Day Two Over
Jun 04, '07
The remaining 12 players returned from their dinner break at approximately 9 p.m. refreshed and ready to play some cards. Gavin Smith wasted no time in re-establishing himself as the most vocal player at his table, much to the delight of the crowd gathered on the rail. At one point Smith accused the fans directly behind of rooting for and aiding his opponents across the table. Down the rail, Jennifer Harman has rejoined the crowd to cheer for her husband Marco Traniello.
Play condensed down to one table following the elimination of Nick Binger in 11th place. Binger bet out and Billy Hill raised putting Binger all in. Binger made the call and showed A
Q
. Hill turned over A
A
and the board came K
10
3
6
9
. Binger's elimination trimmed the field down to ten players and one table.
Gavin Smith didn't quiet down at all when the five players from the other table joined his. Bruce Van Horn, seated in the five seat, quickly became the object of Smith's affection. Smith ordered a beer for Van Horn's son Archie who was on the rail and said, "Any friend of Bruce Van Horn is a friend of mine. I assume you are friends with your own kid, right?" Smith folded his next hand and then said, "While we're at it, let's get drinks for everyone at the table. Drinks are on me!"
Once Smith made sure that everyone's drink order had been placed he got down to business. Smith made a pot size bet of $33,000 before the flop and Billy Hill re-bet the pot. Smith responded by pushing all in and Hill hesitated before making the call. Smith showed J
J
and Hill had 8
8
. The board came K
Q
4
K
10
and Smith doubled up to $395,000. A few hands later, Smith continued to roll and was responsible for eliminating John McCarthy in 10th place and ended play for day two. Smith bet out $33,000 and McCarthy raised all in for $42,000 in the one seat. Billy Hill made the call, as did Smith. The flop came 9
8
5
and Smith bet out $60,000. Hill folded and the players turned over their cards. Smith had J
9
and McCarthy had A
Q
. The turn was the 2
and the river was the 3
. As Smith collected his chips McCarthy stood up and said, "It was a pleasure giving my chips to you. I'll be back in two weeks!"
Gavin Smith will be the chip leader at tomorrow's final table with over $480,000. Returning tomorrow in order of chip counts are: Gavin Smith, William Hill, Bruce Van Horn, Jeff Langdon, Marco Traniello, Mike Spiegel, Jon Friedberg, Tom Savitsky and Eric Lynch. The final table will begin at 2 p.m. and
CardPlayer.com will be there for all the action.
Player Tags: Bruce Van Horn, Gavin Smith, Marco Traniello, Jon Friedberg, William Hill, Jeff Langdon, Eric Lynch, Nick Binger, Mike Spegal
Hour Six - Mike Spegal Wins Event #4 ($252,290)
Jun 05, '07
The Poker Brat Arrives
The players returned from dinner break a few minutes after nine p.m. and their chip stacks were announced to the crowd:
Gavin Smith: $770,000
Mike Spegal: $1,580,000
A few hands into the action Phil Hellmuth walked to the stage to check up on Gavin. He was announced to the crowd and received a random assortment of applause. Hellmuth then set up shop near one of the bleachers to watch the heads-up action.
The Century Club brings a Cautious Approach
The century mark was eclipsed on a hand that was noteworthy for no other reason and play continued. Action continued on quietly and Spegal picked up $200,000 off of Gavin with a ten-high straight. This gave Spegal a more than two-to-one chip lead.
Action continued on quietly during the first half hour of the second act. Not too much has happened and both players seem to be waiting to pick up a monster hand before they switch from this cautious approach.
Gavin Climbs Back into Contention, then Falls Off the Mountain
The match continued and Gavin was able to become a factor once again by picking up a $360,000 pot with a pot-sized river bet that received no call. He then showed trip aces to pick up a $500,000 pot. Spegal stalled this climb when he picked up a $630,000 pot on the next hand.
Mike Spegal Wins Event #4 ($252,290)
Gavin now had $415,000 left in front of him and he moved it all in on the following hand. Spegal made the call and flipped over A10. Gavin turned over pocket fives and the board was dealt J63QK. Gavin was eliminated in second place and he will take home $155,645 in prize money. That first bracelet continues to elude one of poker’s superstar players. Spegal won the gold bracelet for the $1,500 pot-limit hold’em event, and in addition he will take home $252,290.
Player Tags: Gavin Smith, Mike Spegal
Hour Five Log - Into the Dinner Break
Jun 05, '07
Heads-Up!
The heads-up match was set and the chip counts were as follows:
Mike Spegal: $1,245,000
Gavin Smith: $1,105,000
Both players were introduced to the crowd, and the fans went wild with applause when Gavin was introduced. The massive stack of cash sat between the two players, $252,290 and a gold bracelet were on the line.
Gavin struck the first blow of the match when he picked up a substantial pot with a $250,000 bet on a board of A10682. Gavin centered a very focused stare on his opponent while Mike pondered the call. He cupped his hands over his mouth and only removed them when Mike conceded his hand.
Spegal Increases his Lead
Over the next ten hands Mike was able to increase his chip lead over Gavin to $1,400,000 against $900,000. Many hands went to a flop, but there were no showdowns as the players traded punches during the stretch.
Million Dollar Pot…Not!
With the A8638 sitting on the board, Gavin bet the pot, which was currently $180,000. Spegal then re-popped the pot to $360,000. The pot was now its very own millionaire and Gavin stood up to count his chips. A call would put his tournament life at risk. He decided to take this risk and Spegal flipped over 84. The crowd makes a combined sound that can best be described as a convoluted gasp, cheer, sigh, and scream in unison when Gavin also turned over 8-4. They chopped up the pot and the two players will continue their quest for the third bracelet of the WSOP when the dinner break concludes in an hour and a half.
Check back in at 9 p.m. PST to catch all the final action of this heads-up match at
CardPlayer.com.
Player Tags: Gavin Smith, Mike Spegal
Hour Four Log
Jun 05, '07
The players returned from break and the price of poker went up once again. The blinds were now $15,000-$30,000. Tournament Director Sam Minutello once again announced the chip counts:
Bill Hill: $290,000
Tom Savitsky: $110,000
Mike Spegal: $580,000
Jon Friedberg: $400,000
Gavin Smith: $955,000
The Fifth Time is Not the Charm
Tom Savitsky Eliminated in 5th Place ($47,973)
Things were getting dire for Tom Savitsky, who held only $75,000 when he pushed all in. Bill Hill willfully called him down and flipped over J9. Savitsky flipped over A3 and the race was on to see if Savitsky could conjure up some double up magic for the fifth time of the day. It was not to be though, and Savitsky was drawing dead on the turn when the board was dealt K1099. Savitsky was already up to shake Hill’s hand when the 5 was dealt on the river.
Final Four
Things were now down to the Final Four, and Gavin still had the chip lead with over $1 million. Spegal held strong in second with $600,000. Jon Friedberg and Bill Hill were the small stakes with $255,000 and $370,000 respectively.
ZZZ…
For all you Washington Irving fans out there, Bill Hill looks like a cross between Rip Van Winkle and someone who has spent way too long in Sleepy Hollow during this point in the action. We’ll keep you posted if he decides to use his chip stack as a pillow.
A Mathematical Dilemma
Gavin had folded a hand and he was unable to shake the perturbed look on his face afterwards. “Are there any math guys in the audience that know s@#%,” said Gavin. He then got up from the table and stormed over to the media table with the ESPN cameras and Friedberg in tow. “Who has internet,” he asked. A hand simulator was then brought up to show that 9-5 off suit was a 60% favorite over 82. He had apparently folded those cards during the prior hand.
Bill Hill Eliminated in 4th Place ($67,612)
Mike Spegal bet $105,000 and Bill Hill made a pot-sized raise. Mike reraised on top of this, which put Hill all in when he called. Hill flipped over A4 and Spegal showed AJ. The board was dealt J104Q9 and Spegal grabbed the $800,000 pot. Hill was eliminated in fourth place and he will take home $67,162 in prize money.
The chip stacks sat at the following heights after the preceding bust out:
Mike Spegal: $900,000
Jon Friedberg: $375,000
Gavin Smith: $1,100,000
Jon Friedberg Eliminated in 3rd Place ($101,276)
On the second hand of three way action Jon Friedberg was all in on a flop of 1072 with Q2. Spegal flipped over 106. Friedberg pumped his arms in an attempt to gain support from the crowd and quite possibly the poker gods. The turn and river cards were dealt 9J and Friedberg was eliminated in third place. He will take home $101,276 in prize money. Action was now down to heads-up.
Player Tags: Gavin Smith, Jon Friedberg, Bill Hill, Mike Spegal
Hour Three Log
Jun 05, '07
A Hall of Fame Legend and a Familiar Face in a Familiar Place
T.J. Cloutier was introduced to the crowd as he entered the final table area to peak in on the action. Seven players remained, and one of them had made this same final table last year. That player was Eric “Rizen” Lynch. He finished in third place last year in the $1,500 pot-limit hold’em event.
Eric Lynch Eliminated in 7th Place ($27,718)
Lynch pushed all in for $205,000 total and Gavin Smith called after tanking for a moment. Lynch flipped over AK and Smith showed he was dominated when he flipped over A7. Lady luck continued to lavish a generous smile upon Smith when the board was dealt AQ772. Lynch was eliminated in seventh place, he took home $27,718 in prize money. Gavin turned his commanding chip lead into an almost insurmountable stack of $1,075,000.
Turbo Mode
Due to the ever increasing blinds, most of the players at the table were now put in all-in mode. This pressure hung over the head of every player, with the exception of Gavin and Mike Spegal, who was in second place with just over $500,000.
The Double up Kid Strikes Again
Not even the monster stack of Gavin was enough to match the aura that powered the double up strength of Thomas Savitsky. Savitsky moved all in and Smith called preflop. Savitsky flipped over A3 and Smith turned over 109. The board was dealt 85422 and Savitsky doubled up for the fourth time at the final table.
Bruce Vanhorn Eliminated in Sixth Place ($36,779)
A few hands later the mayhem continued when Bruce Vanhorn raised $60,000 and Jon Friedberg reraised all in. Vanhorn made the call and put his tournament life on the line with K4. Friedberg flipped over AJ and the board was dealt 833710. Vanhorn was eliminated in sixth placed and he will take home $36,779 in prize money.
The final five players then limped their way through ten hands of play before things went to a fifteen minute break. Friedberg stopped by the media table for a few minutes during the break and admitted he was quite tired. “Not my specialty, but so far I’m doing all right,” said Friedberg. Friedberg is one double up away from becoming a major factor at this final table. “We all are,” said Friedberg.
Player Tags: Gavin Smith, Jon Friedberg, Eric Lynch, Mike Spegal
The third event of the summer will feature the second pot-limit hold'em event, fresh on the heels of the $10,000 pot-limit hold'em World Championship, which concluded last night (Nenad Medic was the champion). Today's event will feature a much smaller buy-in ($1,500) so a field that is more amateur heavy than the $10,000 event should emerge. Last year this tournament drew a field of 781 competitors and offered a first-place prize worth $251,957. It was amateur player Mike Spegal who eventually took down the bracelet, after he won a heads-up battle with Gavin Smith.