Jonathan Aguiar Poker Tournament Updates

Level 25 Update: Jonathan Aguiar Eliminated in 3rd Place ($76,189)

Jun 01, '12

Level: 25

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 639

Average Chip Count: 1,437,750

Chip Counts:

Seat no. 2 — Nick Jivkov — 2,100,000
Seat no. 3 — Bryan Pellegrino — 760,000

Players Eliminated:

Jonathan Aguiar — 3rd Place ($76,189)

Live Updates:

Short Stacks Battle; Only One Survives

Nick Jivkov began heads-up play with a dominating chip lead over the field, but short stacks Jonathan Aguiar and Bryan Pellegrino managed to move some chips around in Level 28. Aguiar chipped up early after taking a pot from chip leader Nick Jivkov with top pair against a missed straight draw that ended in a showdown. Pellegrino took a while to get going this level and was chopped down to just a few big blinds before finding a small double up through Aguair to stay alive.

Pellegrino didn’t wait long before getting it all in with Aguiar again, this time with the better hand. After sucking out on Aguiar with Q5 against KJ a few hands before, this time Pellegrino was all in with A8 against Aguiar’s QJ.The board bricked and this hand put Pellegrino in second place with about 660,000, leaving Aguiar on the short stack with just 250,000.

Jonathan Aguiar Eliminated in 3rd Place ($76,189)

Jonathan Aguiar was knocked down to the short stack after Bryan Pellegrino doubled through him twice, and he was the next player eliminated in 3rd place ($76,189).

Jonathan Aguiar made a pot-sized raise from the button, Nick Jivkov reraised the size of the pot from the small blid and Aguiar called all in.

Jivkov led before the flop with 99 against Aguiar’s AQ.

The board came K769A, giving Jivkov a set on the turn to win the pot and eliminate Jonathan Aguiar in 3rd place ($76,189).

With the elimination of Jonathan Aguiar in 3rd place, Nick Jivkov took the chip lead going into heads-up play with roughly 2.1 million to Pellegrino’s 800,000.

Be sure to check back with Card Player at the conclusion of each level for regular updates with all of the action, current chip counts, and prize distributions.

Player Tags: Jonathan Aguiar,   Nick Jivkov,   Bryan Pellegrino

Action Begins, Final Table Now Underway

Jun 01, '12

The final table of Event no. 5 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em) is now underway, and Card Player will be posting level-by-level updates with all of the action, current chip counts, and prize distributions.

Day 2 concluded with the elimination of Thom Werthmann in 10th Place ($11,361), setting the official, 9-handed final table. Action resumes here on Day 3 where players will begin in Level 21 with blinds of 8,000-16,000 and will continue until a winner is determined.

With cards now back in the air, here is a look at the final table and how these players match up:

Seat no. 1 — Jonathan Aguiar — 552,000
Seat no. 2 — Nick Jivkov — 281,000
Seat no. 3 — Bryan Pellegrino — 790,000
Seat no. 4 — Brent Hale — 211,000
Seat no. 5 — Keanu Tabali — 309,000
Seat no. 6 — Tommy Vedes — 247,000
Seat no. 7 — Mike Allis — 86,000
Seat no. 8 — John Eames — 181,000
Seat no. 9 — Daniel Negreanu — 212,000

While only 9 remain, this event gathered 639 players, creating a total prize pool of $862,650. Here is a look at the final payouts:

1st Place — $189,818
2nd Place — $117,119
3rd Place — $76,189
4th Place — $55,960
5th Place — $41,683
6th Place — $31,452
7th Place — $24,007
8th Place — $18,529
9th Place — $14,449

Be sure to check back with Card Player at the conclusion of each level for regular updates with all of the action, current chip counts, and prize distributions.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Tommy Vedes,   Jonathan Aguiar,   John Eames,   Nick Jivkov,   Keanu Tabali,   Bryan Pellegrino,   Mike Allis,   Brent Hale

Day 1B -- Level 4

Jul 08, '11

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips.

Players on Day 1B: 825 out of 985

Blinds: 150-300

Notables Remaining:

Notables Eliminated This Level:

None

Hands:

Jon Aguiar Stuck In Reverse

On a board of 9 8 2 K, Jon Aguiar checked-called a bet of 3,000. The 3 on the river prompted a check-call of 7,000. Aguiar’s opponent showed a set of nines and that was good. Aguiar fell to 20,000.

Matusow Checks Quads

Mike Matusow called 800 from the small blind with pocket eights, and the big blind also called. The flop came A 8 2, and Matusow bet 1,100. One opponent called and the other raised to 2,500. Matusow called. The Q on the turn prompted a check-call of 5,500 from Matusow. The river was another eight, giving Matusow quads, and he checked. His opponent brutally checked behind and that was that.

Scott Seiver Going South

Seiver had A-K and put another player all in. However, his opponent woke up with aces and Seiver was in horrible shape. The board ran out Q 9 6 5 5, and Seiver was left with just 7,500.

Poker Tweets:

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Scott Seiver

Jonathan Aguiar Takes a Hit

Mar 27, '11

Jonathan Aguiar bet 10,000 UTG+1 with the board reading 9 7 6 4 2. His opponent went into the tank under the gun for a few minutes and he eventually made the call. Their cards:

Aguiar: A A
Opponent: 9 7

Aguiar lost the hand and he took a large hit to his stack. As his opponent collected the pot two other players at the table said that they had folded pocket kings and pocket queens.

Player Tags: Jonathan Aguiar

Level 4 Update: More Big Names Bust

Nov 12, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 319 (Approximate)

Eliminations:

Scott Clements
Soi Nguyen
Scott Montgomery
Sam Stein
Alex Keating

Big Hands:

Jonathan Aguiar Takes a Hit

The hijack raised to 700 preflop and the big blind and Jonathan Aguiar made the call on the button. The flop fell A 4 2 and the hijack bet 1,100. Aguiar made the call and the big blind mucked. Both players check the J on the turn and also the 5 on the river. The hijack flipped over K J and Aguiar mucked.

Flushed

Cody Slaubaugh raised to 750 preflop UTG+1 and Tony Cousineau made the call from the big blind. The flop fell 7 6 5 and Slaubaugh bet 1,200. Cousineau made the call and then both players checked the 6 on the turn. The 9 followed on the river and Cousineau bet 3,000. Slaubaugh made the call, but he mucked when Cousineau revealed A 3 for the flush.

Soi Nguyen Eliminated

Four players saw a 8 7 3 flop for a 1,300 entry fee. Soi Nguyen raised to 3,500 after an initial raise worth 1,000. One opponent reraised enough to force Nguyen to make an all-in call. Nguyen made that call with pocket aces but he quickly found out he was in a terrible predicament when his opponent turned over pocket threes. Nguyen was eliminated after the turn and river brought bricks.

Greg Raymer Doubles Up

Tomer Berda raised preflop and Greg Raymer reraised all in. Berda made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Berda: A Q
Raymer: 6 4

Board: K 9 7 K J

Raymer doubled up on the hand to get right back to where he started with 30,000.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Greg Raymer,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Tomer Berda,   Soi Nguyen

Level 8 Update: Annette Obrestad Moves Into Chip Lead

Oct 16, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 150 out of 328 (Unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Annette Obrestad — 380,000
2. Barry Greenstein — 215,000
3. Gavin Smith — 200,000
4. Sorel Mizzi — 195,000
5. Peter Braglia — 190,000
6. Noah Schwartz — 185,000
7. David Peters — 180,000
8. Matt Affleck — 175,000
9. Payman Arjang — 170,000
10. Andreas Hoivold — 165,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 113,000

Average Chip Count: 87,466

Notable Eliminations:

Arnaud Mattern
Jonathan Aguiar
Steve Sung
Faraz Jaka
Allen Carter

Big Hands:

Gavin Smith Takes Out Arnaud Mattern On Bad Beat

A unknown player raised and Nancy Todd Tyner called from the cutoff. Gavin Smith then called out of the small blind as did Arnaud Mattern in the big blind.

The flop came down 1042 and Smith checked. Mattern bet 8,000 and the preflop raiser called. Tyner folded and Smith check-raised to 37,000.

Mattern then moved all in for 46,000 and the initial raiser folded. Smith made the automatic call and showed KJ, but was in terrible shape against Mattern’s A10.

The turn and river fell 7K and Smith paired his king to chip up to 200,000. Mattern was eliminated.

John Juanda Chips Up Against Michael Kamran

MIchael Kamran raised to 2,400 from early position and John Juanda made the call from the big blind. The flop came down J43 and both players checked.

The turn was the 9 and Juanda bet 4,500. Kamran called and the 6 hit the river. Juanda then bet 8,800 and Kamran thought it over for a few minutes before deciding on a fold.

Kamran now has 35,000 and Juanda chipped up to 65,000.

Nick Grippo Eliminates Steve Sung

In a battle of the extreme short stacks, Steve Sung moved all in and Nick Grippo called, as did another player. Grippo and his opponent checked down a board of J8107 and Grippo’s KQ was enough to take the pot.

Sung was eliminated and Grippo chipped up to 30,000, still way below the average stack in the room.

Maria Ho Takes Out Faraz Jaka

A preflop confrontation saw Maria Ho’s pocket nines hold up against Faraz Jaka’s A-10 to end his tournament run. Ho now has over 90,000 in chips.

Jonathan Aguiar Hits The Rail

Jonathan Aguiar raised to 2,300 from under the gun and his opponent in the big blind made the call. The flop came down 764 and the big blind bet 3,000.

Aguiar moved all in for 19,000 and was called by his opponents pocket threes. Aguiar showed KQ for two overs and a flush draw, but bricked on the turn and river, busting from the tournament.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Gavin Smith,   Maria Ho,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Arnaud Mattern,   Michael Kamran,   Faraz Jaka

Level 5 Update: The Fall of Hellmuth

Sep 23, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 99 out of 137 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Arnaud Mattern – 130,000
Nicolas Levi – 123,000
Faraz Jaka – 110,000
Pascal LeFrancois – 90,000
Ross Boatman – 85,000
Filippo Candio – 85,000
Leo Margets – 80,000
R̩my Biechel Р80,000
Almira Skripchenko – 76,000
Simon Persson – 74,000

Average Chip Count:

41,515

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Hellmuth
Teddy Sheringham

Big Hands:

Hellmuth’s Day is Done

It was in a battle of the blinds that Phil Hellmuth lost most of his stack. Anthony Newman was the small blind and the Poker Brat was the big. We came in with the board showing 9 8 6 J 2. Newman bet 10,000 on the river and Hellmuth made the call only to see Newman flip over a pair of eights for a flopped set. Hellmuth raised his cards high in the air before mucking, so J-10 could clearly be seen, but then mucked.

He was left with just under 6,000 after the hand but it wasn’t long before he got the remainder in. Leo Margets bet 1,100 from early position and Hellmuth announced, “All in”. Margets made the call and showed pocket aces, while Hellmuth revealed pocket nines. The board fell 10 6 4 4 Q and Hellmuth hit the rail – just a few hours aftermaking his grand entrance to a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” accompanied by some Gaga lookalikes and a large brass band.

Boatman Bullies His Way

With 7,000 in the pot and a flop of 7 7 2 showing, Barny Boatman bets 4,000 from the small blind and then glances at Jonathan Aguiar who calls. The turn is the Q and both players check. The river is the J and Boatman bets 10,000. Aguiar mucks with a sigh and his stack falls to 40,300. Boatman currently has 63,000 in chips.

Jeffrey Lisandro Doubles Up

Scott Montgomery on the small blind bet enough chips to put Jeffrey Lisandro all in under the gun with a K Q 6 3 9 board sitting on the table. Lisandro made the call and he flipped over 3 3. Montgomery held K Q and he won the pot to double up to 47,000.

John Juanda Doubles Up

John Juanda reraised all in after Toby Lewis opened the action preflop. Lewis decided to make the call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Juanda: 9 7
Lewis: A 6

Board: 9 6 5 3 Q

Juanda won the hand to double up to 20,000 and Lewis fell to 19,000.

High Roller Heads-Up Report — First Match Drags

The £10,350 heads-up high roller event has reached the final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy from an initial field of 103. The winner will take home the top prize worth £288,409 and the runner-up will take home £178,211 and some deflated hopes.

First Match: Hansen has had the advantage for most of the first match in the heads-up final but Collopy continues to hang tough. In a hand after the first break Collopy bet 36,000 on a flop of A A 6 and Hansen raised to 83,000. Collopy made the call and the turn fell 7.

Collopy checked and Hansen bet 114,000. Collopy made the call after some deliberation and the river fell 2. Collopy checked, Hansen checked as well, and Collopy flipped over A 4. Collopy held 1.2 million after the hand and Hansen was still on top with 2.6 million. This last hand is a microcosm of the match thus far. It could be a long final if things get to the third game.

Here are the results so far for this event:

3: Ram Vaswani — £96,212
3: Andrew Feldman — £96,212
5: Daniel Negreanu — £47,045
5: Kevin Eyster — £47,045
5: Huck Seed — £47,045
5: Neil Channing — £47,045
9: Howard Lederer — £22,847
9: Martin Kabrhel — £22,847
9: McLean Karr — £22,847
9: Saar Wilf — £22,847
9: Andrew Robl — £22,847
9: Phil Ivey — £22,847
9: Marius Torbergson — £22,847
9: Sondre Svaniek — £22,847

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Barny Boatman,   Jonathan Aguiar

Level 3 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Aug 20, '10

NOTE: The players will go to dinner break after the first 30 minutes of level 4. Dinner will begin at 6:40 p.m. and last for 60 minutes. Play will begin again at 7:40 p.m.

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 147 out of 186

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Soi Nguyen — 100,000
2. Jonathan Aguiar — 82,000
3. Tim Phan — 70,000
4. Ali Eslami — 65,000
5. Barry Greenstein — 62,000
6. Marco Johnson — 62,000
7. Harold Cohen — 56,200
8. Chad Brown — 55,000
9. Raymond Dolan — 55,000
10. Chris Moore — 54,000

Average Chip Count: 31,632

Notable Eliminations:

Bruce Buffer
Jason DeWitt
Joe Serock

Chip Movers and Shakers

Marco Johnson made the largest gain during the last level, growing his stack to 62,000 to join the top 10. Soi Nguyen, Tim Phan, and Ali Eslami all held strong as chip leaders and each holds 70,000 or more. Nguyen is the only player with 100,000 as the overall chip leader. Raymond Dolan and Chris Moore each joined the top 10 with more than 50,000.

Big Hands:

Suer Skewered

There was a controversy that broke during the last break concerning a hand where the board read J54Q8. All four players involved had checked the hand down to the river.

After the river card it was checked to a player in late position who bet. Two players mucked and Bobby Suer had yet to act. That did not stop the dealer from grabbing the pot and delivering it to the player in late position and then mixing all the cards into the deck.

Some players said that Suer had taken too long to act, but he held strongly to the fact that he should be awarded the whole pot because he was the only player still in it with live cards. A floor person came over and after concluding that it was impossible to reconstruct the hand he decided that the player in late position and Suer would split the pot. Suer held 8-7 in the hole.

Lauren Kling vs. Jimmy Tran

There was a board of AJ9Q3 sitting on the table and 13,000 was in the pot when Jimmy Tran moved all in for 10,900. Lauren Kling went into the tank, and after a short chat with Tran she decided to fold. Kling held 18,000 after the hand while Tran grew his stack to 25,000.

Jason DeWitt Doubles up but Eliminated Later

On a board of 10856 the small blind checked, the big blind bet 675 and Jason DeWitt raised all in for 5,275. The small blind mucked and the big blind made the call after spending some time in the tank. Their cards:

DeWitt: 97
Opponent: J10

River: K

DeWitt doubled up on the hand to 13,000 thanks to the straight but he wasn’t able to survive through level 3, busting out of the tournament.

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Jason Dewitt,   Lauren Kling

Level 12 Update: Playing into the Night and Towards the Money

Aug 23, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 79 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Vinnie Vinh — 520,000
2. Adam Schiffer — 485,000
3. Phil Collins — 450,000
4. J.C. Alvarado — 350,000
5. Tim Phan — 325,000
6. Tom Braband — 305,000
7. Marco Johnson — 250,000
8. Jordan Young — 225,000
9. Soi Nguyen — 220,000
10. Ari Goott — 180,000

Average Chip Count: 146,203

Notable Eliminations:

Ray Henson
Tom West

Chip Movers and Shakers

Vinnie Vinh is the chip leader once again with 520,000 and a talented stable of professionals surrounds him at the top. Phil Collins, J.C. Alvarado, and Tim Phan continue to play strong as this tournament continues to play late into the night.

Big Hands:

Soi Nguyen Doubles Up

Soin Nguyen raised to 5,500 under the gun and Jonathan Aguiar and the big blind made the call. The flop was dealt 1074 and the big blind checked. Nguyen bet 7,500 and Aguiar raised to 21,900 total.

The big blind then moved all in for 50,600 and Nguyen went into the tank. Nguyen moved all in as well and Aguiar made the call. Their cards:

Aguiar: 1010
Nguyen: AK
Big Blind: J8

Turn and River: 6J

The big blind was eliminated, Aguiar dropped to 95,000, and Nguyen shot up to 220,000.

Tank-tastic

Tom Braband bet 5,100 from the hi-jack and the big blind made the call. The flop came 1055 and the big blind checked. Braband bet 7,000 and his opponent check-raised 20,500 total. Braband made the call.

The turn brought the 3 and the big blind moved all in for 100,200. Braband went into the tank for quite some time. He spends about ten minutes in the tank before some of his opponents called the clock. He eventually mucked after that and although he left some chips on the table for his opponent he still held strong with 300,000.

Tom West Eliminated

Tom West moved all in for 36,600 from the cutoff and the button made the call. Their cards:

West: AK
Button: JJ

Board: 1010696

West was eliminated on the hand.

McLean Karr Doubles Up

McLean Karr moved all in preflop and one opponent made the cal. Their cards:

Karr: QQ
Opponent: A9

Board: Q7582

Karr doubled up to 64,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tom West,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Tom Braband,   Mclean Karr,   Soi Nguyen

Level 15 Update: Down to the Money Bubble

Aug 23, '10

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

Players Remaining: 46 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 1,100,000
2. Andrew Frankenberger — 715,000
3. Jared Jaffee — 560,000
4. Kyle McCammond — 490,000
5. Micah Raskin — 370,000
6. Jonathan Little — 355,000
7. Erica Schoenberg — 350,000
8. Elliot Smith — 337,000 (pictured right)
9. John Smith — 325,000
10. Tom Braband — 320,000

Average Chip Count: 251,086

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Phan
Chris Moore
Jordan Young

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins continues to pace the field and he became the first millionaire in the tournament during the last level of play. The rest of the top 10 stayed stable, but Andrew Frankenberger is keeping pace with the chip leader to pull away from the field by growing his stack to 715,000. Players that are hoping to limp into the money on a short stack and then attempt to double up include Michale Benvenuti, Allen Kessler, and Ali Eslami.

Big Hands:

Phil Collins Battles with Jordan Young

Jordan Young bet 12,500 after a fop of 875 hit the table and Phil Collins made the call. The turn fell 3 and Young bet 22,500. Collins made the call and the river fell 2. Young checked and Collins went into the tank before placing a bet of 65,000 on the table. Young folds and Collins won the hand to grow his stack to 985,000. Young dropped down to 340,000.

Joe Sebok Eliminates John Wrona

Tom Lee raised to 12,000 under the gun and John Wrona moved all in from middle position for 52,000. Joe Sebok moved all in over the top of everyone from the cutoff and Lee mucked after spending some time in the tank. The two live players then flipped over their cards:

Wrona: QQ
Sebok: KK

Board: J7653

Sebok won the hand with pocket kings and Wrona was eliminated. Sebok held 182,000 after the hand.

Chris Moore Eliminated by Jonathan Aguiar

Chris Moore moved all in preflop from the button and Jonathan Aguiar made the call on the small blind. Their cards:

Moore: 62
Aguiar: A10

Board: AKJ68

Moore was eliminated on the hand and Aguiar grew his stack to 160,000.

Tim Phan Eliminated

Andrew Frankenberger raised from middle position preflop and Tim Phan made the call. The flop was dealt J75 and Frankenberger bet 16,000. Phan raised to 40,000 total and Frankenberger reraised all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Frankenberger: KK
Phan: QJ

Turn and River: 5A

Frankenberger was up to 840,000 after the hand and Phan was eliminated.

Marco Johnson Doubles Up

Tom Braband raised to 10,000 under the gun and Marco Johnson moved all in from the cutoff. Braband made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Johnson: AQ
Braband: AK

Board: A64QJ

Johnson doubled up on the hand to 190,000 and Braband held 315,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Joe Sebok,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Chris Moore,   Marco Johnson,   Tom Braband,   Phil Collins,   Jordan Young

Level 14 Update: Slow First Level

Aug 23, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 55 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 870,000
2. Kyle McCammond — 500,000
3. Andrew Frankenberger — 475,000
4. Jordan Young — 460,000
5. Micah Raskin — 435,000
6. Tom Braband — 380,000
7. Jason Dorfman — 3350,000
8. Erica Schoenberg — 340,000 (pictured right)
9. Elliot Smith — 337,000
10. Hoan Ly — 315,000

Average Chip Count: 192,500

Notable Eliminations:

Ted Lawson
Alvin Zeidenfeld

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins holds strong at the top with 870,000 and the only other player to cross he half-million threshold was Kyle McCammond. Erica Schoenberg joined the top 10 today and she now holds 340,000. Players that need to start moving some chips include Franco Brunetti, Jonathan Aguiar, and Ken Michelman. There haven’t been too many busts today, just five during the first level, as the money bubble slow down has set in early.

Big Hands:

Adam Schiffer Takes an Early Hit

Adam Schiffer raised to 8,500 from middle position Jong Jin moved all in for 59,000 from the big blind. Schiffer made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Schiffer: A9
Jin: AQ

Board: J8352

Jin doubled up to 125,000 and Schiffer held 275,000 after the hand.

Jordan Young Busts One

Jordan Young raised to 6,500 in early position and Eric Yilmaz reraised to 15,000 from the hi-jack. Huy Lam made the call on the button and Young reraised to 50,000. Yilmaz then moved all in for 100,000 and Lam mucked. Young made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Young: AA
Yilmaz: KK

Board: J7682

Young won the pot to grow his stack to 460,000 and he moved into fourth chip-position.

Tim Phan Doubles Up

Tim Phan raised from middle position and Jonathan Aguiar reraised to 21,000 from the cutoff preflop. Phan reraised again and Aguiar responded by moving all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Phan: KK
Aguiar: QQ

Board: J65J10

Charlie Hook Doubles Up

Charlie Hook got it all in preflop for his final 55,000 and J.C. Alvarado made the call. Their cards:

Hook: JJ
Alvarado: 55

Board: 973A4

Hook doubled up to 115,000 and Alvarado fell to 165,000.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Hoan Ly,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Charles Hook,   Jordan Young,   Brian Jin

Level 3 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Aug 20, '10

NOTE: The players will go to dinner break after the first 30 minutes of level 4. Dinner will begin at 6:40 p.m. and last for 60 minutes. Play will begin again at 7:40 p.m.

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 147 out of 186

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Soi Nguyen — 100,000
2. Jonathan Aguiar — 82,000
3. Tim Phan — 70,000
4. Ali Eslami — 65,000
5. Barry Greenstein — 62,000
6. Marco Johnson — 62,000
7. Harold Cohen — 56,200
8. Chad Brown — 55,000
9. Raymond Dolan — 55,000
10. Chris Moore — 54,000

Average Chip Count: 31,632

Notable Eliminations:

Bruce Buffer
Jason DeWitt
Joe Serock

Chip Movers and Shakers

Marco Johnson made the largest gain during the last level, growing his stack to 62,000 to join the top 10. Soi Nguyen, Tim Phan, and Ali Eslami all held strong as chip leaders and each holds 70,000 or more. Nguyen is the only player with 100,000 as the overall chip leader. Raymond Dolan and Chris Moore each joined the top 10 with more than 50,000.

Big Hands:

Suer Skewered

There was a controversy that broke during the last break concerning a hand where the board read J54Q8. All four players involved had checked the hand down to the river.

After the river card it was checked to a player in late position who bet. Two players mucked and Bobby Suer had yet to act. That did not stop the dealer from grabbing the pot and delivering it to the player in late position and then mixing all the cards into the deck.

Some players said that Suer had taken too long to act, but he held strongly to the fact that he should be awarded the whole pot because he was the only player still in it with live cards. A floor person came over and after concluding that it was impossible to reconstruct the hand he decided that the player in late position and Suer would split the pot. Suer held 8-7 in the hole.

Lauren Kling vs. Jimmy Tran

There was a board of AJ9Q3 sitting on the table and 13,000 was in the pot when Jimmy Tran moved all in for 10,900. Lauren Kling went into the tank, and after a short chat with Tran she decided to fold. Kling held 18,000 after the hand while Tran grew his stack to 25,000.

Jason DeWitt Doubles up but Eliminated Later

On a board of 10856 the small blind checked, the big blind bet 675 and Jason DeWitt raised all in for 5,275. The small blind mucked and the big blind made the call after spending some time in the tank. Their cards:

DeWitt: 97
Opponent: J10

River: K

DeWitt doubled up on the hand to 13,000 thanks to the straight but he wasn’t able to survive through level 3, busting out of the tournament.

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Jason Dewitt,   Lauren Kling

Level 12 Update: Playing into the Night and Towards the Money

Aug 23, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 79 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Vinnie Vinh — 520,000
2. Adam Schiffer — 485,000
3. Phil Collins — 450,000
4. J.C. Alvarado — 350,000
5. Tim Phan — 325,000
6. Tom Braband — 305,000
7. Marco Johnson — 250,000
8. Jordan Young — 225,000
9. Soi Nguyen — 220,000
10. Ari Goott — 180,000

Average Chip Count: 146,203

Notable Eliminations:

Ray Henson
Tom West

Chip Movers and Shakers

Vinnie Vinh is the chip leader once again with 520,000 and a talented stable of professionals surrounds him at the top. Phil Collins, J.C. Alvarado, and Tim Phan continue to play strong as this tournament continues to play late into the night.

Big Hands:

Soi Nguyen Doubles Up

Soin Nguyen raised to 5,500 under the gun and Jonathan Aguiar and the big blind made the call. The flop was dealt 1074 and the big blind checked. Nguyen bet 7,500 and Aguiar raised to 21,900 total.

The big blind then moved all in for 50,600 and Nguyen went into the tank. Nguyen moved all in as well and Aguiar made the call. Their cards:

Aguiar: 1010
Nguyen: AK
Big Blind: J8

Turn and River: 6J

The big blind was eliminated, Aguiar dropped to 95,000, and Nguyen shot up to 220,000.

Tank-tastic

Tom Braband bet 5,100 from the hi-jack and the big blind made the call. The flop came 1055 and the big blind checked. Braband bet 7,000 and his opponent check-raised 20,500 total. Braband made the call.

The turn brought the 3 and the big blind moved all in for 100,200. Braband went into the tank for quite some time. He spends about ten minutes in the tank before some of his opponents called the clock. He eventually mucked after that and although he left some chips on the table for his opponent he still held strong with 300,000.

Tom West Eliminated

Tom West moved all in for 36,600 from the cutoff and the button made the call. Their cards:

West: AK
Button: JJ

Board: 1010696

West was eliminated on the hand.

McLean Karr Doubles Up

McLean Karr moved all in preflop and one opponent made the cal. Their cards:

Karr: QQ
Opponent: A9

Board: Q7582

Karr doubled up to 64,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tom West,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Tom Braband,   Mclean Karr,   Soi Nguyen

Level 15 Update: Down to the Money Bubble

Aug 23, '10

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

Players Remaining: 46 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 1,100,000
2. Andrew Frankenberger — 715,000
3. Jared Jaffee — 560,000
4. Kyle McCammond — 490,000
5. Micah Raskin — 370,000
6. Jonathan Little — 355,000
7. Erica Schoenberg — 350,000
8. Elliot Smith — 337,000 (pictured right)
9. John Smith — 325,000
10. Tom Braband — 320,000

Average Chip Count: 251,086

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Phan
Chris Moore
Jordan Young

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins continues to pace the field and he became the first millionaire in the tournament during the last level of play. The rest of the top 10 stayed stable, but Andrew Frankenberger is keeping pace with the chip leader to pull away from the field by growing his stack to 715,000. Players that are hoping to limp into the money on a short stack and then attempt to double up include Michale Benvenuti, Allen Kessler, and Ali Eslami.

Big Hands:

Phil Collins Battles with Jordan Young

Jordan Young bet 12,500 after a fop of 875 hit the table and Phil Collins made the call. The turn fell 3 and Young bet 22,500. Collins made the call and the river fell 2. Young checked and Collins went into the tank before placing a bet of 65,000 on the table. Young folds and Collins won the hand to grow his stack to 985,000. Young dropped down to 340,000.

Joe Sebok Eliminates John Wrona

Tom Lee raised to 12,000 under the gun and John Wrona moved all in from middle position for 52,000. Joe Sebok moved all in over the top of everyone from the cutoff and Lee mucked after spending some time in the tank. The two live players then flipped over their cards:

Wrona: QQ
Sebok: KK

Board: J7653

Sebok won the hand with pocket kings and Wrona was eliminated. Sebok held 182,000 after the hand.

Chris Moore Eliminated by Jonathan Aguiar

Chris Moore moved all in preflop from the button and Jonathan Aguiar made the call on the small blind. Their cards:

Moore: 62
Aguiar: A10

Board: AKJ68

Moore was eliminated on the hand and Aguiar grew his stack to 160,000.

Tim Phan Eliminated

Andrew Frankenberger raised from middle position preflop and Tim Phan made the call. The flop was dealt J75 and Frankenberger bet 16,000. Phan raised to 40,000 total and Frankenberger reraised all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Frankenberger: KK
Phan: QJ

Turn and River: 5A

Frankenberger was up to 840,000 after the hand and Phan was eliminated.

Marco Johnson Doubles Up

Tom Braband raised to 10,000 under the gun and Marco Johnson moved all in from the cutoff. Braband made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Johnson: AQ
Braband: AK

Board: A64QJ

Johnson doubled up on the hand to 190,000 and Braband held 315,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Joe Sebok,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Chris Moore,   Marco Johnson,   Tom Braband,   Phil Collins,   Jordan Young

Level 14 Update: Slow First Level

Aug 23, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 55 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 870,000
2. Kyle McCammond — 500,000
3. Andrew Frankenberger — 475,000
4. Jordan Young — 460,000
5. Micah Raskin — 435,000
6. Tom Braband — 380,000
7. Jason Dorfman — 3350,000
8. Erica Schoenberg — 340,000 (pictured right)
9. Elliot Smith — 337,000
10. Hoan Ly — 315,000

Average Chip Count: 192,500

Notable Eliminations:

Ted Lawson
Alvin Zeidenfeld

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins holds strong at the top with 870,000 and the only other player to cross he half-million threshold was Kyle McCammond. Erica Schoenberg joined the top 10 today and she now holds 340,000. Players that need to start moving some chips include Franco Brunetti, Jonathan Aguiar, and Ken Michelman. There haven’t been too many busts today, just five during the first level, as the money bubble slow down has set in early.

Big Hands:

Adam Schiffer Takes an Early Hit

Adam Schiffer raised to 8,500 from middle position Jong Jin moved all in for 59,000 from the big blind. Schiffer made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Schiffer: A9
Jin: AQ

Board: J8352

Jin doubled up to 125,000 and Schiffer held 275,000 after the hand.

Jordan Young Busts One

Jordan Young raised to 6,500 in early position and Eric Yilmaz reraised to 15,000 from the hi-jack. Huy Lam made the call on the button and Young reraised to 50,000. Yilmaz then moved all in for 100,000 and Lam mucked. Young made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Young: AA
Yilmaz: KK

Board: J7682

Young won the pot to grow his stack to 460,000 and he moved into fourth chip-position.

Tim Phan Doubles Up

Tim Phan raised from middle position and Jonathan Aguiar reraised to 21,000 from the cutoff preflop. Phan reraised again and Aguiar responded by moving all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Phan: KK
Aguiar: QQ

Board: J65J10

Charlie Hook Doubles Up

Charlie Hook got it all in preflop for his final 55,000 and J.C. Alvarado made the call. Their cards:

Hook: JJ
Alvarado: 55

Board: 973A4

Hook doubled up to 115,000 and Alvarado fell to 165,000.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Hoan Ly,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Charles Hook,   Jordan Young,   Brian Jin

Level 3 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Aug 20, '10

NOTE: The players will go to dinner break after the first 30 minutes of level 4. Dinner will begin at 6:40 p.m. and last for 60 minutes. Play will begin again at 7:40 p.m.

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 147 out of 186

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Soi Nguyen — 100,000
2. Jonathan Aguiar — 82,000
3. Tim Phan — 70,000
4. Ali Eslami — 65,000
5. Barry Greenstein — 62,000
6. Marco Johnson — 62,000
7. Harold Cohen — 56,200
8. Chad Brown — 55,000
9. Raymond Dolan — 55,000
10. Chris Moore — 54,000

Average Chip Count: 31,632

Notable Eliminations:

Bruce Buffer
Jason DeWitt
Joe Serock

Chip Movers and Shakers

Marco Johnson made the largest gain during the last level, growing his stack to 62,000 to join the top 10. Soi Nguyen, Tim Phan, and Ali Eslami all held strong as chip leaders and each holds 70,000 or more. Nguyen is the only player with 100,000 as the overall chip leader. Raymond Dolan and Chris Moore each joined the top 10 with more than 50,000.

Big Hands:

Suer Skewered

There was a controversy that broke during the last break concerning a hand where the board read J54Q8. All four players involved had checked the hand down to the river.

After the river card it was checked to a player in late position who bet. Two players mucked and Bobby Suer had yet to act. That did not stop the dealer from grabbing the pot and delivering it to the player in late position and then mixing all the cards into the deck.

Some players said that Suer had taken too long to act, but he held strongly to the fact that he should be awarded the whole pot because he was the only player still in it with live cards. A floor person came over and after concluding that it was impossible to reconstruct the hand he decided that the player in late position and Suer would split the pot. Suer held 8-7 in the hole.

Lauren Kling vs. Jimmy Tran

There was a board of AJ9Q3 sitting on the table and 13,000 was in the pot when Jimmy Tran moved all in for 10,900. Lauren Kling went into the tank, and after a short chat with Tran she decided to fold. Kling held 18,000 after the hand while Tran grew his stack to 25,000.

Jason DeWitt Doubles up but Eliminated Later

On a board of 10856 the small blind checked, the big blind bet 675 and Jason DeWitt raised all in for 5,275. The small blind mucked and the big blind made the call after spending some time in the tank. Their cards:

DeWitt: 97
Opponent: J10

River: K

DeWitt doubled up on the hand to 13,000 thanks to the straight but he wasn’t able to survive through level 3, busting out of the tournament.

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Jason Dewitt,   Lauren Kling

Level 12 Update: Playing into the Night and Towards the Money

Aug 23, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 79 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Vinnie Vinh — 520,000
2. Adam Schiffer — 485,000
3. Phil Collins — 450,000
4. J.C. Alvarado — 350,000
5. Tim Phan — 325,000
6. Tom Braband — 305,000
7. Marco Johnson — 250,000
8. Jordan Young — 225,000
9. Soi Nguyen — 220,000
10. Ari Goott — 180,000

Average Chip Count: 146,203

Notable Eliminations:

Ray Henson
Tom West

Chip Movers and Shakers

Vinnie Vinh is the chip leader once again with 520,000 and a talented stable of professionals surrounds him at the top. Phil Collins, J.C. Alvarado, and Tim Phan continue to play strong as this tournament continues to play late into the night.

Big Hands:

Soi Nguyen Doubles Up

Soin Nguyen raised to 5,500 under the gun and Jonathan Aguiar and the big blind made the call. The flop was dealt 1074 and the big blind checked. Nguyen bet 7,500 and Aguiar raised to 21,900 total.

The big blind then moved all in for 50,600 and Nguyen went into the tank. Nguyen moved all in as well and Aguiar made the call. Their cards:

Aguiar: 1010
Nguyen: AK
Big Blind: J8

Turn and River: 6J

The big blind was eliminated, Aguiar dropped to 95,000, and Nguyen shot up to 220,000.

Tank-tastic

Tom Braband bet 5,100 from the hi-jack and the big blind made the call. The flop came 1055 and the big blind checked. Braband bet 7,000 and his opponent check-raised 20,500 total. Braband made the call.

The turn brought the 3 and the big blind moved all in for 100,200. Braband went into the tank for quite some time. He spends about ten minutes in the tank before some of his opponents called the clock. He eventually mucked after that and although he left some chips on the table for his opponent he still held strong with 300,000.

Tom West Eliminated

Tom West moved all in for 36,600 from the cutoff and the button made the call. Their cards:

West: AK
Button: JJ

Board: 1010696

West was eliminated on the hand.

McLean Karr Doubles Up

McLean Karr moved all in preflop and one opponent made the cal. Their cards:

Karr: QQ
Opponent: A9

Board: Q7582

Karr doubled up to 64,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tom West,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Tom Braband,   Mclean Karr,   Soi Nguyen

Level 15 Update: Down to the Money Bubble

Aug 23, '10

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

Players Remaining: 46 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 1,100,000
2. Andrew Frankenberger — 715,000
3. Jared Jaffee — 560,000
4. Kyle McCammond — 490,000
5. Micah Raskin — 370,000
6. Jonathan Little — 355,000
7. Erica Schoenberg — 350,000
8. Elliot Smith — 337,000 (pictured right)
9. John Smith — 325,000
10. Tom Braband — 320,000

Average Chip Count: 251,086

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Phan
Chris Moore
Jordan Young

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins continues to pace the field and he became the first millionaire in the tournament during the last level of play. The rest of the top 10 stayed stable, but Andrew Frankenberger is keeping pace with the chip leader to pull away from the field by growing his stack to 715,000. Players that are hoping to limp into the money on a short stack and then attempt to double up include Michale Benvenuti, Allen Kessler, and Ali Eslami.

Big Hands:

Phil Collins Battles with Jordan Young

Jordan Young bet 12,500 after a fop of 875 hit the table and Phil Collins made the call. The turn fell 3 and Young bet 22,500. Collins made the call and the river fell 2. Young checked and Collins went into the tank before placing a bet of 65,000 on the table. Young folds and Collins won the hand to grow his stack to 985,000. Young dropped down to 340,000.

Joe Sebok Eliminates John Wrona

Tom Lee raised to 12,000 under the gun and John Wrona moved all in from middle position for 52,000. Joe Sebok moved all in over the top of everyone from the cutoff and Lee mucked after spending some time in the tank. The two live players then flipped over their cards:

Wrona: QQ
Sebok: KK

Board: J7653

Sebok won the hand with pocket kings and Wrona was eliminated. Sebok held 182,000 after the hand.

Chris Moore Eliminated by Jonathan Aguiar

Chris Moore moved all in preflop from the button and Jonathan Aguiar made the call on the small blind. Their cards:

Moore: 62
Aguiar: A10

Board: AKJ68

Moore was eliminated on the hand and Aguiar grew his stack to 160,000.

Tim Phan Eliminated

Andrew Frankenberger raised from middle position preflop and Tim Phan made the call. The flop was dealt J75 and Frankenberger bet 16,000. Phan raised to 40,000 total and Frankenberger reraised all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Frankenberger: KK
Phan: QJ

Turn and River: 5A

Frankenberger was up to 840,000 after the hand and Phan was eliminated.

Marco Johnson Doubles Up

Tom Braband raised to 10,000 under the gun and Marco Johnson moved all in from the cutoff. Braband made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Johnson: AQ
Braband: AK

Board: A64QJ

Johnson doubled up on the hand to 190,000 and Braband held 315,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Joe Sebok,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Chris Moore,   Marco Johnson,   Tom Braband,   Phil Collins,   Jordan Young

Level 14 Update: Slow First Level

Aug 23, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 55 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 870,000
2. Kyle McCammond — 500,000
3. Andrew Frankenberger — 475,000
4. Jordan Young — 460,000
5. Micah Raskin — 435,000
6. Tom Braband — 380,000
7. Jason Dorfman — 3350,000
8. Erica Schoenberg — 340,000 (pictured right)
9. Elliot Smith — 337,000
10. Hoan Ly — 315,000

Average Chip Count: 192,500

Notable Eliminations:

Ted Lawson
Alvin Zeidenfeld

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins holds strong at the top with 870,000 and the only other player to cross he half-million threshold was Kyle McCammond. Erica Schoenberg joined the top 10 today and she now holds 340,000. Players that need to start moving some chips include Franco Brunetti, Jonathan Aguiar, and Ken Michelman. There haven’t been too many busts today, just five during the first level, as the money bubble slow down has set in early.

Big Hands:

Adam Schiffer Takes an Early Hit

Adam Schiffer raised to 8,500 from middle position Jong Jin moved all in for 59,000 from the big blind. Schiffer made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Schiffer: A9
Jin: AQ

Board: J8352

Jin doubled up to 125,000 and Schiffer held 275,000 after the hand.

Jordan Young Busts One

Jordan Young raised to 6,500 in early position and Eric Yilmaz reraised to 15,000 from the hi-jack. Huy Lam made the call on the button and Young reraised to 50,000. Yilmaz then moved all in for 100,000 and Lam mucked. Young made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Young: AA
Yilmaz: KK

Board: J7682

Young won the pot to grow his stack to 460,000 and he moved into fourth chip-position.

Tim Phan Doubles Up

Tim Phan raised from middle position and Jonathan Aguiar reraised to 21,000 from the cutoff preflop. Phan reraised again and Aguiar responded by moving all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Phan: KK
Aguiar: QQ

Board: J65J10

Charlie Hook Doubles Up

Charlie Hook got it all in preflop for his final 55,000 and J.C. Alvarado made the call. Their cards:

Hook: JJ
Alvarado: 55

Board: 973A4

Hook doubled up to 115,000 and Alvarado fell to 165,000.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Hoan Ly,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Charles Hook,   Jordan Young,   Brian Jin

Level 13, Hour One: Kenny Tran Out

Jul 12, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 1,251 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 175,516

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman – 232,000
Adam Schoenfeld — 55,000
Jon Freidberg — 140,000
Shannon Shorr — 360,000
Tony Dunst — 340,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. James Carroll – 780,000
2. Andrew Brown – 640,000
3. Gerasimos Deres – 640,000
4. Johnny Chan – 635,000
5. Charles Sylvestre – 630,000
6. Johnny Lodden – 620,000
7. Josh Brikis – 604,500
8. Paul Kristofferson – 590,000
9. Mike Mustafa – 575,000
10. Max Casal – 565,000

Notable Eliminations:

Kenny Tran

Big Hands:

Mizrachi Doubles

Michael Mizrachi got all-in preflop against his opponent and showed KK and needed to fade an ace against the AQ.

The board ran out 101085K and Mizrachi doubled back up to 225,000.

Keny Tran Gets Sucked Out On, Eliminated

Kenny Tran got all his chips in the middle on a flop of 723 and tabled 77, giving him top set. He probably didn’t want to see the hand that his opponent held when he saw the 108, giving his opponent a flush draw.

The turn was the 5, keeping Tran in the lead, but the 6 on the river filled the flush and eliminated Tran from the tournament.

Baker Loses a Race to be Sent Home

Amanda Baker got all in before the flop with 99 and it was a classic race situation when her opponent showed AK.

The flop came AJ5 and Baker was in trouble. The turn was a Q and the river was the 8 to send Baker home in this year’s main event.

Somerville Flushes

We caught up with the action after the preflop action had taken place and the dealer was pulling chips in from three players, one of whom was all-in.

The flop was J52 and Somerville and his opponent saw the 4 fall on the turn.

Somerville moved all-in and the only live player left in the hand folded. Somerville showed 53 and was up against the all-in player’s AJ. The river was the 7 and Somerville’s filled his flush to move to 400,000 in chips.

Kings And Queens Cracked

A player in seat 5 moved all in preflop for 34,800 and Jonathan Aguiar made the call, as did seat 1.

The flop then fell AJ9 and both players checked. They did the same when the 4 fell on the turn and the 4 came on the river. The players then tabled their hands.

Aguiar: KK
Seat 1: QQ
Seat 5: AQ

Seat 5 flopped an ace and it was good enough for him to triple up. Aguiar was at 118,000.

Galfond Flops The Ace

With 14,000 in the pot, the flop came down A74 and seat 5 bet 6,100. Phil Galfond made the call and the turn was the K.

Both players checked and the river was the K. Seat 5 checked and Galfond fired 15,200. Seat 5 made a reluctant call and Galfond showed A10.

Seat 5 mucked and Galfond took down the pot. He was at 236,000.

Player Tags: Kenny Tran,   Jason Somerville,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Amanda L. Baker,   Phil Galfond