David Singer Poker Tournament Updates

Still More Arrivals

Mar 16, '15

Jon Eaton took to Twitter to express his pleasure with the growing field, including players he is familiar with and those he is not.

Great field plus lots of unfamiliar faces at @WynnPoker main. They just need to start serving Guinness.

— Jon Eaton (@sketchy1poker) March 16, 2015

While Eaton was Tweeting away, a few more players of note joined tournament. On another walk through the tables we found Joseph Cheong, David Singer, David Levi, Jimmy Tran, Jared Hamby, Frank Rusnak and Dan Sindelar.

After busting with about one minute left in play last night, Larry Wright is also here again today.

“I went all-in blind from the big blind,” Larry told us. “I didn’t want to come back with only 27,000 anyway.”

Joseph Cheong

Frank Rusnak

Larry Wright

Player Tags: Larry Wright,   David Levi,   David Singer,   Frank Rusnak,   Joseph Cheong

Level 10 Update: End of Day 2

Oct 16, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 104 out of 335 (Unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Official chip counts will be posted when they are released by the casino.

Average Chip Count: 128,846

Notable Eliminations:

Hasan Habib

Big Hands:

Annette Obrestad Increases her Chip Lead

Many are holding on to survive the day, but Annette Obrestad is only content with building her fortress of chips even higher.

Early in the level, Obrestad three-bet a preflop raiser to 17,000 from the button and the small blind moved all in for 26,000.

The original raiser folded and Obrestad was forced to call the all in with 73. Her opponent showed down AK, but Obrestad made a straight to send him to the rail. She finished the hand with 585,000.

Luke Vrabel Chops It Up With Brandon Steven

Annette Obrestad raised to 3,500 and Brandon Steven made the call from the cutoff. Luke Vrabel then raised too 12,000 from the small blind and after a few minutes of thought, Obrestad made the call.

Steven then immediately moved all in for about 60,000 and Vrabel moved all in behind him for over 100,000. Obrestad sheepishly flashed QJ and mucked, having really wanted to play the hand.

Both Steven and Vrabel showed pocket aces and the board ran out jack high. Obrestad then told her opponents, “I would have doubled you both up.”

Vivek Rajkumar Doubles Up

Vivek Rajkumar was all in holding pocket sevens against the A-Q of Vladimir Shchemelev. The board came jack high and Rajkumar doubled up to 82,000. Schchemelev is still stacked with 190,000.

David Singer Doubles Up Through Scott Dorin

On a flop of Q22, David Singer bet and Scott Dorin put him all in. Singer called with KQ for top pair, but was outkicked by Dorin’s AQ.

The turn and river fell K4 and Singer improved to two pair to double up to 54,000. Dorin took a hit down to 26,000.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: David Singer,   Annette Obrestad,   V R,   Scott Dorin,   Luke Vrabel,   Brandon Steven

Level Four, Hour One: Little Chops, Then Doubles

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Brent Baldrey – 150,000
2. Khamsy Nuanmanee – 123,000
3. David Benyamine – 113,000
4. Paul Noriega – 112,000
5. Bretty Richey – 102,000
6. Anh Van Nguyen – 94,000
7. Jason Mercier – 91,500
8. Steve Billirakis – 91,000
9. Eric Buchman – 78,500
10. Victor Mendicuti – 76,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 5,600
Steve Zolotow — 32,200
Jen Harman — 27,000

Big Hands:

Little Chops Up a Big One

Jonathan Little push his opponent all in for around 10,000 and was called. Their hands:

Little: AK
Opponent: AK

They held the same hand, but when the flop ran 527 Little saw he had a backdoor flush draw. “Freeroll,” he said.

But the board finished without two more diamonds and they chopped the pot. Little is still relatively short with just 13,000 in chips.

Lee Busts to Aces

A short-stacked Doug Lee got all in preflop holding 77, but his opponent held the big bad AA.

The board ran 552J4 and Lee was gone.

Varkonyi Loses Big One

Robert Varkonyi’s opponent was all in, creating a pretty large pot on a board of 2948J. Varkonyi tanked for a while before making the call. Their hands:

Varkonyi: J-8
Opponent: AK

Varkonyi’s two pair could not be his opponent’s nut flush, and the former main event champ dropped to 26,000 in chips.

Singer Flexes

The player under the gun raised to 1,000 and David Singer made it 3,400 to go. The blinds folded but the under the gun player called.

The flop came down 952 and the player bet 4,300. Singer made the call and the 9 fell on the turn.

The player checked and Singer pounced, moving all in for 10,625. His opponent mucked and Singer took the pot. He was at 20,000.

Freddy Deeb Getting Short

Four players, including Freddy Deeb, limped preflop and saw the KJ9 land on the felt. Everyone checked and the turn was the 5.

The player in seat 1 bet 700 and everyone folded. Deeb was ailing with just 9,000 after the hand.

Harman Gets Pushed

Jennifer Harman and her opponent in seat 9 saw a flop of J55. Seat 9 bet 2,600 and Harman raised it up to 6,600.

Seat 9 would not be pushed as he reraised to 14,600. Harman then went into the tank for a couple of minutes. The ESPN cameras noticed and surrounded the table. Harman shuffled her chips for what seemed like forever.

Finally, she threw away her hand and slipped to 27,000.

Rousso Jacks Up Opponent

Vanessa Rousso and her opponent saw a flop J98. The action preflop was unclear, but seat 6 eventually ended up all in for 27,250. Rousso made the call.

Rousso: JJ
Seat 6: A10

Rousso flopped top set but her opponent was drawing to an open-ended straight draw. The turn was the A, giving seat 6 a meaningless pair. The river was the 6 and Rousso dodged the draws to score the knockout. She was at 63,000 after the hand.

Pavilion Room Update

Johnathan Little Doubles Up

Jonathan Little bet 800 from middle position and it was folded around to a player in the small blind. The big blind raised to 1,800 and Little called. The flop came Q99. The big blind bet 2,000 and Little made the quick call. The 5 fell on the turn and the big blind bet 3,600. Little called with only 5,950 behind. An off suit four hit the river and Little’s opponent set him all in. Little made the insta-call for his tournament life. His opponent exposed the KK but was no good against the 98 of Little. Little doubled to over 30,000.

Shawn Sheikhan Outplayed

It was folded around to the small blind. Shawn Sheikhan was in the big blind and was asking for a walk. However, the small blind completed and Sheikhan checked. The flop came KK10 and it was checked to Sheikhan. He fired out a bet of 800 before being check-raised to 2,000. Sheikhan quickly folded and his opponent showed him the 52 for 5-high. Sheikhan was at around 20,000 after the hand.

Thomas Marchese Loses a Pot

With about 10,000 in the middle on a board of 1053Q6, Marchese checked and his opponent checked behind. Marchese’s opponent announced pair and tabled A5. Marchese mucked and was down to 23,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Shawn Sheikhan,   David Singer,   Jennifer Harman,   Robert Varkonyi,   Doug Lee,   Jonathan Little,   Freddy Deeb,   Tom Marchese

Level One, Hour One: Emmitt Smith Confused

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 50-100

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Antoine Saout — 36,100
2. Shawn Sheikhan — 33,000
3. Phil Ivey — 30,000
4. Shannon Elizabeth — 30,000
5. Brian Townsend — 30,000
6. Barry Greenstein — 30,000
7. Ylon Schwartz — 30,000
8. Hevad Khan — 30,000
9. Kara Scott — 30,000
10. Blair Hinkle — 30,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 30,000
Jennifer Harman — 30,000
Steve Zolotow — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Notables in Play

Steven Paul
Blair Hinkle
Grant Hinkle
Marco Traniello
Steve Zolotow
Antoine Saout
Allen Cunningham
Phil Ivey
David Benyamine
John Juanda
Bernard Lee
Anh Van Nguyen
Jeffrey Lisandro
Jen Harman
Jonathan Little
Humberto Brenes
Barry Greenstein
Shawn Sheikhan
Ylon Schwartz
Jack Ury
Jason Mercier
Shannon Elizabeth
Matt Brady
Joe Serock
Sorel Mizzi
Bruce Buffer
Eddy Sabat
Eric Mizrachi
Eric Blair
Vanessa Selbst
Trishelle Cannatella
Nichoel Peppe
Eric Buchman
Noah Boeken
Andy Bloch
Kelly Kim
Hevad Khan
Jeff Shulman
Allen Bari
Zach Clark
Jason Potter
Josh Arieh

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Ivey
Doyle Brunson
Jeff Shulman
Bryan Micon
Jonathan Little
Cyndy Violette
Vanessa Rousso
Zachary Clark

Big Hands:

Happy Takes Early Hit

Entering the action late, Jeff Shulman bet 2,000 on a board of JK379 and when his opponent called Shulman quickly tapped the table and slid his cards into the muck. His opponent started to do the same, and Shulman reminded the dealer that the best hand is still supposed to be shown. The other player flashed a king, which was good enough.

How To Blow $10,000 In Five Minutes

“All in and a call!” Those were the words uttered just five minutes into the level as a player moved all in (for 300 big blinds) with AQ on a K108.

He was called by a player holding KK for top set. The board finished off 6 and 3 and the first Day 1D casualty made his way to the exits four hands into play.

Singer Gets One On the Turn

David Singer raised to 350 and was called by the player in the big blind and the player in seat 1.

The flop came 243 and action checked to Singer who fired 600. The big blind called and seat 1 folded.

The turn was the J and the big blind again check to Singer who bet 1,700 this time. The big blind called quickly again.

The K river card led to checks by both players and seat 1 announced “one pair.” Singer showed AJ for a turned pair of jacks and seat 1 tapped the table, showing 55.

Singer had about 34,000 after the hand.

Emmitt Smith Loses a Pot

Emmitt Smith and an opponent were tangled up in a flop of 1094. Smith checked and his opponent bet 500. Smith called. The Q fell on the turn and Smith checked. His opponent bet 2,000. Smith check-raised to 4,000 and his opponent called. The Q on the river prompted a check from Smith. His opponent checked behind and Smith announced that he had a straight. However, he tabled the K10 for just tens and queens. His opponent exposed the straight with the KJ and took the pot. Smith fell to 25,000 as a result of the hand.

Left in the Deck

A Tough Table

John Juanda will need a first or second-place finish in the main event to catch Frank Kassela in the player of the year race. That would be a hard task regardless, but add the fact that he is seated right next to David Benyamine and the odds are even more difficult.

A Reunion

2005 main event runner-up Steve Dannenmann has shown up and is in the field today. Interestingly enough, despite a massive field he is seated at the table right next to the table featuring the man who beat him that year, Joe Hachem.

Featured Today

The ESPN main stage is currently occupied by 2009 main event runner-up Darvin Moon. He has been hard to spot at this year’s WSOP but he is getting the bulk of the camera time today.

On the outer ESPN stage is the Godfather himself, Doyle Brunson. At one of the outer feature tables is Vanessa Rousso, so these players should get plenty of airtime once the WSOP telecast rolls around.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   John Juanda,   Doyle Brunson,   David Singer,   Vanessa Rousso,   Darvin Moon

Level Nine Hour One: Young Takes One From Singer

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 500-1000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,476 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Ricardo Fasanaro – 385,000
2. Gabriel Walls – 347,000
3. David Assouline – 341,000
4. Jim Collopy – 285,000
5. Vanessa Selbst – 280,000
6. Charles Sylvestre – 272,000
7. Marc Sander – 265,000
8. Sasha Rosewood – 263,000
9. JJ Liu – 240,000
10. Bryn Kenney – 235,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 166,000
Jon Friedberg – 147,000
Jennifer Harman — 35,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Shulman
Josh Arieh
Roy Winston

Big Hands:

Young Takes it To Singer

On a board of 74AJ David Singer checked to Ryan Young who bet 6,000.

The 10 fell on the river and Singer again checked. Young bet 10,500, sending Singer into the tank for a couple long minutes. Eventually, Singer made the call and Young announced “Ace-King.” He showed AK and Singer pushed his hand into the muck.

Young had around 160,000 after the hand. Singer was down to just around 24,000.

PearlJammer Steals One

On a board of J73, Jon Turner was faced with a 12,000 chip bet into a pot of 27,000. Turnter had about 40,000 left in his stack and opted to min-raise to 24,000. His opponent went into the tank for minutes before the dealer called the clock on him. Turner’s opponent finally decided to fold. Turner exposed the Q5 for a complete bluff. Turner had around 82,000 after the hand.

Kostritsyn Bullies Another Player

On a flop of 844 seat 6 checked to Alexander Kostritsyn who bet 2,000. Seat 6 made the quick call and the K fell on the turn. Seat 6 checked to Kostritsyn who bet 6,500 this time. Seat 6 quickly folded and the Russian chipped up to 215,000.

Jean Robert-Bellande Shows off for Cameras

Action was on Jean-Robert Belande in a three-way pot on a flop of K-5-3. Bellande called the camera crews over and squeezed his pocket kings (for top set) to be visible for the camera to see. He took his time before betting 6,000. His opponents quickly folded and Bellande won the hand to increase his stack to about 50,000.

No More Micon

Bryan Micon put in a raise to 2,500 and was called by one player. The flop ran Q95 and Micon bet 3,700. His opponent made it 10,200 to go and Micon took some time to think it over. He eventually moved all in for about 40,000 and his opponent called. Their hands:

Opponent: 78
Micon: 99

Micon had a flopped set, but his opponent was drawing to all sorts of cards. One of those outs hit on the turn, as the 6 landed to give his opponent a straight. The 8 finished the board and Micon was eliminated.

Micon cashed in two WSOP events this year for around $17,000. Check out his career results here.

Shulman Eliminated

Jeff Shulman has been eliminated from the feature table. He spent the day battling with the likes of Josh Arieh and Dan Harrington. On his final hand he ran ace-king suited into pocket aces. Both he and Josh Arieh will not be returning for day 3. Follow Shulman’s twitter here.

Kenny Tran Doubles Up

On a flop of A94 a player bet 18,000 into Kenny Tran. Tran tanked before finally calling. The Q fell on the turn and Tran’s opponent bet 40,000, enough to put Tran all in. Tran tanked again before making the call with the A8. He was good against the KQ of his opponent. The river was safe for Tran and he doubled to 150,000.

Scott Clements Doubles Up an Opponent

Scott Clements bet enough to put his opponent all in and he was called. Clements tabled A-Q and was dominated the A-K of his opponent. The board ran out 10-8-4-6-7 and Clements was down to 110,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   David Singer,   Kenny Tran,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Scott Clements,   Ryan Young,   Jon Turner,   Bryan Micon

Level Eight Hour One: Dolly's Bluff Picked Off

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,836 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Gabriel Walls — 435,000
2. David Assouline — 330,000
3. Charles Sylvestre — 240,000
4. Jason DeWitt — 239,000
5. Max Casal — 220,000
6. Christopher Lee — 215,000
7. Dave Sands — 210,000
8. Vanessa Selbst — 205,000
9. Ricardo Fasanaro — 204,000
10. Steve Billirakis — 200,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 97,500
Mike Matusow — 11,300
Jon Friedberg – 30,000
Roy Winston — 19,000
Jennifer Harman — 22,000
Jeff Shulman – 23,500

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb
JC Tran
Gavin Griffin

Big Hands:

Brunson’s Bluff Gets Picked Off

One hand after raising to 2,100 from middle position and taking down the blind, Brunson raised to 2,100 again and this time was called by Jameson Singer in the big blind.

The flop ran 647 and Singer checked to Doyle, who also checked. The turn was the K and when Singer checked, Brunson fired 4,500. Singer thought for a while and called.

On the K river Singer checked and Brunson bet out 11,000 this time. As the ESPN cameras swarmed, Singer went into the tank for a couple of minutes. “You’re getting your TV time,” said Brunson. Singer smiled and finally made the call, showing 75 for top two pair. Brunson mucked his hand and dropped to around 34,000.

Oh Captain! My Captain!

One table down from Brunson, Captain Tom Franklin raised to 2,200 from the button and was called by the player in the big blind.

The flop ran 9K5 and the big blind led out for 3,000. Franklin mucked, but still had around 62,000 in chips.

Selbst Doubles Up Opponent

Vanessa Selbst raised to 3,000 and the player in seat 6 raised to 11,300. When action folded back to Selbst she pushed in a stack of 5,000 chips, enough to put seat 6 all in. He tanked for a while, then called. Their hands:

Selbst: JJ
Seat 6: AQ

The flop ran 99Q, putting Selbst’s opponent in the lead. The board finished with the 2 and the 10 and Selbst took a hit of 35,000, doubling up her opponent. After the hand she still had around 180,000 in chips.

Buchman Wins Race to Double

Eric Buchman got into a preflop raising war with his opponent that led to him getting all-in.

Buchman held AK and was up against the JJ of his opponent. Buchman hit an ace on the turn to win the pot and double up to 125,000

Selbst Gets Aces and Action

Selbst raised to 1,800 from middle position and was three-bet by a player to 7,200. Action got back to Selbst and Selbst made it 20,200. Her opponent moved almost all of his cihps into the middle and Selbst jammed all-in and her opponent made the call.

Selbst shows AA and was up against her opponent’s AK. The flop was K22 and Selbst needed to dodge a king. She was successful in that venture with the 7 on the turn and the Q on the river.

The NAPT Mohegan Sun champion is up to 205,000 in chips with that pot.

Mizrachi Hits His Spades

Michael and Robert advanced to day 3 yesterday and their brother Eric is trying to join them there.

Eric Mizrachi called a raise of 2,200 and check-called a flop of K47. Both players checked the J turn card and saw the 3 fall on the river.

Mizrachi led out on the river and was called by his opponent. Mizrachi tabled the 89 and took the flush. Mizrachi is up to 110,000 with the pot.

Pavilion Room Coverage

David Singer Doubles Up

A player in early position bet and David Singer moved all in for 13,000 more. His opponent made the all and exposed the A10. Singer was ahead with the KK. The board ran out 1063QQ an singer doubled to around the starting stack of 30,000.

Layne Flack Short

Layne Flack bet preflop and and was called by a player in the big blind. The flop came A75 and the player in the big blind bet 3,000. Flack called. The turn brought the 10 and action went check-check. The 2 fell on the river an Flack’s opponent bet 5,000. Flack called and was unhappy to see the KJ. Flack was down to just 12,000 after the hand.

Chris Ferguson Caught

On a board reading 1072102 Chris Ferguson bet 10,000 and his opponent went into the tank. He eventually made the call and Ferguson tapped the table. His opponent exposed the AK and took the pot. Ferguson was down to 26,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tom Franklin,   Chris Ferguson,   Layne Flack,   Eric Buchman,   Doyle Brunson,   David Singer,   Vanessa Selbst

Level Four, Hour One: Little Chops, Then Doubles

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Brent Baldrey – 150,000
2. Khamsy Nuanmanee – 123,000
3. David Benyamine – 113,000
4. Paul Noriega – 112,000
5. Bretty Richey – 102,000
6. Anh Van Nguyen – 94,000
7. Jason Mercier – 91,500
8. Steve Billirakis – 91,000
9. Eric Buchman – 78,500
10. Victor Mendicuti – 76,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 5,600
Steve Zolotow — 32,200
Jen Harman — 27,000

Big Hands:

Little Chops Up a Big One

Jonathan Little push his opponent all in for around 10,000 and was called. Their hands:

Little: AK
Opponent: AK

They held the same hand, but when the flop ran 527 Little saw he had a backdoor flush draw. “Freeroll,” he said.

But the board finished without two more diamonds and they chopped the pot. Little is still relatively short with just 13,000 in chips.

Lee Busts to Aces

A short-stacked Doug Lee got all in preflop holding 77, but his opponent held the big bad AA.

The board ran 552J4 and Lee was gone.

Varkonyi Loses Big One

Robert Varkonyi’s opponent was all in, creating a pretty large pot on a board of 2948J. Varkonyi tanked for a while before making the call. Their hands:

Varkonyi: J-8
Opponent: AK

Varkonyi’s two pair could not be his opponent’s nut flush, and the former main event champ dropped to 26,000 in chips.

Singer Flexes

The player under the gun raised to 1,000 and David Singer made it 3,400 to go. The blinds folded but the under the gun player called.

The flop came down 952 and the player bet 4,300. Singer made the call and the 9 fell on the turn.

The player checked and Singer pounced, moving all in for 10,625. His opponent mucked and Singer took the pot. He was at 20,000.

Freddy Deeb Getting Short

Four players, including Freddy Deeb, limped preflop and saw the KJ9 land on the felt. Everyone checked and the turn was the 5.

The player in seat 1 bet 700 and everyone folded. Deeb was ailing with just 9,000 after the hand.

Harman Gets Pushed

Jennifer Harman and her opponent in seat 9 saw a flop of J55. Seat 9 bet 2,600 and Harman raised it up to 6,600.

Seat 9 would not be pushed as he reraised to 14,600. Harman then went into the tank for a couple of minutes. The ESPN cameras noticed and surrounded the table. Harman shuffled her chips for what seemed like forever.

Finally, she threw away her hand and slipped to 27,000.

Rousso Jacks Up Opponent

Vanessa Rousso and her opponent saw a flop J98. The action preflop was unclear, but seat 6 eventually ended up all in for 27,250. Rousso made the call.

Rousso: JJ
Seat 6: A10

Rousso flopped top set but her opponent was drawing to an open-ended straight draw. The turn was the A, giving seat 6 a meaningless pair. The river was the 6 and Rousso dodged the draws to score the knockout. She was at 63,000 after the hand.

Pavilion Room Update

Johnathan Little Doubles Up

Jonathan Little bet 800 from middle position and it was folded around to a player in the small blind. The big blind raised to 1,800 and Little called. The flop came Q99. The big blind bet 2,000 and Little made the quick call. The 5 fell on the turn and the big blind bet 3,600. Little called with only 5,950 behind. An off suit four hit the river and Little’s opponent set him all in. Little made the insta-call for his tournament life. His opponent exposed the KK but was no good against the 98 of Little. Little doubled to over 30,000.

Shawn Sheikhan Outplayed

It was folded around to the small blind. Shawn Sheikhan was in the big blind and was asking for a walk. However, the small blind completed and Sheikhan checked. The flop came KK10 and it was checked to Sheikhan. He fired out a bet of 800 before being check-raised to 2,000. Sheikhan quickly folded and his opponent showed him the 52 for 5-high. Sheikhan was at around 20,000 after the hand.

Thomas Marchese Loses a Pot

With about 10,000 in the middle on a board of 1053Q6, Marchese checked and his opponent checked behind. Marchese’s opponent announced pair and tabled A5. Marchese mucked and was down to 23,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Shawn Sheikhan,   David Singer,   Jennifer Harman,   Robert Varkonyi,   Doug Lee,   Jonathan Little,   Freddy Deeb,   Tom Marchese

Level One, Hour One: Emmitt Smith Confused

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 50-100

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Antoine Saout — 36,100
2. Shawn Sheikhan — 33,000
3. Phil Ivey — 30,000
4. Shannon Elizabeth — 30,000
5. Brian Townsend — 30,000
6. Barry Greenstein — 30,000
7. Ylon Schwartz — 30,000
8. Hevad Khan — 30,000
9. Kara Scott — 30,000
10. Blair Hinkle — 30,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 30,000
Jennifer Harman — 30,000
Steve Zolotow — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Notables in Play

Steven Paul
Blair Hinkle
Grant Hinkle
Marco Traniello
Steve Zolotow
Antoine Saout
Allen Cunningham
Phil Ivey
David Benyamine
John Juanda
Bernard Lee
Anh Van Nguyen
Jeffrey Lisandro
Jen Harman
Jonathan Little
Humberto Brenes
Barry Greenstein
Shawn Sheikhan
Ylon Schwartz
Jack Ury
Jason Mercier
Shannon Elizabeth
Matt Brady
Joe Serock
Sorel Mizzi
Bruce Buffer
Eddy Sabat
Eric Mizrachi
Eric Blair
Vanessa Selbst
Trishelle Cannatella
Nichoel Peppe
Eric Buchman
Noah Boeken
Andy Bloch
Kelly Kim
Hevad Khan
Jeff Shulman
Allen Bari
Zach Clark
Jason Potter
Josh Arieh

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Ivey
Doyle Brunson
Jeff Shulman
Bryan Micon
Jonathan Little
Cyndy Violette
Vanessa Rousso
Zachary Clark

Big Hands:

Happy Takes Early Hit

Entering the action late, Jeff Shulman bet 2,000 on a board of JK379 and when his opponent called Shulman quickly tapped the table and slid his cards into the muck. His opponent started to do the same, and Shulman reminded the dealer that the best hand is still supposed to be shown. The other player flashed a king, which was good enough.

How To Blow $10,000 In Five Minutes

“All in and a call!” Those were the words uttered just five minutes into the level as a player moved all in (for 300 big blinds) with AQ on a K108.

He was called by a player holding KK for top set. The board finished off 6 and 3 and the first Day 1D casualty made his way to the exits four hands into play.

Singer Gets One On the Turn

David Singer raised to 350 and was called by the player in the big blind and the player in seat 1.

The flop came 243 and action checked to Singer who fired 600. The big blind called and seat 1 folded.

The turn was the J and the big blind again check to Singer who bet 1,700 this time. The big blind called quickly again.

The K river card led to checks by both players and seat 1 announced “one pair.” Singer showed AJ for a turned pair of jacks and seat 1 tapped the table, showing 55.

Singer had about 34,000 after the hand.

Emmitt Smith Loses a Pot

Emmitt Smith and an opponent were tangled up in a flop of 1094. Smith checked and his opponent bet 500. Smith called. The Q fell on the turn and Smith checked. His opponent bet 2,000. Smith check-raised to 4,000 and his opponent called. The Q on the river prompted a check from Smith. His opponent checked behind and Smith announced that he had a straight. However, he tabled the K10 for just tens and queens. His opponent exposed the straight with the KJ and took the pot. Smith fell to 25,000 as a result of the hand.

Left in the Deck

A Tough Table

John Juanda will need a first or second-place finish in the main event to catch Frank Kassela in the player of the year race. That would be a hard task regardless, but add the fact that he is seated right next to David Benyamine and the odds are even more difficult.

A Reunion

2005 main event runner-up Steve Dannenmann has shown up and is in the field today. Interestingly enough, despite a massive field he is seated at the table right next to the table featuring the man who beat him that year, Joe Hachem.

Featured Today

The ESPN main stage is currently occupied by 2009 main event runner-up Darvin Moon. He has been hard to spot at this year’s WSOP but he is getting the bulk of the camera time today.

On the outer ESPN stage is the Godfather himself, Doyle Brunson. At one of the outer feature tables is Vanessa Rousso, so these players should get plenty of airtime once the WSOP telecast rolls around.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   John Juanda,   Doyle Brunson,   David Singer,   Vanessa Rousso,   Darvin Moon

Level Nine Hour One: Young Takes One From Singer

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 500-1000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,476 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Ricardo Fasanaro – 385,000
2. Gabriel Walls – 347,000
3. David Assouline – 341,000
4. Jim Collopy – 285,000
5. Vanessa Selbst – 280,000
6. Charles Sylvestre – 272,000
7. Marc Sander – 265,000
8. Sasha Rosewood – 263,000
9. JJ Liu – 240,000
10. Bryn Kenney – 235,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 166,000
Jon Friedberg – 147,000
Jennifer Harman — 35,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Shulman
Josh Arieh
Roy Winston

Big Hands:

Young Takes it To Singer

On a board of 74AJ David Singer checked to Ryan Young who bet 6,000.

The 10 fell on the river and Singer again checked. Young bet 10,500, sending Singer into the tank for a couple long minutes. Eventually, Singer made the call and Young announced “Ace-King.” He showed AK and Singer pushed his hand into the muck.

Young had around 160,000 after the hand. Singer was down to just around 24,000.

PearlJammer Steals One

On a board of J73, Jon Turner was faced with a 12,000 chip bet into a pot of 27,000. Turnter had about 40,000 left in his stack and opted to min-raise to 24,000. His opponent went into the tank for minutes before the dealer called the clock on him. Turner’s opponent finally decided to fold. Turner exposed the Q5 for a complete bluff. Turner had around 82,000 after the hand.

Kostritsyn Bullies Another Player

On a flop of 844 seat 6 checked to Alexander Kostritsyn who bet 2,000. Seat 6 made the quick call and the K fell on the turn. Seat 6 checked to Kostritsyn who bet 6,500 this time. Seat 6 quickly folded and the Russian chipped up to 215,000.

Jean Robert-Bellande Shows off for Cameras

Action was on Jean-Robert Belande in a three-way pot on a flop of K-5-3. Bellande called the camera crews over and squeezed his pocket kings (for top set) to be visible for the camera to see. He took his time before betting 6,000. His opponents quickly folded and Bellande won the hand to increase his stack to about 50,000.

No More Micon

Bryan Micon put in a raise to 2,500 and was called by one player. The flop ran Q95 and Micon bet 3,700. His opponent made it 10,200 to go and Micon took some time to think it over. He eventually moved all in for about 40,000 and his opponent called. Their hands:

Opponent: 78
Micon: 99

Micon had a flopped set, but his opponent was drawing to all sorts of cards. One of those outs hit on the turn, as the 6 landed to give his opponent a straight. The 8 finished the board and Micon was eliminated.

Micon cashed in two WSOP events this year for around $17,000. Check out his career results here.

Shulman Eliminated

Jeff Shulman has been eliminated from the feature table. He spent the day battling with the likes of Josh Arieh and Dan Harrington. On his final hand he ran ace-king suited into pocket aces. Both he and Josh Arieh will not be returning for day 3. Follow Shulman’s twitter here.

Kenny Tran Doubles Up

On a flop of A94 a player bet 18,000 into Kenny Tran. Tran tanked before finally calling. The Q fell on the turn and Tran’s opponent bet 40,000, enough to put Tran all in. Tran tanked again before making the call with the A8. He was good against the KQ of his opponent. The river was safe for Tran and he doubled to 150,000.

Scott Clements Doubles Up an Opponent

Scott Clements bet enough to put his opponent all in and he was called. Clements tabled A-Q and was dominated the A-K of his opponent. The board ran out 10-8-4-6-7 and Clements was down to 110,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   David Singer,   Kenny Tran,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Scott Clements,   Ryan Young,   Jon Turner,   Bryan Micon

Level Eight Hour One: Dolly's Bluff Picked Off

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,836 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Gabriel Walls — 435,000
2. David Assouline — 330,000
3. Charles Sylvestre — 240,000
4. Jason DeWitt — 239,000
5. Max Casal — 220,000
6. Christopher Lee — 215,000
7. Dave Sands — 210,000
8. Vanessa Selbst — 205,000
9. Ricardo Fasanaro — 204,000
10. Steve Billirakis — 200,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 97,500
Mike Matusow — 11,300
Jon Friedberg – 30,000
Roy Winston — 19,000
Jennifer Harman — 22,000
Jeff Shulman – 23,500

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb
JC Tran
Gavin Griffin

Big Hands:

Brunson’s Bluff Gets Picked Off

One hand after raising to 2,100 from middle position and taking down the blind, Brunson raised to 2,100 again and this time was called by Jameson Singer in the big blind.

The flop ran 647 and Singer checked to Doyle, who also checked. The turn was the K and when Singer checked, Brunson fired 4,500. Singer thought for a while and called.

On the K river Singer checked and Brunson bet out 11,000 this time. As the ESPN cameras swarmed, Singer went into the tank for a couple of minutes. “You’re getting your TV time,” said Brunson. Singer smiled and finally made the call, showing 75 for top two pair. Brunson mucked his hand and dropped to around 34,000.

Oh Captain! My Captain!

One table down from Brunson, Captain Tom Franklin raised to 2,200 from the button and was called by the player in the big blind.

The flop ran 9K5 and the big blind led out for 3,000. Franklin mucked, but still had around 62,000 in chips.

Selbst Doubles Up Opponent

Vanessa Selbst raised to 3,000 and the player in seat 6 raised to 11,300. When action folded back to Selbst she pushed in a stack of 5,000 chips, enough to put seat 6 all in. He tanked for a while, then called. Their hands:

Selbst: JJ
Seat 6: AQ

The flop ran 99Q, putting Selbst’s opponent in the lead. The board finished with the 2 and the 10 and Selbst took a hit of 35,000, doubling up her opponent. After the hand she still had around 180,000 in chips.

Buchman Wins Race to Double

Eric Buchman got into a preflop raising war with his opponent that led to him getting all-in.

Buchman held AK and was up against the JJ of his opponent. Buchman hit an ace on the turn to win the pot and double up to 125,000

Selbst Gets Aces and Action

Selbst raised to 1,800 from middle position and was three-bet by a player to 7,200. Action got back to Selbst and Selbst made it 20,200. Her opponent moved almost all of his cihps into the middle and Selbst jammed all-in and her opponent made the call.

Selbst shows AA and was up against her opponent’s AK. The flop was K22 and Selbst needed to dodge a king. She was successful in that venture with the 7 on the turn and the Q on the river.

The NAPT Mohegan Sun champion is up to 205,000 in chips with that pot.

Mizrachi Hits His Spades

Michael and Robert advanced to day 3 yesterday and their brother Eric is trying to join them there.

Eric Mizrachi called a raise of 2,200 and check-called a flop of K47. Both players checked the J turn card and saw the 3 fall on the river.

Mizrachi led out on the river and was called by his opponent. Mizrachi tabled the 89 and took the flush. Mizrachi is up to 110,000 with the pot.

Pavilion Room Coverage

David Singer Doubles Up

A player in early position bet and David Singer moved all in for 13,000 more. His opponent made the all and exposed the A10. Singer was ahead with the KK. The board ran out 1063QQ an singer doubled to around the starting stack of 30,000.

Layne Flack Short

Layne Flack bet preflop and and was called by a player in the big blind. The flop came A75 and the player in the big blind bet 3,000. Flack called. The turn brought the 10 and action went check-check. The 2 fell on the river an Flack’s opponent bet 5,000. Flack called and was unhappy to see the KJ. Flack was down to just 12,000 after the hand.

Chris Ferguson Caught

On a board reading 1072102 Chris Ferguson bet 10,000 and his opponent went into the tank. He eventually made the call and Ferguson tapped the table. His opponent exposed the AK and took the pot. Ferguson was down to 26,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tom Franklin,   Chris Ferguson,   Layne Flack,   Eric Buchman,   Doyle Brunson,   David Singer,   Vanessa Selbst

End Of Day 1

Jun 30, '10

The remaining 189 players have bagged their chips and gone home for the night as play has come to an end on day one.

There were 965 players who registered for event no. 51 ($3,000 no limit hold’em triple chance) and they accumulated a prize pool of $2,663,400. There will be 90 places paid with a min-cash earning $5,992. The winner of the event will take home $559,371.

David Singer is one of the notables who will take one of the top stacks into day two. Tommy Vedes, Gavin Griffin and Tom Dwan are others who will have plenty of chips to play with on day two.

The players will return with the blinds at 600-1,200 with a 100 ante. The average stack is 45,952 and they will play 10 levels. They are 99 spots away from the money.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com during the dinner break and end of day two for a summary of all the day’s events.

Players Twitter Accounts:

Faraz Jaka
Jason Potter
Allen Kessler
Amit Makhija
David Plastik
Gavin Griffin
Adam Junglen

Player Tags: David Singer

Day 2 Begins At 2:30 p.m.

Jun 30, '10

The remaining 189 players are hours away from returning for day two.

There were 965 players who registered for event no. 51 ($3,000 no limit hold’em triple chance) and they accumulated a prize pool of $2,663,400. There will be 90 places paid with a min-cash earning $5,992. The winner of the event will take home $559,371.

David Singer is one of the notables who will take one of the top stacks into day two. Tommy Vedes, Gavin Griffin and Tom Dwan are others who will have plenty of chips to play with on day two.

The players will return with the blinds at 600-1,200 with a 100 ante. The average stack is 45,952 and they will play 10 levels. They are 99 spots away from the money.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com during the dinner break and end of day two for a summary of all the day’s events.

Players Twitter Accounts:

Faraz Jaka
Jason Potter
Allen Kessler
Amit Makhija
David Plastik
Gavin Griffin
Adam Junglen

Here are the chip counts heading to day 2:

Player Tags: David Singer

End Of Day 1

Jun 30, '10

The remaining 189 players have bagged their chips and gone home for the night as play has come to an end on day one.

There were 965 players who registered for event no. 51 ($3,000 no limit hold’em triple chance) and they accumulated a prize pool of $2,663,400. There will be 90 places paid with a min-cash earning $5,992. The winner of the event will take home $559,371.

David Singer is one of the notables who will take one of the top stacks into day two. Tommy Vedes, Gavin Griffin and Tom Dwan are others who will have plenty of chips to play with on day two.

The players will return with the blinds at 600-1,200 with a 100 ante. The average stack is 45,952 and they will play 10 levels. They are 99 spots away from the money.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com during the dinner break and end of day two for a summary of all the day’s events.

Players Twitter Accounts:

Faraz Jaka
Jason Potter
Allen Kessler
Amit Makhija
David Plastik
Gavin Griffin
Adam Junglen

Player Tags: David Singer

Day 2 Begins At 2:30 p.m.

Jun 30, '10

The remaining 189 players are hours away from returning for day two.

There were 965 players who registered for event no. 51 ($3,000 no limit hold’em triple chance) and they accumulated a prize pool of $2,663,400. There will be 90 places paid with a min-cash earning $5,992. The winner of the event will take home $559,371.

David Singer is one of the notables who will take one of the top stacks into day two. Tommy Vedes, Gavin Griffin and Tom Dwan are others who will have plenty of chips to play with on day two.

The players will return with the blinds at 600-1,200 with a 100 ante. The average stack is 45,952 and they will play 10 levels. They are 99 spots away from the money.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com during the dinner break and end of day two for a summary of all the day’s events.

Players Twitter Accounts:

Faraz Jaka
Jason Potter
Allen Kessler
Amit Makhija
David Plastik
Gavin Griffin
Adam Junglen

Here are the chip counts heading to day 2:

Player Tags: David Singer

Level Six: David Singer, Andy Bloch Out

Jun 24, '10

Flop Games: 400-800 blinds
Stud Games: 200 ante, 200 bring-in, 800-1,600 limits

Players Remaining: 224 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 32,277

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Matt Glantz – 77,000
2. Marco Johnson – 70,000
3. Chris Ferguson – 64,000
4. Gary Benson – 64,000
5. Jason Lester – 63,000
6. Brandon Adams – 56,500
7. Chris Amaral – 55,000
8. Dario Alioto – 55,000
9. Erik Seidel – 54,000
10. Chad Brown – 51,000

Notable Eliminations:

Andy Bloch
David Singer

Big Hands:

Stud/8

David Singer Eliminated Baby

We caught up with this hand on sixth street. David Singer was all in and Scotty Nguyen was the man putting him at risk.

“I got two pair baby,” Nguyen announced.

He tabled 3322 to prove it and Singer was behind. Singer squeezed out a red six, which was no help and he made his way to the exit.

Hold’em

Andy Bloch Eliminated

Andy Bloch got his last 1,500 into the pot preflop and he was called by Matt Hawrilenko. Here were their cards:

Bloch: J8
Hawrilenko: K10

The board ran out Q65A9. Bloch could not beat Hawrilenko’s king-high and he was eliminated.

Lucky Sevens For Dwan

The player in seat 2 raised to 1,600 from the small blind and Tom Dwan made it three bets to 2,400. Seat 2 called and the flop came down A105.

Seat 2 checked to Dwan, who fired 800. Seat 2 made the call and the turn was the 10. The action was checked to Dwan again and he bet 1,600. Seat 2 called and the 3 came on the river.

Both players checked and seat 2 showed K-5. Dwan tabled 77 for the better two pair and he took the pot. He was at 43,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Andy Bloch,   David Singer,   Tom Dwan

Level 8 Update: Amnon Filippi and Erik Sagstrom Eliminated

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Bring-in 300, ante 300, Limits 1,200-2,400

Players Remaining: 88 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 51,136

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 180,000
2. Michael Mizrachi – 164,000
3. John DAgostino – 140,000
4. Doyle Brunson – 114,000
5. Men Nguyen – 94,000
6. Daniel Negreanu – 88,000
7. Scott Seiver – 88,000
8. Daniel Kelly – 79,000
9. Jennifer Harman – 76,000
10. Chris Ferguson – 76,000

Notable Eliminations:

Amnon Filippi
Erik Sagstrom
Huck Seed

Big Hands:

Amnon Filippi Eliminated

Kirk Morrison completed the bring-in and after a moment Alan Boston folded and action was on a very short-stacked Amnon Filippi. Filippi then reraised and it folded back to Morrison. Morrison and Filippi got all of Filippi’s remaining chips in on third street.

Filippi had concealed nines and an ace showing against Morrison’s concealed kings and a ten. By sixth street, Morrison had made kings-up, and Filippi never improved past a pair of nines, sending him home in the beginning of the last level of the day.

Lind Cripples Raptor

On sixth street, George Lind and David Benefield were locked up in a hand with their boards looking like this.

Lind: (X-X)-K-Q-5-2
Benefield: (X-X)-K-9-2-8

Lind bet sixth and was called by Benefield. After the river was dealt, Lind bet again and was called by Benefield. Lind showed A-4-10, giving him an ace-high flush and Benefield mucked and was left with just 4,000, while Lind got back up to 29,000.

Huck Seed Eliminated

Huck Seed got all of his money in against Bill Munley and by sixth street, Munley had aces and jacks showing on his board. Seed was unable to beat the two pair that Munley was showing and he was eliminated.

Erik Sagstrom Eliminated by David Singer

We got to the table as Sagstrom was putting the last of his chips in against David Singer. Singer had nothing but ace high but Sagstrom missed his straight draw and was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   David Singer,   Amnon Filippi,   Erik Sagstrom,   David Benefield

Level 11: Singer Busts

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Bring-in 700, ante 500, Limits 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 60 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 75,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 185,000
2. Doyle Brunson – 183,000
3. Michael Mizrachi – 165,000
4. Eric Buchman – 165,000
5. Men Nguyen – 160,000
6. Edouard Mignot Bonnefous – 160,000
7. Greg Mueller – 157,000
8. Brett Richey – 133,000
9. Yuval Bronshtein – 125,000
10. Max Pescatori – 124,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Singer
John Cernuto
Eli Elezra
Tony G
Allen Kessler
Alexander Kravchenko
Chris Ferguson

Big Hands:

Max Pescatori Shows Singer The Exit

David Singer completed to 2,500 and Max Pescatori raised to 5,000. Singer made the call and led out for 2,500 on fourth street. Pescatori made the call again and Singer checked on fifth street.

Pescatori threw in 5,000 and Singer made the call, putting himself all in.

Pescatori’s board ran out 10997(AKQ) for just a pair of nines.

But Singer fared no better as his board ran out K1062(852) for a pair of deuces and he was eliminated. Pescatori was up to 101,000.

Andy Black Takes A Pot

We caught the action on fifth street as Dario Alioto bet 5,000 into the pot. Andy Black made the call showing A107. Sixth street brought the A for Black and he led out with 5,000.

Alioto’s board was K832 when he threw it into the muck. Black took the pot and was at 70,000. Alioto slipped down to 65,000.

Doyle Doesn’t Care For Clubs

Doyle Brunson was in action against an opponent in seat 7. Seat 7 bet 5,000 after seventh street was dealt showing AKJ6. Brunson would not be intimidated, raising to 10,000.

Seat 7 thought for a while and threw in the call. Brunson’s board was (633)6543. Brunson had roled up threes and improved to a full house, taking down a nice pot. He was at 132,000 after the hand.

Habib Throws Bach Overboard

David Bach bet 5,000 on sixth street and Hasan Habib made the call. Seventh street came around and Bach led out with 5,000.

Habib popped it to 10,000 and Bach made a hesitant call. Habib showed (776)7643 for a full house. Bach mucked his hand and was down to 48,500.

Habib improved to 70,000 after winning that hand.

Player Tags: Hasan Habib,   Max Pescatori,   Doyle Brunson,   David Singer,   David Bach,   Andy Black,   Dario Alioto

Level 8 Update: Amnon Filippi and Erik Sagstrom Eliminated

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Bring-in 300, ante 300, Limits 1,200-2,400

Players Remaining: 88 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 51,136

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 180,000
2. Michael Mizrachi – 164,000
3. John DAgostino – 140,000
4. Doyle Brunson – 114,000
5. Men Nguyen – 94,000
6. Daniel Negreanu – 88,000
7. Scott Seiver – 88,000
8. Daniel Kelly – 79,000
9. Jennifer Harman – 76,000
10. Chris Ferguson – 76,000

Notable Eliminations:

Amnon Filippi
Erik Sagstrom
Huck Seed

Big Hands:

Amnon Filippi Eliminated

Kirk Morrison completed the bring-in and after a moment Alan Boston folded and action was on a very short-stacked Amnon Filippi. Filippi then reraised and it folded back to Morrison. Morrison and Filippi got all of Filippi’s remaining chips in on third street.

Filippi had concealed nines and an ace showing against Morrison’s concealed kings and a ten. By sixth street, Morrison had made kings-up, and Filippi never improved past a pair of nines, sending him home in the beginning of the last level of the day.

Lind Cripples Raptor

On sixth street, George Lind and David Benefield were locked up in a hand with their boards looking like this.

Lind: (X-X)-K-Q-5-2
Benefield: (X-X)-K-9-2-8

Lind bet sixth and was called by Benefield. After the river was dealt, Lind bet again and was called by Benefield. Lind showed A-4-10, giving him an ace-high flush and Benefield mucked and was left with just 4,000, while Lind got back up to 29,000.

Huck Seed Eliminated

Huck Seed got all of his money in against Bill Munley and by sixth street, Munley had aces and jacks showing on his board. Seed was unable to beat the two pair that Munley was showing and he was eliminated.

Erik Sagstrom Eliminated by David Singer

We got to the table as Sagstrom was putting the last of his chips in against David Singer. Singer had nothing but ace high but Sagstrom missed his straight draw and was eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   David Singer,   Amnon Filippi,   Erik Sagstrom,   David Benefield

Level 11: Singer Busts

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Bring-in 700, ante 500, Limits 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 60 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 75,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 185,000
2. Doyle Brunson – 183,000
3. Michael Mizrachi – 165,000
4. Eric Buchman – 165,000
5. Men Nguyen – 160,000
6. Edouard Mignot Bonnefous – 160,000
7. Greg Mueller – 157,000
8. Brett Richey – 133,000
9. Yuval Bronshtein – 125,000
10. Max Pescatori – 124,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Singer
John Cernuto
Eli Elezra
Tony G
Allen Kessler
Alexander Kravchenko
Chris Ferguson

Big Hands:

Max Pescatori Shows Singer The Exit

David Singer completed to 2,500 and Max Pescatori raised to 5,000. Singer made the call and led out for 2,500 on fourth street. Pescatori made the call again and Singer checked on fifth street.

Pescatori threw in 5,000 and Singer made the call, putting himself all in.

Pescatori’s board ran out 10997(AKQ) for just a pair of nines.

But Singer fared no better as his board ran out K1062(852) for a pair of deuces and he was eliminated. Pescatori was up to 101,000.

Andy Black Takes A Pot

We caught the action on fifth street as Dario Alioto bet 5,000 into the pot. Andy Black made the call showing A107. Sixth street brought the A for Black and he led out with 5,000.

Alioto’s board was K832 when he threw it into the muck. Black took the pot and was at 70,000. Alioto slipped down to 65,000.

Doyle Doesn’t Care For Clubs

Doyle Brunson was in action against an opponent in seat 7. Seat 7 bet 5,000 after seventh street was dealt showing AKJ6. Brunson would not be intimidated, raising to 10,000.

Seat 7 thought for a while and threw in the call. Brunson’s board was (633)6543. Brunson had roled up threes and improved to a full house, taking down a nice pot. He was at 132,000 after the hand.

Habib Throws Bach Overboard

David Bach bet 5,000 on sixth street and Hasan Habib made the call. Seventh street came around and Bach led out with 5,000.

Habib popped it to 10,000 and Bach made a hesitant call. Habib showed (776)7643 for a full house. Bach mucked his hand and was down to 48,500.

Habib improved to 70,000 after winning that hand.

Player Tags: Hasan Habib,   Max Pescatori,   Doyle Brunson,   David Singer,   David Bach,   Andy Black,   Dario Alioto

Level 17: Alaei Chips Up

May 31, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 10,000-20,000 blinds; 20,000-40,000 stakes
Stud Games: 5,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 20,000-40,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em/PLO: 3,000 ante, 5,000-10,000 blinds

Players Remaining: 22 of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. David Oppenheim – 1,900,000
2. Vladamir Schmelev – 1,230,000
3. Alexander Kostritsyn – 1,200,000
4. Daniel Alaei – 1,100,000
5. Abe Mosseri – 1,100,000
6. Mikael Thuritz – 1,060,000
7. Michael Mizrachi – 1,030,000
8. Allen Bari – 900,000
9. Kirk Morrison – 900,000
10. Lyle Berman – 890,000

Average Chip Count: 790,909

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Omaha 8/b

Alaei Scoops Pot From Morrison

Seeing the flop was Kirk Morrison, David Singer, Daniel Alaei, and Hasan Habib. The flop ran J25 and Morrison bet out, Singer folded, Alaei raised and Habib got out of the way.

Morrison called and the turn brought the 9. Morrison check-called Alaei’s bet, and did same on the 8 river.

Alaei showed AJ42 for Jacks and twos for the hi hand, and a also scooping the low hand in the process.
Alaei sat with around 1.2 million after the hand, while Morrison was around 900,000.

Limit Hold’em

Schulman Getting Short

After losing many of his chips in the last round of play, Nick Schulman called a raise from Mikael Thuritz and they saw a flop of A92. Schulman check-called Thuritz all the way down and appeared to know he was beat, as he began to toss his hand in the muck a split-second before Thuritz ever showed his AJ for top pair.
The loss put Schulman around 255,000 in chips, well below the average. Thuritz, on the other hand, soared past 1 million.

Razz

Abe Takes One Off Seidel

Abe Mosseri raised on his 6 and was called by Erik Seidel with the A showing and David Baker and his A. Mosseri bet his next card, the A and Seidel called with the 7, but Baker folded on his J.
Mosseri then bet his 3 and Seidel called with his 3. Seidel’s last card up was the K, and Mosseri again bet his 2. Seidel thought it over and folded, giving Mosseri a pot that boosted him to 1.1 million in chips, while Seidel fell to around 400,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   David Singer,   Daniel Alaei,   Abe Mosseri,   Mikael Thuritz,   Nick Schulman,   Kirk Morrison

Level 19: Seidel, Singer, Van Alstyne, Morrison Out; Bloch First To Cash

May 31, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 10,000-30,000 blinds; 30,000-60,000 stakes
Stud Games: 7,000 ante; 10,000 bring in; 30,000-60,000 limits
No limit Hold’em: 6,000-12,000 blinds with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 14 out of 116

Average Chip Count: 1,242,857

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. John Juanda – 2,250,000
2. Vladimir Schmelev – 1,700,000
3. Mikael Thuritz – 1,620,000
4. Robert Mizrachi – 1,330,000
5. Michael Mizrachi – 1,260,000
6. Abe Mosseri – 1,240,000
7. Nick Schulman – 1,220,000
8. Daniel Alaei – 1,200,000
9. David Oppenheim – 1,120,000
10. Alexander Kostritsyn – 785,000

Notable Eliminations:

James Van Alstyne
Erik Seidel
David Singer
16. Andy Bloch – $98,331
15. Ilya Bulychev – $98,331

Big Hands:

Seven Card Stud

Erik Seidel Eliminated

Vladimir Schmelev completed to 30,000 and Erik Seidel raised to 60,000. Schmelev made the call and then led out again with 30,000.

Seidel raised all in and Schmelev made the call. Here were there boards and how they ran out.

Seidel: 5752(AA8)
Schmelev: Q1086(1010K)

Seidel committed his chips with pocket aces but Schmelev hit a set of tens on fourth street. Seidel improved to two pair but it was not enough as he was eliminated just a few spots shy of the money.

James Van Alstyne Out

We caught this hand as Alexander Kostritsyn was counting up his chips after scooping a pot between him, Allen Bari and James Van Alstyne.

Van Alstyne had the rest of his chips committed and was eliminated.

David Singer Eliminated

We picked up the action on fourth street. Mikael Thuritz bet 30,000 and David Singer made the call.

Thuritz fired 60,000 on fifth street and Singer raised to 120,000, leaving only 30,000 behind. Thuritz put in enough to put Singer all in and Singer made the easy call.

Singer: 76410(K210)
Thuritz: Q3A7(Q86)

Singer made a king-high flush on fifth street but Thuritz caught his diamond on seventh street for an ace-high flush and Singer was out in heartbreaking fashion.

Stud/8

Kirk Morrison Bursts Bubble, Out In 17th

We did not catch the action but Daniel Alaei eliminated Kirk Morrison to burst the money bubble just two hands into hand-for-hand play.

With Morrison’s elimination, the money bubble has burst and the next person eliminated will earn $98,331.

Andy Bloch Eliminated In 16th Place ($98,331)

We caught this hand after seventh street. Vladimir Schmelev bet enough to put Andy Bloch all in and Bloch made the call. Here were their hands:

Bloch: 9AJ7(5J7)
Schmelev: 5610J(333)

Bloch made two pair for the high but it was no match for Schmelev’s set of three’s. Bloch could not qualify for a low hand and he was the first one to cash out in the Players Championship.

No Limit Hold’em

Brett Richey Doubles Up

Brett Richey put his last 100,000 into the middle against Allen Bari preflop. Bari turned over A4 while Richey showed K6.

The flop was harmless as it came down 10103, Bari still leading the hand. The turn was the K giving Richey top pair and the lead.

No player had a club in their hand so Bari needed an ace to knock Richey out but the J cemented the double up for Richey, giving him 215,000 chips to play with.

Pot Limit Omaha

Ilya Bulychev Doubles Through Vladimir Schmelev, Then Eliminated In 15th Place ($98,331)

John Juanda and Vladimir Schmelev had each put 43,000 into the pot preflop. Ilya Bulychev then bet the pot, putting himself all in for his last 132,000.

Juanda thought for a long time before finally deciding to muck his hand. Schmelev quickly called and showed JJ24. He was trailing Bulychev’s KK5A.

The board rand out 77A29 and Bulychev doubled to over 300,000.

However, Schmelev would get payback just a couple of hands later as he got all his chips back, as well as Bulychev’s remainder, eliminating Bulychev in 15th place.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Andy Bloch,   David Singer,   James Van Alstyne,   Brett Richey,   Mikael Thuritz,   Kirk Morrison,   Ilya Bulychev