Michael Gracz Poker Tournament Updates

Dinner Break

Jun 30, '07

The players in today's $1,500 No Limit Hold 'Em event are on the dinner break until 10 p.m. The top five chip leaders heading into the dinner break are Jorryt Van Hoof, Jonathan Little, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Michael Gracz and Shannon Shorr.

Kathy Liebert was eliminated before the dinner break when her A-7 ran into A-10.

Jason Newitt has moved up in the chip counts and now has almost $35,000. Newitt caught a two-outer and a four-outer to punish the players at his table and add to his chip stack. Newitt raised from the small blind and the player in seat ten called from the big blind. The flop came 5-3-3 and the player in seat ten bet out. Newitt pushed all in and the player in seat ten called. Newitt showed A 2 and the player in seat ten had him dominated with K-3. The turn was a brick and the river brought a four for Newitt and he doubled up.

Check back after the dinner break with CardPlayer.com  to see who in this record sized field makes it to day two.

Notable Chip Counts

Jorryt Van Hoof	54,000
Jonathon Little	50,000
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi	39,000
Michael Gracz	37,000
Shannon Shorr	36,000
Chad Brown	32,000
Arnold Spee	27,000
Greg "FBT" Mueller	26,600
Eugene Todd	21,800
Chris Reslock	13,000
Juha Helppi	8,900
Bill Chen	8,300
Thomas Wahlroos	6,600
Kenna James	5,500
Chris Ferguson	4,600
Doug Carli	4,100

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Kathy Liebert,   Michael Mizrachi,   Jason Newitt,   Jonathan Little,   Shannon Shorr

Level Five Recap

Jun 30, '07

Event #49, $1,500 No Limit Hold 'Em just keeps rolling along. There are still around 2,000 players with few notable pros remaining. Chad Brown and Mike Gracz are both in the top five in chips however and Brown has tightened up a bit after doubling up an opponent when his pocket kings ran into pocket aces.

Eric Freolich was eliminated in the last round, his A-Q didn't improve against another opponent's A-A. Men "The Master" Nguyen was also eliminated in the last round. Battling a shorter stack for most of the day, Nguyen was all in with K Q and his opponent showed Q Q. Nguyen couldn't catch a card and was sent to the rail.

Notable Chip Counts

Chad Brown	29,000
Michael Gracz	27,500
Greg "FBT" Mueller	26,600
Arnold Spee	22,000
Young Phan	21,500
Shannon Shorr	18,000
Mark Wilds	16,800
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi	16,500
Eugene Todd	14,300
Chris Reslock	13,000
Warren Karp	12,000
Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo	9,900
Juha Helppi	8,900
Bill Chen	8,300
Thomas Wahlroos	6,600
Chris Ferguson	4,600
Kathy Liebert	4,500
Lou Diamond Phillips	3,125
Kenna James	2,800

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Men Nguyen,   Eric Froehlich

Level 13 Recap

Jul 01, '07

Play continued at a furious pace in the 13th level and the field is down to 100. Notable eliminations in the last round include Chad Brown, Mike Gracz and 2006 Senior Event Champion Paul McKinney.

Gracz was eliminated shortly after losing a race for half his stack. Gracz raised to $12,000 preflop and the player in the seven seat reraises all in for $23,000. Gracz called and turned over A 10. The player in seat seven was ahead with Q Q. The flop came Q J 7 and Gracz was even further behind but picked up a gut shot straight draw. The turn brought the K and Gracz looked relieved. The player in seat seven pleaded for the dealer to pair the board and the river did just that, bringing the J. Gracz lost to his opponent's full house and was down to under $30,000 after the hand. Gracz was eliminated a few hands later.

Chad Brown was sent to the rail in the last level as well. Brown was all in with A K up against his opponent's A Q. A queen hit on the flop and Brown couldn't catch on the turn or the river.

Getting your aces cracked seems to be a common theme in this event and it happened to both Brad Berman and Shaun Deeb in seperate hands. Deeb bet out and was reraised all in by Jesse Martin who had about $40,000 behind him. Deeb had Martin well covered and instantly made the call showing A A. Martin realized he chose a bad time to push and showed 8 8. The flop came Q 8 5 and Martin was silent with two cards to come. Deeb simply shook his head and started counting out the right amount of chips to pay off Martin. The turn was the 3 and the river brought the 10. Martin doubled up to $86,000. On an adjacent table, Brad Berman was all in preflop against his opponent's pocket queens. The board came J 6 3 6 Q and the river gave Berman's opponent the pot. Berman tried to mask his frustration as he shipped $54,000 to his opponent.

Greg Mueller continued his roller coaster like journey in the last level and now sits with $115,000 in chips. The player in seat five raised all in from the small blind for $48,000 and Mueller had a decision for most of his chips. The two had tangled earlier in the day and you could sense Mueller wanted to snap him off. Mueller eventually called and turned up K 9. The player in seat five showed 5 5. The board came K 6 6 J J and Mueller was rewarded by eliminating a headache and picking up a large amount of chips. "I'm the wrong person to do that to" said Mueller. "I dont' get pushed around!"


Notable Chip Counts

Greg "FBT" Mueller	180,000
Shaun Deeb	130,000
Brad Berman	125,000
Shannon Shorr	75,000
Arnold Spee	38,000
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi	36,000

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Greg Mueller,   Bradley Berman,   Jesse Martin,   Shaun Deeb

Hour Three Update; Numbers

Jun 22, '07

The blinds have now escalated to the point were some players need to gamble.  Jean Gaspard let everyone in his immediate area know that he won a traditional race the hard way.  Gaspard and his opponent were all-in preflop Gaspard held J J against his opponent’s A K.  The flop was Ace high, but with three hearts.  A fourth heart fell on the river and Gaspard took the pot.

 

In one crazy hand, three players at one table were all in with two diamonds  in their hand. (A 4, K Q, 8 6).  Amazingly enough there were two diamonds on the flop 4 3 2.  The 4 hit on the river.  The 5 landed on the river and the player with the worst of it preflop took the whole pot with a six-high straight.

 

Phil Laak was involved in a few pots he might want to take back.  In a three-way pot, Laak leads out with $250 on a flop of 9 8 2, one player calls, Chris Ferguson moves all in for $775 more, Laak re-raises $1,225 more to isolate, and the other player folds.  Laak has 9 7, and Ferguson shows J 8.  The turn is the 10, leading Ferguson to say, “That’s exactly the card I wanted.”  The river is the 8 and Ferguson adds, “That’s the other one” as he rakes the pot.  A few hands later the player in Seat 2 bets  $900 on a flop of 7 63, Laak raises $2,150 more, Seat 1 re-raises all in and flips over 8 7 before Laak has a chance to call.  Laak calls all in anyway after a few minutes with 7 5.  The Q and the 9 peel off the deck, and Laak is eliminated.

 

Jennifer Tilly took down a nice pot soon after. In a three-way pot, Tilly checks to Erica Schoenberg on a board of 10 9 4 J, Schoenberg bets $1,100, the third player raises to $3,500, Tilly calls all in for $2,875, Schoenberg folds, and Tilly shows 8 5.  The other player folds before the 6s hits on the river, and Tilly more than doubles up.

 

David Plastik, Mark Seif, Mike Gracz, and Jeff Lisandro have all been recently eliminated.

 

The official numbers have been announced.  There were 599 entrants creating a prize pool of $1,090,180.  The top 54 players will be paid with 54^th place good for $4,797, while top prize will garner $269,274.

Notable Chip Counts

John Gale	17,000
T.J. Cloutier	16,500
Joe Hachem	16,500
Tony Hachem	9,800
Jennifer Tilly	7,800
Joe Pelton	7,300
Mark Seif	6,700
Thomas Wahlroos	6,400
Jon Turner	6,100
Shannon Elizabeth	5,300
Chris Ferguson	5,200
Barry Greenstein	4,600
Vanessa Rousso	4,000
Mimi Tran	4,000
Humberto Brenes	4,000
Darrell Dicken	4,000
Sorel Mizzi	3,800
Allen Cunningham	2,900
Joe Awada	2,300
Juha Helppi	2,200
Michael Binger	1,600

 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   David Plastik,   Michael Gracz,   Chris Ferguson,   Phil Laak,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Jennifer Tilly,   Erica Schoenberg

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

Color Up Time

Jun 13, '07

Play is getting back underway as the $25 chips were just raced off the tables. 

 
Isabelle Mercier and John D’Agostino were not able to last to the color up, both succumbing to short stacks.

 
David “The Dragon” Pham and David Benyamine were benefactors of the poker gods late in the last level however. First Benyamine found himself all-in before the flop and in bad shape with A-J versus his opponent’s K-K, but Benyamine found a Ace on the flop and doubled up to nearly $80,000.

 
Pham was tapped by his opponent after an early position pre-flop raise, Pham called and was way ahead with KK versus his opponent’s 99. The board came 10 6 5 4 Q, and Pham raked in the chips.

 
Currently 180 players remain on 18 tables. 117 of those players will be eliminated out of the money.  Alex Jacob, John “Tex” Barch, and Mike Gracz are among the chip leaders. Howard Lederer and Pro Blogger Mike Sexton are down, but certainly not out.

 

Keep your browsers on CardPlayer.com for updates on the hour.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   John D'Agostino,   Howard Lederer,   David Benyamine,   Mike Sexton,   John Barch,   Isabelle Mercier,   Alex Jacob

Field Cut in Half

Jun 13, '07

With less than 340 players left, the field has almost been cut in half. The players will play one and a half more levels and then will go to dinner at 7:30 p.m. There are plenty of notables left in today's $5,000 No Limit Hold 'Em event including Howard Lederer, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Nam Le, Tuan Le, Daniel Alaei, Jennifer Tilly, David "The Dragon" Pham and Phil Ivey.

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi has made some good calls in the past hour and as a result has built his stack to over $45,000. With the board showing A 7 6 4 Mizrachi's opponent in the three seat bet out $4,000. Mizrachi called and the river was the 2. The player in seat three bet out $6,500 and Mizrachi hesitated before making the call. The player in the three seat showed K-K and Grinder flipped over A J for top pair.

Alex Prendes pushed all in from early position for $2,625 and recieved a call from Phil Ivey in the big blind. Prendes showed 7 7 and Ivey had A 8. The flop came Q 3 2 and Prendes breathed a sigh of relief. The turn brought Ivey the 8 however and the river bricked out for Prendes (3). As always, Ivey showed no emotion after the hand and simply collected his chips.

In what was the last hand of level five, Jamie Gold was eliminated. Gold bet out $1,150 and Mike Gracz raised to $3,000, putting Gold into a decision for all of his chips. Gold eventually called and flipped up Q J. Gracz showed A Q and the board came 5 3 2 3 2 and Gold was sent to the rail. When Gold stood up he smiled and said, "Good luck gentlemen. (sigh) No more pain."

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   Chris Ferguson,   Nam Le,   Tuan Le,   Howard Lederer,   Michael Mizrachi,   Daniel Alaei,   Phil Ivey,   Alex Prendes Jr.,   Jennifer Tilly,   Jamie Gold

Hour Two Recap

Jun 15, '07

The second level of this final table was absolutely crazy. In the last hour there have been seven eliminations and the action is now heads up between James Mackey and Stuart Fox. The play this level was almost all preflop, with less than five flops on hands that didn't eliminate a player. James Mackey and Michael Binger established themselves as the aggressors at the table this level, and their large chip stacks reflected that. The two remaining players are on a short break while tournament officials place the money on the table and get the bracelet ready. Play will resume shortly.

The order of eliminations are:

9th Place - Mike Gracz ($43,684)
8th Place - John "Tex" Barch ($60,254)
7th Place - Jan Sorenson ($81,343)
6th Place - Nick Schulman ($108,457)
5th Place - Karga Holt ($140,091)
4th Place - Will McMahon ($194,319)
3rd Place - Michael Binger ($295,245)

James Mackey will return from the break as the dominant chip leader. Mackey has a 12:1 chip advantage coming into heads up play, with $5,900,000 up against $495,000 helf by Stuart Fox. Fox came into the final table fourth in chips and has only played one hand all day. Fox has been able to sneak in the back door into at least second place by watching his companions battle all day.

There are approximately two hands remaining in the 20th level and after that the blinds will rise to $30,000-$60,000 with a  $5,000 ante.  There will be  $100,000  of dead money in each hand in the 21st level which means Fox will be forced to make a move soon.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   John Barch,   Jan Sorensen,   James Mackey,   William McMahon,   Stuart Fox,   Michael Binger,   Nick Schulman,   Karga Holt

Mike Gracz Eliminated in 9th Place ($43,684)

Jun 15, '07

With the blinds at $20,000-$40,000 Mike Gracz picked up 9 9 on the short stack. Second to act, Gracz pushed all in. Chip leader James Mackey reraised all in and the table folded. Mackey turned up Q Q and continued to stay on fire. The board came 10 6 4 J Q and Gracz was eliminated. Mike Gracz finished in 9th place, earning $43,684 for his efforts.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   James Mackey

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

Color Up Time

Jun 13, '07

Play is getting back underway as the $25 chips were just raced off the tables. 

 
Isabelle Mercier and John D’Agostino were not able to last to the color up, both succumbing to short stacks.

 
David “The Dragon” Pham and David Benyamine were benefactors of the poker gods late in the last level however. First Benyamine found himself all-in before the flop and in bad shape with A-J versus his opponent’s K-K, but Benyamine found a Ace on the flop and doubled up to nearly $80,000.

 
Pham was tapped by his opponent after an early position pre-flop raise, Pham called and was way ahead with KK versus his opponent’s 99. The board came 10 6 5 4 Q, and Pham raked in the chips.

 
Currently 180 players remain on 18 tables. 117 of those players will be eliminated out of the money.  Alex Jacob, John “Tex” Barch, and Mike Gracz are among the chip leaders. Howard Lederer and Pro Blogger Mike Sexton are down, but certainly not out.

 

Keep your browsers on CardPlayer.com for updates on the hour.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   John D'Agostino,   Howard Lederer,   David Benyamine,   Mike Sexton,   John Barch,   Isabelle Mercier,   Alex Jacob

Field Cut in Half

Jun 13, '07

With less than 340 players left, the field has almost been cut in half. The players will play one and a half more levels and then will go to dinner at 7:30 p.m. There are plenty of notables left in today's $5,000 No Limit Hold 'Em event including Howard Lederer, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Nam Le, Tuan Le, Daniel Alaei, Jennifer Tilly, David "The Dragon" Pham and Phil Ivey.

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi has made some good calls in the past hour and as a result has built his stack to over $45,000. With the board showing A 7 6 4 Mizrachi's opponent in the three seat bet out $4,000. Mizrachi called and the river was the 2. The player in seat three bet out $6,500 and Mizrachi hesitated before making the call. The player in the three seat showed K-K and Grinder flipped over A J for top pair.

Alex Prendes pushed all in from early position for $2,625 and recieved a call from Phil Ivey in the big blind. Prendes showed 7 7 and Ivey had A 8. The flop came Q 3 2 and Prendes breathed a sigh of relief. The turn brought Ivey the 8 however and the river bricked out for Prendes (3). As always, Ivey showed no emotion after the hand and simply collected his chips.

In what was the last hand of level five, Jamie Gold was eliminated. Gold bet out $1,150 and Mike Gracz raised to $3,000, putting Gold into a decision for all of his chips. Gold eventually called and flipped up Q J. Gracz showed A Q and the board came 5 3 2 3 2 and Gold was sent to the rail. When Gold stood up he smiled and said, "Good luck gentlemen. (sigh) No more pain."

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   Chris Ferguson,   Nam Le,   Tuan Le,   Howard Lederer,   Michael Mizrachi,   Daniel Alaei,   Phil Ivey,   Alex Prendes Jr.,   Jennifer Tilly,   Jamie Gold

Hour Two Recap

Jun 15, '07

The second level of this final table was absolutely crazy. In the last hour there have been seven eliminations and the action is now heads up between James Mackey and Stuart Fox. The play this level was almost all preflop, with less than five flops on hands that didn't eliminate a player. James Mackey and Michael Binger established themselves as the aggressors at the table this level, and their large chip stacks reflected that. The two remaining players are on a short break while tournament officials place the money on the table and get the bracelet ready. Play will resume shortly.

The order of eliminations are:

9th Place - Mike Gracz ($43,684)
8th Place - John "Tex" Barch ($60,254)
7th Place - Jan Sorenson ($81,343)
6th Place - Nick Schulman ($108,457)
5th Place - Karga Holt ($140,091)
4th Place - Will McMahon ($194,319)
3rd Place - Michael Binger ($295,245)

James Mackey will return from the break as the dominant chip leader. Mackey has a 12:1 chip advantage coming into heads up play, with $5,900,000 up against $495,000 helf by Stuart Fox. Fox came into the final table fourth in chips and has only played one hand all day. Fox has been able to sneak in the back door into at least second place by watching his companions battle all day.

There are approximately two hands remaining in the 20th level and after that the blinds will rise to $30,000-$60,000 with a  $5,000 ante.  There will be  $100,000  of dead money in each hand in the 21st level which means Fox will be forced to make a move soon.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   John Barch,   Jan Sorensen,   James Mackey,   William McMahon,   Stuart Fox,   Michael Binger,   Nick Schulman,   Karga Holt

Mike Gracz Eliminated in 9th Place ($43,684)

Jun 15, '07

With the blinds at $20,000-$40,000 Mike Gracz picked up 9 9 on the short stack. Second to act, Gracz pushed all in. Chip leader James Mackey reraised all in and the table folded. Mackey turned up Q Q and continued to stay on fire. The board came 10 6 4 J Q and Gracz was eliminated. Mike Gracz finished in 9th place, earning $43,684 for his efforts.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   James Mackey

Hour One Recap

Jun 12, '07

The beginning of Event 21was delayed half an hour, finally getting underway at 12:30 p.m.  900 players entered the event, garnering a $1,220,500 prize pool.  For winning their first table, players will receive $6,757.  If they go all the way to the end, first place pays $254,107. David Pham, who won the no-limit shootout last year did indeed return to defend his title, but with Joe Tehan seated at his table it certainly won't be a walk getting through even the first round.

Stacked tables are always a factor in a players performance. If you get a bad draw and are stuck with tough pros, it obviously has an effect.  In this tournament that effect is especially large, however, because there is no balancing or breaking of tables. Also, you can't just avoid a pro because you have to take out everyone at you're table to win. For these reasons, the players who got stuck with the pros at the following stacked tables are especially unlucky.

Table 31
1.Phil Hellmuth
2.Matt Matros
3.Minh Nguyen
8.Marco Traniello

Table 93
1. Mark Vos
3.Erick Lindgren
5. Kirill Gerasimov
8. Mickey Appleman
10. Eugene Todd

Table 98
1.Brandon Adams
2. Michael Mizrachi
3. Mark Seif
5.Davidson Matthew
6. Mike Gracz
8. Vanessa Rousso

Some early eliminations include Max Pescatori, Joe Tehan, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and David "Devilfish" Ulliot.  Tehan was eliminated  when he  got all in heads up with last year's winner David "The Dragon " Pham.  Pham  bet out  $175 before the flop and Tehan raised it $550.  Pham  called and the flop came 9 5 2. Pham checked and Tehan bet out $625. Phan raised him to $1,725 and Tehan pushed all in. Pham called and showed 6 3 for the straight flush draw and Tehan turned over A A. The turn brought the 10 and the river was the 9.

Mizrachi wasted no time in the first level establishing himself as the most aggressive player at his very stacked table. Mizrachi raised every bet for the first half hour and the players at his table were waiting to catch him at the wrong moment. After consecutive raises, Mark Seif said to Mizrachi, "God, you gonna raise every pot?" The Grinder responded, "how else am I gonna bust you guys if I dont raise? I only got two hours to bust all you guys, I gotta play in the other tourney coming back at two." Mizrachi's aggressive play finally caught up to him when the player in seat four took a stand. Mizrachi limped into the pot and the player in seat four bet out $475. Mizrachi was the only caller and the flop came J 7 6. Mizrachi pushed all in for not many chips and the player in seat four instantly called. The Grinder turned over 8 6 and the player in seat four had Q Q. The 5 hit on the turn and gave Mizrachi a handful of more outs. The river was the A and Mizrachi was eliminated just in time to take his seat in the other tournament.

Chau Giang got involved in a rollercoaster of a pot. After a flop of K 5 5, Giang's opponent bet $1,200.  Giang raised all in, and after going into the tank for a minute, his opponent called.  Giang revealed the 8 5 for trips with an eight kicker.  His opponent also had trips with the 6 5, but with a smaller kicked he was trailing Giang. The 6 on the turn prompted a gasp from the table, as the three outer had filled up Giang's opponent and put him in the lead.  Giang needed an eight or a king on the river to survive. When the 8 hit the board, everyone at the table gasped again as Giang hit a higher full house to double up and survive. A player at the table then noted, "That would've been a great all-in moment."

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Minh Nguyen,   Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   Erick Lindgren,   Mickey Appleman,   Max Pescatori,   Phil Hellmuth,   Michael Mizrachi,   Marco Traniello,   Chau Giang,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Eugene Todd,   Joe Tehan,   Vanessa Rousso,   Brandon Adams,   Mark Vos,   Davidson Matthew

Play To Begin at Noon

Jun 12, '07

Play is set to get underway at noon in the $1,500 No-Limit Shootout event.  The tournament, which has a very interesting structure in which each table in the event plays down until one player is left, then the players consolidate and repeat.  Players essentially will have to win a number of consecutive single-table sit-and-gos in a row.  Last year's no-limit shootout event was taken down by David "The Dragon" Pham, who is likely to try to defend his title.

Make sure to check in on this unique tournament as it progresses through the day, and to check out the Pro Blogs of Marco Traniello, Michael Gracz and Aaron Been here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Pham,   Marco Traniello,   Aaron Been

130 Players Remain

Jun 08, '07

With just 130 players left and the field littered with big name players, stacked tables are bound to arise. On table 60 Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy is in the one seat, and seated to his left are Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Clonie Gowen, Sorel "Imperium" Mizzi, Mickey Appleman and Mike Wattel. Table 55 is home to the likes of Kristy Gazes, Humberto Brenes, Minh Ly, David Grey, and Allen Cunningham.

Lee Watkinson was eliminated in the last level. Watkinson was all in on the river with a board showing QQ785. Watkinson had AQ and his opponent in the ten seat had Q8. At the table next door Mike Gracz found himself involved in a large pot. The flop was 875 and Gracz bet out $10,000. The player in seat 6 pushed out $32,2000 more. Gracz pushed all in his opponent had him covered. The player in seat six called and showed JJ. Gracz had J9. The turn was the Q and the river was the 2. Mike Gracz was eliminated and left behind Jason Strasser, Robert Willaimson III and Thomas Wahlroos at his table.

Erick Lindgren doubled up to over $14,000 shortly before the players went on break. His opponent in seat eight pushed all in following a board of Q9382 with A9. Lindgren made the call with 99 and doubled up.

After a day filled with patient play Joe Sebok has finally had the chance to collect some chips. Sebok bet $2,200 before the flop and was called by the player in seat four. The flop came 9-7-4 with two diamonds. Sebok bet out $2,500 and the player in seat four raised to $9,500. Sebok called and the turn was the 3. Sebok checked and his opponent pushed all in. Sebok called and showed 99. The player in seat showed AQ and realized he had been drawing dead since the flop. Sebok doubled up to roughly $50,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Humberto Brenes,   Michael Gracz,   Erick Lindgren,   Kristy Gazes,   Mickey Appleman,   Minh Ly,   Allen Cunningham,   Clonie Gowen,   David Grey,   Joe Sebok,   Jason Strasser,   Robert Williamson III,   Eric Lynch,   Thomas Wahlroos,   Sorel Mizzi

Cha-Ching!

Jun 05, '07

Play has ended for day one of the $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em with rebuys tournament. Today's event started with 844 players and there are now just 81 left. The bubble burst and tournament officials announced that play would end for the day as a result of everyone being in the money. Every returning player will earn at least $5,826. Play will resume tomorrow at 2 p.m. and will continue until the final table is reached.

Joe Sebok didn't survive long enough to make the money after making a move from the small blind. The player in seat eight bet out and Sebok asked him how much he had left. The player in seat eight only had around $26,000 left. Upon learning this, Sebok pushed all in. The player in the big blind, who had both Sebok and the player in seat eight covered, came over the top and pushed all in. Sebok had A-J and the player in the big blind woke up with aces. An ace hit on the flop and Sebok never improved.

Tournament officials announced that hand for hand play would begin at 83 players. Shortly after this announcement, Sorel Mizzi took it upon himself to help speed up the process. Following a flop of Q42, Mizzi bet out $10,000. His opponent in seat four raised him to $24,000. Mizzi pushed all in and had his opponent covered. Deciding whether or not to call appeared to be a painful process for the player in seat four and he took a very long time to make that decision. He eventually called and before he could flip over his cards Mizzi showed him his AA. The player in seat four had KQ. The board bricked out when the turn and the river came 3 and J, respectively. Mizzi doubled up to over $240,000 and sits alone as the current chip leader.

In the field returning tomorrow are Amir Vahedi, Kristy Gazes, Jeff Shulman, Brett Jungblut, Antonio Esfandiari, Mike Gracz, Shane Schleger, Sorel Mizzi, Jason Strasser, Gavin Griffin, Shannon Shorr, Michael Binger and Alex Prendes Jr. For day two action check back with CardPlayer.com.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Brett Jungblut,   Kristy Gazes,   Jeff Shulman,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Gavin Griffin,   Alex Prendes Jr.,   Shane Schleger,   Joe Sebok,   Michael Binger,   Jason Strasser,   Shannon Shorr,   Sorel Mizzi

Done and Done

Jun 06, '07

Just like that play has ended in the $1,000 No Limt Hold 'Em with rebuys event. Nine players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to battle for a first place prize of $585,774 and the right to be called a World Series of Poker bracelet winner.

Todd Witteles was the final player eliminated today. Witteles finished in 10th place and will take home $23,811. With all the money in before the flop, Witteles was heads up against Barry Cales. Witteles had Q-Q and Cales had A-K. The board held strong for Witteles up until the river when the king hit and gave Cales the higher pair.

Amir Vahedi heads into the final the table as the clear chip leader with over $1,300,000. Accompanying him tomorrow are Mike Gracz, Dolph Arnold, Michael Chu, Barry Cales, Tommy Vu, Shane Schleger, Robert Aron and Jan Von Halle. CardPlayer.com will be back tomorrow with level updates and Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Shane Schleger,   Todd Witteles,   Robert Aron,   Michael Chu,   Jan Von Halle,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Closer and Closer

Jun 06, '07

Tournament officials have moved the remaining 18 players down to two tables, effectively condensing the amount of talent left in the field. Seated at one table are Sorel Mizzi, Shane Schleger, Jason Strasser and Mike Gracz. The other table contains Tommy Vu, Mark Newhouse and Amir Vahedi.

Vinnie Vinh was finally blinded off and eliminated after failing to show up for day two of play. Vinh came into day two amongst the chip leaders but failed to play even a single hand all day. Vinh finished in 20th place and earned $16,232.

Barry Cales had the good fortune of doubling up through Gioi Luong and eliminating his opponent in the process. Luong pushed all in with KQ and Cales called with AK. The board came 93278 and Cales doubled up and Luong was eliminated in 19th place. Luong takes home $16,232 for his efforts in this event.

Mark Newhouse was the 18th place finisher, earning him $18,475. Newhouse pushed all in for the second hand in a row with Tommy Vu and Amir Vahedi still to act on his left. Vu reraised and Vahedi angrily folded his hand. Heads up, Newhouse had 99 and Vu showed KQ. The flop was Q106 and Newhouse stood up from his seat. The turn and river were no help (8,A) and Newhouse was sent to the rail.

After being crippled, Sorel Mizzi has been eliminated in 17th place. Mizzi had 10-5 with a 10 on the flop against his opponent who had K-10. Already behind, a king came on the river and when the dust settled, Mizzi was left with few chips. Mizzi was eliminated when his A10 ran into Joshua VanDuyn's pocket aces. Mizzi earns $18,475 for his finish.

There are 16 players remaining and play will continue today until the final table is reached.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Gioi Luong,   Michael Gracz,   Shane Schleger,   Jason Strasser,   Joshua VanDuyn,   Mark Newhouse,   Sorel Mizzi,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Hour Three Update

Jun 07, '07

Hour Three Starts with A Bang
Amir Vahedi raises to $90,000 and Dolph Arnold makes the call from the big blind.  The flop comes J92, and Vahedi bets $140,000.  Arnold moves all in for $437,000 total and Vahedi insta-calls.  Vahedi only has $448,000 and if he loses this pot he will be crippled.  Arnold shows down 107, and Vahedi QQ.  The turn is the Q giving Vahedi a set of queens.  The river is the 8 and Arnold hits his straight draw.  Vahedi looks disgusted as he counts down the chips to ship to Arnold.  Vahedi is left with just $11,000.  

Amir Vahedi Eliminated 7th ($63,327)
Amir Vahedi moves all in for his last $4,000 and Michael Chu raises to $125,000.  Shane Schleger moved all in over the top for $94,000 more.  Chu quickly made the call and the cards were turned up.  Schleger tabled AK, Chu AJ, and Vahedi 65.  A rowdy cheer when out when Vahedi's hand was announced, followed by some laughter.  The board came A8344, Schleger double up and Vahedi was eliminated 7th for $63,327. 

Shane Schleger Cracks Aces
Barry Cales raises to $85,000 and Shane Schleger calls.  The flop comes J97, Schleger checks and Cales bets $150,000.  Schleger raises all in for $276,000 and Cales immediately calls with AA.  Schleger tables QJ and needs some help.  The turn is the 4, and Schleger has one foot out the door.  However the river comes Q, Schleger spikes two pair and doubles up.

Michael Gracz Eliminated 6th ($84,858)
Michael Gracz moves all in for his last $200,000 with Q6 and is called by Tommy Vu with KK.  The board comes A103A6, Gracz cannot beat Vu, and is eliminated in 6th place for $84,858.

Break
Players are on break. 

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Shane Schleger,   Michael Chu

Hour Two Update

Jun 07, '07

Back From Break
We are back from break and the blinds have been raised to $15,000-$30,000 with a $4,000 ante.  We are seven handed, and remaining players are what is left from the original field of 844.  There were 1,814 rebuys creating a prize pool of $2,533,062.  With the blinds doubling this level, expect a lot of action. 

Tommy Vu Comes Out Firing
Tommy Vu has raised the first three hands to $90,000 and more.  It was a good strategy until Amir Vahedi picked off $90,000 with a $200,000 reraise. 

Barry Cales Doubles Up
Barry Cales raises to $110,000 and Michael Gracz moves all in from the big blind.  Cales only briefly thinks, then makes the call for his last $350,000 with K10.  Gracz tables 99 and is a marginal favorite.  The flop comes J94, Gracz spikes a set and takes a huge lead in the hand but Cales still can with with a queen or running diamonds.  The turn is the Q, Cales hits his straight and is able to dodge Gracz's redraw to the full house when the river comes 3.  Cales is just over $900,000. 

Gracz Can't Catch a Break
Shortly after spiking a set and losing to a gutshot, Michael Gracz calls Dolph Arnold's $261,000 all in.  Arnold shows down KQ and Gracz AJ.  The first four cards come 7632, and Gracz is still in the lead.  But the river is the K, and Gracz again loses against an all in opponent.  He is still alive and he has to believe his luck will return in the near future.  

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Cha-Ching!

Jun 05, '07

Play has ended for day one of the $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em with rebuys tournament. Today's event started with 844 players and there are now just 81 left. The bubble burst and tournament officials announced that play would end for the day as a result of everyone being in the money. Every returning player will earn at least $5,826. Play will resume tomorrow at 2 p.m. and will continue until the final table is reached.

Joe Sebok didn't survive long enough to make the money after making a move from the small blind. The player in seat eight bet out and Sebok asked him how much he had left. The player in seat eight only had around $26,000 left. Upon learning this, Sebok pushed all in. The player in the big blind, who had both Sebok and the player in seat eight covered, came over the top and pushed all in. Sebok had A-J and the player in the big blind woke up with aces. An ace hit on the flop and Sebok never improved.

Tournament officials announced that hand for hand play would begin at 83 players. Shortly after this announcement, Sorel Mizzi took it upon himself to help speed up the process. Following a flop of Q42, Mizzi bet out $10,000. His opponent in seat four raised him to $24,000. Mizzi pushed all in and had his opponent covered. Deciding whether or not to call appeared to be a painful process for the player in seat four and he took a very long time to make that decision. He eventually called and before he could flip over his cards Mizzi showed him his AA. The player in seat four had KQ. The board bricked out when the turn and the river came 3 and J, respectively. Mizzi doubled up to over $240,000 and sits alone as the current chip leader.

In the field returning tomorrow are Amir Vahedi, Kristy Gazes, Jeff Shulman, Brett Jungblut, Antonio Esfandiari, Mike Gracz, Shane Schleger, Sorel Mizzi, Jason Strasser, Gavin Griffin, Shannon Shorr, Michael Binger and Alex Prendes Jr. For day two action check back with CardPlayer.com.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Brett Jungblut,   Kristy Gazes,   Jeff Shulman,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Gavin Griffin,   Alex Prendes Jr.,   Shane Schleger,   Joe Sebok,   Michael Binger,   Jason Strasser,   Shannon Shorr,   Sorel Mizzi

Done and Done

Jun 06, '07

Just like that play has ended in the $1,000 No Limt Hold 'Em with rebuys event. Nine players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to battle for a first place prize of $585,774 and the right to be called a World Series of Poker bracelet winner.

Todd Witteles was the final player eliminated today. Witteles finished in 10th place and will take home $23,811. With all the money in before the flop, Witteles was heads up against Barry Cales. Witteles had Q-Q and Cales had A-K. The board held strong for Witteles up until the river when the king hit and gave Cales the higher pair.

Amir Vahedi heads into the final the table as the clear chip leader with over $1,300,000. Accompanying him tomorrow are Mike Gracz, Dolph Arnold, Michael Chu, Barry Cales, Tommy Vu, Shane Schleger, Robert Aron and Jan Von Halle. CardPlayer.com will be back tomorrow with level updates and Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Shane Schleger,   Todd Witteles,   Robert Aron,   Michael Chu,   Jan Von Halle,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Closer and Closer

Jun 06, '07

Tournament officials have moved the remaining 18 players down to two tables, effectively condensing the amount of talent left in the field. Seated at one table are Sorel Mizzi, Shane Schleger, Jason Strasser and Mike Gracz. The other table contains Tommy Vu, Mark Newhouse and Amir Vahedi.

Vinnie Vinh was finally blinded off and eliminated after failing to show up for day two of play. Vinh came into day two amongst the chip leaders but failed to play even a single hand all day. Vinh finished in 20th place and earned $16,232.

Barry Cales had the good fortune of doubling up through Gioi Luong and eliminating his opponent in the process. Luong pushed all in with KQ and Cales called with AK. The board came 93278 and Cales doubled up and Luong was eliminated in 19th place. Luong takes home $16,232 for his efforts in this event.

Mark Newhouse was the 18th place finisher, earning him $18,475. Newhouse pushed all in for the second hand in a row with Tommy Vu and Amir Vahedi still to act on his left. Vu reraised and Vahedi angrily folded his hand. Heads up, Newhouse had 99 and Vu showed KQ. The flop was Q106 and Newhouse stood up from his seat. The turn and river were no help (8,A) and Newhouse was sent to the rail.

After being crippled, Sorel Mizzi has been eliminated in 17th place. Mizzi had 10-5 with a 10 on the flop against his opponent who had K-10. Already behind, a king came on the river and when the dust settled, Mizzi was left with few chips. Mizzi was eliminated when his A10 ran into Joshua VanDuyn's pocket aces. Mizzi earns $18,475 for his finish.

There are 16 players remaining and play will continue today until the final table is reached.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Gioi Luong,   Michael Gracz,   Shane Schleger,   Jason Strasser,   Joshua VanDuyn,   Mark Newhouse,   Sorel Mizzi,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Hour Three Update

Jun 07, '07

Hour Three Starts with A Bang
Amir Vahedi raises to $90,000 and Dolph Arnold makes the call from the big blind.  The flop comes J92, and Vahedi bets $140,000.  Arnold moves all in for $437,000 total and Vahedi insta-calls.  Vahedi only has $448,000 and if he loses this pot he will be crippled.  Arnold shows down 107, and Vahedi QQ.  The turn is the Q giving Vahedi a set of queens.  The river is the 8 and Arnold hits his straight draw.  Vahedi looks disgusted as he counts down the chips to ship to Arnold.  Vahedi is left with just $11,000.  

Amir Vahedi Eliminated 7th ($63,327)
Amir Vahedi moves all in for his last $4,000 and Michael Chu raises to $125,000.  Shane Schleger moved all in over the top for $94,000 more.  Chu quickly made the call and the cards were turned up.  Schleger tabled AK, Chu AJ, and Vahedi 65.  A rowdy cheer when out when Vahedi's hand was announced, followed by some laughter.  The board came A8344, Schleger double up and Vahedi was eliminated 7th for $63,327. 

Shane Schleger Cracks Aces
Barry Cales raises to $85,000 and Shane Schleger calls.  The flop comes J97, Schleger checks and Cales bets $150,000.  Schleger raises all in for $276,000 and Cales immediately calls with AA.  Schleger tables QJ and needs some help.  The turn is the 4, and Schleger has one foot out the door.  However the river comes Q, Schleger spikes two pair and doubles up.

Michael Gracz Eliminated 6th ($84,858)
Michael Gracz moves all in for his last $200,000 with Q6 and is called by Tommy Vu with KK.  The board comes A103A6, Gracz cannot beat Vu, and is eliminated in 6th place for $84,858.

Break
Players are on break. 

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Shane Schleger,   Michael Chu

Hour Two Update

Jun 07, '07

Back From Break
We are back from break and the blinds have been raised to $15,000-$30,000 with a $4,000 ante.  We are seven handed, and remaining players are what is left from the original field of 844.  There were 1,814 rebuys creating a prize pool of $2,533,062.  With the blinds doubling this level, expect a lot of action. 

Tommy Vu Comes Out Firing
Tommy Vu has raised the first three hands to $90,000 and more.  It was a good strategy until Amir Vahedi picked off $90,000 with a $200,000 reraise. 

Barry Cales Doubles Up
Barry Cales raises to $110,000 and Michael Gracz moves all in from the big blind.  Cales only briefly thinks, then makes the call for his last $350,000 with K10.  Gracz tables 99 and is a marginal favorite.  The flop comes J94, Gracz spikes a set and takes a huge lead in the hand but Cales still can with with a queen or running diamonds.  The turn is the Q, Cales hits his straight and is able to dodge Gracz's redraw to the full house when the river comes 3.  Cales is just over $900,000. 

Gracz Can't Catch a Break
Shortly after spiking a set and losing to a gutshot, Michael Gracz calls Dolph Arnold's $261,000 all in.  Arnold shows down KQ and Gracz AJ.  The first four cards come 7632, and Gracz is still in the lead.  But the river is the K, and Gracz again loses against an all in opponent.  He is still alive and he has to believe his luck will return in the near future.  

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Cha-Ching!

Jun 05, '07

Play has ended for day one of the $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em with rebuys tournament. Today's event started with 844 players and there are now just 81 left. The bubble burst and tournament officials announced that play would end for the day as a result of everyone being in the money. Every returning player will earn at least $5,826. Play will resume tomorrow at 2 p.m. and will continue until the final table is reached.

Joe Sebok didn't survive long enough to make the money after making a move from the small blind. The player in seat eight bet out and Sebok asked him how much he had left. The player in seat eight only had around $26,000 left. Upon learning this, Sebok pushed all in. The player in the big blind, who had both Sebok and the player in seat eight covered, came over the top and pushed all in. Sebok had A-J and the player in the big blind woke up with aces. An ace hit on the flop and Sebok never improved.

Tournament officials announced that hand for hand play would begin at 83 players. Shortly after this announcement, Sorel Mizzi took it upon himself to help speed up the process. Following a flop of Q42, Mizzi bet out $10,000. His opponent in seat four raised him to $24,000. Mizzi pushed all in and had his opponent covered. Deciding whether or not to call appeared to be a painful process for the player in seat four and he took a very long time to make that decision. He eventually called and before he could flip over his cards Mizzi showed him his AA. The player in seat four had KQ. The board bricked out when the turn and the river came 3 and J, respectively. Mizzi doubled up to over $240,000 and sits alone as the current chip leader.

In the field returning tomorrow are Amir Vahedi, Kristy Gazes, Jeff Shulman, Brett Jungblut, Antonio Esfandiari, Mike Gracz, Shane Schleger, Sorel Mizzi, Jason Strasser, Gavin Griffin, Shannon Shorr, Michael Binger and Alex Prendes Jr. For day two action check back with CardPlayer.com.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Brett Jungblut,   Kristy Gazes,   Jeff Shulman,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Gavin Griffin,   Alex Prendes Jr.,   Shane Schleger,   Joe Sebok,   Michael Binger,   Jason Strasser,   Shannon Shorr,   Sorel Mizzi

Done and Done

Jun 06, '07

Just like that play has ended in the $1,000 No Limt Hold 'Em with rebuys event. Nine players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to battle for a first place prize of $585,774 and the right to be called a World Series of Poker bracelet winner.

Todd Witteles was the final player eliminated today. Witteles finished in 10th place and will take home $23,811. With all the money in before the flop, Witteles was heads up against Barry Cales. Witteles had Q-Q and Cales had A-K. The board held strong for Witteles up until the river when the king hit and gave Cales the higher pair.

Amir Vahedi heads into the final the table as the clear chip leader with over $1,300,000. Accompanying him tomorrow are Mike Gracz, Dolph Arnold, Michael Chu, Barry Cales, Tommy Vu, Shane Schleger, Robert Aron and Jan Von Halle. CardPlayer.com will be back tomorrow with level updates and Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Shane Schleger,   Todd Witteles,   Robert Aron,   Michael Chu,   Jan Von Halle,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Closer and Closer

Jun 06, '07

Tournament officials have moved the remaining 18 players down to two tables, effectively condensing the amount of talent left in the field. Seated at one table are Sorel Mizzi, Shane Schleger, Jason Strasser and Mike Gracz. The other table contains Tommy Vu, Mark Newhouse and Amir Vahedi.

Vinnie Vinh was finally blinded off and eliminated after failing to show up for day two of play. Vinh came into day two amongst the chip leaders but failed to play even a single hand all day. Vinh finished in 20th place and earned $16,232.

Barry Cales had the good fortune of doubling up through Gioi Luong and eliminating his opponent in the process. Luong pushed all in with KQ and Cales called with AK. The board came 93278 and Cales doubled up and Luong was eliminated in 19th place. Luong takes home $16,232 for his efforts in this event.

Mark Newhouse was the 18th place finisher, earning him $18,475. Newhouse pushed all in for the second hand in a row with Tommy Vu and Amir Vahedi still to act on his left. Vu reraised and Vahedi angrily folded his hand. Heads up, Newhouse had 99 and Vu showed KQ. The flop was Q106 and Newhouse stood up from his seat. The turn and river were no help (8,A) and Newhouse was sent to the rail.

After being crippled, Sorel Mizzi has been eliminated in 17th place. Mizzi had 10-5 with a 10 on the flop against his opponent who had K-10. Already behind, a king came on the river and when the dust settled, Mizzi was left with few chips. Mizzi was eliminated when his A10 ran into Joshua VanDuyn's pocket aces. Mizzi earns $18,475 for his finish.

There are 16 players remaining and play will continue today until the final table is reached.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Gioi Luong,   Michael Gracz,   Shane Schleger,   Jason Strasser,   Joshua VanDuyn,   Mark Newhouse,   Sorel Mizzi,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Hour Three Update

Jun 07, '07

Hour Three Starts with A Bang
Amir Vahedi raises to $90,000 and Dolph Arnold makes the call from the big blind.  The flop comes J92, and Vahedi bets $140,000.  Arnold moves all in for $437,000 total and Vahedi insta-calls.  Vahedi only has $448,000 and if he loses this pot he will be crippled.  Arnold shows down 107, and Vahedi QQ.  The turn is the Q giving Vahedi a set of queens.  The river is the 8 and Arnold hits his straight draw.  Vahedi looks disgusted as he counts down the chips to ship to Arnold.  Vahedi is left with just $11,000.  

Amir Vahedi Eliminated 7th ($63,327)
Amir Vahedi moves all in for his last $4,000 and Michael Chu raises to $125,000.  Shane Schleger moved all in over the top for $94,000 more.  Chu quickly made the call and the cards were turned up.  Schleger tabled AK, Chu AJ, and Vahedi 65.  A rowdy cheer when out when Vahedi's hand was announced, followed by some laughter.  The board came A8344, Schleger double up and Vahedi was eliminated 7th for $63,327. 

Shane Schleger Cracks Aces
Barry Cales raises to $85,000 and Shane Schleger calls.  The flop comes J97, Schleger checks and Cales bets $150,000.  Schleger raises all in for $276,000 and Cales immediately calls with AA.  Schleger tables QJ and needs some help.  The turn is the 4, and Schleger has one foot out the door.  However the river comes Q, Schleger spikes two pair and doubles up.

Michael Gracz Eliminated 6th ($84,858)
Michael Gracz moves all in for his last $200,000 with Q6 and is called by Tommy Vu with KK.  The board comes A103A6, Gracz cannot beat Vu, and is eliminated in 6th place for $84,858.

Break
Players are on break. 

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Shane Schleger,   Michael Chu

Hour Two Update

Jun 07, '07

Back From Break
We are back from break and the blinds have been raised to $15,000-$30,000 with a $4,000 ante.  We are seven handed, and remaining players are what is left from the original field of 844.  There were 1,814 rebuys creating a prize pool of $2,533,062.  With the blinds doubling this level, expect a lot of action. 

Tommy Vu Comes Out Firing
Tommy Vu has raised the first three hands to $90,000 and more.  It was a good strategy until Amir Vahedi picked off $90,000 with a $200,000 reraise. 

Barry Cales Doubles Up
Barry Cales raises to $110,000 and Michael Gracz moves all in from the big blind.  Cales only briefly thinks, then makes the call for his last $350,000 with K10.  Gracz tables 99 and is a marginal favorite.  The flop comes J94, Gracz spikes a set and takes a huge lead in the hand but Cales still can with with a queen or running diamonds.  The turn is the Q, Cales hits his straight and is able to dodge Gracz's redraw to the full house when the river comes 3.  Cales is just over $900,000. 

Gracz Can't Catch a Break
Shortly after spiking a set and losing to a gutshot, Michael Gracz calls Dolph Arnold's $261,000 all in.  Arnold shows down KQ and Gracz AJ.  The first four cards come 7632, and Gracz is still in the lead.  But the river is the K, and Gracz again loses against an all in opponent.  He is still alive and he has to believe his luck will return in the near future.  

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Dolph Arnold,   Tommy Vu,   Barry Cales

Matusow To Put His Money Where His Weight Is

Jun 03, '07

After an uneventful Omaha level the players switched back to Stud to rave reviews.

Mike Matusow and his tablemate Ted Forrest have kept up a healthy chatter throughout the day.  But on the topic of health, Forrest has decided that Matusow is not serious enough about his health.  Forrest, whose tendency for outlandish prop bets was well-documented in Michael Craig's "The Professor, The Banker, & The Suicide King", has lain down the gauntlet to Matusow.  Forrest has bet Matusow $100,000 that he cannot get his weight under 181 pounds in one years time.  Matusow comes in around 230 so he will need to drop around 50 pounds.  This doesn't compare to Doyle Brunson's 100 pound million dollar wager, but the stakes are significantly lower.  Excited, Matusow has also been getting his table involved in his hands.

Facing a river bet with his board showing K872 against his opponents 10988 board.  Once again creating his own song Matusow describes how he doesn't like his hand, but he'll scoop anyway, all to the tune "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from "Song of the South."  He then announces he needs the flush tabling his original two hole cards J5 and allowing the whole table to sweat with him.  He then announces call and shows the 2.  His opponents flush turns out to only be 10-high and Matusow gets richer.

In another interesting hand Jason Strasser felts Mike Gracz and scoops a huge pot when he shows Kings and a low to beat Gracz's pair of Queens.

Layne Flack has climbed among the chip leaders, and pros Andy Bloch and John Juanda have hit the rail.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   John Juanda,   Andy Bloch,   Ted Forrest,   Layne Flack,   Mike Matusow,   Doyle Brunson,   Jason Strasser