Michael Craig Poker Tournament Updates

It's Official, Jeffrey Lisandro is a Beast!

Jun 24, '09

Ryan Fisler Eliminated in Third Place ($76,261)

Craig — (6-2)4-3-J-10(5)
Fisler — (9-5)8-5-4-5(K)

Michael Craig completed and Ryan Fisler raised all in. Craig called and made a very strong 6-5, busting Fisler who could only turn over a King low.

Michael Craig Eliminated in Second Place ($116,405)

Lisandro — (10-8)4-4-9-7(J)
Craig — (8-6)A-A-8-J(K)

Jeffrey Lisandro completed and Michael Craig raised. Lisandro called and Craig got the rest of his chips in on fifth street.

By the final card, Craig had bricked hard, making a King-low and Lisandro’s 10-low was enough to take him out, earning his third bracelet of the 2009 World Series of Poker!

Jeffrey Lisandro Wins Event No. 44 ($188,370)

Not since Phil Ivey’s performance in 2002 has a player won three bracelets in the same year. With his third bracelet of the summer, Jeffrey Lisandro has proven to be one of the best stud players on the planet and has all but locked up WSOP Player of the Year honors. It will take another by Brock Parker, Ville Wahlbeck or the aforementioned Ivey to catch the red hot Lisandro.

Player Tags: Jeffrey Lisandro,   Michael Craig,   Ryan Fisler

Level 6 Update: Into the Dinner Break

May 30, '09

Blinds: 100-200 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 1,170 out of 3,000

Notable Eliminations:

Adam Levy

Big Hands:

Nelly Is Eliminated

After busting one opponent in the previous hand, Nelly gets the rest of his chips in the middle with pocket kings against his opponent’s K-Q. The board comes J-10-8-9-3, giving his opponent a king-high straight on the turn. Nelly is eliminated from the tournament.

Jason Mercier Takes a Pot From Michael Craig

On a board of Q632, and with just under 2,000 already in the pot, Jason Mercier bets 800 on the turn and Michael Craig calls. The river is the 10 and both players check. Acting in turn, Craig shows 22 for bottom pair while Mercier turns over 55 for a better pair. Mercier rakes the pot and brings his stack to 14,500 while Craig falls to just about 3,500 this hand.

…And Now For Your Hourly Will “The Thrill” Update
Will “The Thrill” Failla raises to 600 from under the gun and gets once caller from the big blind. The flop comes AJ5, and both players check. The turn is the 7, Failla bets 1,000 and the big blind calls. The river is the 6, and this time Failla bets 3,000. The big blind tanks for a minute before making the call and turning over A3. No good as Failla shows AQ; the queen plays. Failla rakes yet another pot, bringing his stack to well over 50,000 after this hand.

Dinner Break

The action slithered along this level as play seemed to tighten up before the dinner break. The remaining 1,100 or so players from today’s $1,000 NLH Stimulus event are now on a ninety-minute dinner break and will return at 8:20 pm PDT.

Player Tags: Michael Craig,   Will Failla,   Jason Mercier

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - End of Day 1

Jun 29, '08

Big Hands and Storylines:

An astounding 803 players entered today’s $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. event, surpassing all expectations. Eliminations were hard to find in the first two or three levels, but the pace picked up in the second half of the day. By the conclusion of day 1, only 184 players were left with a chance of taking home the World Series bracelet.

A very familiar name sits atop the leaderboard: Phil Hellmuth concluded the day with an impressive 43,000 chips. Winning this event would give Hellmuth a 12^th bracelet, further distancing him from Brunson and Chan. In addition, this would be Hellmuth’s first World Series win in a non-hold’em event.

Other big names that Hellmuth will need to contend with to take the title down include:

Joe Hachem - 25,000
Thomas Hunt - 25,000
Victor Ramdin - 23,600
Chad Brown - 22,000
Keith Sexton - 22,000
Arash Ghaneian - 21,000
Michael Craig - 20,000
Esther Taylor - 20,000
Perry Friedman - 18,500

Average Stack: 13,100

Action will resume tomorrow at 3 p.m and play will continue until the final table is reached.

---

Here is one final hand from day 1 action:

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  300-500 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  100 ante, 200 bring in, 500-1,000 stakes

Hold’em

Matusow Gets An Unexpected Out

Mike Matusow raised from late position and was called by a player in the cutoff. The flop came down 1084. Matusow checked and the cutoff checked behind. The turn was the 2 and Matusow bet out. He was raised by the player in the one seat and he quickly called. The river was the 7 and both players checked without much thought. Matusow showed 75 for a pair of sevens. His opponent tabled A-Q and Matusow’s hand stood up despite missing both his straight and flush draws. That hand brought Mike Matusow up to 11,000 at day’s end. Matusow summed up his day succinctly when he said, “I couldn’t have played better and I couldn’t have felt worse.”

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Phil Hellmuth,   Victor Ramdin,   Arash Ghaneian,   Keith Sexton,   Perry Friedman,   Thomas Hunt,   Michael Craig,   Esther Taylor

$1,500 Mixed Hold'em -- Level 1

Jun 22, '08

Limit Blinds: 25/50
No Limit Blinds: 25/25

Players Left: 698

Big Hands

The tournament didn't feature many well-known faces at the outset, but it appears a number of professionals chose to wait for the no-limit portion of level 1 to make their appearance. Late arrivals include Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Marco Traniello, Carlos Mortensen and Dave Ulliott. Most were active in the 2-to-7 lowball draw tournament earlier in the day, or the second day of the $1,500 tournament.
Feature table pairings include Mortensen and Ulliott side-by-side at table 4, and John Myung and Al Barbieri -- who recently placed second in a seven-card WSOP tourney -- at table 26.

Bellande Loses Half his Stack

It was a rough start to the no-limit session for Jean-Robert Bellande. The flop came 1072, and when the board paired with the 7 on the turn, Bellande bet out 700. The player in seat 10 made the call. The river double-paired the board with the 10, and both players checked. Seat 10 flipped over J10 of diamonds for the full house and Bellande was down to 1500 in chips.

Hachem Ties for Second

Joe Hachem, winner of the WSOP main event in 2006, was in the big blind and checked as four other players had limped into the pot. The board came Q74 and all players checked. The A hit the turn and all five players checked again. The K on the river produce five more checks, and the small blind flipped over 33 for the flush that won the pot.

As can be expected, play was slow to develop in the early stages of the limit tournament. A few notables were able to bring in small pots, or fold out of trouble.

Shulman Steps Aside

Barry Shulman, fresh off a 108th place finish in the $1,500 tournament earlier in the day, was in the small blind and had play folded to him. He called and the big blind raised to 100, which Shulman called. After a flop of 10106, Shulman was quick to fold to another bet. Shulman cashed for $4084 in event 39 of the WSOP to pay for entry into the mixed event.

James Back in Action

Kenna James, liked Shulman, also cashed in event 39 before being eliminated earlier in the day. He finished 143rd to cash $3527, which paved his way into the mixed event. On one of his first hands, from the button, he called a raise to 100 and saw the flop come A53. His opponent bet and James called. Play was then checked with the 6  hitting the turn and 9 coming on the river. His opponent flipped over KK and James mucked.

Craig Defends Blind

Michael Craig was small blind and called when the button raised to 100. After a flop of 856, Craig bet out and took the pot down.
 

Player Tags: Kenna James,   Barry Shulman,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Joe Hachem,   Michael Craig

1,500 Limit Hold'em - Level 8

Jun 06, '08

Blinds: 300/500

Players Left: 220 of 880

Average Stack: 12,000

Eliminations: Daniel Negreanu, Hansu Chu, Michael Craig

Big Hands:

Lindgren Likes the Ladies

Erick Lindgren pushed to just above average stack when he smooth-called from under the gun, and saw the flop with both the small and big blind. The flop came A87. Action was checked to Lindgren who bet and earned two calls. All three players checked the turn when the 6 appeared, and the K on the river was also checked. Lindgren had his QQ hold up against the dangerous board, and he improved his chip stack to 13,700.

Two Pair Not Enough for Luske

Marcel Luske raised from the cut-off and drew a call from the small blind. The flop came AJ8 and action was checked to Luske, who bet. The small blind then raised and Luske called, to see the 7 come on the turn. Small blind bet 1000 and Luske called. The river was the Q and the small blind bet, to which Luske answered with a raise. The small blind called and showed AQ for top two pair. Luske released queen-jack for two smaller pair.

Chan Makes Broadway

Terrance Chan was in the big blind when the player under-the-gun raised. There was another call, then the button went to 1200 before Chan went to 1600. The small blind was all-in for 1200 and three players saw the flop come KQ8. Chan bet and the button folded. The small blind showed K10 while Chan held AK. The J came on the turn and the 10 hit the river, giving the small blind two pair but making the straight for Chan.

Craig Busts Out

Once among the chip leaders, Michael Craig began the level with just 2300 in chips. He folded his big blind in the face of a raise to be at 1900, then in the small blind found himself all-in against the big blind. Craig showed K9 while his opponent held two key cards, the 99. The board played out J10764 and Craig was eliminated.

Schneider Stuck in Neutral

After surging to near the front of the chip count, Tom Schneider hit a dry spell. He was at the average count of 12,000 when he called a raise in the small blind by the player in seat 5 under the gun. The flop came 1052, Schneider checked, and seat 5 bet. Schneider check-raised, then was reraised in return. The J hit the turn and both players committed another 1000. The 2 was the river and drew two more bets. Seat 5 showed KK to scoop the pot.
 

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Tom Schneider,   Marcel Luske,   Terrence Chan,   Michael Craig

$1,500 Limit Hold'em - Level 7

Jun 06, '08

Blinds: 200/400

Players Left: 250 of 880

Chip Leaders:
Jason Maeroff - 28,000
David Vassalli - 18,000
Michael Craig - 15,300
Marcel Luske - 14,800
Benjamin Fineman - 11,300
Terrence Chan - 10,000
Tom Schneider - 10,000
Anthony Licastro - 9,800
Erick Lindgren - 9,800
Van Marcus - 9,600

Average Stack: 10,564

Eliminations: Chris Ferguson, Humberto Brenes, J.C. Tran, Shannon Elizabeth, J.R. Bellande

Big Hands:

The Flying Dutchman

It was a wild ride for Marcel Luske as level 7 got underway. Moved to a new table, and to the right of another large chip stack in Terrance Chan, it didn't take long for the fireworks. The initial damage came when the players raised and reraised each other on a board of A97T5. Luske bet the river for 800, and was raised to 1,600 before showing the AK. Chan rolled over the 1010 for a set he hit on the turn.

Luske then took up the battle on the next hand, when three players saw the flop of 875 for 1,600 each. The small blind bet 200 all-in, one player called, Luske raised to 600, was check-raised to 1,000, added his own check-raise, and then betting was capped for the 3 on the turn. The turn produced a pair of 800 bets, as did the river when the 10 hit. Luske showed QQ, beaten by the KK.

Now down to 2,500, Luske raised the next hand and drew a call from the cutoff. The board came 886, both players committed another 400, the 5 produced two 800 bets, and the 6 produced another 1,600 in chips. Luske climbed back into play with the 96 to scoop the pot.

Ferguson Finally Succumbs

He held on for a while, but a short-stacked Chris Ferguson finally ran out of time. Beginning the level with 700 in chips, he went all-in on the first hand after Michael Craig had initially raised to thin the field. Ferguson showed Q10 while Craig held AJ. The flop of Q63 put Ferguson in the lead and he held on through a turn of the 5 and river of the 4.
The next hand Ferguson was on the button and raised to 800, drawing a call from the big blind. The flop came J22, and Ferguson called a 400 bet. After the 10 on the turn, Ferguson was all-in for another 200. The 10 was the river card, Ferguson showed Q3, and fell victim to the K6, king-high enough to take the pot down.

Hansu Chu Making a Move

After a strong showing in the $2,000 No Limit event earlier in the week, Chu is among the leaders tonight. Playing from the big blind, Chu responded to a raise from the button with a re-raise to 1,200. After the call, the flop came J107. Chu bet 400 and was called, and the 8 on the turn was checked by both players. With the 3 on the river Chu bet another 800 and was called. He claimed the pot with the K10 for second pair.

In Addition...

Two big stacks took tumbles, Daniel Negreau falling back to 2,500 in chips, while J.R. Bellande, who began the level with 10,900, was eliminated before the level ended.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Humberto Brenes,   Chris Ferguson,   Erick Lindgren,   Daniel Negreanu,   Tom Schneider,   Marcel Luske,   Jason Maeroff,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Terrence Chan,   Benjamin Fineman,   Michael Craig,   Hansu Chu,   Shannon Elizabeth,   David Vassalli

Level One Recap

Jul 09, '07

Great Dane?

Two hours have passed and the first level of play is now over. Players are beginning to get shuffled around the Amazon room as tables break and notable players not previously noticed are beginning to emerge. David Benyamine, Eric Mizrachi and Carlos Mortensen are all now present and accounted for. Missing from today's field, and the Main Event for that matter, is Gus Hansen. Hansen has not shown up to take a seat on any of the day ones and may not even be registered at all. Hansen has emerged in the last few years as a formidable and capable player, his presence will be missed.

No Rush Phil

Every day there are two ESPN featured tables with at least one notable name. Today's featured tables are starring 2006 Main Event Champion Jamie Gold and on the other table ESPN cameras are busy filming an empty chair. Nine amatuer players are waiting patiently for their tenth seat to be filled and there is no mystery or doubt of who will be arriving soon. In his usual fashion, Phil Hellmuth has yet to show up and take his seat. Getting blinded off through the first two hours, we should expect to see Phil rolling in fashionably late sometime during the second level.

Champions Galore

Each day so far in this year's Main Event there have been previous Main Event champions in attendance. Today is no different with Jim Becthel ('93), Juan Carlos Mortensen ('01) and hopefully in a few minutes, Phil Hellmuth Jr. ('89). Each started day has also had it's share of celebrities in the field as well. Hank Azaria, actor and voice of numerous Simpsons characters is playing today. The lead singer of the band Godsmack, Sully Erna is in the field and so is A.J. McLean of Backstreet Boys fame.

Stacked Table

Table 151 is shaping up nicely as the day rolls on. Cyndy Violette started the day at the table and now she is forced to share it with David Benyamine and Isaac Haxton, 2nd place finisher of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. (www.pokerstars.com) Benyamine is playing on one side of the room while his fiancée, Erica Schoenberg, is playing on the ohter.

Early Chip Leader

Layne "Back to Back" Flack has emerged as the early chip leader in today's field. Flack has managed to build his stack to a little more than double what he started with and now has $42,000 in the early hours of day 1D. Michael Craig is also climbing the leaderboard and has over $35,000 himself. With the board showing A-3-2-A-A and only $1,500 in the pot, Craig bet out $2,000. Craigs opponent called and Craig showed an ace for quad aces. His opponent laughed and mucked his hand.

Brad "Yukon" Booth had a swift exit from this year's World Series of Poker Main Event. On a board that was queen high, Booth made consecutive bets of $3,000 and $8,000 on the turn and the river. His opponent check-called the whole way and called the $8,000 bet on the river. Booth's opponent showed Q-J for top pair and Booth mucked his hand, having presumably bluffed away a large portion of his chips. Booth was eliminated shortly thereafter when his opponent turned a full house against what he said was pocket aces.

Sorel "Imperium" Mizzi has had the slight misfortune of being seated across from a very dangerous player in Erick Lindgren. Mizzi wasted no time in the first level, settling in to his aggressive playing style. Mizzi popped it to $450 from the button and got two callers, the player in the small blind and the player in seat nine who had previously limped. The flop came 7 6 2. The small blind bet out $500 and the player in seat nine smooth called. Mizzie raised to $2,475 and the player in the small blind immediately called. The player in seat nine called as well and the turn was the 9. All three players checked and the river brought the A. The player in the small blind bet out $5,000 and the player in seat nine called. Mizzi got out of the way and the player in the small blind turned up A A. Mizzi had folded pocket eights.

Pro Blogs

Be sure to check out the Pro Blogs section to get a more in depth feel for how this tournament is playing out. Featured today are Shawn Sheikan, Padraig Parkinson, 2006 Main Event champion Jamie Gold, Sorel "Imperium" Mizzi and Team Pokerstars newest member, Daniel Negreanu. www.pokerstars.com


Notable Chip Counts

Layne Flack	40,000
John Racener	37,500
Chris Tsiprailidis	31,000
Ron "Grumpy" Ware	29,500
Gavin Smith	25,400
Michael Binger	24,300
Erik Friberg	24,000
Chip Reese	24,000
Ed Moncada	22,500
Vinnie Vinh	21,800
Leif Force	21,000
Fred Goldberg	20,500
Steve Zolotow	20,000
Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan	20,000
Phil Hellmuth	20,000
Nam Le	20,000
Jamie Gold	20,000
Gus Hansen	20,000
David Plastik	20,000
David Benyamine	20,000
Chip Jett	20,000
Antonio Esfandiari	20,000
Jon Turner	19,300
Young Phan	19,000
Hank Azaria	17,800
Doug "Rico" Carli	17,300
David Chiu	17,000
Brett Jungblut	16,300
Ted Forrest	16,000
Cyndy Violette	16,000
Prahlad Friedman	13,700
Daniel Negreanu	12,500
Erica Schoenberg	11,200

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Gus Hansen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Layne Flack,   David Benyamine,   Phil Hellmuth,   Cyndy Violette,   Eric Mizrachi,   Jamie Gold,   Brad Booth,   Michael Craig,   Erica Schoenberg,   Sorel Mizzi

Final table Set

Jul 02, '07

Hold'em Brings the Action

The seven card stud level was relatively slow, with chips mostly being passed from one player to another around the table.  The hold'em level changed all that.  Within minutes the 11th place finisher was eliminated.  David Duran raised the  blinds with K Q, Michael Craig reraised and Duran called all-in.  Craig revealed the 9 9 and after the board came down 7 4 2 4 5 Duran was sent to the rail in 11th ($7,507).  The remaining ten players were playing five handed at two tables. 

Cool YourJett-s

Chip Jett three bet it preflop and the player in the small blind called.  The flop brought the Q 10 6 and Jett bet.  After his opponent called the turn brought the 2.  Jett then checked, his opponent bet, and Jett raised.  His opponent reraised and Jett called.  The river brought the 3 and Jett check-called, only to see his opponent reveal the A A.  Jett flipped up his A Q with the frustration and his opponent raked the massive pot.

Juliano Maesano Takes 10th ($8,171)

All-in preflop with A J against K K, Maesano failed to improve and was eliminated in 10th.

Final Hand

Raymond Davis raised and short stacked Eric Tomberlin made it $24,000 from the big blind.  Davis called and the flop brought the J 9 6.  Tomberlin bet and Davis called. The turn brought the 4 and Tomberlin bet the last of his chips.  Davis called and said, "What do I have to beat?"  Tomberlin replied,"Ace high."  Davis quickly revealed his 10 9 and Tomberlin was in trouble with A 10.  The 8 on the river improved neither player and Tomberlin finished in 9th place ($8,171).

The final table is set, and with a great lineup including Chip Jett, Michael Craig and Raymond Davis, its sure to be one to watch.  Make sure to check in tomorrow for updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Raymond Davis,   Chip Jett,   Michael Craig,   Eric Tomberlin,   David Duran,   Juliano Maesano

Stud Hi/Hold'em Update

Jul 02, '07

The remaining 16 players have just finished up with Levels 29 and 30 (Stud Hi & Hold’em), and are about to enter Level 31 (Omaha eight-or-better). The average chip stack right now $91,250 and with the blinds increasing to $6,000-$12,000, we’re bound to see a plethora of eliminations in the next few rounds to come.

It’s a rolled-up rollercoaster in Level 29 (Stud Hi) for Susie Genard. Genard starts one hand off with rolled up nines against Eric Tomberlin’s 7 on 3^rd street. Tomblerin goes on to catch two running sevens on both fourth and fifth street  to make trip sevens, but failing to further improve gives Genard the win with trip nines. The very next hand and Genard looks down at rolled up jacks against John Myung’s 8 in the door. Myung starts the hand off with a split pair of eights and catches another 8 on fourth street and the case eight on fifth street to make quads and trump Genard’s trip jacks turned full house.

Pat Poels nearly doubled up in hold’em when a mis-raise worked out in his advantage. The player in seat no. 3 comes in for a raise and Pat Poels calls from the big blind. The flop comes K 9 7 and Poels checks to seat no. 3 who bets out. Poels raises and seat no. 3 calls. The turn brings the 10 and Poels leads out this time getting a call from his opponent in seat no. 3. The river brings the 5 and once again Poels bets and seat no. 3 makes the call. Poels turns over Q J for the nut straight and the player in seat no. 3 mucks his hand in awe. Seat no. 3 makes it apparent that he was not impressed with Poels’ gutshot raise on the flop and Poels defends himself by explaining that he mis-raised by mistake which was evident by his bet on the turn which was for twice the actual limit. All Poels can do at this point is to offer his opponent his condolences by saying, “Sorry…but not really.”      

John Myung was just recently eliminated by Michael Craig when Myung got the rest of his chips in the pot with Q-J against Craig’s A-Q. The board failed to improve Myung’s dominated queen and he hit the rail in 18^th place earning himself $5,514.

We’ve had plenty of eliminations in the last hour or so and here’s our most recent list…

17^th Place Daniel Lown ($5,514)

18^th John Myung ($5,514)

19^th Michael Klarman ($5,514)

20^th Gregory Koseback ($5,514)

21^st  Justin Thomas ($5,514)

22^nd Bonnie Leinhos ($5,514)

23^rd Daniel Fishell ($5,514)

Be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com for more updates and your favorite Pro Blogs.                                                      Notable Chip Counts

Eric Tomberlin	71,000
Chip Jett	130,000

Player Tags: Patrick Poels,   John Myung,   Susan Genard,   Michael Craig,   Eric Tomberlin

Hour One Recap

Jul 03, '07

 

HOLDEM

Out of the four top names that began at the final table, only two remain after the first hour.  Pat Poels had an unfortunate run in with the chip leader Dao Bac during the most recent holdem level, where his pocket Aces were trumped by Bac’s set of threes. 

 

Chip Jett was able to double up early getting his money in great against Raymond Davis with A-K vs. A-Q

 

OMAHA EIGHT-OR-BETTER

 

Poker author Michael Craig was the next to go unable to catch up with Vladimir Shchemelev’s two pair.

 

Chip Jett was able to double up again this time at the expense of Dao Bac on a board of Q 8 2 6 K.  Jett got his last chips in on the river, and flipped up A-K-Q-4 to beat Bac’s Q-10-5-3.

 

STUD EIGHT-OR-BETTER

 

Shchemelev had barely time to stack his new chips before he had to send most of them to Adam Geyer.  Geyer held (A-7-6) 2 2 3 J to scoop Shchemelev’s (Q-6-3) 8 7 K 5, with a pair of twos and a better low.

 

Raymond Davis then quartered Geyer when they remarkably both made perfect 6 lows, but Davis held a Queen for high card to beat Geyer’s 10.

 

Player Tags: Raymond Davis,   Chip Jett,   Dao Bac,   Michael Craig

Michael Craig Eliminated in 7th Place ($15,943)

Jul 03, '07

Michael Craig put his last chips in the pot on the turn against Vladimir Shchemelev with the board reading 8-6-6-K and Shchemelev.  The players flipped up their cards, Craig was behind holding A-Q-Q-7 against Shchemelev's A-K-8-3.  The river bricks out and Craig is eliminated in 7th place for the second time this year at the World Series.  He earns $15,943 for his efforts.

Player Tags: Michael Craig

Final table Set

Jul 02, '07

Hold'em Brings the Action

The seven card stud level was relatively slow, with chips mostly being passed from one player to another around the table.  The hold'em level changed all that.  Within minutes the 11th place finisher was eliminated.  David Duran raised the  blinds with K Q, Michael Craig reraised and Duran called all-in.  Craig revealed the 9 9 and after the board came down 7 4 2 4 5 Duran was sent to the rail in 11th ($7,507).  The remaining ten players were playing five handed at two tables. 

Cool YourJett-s

Chip Jett three bet it preflop and the player in the small blind called.  The flop brought the Q 10 6 and Jett bet.  After his opponent called the turn brought the 2.  Jett then checked, his opponent bet, and Jett raised.  His opponent reraised and Jett called.  The river brought the 3 and Jett check-called, only to see his opponent reveal the A A.  Jett flipped up his A Q with the frustration and his opponent raked the massive pot.

Juliano Maesano Takes 10th ($8,171)

All-in preflop with A J against K K, Maesano failed to improve and was eliminated in 10th.

Final Hand

Raymond Davis raised and short stacked Eric Tomberlin made it $24,000 from the big blind.  Davis called and the flop brought the J 9 6.  Tomberlin bet and Davis called. The turn brought the 4 and Tomberlin bet the last of his chips.  Davis called and said, "What do I have to beat?"  Tomberlin replied,"Ace high."  Davis quickly revealed his 10 9 and Tomberlin was in trouble with A 10.  The 8 on the river improved neither player and Tomberlin finished in 9th place ($8,171).

The final table is set, and with a great lineup including Chip Jett, Michael Craig and Raymond Davis, its sure to be one to watch.  Make sure to check in tomorrow for updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Raymond Davis,   Chip Jett,   Michael Craig,   Eric Tomberlin,   David Duran,   Juliano Maesano

Stud Hi/Hold'em Update

Jul 02, '07

The remaining 16 players have just finished up with Levels 29 and 30 (Stud Hi & Hold’em), and are about to enter Level 31 (Omaha eight-or-better). The average chip stack right now $91,250 and with the blinds increasing to $6,000-$12,000, we’re bound to see a plethora of eliminations in the next few rounds to come.

It’s a rolled-up rollercoaster in Level 29 (Stud Hi) for Susie Genard. Genard starts one hand off with rolled up nines against Eric Tomberlin’s 7 on 3^rd street. Tomblerin goes on to catch two running sevens on both fourth and fifth street  to make trip sevens, but failing to further improve gives Genard the win with trip nines. The very next hand and Genard looks down at rolled up jacks against John Myung’s 8 in the door. Myung starts the hand off with a split pair of eights and catches another 8 on fourth street and the case eight on fifth street to make quads and trump Genard’s trip jacks turned full house.

Pat Poels nearly doubled up in hold’em when a mis-raise worked out in his advantage. The player in seat no. 3 comes in for a raise and Pat Poels calls from the big blind. The flop comes K 9 7 and Poels checks to seat no. 3 who bets out. Poels raises and seat no. 3 calls. The turn brings the 10 and Poels leads out this time getting a call from his opponent in seat no. 3. The river brings the 5 and once again Poels bets and seat no. 3 makes the call. Poels turns over Q J for the nut straight and the player in seat no. 3 mucks his hand in awe. Seat no. 3 makes it apparent that he was not impressed with Poels’ gutshot raise on the flop and Poels defends himself by explaining that he mis-raised by mistake which was evident by his bet on the turn which was for twice the actual limit. All Poels can do at this point is to offer his opponent his condolences by saying, “Sorry…but not really.”      

John Myung was just recently eliminated by Michael Craig when Myung got the rest of his chips in the pot with Q-J against Craig’s A-Q. The board failed to improve Myung’s dominated queen and he hit the rail in 18^th place earning himself $5,514.

We’ve had plenty of eliminations in the last hour or so and here’s our most recent list…

17^th Place Daniel Lown ($5,514)

18^th John Myung ($5,514)

19^th Michael Klarman ($5,514)

20^th Gregory Koseback ($5,514)

21^st  Justin Thomas ($5,514)

22^nd Bonnie Leinhos ($5,514)

23^rd Daniel Fishell ($5,514)

Be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com for more updates and your favorite Pro Blogs.                                                      Notable Chip Counts

Eric Tomberlin	71,000
Chip Jett	130,000

Player Tags: Patrick Poels,   John Myung,   Susan Genard,   Michael Craig,   Eric Tomberlin

Hour One Recap

Jul 03, '07

 

HOLDEM

Out of the four top names that began at the final table, only two remain after the first hour.  Pat Poels had an unfortunate run in with the chip leader Dao Bac during the most recent holdem level, where his pocket Aces were trumped by Bac’s set of threes. 

 

Chip Jett was able to double up early getting his money in great against Raymond Davis with A-K vs. A-Q

 

OMAHA EIGHT-OR-BETTER

 

Poker author Michael Craig was the next to go unable to catch up with Vladimir Shchemelev’s two pair.

 

Chip Jett was able to double up again this time at the expense of Dao Bac on a board of Q 8 2 6 K.  Jett got his last chips in on the river, and flipped up A-K-Q-4 to beat Bac’s Q-10-5-3.

 

STUD EIGHT-OR-BETTER

 

Shchemelev had barely time to stack his new chips before he had to send most of them to Adam Geyer.  Geyer held (A-7-6) 2 2 3 J to scoop Shchemelev’s (Q-6-3) 8 7 K 5, with a pair of twos and a better low.

 

Raymond Davis then quartered Geyer when they remarkably both made perfect 6 lows, but Davis held a Queen for high card to beat Geyer’s 10.

 

Player Tags: Raymond Davis,   Chip Jett,   Dao Bac,   Michael Craig

Michael Craig Eliminated in 7th Place ($15,943)

Jul 03, '07

Michael Craig put his last chips in the pot on the turn against Vladimir Shchemelev with the board reading 8-6-6-K and Shchemelev.  The players flipped up their cards, Craig was behind holding A-Q-Q-7 against Shchemelev's A-K-8-3.  The river bricks out and Craig is eliminated in 7th place for the second time this year at the World Series.  He earns $15,943 for his efforts.

Player Tags: Michael Craig

144 Players Remain

Jun 24, '07

There are less than 144 players remaining with one more level of play scheduled for day one. Level seven has come to an end and play will continue through level eight until 3 a.m.

With the blinds at $300-$600 the players in this limit level appeared to be ready to gamble. Berry Johnston bet $1,200 and Shannon Shorr three bet. The player in seat 9 pushed all in for less than $1,500 and Johnston made the call. The flop came 7 5 4. Johnston checked and Shorr bet out $600. Johnston called and the turn was the A. Johnston checked again and Shorr two bet. Johnston folded and Shorr and the player in the nine seat were heads up. Shorr showed Q Q as the dealer put out the 6 on the river and the player in seat nine mucked his hand.

Pual "The Truth" Darden two bet preflop and was called by Michael Craig. The flop came 9 5 3 and Craig checked. Darden bet out $600 and Craig raised to $1,200. Darden called and the turn was the Q. Craig two bet the turn and Darden called. The river was the 4 and Craig checked to Darden. Darden bet out $1,200 and Craig instantly called. Craig showed Q 10 for top pair and Darden exposed A 2 for the rivered straight.

In what turned out to be a massive pot, Paul Sexton found himself all in against the players in seats eight and nine at his table. Sexton had the player in seat nine covered but the player in seat eight had more than $20,000 behind him after calling Sexton down. The player in seat eight had 8-8, the player in seat nine showed 6-6 and Sexton had the best hand preflop with 10-10. The board came 9 9 2 3 A and Sexton tripled up.

At a nearby table, Q Knopow has made some profitable moves and now sits with $30,000 in chips.
Notable Chip Counts

Jeffrey Lisandro	32,500
J.C. Tran	15,000
Phil Gordon	14,800
Miami John Cernuto	14,100
Paul Darden	12,000

Player Tags: Paul Darden,   Berry Johnston,   Paul Sexton,   Michael Craig,   Shannon Shorr

13 Left

Jun 25, '07

We lost two players in the last hour and they happened to be the two biggest names that were left in the tournament.  Phil Gordon and J.C. Tran both bust made their exit's from the event in 15th and 14th respectively.  J.C. was the man who took out Phil Gordon only to be knocked out himself shortly after.  J.C. was crippled by going up against aces and falling short.  The very next hand he moved in over a late position raiser for his last $23,000.  His A-2 left him dominated by his opponents A-9.  The board was not help for J.C. and just like that, the tournament poker power house was sent to the rail.

The 13 remaining players probably didn't mind seeing these two players sent packing.  Fred Goldberg and Michael Craig are still playing decent stacks which should make for an interesting final table bubble.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Phil Gordon,   Michael Craig,   Fred Goldberg

Hour Two Update

Jun 26, '07

Blinds Raised
The blinds have been raised to $15,000-$30,000 in limit hold'em.

Michael Craig Eliminated 7th ($22,850)
Limit Hold'em.  Christoph Niesert raises and Muchael Craig reraises all in for $17,000 more.  Niesert tables AQ and has Craig's A8 dominated.  The board comes K53J6, eliminating Craig in 7th place for a $22,850 payout.

Joe Brandenburg Eliminated 6th ($30,418)
Joe Brandenburg raises from the small blind, and is reraised all in by Fred Goldberg.  Brandenburg makes the call with 87 and is ahead of Goldberg's 43.  The door card is the 4 and the rest of the flop is 55.  Goldberg takes the lead and holds it when the turn and river bring 10A.  Brandenburg is sent home in 6th place for a $30,418 payday.

Player Tags: Joe Brandenburg,   Michael Craig,   Fred Goldberg,   Christoph Niesert

144 Players Remain

Jun 24, '07

There are less than 144 players remaining with one more level of play scheduled for day one. Level seven has come to an end and play will continue through level eight until 3 a.m.

With the blinds at $300-$600 the players in this limit level appeared to be ready to gamble. Berry Johnston bet $1,200 and Shannon Shorr three bet. The player in seat 9 pushed all in for less than $1,500 and Johnston made the call. The flop came 7 5 4. Johnston checked and Shorr bet out $600. Johnston called and the turn was the A. Johnston checked again and Shorr two bet. Johnston folded and Shorr and the player in the nine seat were heads up. Shorr showed Q Q as the dealer put out the 6 on the river and the player in seat nine mucked his hand.

Pual "The Truth" Darden two bet preflop and was called by Michael Craig. The flop came 9 5 3 and Craig checked. Darden bet out $600 and Craig raised to $1,200. Darden called and the turn was the Q. Craig two bet the turn and Darden called. The river was the 4 and Craig checked to Darden. Darden bet out $1,200 and Craig instantly called. Craig showed Q 10 for top pair and Darden exposed A 2 for the rivered straight.

In what turned out to be a massive pot, Paul Sexton found himself all in against the players in seats eight and nine at his table. Sexton had the player in seat nine covered but the player in seat eight had more than $20,000 behind him after calling Sexton down. The player in seat eight had 8-8, the player in seat nine showed 6-6 and Sexton had the best hand preflop with 10-10. The board came 9 9 2 3 A and Sexton tripled up.

At a nearby table, Q Knopow has made some profitable moves and now sits with $30,000 in chips.
Notable Chip Counts

Jeffrey Lisandro	32,500
J.C. Tran	15,000
Phil Gordon	14,800
Miami John Cernuto	14,100
Paul Darden	12,000

Player Tags: Paul Darden,   Berry Johnston,   Paul Sexton,   Michael Craig,   Shannon Shorr

13 Left

Jun 25, '07

We lost two players in the last hour and they happened to be the two biggest names that were left in the tournament.  Phil Gordon and J.C. Tran both bust made their exit's from the event in 15th and 14th respectively.  J.C. was the man who took out Phil Gordon only to be knocked out himself shortly after.  J.C. was crippled by going up against aces and falling short.  The very next hand he moved in over a late position raiser for his last $23,000.  His A-2 left him dominated by his opponents A-9.  The board was not help for J.C. and just like that, the tournament poker power house was sent to the rail.

The 13 remaining players probably didn't mind seeing these two players sent packing.  Fred Goldberg and Michael Craig are still playing decent stacks which should make for an interesting final table bubble.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Phil Gordon,   Michael Craig,   Fred Goldberg

Hour Two Update

Jun 26, '07

Blinds Raised
The blinds have been raised to $15,000-$30,000 in limit hold'em.

Michael Craig Eliminated 7th ($22,850)
Limit Hold'em.  Christoph Niesert raises and Muchael Craig reraises all in for $17,000 more.  Niesert tables AQ and has Craig's A8 dominated.  The board comes K53J6, eliminating Craig in 7th place for a $22,850 payout.

Joe Brandenburg Eliminated 6th ($30,418)
Joe Brandenburg raises from the small blind, and is reraised all in by Fred Goldberg.  Brandenburg makes the call with 87 and is ahead of Goldberg's 43.  The door card is the 4 and the rest of the flop is 55.  Goldberg takes the lead and holds it when the turn and river bring 10A.  Brandenburg is sent home in 6th place for a $30,418 payday.

Player Tags: Joe Brandenburg,   Michael Craig,   Fred Goldberg,   Christoph Niesert