pot and his stack was around 80,000.

2-7 Triple Draw

Habib’s Drawing Pencil Breaks, Gets Crippled

The player in seat 5 raised to 10,000 before the first draw and Hasan Habib decided to make the call.

First Draw: Habib Draws 3 cards, seat 5 draws 2

Seat 5 fired another 5,000 after Habib checked. Habib quickly called and the second draw was next.

Second Draw: Habib Draws 2 cards, seat 5 draws 1 card

Habib checked again and seat 5 fired 10,000. Habib remained persistent as he made the call.

Third Draw: Habib draws 1 card, seat 5 stands pat

Habib checked one last time and seat 5 kept up the pressure, firing 10,000. Habib could not call and mucked his hand, leaving himself with only 9,000 chips. Those would be gone soon enough.

Limit HE

Cernuto Shows Habib The Door

Action folded around to John Cernuto in the small blind and he raised to 10,000. Habib was next to act in the big blind and he raised 4,400 more as he put himself all in and at risk. Cernuto called and both players tabled their hands:

Cernuto: K10
Habib: J5

Habib needed some help and the flop was somewhat helpful as it dropped AQQ, giving Habib a flush draw. The turn brought the 7 and Habib still had outs, needing only to pair up to double up. But the river was unkind as the 8 sent Habib packing. Cernuto picked up the pot with King high and his stack was at 160,000.

PLO

Mizrachi Cripples Chiu With The Pot

David Chiu raised the action preflop to 5,200. Robert Mizrachi was the only one who made the call and the flop came down 726. Mizrachi then led out with a pot bet, 13,000. Chiu thought for a bit and made the call. On the turn, the 8 showed up and Mizrachi fired another pot bet, this one close to 35,000. Chiu went into a serious tank session as he was starting to get low on chips and a call would put him all in. He decided to live to fight another hand and mucked his cards. Mizrachi took in the pot and was around 220,000 while Chiu was on life support with just 26,000.

Adams’ Bullets Exterminate Schulman And His Ladies

Before the flop, Nick Schulman and Brandon Adams were involved in a skirmish in which all of Schulman’s chips wound up in the pot. He showed down QQ82. Adams then showed his heavy artillery, AA43. Schulman needed some help as the flop came down K76. The turn brought the 2 and Schulman was drawing slim. The 3 finished off Schulman as he made his exit from the tournament. Adams raked in the pot and his stack was around 160,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Robert Mizrachi,   Hasan Habib,   David Oppenheim,   David Chiu,   Brandon Adams,   Nick Schulman

Level 1 Update: Erik Cajelais Exits Early

May 28, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 180 out of 184

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Laak — 270,000
2. Scott Seiver — 260,000
3. Phil Laak — 245,000
4. Tony G — 240,000
5. David Chiu — 240,000
6. Michael DeMichelle — 200,000
7. Andy Black — 185,000
8. Chad Batista — 175,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 175,000
10. Nenad Medic — 175,000

Average Chip Count: 125,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erik Cajelais
Jim Bechtel

Big Hands:

Erik Cajelais Is Crippled By Tony G

On a board reading 753, Tony G was all in holding pocket aces against the 86 of Erik Cajelais. Cajelais needed to hit his massive draw to bust Guoga, but the turn and river fell A8.

Guoga moved up to 248,000 after the hand and Cajelais was crippled down to just 4,000. He was eliminated by Chris Moneymaker shortly after.

Brandon Adams Gets Caught Lying

Isaac Haxton raises to 1,400 from the cutoff and Brandon Adams reraises to 4,200 from the small blind. The flop comes Q53, and this time Adams leads out for 4,200. Haxton calls and the turn is the J. Adams bets out once again, this time for 6,200. Haxton tanks for a few minutes before making the call. The river is the J and both players check around. Adams turns over A10 for ace-high while Haxton shows 44 for a small pair. Haxton rakes the pot and brings his chip count up to 145,000 while Adams fall to just about 75,000 this hand.

Andy Black Collects Big Pot With Set Over Set

Chris Moore and Andy Black were locked into a hand, each holding a big pocket pair. Moore turned a set of jacks but the river brought a king, and Andy Black bet out 50,000. Moore called and Black turned over a set of kings to collect a big pot.

Phil Laak Cripples Opponent

James Calderaro held pocket kings against Phil Laak’s flopped set of eights. Laak moved all in on the river and was called, collecting a 270,000 chip pot.

Eric Liu Wins Pot on the River

On a board of QQ847, Eric Liu bet 15,550 on the river against Mark Seif. Seif contemplated briefly before folding. Seif is down to around 81,000.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Antanas Guoga,   Phil Laak,   Andy Black,   Erik Cajelais,   Brandon Adams,   Chris Moore,   Isaac Haxton,   Eric Liu

Brandon Adams Doubles Up

Jan 06, '09

Brandon Adams was all in on the extremely short stack with A5 against another short stacks J5.

The board provided a scare when it came Q10954, but Adams' hand was good enough to double up to 6,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams

$10,000 Main Event - Level 5, Hour 2

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400, 50 ante

Day 1A Players Remaining: 657 of 1,297

Chip Counts:
Mark Garner - 205,000
Brandon Adams - 200,000
Kellen Hunter - 154,000
Patrick Fortin - 145,000
Stefan Mattsson - 139,000
Todd Rebello - 125,000
Bryan Colin - 119,000
Thang "Kido" Pham - 115,000
Craig Marquis – 80,000
Nick Schulman – 73,000
Barry Shulman - 53,000

Eliminations:
Luca Pagano
Erica Schoenberg
Berry Johnston
Steve Sung
Jon Little
Mekhi Pfifer

Big Hands and Storylines:

Stan Le’s Set Comes at a Marvelous Time

As the final level of the day was concluding, Stan Le managed to flop his first set of the day. On a flop of 954, Stan Le got all-in with 44 against two opponents. It was good news for Le as his opponents were holding 76 and K9. Though Le had to fade a number of outs, he was a 55% favorite to win the hand. The turn was the J and the river was the 4, giving Le quad fours and a stack of nearly 80,000.

Nick “The Takeover” Schulman Lives Up to His Name

On a board of 732, an early position player made a bet of 1,900 and the next player to act made it 4,000 to go.  Nick Schulman took his time before reraising an additional 11,000.  The original bettor folded, and the original raiser went into the tank.  After deliberating, he moved all in for slightly more than Schulman’s bet.  Schulman beat his opponent into the pot and eagerly flipped over 33 for a set of treys.  “Oh my God,” Schulman responded after seeing his opponent turn over 54.  Schulman had nine clubs and three sixes to dodge in order to have his set hold up, but the 2 on the turn paired the board giving Schulman a full house.  With that card, his opponent’s outs were reduced to the lone 6 for a seven-high straight flush.  The 4 on the river was a miss, and Schulman eliminated another opponent.  He finished the hand with over 65,000 in chips.

Barry Shulman Puts His Opponent to the Test

On a board of 8642, Barry Shulman faced a bet from his opponent and raised enough to put his opponent all in.  The player folded and Shulman dragged the pot, boosting his stack to 73,000.
 

Adams's table can't wait for day to end

Brandon Adams, who has around 200,000 chips and is among the chip leaders if not the chip leader, has dominated his table so thoroughly they are comparing the day to the movie Groundhog Day and an episode from The Twilight Zone. In two consecutive hands he made preflop reraises against the same player. The first time he won the hand preflop and the second time he took down the pot with a continuation bet on an A-6-5 flop.

Craig Marquis Clicks It Back Against Mekhi Phifer

Craig Marquis raised it pre-flop from late position and got a single caller in Mekhi Phifer. The flop came J107 and Marquis led into Phifer for 2,200. The ER star raised small, making it 3,100 more. Marquis clicked it back, making it an additional 3,100 for Phifer, who called the bet. The turn was the 9 and Marquis checked. Phifer bet 6,000 and Marquis called. The river was the 5 and Marquis checked again. Phifer continued his aggression and made a bet of 8,000. Marquis called with confidence and showed 1010, which was good enough to take down the 50k pot.

The hand takes Marquis up to 88,000 and drops Phifer to 15,000 only a half hour before the end of day 1a.

Vince Van Patten Pushes All In Against Jared Okun

On a board of 6653, a player moved all in for 10,050 and Jared Okun made the call. The remaining contestant of the pot, Vince Van Patten, verified the amount of the bet with the dealer and made the call. The river brought the Q, and Okun made a bet of 17,000 into the side pot. Van Patten took off his sunglasses, counted out the 17,000 from his remaining stack and sat pensively. After a few moments of deliberation, Van Patten dramatically announced that he was all in for an additional 23,000. The media arrived in a frenzy, with cameras pointed at all involved players. Okun eventually released his hand, and the side pot was pushed to Van Patten. The dealer asked both Van Patten and his all in opponent to show hands for the main pot, and Van Patten turned over 65 for a flopped full house. His opponent flipped over a higher full house with QQ, prompting an outburst from Van Patten at his opponent’s lucky river card. After taking some time to stack his chips, Van Patten was left with around 41,000 after the hand.

John Hennigan Folds Under Pressure

Johnny “World” Hennigan raised to 1,200 from the hijack seat and faced calls from the players in both the cut-off and the small blind. When the action got to the player in the big blind, he paused to contemplate his situation before reraising an additional 4,600. Hennigan folded, as did the other players. Hennigan was left with around 27,000 after the hand

It's a Shorr Thing

Shannon Shorr made a gutsy play with a bit of a shortstack, and it had pay off. In the small blind, Shorr saw two other limpers join the pot for 400. He called and the big blind checked, and the flop came Q85. Shorr and two others checked before the final player, in seat 5, put out a bet of 1700. Shorr called, the others folded, and play was heads-up. The turn brought the K, and after Shorr checked, seat 6 bet 3,500. Shorr, who began the hand with just 21,000 in chips, again made the call. The river brought the 3 to bring a flush into play, and both players checked. Shorr showed 98, and that was enough to take down the pot.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr,   Jared Okun,   Mekhi Phifer,   Craig Marquis

$10,000 Main Event - Level 5

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400, 25 ante

Players remaining: 711 of 1,297

Eliminations:
Jack Haley

Big Hands and Storylines:

Mark Garner Amassing a Big Stack

Mark Garner raised to 1,600 in late position and action folded around to Ted Lawson in the blinds. Lawson raised to 4,000 and Garner made the call. Lawson bet 8,000 on the Q62 flop and Garner made a cautious call. The flop – 4 – put four clubs on the board. Lawson checked over to Garner who wasted little time in betting 16,000. Lawson went into the tank, waiting five minutes before folding his AA face up. Garner, in a sporting gesture, showed his A9. Lawson’s reaction to the hand: “You are so lucky! Jesus!”

Lawson is down to 50,000 on the hand and Garner, lucky or not, now has an impressive 148,000.

Krazy Eyez Killa

Brandon Adams and an opponent got all in on a J9910 board. Adams showed Q9 while his opponent needed a jack to claim the pot outright with his QJ. The river was the 10 and Adams made a full house.  This pot gave him another addition to his massive stack. Adams is one of the day 1a chip leaders with 152,000.

(Gobb)O! The Humanity!

Jimmy “Gobboboy” Fricke went to a flop heads-up in position. On a flop of K95, Fricke bet 3,000 after being checked to. The 10 slowed down the action, as both players checked. The river was the 3 and Fricke’s opponent immediately looked to his stack before betting 7,500. “Ace-jack of spades?” asked Fricke. He shuffled his chips a bit before looking his opponent up. He was not too happy to see 99. “You re-raise the flop, you get it all,” piped Fricke, “Every cent.” After the hand, Fricke was down to 21,000.

Gray twins can't stay apart

After a player in early position player raised to 1,100, Craig Gray reraised to 3,300 from the button. The blinds and the raiser folded, and Gray took down the pot. He now has 26,000 chips. Meanwhile, his brother Jason Gray was moved from the orange section to the blue, and is now seated at the table right behind Craig. He currently has about 28,000 chips.

Maya Antonius drops some chip to four-flush

On a board of Q6329, Maya Antonius checked and then her opponent checked behind. Her opponent flipped over pocket jacks with the J and took the pot of roughly 6,000. After the hand Antonius had roughly 35,000 chips.

Player Tags: Craig Gray,   Jason Gray,   Brandon Adams,   Jimmy Fricke,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2a Concludes

Jul 08, '08

Day 2a has officially come to a close with 469 players advancing to play day 3 on Thursday. The survivors from days 1c and 1d will take their seats at noon today to play Day 2b.

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

Players Left: 469

Chip Leaders:
Brian Schaedlich: 760,000
Jeremiah Smith; 416,000
Hunter Frey: 400,000
Ron Adams: 365,000
Brandon Adams: 340,000
David Rheem: 340,000
Farhad Sinaei: 312,000
Patrick Fortin: 298,000
Kellen Hunter: 282,000
Markus Golser: 280,000

Eliminations: Haralabos Voulgaris, Julian Gardner, Jordan Morgan, Victoria Coren, Joe Beevers

Big Hands:

Big-Stacked Crain Takes Huge Hit

Eric Crain was sitting comfortably toward the top of the leaderboard with 350,000 in chips when a raise-fest led to him putting in more than 100,000 to call Eric Bremond's all in. Crain's AK was in bad shape against Bremond's AA. The flop left Crain dead to running cards - coming out JJ9. The 8 turn left Crain drawing dead and the J fell on the river to give Bremond a full house and the pot. After the double up, Bremond (220,000) was nearly even in chips with Crain (225,000).

Seidel Picks Up Jacks, Doubles

Erik Seidel moved all in before the flop and was called by his opponent in seat 6. Seidel turned over JJ while his opponent showed AJ. The board ran KK3K7, giving Seidel the pot to double up to around 80,000.

A Turn For The Worse

With the board showing J7A5, the player in seat 3 fired a medium sized bet into the pot. Brandon Adams came over the top for 30,000 total. Seat 3 announced he was all in and Adams instantly called. Seat 3 showed 55 for a set on the turn and thought he was ahead. It took him a while to see that Adams had flipped over 77 for a better set on the flop. The river was the 6 and seat 3 was eliminated. Adams collected the huge pot and saw his chip count soar to 340,000 - good enough to crack the top 10.

Rousso Loves Cowboys

The player in seat 3 raised 3,600 preflop from middle position. Action folded to Vanessa Rousso in the big blind, who made the call. The flop came KK4 and both players checked. The 8 came on the turn and both players checked again. The passive play ended on the river as the A fell and Rousso fired 5,000. Seat 3 reached for his orange 5,000 chip and announced A-J just as he threw the chip into the middle. Rousso turned over K6 for trip kings on the flop. She raked the pot and climbed to 73,000.

Steve Zolotow Doubles Again

The player in seat 6 raised preflop and Steve Zolotow moved all in for roughly 25,000 more. After a moment of thought, seat 6 made the call. Zolotow showed 1010 and seat 6 showed AQ. The board came KJ3K5 and Zolotow doubled to 50,000.
On the turn, Zolotow told the dealer, "Pleaes, no trips," as he snagged the "lucky iPod" from Erik Seidel. After the hand he returned to Seidel and said that he might invest in one of those iPods.

Reslock Doubles

On a flop of 1053 Chris Reslock got all in against one player. His opponent showed Q10 for top pair but Reslock had A10 for top pair with a better kicker. The turn and river were the 8 and the 3 adn Reslock doubled to over 50,000.

Leonidas Runs Into Big Slick

Toto Leonidas raised from the button to 4,200. The player in the big blind called and checked the flop of AJ2. Leonidas bet 5,000 and the big blind called. The 4 fell on the turn and the big blind led out with a bet of 10,000. Leonidas called and the river brought the 8. The big blind fired 10,000 again and Leonidas again called. Seat 9 showed AK and Leonidas mucked, dropping to 74,000 in chips.

This Is How Corkins Plays The Flush Draw

Hoyt Corkins limped under the gun and Mark Vos limped as well. The cutoff, the button and the blinds also jumped in. The flop came 1033. The small blind let out with a bet of 3,300 and only Corkins made the call. The turn was the 6 and the small blind bet out 4,500. Corkins again called and the river brought the 7. The small blind slowed down and checked. Corkins fired out 10,000 and the small blind made the call. Corkins showed 86 for the flush and the small blind mucked his hand. Corkins had 107,000 after the hand.

Boeken Fills Up On River

The player on the button raised to 3,000 and Noah Boeken called from the small blind. The flop came 986 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and again both players checked. The river was the 7 and both players checked again. Boeken showed 77 for a full house and raked the pot. He had 56,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Toto Leonidas,   Steve Zolotow,   Noah Boeken,   Chris Reslock,   Vanessa Rousso,   Eric Crain,   Brandon Adams,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Smith Shoots Ahead of Competition

Jul 08, '08

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

Players Left: 513

Chip Leaders:

Brian Schaedlich: 480,000
Jeremiah Smith: 412,000
Hunter Frey: 400,000
Eric Crain: 353,000
Ron Adams: 345,000
David Rheem: 340,000
Sinai Farhad: 312,000
Patrick Fortin: 290,000
Kellen Hunter: 282,000
Markus Golser: 270,000

Eliminations: John Hennigan, Ray Romano

Big Hands:

Adams KOs Opponent, Climbs

Brandon Adams called an opponent's all in bet preflop and turned over JJ. His opponent showed 33. The flop came J72, giving Adams top set and leaving his opponent dead to running threes. The turn was the A, sealing the victory for Adams, and the meaningless 8 fell on the river. Adams climbed to 208,000 after the hand.

Smith Running Hot, Cracks Kings with 7-5

On a flop of 986 Walter Hall moved all in for his last 80,000. Jeremiah Smith made the call. Hall turned over pocket kings for the overpair, while Smith showed 7-5 for the flopped nut straight. The turn and river brought the 3 and the 9, bringing no help for Hall and he was eliminated. Smith has dominated his table all day while climbing to 400,000 in chips - good enough for second on the leaderboard.

Zolotow Doubles

An increasingly short-stacked Steve Zolotow moved his last 14,400 all in preflop and got one caller. Zolotow showed 88 and was in a race against his opponent's AQ. The board ran 109797 and Zolotow doubled to more than 30,000.

Seidel Knocks Out Another One

Erik Seidel raised from the button, only to have a shortstack push all in. Seidel made the call and showed KQ. The all in player showed 66. The flop made the all in player cry out, "Nooo!" coming KJ3 to give Seidel top pair. The 5 and 9 completed the board and Seidel eliminated the player. Seidel currently sits with 145,000.

Battle of the Blinds

Action folded to the small blind in seat 1, who raised to 3,600. Hoyt Corkins called from the big blind and the flop came 643. The small blind checked and Corkins fired 4,000 into the pot. The small blind check-raised to 15,000 total. Corkins thought for a second then mucked his hand. Corkins barely felt the hit to his stack, and still had around 180,000 after the hand.

Habib Bets Out Opponent On River

Hasan Habib checked to the player in seat 9 on a flop of A63. Seat 9 bet 4,500 and Habib called after a brief pause. Both players checked the 3 on the turn, but when the Q hit on the river Habib fired 10,000 and his opponent folded. Habib has played patiently to climb to 126,000.

Turner Plays It Slow, Takes Pot

In a limped 3-way pot, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner called the player in the big blind's bet of 3,000 on a flop. The small blind folded and Turner was heads up with the big blind when the 3 fell on the turn. Both players checked and when the big blind checked the 9 river Turner said he thought he was probably good but elected to check as well. He flipped over KQ for top pair and his opponent shook his head as he mucked. Turner had around 90,000 after the hand.

Gould Eliminated - Kings Vs. Aces

Peter Gould was eliminated when his pocket kings ran into pocket aces before the flop. Gould failed to improve and saw his tournament come to an end late in the day.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Steve Zolotow,   Jon Turner,   Brandon Adams,   Peter Gould,   Jeremiah Smith,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Liebert Out

Jul 08, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 612

Chip Leaders:

Brian Schaedlich: 500,000
Hunter Frey: 378,000
David Rheem: 367,000
Jeremiah Smith: 246,000
Robert Mizrachi: 242,000
Jason Risenberg: 242,000
Keith Hawkins: 240,000
Patrick Fortin: 235,000
Sinai Farhad: 235,000
Jeff Bryan: 231,000

Eliminations: Kathy Liebert, Shaun Deeb, Erick Lindgren

Big Hands:

Beware of the Smith and Wesson

Despite being seated at the same table with two world-class pros in Barry Greenstein and Stefan Mattsson, at the moment Jeremiah Smith seems to have complete control of his table.

Jeremiah Smith raised to 2,500 before the flop and the player in seat 8 made the call. The flop came 1053, and Smith let out with 3,000. Seat 8 called and the turn was the 2. Both players checked and the river was the 7. Once again both players checked and Smith turned over AQ for the queen-high flush. Smith raked the pot, breaking the 200,000 chip mark this hand.

The very next hand and Jeremiah Smith opened the pot with a raise to 2,500 from middle position and Stefan Mattsson defended his big blind with a call. The flop came 995, and Mattsson checked to smith who bet 3,000. Mattsson folded and Smith raked another pot.

The next hand after that, the player from under the gun limped into the pot for 1,000 followed by Jeremiah Smith from early position and seat 8 from middle position. Walter Hall raised to 7,000 from late position and the action folded around back to Smith who made the call. The flop came 1062, and Smith checked to Hall who bet 6,000. Smith raised (check-raise) to 16,000 and Hall made the call. The turn was the 6 and Smith led out first, sliding a stack of orange chips (85,000) into the pot. Hall tanked for about four or five minutes, counting and recounting his stack until he finally mucked pocket jacks face-up. Smith raked his third consectutive pot, letting his table know who's boss as he brought his chip count up to 230,000 after the hand.

A Gorgeous Flop for Gazes

Bill Gazes and the player in seat 7 saw a flop of QJ2. Gazes checked and seat 7 fired 10,000 into the pot. Gazes smooth called and the turn came with the 5. Seat 7 moved all in after Gazes checked. Gazes made the call and turned over 65 for a flopped diamond flush. Seat 7 showed AQ and was drawing dead when the J fell on the river. Gazes doubled up to 50,000.

Adams Forced Out

With four players in the hand, a flop of J106 hit the felt. Brandon Adams fired 4,000 into the pot. The players in seat 7 and seat 8 got out of the way, but the player in seat 1 stuck around as he made the call. The turn was the 8 and seat 1 checked to Adams. Adams fired another shot, this one for 10,000. Seat 1 moved into action as he raised 25,000 more. Adams went into the tank for several minutes before mucking his hand. He was around 196,000 after surrendering the pot.

Poker Kat Scratched, Then Put Down

Kathy Liebert was in the big blind and the player in seat 2 was in the small blind as the two players saw a flop of J42. Liebert fired out a bet and was called by seat 2. The turn was the 3 and Liebert bet 6,000. Seat 2 made the call and the river was the 9. Seat 2 led out this time, betting 13,000 into the pot. Liebert studied her opponent, looking at his stack and then at him directly. After much thought, she laid down her hand and was down to about 40,000.

Later, Liebert moved all in for her final 11,100 on a board showing QQ2JA. Her opponent wasted little time calling, showing K10 for a broadway straight on the river. Liebert showed Q10 for a set of queens on the flop and she made her way toward the exit.

Boatman Loses One

Barny Boatman raised to 2,500 from late position and two players called. The flop came 932 and Boatman fired 3,500 after the action was checked to him. One player folded but the player in seat 6 hung around and the turn was the A. Both players checked and the 10 fell on the river. Boatman checked and seat 6 took control of the hand, firing 7,000. Boatman mucked his hand and he was down to around 60,000.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Barry Greenstein,   Bill Gazes,   Brandon Adams,   Jeremiah Smith,   Stefan Mattsson,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 8 (Hr. 1)

Jul 08, '08

Blinds: 400/800 with 100 ante

Chip Leaders:

Big Hands/Storylines

Strange Ride For Dicken

Things were going well for Darrell Dicken when his pocket kings held up against pocket jacks for a 25,000 pot, but after losing nearly all of his chips in subsequent hands, Dicken had to get his chips into the middle with a far more marginal hand. Risking his remaining 3,000, he found his A8 up against 1010 and doubled up when the board came A8725. Dicken currently has 9,000 chips.

Brandon Adams Staying Aggressive

An under-the-gun raiser made it 2,300 and Adams made it 8,800. The initial raiser called and the two saw a flop. The dealer laid out Q73 and it was checked to Adams who flicked out 14,000 in chips. His opponent thought better about mixing it up and laid down his hand. Though Adams has maintained an aggressive style of play throughout the day, his chipstack has not reaped any benefits. He is currently at 145,000 after starting the day at 175,000.

Rousso Making Her Presence Known

An early position player raised to 2,400 and was quickly called by Vanessa Rousso. The small blind also called and the three saw a flop. The flop was 1074 and the small blind checked. The raiser bet out 6,000. Rousso asked to see the bettor’s chips and after a bit of thought, pushed 50,000 into the pot, effectively setting both of the other players all-in. The small blind folded quickly and the big blind, after some thought of his own, laid down the hand. Rousso is now up to 80,000.

Hennigan Back in Thick of Things

John Hennigan had been hovering around the 50,000 mark most of the day, but he made a major score just after play resumed in level 8. Hennigan and an opponent raised each other preflop, then saw the board come 10-7-6. Hennigan was then all-in for 38,100 more, which his opponent called. Hennigan held KK while the other player tabled QQ. The turn brought the 3 and the A was the river, taking Hennigan over the 100,000 mark while his opponent was down to 3200. Hennigan then busted him on the next hand, his KJ dominating his opponent’s K9. Hennigan flopped a jack to finish the elimination.

Lindgren Spinning his Wheels

Erick Lindgren, once just above 100,000, was back down to 70,000, near where he started the day. He recently tried to look up Brandon Adams from the big blind, after Adams – one of the chip leaders – raised to 2800 preflop. Lindgren called, but after a flop of QJ8, he checked and then folded in the face of a 4500 bet. A few hands later, Lindgren was down to just 25,000 in chips.

Vos Adds to Total

Mark Vos and the player to his immediate right are easily the dominant chip stacks at their table. They’ve butted heads a few times, most recently when the first player raised to 2500 and Vos called. The flop came A53, and Vos would call another 2500 bet. The J was the turn card, and the same pattern was repeated. The 4 came on the river, and now his opponent stepped out for a 6000 bet. Vos then put in a raise to 26,000. It was enough to push his opponent off his hand.

Hachem Busts Karam

Marc Karam raised from the cut-off preflop and Tony Hachem put in a reraise from the button that cost Karam 4800 more. He called and the flop came 643. Karam them moved all-in for his remaining 30,000, and Hachem called. Karam was open-ended with the 85 while Hachem held QQ. The turn was the 10 and the river the 10, which sent Karam to the rail.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   John Hennigan,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 7 (Hour 2)

Jul 08, '08

Players are being given a 40-minute break at the end of this level as tournament officials begin the race-off to eliminate the green 25 chips from all tournament tables.

Blinds: 300-600, 75 ante

Chip Leaders:
Hunter Frey - 241,600
Jeremiah Smith - 230,000
Brian Schaedlich - 230,000
Robert Mizrachi - 204,000
Kellen Hunter - 204,000
Hornet Stephanie - 200,000
Michael Johnson - 198,000
Wayne Brown - 170,000
Hasan Habib - 165,000
Mark Vos - 160,000

Other Notables:
Brandon Adams – 150,000
Voitto Rintala – 117,000
Craig Marquis – 111,000
Alexander Kravchenko – 103,000
Maya Antonius – 86,000
Patrik Antonius – 85,000
Julian Gardner – 84,000
Erick Lindgren – 78,000
Toto Leonidas – 71,000
Kathy Liebert – 70,000
Shaun Deeb – 61,000
Barny Boatman – 60,000
Thor Hansen – 57,000
Nick Schulman – 46,000
John Hennigan – 46,000
Jon Turner – 42,000
Tom Franklin – 41,000
Vince Van Patten – 36,000
Bill Gazes – 33,000
Ted Lawson – 21,000
Vicky Coren – 21,000
Jeff Williams – 18,000
Michael Guzzardi – 14,000

Eliminations:
David Grey
Greg Mueller
Robert Varkonyi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Everybody Loves Trite Headlines

For the second time in the 2008 WSOP main event, television/movie actor Ray Romano has drawn a seat at table 1 in the orange section of the Amazon room. It is good news for the fans, as that table is up against the ropes. They are also getting a good look at the actor, as he is down to just 9,000 in chips.

Jeff Williams Doubles Up

From middle position, Jeff Williams moved all-in for his final 8,800. After the dealer had counted down his stack, the player seated two seats to Williams’ left made the call. The two showed their hands:

Williams: AK
Opponent: 1010

Williams took the lead on a AJ9 flop and it would hold up through the J turn and 6 river. The double up takes the former EPT Grand Final champion up to 19,000.

No Showdown Needed For Liebert

Action folded around to the player on the button who raised to 1,700. Kathy Liebert, in the small blind, raised it up to 4,900. The big blind folded and the woman on the button made the call with 12,000 behind. The flop came down QQ4 and Liebert led out for 5,000. Her opponent, after a bit of thought, made the call. On the 8 turn, Liebert threw out a pair of orange T5,000 chips, effectively setting the button all-in. The button quickly folded, leaving herself 7,000, and Liebert picked up the pot. That hand brings Liebert up to about 60,000.

Lindgren Loving Life’s Little Lifts

A player in middle position raised to 1,600 and the player to his immediate left made the call. The action folded to Erick Lindgren on the button, who made the call. The big blind called as well, and the four players saw a flop of 532. The big blind checked, as did the original aggressor. The player to his left made a bet of 4,200 and Lindgren paused for a moment before raising to a total of 14,000. All players folded and Lindgren took down the pot, bringing his stack to over 80,000 in chips.

Lindgren Can’t Pull Trigger

A few hands later, Lindgren faced a huge decision. There was an early position raiser to 2100, and Lindgren made the call immediately behind him. The next player also called, then play was folded to Brandon Adams in the big blind. Adams, one of the tournament chip leaders, grabbed his stack of orange 5000 chips and sent them to the center of the table. The original raiser thought for about a minute, then folded. Lindgren, who had just recently been moved to the table, asked for a count, and was told the bill came to 105,000. Lindgren tanked, seemingly on the verge of making a huge call. He had about 120,000 in front of him, and eventually even asked his masseuse to hold off. Lindgren eventually made the reluctant lay down, and appeared visibly disturbed when, after the next player called for his remaining 16,000 in chips, Adams showed the A9. He was up against 76, and took a minor hit to his stack when the board ran out 107263.

Rob Melnyk Out-Flushes Opponent, Improves Stack

A player in the cut-off raised to 1,800 and the player on the button called. Rob Melnyk called from the small blind, as did the player in the big blind. The flop came 1076, and the action checked to the cut-off who made a bet of 2,500. The button folded, and Melnyk made the call. After the big blind folded, the dealer put out the 8 on the turn. Melnyk checked, giving his opponent the opportunity to fire a bet of 8,000 into the pot. Melnyk made the call and the 3 fell on the river. Before Melnyk had the opportunity to act, his opponent fired a bet of 12,000. The dealer told Melnyk he would have an option, and Melnyk elected to check. His opponent’s 12,000 bet stayed in the pot, and Melnyk went into the tank. “I just call,” Melnyk announced and turned over KJ for a king-high flush. His opponent nodded and turned over 109 for a ten-high flush. The dealer pushed the pot to Melnyk, who finished the hand with 88,000 in chips.

Mueller Eliminated

Greg Mueller was eliminated when his flopped set of queens was run down by a straight on the river.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Erick Lindgren,   Brandon Adams,   Jeff Williams

$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 3 Over

Jul 10, '08

Day 3 has come to an end. Players broke the money bubble late in level 4 and the bustout bonanza began soon afterward. There are 474 players returning for Day 4. Jeremiah Smith was the big story in Day 3 as he was the first to break the 1 million mark and led for most of the day. He lost the chip lead late in the day to Jeremy Joseph, but only 150,000 seperates them. Tune in Friday for all the live updates from Day 4 of the 2008 WSOP main event.

Notables still in the field include:

Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan, Jeff Madsen, Gus Hansen, Hoyt Corkins, Victor Ramdin, Hevad Khan, Alexander Kostritsyn, Allen Cunningham, Robert Mizrachi, Mark Vos, Chip Jett, Markus Golser, Jean-Robert Bellande, Evelyn Ng, Matt Matros, Tommy Le, Hasan Habib, Shawn Sheikhan, Dag Martin Mikkelson and Jon Friedberg.

Online stars still alive include:

Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, David Benefield and Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen

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

Players Left: 474 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Jeremy Joseph: 1,450,000
Jeremiah Smith: 1,300,000
Owen Crowe: 1,000,000
Alexander Kostritsyn: 980,000
Dag Mikkelsen: 930,000
Mark Ketteringham: 915,000
Alan Jaffray: 870,000
Cristian Dragomir: 860,000
Sarkis Akopyan: 850,000
Robert Georato: 820,000

Average Stack: 279,347

Notable Eliminations:

483rd: Rolf Slotboom: $25,090
518th: Chau Giang: $25,090
618th: Brandon Adams: $21,230
625th: Vanessa Rousso: $21,230
651st: Men Nguyen: $21,230

Big Hands:

Adams Crippled, Then Busted

Brandon Adams raised to 12,000 from the cutoff and the big blind made the call. The flop came J108 and the big blind checked. Adams then fired 20,000 into the pot and the big blind check-raised all in to about 65,000. Adams made the call and turned over J5 for top pair. But his opponent showed J8 for two pair and the upper hand. The turn brought the 4 and Adams needed a 10 to, at best, chop the pot. But the river was the 9 and Adams was crippled, left with just 25,000 in chips.

A few hands later, Adams Pushed his last 24,000 all in from middle position. Action folded to the small blind, who pushed all in for 80,000 total to isolate. But the big blind didn't just throw away his hand. He tanked and eventually called, having both Adams and the small blind covered. The small blind showed A10, the big blind showed 77 and Adams was thrilled to show 88. "This is the best hand I could really hope for," he said. "Anyone fold an ace?" The didn't look good for Adams, running AK10 to give the small blind two pair. However, Adams had the 8 for a flush draw and had some more outs. But the board completed with the J and J and the small blind took the pot, sending Adams to the rail while doubling up through the big blind.

"No Foster's?"

Mark Vos has joined the table featuring tournament chipleader Jeremiah Smith and Jon "PearlJammer" Turner. The table has had some friendly conversation, including Smith asking Vos, "No Foster's? I heard it's Australian for beer." Vos gave a "pft" and rolled his eyes in response.

Turner Takes One With Overpair

Jon Turner simply called from the big blind when another player raised to 11,000 from late position. The flop came J92 and Turner checked to the raiser who bet 15,000. Turner made the call and check-called his opponent's bet of 35,000 when the 6s hit on the turn. Turner checked the 10d on the river and his opponent slowed down and quickly checked behind him. Turned flipped over QQ for a slow-played overpair and was thrilled to see his opponent's AJ. Turner took the pot, adding an additional 65,000 to his stack.

Markus Golser Takes a Hit

Markus Golser got his opponent all in with the board showing K1028 and showed down K10 for top two pair. However, his opponent showed AJ for the nut flush. Golser couldn not improve to a full house on the river and took a hit, dropping to 120,000 in chips.

One Man's Trash Is Gus Hansen's Treasure

On a board reading 9239, Gus Hansen moved all in and was called by his opponent in seat 2. Seat 2 turned over JJ for two pair, but Hansen showed down Q9 for a set on the turn. The river was the icing on the cake as the Q filled up Hansen. He doubled up to around 320,000 in chips.

"Wow, what a turn," Hansen said after the hand. "It was a piece of s%#& hand, but I was on tilt," Hansen added as the table moved on to the next hand.

Chan Takes a Small One, His Table Gets Tougher

After the player in seat 2 raised to 12,000, only Johnny Chan and the player on the button made the call. The fop came K98 and seat 2 checked to Chain who fired 30,500. Everyone folded and chan flashed A-K to seat 2 before raking in his chips.
Johnny Chan and Hoyt Corkins are now seated right beside each other after Corkins' table broke.

Hellmuth Makes His Money In These Situations

The player in seat 7 raised to 16,000 and Phil Hellmuth made the call. The player in seat 2 then popped it for 20,000 more and only Hellmuth made the call. The flop came J75 and Hellmuth made his patented check in the dark. Seat 2 almost immediately moved all in and Hellmuth went into character. The raise was 47,000 more and Hellmuth said, "This is how I make all my money," Hellmuth started. "By making great moves right here." He eventually folded his hand, but only after a million cameras showed up to the table. "Show it!" Hellmuth said to his opponent. He showed a queen and raked in the pot. Hellmuth was around 490,000.

Freerolling On Table 39

Over on Table 39 (Blue), two players were all before the flop, both with pocket jacks. One player held a pair of red jacks, the other held black jacks. The board came 962, giving one player a freeroll with the club flush draw. The turn was the 2, but the river was the 8, giving one player the flush and eliminating his opponent.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Gus Hansen,   Johnny Chan,   Jon Turner,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Level 5, Hour 2

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400, 50 ante

Day 1A Players Remaining: 657 of 1,297

Chip Counts:
Mark Garner - 205,000
Brandon Adams - 200,000
Kellen Hunter - 154,000
Patrick Fortin - 145,000
Stefan Mattsson - 139,000
Todd Rebello - 125,000
Bryan Colin - 119,000
Thang "Kido" Pham - 115,000
Craig Marquis – 80,000
Nick Schulman – 73,000
Barry Shulman - 53,000

Eliminations:
Luca Pagano
Erica Schoenberg
Berry Johnston
Steve Sung
Jon Little
Mekhi Pfifer

Big Hands and Storylines:

Stan Le’s Set Comes at a Marvelous Time

As the final level of the day was concluding, Stan Le managed to flop his first set of the day. On a flop of 954, Stan Le got all-in with 44 against two opponents. It was good news for Le as his opponents were holding 76 and K9. Though Le had to fade a number of outs, he was a 55% favorite to win the hand. The turn was the J and the river was the 4, giving Le quad fours and a stack of nearly 80,000.

Nick “The Takeover” Schulman Lives Up to His Name

On a board of 732, an early position player made a bet of 1,900 and the next player to act made it 4,000 to go.  Nick Schulman took his time before reraising an additional 11,000.  The original bettor folded, and the original raiser went into the tank.  After deliberating, he moved all in for slightly more than Schulman’s bet.  Schulman beat his opponent into the pot and eagerly flipped over 33 for a set of treys.  “Oh my God,” Schulman responded after seeing his opponent turn over 54.  Schulman had nine clubs and three sixes to dodge in order to have his set hold up, but the 2 on the turn paired the board giving Schulman a full house.  With that card, his opponent’s outs were reduced to the lone 6 for a seven-high straight flush.  The 4 on the river was a miss, and Schulman eliminated another opponent.  He finished the hand with over 65,000 in chips.

Barry Shulman Puts His Opponent to the Test

On a board of 8642, Barry Shulman faced a bet from his opponent and raised enough to put his opponent all in.  The player folded and Shulman dragged the pot, boosting his stack to 73,000.
 

Adams's table can't wait for day to end

Brandon Adams, who has around 200,000 chips and is among the chip leaders if not the chip leader, has dominated his table so thoroughly they are comparing the day to the movie Groundhog Day and an episode from The Twilight Zone. In two consecutive hands he made preflop reraises against the same player. The first time he won the hand preflop and the second time he took down the pot with a continuation bet on an A-6-5 flop.

Craig Marquis Clicks It Back Against Mekhi Phifer

Craig Marquis raised it pre-flop from late position and got a single caller in Mekhi Phifer. The flop came J107 and Marquis led into Phifer for 2,200. The ER star raised small, making it 3,100 more. Marquis clicked it back, making it an additional 3,100 for Phifer, who called the bet. The turn was the 9 and Marquis checked. Phifer bet 6,000 and Marquis called. The river was the 5 and Marquis checked again. Phifer continued his aggression and made a bet of 8,000. Marquis called with confidence and showed 1010, which was good enough to take down the 50k pot.

The hand takes Marquis up to 88,000 and drops Phifer to 15,000 only a half hour before the end of day 1a.

Vince Van Patten Pushes All In Against Jared Okun

On a board of 6653, a player moved all in for 10,050 and Jared Okun made the call. The remaining contestant of the pot, Vince Van Patten, verified the amount of the bet with the dealer and made the call. The river brought the Q, and Okun made a bet of 17,000 into the side pot. Van Patten took off his sunglasses, counted out the 17,000 from his remaining stack and sat pensively. After a few moments of deliberation, Van Patten dramatically announced that he was all in for an additional 23,000. The media arrived in a frenzy, with cameras pointed at all involved players. Okun eventually released his hand, and the side pot was pushed to Van Patten. The dealer asked both Van Patten and his all in opponent to show hands for the main pot, and Van Patten turned over 65 for a flopped full house. His opponent flipped over a higher full house with QQ, prompting an outburst from Van Patten at his opponent’s lucky river card. After taking some time to stack his chips, Van Patten was left with around 41,000 after the hand.

John Hennigan Folds Under Pressure

Johnny “World” Hennigan raised to 1,200 from the hijack seat and faced calls from the players in both the cut-off and the small blind. When the action got to the player in the big blind, he paused to contemplate his situation before reraising an additional 4,600. Hennigan folded, as did the other players. Hennigan was left with around 27,000 after the hand

It's a Shorr Thing

Shannon Shorr made a gutsy play with a bit of a shortstack, and it had pay off. In the small blind, Shorr saw two other limpers join the pot for 400. He called and the big blind checked, and the flop came Q85. Shorr and two others checked before the final player, in seat 5, put out a bet of 1700. Shorr called, the others folded, and play was heads-up. The turn brought the K, and after Shorr checked, seat 6 bet 3,500. Shorr, who began the hand with just 21,000 in chips, again made the call. The river brought the 3 to bring a flush into play, and both players checked. Shorr showed 98, and that was enough to take down the pot.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr,   Jared Okun,   Mekhi Phifer,   Craig Marquis

$10,000 Main Event - Level 5

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400, 25 ante

Players remaining: 711 of 1,297

Eliminations:
Jack Haley

Big Hands and Storylines:

Mark Garner Amassing a Big Stack

Mark Garner raised to 1,600 in late position and action folded around to Ted Lawson in the blinds. Lawson raised to 4,000 and Garner made the call. Lawson bet 8,000 on the Q62 flop and Garner made a cautious call. The flop – 4 – put four clubs on the board. Lawson checked over to Garner who wasted little time in betting 16,000. Lawson went into the tank, waiting five minutes before folding his AA face up. Garner, in a sporting gesture, showed his A9. Lawson’s reaction to the hand: “You are so lucky! Jesus!”

Lawson is down to 50,000 on the hand and Garner, lucky or not, now has an impressive 148,000.

Krazy Eyez Killa

Brandon Adams and an opponent got all in on a J9910 board. Adams showed Q9 while his opponent needed a jack to claim the pot outright with his QJ. The river was the 10 and Adams made a full house.  This pot gave him another addition to his massive stack. Adams is one of the day 1a chip leaders with 152,000.

(Gobb)O! The Humanity!

Jimmy “Gobboboy” Fricke went to a flop heads-up in position. On a flop of K95, Fricke bet 3,000 after being checked to. The 10 slowed down the action, as both players checked. The river was the 3 and Fricke’s opponent immediately looked to his stack before betting 7,500. “Ace-jack of spades?” asked Fricke. He shuffled his chips a bit before looking his opponent up. He was not too happy to see 99. “You re-raise the flop, you get it all,” piped Fricke, “Every cent.” After the hand, Fricke was down to 21,000.

Gray twins can't stay apart

After a player in early position player raised to 1,100, Craig Gray reraised to 3,300 from the button. The blinds and the raiser folded, and Gray took down the pot. He now has 26,000 chips. Meanwhile, his brother Jason Gray was moved from the orange section to the blue, and is now seated at the table right behind Craig. He currently has about 28,000 chips.

Maya Antonius drops some chip to four-flush

On a board of Q6329, Maya Antonius checked and then her opponent checked behind. Her opponent flipped over pocket jacks with the J and took the pot of roughly 6,000. After the hand Antonius had roughly 35,000 chips.

Player Tags: Craig Gray,   Jason Gray,   Brandon Adams,   Jimmy Fricke,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2a Concludes

Jul 08, '08

Day 2a has officially come to a close with 469 players advancing to play day 3 on Thursday. The survivors from days 1c and 1d will take their seats at noon today to play Day 2b.

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

Players Left: 469

Chip Leaders:
Brian Schaedlich: 760,000
Jeremiah Smith; 416,000
Hunter Frey: 400,000
Ron Adams: 365,000
Brandon Adams: 340,000
David Rheem: 340,000
Farhad Sinaei: 312,000
Patrick Fortin: 298,000
Kellen Hunter: 282,000
Markus Golser: 280,000

Eliminations: Haralabos Voulgaris, Julian Gardner, Jordan Morgan, Victoria Coren, Joe Beevers

Big Hands:

Big-Stacked Crain Takes Huge Hit

Eric Crain was sitting comfortably toward the top of the leaderboard with 350,000 in chips when a raise-fest led to him putting in more than 100,000 to call Eric Bremond's all in. Crain's AK was in bad shape against Bremond's AA. The flop left Crain dead to running cards - coming out JJ9. The 8 turn left Crain drawing dead and the J fell on the river to give Bremond a full house and the pot. After the double up, Bremond (220,000) was nearly even in chips with Crain (225,000).

Seidel Picks Up Jacks, Doubles

Erik Seidel moved all in before the flop and was called by his opponent in seat 6. Seidel turned over JJ while his opponent showed AJ. The board ran KK3K7, giving Seidel the pot to double up to around 80,000.

A Turn For The Worse

With the board showing J7A5, the player in seat 3 fired a medium sized bet into the pot. Brandon Adams came over the top for 30,000 total. Seat 3 announced he was all in and Adams instantly called. Seat 3 showed 55 for a set on the turn and thought he was ahead. It took him a while to see that Adams had flipped over 77 for a better set on the flop. The river was the 6 and seat 3 was eliminated. Adams collected the huge pot and saw his chip count soar to 340,000 - good enough to crack the top 10.

Rousso Loves Cowboys

The player in seat 3 raised 3,600 preflop from middle position. Action folded to Vanessa Rousso in the big blind, who made the call. The flop came KK4 and both players checked. The 8 came on the turn and both players checked again. The passive play ended on the river as the A fell and Rousso fired 5,000. Seat 3 reached for his orange 5,000 chip and announced A-J just as he threw the chip into the middle. Rousso turned over K6 for trip kings on the flop. She raked the pot and climbed to 73,000.

Steve Zolotow Doubles Again

The player in seat 6 raised preflop and Steve Zolotow moved all in for roughly 25,000 more. After a moment of thought, seat 6 made the call. Zolotow showed 1010 and seat 6 showed AQ. The board came KJ3K5 and Zolotow doubled to 50,000.
On the turn, Zolotow told the dealer, "Pleaes, no trips," as he snagged the "lucky iPod" from Erik Seidel. After the hand he returned to Seidel and said that he might invest in one of those iPods.

Reslock Doubles

On a flop of 1053 Chris Reslock got all in against one player. His opponent showed Q10 for top pair but Reslock had A10 for top pair with a better kicker. The turn and river were the 8 and the 3 adn Reslock doubled to over 50,000.

Leonidas Runs Into Big Slick

Toto Leonidas raised from the button to 4,200. The player in the big blind called and checked the flop of AJ2. Leonidas bet 5,000 and the big blind called. The 4 fell on the turn and the big blind led out with a bet of 10,000. Leonidas called and the river brought the 8. The big blind fired 10,000 again and Leonidas again called. Seat 9 showed AK and Leonidas mucked, dropping to 74,000 in chips.

This Is How Corkins Plays The Flush Draw

Hoyt Corkins limped under the gun and Mark Vos limped as well. The cutoff, the button and the blinds also jumped in. The flop came 1033. The small blind let out with a bet of 3,300 and only Corkins made the call. The turn was the 6 and the small blind bet out 4,500. Corkins again called and the river brought the 7. The small blind slowed down and checked. Corkins fired out 10,000 and the small blind made the call. Corkins showed 86 for the flush and the small blind mucked his hand. Corkins had 107,000 after the hand.

Boeken Fills Up On River

The player on the button raised to 3,000 and Noah Boeken called from the small blind. The flop came 986 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and again both players checked. The river was the 7 and both players checked again. Boeken showed 77 for a full house and raked the pot. He had 56,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Toto Leonidas,   Steve Zolotow,   Noah Boeken,   Chris Reslock,   Vanessa Rousso,   Eric Crain,   Brandon Adams,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Smith Shoots Ahead of Competition

Jul 08, '08

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

Players Left: 513

Chip Leaders:

Brian Schaedlich: 480,000
Jeremiah Smith: 412,000
Hunter Frey: 400,000
Eric Crain: 353,000
Ron Adams: 345,000
David Rheem: 340,000
Sinai Farhad: 312,000
Patrick Fortin: 290,000
Kellen Hunter: 282,000
Markus Golser: 270,000

Eliminations: John Hennigan, Ray Romano

Big Hands:

Adams KOs Opponent, Climbs

Brandon Adams called an opponent's all in bet preflop and turned over JJ. His opponent showed 33. The flop came J72, giving Adams top set and leaving his opponent dead to running threes. The turn was the A, sealing the victory for Adams, and the meaningless 8 fell on the river. Adams climbed to 208,000 after the hand.

Smith Running Hot, Cracks Kings with 7-5

On a flop of 986 Walter Hall moved all in for his last 80,000. Jeremiah Smith made the call. Hall turned over pocket kings for the overpair, while Smith showed 7-5 for the flopped nut straight. The turn and river brought the 3 and the 9, bringing no help for Hall and he was eliminated. Smith has dominated his table all day while climbing to 400,000 in chips - good enough for second on the leaderboard.

Zolotow Doubles

An increasingly short-stacked Steve Zolotow moved his last 14,400 all in preflop and got one caller. Zolotow showed 88 and was in a race against his opponent's AQ. The board ran 109797 and Zolotow doubled to more than 30,000.

Seidel Knocks Out Another One

Erik Seidel raised from the button, only to have a shortstack push all in. Seidel made the call and showed KQ. The all in player showed 66. The flop made the all in player cry out, "Nooo!" coming KJ3 to give Seidel top pair. The 5 and 9 completed the board and Seidel eliminated the player. Seidel currently sits with 145,000.

Battle of the Blinds

Action folded to the small blind in seat 1, who raised to 3,600. Hoyt Corkins called from the big blind and the flop came 643. The small blind checked and Corkins fired 4,000 into the pot. The small blind check-raised to 15,000 total. Corkins thought for a second then mucked his hand. Corkins barely felt the hit to his stack, and still had around 180,000 after the hand.

Habib Bets Out Opponent On River

Hasan Habib checked to the player in seat 9 on a flop of A63. Seat 9 bet 4,500 and Habib called after a brief pause. Both players checked the 3 on the turn, but when the Q hit on the river Habib fired 10,000 and his opponent folded. Habib has played patiently to climb to 126,000.

Turner Plays It Slow, Takes Pot

In a limped 3-way pot, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner called the player in the big blind's bet of 3,000 on a flop. The small blind folded and Turner was heads up with the big blind when the 3 fell on the turn. Both players checked and when the big blind checked the 9 river Turner said he thought he was probably good but elected to check as well. He flipped over KQ for top pair and his opponent shook his head as he mucked. Turner had around 90,000 after the hand.

Gould Eliminated - Kings Vs. Aces

Peter Gould was eliminated when his pocket kings ran into pocket aces before the flop. Gould failed to improve and saw his tournament come to an end late in the day.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Steve Zolotow,   Jon Turner,   Brandon Adams,   Peter Gould,   Jeremiah Smith,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Liebert Out

Jul 08, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 612

Chip Leaders:

Brian Schaedlich: 500,000
Hunter Frey: 378,000
David Rheem: 367,000
Jeremiah Smith: 246,000
Robert Mizrachi: 242,000
Jason Risenberg: 242,000
Keith Hawkins: 240,000
Patrick Fortin: 235,000
Sinai Farhad: 235,000
Jeff Bryan: 231,000

Eliminations: Kathy Liebert, Shaun Deeb, Erick Lindgren

Big Hands:

Beware of the Smith and Wesson

Despite being seated at the same table with two world-class pros in Barry Greenstein and Stefan Mattsson, at the moment Jeremiah Smith seems to have complete control of his table.

Jeremiah Smith raised to 2,500 before the flop and the player in seat 8 made the call. The flop came 1053, and Smith let out with 3,000. Seat 8 called and the turn was the 2. Both players checked and the river was the 7. Once again both players checked and Smith turned over AQ for the queen-high flush. Smith raked the pot, breaking the 200,000 chip mark this hand.

The very next hand and Jeremiah Smith opened the pot with a raise to 2,500 from middle position and Stefan Mattsson defended his big blind with a call. The flop came 995, and Mattsson checked to smith who bet 3,000. Mattsson folded and Smith raked another pot.

The next hand after that, the player from under the gun limped into the pot for 1,000 followed by Jeremiah Smith from early position and seat 8 from middle position. Walter Hall raised to 7,000 from late position and the action folded around back to Smith who made the call. The flop came 1062, and Smith checked to Hall who bet 6,000. Smith raised (check-raise) to 16,000 and Hall made the call. The turn was the 6 and Smith led out first, sliding a stack of orange chips (85,000) into the pot. Hall tanked for about four or five minutes, counting and recounting his stack until he finally mucked pocket jacks face-up. Smith raked his third consectutive pot, letting his table know who's boss as he brought his chip count up to 230,000 after the hand.

A Gorgeous Flop for Gazes

Bill Gazes and the player in seat 7 saw a flop of QJ2. Gazes checked and seat 7 fired 10,000 into the pot. Gazes smooth called and the turn came with the 5. Seat 7 moved all in after Gazes checked. Gazes made the call and turned over 65 for a flopped diamond flush. Seat 7 showed AQ and was drawing dead when the J fell on the river. Gazes doubled up to 50,000.

Adams Forced Out

With four players in the hand, a flop of J106 hit the felt. Brandon Adams fired 4,000 into the pot. The players in seat 7 and seat 8 got out of the way, but the player in seat 1 stuck around as he made the call. The turn was the 8 and seat 1 checked to Adams. Adams fired another shot, this one for 10,000. Seat 1 moved into action as he raised 25,000 more. Adams went into the tank for several minutes before mucking his hand. He was around 196,000 after surrendering the pot.

Poker Kat Scratched, Then Put Down

Kathy Liebert was in the big blind and the player in seat 2 was in the small blind as the two players saw a flop of J42. Liebert fired out a bet and was called by seat 2. The turn was the 3 and Liebert bet 6,000. Seat 2 made the call and the river was the 9. Seat 2 led out this time, betting 13,000 into the pot. Liebert studied her opponent, looking at his stack and then at him directly. After much thought, she laid down her hand and was down to about 40,000.

Later, Liebert moved all in for her final 11,100 on a board showing QQ2JA. Her opponent wasted little time calling, showing K10 for a broadway straight on the river. Liebert showed Q10 for a set of queens on the flop and she made her way toward the exit.

Boatman Loses One

Barny Boatman raised to 2,500 from late position and two players called. The flop came 932 and Boatman fired 3,500 after the action was checked to him. One player folded but the player in seat 6 hung around and the turn was the A. Both players checked and the 10 fell on the river. Boatman checked and seat 6 took control of the hand, firing 7,000. Boatman mucked his hand and he was down to around 60,000.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Barry Greenstein,   Bill Gazes,   Brandon Adams,   Jeremiah Smith,   Stefan Mattsson,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 8 (Hr. 1)

Jul 08, '08

Blinds: 400/800 with 100 ante

Chip Leaders:

Big Hands/Storylines

Strange Ride For Dicken

Things were going well for Darrell Dicken when his pocket kings held up against pocket jacks for a 25,000 pot, but after losing nearly all of his chips in subsequent hands, Dicken had to get his chips into the middle with a far more marginal hand. Risking his remaining 3,000, he found his A8 up against 1010 and doubled up when the board came A8725. Dicken currently has 9,000 chips.

Brandon Adams Staying Aggressive

An under-the-gun raiser made it 2,300 and Adams made it 8,800. The initial raiser called and the two saw a flop. The dealer laid out Q73 and it was checked to Adams who flicked out 14,000 in chips. His opponent thought better about mixing it up and laid down his hand. Though Adams has maintained an aggressive style of play throughout the day, his chipstack has not reaped any benefits. He is currently at 145,000 after starting the day at 175,000.

Rousso Making Her Presence Known

An early position player raised to 2,400 and was quickly called by Vanessa Rousso. The small blind also called and the three saw a flop. The flop was 1074 and the small blind checked. The raiser bet out 6,000. Rousso asked to see the bettor’s chips and after a bit of thought, pushed 50,000 into the pot, effectively setting both of the other players all-in. The small blind folded quickly and the big blind, after some thought of his own, laid down the hand. Rousso is now up to 80,000.

Hennigan Back in Thick of Things

John Hennigan had been hovering around the 50,000 mark most of the day, but he made a major score just after play resumed in level 8. Hennigan and an opponent raised each other preflop, then saw the board come 10-7-6. Hennigan was then all-in for 38,100 more, which his opponent called. Hennigan held KK while the other player tabled QQ. The turn brought the 3 and the A was the river, taking Hennigan over the 100,000 mark while his opponent was down to 3200. Hennigan then busted him on the next hand, his KJ dominating his opponent’s K9. Hennigan flopped a jack to finish the elimination.

Lindgren Spinning his Wheels

Erick Lindgren, once just above 100,000, was back down to 70,000, near where he started the day. He recently tried to look up Brandon Adams from the big blind, after Adams – one of the chip leaders – raised to 2800 preflop. Lindgren called, but after a flop of QJ8, he checked and then folded in the face of a 4500 bet. A few hands later, Lindgren was down to just 25,000 in chips.

Vos Adds to Total

Mark Vos and the player to his immediate right are easily the dominant chip stacks at their table. They’ve butted heads a few times, most recently when the first player raised to 2500 and Vos called. The flop came A53, and Vos would call another 2500 bet. The J was the turn card, and the same pattern was repeated. The 4 came on the river, and now his opponent stepped out for a 6000 bet. Vos then put in a raise to 26,000. It was enough to push his opponent off his hand.

Hachem Busts Karam

Marc Karam raised from the cut-off preflop and Tony Hachem put in a reraise from the button that cost Karam 4800 more. He called and the flop came 643. Karam them moved all-in for his remaining 30,000, and Hachem called. Karam was open-ended with the 85 while Hachem held QQ. The turn was the 10 and the river the 10, which sent Karam to the rail.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   John Hennigan,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 7 (Hour 2)

Jul 08, '08

Players are being given a 40-minute break at the end of this level as tournament officials begin the race-off to eliminate the green 25 chips from all tournament tables.

Blinds: 300-600, 75 ante

Chip Leaders:
Hunter Frey - 241,600
Jeremiah Smith - 230,000
Brian Schaedlich - 230,000
Robert Mizrachi - 204,000
Kellen Hunter - 204,000
Hornet Stephanie - 200,000
Michael Johnson - 198,000
Wayne Brown - 170,000
Hasan Habib - 165,000
Mark Vos - 160,000

Other Notables:
Brandon Adams – 150,000
Voitto Rintala – 117,000
Craig Marquis – 111,000
Alexander Kravchenko – 103,000
Maya Antonius – 86,000
Patrik Antonius – 85,000
Julian Gardner – 84,000
Erick Lindgren – 78,000
Toto Leonidas – 71,000
Kathy Liebert – 70,000
Shaun Deeb – 61,000
Barny Boatman – 60,000
Thor Hansen – 57,000
Nick Schulman – 46,000
John Hennigan – 46,000
Jon Turner – 42,000
Tom Franklin – 41,000
Vince Van Patten – 36,000
Bill Gazes – 33,000
Ted Lawson – 21,000
Vicky Coren – 21,000
Jeff Williams – 18,000
Michael Guzzardi – 14,000

Eliminations:
David Grey
Greg Mueller
Robert Varkonyi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Everybody Loves Trite Headlines

For the second time in the 2008 WSOP main event, television/movie actor Ray Romano has drawn a seat at table 1 in the orange section of the Amazon room. It is good news for the fans, as that table is up against the ropes. They are also getting a good look at the actor, as he is down to just 9,000 in chips.

Jeff Williams Doubles Up

From middle position, Jeff Williams moved all-in for his final 8,800. After the dealer had counted down his stack, the player seated two seats to Williams’ left made the call. The two showed their hands:

Williams: AK
Opponent: 1010

Williams took the lead on a AJ9 flop and it would hold up through the J turn and 6 river. The double up takes the former EPT Grand Final champion up to 19,000.

No Showdown Needed For Liebert

Action folded around to the player on the button who raised to 1,700. Kathy Liebert, in the small blind, raised it up to 4,900. The big blind folded and the woman on the button made the call with 12,000 behind. The flop came down QQ4 and Liebert led out for 5,000. Her opponent, after a bit of thought, made the call. On the 8 turn, Liebert threw out a pair of orange T5,000 chips, effectively setting the button all-in. The button quickly folded, leaving herself 7,000, and Liebert picked up the pot. That hand brings Liebert up to about 60,000.

Lindgren Loving Life’s Little Lifts

A player in middle position raised to 1,600 and the player to his immediate left made the call. The action folded to Erick Lindgren on the button, who made the call. The big blind called as well, and the four players saw a flop of 532. The big blind checked, as did the original aggressor. The player to his left made a bet of 4,200 and Lindgren paused for a moment before raising to a total of 14,000. All players folded and Lindgren took down the pot, bringing his stack to over 80,000 in chips.

Lindgren Can’t Pull Trigger

A few hands later, Lindgren faced a huge decision. There was an early position raiser to 2100, and Lindgren made the call immediately behind him. The next player also called, then play was folded to Brandon Adams in the big blind. Adams, one of the tournament chip leaders, grabbed his stack of orange 5000 chips and sent them to the center of the table. The original raiser thought for about a minute, then folded. Lindgren, who had just recently been moved to the table, asked for a count, and was told the bill came to 105,000. Lindgren tanked, seemingly on the verge of making a huge call. He had about 120,000 in front of him, and eventually even asked his masseuse to hold off. Lindgren eventually made the reluctant lay down, and appeared visibly disturbed when, after the next player called for his remaining 16,000 in chips, Adams showed the A9. He was up against 76, and took a minor hit to his stack when the board ran out 107263.

Rob Melnyk Out-Flushes Opponent, Improves Stack

A player in the cut-off raised to 1,800 and the player on the button called. Rob Melnyk called from the small blind, as did the player in the big blind. The flop came 1076, and the action checked to the cut-off who made a bet of 2,500. The button folded, and Melnyk made the call. After the big blind folded, the dealer put out the 8 on the turn. Melnyk checked, giving his opponent the opportunity to fire a bet of 8,000 into the pot. Melnyk made the call and the 3 fell on the river. Before Melnyk had the opportunity to act, his opponent fired a bet of 12,000. The dealer told Melnyk he would have an option, and Melnyk elected to check. His opponent’s 12,000 bet stayed in the pot, and Melnyk went into the tank. “I just call,” Melnyk announced and turned over KJ for a king-high flush. His opponent nodded and turned over 109 for a ten-high flush. The dealer pushed the pot to Melnyk, who finished the hand with 88,000 in chips.

Mueller Eliminated

Greg Mueller was eliminated when his flopped set of queens was run down by a straight on the river.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Erick Lindgren,   Brandon Adams,   Jeff Williams

$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 3 Over

Jul 10, '08

Day 3 has come to an end. Players broke the money bubble late in level 4 and the bustout bonanza began soon afterward. There are 474 players returning for Day 4. Jeremiah Smith was the big story in Day 3 as he was the first to break the 1 million mark and led for most of the day. He lost the chip lead late in the day to Jeremy Joseph, but only 150,000 seperates them. Tune in Friday for all the live updates from Day 4 of the 2008 WSOP main event.

Notables still in the field include:

Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan, Jeff Madsen, Gus Hansen, Hoyt Corkins, Victor Ramdin, Hevad Khan, Alexander Kostritsyn, Allen Cunningham, Robert Mizrachi, Mark Vos, Chip Jett, Markus Golser, Jean-Robert Bellande, Evelyn Ng, Matt Matros, Tommy Le, Hasan Habib, Shawn Sheikhan, Dag Martin Mikkelson and Jon Friedberg.

Online stars still alive include:

Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, David Benefield and Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen

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

Players Left: 474 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Jeremy Joseph: 1,450,000
Jeremiah Smith: 1,300,000
Owen Crowe: 1,000,000
Alexander Kostritsyn: 980,000
Dag Mikkelsen: 930,000
Mark Ketteringham: 915,000
Alan Jaffray: 870,000
Cristian Dragomir: 860,000
Sarkis Akopyan: 850,000
Robert Georato: 820,000

Average Stack: 279,347

Notable Eliminations:

483rd: Rolf Slotboom: $25,090
518th: Chau Giang: $25,090
618th: Brandon Adams: $21,230
625th: Vanessa Rousso: $21,230
651st: Men Nguyen: $21,230

Big Hands:

Adams Crippled, Then Busted

Brandon Adams raised to 12,000 from the cutoff and the big blind made the call. The flop came J108 and the big blind checked. Adams then fired 20,000 into the pot and the big blind check-raised all in to about 65,000. Adams made the call and turned over J5 for top pair. But his opponent showed J8 for two pair and the upper hand. The turn brought the 4 and Adams needed a 10 to, at best, chop the pot. But the river was the 9 and Adams was crippled, left with just 25,000 in chips.

A few hands later, Adams Pushed his last 24,000 all in from middle position. Action folded to the small blind, who pushed all in for 80,000 total to isolate. But the big blind didn't just throw away his hand. He tanked and eventually called, having both Adams and the small blind covered. The small blind showed A10, the big blind showed 77 and Adams was thrilled to show 88. "This is the best hand I could really hope for," he said. "Anyone fold an ace?" The didn't look good for Adams, running AK10 to give the small blind two pair. However, Adams had the 8 for a flush draw and had some more outs. But the board completed with the J and J and the small blind took the pot, sending Adams to the rail while doubling up through the big blind.

"No Foster's?"

Mark Vos has joined the table featuring tournament chipleader Jeremiah Smith and Jon "PearlJammer" Turner. The table has had some friendly conversation, including Smith asking Vos, "No Foster's? I heard it's Australian for beer." Vos gave a "pft" and rolled his eyes in response.

Turner Takes One With Overpair

Jon Turner simply called from the big blind when another player raised to 11,000 from late position. The flop came J92 and Turner checked to the raiser who bet 15,000. Turner made the call and check-called his opponent's bet of 35,000 when the 6s hit on the turn. Turner checked the 10d on the river and his opponent slowed down and quickly checked behind him. Turned flipped over QQ for a slow-played overpair and was thrilled to see his opponent's AJ. Turner took the pot, adding an additional 65,000 to his stack.

Markus Golser Takes a Hit

Markus Golser got his opponent all in with the board showing K1028 and showed down K10 for top two pair. However, his opponent showed AJ for the nut flush. Golser couldn not improve to a full house on the river and took a hit, dropping to 120,000 in chips.

One Man's Trash Is Gus Hansen's Treasure

On a board reading 9239, Gus Hansen moved all in and was called by his opponent in seat 2. Seat 2 turned over JJ for two pair, but Hansen showed down Q9 for a set on the turn. The river was the icing on the cake as the Q filled up Hansen. He doubled up to around 320,000 in chips.

"Wow, what a turn," Hansen said after the hand. "It was a piece of s%#& hand, but I was on tilt," Hansen added as the table moved on to the next hand.

Chan Takes a Small One, His Table Gets Tougher

After the player in seat 2 raised to 12,000, only Johnny Chan and the player on the button made the call. The fop came K98 and seat 2 checked to Chain who fired 30,500. Everyone folded and chan flashed A-K to seat 2 before raking in his chips.
Johnny Chan and Hoyt Corkins are now seated right beside each other after Corkins' table broke.

Hellmuth Makes His Money In These Situations

The player in seat 7 raised to 16,000 and Phil Hellmuth made the call. The player in seat 2 then popped it for 20,000 more and only Hellmuth made the call. The flop came J75 and Hellmuth made his patented check in the dark. Seat 2 almost immediately moved all in and Hellmuth went into character. The raise was 47,000 more and Hellmuth said, "This is how I make all my money," Hellmuth started. "By making great moves right here." He eventually folded his hand, but only after a million cameras showed up to the table. "Show it!" Hellmuth said to his opponent. He showed a queen and raked in the pot. Hellmuth was around 490,000.

Freerolling On Table 39

Over on Table 39 (Blue), two players were all before the flop, both with pocket jacks. One player held a pair of red jacks, the other held black jacks. The board came 962, giving one player a freeroll with the club flush draw. The turn was the 2, but the river was the 8, giving one player the flush and eliminating his opponent.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Gus Hansen,   Johnny Chan,   Jon Turner,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Level 5, Hour 2

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400, 50 ante

Day 1A Players Remaining: 657 of 1,297

Chip Counts:
Mark Garner - 205,000
Brandon Adams - 200,000
Kellen Hunter - 154,000
Patrick Fortin - 145,000
Stefan Mattsson - 139,000
Todd Rebello - 125,000
Bryan Colin - 119,000
Thang "Kido" Pham - 115,000
Craig Marquis – 80,000
Nick Schulman – 73,000
Barry Shulman - 53,000

Eliminations:
Luca Pagano
Erica Schoenberg
Berry Johnston
Steve Sung
Jon Little
Mekhi Pfifer

Big Hands and Storylines:

Stan Le’s Set Comes at a Marvelous Time

As the final level of the day was concluding, Stan Le managed to flop his first set of the day. On a flop of 954, Stan Le got all-in with 44 against two opponents. It was good news for Le as his opponents were holding 76 and K9. Though Le had to fade a number of outs, he was a 55% favorite to win the hand. The turn was the J and the river was the 4, giving Le quad fours and a stack of nearly 80,000.

Nick “The Takeover” Schulman Lives Up to His Name

On a board of 732, an early position player made a bet of 1,900 and the next player to act made it 4,000 to go.  Nick Schulman took his time before reraising an additional 11,000.  The original bettor folded, and the original raiser went into the tank.  After deliberating, he moved all in for slightly more than Schulman’s bet.  Schulman beat his opponent into the pot and eagerly flipped over 33 for a set of treys.  “Oh my God,” Schulman responded after seeing his opponent turn over 54.  Schulman had nine clubs and three sixes to dodge in order to have his set hold up, but the 2 on the turn paired the board giving Schulman a full house.  With that card, his opponent’s outs were reduced to the lone 6 for a seven-high straight flush.  The 4 on the river was a miss, and Schulman eliminated another opponent.  He finished the hand with over 65,000 in chips.

Barry Shulman Puts His Opponent to the Test

On a board of 8642, Barry Shulman faced a bet from his opponent and raised enough to put his opponent all in.  The player folded and Shulman dragged the pot, boosting his stack to 73,000.
 

Adams's table can't wait for day to end

Brandon Adams, who has around 200,000 chips and is among the chip leaders if not the chip leader, has dominated his table so thoroughly they are comparing the day to the movie Groundhog Day and an episode from The Twilight Zone. In two consecutive hands he made preflop reraises against the same player. The first time he won the hand preflop and the second time he took down the pot with a continuation bet on an A-6-5 flop.

Craig Marquis Clicks It Back Against Mekhi Phifer

Craig Marquis raised it pre-flop from late position and got a single caller in Mekhi Phifer. The flop came J107 and Marquis led into Phifer for 2,200. The ER star raised small, making it 3,100 more. Marquis clicked it back, making it an additional 3,100 for Phifer, who called the bet. The turn was the 9 and Marquis checked. Phifer bet 6,000 and Marquis called. The river was the 5 and Marquis checked again. Phifer continued his aggression and made a bet of 8,000. Marquis called with confidence and showed 1010, which was good enough to take down the 50k pot.

The hand takes Marquis up to 88,000 and drops Phifer to 15,000 only a half hour before the end of day 1a.

Vince Van Patten Pushes All In Against Jared Okun

On a board of 6653, a player moved all in for 10,050 and Jared Okun made the call. The remaining contestant of the pot, Vince Van Patten, verified the amount of the bet with the dealer and made the call. The river brought the Q, and Okun made a bet of 17,000 into the side pot. Van Patten took off his sunglasses, counted out the 17,000 from his remaining stack and sat pensively. After a few moments of deliberation, Van Patten dramatically announced that he was all in for an additional 23,000. The media arrived in a frenzy, with cameras pointed at all involved players. Okun eventually released his hand, and the side pot was pushed to Van Patten. The dealer asked both Van Patten and his all in opponent to show hands for the main pot, and Van Patten turned over 65 for a flopped full house. His opponent flipped over a higher full house with QQ, prompting an outburst from Van Patten at his opponent’s lucky river card. After taking some time to stack his chips, Van Patten was left with around 41,000 after the hand.

John Hennigan Folds Under Pressure

Johnny “World” Hennigan raised to 1,200 from the hijack seat and faced calls from the players in both the cut-off and the small blind. When the action got to the player in the big blind, he paused to contemplate his situation before reraising an additional 4,600. Hennigan folded, as did the other players. Hennigan was left with around 27,000 after the hand

It's a Shorr Thing

Shannon Shorr made a gutsy play with a bit of a shortstack, and it had pay off. In the small blind, Shorr saw two other limpers join the pot for 400. He called and the big blind checked, and the flop came Q85. Shorr and two others checked before the final player, in seat 5, put out a bet of 1700. Shorr called, the others folded, and play was heads-up. The turn brought the K, and after Shorr checked, seat 6 bet 3,500. Shorr, who began the hand with just 21,000 in chips, again made the call. The river brought the 3 to bring a flush into play, and both players checked. Shorr showed 98, and that was enough to take down the pot.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr,   Jared Okun,   Mekhi Phifer,   Craig Marquis

$10,000 Main Event - Level 5

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400, 25 ante

Players remaining: 711 of 1,297

Eliminations:
Jack Haley

Big Hands and Storylines:

Mark Garner Amassing a Big Stack

Mark Garner raised to 1,600 in late position and action folded around to Ted Lawson in the blinds. Lawson raised to 4,000 and Garner made the call. Lawson bet 8,000 on the Q62 flop and Garner made a cautious call. The flop – 4 – put four clubs on the board. Lawson checked over to Garner who wasted little time in betting 16,000. Lawson went into the tank, waiting five minutes before folding his AA face up. Garner, in a sporting gesture, showed his A9. Lawson’s reaction to the hand: “You are so lucky! Jesus!”

Lawson is down to 50,000 on the hand and Garner, lucky or not, now has an impressive 148,000.

Krazy Eyez Killa

Brandon Adams and an opponent got all in on a J9910 board. Adams showed Q9 while his opponent needed a jack to claim the pot outright with his QJ. The river was the 10 and Adams made a full house.  This pot gave him another addition to his massive stack. Adams is one of the day 1a chip leaders with 152,000.

(Gobb)O! The Humanity!

Jimmy “Gobboboy” Fricke went to a flop heads-up in position. On a flop of K95, Fricke bet 3,000 after being checked to. The 10 slowed down the action, as both players checked. The river was the 3 and Fricke’s opponent immediately looked to his stack before betting 7,500. “Ace-jack of spades?” asked Fricke. He shuffled his chips a bit before looking his opponent up. He was not too happy to see 99. “You re-raise the flop, you get it all,” piped Fricke, “Every cent.” After the hand, Fricke was down to 21,000.

Gray twins can't stay apart

After a player in early position player raised to 1,100, Craig Gray reraised to 3,300 from the button. The blinds and the raiser folded, and Gray took down the pot. He now has 26,000 chips. Meanwhile, his brother Jason Gray was moved from the orange section to the blue, and is now seated at the table right behind Craig. He currently has about 28,000 chips.

Maya Antonius drops some chip to four-flush

On a board of Q6329, Maya Antonius checked and then her opponent checked behind. Her opponent flipped over pocket jacks with the J and took the pot of roughly 6,000. After the hand Antonius had roughly 35,000 chips.

Player Tags: Craig Gray,   Jason Gray,   Brandon Adams,   Jimmy Fricke,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2a Concludes

Jul 08, '08

Day 2a has officially come to a close with 469 players advancing to play day 3 on Thursday. The survivors from days 1c and 1d will take their seats at noon today to play Day 2b.

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

Players Left: 469

Chip Leaders:
Brian Schaedlich: 760,000
Jeremiah Smith; 416,000
Hunter Frey: 400,000
Ron Adams: 365,000
Brandon Adams: 340,000
David Rheem: 340,000
Farhad Sinaei: 312,000
Patrick Fortin: 298,000
Kellen Hunter: 282,000
Markus Golser: 280,000

Eliminations: Haralabos Voulgaris, Julian Gardner, Jordan Morgan, Victoria Coren, Joe Beevers

Big Hands:

Big-Stacked Crain Takes Huge Hit

Eric Crain was sitting comfortably toward the top of the leaderboard with 350,000 in chips when a raise-fest led to him putting in more than 100,000 to call Eric Bremond's all in. Crain's AK was in bad shape against Bremond's AA. The flop left Crain dead to running cards - coming out JJ9. The 8 turn left Crain drawing dead and the J fell on the river to give Bremond a full house and the pot. After the double up, Bremond (220,000) was nearly even in chips with Crain (225,000).

Seidel Picks Up Jacks, Doubles

Erik Seidel moved all in before the flop and was called by his opponent in seat 6. Seidel turned over JJ while his opponent showed AJ. The board ran KK3K7, giving Seidel the pot to double up to around 80,000.

A Turn For The Worse

With the board showing J7A5, the player in seat 3 fired a medium sized bet into the pot. Brandon Adams came over the top for 30,000 total. Seat 3 announced he was all in and Adams instantly called. Seat 3 showed 55 for a set on the turn and thought he was ahead. It took him a while to see that Adams had flipped over 77 for a better set on the flop. The river was the 6 and seat 3 was eliminated. Adams collected the huge pot and saw his chip count soar to 340,000 - good enough to crack the top 10.

Rousso Loves Cowboys

The player in seat 3 raised 3,600 preflop from middle position. Action folded to Vanessa Rousso in the big blind, who made the call. The flop came KK4 and both players checked. The 8 came on the turn and both players checked again. The passive play ended on the river as the A fell and Rousso fired 5,000. Seat 3 reached for his orange 5,000 chip and announced A-J just as he threw the chip into the middle. Rousso turned over K6 for trip kings on the flop. She raked the pot and climbed to 73,000.

Steve Zolotow Doubles Again

The player in seat 6 raised preflop and Steve Zolotow moved all in for roughly 25,000 more. After a moment of thought, seat 6 made the call. Zolotow showed 1010 and seat 6 showed AQ. The board came KJ3K5 and Zolotow doubled to 50,000.
On the turn, Zolotow told the dealer, "Pleaes, no trips," as he snagged the "lucky iPod" from Erik Seidel. After the hand he returned to Seidel and said that he might invest in one of those iPods.

Reslock Doubles

On a flop of 1053 Chris Reslock got all in against one player. His opponent showed Q10 for top pair but Reslock had A10 for top pair with a better kicker. The turn and river were the 8 and the 3 adn Reslock doubled to over 50,000.

Leonidas Runs Into Big Slick

Toto Leonidas raised from the button to 4,200. The player in the big blind called and checked the flop of AJ2. Leonidas bet 5,000 and the big blind called. The 4 fell on the turn and the big blind led out with a bet of 10,000. Leonidas called and the river brought the 8. The big blind fired 10,000 again and Leonidas again called. Seat 9 showed AK and Leonidas mucked, dropping to 74,000 in chips.

This Is How Corkins Plays The Flush Draw

Hoyt Corkins limped under the gun and Mark Vos limped as well. The cutoff, the button and the blinds also jumped in. The flop came 1033. The small blind let out with a bet of 3,300 and only Corkins made the call. The turn was the 6 and the small blind bet out 4,500. Corkins again called and the river brought the 7. The small blind slowed down and checked. Corkins fired out 10,000 and the small blind made the call. Corkins showed 86 for the flush and the small blind mucked his hand. Corkins had 107,000 after the hand.

Boeken Fills Up On River

The player on the button raised to 3,000 and Noah Boeken called from the small blind. The flop came 986 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and again both players checked. The river was the 7 and both players checked again. Boeken showed 77 for a full house and raked the pot. He had 56,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Toto Leonidas,   Steve Zolotow,   Noah Boeken,   Chris Reslock,   Vanessa Rousso,   Eric Crain,   Brandon Adams,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Smith Shoots Ahead of Competition

Jul 08, '08

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

Players Left: 513

Chip Leaders:

Brian Schaedlich: 480,000
Jeremiah Smith: 412,000
Hunter Frey: 400,000
Eric Crain: 353,000
Ron Adams: 345,000
David Rheem: 340,000
Sinai Farhad: 312,000
Patrick Fortin: 290,000
Kellen Hunter: 282,000
Markus Golser: 270,000

Eliminations: John Hennigan, Ray Romano

Big Hands:

Adams KOs Opponent, Climbs

Brandon Adams called an opponent's all in bet preflop and turned over JJ. His opponent showed 33. The flop came J72, giving Adams top set and leaving his opponent dead to running threes. The turn was the A, sealing the victory for Adams, and the meaningless 8 fell on the river. Adams climbed to 208,000 after the hand.

Smith Running Hot, Cracks Kings with 7-5

On a flop of 986 Walter Hall moved all in for his last 80,000. Jeremiah Smith made the call. Hall turned over pocket kings for the overpair, while Smith showed 7-5 for the flopped nut straight. The turn and river brought the 3 and the 9, bringing no help for Hall and he was eliminated. Smith has dominated his table all day while climbing to 400,000 in chips - good enough for second on the leaderboard.

Zolotow Doubles

An increasingly short-stacked Steve Zolotow moved his last 14,400 all in preflop and got one caller. Zolotow showed 88 and was in a race against his opponent's AQ. The board ran 109797 and Zolotow doubled to more than 30,000.

Seidel Knocks Out Another One

Erik Seidel raised from the button, only to have a shortstack push all in. Seidel made the call and showed KQ. The all in player showed 66. The flop made the all in player cry out, "Nooo!" coming KJ3 to give Seidel top pair. The 5 and 9 completed the board and Seidel eliminated the player. Seidel currently sits with 145,000.

Battle of the Blinds

Action folded to the small blind in seat 1, who raised to 3,600. Hoyt Corkins called from the big blind and the flop came 643. The small blind checked and Corkins fired 4,000 into the pot. The small blind check-raised to 15,000 total. Corkins thought for a second then mucked his hand. Corkins barely felt the hit to his stack, and still had around 180,000 after the hand.

Habib Bets Out Opponent On River

Hasan Habib checked to the player in seat 9 on a flop of A63. Seat 9 bet 4,500 and Habib called after a brief pause. Both players checked the 3 on the turn, but when the Q hit on the river Habib fired 10,000 and his opponent folded. Habib has played patiently to climb to 126,000.

Turner Plays It Slow, Takes Pot

In a limped 3-way pot, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner called the player in the big blind's bet of 3,000 on a flop. The small blind folded and Turner was heads up with the big blind when the 3 fell on the turn. Both players checked and when the big blind checked the 9 river Turner said he thought he was probably good but elected to check as well. He flipped over KQ for top pair and his opponent shook his head as he mucked. Turner had around 90,000 after the hand.

Gould Eliminated - Kings Vs. Aces

Peter Gould was eliminated when his pocket kings ran into pocket aces before the flop. Gould failed to improve and saw his tournament come to an end late in the day.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Steve Zolotow,   Jon Turner,   Brandon Adams,   Peter Gould,   Jeremiah Smith,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Liebert Out

Jul 08, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 612

Chip Leaders:

Brian Schaedlich: 500,000
Hunter Frey: 378,000
David Rheem: 367,000
Jeremiah Smith: 246,000
Robert Mizrachi: 242,000
Jason Risenberg: 242,000
Keith Hawkins: 240,000
Patrick Fortin: 235,000
Sinai Farhad: 235,000
Jeff Bryan: 231,000

Eliminations: Kathy Liebert, Shaun Deeb, Erick Lindgren

Big Hands:

Beware of the Smith and Wesson

Despite being seated at the same table with two world-class pros in Barry Greenstein and Stefan Mattsson, at the moment Jeremiah Smith seems to have complete control of his table.

Jeremiah Smith raised to 2,500 before the flop and the player in seat 8 made the call. The flop came 1053, and Smith let out with 3,000. Seat 8 called and the turn was the 2. Both players checked and the river was the 7. Once again both players checked and Smith turned over AQ for the queen-high flush. Smith raked the pot, breaking the 200,000 chip mark this hand.

The very next hand and Jeremiah Smith opened the pot with a raise to 2,500 from middle position and Stefan Mattsson defended his big blind with a call. The flop came 995, and Mattsson checked to smith who bet 3,000. Mattsson folded and Smith raked another pot.

The next hand after that, the player from under the gun limped into the pot for 1,000 followed by Jeremiah Smith from early position and seat 8 from middle position. Walter Hall raised to 7,000 from late position and the action folded around back to Smith who made the call. The flop came 1062, and Smith checked to Hall who bet 6,000. Smith raised (check-raise) to 16,000 and Hall made the call. The turn was the 6 and Smith led out first, sliding a stack of orange chips (85,000) into the pot. Hall tanked for about four or five minutes, counting and recounting his stack until he finally mucked pocket jacks face-up. Smith raked his third consectutive pot, letting his table know who's boss as he brought his chip count up to 230,000 after the hand.

A Gorgeous Flop for Gazes

Bill Gazes and the player in seat 7 saw a flop of QJ2. Gazes checked and seat 7 fired 10,000 into the pot. Gazes smooth called and the turn came with the 5. Seat 7 moved all in after Gazes checked. Gazes made the call and turned over 65 for a flopped diamond flush. Seat 7 showed AQ and was drawing dead when the J fell on the river. Gazes doubled up to 50,000.

Adams Forced Out

With four players in the hand, a flop of J106 hit the felt. Brandon Adams fired 4,000 into the pot. The players in seat 7 and seat 8 got out of the way, but the player in seat 1 stuck around as he made the call. The turn was the 8 and seat 1 checked to Adams. Adams fired another shot, this one for 10,000. Seat 1 moved into action as he raised 25,000 more. Adams went into the tank for several minutes before mucking his hand. He was around 196,000 after surrendering the pot.

Poker Kat Scratched, Then Put Down

Kathy Liebert was in the big blind and the player in seat 2 was in the small blind as the two players saw a flop of J42. Liebert fired out a bet and was called by seat 2. The turn was the 3 and Liebert bet 6,000. Seat 2 made the call and the river was the 9. Seat 2 led out this time, betting 13,000 into the pot. Liebert studied her opponent, looking at his stack and then at him directly. After much thought, she laid down her hand and was down to about 40,000.

Later, Liebert moved all in for her final 11,100 on a board showing QQ2JA. Her opponent wasted little time calling, showing K10 for a broadway straight on the river. Liebert showed Q10 for a set of queens on the flop and she made her way toward the exit.

Boatman Loses One

Barny Boatman raised to 2,500 from late position and two players called. The flop came 932 and Boatman fired 3,500 after the action was checked to him. One player folded but the player in seat 6 hung around and the turn was the A. Both players checked and the 10 fell on the river. Boatman checked and seat 6 took control of the hand, firing 7,000. Boatman mucked his hand and he was down to around 60,000.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Barry Greenstein,   Bill Gazes,   Brandon Adams,   Jeremiah Smith,   Stefan Mattsson,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 8 (Hr. 1)

Jul 08, '08

Blinds: 400/800 with 100 ante

Chip Leaders:

Big Hands/Storylines

Strange Ride For Dicken

Things were going well for Darrell Dicken when his pocket kings held up against pocket jacks for a 25,000 pot, but after losing nearly all of his chips in subsequent hands, Dicken had to get his chips into the middle with a far more marginal hand. Risking his remaining 3,000, he found his A8 up against 1010 and doubled up when the board came A8725. Dicken currently has 9,000 chips.

Brandon Adams Staying Aggressive

An under-the-gun raiser made it 2,300 and Adams made it 8,800. The initial raiser called and the two saw a flop. The dealer laid out Q73 and it was checked to Adams who flicked out 14,000 in chips. His opponent thought better about mixing it up and laid down his hand. Though Adams has maintained an aggressive style of play throughout the day, his chipstack has not reaped any benefits. He is currently at 145,000 after starting the day at 175,000.

Rousso Making Her Presence Known

An early position player raised to 2,400 and was quickly called by Vanessa Rousso. The small blind also called and the three saw a flop. The flop was 1074 and the small blind checked. The raiser bet out 6,000. Rousso asked to see the bettor’s chips and after a bit of thought, pushed 50,000 into the pot, effectively setting both of the other players all-in. The small blind folded quickly and the big blind, after some thought of his own, laid down the hand. Rousso is now up to 80,000.

Hennigan Back in Thick of Things

John Hennigan had been hovering around the 50,000 mark most of the day, but he made a major score just after play resumed in level 8. Hennigan and an opponent raised each other preflop, then saw the board come 10-7-6. Hennigan was then all-in for 38,100 more, which his opponent called. Hennigan held KK while the other player tabled QQ. The turn brought the 3 and the A was the river, taking Hennigan over the 100,000 mark while his opponent was down to 3200. Hennigan then busted him on the next hand, his KJ dominating his opponent’s K9. Hennigan flopped a jack to finish the elimination.

Lindgren Spinning his Wheels

Erick Lindgren, once just above 100,000, was back down to 70,000, near where he started the day. He recently tried to look up Brandon Adams from the big blind, after Adams – one of the chip leaders – raised to 2800 preflop. Lindgren called, but after a flop of QJ8, he checked and then folded in the face of a 4500 bet. A few hands later, Lindgren was down to just 25,000 in chips.

Vos Adds to Total

Mark Vos and the player to his immediate right are easily the dominant chip stacks at their table. They’ve butted heads a few times, most recently when the first player raised to 2500 and Vos called. The flop came A53, and Vos would call another 2500 bet. The J was the turn card, and the same pattern was repeated. The 4 came on the river, and now his opponent stepped out for a 6000 bet. Vos then put in a raise to 26,000. It was enough to push his opponent off his hand.

Hachem Busts Karam

Marc Karam raised from the cut-off preflop and Tony Hachem put in a reraise from the button that cost Karam 4800 more. He called and the flop came 643. Karam them moved all-in for his remaining 30,000, and Hachem called. Karam was open-ended with the 85 while Hachem held QQ. The turn was the 10 and the river the 10, which sent Karam to the rail.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   John Hennigan,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 7 (Hour 2)

Jul 08, '08

Players are being given a 40-minute break at the end of this level as tournament officials begin the race-off to eliminate the green 25 chips from all tournament tables.

Blinds: 300-600, 75 ante

Chip Leaders:
Hunter Frey - 241,600
Jeremiah Smith - 230,000
Brian Schaedlich - 230,000
Robert Mizrachi - 204,000
Kellen Hunter - 204,000
Hornet Stephanie - 200,000
Michael Johnson - 198,000
Wayne Brown - 170,000
Hasan Habib - 165,000
Mark Vos - 160,000

Other Notables:
Brandon Adams – 150,000
Voitto Rintala – 117,000
Craig Marquis – 111,000
Alexander Kravchenko – 103,000
Maya Antonius – 86,000
Patrik Antonius – 85,000
Julian Gardner – 84,000
Erick Lindgren – 78,000
Toto Leonidas – 71,000
Kathy Liebert – 70,000
Shaun Deeb – 61,000
Barny Boatman – 60,000
Thor Hansen – 57,000
Nick Schulman – 46,000
John Hennigan – 46,000
Jon Turner – 42,000
Tom Franklin – 41,000
Vince Van Patten – 36,000
Bill Gazes – 33,000
Ted Lawson – 21,000
Vicky Coren – 21,000
Jeff Williams – 18,000
Michael Guzzardi – 14,000

Eliminations:
David Grey
Greg Mueller
Robert Varkonyi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Everybody Loves Trite Headlines

For the second time in the 2008 WSOP main event, television/movie actor Ray Romano has drawn a seat at table 1 in the orange section of the Amazon room. It is good news for the fans, as that table is up against the ropes. They are also getting a good look at the actor, as he is down to just 9,000 in chips.

Jeff Williams Doubles Up

From middle position, Jeff Williams moved all-in for his final 8,800. After the dealer had counted down his stack, the player seated two seats to Williams’ left made the call. The two showed their hands:

Williams: AK
Opponent: 1010

Williams took the lead on a AJ9 flop and it would hold up through the J turn and 6 river. The double up takes the former EPT Grand Final champion up to 19,000.

No Showdown Needed For Liebert

Action folded around to the player on the button who raised to 1,700. Kathy Liebert, in the small blind, raised it up to 4,900. The big blind folded and the woman on the button made the call with 12,000 behind. The flop came down QQ4 and Liebert led out for 5,000. Her opponent, after a bit of thought, made the call. On the 8 turn, Liebert threw out a pair of orange T5,000 chips, effectively setting the button all-in. The button quickly folded, leaving herself 7,000, and Liebert picked up the pot. That hand brings Liebert up to about 60,000.

Lindgren Loving Life’s Little Lifts

A player in middle position raised to 1,600 and the player to his immediate left made the call. The action folded to Erick Lindgren on the button, who made the call. The big blind called as well, and the four players saw a flop of 532. The big blind checked, as did the original aggressor. The player to his left made a bet of 4,200 and Lindgren paused for a moment before raising to a total of 14,000. All players folded and Lindgren took down the pot, bringing his stack to over 80,000 in chips.

Lindgren Can’t Pull Trigger

A few hands later, Lindgren faced a huge decision. There was an early position raiser to 2100, and Lindgren made the call immediately behind him. The next player also called, then play was folded to Brandon Adams in the big blind. Adams, one of the tournament chip leaders, grabbed his stack of orange 5000 chips and sent them to the center of the table. The original raiser thought for about a minute, then folded. Lindgren, who had just recently been moved to the table, asked for a count, and was told the bill came to 105,000. Lindgren tanked, seemingly on the verge of making a huge call. He had about 120,000 in front of him, and eventually even asked his masseuse to hold off. Lindgren eventually made the reluctant lay down, and appeared visibly disturbed when, after the next player called for his remaining 16,000 in chips, Adams showed the A9. He was up against 76, and took a minor hit to his stack when the board ran out 107263.

Rob Melnyk Out-Flushes Opponent, Improves Stack

A player in the cut-off raised to 1,800 and the player on the button called. Rob Melnyk called from the small blind, as did the player in the big blind. The flop came 1076, and the action checked to the cut-off who made a bet of 2,500. The button folded, and Melnyk made the call. After the big blind folded, the dealer put out the 8 on the turn. Melnyk checked, giving his opponent the opportunity to fire a bet of 8,000 into the pot. Melnyk made the call and the 3 fell on the river. Before Melnyk had the opportunity to act, his opponent fired a bet of 12,000. The dealer told Melnyk he would have an option, and Melnyk elected to check. His opponent’s 12,000 bet stayed in the pot, and Melnyk went into the tank. “I just call,” Melnyk announced and turned over KJ for a king-high flush. His opponent nodded and turned over 109 for a ten-high flush. The dealer pushed the pot to Melnyk, who finished the hand with 88,000 in chips.

Mueller Eliminated

Greg Mueller was eliminated when his flopped set of queens was run down by a straight on the river.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Erick Lindgren,   Brandon Adams,   Jeff Williams

$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 3 Over

Jul 10, '08

Day 3 has come to an end. Players broke the money bubble late in level 4 and the bustout bonanza began soon afterward. There are 474 players returning for Day 4. Jeremiah Smith was the big story in Day 3 as he was the first to break the 1 million mark and led for most of the day. He lost the chip lead late in the day to Jeremy Joseph, but only 150,000 seperates them. Tune in Friday for all the live updates from Day 4 of the 2008 WSOP main event.

Notables still in the field include:

Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan, Jeff Madsen, Gus Hansen, Hoyt Corkins, Victor Ramdin, Hevad Khan, Alexander Kostritsyn, Allen Cunningham, Robert Mizrachi, Mark Vos, Chip Jett, Markus Golser, Jean-Robert Bellande, Evelyn Ng, Matt Matros, Tommy Le, Hasan Habib, Shawn Sheikhan, Dag Martin Mikkelson and Jon Friedberg.

Online stars still alive include:

Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, David Benefield and Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen

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

Players Left: 474 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:

Jeremy Joseph: 1,450,000
Jeremiah Smith: 1,300,000
Owen Crowe: 1,000,000
Alexander Kostritsyn: 980,000
Dag Mikkelsen: 930,000
Mark Ketteringham: 915,000
Alan Jaffray: 870,000
Cristian Dragomir: 860,000
Sarkis Akopyan: 850,000
Robert Georato: 820,000

Average Stack: 279,347

Notable Eliminations:

483rd: Rolf Slotboom: $25,090
518th: Chau Giang: $25,090
618th: Brandon Adams: $21,230
625th: Vanessa Rousso: $21,230
651st: Men Nguyen: $21,230

Big Hands:

Adams Crippled, Then Busted

Brandon Adams raised to 12,000 from the cutoff and the big blind made the call. The flop came J108 and the big blind checked. Adams then fired 20,000 into the pot and the big blind check-raised all in to about 65,000. Adams made the call and turned over J5 for top pair. But his opponent showed J8 for two pair and the upper hand. The turn brought the 4 and Adams needed a 10 to, at best, chop the pot. But the river was the 9 and Adams was crippled, left with just 25,000 in chips.

A few hands later, Adams Pushed his last 24,000 all in from middle position. Action folded to the small blind, who pushed all in for 80,000 total to isolate. But the big blind didn't just throw away his hand. He tanked and eventually called, having both Adams and the small blind covered. The small blind showed A10, the big blind showed 77 and Adams was thrilled to show 88. "This is the best hand I could really hope for," he said. "Anyone fold an ace?" The didn't look good for Adams, running AK10 to give the small blind two pair. However, Adams had the 8 for a flush draw and had some more outs. But the board completed with the J and J and the small blind took the pot, sending Adams to the rail while doubling up through the big blind.

"No Foster's?"

Mark Vos has joined the table featuring tournament chipleader Jeremiah Smith and Jon "PearlJammer" Turner. The table has had some friendly conversation, including Smith asking Vos, "No Foster's? I heard it's Australian for beer." Vos gave a "pft" and rolled his eyes in response.

Turner Takes One With Overpair

Jon Turner simply called from the big blind when another player raised to 11,000 from late position. The flop came J92 and Turner checked to the raiser who bet 15,000. Turner made the call and check-called his opponent's bet of 35,000 when the 6s hit on the turn. Turner checked the 10d on the river and his opponent slowed down and quickly checked behind him. Turned flipped over QQ for a slow-played overpair and was thrilled to see his opponent's AJ. Turner took the pot, adding an additional 65,000 to his stack.

Markus Golser Takes a Hit

Markus Golser got his opponent all in with the board showing K1028 and showed down K10 for top two pair. However, his opponent showed AJ for the nut flush. Golser couldn not improve to a full house on the river and took a hit, dropping to 120,000 in chips.

One Man's Trash Is Gus Hansen's Treasure

On a board reading 9239, Gus Hansen moved all in and was called by his opponent in seat 2. Seat 2 turned over JJ for two pair, but Hansen showed down Q9 for a set on the turn. The river was the icing on the cake as the Q filled up Hansen. He doubled up to around 320,000 in chips.

"Wow, what a turn," Hansen said after the hand. "It was a piece of s%#& hand, but I was on tilt," Hansen added as the table moved on to the next hand.

Chan Takes a Small One, His Table Gets Tougher

After the player in seat 2 raised to 12,000, only Johnny Chan and the player on the button made the call. The fop came K98 and seat 2 checked to Chain who fired 30,500. Everyone folded and chan flashed A-K to seat 2 before raking in his chips.
Johnny Chan and Hoyt Corkins are now seated right beside each other after Corkins' table broke.

Hellmuth Makes His Money In These Situations

The player in seat 7 raised to 16,000 and Phil Hellmuth made the call. The player in seat 2 then popped it for 20,000 more and only Hellmuth made the call. The flop came J75 and Hellmuth made his patented check in the dark. Seat 2 almost immediately moved all in and Hellmuth went into character. The raise was 47,000 more and Hellmuth said, "This is how I make all my money," Hellmuth started. "By making great moves right here." He eventually folded his hand, but only after a million cameras showed up to the table. "Show it!" Hellmuth said to his opponent. He showed a queen and raked in the pot. Hellmuth was around 490,000.

Freerolling On Table 39

Over on Table 39 (Blue), two players were all before the flop, both with pocket jacks. One player held a pair of red jacks, the other held black jacks. The board came 962, giving one player a freeroll with the club flush draw. The turn was the 2, but the river was the 8, giving one player the flush and eliminating his opponent.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Gus Hansen,   Johnny Chan,   Jon Turner,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos

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

Jun 25, '08

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

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

Players Left: 140 of 148

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

Elimination: Phil Hellmuth, David Williams

Big Hands:

Hold'em

Flopped It

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

A Full Tilt Collision

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

Omaha 8

Set of Jacks for Antonius

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

Razz

Schneider Takes One Down

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

Oppenheim Makes 9-Low For Pot

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

Good Hands

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

Stud

Guess I'll Fold

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

Stud 8

Hellmuth Elminated by Fitoussi

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

Dwan Flushes Hennigan's Two-Pair

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

Leonidas Gets Better of Kostritsyn

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

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

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E. - Level 17

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 4000
Bring In: 5000
Limits: 18000/36000

Players Left: 23 of 148

Eliminations: Chad Brown, Gabe Kaplan.

Big Hands

Seven-Card Stud

Ivey Doubles Up

He came into day 4 as the second lowest stack of the field, but one can never underestimate Phil Ivey. He had the bring-in for 5000 with the 2, and only Barry Greenstein was willing to look him up, completing the bet to 18,000 while showing the J. Ivey added the 3 on fourth street, and Greenstein the K. He was able to raise Ivey all-in at that point, and confidently showed king-jack in the hole for two pair. However, Ivey struck back with pocket deuces for three of a kind, and that held up to the end to bring Ivey back over 200,000 in chips.

Ivey added to the stack in a battle with Farah Bonyadi a few hands later. Showing J9 through fourth street, Ivey continued to bet out by adding the Q on fifth street and the 7 on sixth. Bonyadi, who paired on fifth street, showed 233J. But both players checked on seventh street and Ivey could only flip over pocket sixes for the low pair. Yet it was enough to scoop the pot.

Brown Busts Out

Chad Brown was the lone player to return with less than 100,000 in chips, and his 81,000 didn't go very far. Through sixth street Brown was showing 10-9-7-6, but beside him Patrick Bueno was showing K-Q-J-6, with three diamonds up. Sure enough, Bueno was able to flip over the 52 to complete the flush and send Brown out in 24th place.

Lindgren Chips Up

Erick Lindgren had the bring-in with the 2, and play was folded to Ray Davis who completed with the 8. David added the A on fourth street and would bet out through sixth as he added the 55. Lindgren continued to call, now showing 2KQ5. Davis finally slowed and checked after the seventh card, but Lindgren then stepped out for 36,000. Davis called, but mucked when Lindgren showed him king-queen in the hole for two pair.

Adams Stares Them Down

Huck Seed completed the bet to 18,000 with the K showing, and was called by Brandon Adams with the Q and Andy Bloch with the J. After Seed checked fourth street, Adams bet 18,000 after adding the J, and led out again when the A joined him on fifth street. Seed then tanked, apparently liking what he had to go along with his K79. He eventually folded, as did Bloch who was showing J6Q.
 

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Raymond Davis,   Andy Bloch,   Huck Seed,   Phil Ivey,   Patrick Bueno,   Brandon Adams