Sam Grizzle Poker Tournament Updates

Level 5 Update: Wahlbeck Climbing Back

Jun 15, '09

Blinds: 300-600

Players Remaining: 175 out of 185

Chip Counts

1. Shaun Deeb – 82,000
2. Markus Gosler – 67,000
3. Dario Minieri – 63,000
4. Greg Mueller – 60,000
5. Lex Veldhuis – 60,000
6. David Oppenheim – 52,500
7. Michiel Brummelhuis – 50,000
8. Josh Arieh – 49,000
9. Daniel Negreanu – 48,300
10. Berry Johnston – 46,000

Average Stack: 31,356

Notable Eliminations:

Andy Bloch
Brett Richey
Jeff Lisandro

Big Hands:

Once Is A Fluke; Four Times Is A Pattern

On a flop of Q92, Ville Wahlbeck was first to act and checked. The player in seat 3 fired 600 and Wahlbeck check-raised to 1,200. Seat 3 made the call and the 8 came on the turn. Wahlbeck led out with 1,200 and seat 3 came along for the ride. The 6 fell on the river and Wahlbeck fired another 1,200 and seat 3 made the call. Wahlbeck tabled AQ for top pair, top kicker and seat 3 showed KQ for top pair and second kicker. Wahlbeck raked in the pot.

Wahlbeck was under 15,000 earlier in the day but has fought back to build his stack to 30,000. Wahlbeck has already cashed in four $10,000 buy-in events and is looking to do it again here.

Grizzle Second Best

On a board showing A107, Sam Grizzle led out for 600 and the player in seat 1 raised to 1,200. Grizzle made the call and the turn brought the 6. Grizzle led out again, this time for 1,200 and seat 1 called. The river was the 4 and Grizzle fired another 1,200. Seat 1 called and Grizzle showed J10 for second pair. Seat 1 tabled A9 for top pair and Grizzle was down to 24,000.

No Love For Scotty Baby

The player in seat 8 raised to 1,200 under the gun and the action folded around to Scotty Nguyen. He three-bet to 1,800 and seat 8 was the only caller. The flop came AQ3 and both players checked. The turn was the Q and both players checked again. The river brought the 2 and seat 8 was tired of pounding the table and fired 1,200. Nguyen waited for a bit but eventually mucked his hand. He was down to 43,000 after the hand.

The Kid Can’t Turn It

Action folded around to Daniel Negreanu on the button and he raised to 1,200 preflop. The big blind called and the flop came down 1096 and both players checked. The turn was the 2 and the big blind took a stab at the pot with 1,200. Negreanu stared at his opponent for a bit, then mucked his hand. He was down to 44,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Scotty Nguyen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Ville Wahlbeck

Level 3 Update: The Field Keeps Growing

Jun 10, '09

Blinds: 100-200 with a 50 ante

Entrants: 96

Chip Counts:

1. Jon Turner – 65,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 49,000
3. Chino Rheem – 48,000
4. Greg Mueller – 45,000
5. Dario Minieri – 44,000
6. Sam Grizzle – 43,000
7. Steve Sung – 41,000
8. Jim Bechtel – 40,000
9. Amnon Filippi – 38,000
10. Archie Karas – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Yan Chen

Big Hands:

The Grizzled Veteran

Action folded around to Allen Cunningham in the small blind. He made it 600 to go and Sam Grizzle made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Cunningham draws 2 cards, Grizzle draws 2 cards

Cunningham led out with 1,050 after the draw. “Did you already use your reload?” Grizzle asked. He then unloaded 9,000 into the pot. “That’s why you were asking me that question,” Cunningham said. He looked at his hand one last time before throwing it into the muck. Grizzle was closing in on 50,000 in chips while Cunningham was down to 27,000.

Kenny Tran In The House

Kenny Tran is one of the many late arrivals in this tournament and has made his presence felt. With the pot holding 3,400 in chips, Tran led out for 7,000 after the draw. The player in seat 2 mucked his hand and Tran took the pot after flexing his muscle. He was up to 34,000.

Ivey Burns Chan

Phil Ivey raised to 600 from the button and Johnny Chan made the call from the big blind. “Hi Johnny,” Ivey said. “Hi there Phil,” Chan responded with a chuckle.

Draw: Chan draws 2 cards, Ivey draws 2 cards

The dealer made a mistake and forgot to burn a card before she gave Chan his cards. There was some confusion as to which card she needed to burn. “I don’t mind which one she burns,” Ivey joked. Chan tried to help the dealer figure out which card needed to be burned, but just threw his hands up in frustration. “Ah hell! I don’t care either,” Chan said. Once that mess was sorted, Chan checked and Ivey fired 1,200. Chan quickly mucked and Ivey improved to 33,000 while Chan held close to 35,000.

With Friends Like These…

Daniel Negreanu has arrived and drawn a seat at the same table as his friend Mike Matusow. It didn’t take them long to get involved in a hand.

Matusow raised to 625 from the cutoff and Negreanu made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Negreanu draws 1 card, Matusow stands pat

Both players checked after the draw and Matusow showed down a 10-low. Negreanu mucked his hand and was back to his starting stack of 30,000. Matusow was up to 26,000.

Schneider Takes One

With 2,400 in the pot, Tom Schneider, Freddy Deeb and Steve Zolotow each had a stake in the hand as the draw approached.

Draw: Deeb draws 2 cards, Zolotow draws 2 cards, Schneider draws 1 card

After everyone received their cards, all three players checked and Schneider showed down a Queen-low. Zolotow and Deeb both mucked and Schneider improved to 31,000 with the pot. Deeb was at 54,000 while Zolotow was down to 22,000.

Left In The Deck:

Stacked Table

As more players arrive to their seats, the tournament has added more tables and moved some players around. One table has the following players residing there:

Seat 1: Steve Zolotow
Seat 2: Erick Lindgren
Seat 3: Tim Phan
Seat 4: Freddy Deeb
Seat 5: Huck Seed
Seat 6: Tom Schneider
Seat 7: Greg Mueller

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Allen Cunningham,   Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Tom Schneider,   Johnny Chan,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Freddy Deeb

Level 1 Update: Rousso Takes A Big Pot Early

Jun 10, '09

Blinds: 50-100 with a 25 ante

Entrants: 62

Chip Counts:

1. Huck Seed – 32,000
2. Vanessa Rousso – 31,000
3. Sam Grizzle – 30,000
4. Mike Matusow – 30,000
5. Jeff Lisandro – 30,000
6. Amnon Filippi – 30,000
7. Archie Karas – 30,000
8. Tim Phan – 30,000
9. Johnny Chan – 30,000
10. Erick Lindgren – 30,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Lady Maverick Takes A Nice Pot Early

Vanessa Rousso raised to 300 from the cutoff and the player in seat 2 was next to act on the button. He repopped it to 4,300 more and Rousso made the call. It was then time to draw.

Draw: Rousso Stands Pat, Seat 2 Stands Pat

Rousso showed down 9-7-4-3-2 and her opponent flashed a 10, then he mucked his hand. Rousso scored a nice sized pot early on and she was up to almost 20,000, her two reload chips still intact.

Chan And Lindgren Tangle

After both players had drawn their cards, Johnny Chan fired 800 into the pot and Lindgren thought for a few moments before making the call. Chan showed a 10-low and Lindgren mucked his hand. Chan took in the pot and was around 13,000 in the early going. Lindgren dropped to 9,200 but would get some back in later hands.

Erick Lindgren Involved Early And Often

The player in seat 5 min-raised to 200 and Lindgren made the call.

Draw: Seat 5 draws 1 card, Lindgren draws 1 card

Erick Lindgren led out for 600 after the draw and his opponent mucked his hand, giving the pot to Lindgren. But Lindgren was not done.

A few hands later, the player in seat 6 drew two cards while Lindgren took one card. Seat 6 then checked to Lindgren who fired 700 into the pot. Seat 6 mucked his hand and Lindgren took down another pot. Lindgren was up to 16,000 with his two reload chips still intact.

Seed Pushes Grizzle Out

Sam Grizzle raised to 600 from early position and action folded around to Huck Seed in the big blind. Seed then raised it 2,600 total and action was back on Grizzle. Grizzle tanked for a bit and then threw his cards into the muck. Seed took in the pot and he was up to 32,000 after he used his two reload chips.

Left In The Deck:

Bartender, I’ll Take A Double Shot

As the tournament began, it was explained to Sam Grizzle that the two red chips in front of him were to rebuy his chips. Grizzle needed clarification from Huck Seed and Mike Matusow that these chips were just reload chips and that they would not cost anything extra. This was a relief to Grizzle, who said “If this is a rebuy tournament I am not playing.”

After this was explained, Grizzle elected to take his reload immediately and Huck Seed followed suit. Players can use their reload at any time during the first three levels. If they do not use it by the end of level 3, the players are forced to take the 20,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Erick Lindgren,   Huck Seed,   Mike Matusow,   Johnny Chan,   Vanessa Rousso

We're Done

Mar 01, '08

Freedy Deeb advances to the sweet sixteen after cracking the pocket kings of Sam Grizzle with A-Q.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Freddy Deeb

Color Up Time

Jul 01, '07

Players are now on a 15 minute break.  The $100 chips were just raced off the tables.

Sam Grizzle could not reproduce the magic he had in the previous level having two sets cracked.  Grizzle took a large hit when his set of Jacks was beaten by a rivered flush, and then he was eliminated by Robert Mizrachi who caught up with his set of Kings with a straight on the turn.

Todd Brunson was knocked down to one single $100 chip after he called his opponent's all in with an open ended straight draw, and a back door flush draw.  His opponent held the top set of Queens and filled up on the river.  Brunson was eliminated soon after the hand.

On an adjacent table, Todd's father Doyle was very active, and he was gathering quite a bit of chips.  A few hands after making quad Jacks for a nice pot, Brunson drew out to eliminate Davidson Matthew.  The two of them got the money all in on the turn with the board reading Q 9 2 4.  Each player held two pair, but Matthew had the best of it holding K Q 9 5 to Brunson's K 4 3 2.  Brunson spiked the 10 on the river to eliminate Matthew with a flush.

Joe Hachem tangled in a large pot with John Duthie that went Duthie's way.  Four players limped to see a J 10 6 flop, the action was checked around to Duthie on the button who bet the pot, Hachem re-potted from the small blind, Duthie re-raised him all in after the action was folded back to him, and Hachem called.  Hachem held J 10 6 2 and Duthie held A K 10 3.  Duthie caught the K to take the lead, and the 4 on the river couldn't save Hachem and he was eliminated.

There are currently 90 players left on ten tables

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Sam Grizzle,   Todd Brunson,   Doyle Brunson,   John Duthie,   Joe Hachem,   Davidson Matthew

12 Tables

Jul 01, '07

Amazingly two-thirds of the starting field is now gone as only 99 players remain.

Sam Grizzle has been tearing his table apart beating two nut-flushes in succession.  First Grizzle committed all of his chips on a flop of K87 where he had flopped top set holding K K Q J.  Allen Cunninham made the call with A 10 10 2.  Cunningham caught the flush with the 4 on the turn, but the 7, filled Grizzle's boat, and secured him the pot.  A few hands later, John Phan was the victim of quite a cooler, and a hell of a sharp needle.  Phan, holding A K Q 6, flopped top two pair against Grizzle's (Q 7 7 5)open-ended straight-flush draw, on a K 6 4 flop.  The turn 7 gave Grizzle the lead with a set of sevens, and the 8, gave Phan the nut flush, but also completed Grizzle's straight flush.  Phan was eliminated on the hand.  Cunningham was also sent packing soon after when his opponent caught a gutshot straight to crack his two Aces.

Phil Hellmuth, who had been folding to Ted Forrest's reraises, was able to take him out when he beat Ted's turned two-pair with a backdoor flush.  Todd Brunson doubled up through Fabrice Soulier after he flopped a set of tens, and got action from Souiler's top pair.

Souiler is still among the chip leaders, with Patrik Antonius leading the pack.
Notable Chip Counts

Annie Duke	151,000
Robert Mizrachi	132,000
Patrik Antonius	125,000
Fabrice Soulier	125,000
Doyle Brunson	124,500
Andy Bloch	102,000
Scotty Nguyen	101,000
Greg Raymer	89,000
Surinder Sunar	69,000
David Sklansky	62,000
David Chiu	56,000
Phil Hellmuth	55,000
Chau Giang	50,000
Huckleberry Seed	45,000
JC Tran	42,000
Eli Elezra	39,000
Dave Colclough	39,000
Johnny Chan	34,000
Tony G	30,500
Dewey Tomko	18,000

Player Tags: John Phan,   Sam Grizzle,   Allen Cunningham,   Ted Forrest,   Todd Brunson,   Phil Hellmuth,   Fabrice Soulier

Hour Six Update

Jul 01, '07

Players are on dinner break from 7:30 until 9 p.m.

Reslock-It-Up

With a flop of 9-7-4, a short stacked player moved over the top of Chris Reslock's bet.  Reslock called with A-Q-Q-9, for top pair and an over pair.  His opponent revealed the K-K-7-4 for bottom two pair and a bigger over pair, which was way ahead.  Reslock got all the help he needed when the turn brought another nine.  The queen on the river gave Reslock an even higher full-house, and his opponent was sent to the rail.

Mizrachi vs. Grizzle

On a board of A 6 3 10 9 Sam Grizzle bet $5,000 and Robert Mizrachi raised to $15,000.   Grizzle called and mucked when Mizrachi revealed the 9 8 7 5 for a straight.

Eliminations

Barry Greenstein, Erick Lindgren, David Ulliot,  Humberto Brenes, "Miami" John Cernuto and Andy Black have all been eliminated from the pot-limit omaha event.

Black day
Andy Black took significant umbridge at some remarks Davood Mehrmand made at his table as he was knocked out. Andy called for the floor and was clearly agitated. Mehrmand kept repeating for Black to 'Go home.' Black replied, 'Don't fu*k with me - you won't be playing here next year,' and stormed off before the tournament director could even begin to get to the bottom of the story.

When Black had gone, Mehrmand told waiting journalists and people at neighboring tables his version of the story  saying , 'He went crazy because he made a bad play from a  bad position. He needs  a doctor.'

What is clear is that Mehrmand has a reputation for needling opponents and on this occasion it appears to have sent Black into a fury.

No Lady Luck for Fitoussi
Bruno Fitoussi, the Frenchman who came second in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event last week, got his few remaining chips in on a flop of AK3 and flipped over 108J3. His opponenet showed Aces in his hand and Fitoussi pleaded for the Queen to come on the remaining two streets but a 7 and 2 meant it was not to be and he has been eliminated.

Euro table of the hour
Joe Beevers ($24,000), Michael Greco ($42,100), Thomas Wahlroos, Dave Callaghan ($16,000) and Doyle Brunson.

Make sure to check back after the dinner break for more updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Notable Chip Counts

Patrik Antonius	135,000
Chris Reslock	113,000
Marco Traniello	86,000
Scott Clements	80,000
Davidson Matthew	64,000
Huckleberry Seed	62,000
Eli Elezra	61,000
Doyle Brunson	56,000
Annie Duke	55,000
Scotty Nguyen	54,000
Greg Raymer	52,000
Andy Bloch	51,000
Todd Brunson	48,000
Surinder Sunar	47,000
Chau Giang	47,000
Max Pescatori	44,000
Steve Zolotow	42,000
Sam Grizzle	40,000
John Phan	40,000
Robert Mizrachi	38,000
Michael Binger	38,000
Lee Watkinson	37,400
Thor Hansen	37,000
Jordan Morgan	36,000
Allen Cunningham	36,000
Noah Boeken	32,000
JC Tran	32,000
Amir Vahedi	32,000
Ted Forrest	31,000
Johnny Chan	30,000
Alex Jacob	30,000
Rafi Amit	28,000
Phil Laak	28,000
Scott Fischman	27,000
Humberto Brenes	27,000
David Grey	26,000
Tony G	25,000
Phil Hellmuth	25,000
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson	25,000
Mel Judah	24,000
Leif Force	21,600
Joe Hachem	21,500
Sam Farha	20,500
Thomas Wahlroos	20,000
David Sklansky	16,000
Hoyt Corkins	13,800
Juha Helppi	13,000
Dewey Tomko	13,000
Toto Leonidas	10,000
Bill Gazes	6,000
Mark Vos	4,100

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Sam Grizzle,   Barry Greenstein,   Chris Reslock

Hour Four Update

Jul 01, '07

Give Me A Break

Players took a break at the end of level three so that the mandatory add-ons could be sorted out. They had taken a break at the end of level two before that, and are set to do the same at the end of this level.  Andy Bloch voiced his belief that this was poor planning, and resulted in too many breaks that added up to hours of wasted time for the players

Grizzle Rivers the Razor

A short stacked player moved all-in under the gun and both Sam Grizzle and John Phan called. Grizzle checked blind and the flop brought the A Q 9.  Phan bet $2,400 and Grizzle called, saying, "You don't want a call, huh?" The 6 came on the turn and Grizzle again checked.  Phan bet $5,100, prompting Grizzle to say, "You still don't want me to call," before calling the bet.   The J fell on the river and Grizzle checked one more time. Phan bet $9,000 and Grizzle called, revealing the 10 9 8 2 for a queen-high straight. Phan revealed that he had wanted Grizzle to call, showing A K 6, for aces up and the nut flush draw after the turn.   Grizzle had rivered him, however, and took a huge chunk of his stack. 

Eliminations

Howard Lederer was eliminated when his set of fives ran into the set of nines of Steve Song.  Daniel Negreanu, David Williams and Tony Cousineau were also eliminated this past level.

Make sure to check back for more hourly updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Notable Chip Counts

Patrik Antonius	100,000
Sam Grizzle	90,000
Annie Duke	52,000
John Phan	49,000
Scott Clements	44,000
Phil Ivey	44,000
Lee Watkinson	42,600
Davidson Matthew	42,000
Max Pescatori	41,100
Steve Zolotow	40,000
Chris Reslock	37,000
Barry Greenstein	37,000
Greg Raymer	36,000
Mel Judah	34,500
Tony G	33,000
Scotty Nguyen	32,000
Juha Helppi	31,500
JC Tran	31,000
Scott Fischman	30,000
Allen Cunningham	30,000
Bruno Fitoussi	29,500
Todd Brunson	29,000
Phil Laak	28,700
Rafi Amit	28,000
John Juanda	26,000
Doyle Brunson	26,000
Hoyt Corkins	25,700
Phil Hellmuth	24,200
Joe Hachem	23,500
Robert Mizrachi	23,200
Ted Forrest	22,000
Noah Boeken	21,100
Jennifer Harman	21,000
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson	21,000
Andy Black	21,000
Alex Jacob	21,000
Sam Farha	20,500
"Miami" John Cernuto	20,200
Bill Gazes	20,000
Huckleberry Seed	19,300
Dewey Tomko	19,000
David "Devilfish" Ulliott	18,900
David Grey	18,500
Kristy Gazes	18,200
David Sklansky	17,400
Minh Ly	17,200
Johnny Chan	17,000
Andy Bloch	17,000
Gavin Smith	16,600
Jeff Lisandro	16,400
Paul Magriel	16,200
Mark Vos	14,000
Jordan Morgan	11,800
Humberto Brenes	11,000
Erick Lindgren	10,300
Thomas Wahlroos	5,625
Tom Franklin	5,000
John D'Agostino	3,500

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   John Phan,   Sam Grizzle,   Andy Bloch,   Daniel Negreanu,   Howard Lederer,   David Williams

Hour Two Recap

Jun 29, '07

Tough Field

With eight tables for most of this hour, each table sported a few notable players.

Table 76
Nick Shulman
Mikko Pispala

Table 70
Phil Hellmuth
Joe Beevers

Table 77
Mark Vos
Erik Friberg
Tony G

Table 71
Dutch Boyd


Table 65
Bil Edler
Phil Galfond
Sam Grizzle

Table 78
Jamie Gold

Table 72
Roland DeWolfe
Ram Vaswani

Table 66
Bil Gazes

Eliminations

Justin Bonomo, Jamie Gold, Roland DeWolfe, Allen Cunningham and Sam Grizzle were all eliminated this past level. Sam Grizzle was short stacked and pushed preflop, only to be called by both Phil Galfond and Bill Edler.  The board brought the J 7 2, and both Edler and Galfond checked.  The turn brought the J and Galfond bet out $10,000.  Edler folded and Galfond turned up 5 5.  Grizzle revealed K 9 for king high, and needed help on the river.  The 5 on the river locked up Galfond's win, filling his boat and sending Grizzle to the rail in 53rd place ($8,212.)

Quote Of The Day

"Did you read that Kill Phil book?" - Phil Hellmuth, to an opponent.

At the end of the level only 36 players remained at seven tables.  The field is thinning fast, so make sure to keep up on the action here at Cardplayer.com.

Dutch Boyd	530,000
Erik Friberg	450,000
Raja Kattamuri	370,000
Raj Sawant	350,000
Bill Gazes	345,000
Ram Vaswani	340,000
Gioi Luong	335,000
Danny Noam	320,000
Greg Pohler	310,000
Bill Edler	300,000
Lance Allred	240,000
Mark Vos	215,000
John Racener	190,000
Phil Galfond	180,000
Matt Brady	175,000
Greg Pierson	165,000
Keith Lehr	160,000
Alex Bolotin	160,000
David Daneshgar	150,000
Mikko Pispala	150,000
Dustin  Woolf	150,000
Nick Van Newkirk	130,000
Phil Hellmuth	125,000
Eugene Katchatov	115,000
Nick Schulman	115,000

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Phil Hellmuth,   Justin Bonomo,   Jamie Gold,   Roland de Wolfe,   Phil Galfond

Into Dinner

Jun 24, '07

River Gazing

The game was Hold’em for the first part of hour six and on one hand Sam Grizzle bet $1,500 from middle position. Sammy Farha raised to $3,000, then David Grey called from the cut off. Bill gazes called from the big blind and Grizzle made it four to the flop when he called. The flop was dealt Q 4 3 and Farha bet $1,500. Grey folded, Gazes raised to $3,000, and Grizzle called. The turn brought the 6, and Grizzle bet $3,000 after Gazes checked. Gazes called and the 2 fell on the river. Grizzle fired out another $3,000 and this time Gazes folded. Grizzle took down the robust pot with a slight grin on his face.

Going to Omaha on a Wheel

The game was then switched to Omaha eight-or-better and an interesting hand developed at table seven. Doyle Brunson raised to $3,000 preflop and both Phil Laak and Tony G called. The flop came J 5 4 and Laak checked in the big blind. Brunson bet $1,500 and Tony G called. Laak check raised to $3,000 and both players called. The turn brought the 10 and Laak checked again. Brunson fired out $3,000 and Tony G mucked. Laak called and the river rolled out the 2. Laak said, “You got a wheel don’t you,” then made the crying call. Brunson flipped over A Q 7 3 for the wheel and took down the pot.

Nap Time

Mark Vos had now taken up catnaps between pots as his favorite way to pass the time. He did not look too good, and he reportedly missed a portion of the morning’s play while sleeping on a bench in the halls of the Rio Pavilion.

Bloch Scoops a Pot

On a flop of Q 6 5 Andy Bloch bet $1,500 from the cut off and Jerri Thomas raised to $3,000 from the small blind. Max Pescatori called from the big blind, as did Bloch, and the turn brought the 2. Pescatori bet $3,000, Bloch raised to $6,000 and Thomas called. Pescatori reraised to $9,000 and both players called again. The river rolled out the 10 and Thomas checked. Pescatori fired out $3,000 and both Bloch and Thomas simply called. Thomas turned up 9 5 4 2 and Pescatori mucked after Bloch turned over A K Q 4. Bloch scooped the large pot, and neither of his opponents looked too happy about that fact.

European News

Jeff Lisandro is gone, indeed he had the ignominious honor of being first out. But two Europeans, Alex Kravchenko and Bruno Fitoussi are among the chip leaders with around $180,000 and $190,000 in chips respectively.

Elsewhere Gus Hansen is in trouble with only about $27,000 in chips, John Kabbaj has around $108,000, John Duthie about $79,000, Marco Traniello  about $75,000, Partick Bueno $38,000, Max Pescatori $112,000, Thor Hansen $80,000, Jani Sointula $108,000, Rob Hollink $100,500, Andy Black $33,000 and Patrik Antonius $132,000.

Before the break Cyndy Violette spilled a drink on her table to a chorus of 'oohhh's' and 'ahhhh's' from her table mates. The floor person decreed that they should move to an empty table behind them but Eli Elezra protested 'This is my lucky table,' and Andy Black chimed in 'You can't move us i've just won a pot!'

Dinner Time

The players went to a catered dinner at 7 p.m. and play will resume again at 9 p.m.

Notable Chip Counts

Eli Elezra	355,000
Phil Ivey	175,000
Barry Greenstein	175,000
Allen Cunningham	171,000
Andy Bloch	170,000
Scotty Nguyen	165,000
Gavin Smith	165,000
Mike Matusow	160,000
Erik Seidel	159,900
Todd Brunson	155,200
Toto Leonidas	148,000
Sherkhan Farnood	148,000
Phil Laak	148,000
Annie Duke	145,000
Sam Grizzle	140,000
Erick Lindgren	139,000
David Grey	137,000
Doyle Brunson	135,500
Isabelle Mercier	129,000
Jason Lester	123,000
Howard Lederer	122,000
Huckleberry Seed	120,000
Phil Hellmuth Jr.	119,000
Sam Farha	118,000
Dewey Tomko	110,000
Ted Forrest	109,000
Gabe Kaplan	109,000
Freddy Deeb	109,000
Chip Reese	109,000
Mike Sexton	106,000
Allen Kessler	105,000
Greg Raymer	103,000
Cyndy Violette	103,000
Michael Mizrachi	99,000
Robert Mizrachi	95,000
Jennifer Harman	87,000
Daniel Negreanu	85,000
David Sklansky	83,000
Robert Williamson III	80,000
John D'Agostino	78,000
David Williams	78,000
T.J. Cloutier	77,700
Tony G	59,000
John Juanda	57,000
Andrew Black	51,000
Chau Giang	45,500
Gus Hansen	45,000
Chris Ferguson	42,000
Phil Laak	40,500
David Benyamine	40,000
Josh Arieh	26,000
Johnny Chan	25,000

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Bill Gazes,   Phil Laak,   Doyle Brunson,   David Grey,   Sam Farha,   Mark Vos

Level 39 and 40 - Razz and Seven-Card Stud

Jun 26, '07

One Million Dollar Man

Amnon Filippi continued to play well and became the first player to reach $1 million during the early stages of the Razz level.

Huck Doubles Up

On sixth street Huckleberry Seed bet $30,000 and Justin Bonomo called him down. After the final hole card rolled out, Bonomo bet $9,000, which was all that Seed had left. He made the call and flipped over an 8-6 low. Bonomo had a 9-8 low and Seed doubled up to survive.

The Mid-Thirties

Sam Grizzle had been eliminated and there were now 35 players remaining. The remaining field showed a keen interest in the number by this point of the day, and play slowed a little bit when the game moved back to seven-card stud.

Tuan Doubles Up

Tuan Le was dangerously low on chips when he got involved in a hand with Robert Mizrachi. After raising the action on every street he moved all in for $25,000 on seventh street. Mizrachi made the call. Tuan flipped up Kh 6h (10h 5c Kc 2h) Ks and Mizrachi mucked his hand.

Nergeanu Rising

Daniel Negreanu was seated at a tough table with Dewey Tomko, David Singer, John Juanda, and David Oppenheim, He mused as much on a quick break between hands. He also added that he was running well. That showed in his robust chip stack. Negreanu had jumped into the chip lead with $1,200,000. He tangled in a hand right near the end of the seven-card stud level with Juanda and Oppenheim. Negreanu led out on every street except for third and both opponents had called him down. They all checked on seventh street and Negreanu turned up Qh Qs (2h 7s 8h 8d) Kh. Both players mucked and Negreanu picked up another pot in what had become a routine for him.

Lindgren Busted

As the final minutes of stud clicked off the clock, Erick Lindgren was all in against Tim Phan. Phan exposed a full house, fours full of queens, and Lindgren’s day was over.

Break Time

The players then went on an unscheduled 15 minute break before the next level begins.

Notable Chip Counts

Daniel Negreanu	1,230,000
Justin Bonomo	1,200,000
Amnon Filippi	1,060,000
Gabe Kaplan	980,000
Thor Hansen	680,000
Freddy Deeb	675,000
Max Pescatori	570,000
Mike Matusow	430,000
Phil Hellmuth Jr	420,000
Greg Raymer	340,000
Isabelle Mercier	230,000
John Juanda	225,000
Barry Greenstein	220,000
Eli Elezra	213,000
Huckleberry Seed	175,000
Dewey Tomko	152,000
Toto Leonidas	150,000
David Singer	135,000
Andy Bloch	90,000

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Sam Grizzle,   Erick Lindgren,   John Juanda,   Tuan Le,   Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   David Oppenheim,   Amnon Filippi,   Justin Bonomo

Into Dinner

Jun 24, '07

River Gazing

The game was Hold’em for the first part of hour six and on one hand Sam Grizzle bet $1,500 from middle position. Sammy Farha raised to $3,000, then David Grey called from the cut off. Bill gazes called from the big blind and Grizzle made it four to the flop when he called. The flop was dealt Q 4 3 and Farha bet $1,500. Grey folded, Gazes raised to $3,000, and Grizzle called. The turn brought the 6, and Grizzle bet $3,000 after Gazes checked. Gazes called and the 2 fell on the river. Grizzle fired out another $3,000 and this time Gazes folded. Grizzle took down the robust pot with a slight grin on his face.

Going to Omaha on a Wheel

The game was then switched to Omaha eight-or-better and an interesting hand developed at table seven. Doyle Brunson raised to $3,000 preflop and both Phil Laak and Tony G called. The flop came J 5 4 and Laak checked in the big blind. Brunson bet $1,500 and Tony G called. Laak check raised to $3,000 and both players called. The turn brought the 10 and Laak checked again. Brunson fired out $3,000 and Tony G mucked. Laak called and the river rolled out the 2. Laak said, “You got a wheel don’t you,” then made the crying call. Brunson flipped over A Q 7 3 for the wheel and took down the pot.

Nap Time

Mark Vos had now taken up catnaps between pots as his favorite way to pass the time. He did not look too good, and he reportedly missed a portion of the morning’s play while sleeping on a bench in the halls of the Rio Pavilion.

Bloch Scoops a Pot

On a flop of Q 6 5 Andy Bloch bet $1,500 from the cut off and Jerri Thomas raised to $3,000 from the small blind. Max Pescatori called from the big blind, as did Bloch, and the turn brought the 2. Pescatori bet $3,000, Bloch raised to $6,000 and Thomas called. Pescatori reraised to $9,000 and both players called again. The river rolled out the 10 and Thomas checked. Pescatori fired out $3,000 and both Bloch and Thomas simply called. Thomas turned up 9 5 4 2 and Pescatori mucked after Bloch turned over A K Q 4. Bloch scooped the large pot, and neither of his opponents looked too happy about that fact.

European News

Jeff Lisandro is gone, indeed he had the ignominious honor of being first out. But two Europeans, Alex Kravchenko and Bruno Fitoussi are among the chip leaders with around $180,000 and $190,000 in chips respectively.

Elsewhere Gus Hansen is in trouble with only about $27,000 in chips, John Kabbaj has around $108,000, John Duthie about $79,000, Marco Traniello  about $75,000, Partick Bueno $38,000, Max Pescatori $112,000, Thor Hansen $80,000, Jani Sointula $108,000, Rob Hollink $100,500, Andy Black $33,000 and Patrik Antonius $132,000.

Before the break Cyndy Violette spilled a drink on her table to a chorus of 'oohhh's' and 'ahhhh's' from her table mates. The floor person decreed that they should move to an empty table behind them but Eli Elezra protested 'This is my lucky table,' and Andy Black chimed in 'You can't move us i've just won a pot!'

Dinner Time

The players went to a catered dinner at 7 p.m. and play will resume again at 9 p.m.

Notable Chip Counts

Eli Elezra	355,000
Phil Ivey	175,000
Barry Greenstein	175,000
Allen Cunningham	171,000
Andy Bloch	170,000
Scotty Nguyen	165,000
Gavin Smith	165,000
Mike Matusow	160,000
Erik Seidel	159,900
Todd Brunson	155,200
Toto Leonidas	148,000
Sherkhan Farnood	148,000
Phil Laak	148,000
Annie Duke	145,000
Sam Grizzle	140,000
Erick Lindgren	139,000
David Grey	137,000
Doyle Brunson	135,500
Isabelle Mercier	129,000
Jason Lester	123,000
Howard Lederer	122,000
Huckleberry Seed	120,000
Phil Hellmuth Jr.	119,000
Sam Farha	118,000
Dewey Tomko	110,000
Ted Forrest	109,000
Gabe Kaplan	109,000
Freddy Deeb	109,000
Chip Reese	109,000
Mike Sexton	106,000
Allen Kessler	105,000
Greg Raymer	103,000
Cyndy Violette	103,000
Michael Mizrachi	99,000
Robert Mizrachi	95,000
Jennifer Harman	87,000
Daniel Negreanu	85,000
David Sklansky	83,000
Robert Williamson III	80,000
John D'Agostino	78,000
David Williams	78,000
T.J. Cloutier	77,700
Tony G	59,000
John Juanda	57,000
Andrew Black	51,000
Chau Giang	45,500
Gus Hansen	45,000
Chris Ferguson	42,000
Phil Laak	40,500
David Benyamine	40,000
Josh Arieh	26,000
Johnny Chan	25,000

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Bill Gazes,   Phil Laak,   Doyle Brunson,   David Grey,   Sam Farha,   Mark Vos

Level 39 and 40 - Razz and Seven-Card Stud

Jun 26, '07

One Million Dollar Man

Amnon Filippi continued to play well and became the first player to reach $1 million during the early stages of the Razz level.

Huck Doubles Up

On sixth street Huckleberry Seed bet $30,000 and Justin Bonomo called him down. After the final hole card rolled out, Bonomo bet $9,000, which was all that Seed had left. He made the call and flipped over an 8-6 low. Bonomo had a 9-8 low and Seed doubled up to survive.

The Mid-Thirties

Sam Grizzle had been eliminated and there were now 35 players remaining. The remaining field showed a keen interest in the number by this point of the day, and play slowed a little bit when the game moved back to seven-card stud.

Tuan Doubles Up

Tuan Le was dangerously low on chips when he got involved in a hand with Robert Mizrachi. After raising the action on every street he moved all in for $25,000 on seventh street. Mizrachi made the call. Tuan flipped up Kh 6h (10h 5c Kc 2h) Ks and Mizrachi mucked his hand.

Nergeanu Rising

Daniel Negreanu was seated at a tough table with Dewey Tomko, David Singer, John Juanda, and David Oppenheim, He mused as much on a quick break between hands. He also added that he was running well. That showed in his robust chip stack. Negreanu had jumped into the chip lead with $1,200,000. He tangled in a hand right near the end of the seven-card stud level with Juanda and Oppenheim. Negreanu led out on every street except for third and both opponents had called him down. They all checked on seventh street and Negreanu turned up Qh Qs (2h 7s 8h 8d) Kh. Both players mucked and Negreanu picked up another pot in what had become a routine for him.

Lindgren Busted

As the final minutes of stud clicked off the clock, Erick Lindgren was all in against Tim Phan. Phan exposed a full house, fours full of queens, and Lindgren’s day was over.

Break Time

The players then went on an unscheduled 15 minute break before the next level begins.

Notable Chip Counts

Daniel Negreanu	1,230,000
Justin Bonomo	1,200,000
Amnon Filippi	1,060,000
Gabe Kaplan	980,000
Thor Hansen	680,000
Freddy Deeb	675,000
Max Pescatori	570,000
Mike Matusow	430,000
Phil Hellmuth Jr	420,000
Greg Raymer	340,000
Isabelle Mercier	230,000
John Juanda	225,000
Barry Greenstein	220,000
Eli Elezra	213,000
Huckleberry Seed	175,000
Dewey Tomko	152,000
Toto Leonidas	150,000
David Singer	135,000
Andy Bloch	90,000

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Sam Grizzle,   Erick Lindgren,   John Juanda,   Tuan Le,   Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   David Oppenheim,   Amnon Filippi,   Justin Bonomo

Dinner Makes It All Better

Jun 16, '07

The long, slow grind that is the $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. event had definitely taken its toll on the 46 players that came back from the dinner break.  But the dinner break allowed many of the players' spirits to rise and while the action is still relatively slow, the players are laughing and joking around with each other much more than before.  Apparently, Sam Grizzle skipped dinner, because he has since picked up a big bag of beef jerky and is munching away while raking in pot after pot. 

During the last hour we lost seven players, including 2007 bracelet winner Chris Reslock and John Juanda.  Still remaining in the field are notables Bill Gazes, Sam Grizzle, Gavin Smith, Doyle Brunson, Robert Mizrachi, Ali Eslami, Erik Seidel, Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, Keith Sexton, Ralph Perry, Daniel Alaei, Cliff Josephy and Toto Leonidas. 

The shortstacks seemed to all hang around for a long while during the Stud eight-or-better round and it wasn't until the Hold'em round that players started hitting the rail or doubling up. 

Robert Mizrachi got it all in with 10 10 against his opponent's A Q on a flop of 762.  The turn and the river came 4 9 and Mizrachi doubled up to $40,000, keeping alive the quest for his second final table of the series. 

By the end of the level we were down to 39 players with roughly 80 spectators crowded behind Doyle Brunson's table, seeing if Texas Dolly and "Casper" can possibly bring home their 11th bracelet. 

Ali Eslami is looking to make his second H.O.R.S.E. event final table of the series.  After his disappointing finish in the $2,500 H.O.R.S.E., Eslami is looking for redemption. 

We're paying the final three tables in this event, and play will continue down to the final table. 

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for action from every event at this year's World Series of Poker.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Sam Grizzle,   Erik Seidel,   Toto Leonidas,   John Juanda,   Bill Gazes,   David Benyamine,   Doyle Brunson,   Gavin Smith,   Daniel Alaei,   Phil Ivey,   Keith Sexton,   Ali Eslami,   Chris Reslock,   Cliff Josephy,   Ralph Perry

Day Two Set to Begin

Jun 16, '07

Day two of event #26, $5,000 H.O.R.S.E is about to be underway. There are 115 players returning from a starting field of just 192. Last night concluded in the Hold 'Em round so today should start with Omaha Hi-Low. Notables in the field include chip leader Sam Grizzle, Toto Leonidas, Phil Ivey, Gavin Smith, and Cyndy Violette. Hear about how the day goes directly from the mouth of Cyndy Violette in our Pro Blogs section. Stay with CardPlayer.com for updates following every level.

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Gavin Smith,   Cyndy Violette,   Phil Ivey

Play Ends For The Night

Jun 13, '07

A total of 85 players are still alive and kicking after Day One.  Certain players saw lots of action and did lots of talking in this last level of play.

You Owe Me A Dollar

Right before the break Nick Schulman doubled through Alex Jacob with A-10 versus A-4. He showed no signs of slowing down, busting another player with a set of tens soon after the break. All of this action didn’t stop him from having fun with his tablemate Robert Mizrachi, who proudly exclaimed, “You owe me a dollar” after winning a small prop bet. Unsure if he had a one-dollar bill, he was instructed to give him a hundred dollar bill, so Mizrachi would owe him 99. But he found a single and the bet was settled.

I Knew You Had It

David Pham sent a few chips Michael Binger’s way in the following hand. Pham raised from the cut-off to $6,500, and Binger called from the small blind.  The flop came K 10 3, and both players checked. The turn was the 9, Binger bet $10,000 and Pham called.  The river was the 8, Binger bet $20,000 and Pham called.  Binger showed 33 and Pham announced that he knew it as he flashed a King and folded.

Mighty Ducks

John “Tex” Barch ended a player’s tournament with a pocket pair of twos.  The other player went all in with a K-J on a J-8-2 flop, but Barch’s set was way ahead.  The King on the river wasn’t enough to save Barch’s opponent from the rail.

Time for a New Calculator

After an early position player raised, Davidson Matthew made the call from the cutoff, only to have Cliff “Johnny Bax” Josephy move all in over the top.  After the original raiser folded, Matthew declared he was 3:1 so he must call.  Bax showed A-J, and Matthew tabled A-7 suited.  Matthew turned an open-ended straight draw, but bricked on the river.  Bax scolded Matthew as he collected the chips, “What kind of broken calculator you got, 3:1?”

I’ll Get You Back 

Short-stacked Harry Demetriou was all in and called by Mike Gracz. Demetriou showed AK to Gracz’s A9. The board came down 8 4 3 3 Q, and Demetriou doubled up.  Demetriou graciously thanked Gracz, adding, “I’ll be more than happy to double you up if I see you at the Final Table.”  It would not be so however when Demetriou had a set of Aces cracked on the last hand of the evening.
 

Some of the chip leaders had a profitable last level and others a trying one. On a board of J 4 4, Jennifer Tilly check raised her opponent from $10,000 to $30,000.  He responded by moving all in for $40,000 more. She mucked her cards to take a large hit to her stack. Major chip boss Dustin Dirksen, who has over $300,000 was very busy.  He received a major pot when he woke up with Aces after another healthy-stacked player pushed all in with Jacks.  Only two hands later another player moved all in on him with a board of 8-4-3. Dirksen called with 8-4, but his opponent showed 3-3.  However the turn was another 4, and Dirksen sheepishly shook his fallen foe’s hand.
 

Not making it out of the last level were Berry Johnston, who went all in with the nut-flush draw and a gutshot straight draw but missed.  Chris Ferguson, Scotty Ngyuen, Sam Grizzle, and Erik Seidel were also eliminated.

 
Action will pick back up with the final 10 tables tomorrow at 2pm PST, where we will continue to follow the progress of our Pro Blogger Mike Sexton.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Sam Grizzle,   Scotty Nguyen,   Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   Erik Seidel,   Chris Ferguson,   Harry Demetriou,   Mike Sexton,   Berry Johnston,   Cliff Josephy,   Jennifer Tilly,   Michael Binger,   Alex Jacob,   Nick Schulman,   Davidson Matthew

Eliminations

Jun 06, '07

Eliminations continue to pile up.  Jay Newnum, Sam Grizzle and Chris Ferguson were all eliminated in the past hour.  Newnum was betting the whole way down, and after sixth street had four to a straight on the board.  His opponent check called him the whole way down, and ended up showing down one pair against Newnum, who was representing, but never caught, that straight. Ferguson was incredibly short chipped, and got his last $1,000 chip with a 6 22.  John Juanda called and revealed the QQ4.   The 4 gave Juanda two pair on the end, and Chris did not improve by sixth street. He had the dealer deal the last card down so that he could squeeze it out. He needed a three or a two to win. He saw that it was a club, which meant it wasn't a three because Juanda held the 3.  Ferguson's final card needed to be the 2 in order for him to survive.  It was the 8, however, and he was sent to the rail.  Less than 120 players remained as the final hour of play began.  Make sure to check back in an hour for the end of the night update here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Chris Ferguson,   Jay Newnum

The Pro Vibe

Jun 06, '07

The field is incredibly stacked with seasoned tournament veterans and high stakes players.  With these big name pros comprising most of the field, this event has a very different atmosphere from some of the lower buy-in hold'em events.  Instead of the mutual disinterest often felt during the events with larger fields, in this event the players seem to all know each other, like they are all in a club and this is their  weekly meeting.  Shawn Sheikhan and John Hennigan joke around. David Benyamine and Johnny Chan have little notepads on which they have been keeping track of prop bets.  The mood is light at this stage of the tournament,  surprisingly so for the money at stake.

With the blinds still small, monster pots have not yet  become common.  An interesting hand came up between Josh Arieh and Sam Grizzle. Arieh was showing the KA and Grizzle the 105.  Arieh lead out, and Grizzle opted to call. Fifth street brought the 4 for Arieh and the A for Grizzle, and again Arieh bet and Grizzle called. With the 6 on sixth street for Arieh and the 2 for Grizzle, the action once again went bet and call. The river was dealt, Arieh bet and Grizzle called again.  Arieh quickly rolled out the J for a flush.  Grizzle revealed the 55 from his holecards, apparently calling on sixth with the hope of filling up or thinking that Arieh was on a bluff and only representing the flush.

Make sure to check Cardplayer.com throughout the night for more hourly updates and Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Josh Arieh,   David Benyamine,   Johnny Chan