One And Done
Jun 16, '07
Once the final ten players were consolidated into the final table, it took only one hand to stop play for the night.
Praz Banzi pushed all of his chips into the middle against Travis Rice with the board reading 8-6-4-K. Banzi flipped up his A-3, he and received the very unfortunate news that he was drawing dead when Rice showed 6-6 for the set. The river King filled Rice’s boat, and Banzi was eliminated in 10th place earning $26,667.
Rice was very active in the last level. He doubled up against then-chipleader Ken Einiger in a huge hand. Facing a $160,000 bet from Einiger on the flop of Q
10
6
, Rice moved all in over the top for $232,000 more. Einiger made the call and showed A
6, but Rice was way ahead with the A10. The 9 and Q rolled off on the turn and river, and Rice doubled up.
The final nine going into tomorrow’s final table are as follows.
Seat 1. Evan Schwartz - $792,000
Seat 2. Justin Rollo - $772,000
Seat 3. Adam Ross - $662,000
Seat 4. Darryl Ronconi - $346,000
Seat 5. Ben Ponzio - $415,000
Seat 6. Danny Noam - $563,000
Seat 7. David Hewitt- $600,000
Seat 8. Ken Einiger - $1,039,000
Seat 9. Travis Rice - $1,284,000
The final table will begin at 2pm PST
Player Tags: Ken Einiger, Travis Rice, Praz Bansi
Einiger Hits Blackjack
Jun 16, '07
Only 13 players remain on the final two tables. With the bottom three chip stacks at or below $200,000 in chips and the blinds at $15,000 and $30,000, The final table should be decided in the next hour.
Ken Einger must have though he was at the blackjack tables when he eliminated Kazuki Ikeuchi. Ikeuchi pushed all in from early position with A6, and Einiger flat called with A10. David Daneshgar who folded from the big blind, announced when the hands were flipped that he folded A-10. The board ran out K-5-3-K-4, and Ikeuchi was eliminated in 16th place. Einiger now has over $900,000 in chips and is a force to be reckoned with.
An interesting story up until now in this tournament has been the run of friends Travis Rice and Eric Baldwin. Buddies of Player of the Year contender Jared Hamby, these two both recently made the final table of Event #2 at this year’s Bellagio Cup III. However that feat won’t be duplicated in this event as Baldwin lost a race for all of his chips to Evan Schwartz, A-K vs. J-J, busting in 15th place. Rice has worked his way among the chip leaders with over $700,000, so Hamby and Baldwin will have to cheer him from the rail.
Daneshgar was the most recent elimination, his 14th place finish netting him $23,720.
Player Tags: David Daneshgar, Evan Schwartz, Ken Einiger, Eric Baldwin, Travis Rice, Kazuki Ikeuchi
Hour Two
Jun 17, '07
Leader Board
Seat one: Evan Schwartz - $2,170,000
Seat two: Justin Rollo - $850,000
Seat four: Adam Ross - $270,000
Seat five: Ben Ponzio - $650,000
Seat six: Danny Noam - $830,000
Seat seven: David Hewitt - $375,000
Seat nine: Travis Rice - $1,360,000
Price of Poker Increases
Action continued along seven handed uneventfully for the next dozen or so hands. The blinds were then kicked up again to $30,000-$60,000 with a $5,000 ante.
Adam Ross Eliminated in Seventh Place ($61,878)
Adam Ross pushed all in and Travis Rice made the call. Rice flipped over K 10. Ross showed down A 7. The board was rolled out K 10 3 3 2 and Ross was eliminated in seventh place. He took home $61,878 in prize money.
The Big Three
With action down to six handed, three players held the lions share of the chips. The table had been divided into the haves, and have not's. Rice , Justin Rollo, and Evan Schwartz represented the big three and they were all seated right next to each other.
Triples Alley
David Hewitt moved all in preflop and both Danny Noam and Justin Rollo made the call. The two live payers then check down a board of 6 5 4 10 8. Hewitt flipped up A 7 to take down the pot. Neither Noam (Q J) or Rollo (A 8) showed down enough strength to beat him out of the pot.
Danny Noam Eliminated in Sixth Place ($82,504)
Danny Noam was all in preflop with pocket eights against the As 10s that Schwartz held. The board was dealt Q 10 5 4 4 and Schwartz won the pot with tens up. Noam was eliminated in sixth place, and took home $82,504 in prize money.
Revised Leader Board
Seat one: Evan Schwartz - $1,240,000
Seat two: Justin Rollo - $1,350,000
Seat five: Ben Ponzio - $1,750,000
Seat seven: David Hewitt - $600,000
Seat nine: Travis Rice - 1$,540,000
Ground Rollo Double
Justin Rollo raised from the cut off and Rice reraised from the big blind. Rollo moved all in and Rice calls with pocket jacks. Rollo rolled over K Q. The board was rolled out A 10 4 Q 7 and Rollo paired up his queen. He doubled up through Rice on the hand.
Travis Rice Eliminated in Fifth Place ($111,970)
Travis Rice was all in on the short stack with 8 7, against the A 7 of David Hewitt. The board hit the table Q 10 3 7 5, and Hewitt took down the pot with his ace kicker. Rice was eliminated in fifth place. He took home $111,970 in prize money. The chip leader at the beginning of the day has fallen.
Player Tags: Danny Noam, Ben Ponzio, Evan Schwartz, Adam Ross, David Hewitt, Travis Rice, Justin Rollo
Adam Ross Eliminated in Seventh Place ($61,878)
Jun 17, '07
Adam Ross pushed all in and Travis Rice made the call. Rice flipped over K 10. Ross showed down A 7. The board was rolled out K10 3 3 2 and Ross was eliminated in seventh place. He took home $61,878 in prize money.
Player Tags: Adam Ross, Travis Rice
Hour One
Jun 17, '07
Darryl Ronconi Eliminated in Ninth Place ($34,770)
Darryl Ronconi made it $100,000 to go and Travis Rice reraised from the big blind to $560,000. Ronconi moved all in and Rice called with K Q. Ronconi showed pocket jacks. Start your engines gentleman, we have a race. The board hits the table Q 8 2 6 7, and Rice paired up his queen to take down the pot. Ronconi was eliminated in ninth place, and took home $34,770.
Break Time
The players then went on a 20 minute break and will color up the chips when they return. Rice remained in the chip lead after the break with over $1.8 million. Blinds were kicked up to $20,000-$40,000 with a $5,000 ante.
The Thinker
Many players at the table were still passive at this point and many of them appeared to be deep in though, or bored. They looked like a modern lineup of Rodin’s famous sculpture, “The Thinker,” with their fists or hands on their chin, cheeks, or face.
Ken Einiger Eliminated in Eighth Place ($45,672)
Ken Einiger raised under the gun, and Evan Schwartz reraised to $235,000. Einiger called. The flop hit the board Q 6 6. Einiger bet $300,000 and Schwartz went into the tank for a minute or two before he moved all in. Einiger immediately called with A Q. Schwartz showed down A K. The turn card was dealt 4, and the river brought the K. Einiger was eliminated in eighth place, and he took home $45,672.
Player Tags: Evan Schwartz, Ken Einiger, Darryl Ronconi, Travis Rice
Darryl Ronconi Eliminated in Ninth Place ($34,770)
Jun 17, '07
Darryl Ronconi made it $100,000 to go and Travis Rice reraised from the big blind to $560,000. Ronconi moved all in and Rice called with K Q. Ronconi showed pocket jacks. Start your engines gentleman, we have a race. The board hits the table Q 8 2 6 7, and Rice paired up his queen to take down the pot. Ronconi was eliminated in ninth place, and took home $34,770.
Player Tags: Darryl Ronconi, Travis Rice
Travis Rice has been eliminated from the tournament. Rice was short stacked and pushed his last 5,000 with A-K only to run into Jeff Brown's pocket aces. 
Travis Rice, last year's UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic winner has arrived and is seated across the table from Tiffany Michelle.