Steve Brecher Poker Tournament Updates

Steve Brecher Eliminated

Mar 22, '13

The most notable player in today’s field, Steve Brecher, has busted out of the tournament during the second level of play. Since he is from Reno it is a safe bet that we will see Brecher re-enter today before the end of Level 4, or try his luck again tomorrow on Day 1B.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher

Steve Brecher Takes Brutal Beat From Sorel Mizzi

Mar 19, '13

Gary Sewell limps in and Sorel Mizzi raises to 11,700 behind him. Steve Brecher then moved all in for his last 43,500 and Sewell folded.

Mizzi reluctantly calls with K Q and sees the bad news in Brecher’s A A.

The flop comes 9 5 2 and Brecher remains ahead. His hand improves on the A turn, but becomes vulnerable to Mizzi’s heart draw.

The river is the K and Mizzi makes his flush. Brecher takes the beat well as he exits the room in 25th place. Mizzi now has 320,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Sorel Mizzi

Steve Brecher Makes Quads To Bust Bruce Kramer

Mar 19, '13

We caught up with the action after Steve Brecher and Bruce Kramer had gotten all of their money in with Brecher holding KK and Kramer the QQ.

Kramer was well behind going into the flop, but caught a ray of hope when he saw the Q in the door. All that hope went out the window when the next card was revealed to be the K. The final board read KQ2K7 to give Brecher quads and send Kramer to the rail. Brecher’s stack grew to roughly 120,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Bruce Kramer

Steve Brecher Eliminated in Fourth Place ($90,223)

Mar 30, '11

Ali Eslami, Tim West, and Steve Brecher saw a limped and checked flop of K 9 4. West then checked on the small blind and Brecher checked the big blind. Eslami bet 30,000 under the gun and West mucked. Brecher then check-raised all in for 155,000. Eslami made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Eslami: K Q
Brecher: K 8

Turn and River: 9 and 2

Brecher was eliminated in fourth place and he will take home $90,223 in prize money.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Ali Eslami

Steve Brecher Doubles Up

Mar 30, '11

With the board reading 9 7 6 Q when Steve Brecher moved all in and David Peters made the call. Their cards:

Brecher: A A
Peters: Q 10

River: 3

Brecher won the hand to double up to 300,000 and Peters suffered a setback to 300,000.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   David Peters

Steve Brecher Eliminated By Darryll Fish

Feb 28, '11

Steve Brecher was all in holding pocket kings against the pocket threes of Darryll Fish. Brecher’s hand was looking good to double up his last 45,000, but a trey on the river ended his tournament run.

Fish now has over 560,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Darryll Fish

Level 6 Update: Day 1A Ends

Aug 21, '10

NOTE: Day 1A has come to an end and the tournament clock shows that 90 players remain. Join us at 1 p.m. tomorrow for full day 1B coverage of the WPT Legends of Poker main event at the Bicycle Casino.

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 90 out of 186

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Manuel Reyes — 205,350
2. Raymond Dolan — 165,500 (pictured right)
3. Max Casal — 138,500
4. Ken Michelman — 125,200
5. Franco Brunetti — 124,575
6. Mike Baxter — 117,700
7. Tim Phan — 110,700
8. McLean Karr — 107,200
9. Barry Greenstein — 100,675
10. Craig Bergeron — 95,400

Average Chip Count: 51,666

Notable Eliminations:

Billy Baxter
Hasan Habib

Chip Movers and Shakers

Multiple players have rushed up the leader board during the last level of the night and now hold six-figure chip counts. Nine players are members of that exclusive club and they are Ken Michelman, Max Casal, McLean Karr, Mike Baxter, Barry Greenstein, Franco Brunetti, Tim Phan, Raymond Dolan, and over night chip leader Manuel Reyes, who ended the night with 205,350.

Big Hands:

Raymond Dolan Moves to the Top

Steve Brecher raised to 1,100 in early position and Raymond Dolan made the call. The big blind then made it 2,200 to go and both Brecher and Dolan made the call. The flop fell A-Q-10 and the big blind checked. Brecher bet 3,500 and Dolan raised to 8,100 total. The big blind then moved all in for 50,000 and Brecher mucked. Dolan made the call and he flipped over K-J for a Broadway straight. His opponent turned over pocket aces and neither the turn nor river were able to reverse his fate.

Bobby Suer Doubles Up through Tim Phan

Tim Phan raised to 2,000 preflop and Bobby Suer reraised all in for 6,950. Phan made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Phan: 97
Suer: 65

Board: Q6539

Suer doubled up on the hand to survive with close to 15,000.

Dan O’Brien Doubles up through Maria Ho

Maria Ho made it 950 to go preflop on the button and Dan O’Brien reraised to 2,500 from the small blind. The big blind mucked and Ho reraised all in. O’Brien made the all-in call for 10,000 and they flipped over their cards:

O’Brien: K-K
Ho: A-9

Board: 9888K

Both players made a full house on the hand but O’Brien held the higher one and doubled up to 25,000. Ho was still strong after setback with 78,000.

Allen Bari Takes a Hit

There was 4,600 in the pot and a board of AK66J sitting on the table when the player under the gun put in a sizeable raise worth 10,500. Bari went into the tank and eventually made the call. His opponent flipped over AQ and Bari mucked. He held 70,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Tim Phan,   Allen Bari,   Maria Ho,   Bobby Suer,   Raymond Dolan,   Dan O'Brien

Level 11 Update: Adam Schiffer Out Front

Aug 22, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 95 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Adam Schiffer — 405,000
2. Vinnie Vinh — 380,000
3. Tom Braband — 305,000
4. Tim Phan — 282,000
5. J.C. Alvarado — 265,000 (pictured right)
6. Phil Collins — 260,000
7. Marco Johnson — 250,000
8. Jordan Young — 225,000
9. Amit Makhija — 190,000
10. Ari Goott — 180,000

Average Chip Count: 121,578

Notable Eliminations:

Raymond Dolan
Chad Brown
Steve Brecher

Chip Movers and Shakers

J.C. Alvarado appears in the top 10 for the first time at this tournament with 265,000 at the end of a strong level. Tim Phan is back in the mix and Vinnie Vinh continues to hold strong. Adam Schiffer leads the way as the first player to hold 400,000. A few players that are low in chips include Allen Kessler, McLean Karr, and Michael Katz.

Big Hands:

Adam Schiffer Takes the Lead

The board read AA72 and 20,00 sat in the pot when Adam Schiffer bet 5,000. Ronald Atwood then moved all in for 109,800 and Schiffer takes a step back to consider the huge overbet. He eventually made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Schiffer: 77
Atwood: 83

River: 10

Atwood was eliminated on the hand while Schiffer grew his stack to a chip-leading 405,000.

Ted Lawson Wins a Nice Pot

Ted Lawson raised to 4,500 from middle position and Jeffrey Owens reraised all in from the cutoff for 68,300. The big blind gets out of the way and Lawson made the call after some deliberation. Their cards:

Lawson: 1010
Owens: 44

Board: AA262

Ownes was eliminated on the hand and Lawson grew his stack to 158,000.

Marco Johnson Busts One

Marco Johnson raised to 4,000 under the gun and Fred Rhyme made the call from middle position. The button and the small blind also joined the action. The four players then checked the AQ23Q board down before Johnson bet 13,000 to break up the monotony.

Rhyme raised to 28,000 and both of the other player got out of the way. Johnson reraised all in and Rhyme made the all-in call for 50,000. Johnson flipped over 54 and Rhyme revealed KQ.

Johnson won the hand to grow his stack to 250,00 and Rhyme was eliminated.

Steve Brecher Eliminated

Steve Brecher was all in preflop for 40,000 and David Sands had him covered. Their cards:

Brecher: AA
Sands: Q10

Board: 986J10

Brecher was eliminated on the hand and Sands was up to 200,000.

Player Tags: Ted Lawson,   Steve Brecher,   Jeff Owen,   David Sands,   Marco Johnson

Level 6 Update: Day 1A Ends

Aug 21, '10

NOTE: Day 1A has come to an end and the tournament clock shows that 90 players remain. Join us at 1 p.m. tomorrow for full day 1B coverage of the WPT Legends of Poker main event at the Bicycle Casino.

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 90 out of 186

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Manuel Reyes — 205,350
2. Raymond Dolan — 165,500 (pictured right)
3. Max Casal — 138,500
4. Ken Michelman — 125,200
5. Franco Brunetti — 124,575
6. Mike Baxter — 117,700
7. Tim Phan — 110,700
8. McLean Karr — 107,200
9. Barry Greenstein — 100,675
10. Craig Bergeron — 95,400

Average Chip Count: 51,666

Notable Eliminations:

Billy Baxter
Hasan Habib

Chip Movers and Shakers

Multiple players have rushed up the leader board during the last level of the night and now hold six-figure chip counts. Nine players are members of that exclusive club and they are Ken Michelman, Max Casal, McLean Karr, Mike Baxter, Barry Greenstein, Franco Brunetti, Tim Phan, Raymond Dolan, and over night chip leader Manuel Reyes, who ended the night with 205,350.

Big Hands:

Raymond Dolan Moves to the Top

Steve Brecher raised to 1,100 in early position and Raymond Dolan made the call. The big blind then made it 2,200 to go and both Brecher and Dolan made the call. The flop fell A-Q-10 and the big blind checked. Brecher bet 3,500 and Dolan raised to 8,100 total. The big blind then moved all in for 50,000 and Brecher mucked. Dolan made the call and he flipped over K-J for a Broadway straight. His opponent turned over pocket aces and neither the turn nor river were able to reverse his fate.

Bobby Suer Doubles Up through Tim Phan

Tim Phan raised to 2,000 preflop and Bobby Suer reraised all in for 6,950. Phan made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Phan: 97
Suer: 65

Board: Q6539

Suer doubled up on the hand to survive with close to 15,000.

Dan O’Brien Doubles up through Maria Ho

Maria Ho made it 950 to go preflop on the button and Dan O’Brien reraised to 2,500 from the small blind. The big blind mucked and Ho reraised all in. O’Brien made the all-in call for 10,000 and they flipped over their cards:

O’Brien: K-K
Ho: A-9

Board: 9888K

Both players made a full house on the hand but O’Brien held the higher one and doubled up to 25,000. Ho was still strong after setback with 78,000.

Allen Bari Takes a Hit

There was 4,600 in the pot and a board of AK66J sitting on the table when the player under the gun put in a sizeable raise worth 10,500. Bari went into the tank and eventually made the call. His opponent flipped over AQ and Bari mucked. He held 70,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Tim Phan,   Allen Bari,   Maria Ho,   Bobby Suer,   Raymond Dolan,   Dan O'Brien

Level 11 Update: Adam Schiffer Out Front

Aug 22, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 95 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Adam Schiffer — 405,000
2. Vinnie Vinh — 380,000
3. Tom Braband — 305,000
4. Tim Phan — 282,000
5. J.C. Alvarado — 265,000 (pictured right)
6. Phil Collins — 260,000
7. Marco Johnson — 250,000
8. Jordan Young — 225,000
9. Amit Makhija — 190,000
10. Ari Goott — 180,000

Average Chip Count: 121,578

Notable Eliminations:

Raymond Dolan
Chad Brown
Steve Brecher

Chip Movers and Shakers

J.C. Alvarado appears in the top 10 for the first time at this tournament with 265,000 at the end of a strong level. Tim Phan is back in the mix and Vinnie Vinh continues to hold strong. Adam Schiffer leads the way as the first player to hold 400,000. A few players that are low in chips include Allen Kessler, McLean Karr, and Michael Katz.

Big Hands:

Adam Schiffer Takes the Lead

The board read AA72 and 20,00 sat in the pot when Adam Schiffer bet 5,000. Ronald Atwood then moved all in for 109,800 and Schiffer takes a step back to consider the huge overbet. He eventually made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Schiffer: 77
Atwood: 83

River: 10

Atwood was eliminated on the hand while Schiffer grew his stack to a chip-leading 405,000.

Ted Lawson Wins a Nice Pot

Ted Lawson raised to 4,500 from middle position and Jeffrey Owens reraised all in from the cutoff for 68,300. The big blind gets out of the way and Lawson made the call after some deliberation. Their cards:

Lawson: 1010
Owens: 44

Board: AA262

Ownes was eliminated on the hand and Lawson grew his stack to 158,000.

Marco Johnson Busts One

Marco Johnson raised to 4,000 under the gun and Fred Rhyme made the call from middle position. The button and the small blind also joined the action. The four players then checked the AQ23Q board down before Johnson bet 13,000 to break up the monotony.

Rhyme raised to 28,000 and both of the other player got out of the way. Johnson reraised all in and Rhyme made the all-in call for 50,000. Johnson flipped over 54 and Rhyme revealed KQ.

Johnson won the hand to grow his stack to 250,00 and Rhyme was eliminated.

Steve Brecher Eliminated

Steve Brecher was all in preflop for 40,000 and David Sands had him covered. Their cards:

Brecher: AA
Sands: Q10

Board: 986J10

Brecher was eliminated on the hand and Sands was up to 200,000.

Player Tags: Ted Lawson,   Steve Brecher,   Jeff Owen,   David Sands,   Marco Johnson

Steve Brecher Eliminated in 25th Place ($28,569)

Dec 17, '09

Steve Brecher moved all in for his last 245,000 and Matt Stout made the call. Brecher showed A10, but he was behind to Stout’s pocket queens.

The board ran out 932K4 and Brecher was eliminated. Stout now sits with just under 1 million in chips.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Matt Stout

Michael McClain Eliminated in 27th Place ($28,569)

Dec 17, '09

Curt Kohlberg raised to 36,000 from the button and Michael McClain reraised all in for 150,000 from the small blind. Steve Brecher made the call from the big blind and Kohlberg mucked. The two final players then turned over their cards:

Brecher: AQ
McClain: Q9

Board: Q75J10

McClain was eliminated on the hand in 27th place and Brecher grew his stack to 670,000.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Michael McClain

Steve Brecher Doubles Through Josh Arieh

Dec 17, '09

Steve Brecher now has some breathing room after doubling up through Josh Arieh. Brecher held pocket aces and Arieh was in big trouble with A-K. A king on the flop brought some sweat for Brecher, but the turn and river were safe enough to double him up.

Brecher now has 455,000 and Arieh is down to a still comfortable 800,000.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Steve Brecher

Steve Brecher Eliminated

Oct 27, '09

Steve Brecher has been eliminated.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher

Brecher Takes One Down

Oct 27, '09

On a flop of Q33 the cutoff bet 1,000 and Steve Brecher made the call on the button. The big blind made the call as well and the 6 fell on the turn. The cutoff bet 2,600 and Brecher made the call. The big blind went into the tank and eventually mucked. The river fell 5 and the cutoff checked. Brecher bet 5,500 and the cutoff went into the tank. He eventually mucked in a flourish of agitation and Brecher won the hand to grow his stack to 33,000.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher

Level 20 Update: Steve Brecher Busts

Oct 24, '09

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Left: 11 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,500,000

Notable Eliminations:

12. Steve Brecher — $47,710

Big Hands:

Tommy Vedes Gets Full

Shawn Cunix raised to 70,000 on the button and Kido Pham called from the small blind. Tommy Vedes then called from the big blind and the flop came out 653.

Everyone checked and the turn was the 5. Pham bets 150,000 and Vedes called. The river was the 7 and Pham checked. Vedes bet 164,000 and Pham made the call.

Vedes showed pocket sixes for the full house and Pham mucked. Vedes now has 1.6 million in chips.

Steve Brecher Eliminated in 12th Place ($47,710)

Steve Brecher was all in with pocket nines against Jason Burt’s KQ. The board gave Brecher a nine, but it also gave Burt the nut straight to send the former WPT champion to the rail in 12th place.

Burt now has over 1 million in chips again.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Tommy Vedes,   Jason Burt

Steve Brecher Busts

Apr 22, '09

Steve Brecher moved all in on the short stack with K J and was called by Hyon Kim who woke up with pocket aces. The board offered no help to the Bay 101 Shooting Star winner and he was sent to the rail out of the money.

Kim now sits with 1,190,000.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Hyon Kim