Alex Melnikow Poker Tournament Updates

Level 12 Update: Jared Jaffee Takes The Chip Lead

Oct 17, '10

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

Players Remaining: 65 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Jared Jaffee — 640,000
2. Jeff Madsen — 605,000
3. Matt Affleck — 495,000
4. Annette Obrestad — 485,000
5. Owen Crowe — 470,000
6. Michael Benvenuti — 430,000
7. Andreas Hoivold — 415,000
8. Chad Batista — 385,000
9. Trevor Pope — 310,000
10. Men Nguyen — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 81,212

Notable Eliminations:

Tyler Kenney
Jeremy Menard
Cornel Cimpan
Ted Lawson
Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

The Maria Ho Show

On the last hand before the break, Maria Ho was all in holding A-Q on a A-J-4 flop, but unfortunately for her, Alex Melnikow had A-4.

The turn and river fell K 9 and Ho was eliminated. Or was she? It turns out, she was called back to the room when it was discovered that she still had 300 in chips remaining.

Back from break, Ho was all in for the ante and won when her 7-5 outflopped Gavin Smith’s A-10. That got her to 2,700 in chips, which were all in on the next hand when her pocket aces held up against two players ace-rags.

After folding a few hands, Ho was all in from under the gun holding K4 against the big blinds K2. The turn gave her the nut flush and all of a sudden she was up past the 23,000 mark.

An orbit later, Ho shoved for her last 17,100 from under the gun and was called by Chad Batista in the small blind. Ho’s AJ outflopped Batista’s pocket sixes and she doubled up to nearly 40,000.

She still has a lot of work to do, but she’s come a long way from having just one ante.

Jimmy Fricke Exits

We didn’t see the action, but according to Jimmy Fricke’s twitter page, he wasn’t able to outdraw Vladimir Shchemelev in an all in situation. Apparently Fricke’s pocket queens ran into pocket aces.

David Sklansky Doubles Up

Barry Greenstein raised to 6,100 from the hijack and Noah Schwartz called on the button. David Sklansky then moved all in for 35,100 in the big blind and Schwartz was the only caller.

Schwartz showed AJ, but he was dominated by Sklansky’s AK. The board rolled out 975QK and Sklansky doubled up to 85,000. Schwartz still has 185,000.

Poker Tweets:

Left In The Deck:

Gavin Smith Having Some Fun With Jeff Madsen

Gavin Smith is having a lot of fun after doubling up twice in this level at the expense of Jeff Madsen. After Madsen was forced to give up a small pot to another opponent, Smith reached over and knocked down his entire fortress of chips.

To add insult to injury, Smith then called the floor over to complain that Madsen wasn’t stacking his chips. The floor reminded Madsen that he needs to keep his chips orderly and the table laughed some more.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Gavin Smith,   David Sklansky,   Maria Ho,   Jimmy Fricke,   Jeff Madsen,   Noah Schwartz,   Alex Melnikow,   Chad Batista

Andrew Robl Eliminated

Mar 17, '09

Alex Melnikow opened the pot with A-J and a short stacked Andrew Robl moved in with A-9. Melnikow made the call and his hand held up when the board ran out A-3-3-10-4.

Robl bubbled this exact same tournament last year, but was lucky enough to have another player go out on the same hand, allowing him to chop the mincash prize. This year he bubbles once again, but he'll have no such luck walking away with a profit.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Andrew Robl

Alex Melnikow Eliminated in 7th Place ($30,264)

Mar 18, '09

Alex Melnikow was all in holding pocket sixes against Keith Ferrera's pocket jacks. The board came K10410Q and Ferrera's jacks held up to bust Melnikow in seventh place, earning $30,264.

With that pot, Ferrera is up above 1 million in chips.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Keith Ferrera

Praz Bansi Eliminated in 8th Place ($25,220)

Mar 18, '09

Praz Bansi moved all in for his last 30,500 and Alex Melnikow made the call. Melnikow showed pocket jacks and Bansi sheepishly turned over K10.

The board came J9689 and Bansi was eliminated in eighth place, earning $25,200.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Praz Bansi

Keith Ferrera Doubles Through Alex Melnikow

Mar 18, '09

Alex Melnikow raised to 20,000 in early position and Keith Ferrera called from the hijack. The flop came 854 and Melnikow continued with a bet of 22,000.

Ferrera took his time before he raised to 59,000. Melnikow then put his opponent all in and Ferrera called all in for his last 132,500.

Melnikow didn't look pleased with the call but he was happy to see that his A10 was ahead of Ferrera's KQ. The turn and river came JQ, however, and Ferrera doubled up courtesty of the pair he made on the river.

Melnikow took a major hit to his stack and he now has 185,000.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Keith Ferrera

Praz Bansi Doubles Through Alex Melnikow

Mar 18, '09

Alex Melnikow had Praz Bansi all in and covered holding pocket queens. Bansi showed AQ and needed some help to stay alive.

The board gave him more than a little assistance when it ran out A94AK. Bansi doubled up to 180,000 while Melnikow took a hit down to 350,000.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Praz Bansi

Andrew Robl Eliminated

Mar 17, '09

Alex Melnikow opened the pot with A-J and a short stacked Andrew Robl moved in with A-9. Melnikow made the call and his hand held up when the board ran out A-3-3-10-4.

Robl bubbled this exact same tournament last year, but was lucky enough to have another player go out on the same hand, allowing him to chop the mincash prize. This year he bubbles once again, but he'll have no such luck walking away with a profit.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Andrew Robl

Alex Melnikow Eliminated in 7th Place ($30,264)

Mar 18, '09

Alex Melnikow was all in holding pocket sixes against Keith Ferrera's pocket jacks. The board came K10410Q and Ferrera's jacks held up to bust Melnikow in seventh place, earning $30,264.

With that pot, Ferrera is up above 1 million in chips.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Keith Ferrera

Praz Bansi Eliminated in 8th Place ($25,220)

Mar 18, '09

Praz Bansi moved all in for his last 30,500 and Alex Melnikow made the call. Melnikow showed pocket jacks and Bansi sheepishly turned over K10.

The board came J9689 and Bansi was eliminated in eighth place, earning $25,200.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Praz Bansi

Keith Ferrera Doubles Through Alex Melnikow

Mar 18, '09

Alex Melnikow raised to 20,000 in early position and Keith Ferrera called from the hijack. The flop came 854 and Melnikow continued with a bet of 22,000.

Ferrera took his time before he raised to 59,000. Melnikow then put his opponent all in and Ferrera called all in for his last 132,500.

Melnikow didn't look pleased with the call but he was happy to see that his A10 was ahead of Ferrera's KQ. The turn and river came JQ, however, and Ferrera doubled up courtesty of the pair he made on the river.

Melnikow took a major hit to his stack and he now has 185,000.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Keith Ferrera

Praz Bansi Doubles Through Alex Melnikow

Mar 18, '09

Alex Melnikow had Praz Bansi all in and covered holding pocket queens. Bansi showed AQ and needed some help to stay alive.

The board gave him more than a little assistance when it ran out A94AK. Bansi doubled up to 180,000 while Melnikow took a hit down to 350,000.

Player Tags: Alex Melnikow,   Praz Bansi

$3000 NL Hold'em - Level 15

Jun 16, '08

Blinds: 3000/6000 with 500 ante

Players Left: 26 of 716

Average Stack: 152,200

Chip Leaders:

Johnny Neckar - 685,000
Alex Zaslavsky - 362,000
Sebastian Segovia - 290,000
Tony Dunst - 270,000
Vincent Peraino - 256,000
Matt Vengrin - 250,000
David Singer - 250,000
John Phan - 238,000
Stewart Newman - 237,000
Matt Stout - 210,000

Eliminations: Kyu Cho, Norman Gautron, Christopher Glover, Alex Melnikow.

Storylines/Big Hands:

There were 30 players remaining when the entrants returned from their dinner break, and it only took 15 minutes of play to narrow the field to 27 and have new seating assignments handed out.

It's Raining Flushes for Peraino

Vincent Peraino has caught lightening in a bottle -- twice -- and suddenly finds himself back in contention. As a shortstack, Peraino was in the small blind when David SInger raised to 15,000 from the button. As a chip leader, Singer easily had Peraino covered. Peraino elected to move all-in for his 45,500 in chips and SInger quickly called, holding AA. Peraino was dominated, holding A8. But the flop gave him hope, coming 1065. The 8 gave Peraino further outs on the turn, but the flush came home when the Q hit on the river.
Chips gained in that hand allowed Peraino to cripple McLean Karr a few hands later. Peraino raised to 12,000 preflop and Karr made the call. The flop came A95 and both players checked. The turn was the 10 and Peraino bet 8,000. Karr raised to 20,000 and Peraino called. The river came 9 and Peraino checked. Karr bet 38,000 and Peraino then check-raised all-in for 58,000 more. Karr called and showed two pair, A10. But Peraino had also flopped an ace, then backed into the flush with the AJ. Karr was left with just 4000 in chips while Peraino had suddenly amassed 256,000.

Melnikow Pushes, and Loses

The flop came A106 and Alex Melnikow bet 19,000. He was raised to 51,000 by Johnny Neckar, and made the call. The turn brought the J and Neckar bet 80,000. Melnikow opted to come over the top for all of his 185,000 in chips. He didn't get the fold he was looking for however, as Neckar called. Melnikow held 43 for a flush draw, while Neckar held A10 for two pair. The 5 was the river and Melnikow was bounced in 27th place.

Phan Trims the Field

Norman Gautron was in the small blind and had action folded to him when he pushed his 43,000 short-stack to the center of the table. "I might call," warned John Phan from the big blind, before looking at his cards. True to his word, Phan did call and showed 33. Gautron had made his last stand with J7. The board came all spades, AJ6, and the 10 on the turn gave Phan the flush. Needing a spade higher than a deuce to chop the pot, Gautron was eliminated when the 9 fell.
 

Player Tags: John Phan,   David Singer,   Alex Melnikow,   Norman Gautron,   Johnny Neckar,   Vincent Peraino

$5,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Level 11

Jun 12, '08

Blinds/Antes: 800/1600/200

Players Remaining: 108 of 731

Average Stack: 67,685

Chip Counts:
Alex Melnikow - 248,800
Keith Tilston - 239,000
Sam El Sayed - 215,800
Jared Okun - 170,000
Thanhdat Tran - 164,700
Michael Mizrachi - 145,000
Scott Freeman - 142,000
Hasan Habib - 140,200
Patryk Hildebranski - 130,000
Humberto Brenes - 125,000

Recent Eliminations:
Zachary King
Pier Ruscalla

Big Hands:

David Brannan Doubles Through Jean-Philippe Matte

After moving all in pre-flop for 30,200 with AQ, David Brannan generated a call by Jean-Philippe Matte with 1010. The board was favorable for Matte, but Brannan caught the Q on the river to double up and stay alive.

Patryk Hildebranski Traps with Aces, Eliminates Pier Ruscalla

Patryk Hildebranski raised from his position under-the-gun, and Pier Ruscalla reraised from the small blind. Hildebranski called, and the two saw a flop of 1033. Ruscalla bet 15,400 and Hildebranski quickly moved all in. Ruscalla made the call and turned over JJ, an underdog to Hildebranski’s AA. The turn and river didn’t improve Ruscalla, and he was eliminated.

Zachary King’s Short Stack Disappears Courtesy of Claudio Pagano

After squeaking into day two with a short stack, Zachary King pushed in his last 15,400 pre-flop from middle position with KQ. Claudio Pagano deliberated for a few moments and asked for a count before calling with AT. The flop came 964, no help to King. The K on the turn came too late as it gave Pagano the nut flush to eliminate King.

Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi Forced to Fold Kings

On a flop of AQ4, Michael Mizrachi led out with a bet of 16,500. Dustin Pattinson, his only opponent, moved all in for an additional 20,400. Mizrachi pondered momentarily but eventually folded KK face up and lamented his situation.

David McCollum Gives One Up to Stephen Dwyer

From his position under-the-gun, David McCollum raised to 5,000 pre-flop and received calls by both Jason Tikijian in the cut-off and Stephen Dwyer on the button. The flop came A105 and McCollum led out with a bet of 13,000. Tikijian folded, but Dwyer moved all in over the top of McCollum’s bet. McCollum counted out his remaining chips before releasing his hand.

Post-Flop Raising War Ends in a Large Pot for Jorryt Van Hoof

On a flop of 1096, Christopher Miranda checked to Jorryt Van Hoof, who led out with a bet. Miranda check-raised, prompting another raise from Van Hoof, this time all in. Miranda folded, and Van Hoof dragged a large pot.

Audrey Gouyer Doubles Through Joshua Ladines

Audrey Gouyer got it all in pre-flop with KK and was called by Joshua Ladines with 66. The kings held, and Gouyer successfully doubled up.

Farzad Bonyadi Doubles Through Dustin Pattinson
Dustin Pattinson raised from under-the-gun only to be reraised all in for an additional 12,100 by Farzad Bonyadi. Pattinson called, bemoaning his poor timing, and turned over 108. Bonyadi flipped up JJ. Pattinson hit the 8 on the flop, but failed to improve.

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   Hasan Habib,   Michael Mizrachi,   Keith Tilston,   Alex Melnikow,   European Report

Event 4 - Mixed Hold 'Em - Levels 3 and 4

Jun 02, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100/200 limit, 50/100 no-limit

Players Remaining: 333

Chip Counts:
Bill Edler - 20,000
Andrew Black - 20,000
Marcel Luske - 19,000
Andy Bloch - 18,400
Eli Elezra - 17,500
Michael Binger - 17,350
Maria Ho - 17,000
Ben Grundy - 16,300
Daniel Alaei - 16,000
Alex Melnikow - 16,000

Recent Eliminations:
Doyle Brunson
Layne Flack

Big Hands:

Allen Cunningham Builds His Stack

After calling a raise in the big blind from a middle position player, Allen Cunningham checked a JT6 flop.  His opponent bet, and he called.  The 4 on the turn caused Cunningham to bet, and his opponent elected to fold.  The pot boosted Allen’s stack to just under 15,000.

Hoyt Corkins Remains Aggressive

Hoyt Corkins accumulated a total stack of over 10,000 in chips by utilizing his aggressive style during the limit round.  On one hand, Corkins raised pre-flop from early position and was flat called by the opponent on his left.  The two players saw a flop of 643.  Corkins bet, his opponent raised, Corkins reraised, and his opponent finally called.  Hoyt followed through by betting the K on the turn, generating a fold from his opponent.

E-Dog Stays Healthy

Erick Lindgren took down a pot worth over 1,000 in the final minutes of the last no limit round by snapping his opponents’ bluff on a board of KQ932.  Lindgren flipped over the AQ and his opponent mucked his AJ face up.  Lindgren now has over 10,000 in chips.

Cory Carroll and Andrew Robl

During the second level of limit play, Cory Carroll raised from the cutoff and was re-raised by Andrew Robl on the button. Carroll called, and the dealer laid out a flop of 689. Carroll checked, Robl bet, Carroll check-raised, Robl three-bet, Carroll four-bet to a total of 800, and Robl called. The turn brought the K, Carroll bet 400, Robl raised him yet again, and Carroll called. The 5 appeared on the river, and once again Carroll led out only to be raised by Robl. Carroll called, and Robl flipped over A7. Carroll mucked, and Robl takes down a juicy pot.

The Takeover Begins

Nick “The Takeover” Schulman recently joined table 1, joining Vanessa Russou, David Chu and John Hennigan.  It took little time before Schulman and Rousso tangled.  On a board of K98, Rousso checked to Schulman, who tossed a purple 500 chip across the line.  Rousso folded, leaving her with over 12,500.  After that hand, Schulman had just under 10,000.

Table 24 Remains Tough

Dewey Tomko has taken Daniel Negreanu’s spot next to Bill Edler, Isabelle Mercier, and Doyle Brunson.

The Magician Makes Some Chips Disappear

In the big blind, Antonio Esfandiari called a pre-flop raise from a middle position player.  The flop was J108, prompting Esfandiari to bet and be raised all in by the initial aggressor.  Esfandiari called with QJ, having his opponent well covered.  His opponent flipped up two black kings, and the 7 turn, 5 river failed to improve Esfandiari.  He now has just over 5,000 in chips.

Jeff Madsen Gets Caught

Facing a raise to 325 from the button during the no limit round, Jeff Madsen opted to defend his big blind.  Both players checked the J67 flop, but Madsen led out with 450 on the 9 turn.  His opponent raised an additional 700, and Madsen called.  The river brought the 8.  Madsen fired 2,300, and his opponent called.  Madsen announced that he had missed his draw and turned over the A9.  His opponent revealed his 85, and his straight was good for the pot.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Erick Lindgren,   Andy Bloch,   Allen Cunningham,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Layne Flack,   Dewey Tomko,   Doyle Brunson,   Eli Elezra,   Daniel Alaei,   Marcel Luske,   Bill Edler,   Isabelle Mercier,   Maria Ho,   Vanessa Rousso,   Andy Black,   Michael Binger,   Nick Schulman,   Cory Carroll,   Ben Grundy,   Alex Melnikow,   Andrew Robl,   European Report