Jeff Williams Poker Tournament Updates

Level 8 Update -- Day 1A Ends

Mar 05, '11

NOTE: Day 1A has come to a close. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s event and be sure to tune back in tomorrow at noon PST for day 1B action from The Big Event at the Bicycle Casino.

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 139 out of 263

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Alex Kamberis — 200,000
2. Jason Wheeler — 165,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 150,000
4. Casey Jarzabek — 120,000
5. Ana Marquez — 87,000
6. Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 75,000
7. Jordan Young — 75,000
8. Joe Hachem — 70,000
9. Anh Van Nguyen — 70,000
10. George Lind — 65,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mario Ho
Sam Stein
Dan O’Brien

Big Hands:

Joseph Cheong Doubles Up

A player in middle position raised to 1,800 preflop and the hi-jack reraised to 4,400. Joseph Cheong then moved all in for 27,500. The original raiser mucked and the hi-jack made the call. Their cards:

Cheong: 5 5
Opponent: 10 10

Board: J 8 7 5 4

Cheong doubled up on the hand to survive with over 60,000.

Sam Stein Eliminated

The flop read 7 3 2 when the hi-jack bet 5,500 and Sam Stein moved all in for 8,400 more. His opponent made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Stein: J 7
Opponent: A 7

Turn and River: Q and 8

Stein was eliminated on the hand during the last level of play for the night.

Poker Tweet — Jeff Williams

Player Tags: Scott Seiver,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Stein

Level 14 Update -- Day 2 Ends

Mar 07, '11

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and there are 70 players still in the hunt for the top 56 spots that will get paid in The Big Event. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events, and tune back in tomorrow at noon PST for day 3 action from Card Player.

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 70 out of 417

Chip Counts:

1. Victor Ramdin — 1,050,000
2. Jamie Kaplan — 505,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 465,000
4. Tyler Cornell — 410,000
5. David Paredes — 275,000
6. Pat Pezzin — 270,000
7. Ryan Hughes — 265,000
8. Daniel Negreanu — 260,000
9. Shawn Busse — 245,000
10. Alex Kamberis — 240,000

Notable Eliminations:

Rep Porter
Gioi Luong

Big Hands:

Victor Ramdin Eliminates Yet Another Opponent

Victor Ramdin has been on an amazing rush on day 2 and during the last level of the night he took out another opponent. The hi-jack was all in for about 120,000 preflop and Ramdin made the call on the button. Their cards:

Ramdin: J J
Opponent: 10 10

Board: A Q 5 K 3

Ramdin won the hand and he grew his chip lead to 1,050,000 to end the night.

Daniel Negreanu Wins a Nice Pot to End the Night

Daniel Negreanu raised to 7,700 preflop from the button and the big blind went into the tank before reraising to 18,100. Negreanu made the call and the flop fell A 9 8.

The big blind bet 21,000 and Negreanu made the call. The turn fell Q and Negreanu bet 34,000. The big blind made the call and the river fell 6. Negreanu bet 75,000 and the big blind went into the tank. He eventually called after several minutes and Negreanu flipped over A Q. His opponent mucked and Negreanu grew his stack to 260,000 to end the night.

Poker Tweet — Jeff Williams

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Victor Ramdin,   Jeff Williams

Level 16 Update -- Payouts Begin

Mar 08, '11

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 45 out of 417

Chip Counts:

1. Taylor von Kriegenbergh — 1,650,000
2. Victor Ramdin — 1,155,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 630,000
4. Wade Townsend — 615,000
5. James Dowdy — 470,000
6. Josh Field — 395,000
7. David Parades — 380,000
8. David Peters — 375,000
9. Joe Hachem — 310,000
10. Daniel Negreanu — 305,000

Cashes:

46: Dominick Zito — $8,000
47: Anh Van Nguyen — $8,000
48: Luke Nettles — $8,000
49: Travis Carson — $7,500
50: Ryan Hughes — $7,500
51: Anoy Hieu Paan — $7,500
52: Rom Segal — $7,500
53: Hiren Patel — $7,500
54: Vladimir Shchmelev — $7,500
55: Francisco Hidalgo — $7,500
56: Cody Michael — $7,500

Big Hands:

Joe Hachem Doubles Up

Joe Hachem moved all in preflop from late position for 94,000 and Pat Pezzin made the call from the cutoff. Their cards:

Hachem: A J
Pezzin: 9 9

Board: A 8 6 3 8

Hachem doubled up to survive and Pezzin dropped to 85,500 after the hand.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh Eliminates an Opponent

Dominick Zito moved all in preflop under the gun and Taylor von Kriegenbergh made the call on the cutoff. Their cards:

Kriegenbergh: A A
Zito: A 10

Board: K 8 2 8 Q

Zito was eliminated and Kriegenbergh grew his chip lead to 1,650,000.

Shawn Busse vs. Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams and Shawn Busse had built a 30,000 pot preflop and then checked down a 8 4 3 8 board. Busse bet 13,500 after the turn from the small blind and Williams made the call from the cutoff.

The river fell 2 and Busse checked. Williams bet 49,500 and Busse went into the tank. He mucked his hand and Williams grew his stack to 230,000.

Poker Tweet — Daniel Negreanu

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Joe Hachem,   Jeff Williams,   Shawn Busse,   Pat Pezzin

Level 8 Update -- Day 1A Ends

Mar 05, '11

NOTE: Day 1A has come to a close. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s event and be sure to tune back in tomorrow at noon PST for day 1B action from The Big Event at the Bicycle Casino.

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 139 out of 263

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Alex Kamberis — 200,000
2. Jason Wheeler — 165,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 150,000
4. Casey Jarzabek — 120,000
5. Ana Marquez — 87,000
6. Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 75,000
7. Jordan Young — 75,000
8. Joe Hachem — 70,000
9. Anh Van Nguyen — 70,000
10. George Lind — 65,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mario Ho
Sam Stein
Dan O’Brien

Big Hands:

Joseph Cheong Doubles Up

A player in middle position raised to 1,800 preflop and the hi-jack reraised to 4,400. Joseph Cheong then moved all in for 27,500. The original raiser mucked and the hi-jack made the call. Their cards:

Cheong: 5 5
Opponent: 10 10

Board: J 8 7 5 4

Cheong doubled up on the hand to survive with over 60,000.

Sam Stein Eliminated

The flop read 7 3 2 when the hi-jack bet 5,500 and Sam Stein moved all in for 8,400 more. His opponent made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Stein: J 7
Opponent: A 7

Turn and River: Q and 8

Stein was eliminated on the hand during the last level of play for the night.

Poker Tweet — Jeff Williams

Player Tags: Scott Seiver,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Stein

Level 14 Update -- Day 2 Ends

Mar 07, '11

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and there are 70 players still in the hunt for the top 56 spots that will get paid in The Big Event. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events, and tune back in tomorrow at noon PST for day 3 action from Card Player.

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 70 out of 417

Chip Counts:

1. Victor Ramdin — 1,050,000
2. Jamie Kaplan — 505,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 465,000
4. Tyler Cornell — 410,000
5. David Paredes — 275,000
6. Pat Pezzin — 270,000
7. Ryan Hughes — 265,000
8. Daniel Negreanu — 260,000
9. Shawn Busse — 245,000
10. Alex Kamberis — 240,000

Notable Eliminations:

Rep Porter
Gioi Luong

Big Hands:

Victor Ramdin Eliminates Yet Another Opponent

Victor Ramdin has been on an amazing rush on day 2 and during the last level of the night he took out another opponent. The hi-jack was all in for about 120,000 preflop and Ramdin made the call on the button. Their cards:

Ramdin: J J
Opponent: 10 10

Board: A Q 5 K 3

Ramdin won the hand and he grew his chip lead to 1,050,000 to end the night.

Daniel Negreanu Wins a Nice Pot to End the Night

Daniel Negreanu raised to 7,700 preflop from the button and the big blind went into the tank before reraising to 18,100. Negreanu made the call and the flop fell A 9 8.

The big blind bet 21,000 and Negreanu made the call. The turn fell Q and Negreanu bet 34,000. The big blind made the call and the river fell 6. Negreanu bet 75,000 and the big blind went into the tank. He eventually called after several minutes and Negreanu flipped over A Q. His opponent mucked and Negreanu grew his stack to 260,000 to end the night.

Poker Tweet — Jeff Williams

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Victor Ramdin,   Jeff Williams

Level 16 Update -- Payouts Begin

Mar 08, '11

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 45 out of 417

Chip Counts:

1. Taylor von Kriegenbergh — 1,650,000
2. Victor Ramdin — 1,155,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 630,000
4. Wade Townsend — 615,000
5. James Dowdy — 470,000
6. Josh Field — 395,000
7. David Parades — 380,000
8. David Peters — 375,000
9. Joe Hachem — 310,000
10. Daniel Negreanu — 305,000

Cashes:

46: Dominick Zito — $8,000
47: Anh Van Nguyen — $8,000
48: Luke Nettles — $8,000
49: Travis Carson — $7,500
50: Ryan Hughes — $7,500
51: Anoy Hieu Paan — $7,500
52: Rom Segal — $7,500
53: Hiren Patel — $7,500
54: Vladimir Shchmelev — $7,500
55: Francisco Hidalgo — $7,500
56: Cody Michael — $7,500

Big Hands:

Joe Hachem Doubles Up

Joe Hachem moved all in preflop from late position for 94,000 and Pat Pezzin made the call from the cutoff. Their cards:

Hachem: A J
Pezzin: 9 9

Board: A 8 6 3 8

Hachem doubled up to survive and Pezzin dropped to 85,500 after the hand.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh Eliminates an Opponent

Dominick Zito moved all in preflop under the gun and Taylor von Kriegenbergh made the call on the cutoff. Their cards:

Kriegenbergh: A A
Zito: A 10

Board: K 8 2 8 Q

Zito was eliminated and Kriegenbergh grew his chip lead to 1,650,000.

Shawn Busse vs. Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams and Shawn Busse had built a 30,000 pot preflop and then checked down a 8 4 3 8 board. Busse bet 13,500 after the turn from the small blind and Williams made the call from the cutoff.

The river fell 2 and Busse checked. Williams bet 49,500 and Busse went into the tank. He mucked his hand and Williams grew his stack to 230,000.

Poker Tweet — Daniel Negreanu

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Joe Hachem,   Jeff Williams,   Shawn Busse,   Pat Pezzin

Level 8 Update -- Day 1A Ends

Mar 05, '11

NOTE: Day 1A has come to a close. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s event and be sure to tune back in tomorrow at noon PST for day 1B action from The Big Event at the Bicycle Casino.

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 139 out of 263

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Alex Kamberis — 200,000
2. Jason Wheeler — 165,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 150,000
4. Casey Jarzabek — 120,000
5. Ana Marquez — 87,000
6. Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 75,000
7. Jordan Young — 75,000
8. Joe Hachem — 70,000
9. Anh Van Nguyen — 70,000
10. George Lind — 65,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mario Ho
Sam Stein
Dan O’Brien

Big Hands:

Joseph Cheong Doubles Up

A player in middle position raised to 1,800 preflop and the hi-jack reraised to 4,400. Joseph Cheong then moved all in for 27,500. The original raiser mucked and the hi-jack made the call. Their cards:

Cheong: 5 5
Opponent: 10 10

Board: J 8 7 5 4

Cheong doubled up on the hand to survive with over 60,000.

Sam Stein Eliminated

The flop read 7 3 2 when the hi-jack bet 5,500 and Sam Stein moved all in for 8,400 more. His opponent made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Stein: J 7
Opponent: A 7

Turn and River: Q and 8

Stein was eliminated on the hand during the last level of play for the night.

Poker Tweet — Jeff Williams

Player Tags: Scott Seiver,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Stein

Level 14 Update -- Day 2 Ends

Mar 07, '11

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and there are 70 players still in the hunt for the top 56 spots that will get paid in The Big Event. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events, and tune back in tomorrow at noon PST for day 3 action from Card Player.

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 70 out of 417

Chip Counts:

1. Victor Ramdin — 1,050,000
2. Jamie Kaplan — 505,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 465,000
4. Tyler Cornell — 410,000
5. David Paredes — 275,000
6. Pat Pezzin — 270,000
7. Ryan Hughes — 265,000
8. Daniel Negreanu — 260,000
9. Shawn Busse — 245,000
10. Alex Kamberis — 240,000

Notable Eliminations:

Rep Porter
Gioi Luong

Big Hands:

Victor Ramdin Eliminates Yet Another Opponent

Victor Ramdin has been on an amazing rush on day 2 and during the last level of the night he took out another opponent. The hi-jack was all in for about 120,000 preflop and Ramdin made the call on the button. Their cards:

Ramdin: J J
Opponent: 10 10

Board: A Q 5 K 3

Ramdin won the hand and he grew his chip lead to 1,050,000 to end the night.

Daniel Negreanu Wins a Nice Pot to End the Night

Daniel Negreanu raised to 7,700 preflop from the button and the big blind went into the tank before reraising to 18,100. Negreanu made the call and the flop fell A 9 8.

The big blind bet 21,000 and Negreanu made the call. The turn fell Q and Negreanu bet 34,000. The big blind made the call and the river fell 6. Negreanu bet 75,000 and the big blind went into the tank. He eventually called after several minutes and Negreanu flipped over A Q. His opponent mucked and Negreanu grew his stack to 260,000 to end the night.

Poker Tweet — Jeff Williams

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Victor Ramdin,   Jeff Williams

Level 16 Update -- Payouts Begin

Mar 08, '11

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 45 out of 417

Chip Counts:

1. Taylor von Kriegenbergh — 1,650,000
2. Victor Ramdin — 1,155,000
3. Chris DeMaci — 630,000
4. Wade Townsend — 615,000
5. James Dowdy — 470,000
6. Josh Field — 395,000
7. David Parades — 380,000
8. David Peters — 375,000
9. Joe Hachem — 310,000
10. Daniel Negreanu — 305,000

Cashes:

46: Dominick Zito — $8,000
47: Anh Van Nguyen — $8,000
48: Luke Nettles — $8,000
49: Travis Carson — $7,500
50: Ryan Hughes — $7,500
51: Anoy Hieu Paan — $7,500
52: Rom Segal — $7,500
53: Hiren Patel — $7,500
54: Vladimir Shchmelev — $7,500
55: Francisco Hidalgo — $7,500
56: Cody Michael — $7,500

Big Hands:

Joe Hachem Doubles Up

Joe Hachem moved all in preflop from late position for 94,000 and Pat Pezzin made the call from the cutoff. Their cards:

Hachem: A J
Pezzin: 9 9

Board: A 8 6 3 8

Hachem doubled up to survive and Pezzin dropped to 85,500 after the hand.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh Eliminates an Opponent

Dominick Zito moved all in preflop under the gun and Taylor von Kriegenbergh made the call on the cutoff. Their cards:

Kriegenbergh: A A
Zito: A 10

Board: K 8 2 8 Q

Zito was eliminated and Kriegenbergh grew his chip lead to 1,650,000.

Shawn Busse vs. Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams and Shawn Busse had built a 30,000 pot preflop and then checked down a 8 4 3 8 board. Busse bet 13,500 after the turn from the small blind and Williams made the call from the cutoff.

The river fell 2 and Busse checked. Williams bet 49,500 and Busse went into the tank. He mucked his hand and Williams grew his stack to 230,000.

Poker Tweet — Daniel Negreanu

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Joe Hachem,   Jeff Williams,   Shawn Busse,   Pat Pezzin

Day 1 in the Books

Jun 09, '10

After 10 levels of play, the 792 entrants in event no. 17, the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event, are now down to 225. The deeper structure seemed to favor the pros as many notable names have a big stack at the day’s end.

Chino Rheem (Pictured Right) and Jeff Williams are pacing the field and look to be towards the top of chip counts with 185,000 and 172,400, respectively. Antonio Esfandiari and Mike Gracz are also among the chip leaders with well over 120,000 each.

There were several other top flight pros that survived the day. Other notables include Brian Rast, Ted Lawson, Tony G, Phil Hellmuth, Isaac Baron, TJ Cloutier, Scott Clements, Marco Johnson, Shaun Deeb, Vivek Rajkumar, Joe Sebok, Jason Mercier, Perry Friedman, Nam Le, Vitaly Lunkin, Lee Markholt, Scott Fischman, Chau Giang, Sam Stein, Phil Ivey, Annette Obrestad, Andrew Lichtenberger, and Joe Cada. Last year’s winner, Brian Lemke, is also still alive.

Don’t forget to check out some of the twitter feeds from some of the players still remaining.

Antonio Esfandiari
Annette Obrestad
Eugene Todd
Justin “Boosted J” Smith
Mike Leah
Phil Hellmuth
Nenad Medic
Barry Greenstein
Joe Sebok
Phil Ivey
Eric Baldwin
Jonathan Little
Brent Roberts
Eric Haber"
Mike Watson

The players will come back on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to play the second day of this event with the intention to reach the final table. Check back with Card Player for updates on this event and to see who is still alive to claim the $818,959 first place prize money.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Chino Rheem,   Joe Sebok,   Brian Rast,   Jeff Williams

Dinner Break

Jun 09, '10

Players in event No. 17 are on a 60 minute dinner break and will be back at 8 p.m. PST to resume action.

Notables still left include Owen Crowe, Peter Jetten, Jeff Williams, Alex Bolotin David Benefield, Vivek Rajkumar, Perry Friedman, Maciek Gracz, Shaun Deeb, Ted Lawson, Kido Pham, Eugene Todd, Amnon Filippi, Phil Hellmuth, Josh Arieh, Chau Giang, Antonio Esfandiari, Chino Rheem, Amit Makhija, Annette Obrestad, TJ Cloutier, Jacobo Fernandez, Scotty Nguyen, Shawn Buchanan, Lisa Hamilton, Scott Clements and Will Failla.

Jeff Williams is near the top of the chip counts at the moment.

98 remain out of the 792 that entered the tournament.

The chip average is 121,224. Players are not in the money yet. The top 72 will get paid with 72nd earning $10,497.

First place will take home $818,959 in prize money.

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Hellmuth
Shaun Deeb
Annette Obrestad
Eugene Todd
Amit Makhija

Player Tags: Jeff Williams

We're Down to Heads Up

Jun 11, '10

Gilmore Rivered, Out in 4th ($241,472)

Peter Gilmore appeared to be in good shape when he got his last 1.18 million in holding AK against Sam Trickett’s A10. Things looked OK through the turn too, running J8Q8.

But the river was a nightmare for Gilmore, as the 9 gave Trickett a straight, knocking Gilmore out in 4th place, for which he earned $241,472.

Trickett regained a lot of chips, holding around 5 million after the hand.

Williams Falls in 3rd Place ($328,762)

Jeff Williams was short on chips and forced to push all in for 940,000. He was called by Jason DeWitt and the two showed down.

DeWitt: 77
Williams: A5

The board of 4210KQ didn’t improve Williams’ hand and he was gone in 3rd place. He won $328,762.

The elimination left Jason DeWitt and Sam Trickett heads up. DeWitt held 6.8 million to Trickett’s 4.9 million.

Check Out DeWitt’s Twitter

Player Tags: Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Down to 6

Jun 10, '10

Foltyn Runs Into Aces, Out in 8th Place ($79,957)

Paul Foltyn was battling the short stack when he decided to move his last 650,000 al in. It couldn’t have felt good to see Jason DeWitt re-raise all in over the top of him. Everyone else folded and they showed their hands:

Foltyn: 55
DeWitt: AA

The board came K4746 and Foltyn was gone in 8th place. DeWitt was back up to 1.9 million after the hand.

Kings Run Into Aces, Carroll Falls in 7th Place ($103,594)

In a huge pot, action was three-bet before James Carroll got his 1.225 million all in holding KK, only to be called by Jeff Williams who held the dreaded AA.

The board came 691023 and Carroll was gone in 7th place, taking home $103,594. Williams had more than 4 million after the hand.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Jason Dewitt,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams

Dinner Break

Jun 10, '10

The remaining 8 players are on a 60-minute dinner break.

They are:

Jason DeWitt — 2,750,000
Jeff Williams — 2,370,000
James Carroll — 1,910,000
David Benefield — 1,300,000
Samuel Trickett — 1,080,000
Peter Gilmore — 900,000
Paul Foltyn — 800,000
Amit Makhija — 750,000

Remaining Player Twitter Accounts

Amit Makhija
Jeff Williams

Stay right here on CardPlayer.com for your final table coverage.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Minaya First To Go ($62,350)

Jun 10, '10

Manny Manaya Busts in 9th ($62,350)

Short on chips, Manny Minaya pushed his last 191,000 to the middle of the table and Jeff Williams called from the button.

Minaya showed A8 and looked to be in trouble against Williams’ A10. The flop came A2K, pairing both players, but Williams’ 10 still factored in as better kicker.

The turn came 10, giving Williams two pair and leaving Minaya drawing thin to a chopped pot. But the river was the J and Minaya was the first elimination from the final table, taking home $62,350. Williams had around 2 million after the hand.

DeWitt Soars to Chip Lead

On a flop of A52 Peter Gilmore bet 110,000 and Jason DeWitt check-raised to 260,000. Gilmore moved all in and DeWitt called, with Gilmore covering DeWitt in chips.

DeWitt had to be pleased to see that his AA was well ahead of Gilmore’s drawless AQ. The 6 turn and Q river changed nothing and DeWitt’s stack soared past 2.5 million, giving him the chip lead.

Player Tags: Manelic Minaya,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Jeff Williams

Final Table is Set

Jun 10, '10

The final table is officially set for event No. 17, $5,000 no-limit hold’em.

Chip counts for the final 9 are:

Peter Gilmore — 2,305,000
James Carroll — 1,893,000
Jeff Williams — 1,670,000
Jason DeWitt — 1,440,000
David Benefield — 1,433,000
Amit Makhija — 1,117,000
Paul Foltyn — 975,000
Samuel Trickett — 956,000
Manny Minaya — 272,000

Remaining Player Twitter Accounts

Amit Makhija
Jeff Williams

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for elimination updates.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Day 1 in the Books

Jun 09, '10

After 10 levels of play, the 792 entrants in event no. 17, the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event, are now down to 225. The deeper structure seemed to favor the pros as many notable names have a big stack at the day’s end.

Chino Rheem (Pictured Right) and Jeff Williams are pacing the field and look to be towards the top of chip counts with 185,000 and 172,400, respectively. Antonio Esfandiari and Mike Gracz are also among the chip leaders with well over 120,000 each.

There were several other top flight pros that survived the day. Other notables include Brian Rast, Ted Lawson, Tony G, Phil Hellmuth, Isaac Baron, TJ Cloutier, Scott Clements, Marco Johnson, Shaun Deeb, Vivek Rajkumar, Joe Sebok, Jason Mercier, Perry Friedman, Nam Le, Vitaly Lunkin, Lee Markholt, Scott Fischman, Chau Giang, Sam Stein, Phil Ivey, Annette Obrestad, Andrew Lichtenberger, and Joe Cada. Last year’s winner, Brian Lemke, is also still alive.

Don’t forget to check out some of the twitter feeds from some of the players still remaining.

Antonio Esfandiari
Annette Obrestad
Eugene Todd
Justin “Boosted J” Smith
Mike Leah
Phil Hellmuth
Nenad Medic
Barry Greenstein
Joe Sebok
Phil Ivey
Eric Baldwin
Jonathan Little
Brent Roberts
Eric Haber"
Mike Watson

The players will come back on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to play the second day of this event with the intention to reach the final table. Check back with Card Player for updates on this event and to see who is still alive to claim the $818,959 first place prize money.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Chino Rheem,   Joe Sebok,   Brian Rast,   Jeff Williams

Dinner Break

Jun 09, '10

Players in event No. 17 are on a 60 minute dinner break and will be back at 8 p.m. PST to resume action.

Notables still left include Owen Crowe, Peter Jetten, Jeff Williams, Alex Bolotin David Benefield, Vivek Rajkumar, Perry Friedman, Maciek Gracz, Shaun Deeb, Ted Lawson, Kido Pham, Eugene Todd, Amnon Filippi, Phil Hellmuth, Josh Arieh, Chau Giang, Antonio Esfandiari, Chino Rheem, Amit Makhija, Annette Obrestad, TJ Cloutier, Jacobo Fernandez, Scotty Nguyen, Shawn Buchanan, Lisa Hamilton, Scott Clements and Will Failla.

Jeff Williams is near the top of the chip counts at the moment.

98 remain out of the 792 that entered the tournament.

The chip average is 121,224. Players are not in the money yet. The top 72 will get paid with 72nd earning $10,497.

First place will take home $818,959 in prize money.

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Hellmuth
Shaun Deeb
Annette Obrestad
Eugene Todd
Amit Makhija

Player Tags: Jeff Williams

We're Down to Heads Up

Jun 11, '10

Gilmore Rivered, Out in 4th ($241,472)

Peter Gilmore appeared to be in good shape when he got his last 1.18 million in holding AK against Sam Trickett’s A10. Things looked OK through the turn too, running J8Q8.

But the river was a nightmare for Gilmore, as the 9 gave Trickett a straight, knocking Gilmore out in 4th place, for which he earned $241,472.

Trickett regained a lot of chips, holding around 5 million after the hand.

Williams Falls in 3rd Place ($328,762)

Jeff Williams was short on chips and forced to push all in for 940,000. He was called by Jason DeWitt and the two showed down.

DeWitt: 77
Williams: A5

The board of 4210KQ didn’t improve Williams’ hand and he was gone in 3rd place. He won $328,762.

The elimination left Jason DeWitt and Sam Trickett heads up. DeWitt held 6.8 million to Trickett’s 4.9 million.

Check Out DeWitt’s Twitter

Player Tags: Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Down to 6

Jun 10, '10

Foltyn Runs Into Aces, Out in 8th Place ($79,957)

Paul Foltyn was battling the short stack when he decided to move his last 650,000 al in. It couldn’t have felt good to see Jason DeWitt re-raise all in over the top of him. Everyone else folded and they showed their hands:

Foltyn: 55
DeWitt: AA

The board came K4746 and Foltyn was gone in 8th place. DeWitt was back up to 1.9 million after the hand.

Kings Run Into Aces, Carroll Falls in 7th Place ($103,594)

In a huge pot, action was three-bet before James Carroll got his 1.225 million all in holding KK, only to be called by Jeff Williams who held the dreaded AA.

The board came 691023 and Carroll was gone in 7th place, taking home $103,594. Williams had more than 4 million after the hand.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Jason Dewitt,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams

Dinner Break

Jun 10, '10

The remaining 8 players are on a 60-minute dinner break.

They are:

Jason DeWitt — 2,750,000
Jeff Williams — 2,370,000
James Carroll — 1,910,000
David Benefield — 1,300,000
Samuel Trickett — 1,080,000
Peter Gilmore — 900,000
Paul Foltyn — 800,000
Amit Makhija — 750,000

Remaining Player Twitter Accounts

Amit Makhija
Jeff Williams

Stay right here on CardPlayer.com for your final table coverage.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Minaya First To Go ($62,350)

Jun 10, '10

Manny Manaya Busts in 9th ($62,350)

Short on chips, Manny Minaya pushed his last 191,000 to the middle of the table and Jeff Williams called from the button.

Minaya showed A8 and looked to be in trouble against Williams’ A10. The flop came A2K, pairing both players, but Williams’ 10 still factored in as better kicker.

The turn came 10, giving Williams two pair and leaving Minaya drawing thin to a chopped pot. But the river was the J and Minaya was the first elimination from the final table, taking home $62,350. Williams had around 2 million after the hand.

DeWitt Soars to Chip Lead

On a flop of A52 Peter Gilmore bet 110,000 and Jason DeWitt check-raised to 260,000. Gilmore moved all in and DeWitt called, with Gilmore covering DeWitt in chips.

DeWitt had to be pleased to see that his AA was well ahead of Gilmore’s drawless AQ. The 6 turn and Q river changed nothing and DeWitt’s stack soared past 2.5 million, giving him the chip lead.

Player Tags: Manelic Minaya,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Jeff Williams

Final Table is Set

Jun 10, '10

The final table is officially set for event No. 17, $5,000 no-limit hold’em.

Chip counts for the final 9 are:

Peter Gilmore — 2,305,000
James Carroll — 1,893,000
Jeff Williams — 1,670,000
Jason DeWitt — 1,440,000
David Benefield — 1,433,000
Amit Makhija — 1,117,000
Paul Foltyn — 975,000
Samuel Trickett — 956,000
Manny Minaya — 272,000

Remaining Player Twitter Accounts

Amit Makhija
Jeff Williams

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for elimination updates.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Day 1 in the Books

Jun 09, '10

After 10 levels of play, the 792 entrants in event no. 17, the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event, are now down to 225. The deeper structure seemed to favor the pros as many notable names have a big stack at the day’s end.

Chino Rheem (Pictured Right) and Jeff Williams are pacing the field and look to be towards the top of chip counts with 185,000 and 172,400, respectively. Antonio Esfandiari and Mike Gracz are also among the chip leaders with well over 120,000 each.

There were several other top flight pros that survived the day. Other notables include Brian Rast, Ted Lawson, Tony G, Phil Hellmuth, Isaac Baron, TJ Cloutier, Scott Clements, Marco Johnson, Shaun Deeb, Vivek Rajkumar, Joe Sebok, Jason Mercier, Perry Friedman, Nam Le, Vitaly Lunkin, Lee Markholt, Scott Fischman, Chau Giang, Sam Stein, Phil Ivey, Annette Obrestad, Andrew Lichtenberger, and Joe Cada. Last year’s winner, Brian Lemke, is also still alive.

Don’t forget to check out some of the twitter feeds from some of the players still remaining.

Antonio Esfandiari
Annette Obrestad
Eugene Todd
Justin “Boosted J” Smith
Mike Leah
Phil Hellmuth
Nenad Medic
Barry Greenstein
Joe Sebok
Phil Ivey
Eric Baldwin
Jonathan Little
Brent Roberts
Eric Haber"
Mike Watson

The players will come back on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. to play the second day of this event with the intention to reach the final table. Check back with Card Player for updates on this event and to see who is still alive to claim the $818,959 first place prize money.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Chino Rheem,   Joe Sebok,   Brian Rast,   Jeff Williams

Dinner Break

Jun 09, '10

Players in event No. 17 are on a 60 minute dinner break and will be back at 8 p.m. PST to resume action.

Notables still left include Owen Crowe, Peter Jetten, Jeff Williams, Alex Bolotin David Benefield, Vivek Rajkumar, Perry Friedman, Maciek Gracz, Shaun Deeb, Ted Lawson, Kido Pham, Eugene Todd, Amnon Filippi, Phil Hellmuth, Josh Arieh, Chau Giang, Antonio Esfandiari, Chino Rheem, Amit Makhija, Annette Obrestad, TJ Cloutier, Jacobo Fernandez, Scotty Nguyen, Shawn Buchanan, Lisa Hamilton, Scott Clements and Will Failla.

Jeff Williams is near the top of the chip counts at the moment.

98 remain out of the 792 that entered the tournament.

The chip average is 121,224. Players are not in the money yet. The top 72 will get paid with 72nd earning $10,497.

First place will take home $818,959 in prize money.

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Hellmuth
Shaun Deeb
Annette Obrestad
Eugene Todd
Amit Makhija

Player Tags: Jeff Williams

We're Down to Heads Up

Jun 11, '10

Gilmore Rivered, Out in 4th ($241,472)

Peter Gilmore appeared to be in good shape when he got his last 1.18 million in holding AK against Sam Trickett’s A10. Things looked OK through the turn too, running J8Q8.

But the river was a nightmare for Gilmore, as the 9 gave Trickett a straight, knocking Gilmore out in 4th place, for which he earned $241,472.

Trickett regained a lot of chips, holding around 5 million after the hand.

Williams Falls in 3rd Place ($328,762)

Jeff Williams was short on chips and forced to push all in for 940,000. He was called by Jason DeWitt and the two showed down.

DeWitt: 77
Williams: A5

The board of 4210KQ didn’t improve Williams’ hand and he was gone in 3rd place. He won $328,762.

The elimination left Jason DeWitt and Sam Trickett heads up. DeWitt held 6.8 million to Trickett’s 4.9 million.

Check Out DeWitt’s Twitter

Player Tags: Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Down to 6

Jun 10, '10

Foltyn Runs Into Aces, Out in 8th Place ($79,957)

Paul Foltyn was battling the short stack when he decided to move his last 650,000 al in. It couldn’t have felt good to see Jason DeWitt re-raise all in over the top of him. Everyone else folded and they showed their hands:

Foltyn: 55
DeWitt: AA

The board came K4746 and Foltyn was gone in 8th place. DeWitt was back up to 1.9 million after the hand.

Kings Run Into Aces, Carroll Falls in 7th Place ($103,594)

In a huge pot, action was three-bet before James Carroll got his 1.225 million all in holding KK, only to be called by Jeff Williams who held the dreaded AA.

The board came 691023 and Carroll was gone in 7th place, taking home $103,594. Williams had more than 4 million after the hand.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Jason Dewitt,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams

Dinner Break

Jun 10, '10

The remaining 8 players are on a 60-minute dinner break.

They are:

Jason DeWitt — 2,750,000
Jeff Williams — 2,370,000
James Carroll — 1,910,000
David Benefield — 1,300,000
Samuel Trickett — 1,080,000
Peter Gilmore — 900,000
Paul Foltyn — 800,000
Amit Makhija — 750,000

Remaining Player Twitter Accounts

Amit Makhija
Jeff Williams

Stay right here on CardPlayer.com for your final table coverage.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Minaya First To Go ($62,350)

Jun 10, '10

Manny Manaya Busts in 9th ($62,350)

Short on chips, Manny Minaya pushed his last 191,000 to the middle of the table and Jeff Williams called from the button.

Minaya showed A8 and looked to be in trouble against Williams’ A10. The flop came A2K, pairing both players, but Williams’ 10 still factored in as better kicker.

The turn came 10, giving Williams two pair and leaving Minaya drawing thin to a chopped pot. But the river was the J and Minaya was the first elimination from the final table, taking home $62,350. Williams had around 2 million after the hand.

DeWitt Soars to Chip Lead

On a flop of A52 Peter Gilmore bet 110,000 and Jason DeWitt check-raised to 260,000. Gilmore moved all in and DeWitt called, with Gilmore covering DeWitt in chips.

DeWitt had to be pleased to see that his AA was well ahead of Gilmore’s drawless AQ. The 6 turn and Q river changed nothing and DeWitt’s stack soared past 2.5 million, giving him the chip lead.

Player Tags: Manelic Minaya,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Jeff Williams

Final Table is Set

Jun 10, '10

The final table is officially set for event No. 17, $5,000 no-limit hold’em.

Chip counts for the final 9 are:

Peter Gilmore — 2,305,000
James Carroll — 1,893,000
Jeff Williams — 1,670,000
Jason DeWitt — 1,440,000
David Benefield — 1,433,000
Amit Makhija — 1,117,000
Paul Foltyn — 975,000
Samuel Trickett — 956,000
Manny Minaya — 272,000

Remaining Player Twitter Accounts

Amit Makhija
Jeff Williams

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for elimination updates.

Player Tags: James Carroll,   Peter Gilmore,   Jason Dewitt,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield,   Paul Foltyn,   Jeff Williams,   Sam Trickett

Level 12 Update: Mike Caro Eliminated

Jul 01, '09

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

Players Remaining: 120 out of 928

Chip Counts:

1. Rui Cao — 445,000
2. Rory Matthews — 369,800
3. Sean Keeton — 355,000
4. Faraz Jaka — 325,000
5. Lars Bonding — 288,300
6. Lex Veldhuis — 240,000
7. David Peters — 239,500
8. Eugene Katchalov — 237,400
9. Phil Hellmuth — 216,100
10. Thorsten Schaefer — 215,000

Average Chip Count: 116,000

Notable Eliminations:

Matt Woodward
Jeff Williams
Mike Caro
Phil Laak
Darryll Fish
Bahador Ahmadi

Big Hands

Matt Woodward Eliminated

Matt Woodward gets it all in before flop with A-K against one opponent holding pocket aces.

The board comes 10-10-9-9-4, eliminating Matt Woodward from the event just minutes into Level 12.

Jeff Williams Eliminated

Jeff Williams gets it all in before the flop with 10-8 offsuit against Steve Weinstein’s pocket queens.

Williams failed to improve and is eliminated form the tournament.

Mike Caro Eliminated by Phil Hellmuth

On a flop of 622, Caro bets 16,000 and Phil Hellmuth calls.

The turn is the 6, double pairing the board, Caro moves all in for 40,000 and Hellmuth calls.

Caro: 77
Hellmuth: KK

The river is the 5, no help to Caro who is eliminated from the tournament.

Left in the Deck

Players will take a twenty-minute break at the completion of Level 12 and will return at approximately 4:30 pm PDT.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Mike Caro,   Matt Woodward,   Jeff Williams

Level 10 Update: Two Williams' With One Stone

May 30, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with 100 ante

Players Remaining: 376 out of 3,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Williams
David Williams
James Mackey
Steve Gross

Big Hands:

First Round Knockout

David Williams raised to 2,000 on the very first hand of level 10. The player in seat 8 then came over the top, moving all in for his last 15,000, more than enough to cover Williams’ remaining 9,000. Williams made the call and showed A10. He was racing against his opponent’s 99. The board ran out Q626K, failing to help Williams and he was out.

Aguiar Wins Battle of the Blinds, Has Huge Stack

Action folded around to the player in seat 5 in the small blind. He completed the bet and Aguiar checked his option from the big blind. The players checked the flop and turn, which brought 864K. The river was the 8 and the small blind checked again. Aguiar decided to fire 1,100 and his opponent quickly mucked. Aguiar’s stack has ballooned to over 65,000.

Jeff Williams’ Sailboats Capsize in the River

Jeff Williams raised to 1,100 from middle position and action folded around to the big blind. He made it 4,000 total and Williams went in the tank. After much thought, he pushed in his remaining 13,000 into the middle. The big blind thought briefly and made the call, tabling AK. Williams showed 44 and it was the classic race situation. The flop came down 862, giving the big blind a higher flush draw. The turn was a blank with the 9 and Williams was set to take the huge pot. But the river brought the 7, giving his opponent the flush.

As the dealer counted the chips, Williams asked, “All of it?” Unfortunately for Williams, it was all of it as he was covered and he was knocked out of the tournament.

Sung Picking Up Some Chips

Steve Sung is trying to build his stack to a respectable size. He called 800 from the button and the blinds joined the action. The flop came 1094 and the blinds checked. Sung fired 1,300 and it was enough to take the pot.

Later, the player in seat 1 raised to 2,300 in late position and Sung repopped it to 6,000 total. Seat 1 mucked and Sung took in some more chips. His stack is around 22,000.

Aguiar Steamrolling Competition, Adds Steve Gross to Hit List

Steve Gross raised to 2,000 preflop and Jonathan Aguiar made the call. The flop came 763 and Aguiar bet 3,800. Gross popped it to 8,500 and Aguiar pushed his gigantic stack all in, putting Gross to a decision for all of his chips. Gross made the call and turned over J-7 for top pair on the board, but Aguiar tabled pocket nines for an overpair. The board gave no help to Gross as it ran out 210 and he made his way to the rail. Aguiar appears to be amongst the chip leaders with a sick stack of almost 80,000.

Player Tags: David Williams,   Steve Sung,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Steve Gross,   Jeff Williams

Level 8 Update: Mercier Takes A Hit

May 30, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 660 out of 3,000

Big Hands:

Mercier Drops One To Franklin

Jason Mercier raised to 1,275 from early position and Tom Franklin was the only caller from the big blind. The flop came K42 and Franklin checked to Mercier who fired 1,600. Franklin called and the 7 dropped on the turn. Both players checked and the river was the 5. Both players checked again and Franklin tabled pocket queens. Mercier mucked and Franklin increased his stack to 34,000 while Mercier dropped to 21,000.

Jeff Willams Takes a Hit

Williams raised to 1,050 from middle position and seat 5 called. Seat 6 went all in for 5,775 and action folded to Williams who made the call. Seat 5 got out of the way and they showed their cards:

Williams: AJ
Seat 6: KK

The board ran out 7510310 and Williams could not crack the pocket kings. He was down to 12,500.

Traniello’s Double Up Flushed

Marco Traniello moved all in for his last 900. The player in seat 5 moved all in for 2,000 more, but took it back as no one else called. He showed A10, dominating Traniello’s A7. But the flop came J74, giving Traniello a pair and the lead. The turn brought the 2, holding Traniello’s slim lead. But the river brought the 6, giving both players a spade flush and preventing Traniello from doubling up and chopping the ante’s with seat 5. His stack slightly improved to 1,300.

Left In The Deck:

Players are being moved at a lightning fast pace here in the Amazon Room. The movement has brought Jonathan Aguiar to seat 7 at table 5 in the blue section. He has company as Chris Ferguson is sitting in seat 2.

Player Tags: Tom Franklin,   Marco Traniello,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Jeff Williams,   Jason Mercier

Jeff Williams Wins With Aces

Jan 06, '09

Jeff "YellowSub86" Williams came in for a raise on the button and was called by the big blind. The flop came 972 and the big blind checked.

Williams bet 800 and his opponent called. The turn was the 7 and it was checked to Williams yet again. This time, he bet 2,050 and was called.

The river was the 10 and the big blind quickly checked. Williams bet 5,675 and his opponent called, turning over pocket eights. Williams showed pocket aces and took down the pot, inreasing his stack to 28,000.

Player Tags: Jeff Williams

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 8 (Hour 2)

Jul 08, '08

Blinds: 400-800, 100 ante

Chip Leaders:
Brian Schaedlich - 470,000
Hunter Frey - 378,000
David Rheem - 284,000
Patrick Fortin - 245,000
Jason Riesenberg - 242,000
Robert Mizrachi - 242,000
Martin Klaser - 240,000
Sinaei Farhad - 235,000
Brandon Adams - 232,000
Jeff Bryan - 231,000

Other Notables:
John Hennigan - 195,000
Voitto Rintala - 155,000
Thor Hansen - 134,000
Craig Marquis - 124,000
Eric Seidel - 118,000
Jeff Williams - 115,000
Tim West - 109,000
Bill Baxter - 103,000
John Duthie - 88,000
Vanessa Rousso - 88,000
Barny Boatman - 65,000
Darrell Dicken - 58,000
Matt Glantz - 54,000
Julian Gardner - 53,000
Mickey Appleman - 49,000
Johannes Strassmann - 43,000
Kathy Liebert - 40,000
Matt Guzzardi - 35,000
Bill Gazes - 30,000
Nick Schulman - 25,000
Steve Zolotow - 23,000
Barry Greenstein - 13,000

Eliminations:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Queen on the River Saves Williams

On a flop of 943, Jeff Williams led out with a bet of 4,100 and was raised to 12,600 by his opponent. Williams called and the two saw the 9 on the turn. Williams checked and was the faced with a bet of 15,500. Williams deliberated for a couple of minutes before declaring all-in. Before the bet could even be counted, he was called and they showed their cards:

Willams: QQ
Opponent: 33

Williams had his iPod packed up in preparation for the long walk out of the Amazon Room, but the Q on the river had him unraveling his headphones in an instant. The four-outer shipped Williams the vital pot and he now has 120,000.

Brian Schaedlich Approaching 500,000

Schaedlich raised pre-flop to 2,500 and was re-raised by the player to his left to 8,000. He called and both players checked the AK4 flop. Schaedlich bet 17,000 on the 7 turn and his opponent moved all-in for 30,000. Priced in, Schaedlich called and showed 53 for a double-gutter against his opponent’s A-J. The river was the 6, and just like that Schaedlich’s stack took another giant boost. He now has about half a million in chips.

Turner Adds Small Pot

Jon Turner was in the big blind and faced a raise to 2500 from a player in middle position. He elected to make the call and saw the flop come Q96. Both players checked the flop, and then checked the turn when the 5 appeared. After the J appeared on the river, Turner bet 4100. His opponent made a reluctant call and Turner showed the KQ which was enough to take the pot. Turner improved to about 85,000 in chips.

Lawson Nursing Shortstack

Ted Lawson hasn't had any momentum today, and it continued as level 8 wound down. Lawson raised from middle position to 2300, and play was folded to the button, who pushed all-in for 8800 total. It was another 6500 to Lawson, but with only 16,000 in chips remaining, he elected to lay his hand down.
 

Player Tags: Ted Lawson,   Jon Turner,   Jeff Williams

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2A - Level 7 (Hour 2)

Jul 08, '08

Players are being given a 40-minute break at the end of this level as tournament officials begin the race-off to eliminate the green 25 chips from all tournament tables.

Blinds: 300-600, 75 ante

Chip Leaders:
Hunter Frey - 241,600
Jeremiah Smith - 230,000
Brian Schaedlich - 230,000
Robert Mizrachi - 204,000
Kellen Hunter - 204,000
Hornet Stephanie - 200,000
Michael Johnson - 198,000
Wayne Brown - 170,000
Hasan Habib - 165,000
Mark Vos - 160,000

Other Notables:
Brandon Adams – 150,000
Voitto Rintala – 117,000
Craig Marquis – 111,000
Alexander Kravchenko – 103,000
Maya Antonius – 86,000
Patrik Antonius – 85,000
Julian Gardner – 84,000
Erick Lindgren – 78,000
Toto Leonidas – 71,000
Kathy Liebert – 70,000
Shaun Deeb – 61,000
Barny Boatman – 60,000
Thor Hansen – 57,000
Nick Schulman – 46,000
John Hennigan – 46,000
Jon Turner – 42,000
Tom Franklin – 41,000
Vince Van Patten – 36,000
Bill Gazes – 33,000
Ted Lawson – 21,000
Vicky Coren – 21,000
Jeff Williams – 18,000
Michael Guzzardi – 14,000

Eliminations:
David Grey
Greg Mueller
Robert Varkonyi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Everybody Loves Trite Headlines

For the second time in the 2008 WSOP main event, television/movie actor Ray Romano has drawn a seat at table 1 in the orange section of the Amazon room. It is good news for the fans, as that table is up against the ropes. They are also getting a good look at the actor, as he is down to just 9,000 in chips.

Jeff Williams Doubles Up

From middle position, Jeff Williams moved all-in for his final 8,800. After the dealer had counted down his stack, the player seated two seats to Williams’ left made the call. The two showed their hands:

Williams: AK
Opponent: 1010

Williams took the lead on a AJ9 flop and it would hold up through the J turn and 6 river. The double up takes the former EPT Grand Final champion up to 19,000.

No Showdown Needed For Liebert

Action folded around to the player on the button who raised to 1,700. Kathy Liebert, in the small blind, raised it up to 4,900. The big blind folded and the woman on the button made the call with 12,000 behind. The flop came down QQ4 and Liebert led out for 5,000. Her opponent, after a bit of thought, made the call. On the 8 turn, Liebert threw out a pair of orange T5,000 chips, effectively setting the button all-in. The button quickly folded, leaving herself 7,000, and Liebert picked up the pot. That hand brings Liebert up to about 60,000.

Lindgren Loving Life’s Little Lifts

A player in middle position raised to 1,600 and the player to his immediate left made the call. The action folded to Erick Lindgren on the button, who made the call. The big blind called as well, and the four players saw a flop of 532. The big blind checked, as did the original aggressor. The player to his left made a bet of 4,200 and Lindgren paused for a moment before raising to a total of 14,000. All players folded and Lindgren took down the pot, bringing his stack to over 80,000 in chips.

Lindgren Can’t Pull Trigger

A few hands later, Lindgren faced a huge decision. There was an early position raiser to 2100, and Lindgren made the call immediately behind him. The next player also called, then play was folded to Brandon Adams in the big blind. Adams, one of the tournament chip leaders, grabbed his stack of orange 5000 chips and sent them to the center of the table. The original raiser thought for about a minute, then folded. Lindgren, who had just recently been moved to the table, asked for a count, and was told the bill came to 105,000. Lindgren tanked, seemingly on the verge of making a huge call. He had about 120,000 in front of him, and eventually even asked his masseuse to hold off. Lindgren eventually made the reluctant lay down, and appeared visibly disturbed when, after the next player called for his remaining 16,000 in chips, Adams showed the A9. He was up against 76, and took a minor hit to his stack when the board ran out 107263.

Rob Melnyk Out-Flushes Opponent, Improves Stack

A player in the cut-off raised to 1,800 and the player on the button called. Rob Melnyk called from the small blind, as did the player in the big blind. The flop came 1076, and the action checked to the cut-off who made a bet of 2,500. The button folded, and Melnyk made the call. After the big blind folded, the dealer put out the 8 on the turn. Melnyk checked, giving his opponent the opportunity to fire a bet of 8,000 into the pot. Melnyk made the call and the 3 fell on the river. Before Melnyk had the opportunity to act, his opponent fired a bet of 12,000. The dealer told Melnyk he would have an option, and Melnyk elected to check. His opponent’s 12,000 bet stayed in the pot, and Melnyk went into the tank. “I just call,” Melnyk announced and turned over KJ for a king-high flush. His opponent nodded and turned over 109 for a ten-high flush. The dealer pushed the pot to Melnyk, who finished the hand with 88,000 in chips.

Mueller Eliminated

Greg Mueller was eliminated when his flopped set of queens was run down by a straight on the river.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Erick Lindgren,   Brandon Adams,   Jeff Williams