Ronald Lee Poker Tournament Updates

Level 22: Rast Leads Final 7; Lawson 8th, Lee 9th

Jun 11, '11

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 7 out of 765

Average Chip Count: 491,186

Chip Counts:

1. Brian Rast – 1,560,000
2. Allen Kessler – 555,000
3. John Gordon – 438,000
4. Mika Paasonen – 260,000
5. Daisuke Endo – 245,000
6. Ali Eslami – 220,000
7. Dajuan Whorley – 220,000

Eliminations:

8th. Ted Lawson – $22,183
9th. Ronald Lee – $17,928

Ted Lawson Eliminated in 8th place ($22,183)

Ali Eslami raised to 45,000 from under the gun, Ted Lawson moved all in from the button for 165,000 and Eslami called.

Eslami turned over J J for the lead while Lawson showed A Q for the draw.

The board came 10 10 3 8 2, no help to Ted Lawson who was eliminated in 8th place ($22,183).

Ronald Lee Eliminated in 9th Place ($17,928)

Lee started the official nine-handed final table as the short stack with just 25,000, and almost as quickly as it began, Lee moved all in before the flop and got three callers.

John Gordon, Allen Kessler and Dajuan Whorley all checked to the river on a board of 10 6 5 6 7. Whorley turned over 10 7 for two pair and Ronald Lee was eliminated in 9th place ($17,928).

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Ted Lawson,   Ali Eslami,   Dajuan Whorely,   Ronald Lee

Level 22: Cohen Eliminated 10th, Final Table Now Underway

Jun 11, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night with the unofficial final table of 10 players and resumed today at 2:30pm. With the elimination of Andrew Cohen in 10th place ($13,601), the official nine-handed final table is now underway.

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 765

Average Chip Count: 382,500

Chip Counts:

1. Brian Rast – 995,000
2. Allen Kessler – 618,000
3. John Gordon – 590,000
4. Ali Eslami – 375,000
5. Dajuan Whorley – 255,000
6. Mika Paasonen – 215,000
7. Daisuke Endo – 174,000
8. Ted Lawson – 140,000
9. Ronald Lee – 25,000

Payouts:

1st. $227,232
2nd. $140,309
3rd. $91,212
4th. $66,994
5th. $49,902
6th. $37,654
7th. $28,741
8th. $22,183
9th. $17,298

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Ted Lawson,   Allen Kessler,   Ali Eslami,   John Gordon,   Brian Rast,   Dajuan Whorely,   Mika Paasonen,   Ronald Lee

Level 14 Update: Greenstein and Lederer Busted

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 37 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Hunichen — 440,000
2. Josh Arieh — 440,000
3. Keven Stammen — 415,000
4. Ben Klier — 410,000
5. Jeff Forest — 330,000
6. Mohsin Charania — 330,000
7. Hoyt Corkins — 315,000
8. Byron Springer — 280,000
9. Thomas Marcehse — 275,000
10. Lance Steinberg — 265,000

Average Chip Count: 168,837

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Greenstein
Howard Lederer
Jonathan Aguiar
Todd Terry
Christian Harder
Andrew Frankenberger

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein got it all in preflop for the last of his chips (27,400) and Hoyt Corkins called him down. Their cards:

Greenstein: 9 9
Corkins: A K

Board: K J 2 3 3

Greenstein was eliminated on the hand.

Klier Keeps Building his Stack

Three players limped to a K J 2 flop and Ben Klier bet 12,200 from middle position. Ronald Lee check-raised under the gun to 29,000 and Hoyt Corkins got out of the way UTG+1. Klier then reraised 18,200 more and Lee made the call.

The turn fell 9 and Klier bet 42,000. Lee made the call and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked and Klier flipped over the K Q. Lee said, “I have an 8,” and mucked his hand. Klier climbed above 400,000 with the win.

Stammen vs. Arieh

Three players limped to a Q 10 2 flop and Josh Arieh then bet 9,000 from the cutoff. Thomas Marchese made the call from the small blind and Keven Stammen made the call UTG+1.

Arieh opened the action on turn betting 21,300 after the J hit the table. Marchese mucked and Stammen made the call. The 7 fell on the river and once again Ariah opened the action. He bet 45,000 and Stammen decided to muck. Arieh was up to 440,000 after the hand.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Kyle Bowker, Howard Lederer, Bryan Piccioli

Table 2: Ben Klier, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania, Ronald Lee

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, Keven Stammen

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jonathan Aguiar, Mike Beasley

Table 5: Brock Parker, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen, Christian Harder

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Keven Stammen,   Ronald Lee

Down to Three Tables

Oct 31, '10

Ronald Lee is the first player to fall today. He shoved with J 10 in the hole and Hoyt Corkins made the call with K 6. The board rattled off A 8 2 3 Q and Lee exited in 28th place. There was a break in the action after his elimination for the remaining players to draw for new seats at the final three tables.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Ronald Lee

Level 14 Update: Greenstein and Lederer Busted

Oct 30, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 37 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Hunichen — 440,000
2. Josh Arieh — 440,000
3. Keven Stammen — 415,000
4. Ben Klier — 410,000
5. Jeff Forest — 330,000
6. Mohsin Charania — 330,000
7. Hoyt Corkins — 315,000
8. Byron Springer — 280,000
9. Thomas Marcehse — 275,000
10. Lance Steinberg — 265,000

Average Chip Count: 168,837

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Greenstein
Howard Lederer
Jonathan Aguiar
Todd Terry
Christian Harder
Andrew Frankenberger

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein got it all in preflop for the last of his chips (27,400) and Hoyt Corkins called him down. Their cards:

Greenstein: 9 9
Corkins: A K

Board: K J 2 3 3

Greenstein was eliminated on the hand.

Klier Keeps Building his Stack

Three players limped to a K J 2 flop and Ben Klier bet 12,200 from middle position. Ronald Lee check-raised under the gun to 29,000 and Hoyt Corkins got out of the way UTG+1. Klier then reraised 18,200 more and Lee made the call.

The turn fell 9 and Klier bet 42,000. Lee made the call and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked and Klier flipped over the K Q. Lee said, “I have an 8,” and mucked his hand. Klier climbed above 400,000 with the win.

Stammen vs. Arieh

Three players limped to a Q 10 2 flop and Josh Arieh then bet 9,000 from the cutoff. Thomas Marchese made the call from the small blind and Keven Stammen made the call UTG+1.

Arieh opened the action on turn betting 21,300 after the J hit the table. Marchese mucked and Stammen made the call. The 7 fell on the river and once again Ariah opened the action. He bet 45,000 and Stammen decided to muck. Arieh was up to 440,000 after the hand.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Kyle Bowker, Howard Lederer, Bryan Piccioli

Table 2: Ben Klier, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania, Ronald Lee

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese, Keven Stammen

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jonathan Aguiar, Mike Beasley

Table 5: Brock Parker, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen, Christian Harder

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Keven Stammen,   Ronald Lee

Down to Three Tables

Oct 31, '10

Ronald Lee is the first player to fall today. He shoved with J 10 in the hole and Hoyt Corkins made the call with K 6. The board rattled off A 8 2 3 Q and Lee exited in 28th place. There was a break in the action after his elimination for the remaining players to draw for new seats at the final three tables.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Ronald Lee

Ronald Lee Eliminated in 27th Place ($19,344)

Oct 18, '10

The Obrestad train can’t be stopped! Five players saw a flop of 8-4-2 and Ronald Lee bet 50,000. Annette Obrestad then raised to 120,000, driving out the three other players.

Lee moved all in and Obrestad immediately called with pocket kings. Lee showed pocket jacks, but failed to find help on the turn or river. Obrestad is now up to 1.7 million.

Player Tags: Annette Obrestad,   Ronald Lee

Ronald Lee Doubles Through Amit Makhija

Oct 18, '10

Ronald Lee was all in holding pocket kings against the A-Q of Amit Makhija. The board rolled out 8-5-4-J-10 and Lee doubled up to 290,000. Makhija is still hanging on with 135,000.

Player Tags: Amit Makhija,   Ronald Lee

Level 14 Update: Kid Poker Hits Rail

Sep 26, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 43 of 346

Chip Counts:

1 Andrew Pantling — 795,000
2 Bojan Gledovic — 720,000
3 Darren Woods — 550,000
4 Phil Ivey — 435,000
5 Daniel Steinberg — 409,000
6 Arnaud Mattern — 365,000
7 Viktor Blom — 350,000
8 Thomas Bichon — 346,000
9 David Baker — 340,000
10 Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 340,000

Average Chip Count: 241,395

Notable Eliminations:

Eli Elezra
Daniel Negreanu
Anton Wigg

Big Hands:

2009 Runner-Up Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu just handed his stack over to Darren Woods who has already been sitting in the top 10 since early yesterday. Woods bets 7,100 from the cut-off and Negreanu makes it 20,100 from the small blind. Woods thought for a while and raised it up. However Negreanu insta-shoved for just a little more and Woods was committed to call. It was A-K versus pocket threes for Negreanu and Woods respectively. The threes held however and Negreanu stood up looking a little pale. He said, " I can’t believe you thought I was going to fold there. I’m never folding in that spot."

Negreanu’s hopes of taking a seat at his third consecutive World Series of Poker Europe main event final table have now been destroyed, along with many others’ as the field has been quickly demolished on day 3.

Loss for Levi

Freddy Deeb bets 7,500 from the hijack and the button, Anthony Newman. moves all in for 41,000. Nicolas Levi calls from the big blind and Deeb folds showing an ace. The board comes 8 7 4 2 8. Levi holds J J but Newman has Q Q and so improves to 88,000. Levi has 150,000 in chips now.

Blom Versus de Wolfe

Roland de Wolfe is on Viktor Blom’s left and the two have been battling it out in the past level, along with Thomas Bichon. De Wolfe bet 7,200 and Bichon made it 21,500. Blom called, as did de Wolfe, and the three saw a 9 5 4 board. It was checked to the K turn and de Wolfe and Blom checked again. Bichon bet 41,000 and his two opponents folded their cards. De Wolfe dropped a little to 120,000 while Bichon increased his stack to 355,000.

It wasn’t long before de Wolfe was involved in another pot, but this time for his tournament life. Blom made it 6,800 from mid-late position and de Wolfe called from the hijack. The two went heads up to the J 7 6 flop and Blom bet 14,500. De Wolfe looked at his opponent and then called. The turn was the 10 and both players quietly checked. The river was the 5 and Blom bet 25,000. De Wolfe moved all in and it was 61,800 more for Blom to call. After a few minutes he did, but de Wolfe turned over 5 5 for a rivered set and Blom mucked his hand. De Wolfe improves to 215,000.

Blondeau Takes from Ivey

Two other players going to battle are Rudy Blondeau and Phil Ivey. With around 41,000 in the pot and the board showing A K 2 2 6 Ivey was staring down Blondeau as he decided how much to bet. He went for 23,000, but Ivey didn’t take long to make it 81,000. Blondeau went into the tank but eventually called and flipped over A J. Ivey showed A Q and the two chopped the pot.

They didn’t have to wait much longer to face each other again. Ivey bet 7,500 from the hijack and Blondeau made it 21,500 from the button. Ivey let it go. In the next hand Ivey then bet 7,500 again and Blondeau made it 21,500 once more. This time Ivey called and they saw a 7 5 2 flop. Ivey studied his opponent with widened, darting eyes and then checked. Blondeau did not make eye contact and quietly put 26,500 out in front of him. Ivey let his hand go again and drops to 430,000, which is still among the top 10. Blondeau improves to 246,000.

Trouble for Inizan

Marc Inizan bets 7,075 from UTG+1 and gets two callers, the button and the big blind. The flop comes down 10 4 7 and Inizan bets 10,100. Hoi Cheung (the button) comes along for the ride, while the big blind steps aside. The turn is the 2 and Inizan bets 22,500. Cheung moves all in for 58,200 and Inizan goes into the tank. He eventually folds and Cheung collects the pot.

Mitchell Takes a Hit

James Mitchell bets 7,300 from the hijack and Viktor Blom calls. Ronald Lee then moves all in for another 79,300 and Mitchell calls. Blom folds and the two flip over their cards.

Mitchell: J J
Lee: A K

Board: A Q 9 Q 8

Mitchell’s stack takes a hit and he is now on 126,000. Lee doubles up just before break.

Timoshenko vs. Seed

Yevgeniy Timoshenko raised to 8,000 preflop and Huck Seed reraised to 23,500. Timoshenko made the call and the flop fell 10 9 5. Both players checked and the Q fell on the turn. Timoshenko bet 29,000 after some thought and Seed made the call.

The river fell 4 and Timoshenko checked after spending some time in the tank. Seed checked as well and he flipped over J J after Timoshenko had revealed K Q. Seed dropped to 115,000 after the hand and Timoshenko rose to 360,000.

Left in the Deck

Chip Movers and Shakers

Andrew Pantling has had a fantastic level and has come to the fore as chip leader with just under 800,000 in chips. It’s still a tough leader board however with the likes of Phil Ivey, Arnaud Mattern, Viktor Blom, and Thomas Bichon in the top 10. Mattern is on Pantling’s left with just under 400,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Nicolas Levi,   Yevgeniy Timoshenko,   Ronald Lee,   Marc Inizan,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom,   Rudy Blondeau

Level 19 Update -- Blom and Ivey Gone

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 15 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,727,000
2. Dan Fleyshman – 1,460,000
3. James Bord — 1,359,000
4. David Peters — 835,000
5. Nicolas Levi — 729,000
6. Daniel Steinberg -702,000
7. Brian Powell – 675,000
8. Fabrizio Baldassari — 602,000
9. Andrew Pantling – 397,000
10. Hoyt Corkins — 384,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Eliminated in 19th Place (£26,400)

Ivey has finished just 10 places away from this year’s World Series of Poker Europe main event final table. Phil Ivey bet 35,000 and the big blind Ronald Lee thought for a moment. He then raised it up to 101,000 and Fabrizio Baldassari who had limped in, got out of his way. Ivey glared at his opponent long and hard and eventually said he was all in. Lee quickly rechecked his cards and called the all-in bet of 444,000. The two players flipped over their cards:

Ivey: A 10

Lee: A K

Board: 9 4 3 K 10

To much disappointment, Ivey made the long, hard walk away from the tournament floor, and collected £26,400 for a strong finish.

Bojan Gledovic Eliminated in 17th Place (£33,285)

Bojan Gledovic moved all in for 470,000 preflop and Dan Fleyshman made the call. Their cards:

Gledovic: 4 4
Fleyshman: K K

Board: A 8 6 10 7

Fleyshman held 1,490,000 after the hand, which gave him a tie for the chip lead. Gledovic was eliminated in 17th place and he will take home £33,285 in prize money.

Viktor Blom Eliminated in 16th Place (£33,285)

Viktor Blom raised to 23,000 preflop from early position and Ronald Lee made the call from the cutoff seat. The flop fell 10 10 9 and Blom bet 38,000. Lee made the call and the turn fell 2.

Blom bet 65,000 this time and Lee made the call. The river delivered the 6 and Blom checked. Lee bet 101,000 and Blom made the call after a few moments of deliberation. Lee revealed pocket aces and Blom mucked his hand. He was knocked down to 210,000 after the hand.

His ultimate hand came when Brian Powell raised to 36,000, and Blom moved all in. Powell made the call and the two turned over their cards:

Powell: K Q
Blom: 8 8

Board: Q 7 7 K J

The alleged high stakes phenomenon now joins Phil Ivey in the list of big names that almost made it to this year’s final table.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Dan Fleyshman,   Ronald Lee,   Viktor Blom

Level 27 Update: Ronald Lee Eliminated in Third Place (£326,829)

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Fabrizio Baldassari – 6,365,000
2: James Bord – 2,310,000

Average Chip Count: 5,190,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Fabrizio Doubles Up through Ronald Lee

Fabrizio Baldassari raised to 130,000 and James Bord made the call. Ronald Lee reraised to 400,000. Baldassari reraised all in and Bord mucked. Lee made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Baldassari: A 4
Lee: A K

Board: 8 4 3 9 J

Baldassari doubled up on the hand and Lee took a big hit.

Ronald Lee Eliminated in Third Place (£326,829)

James Bord raised to 175,000 from the button and Ronald Lee reraised all in from the small blind. Bord made the call and they turned up their cards:

Bord: A K
Lee: 5 5

Board: K J 8 2 K

Bord won the hand and immediately began to celebrate the pot. Lee was eliminated in third place and he took home £326,829. For much of the early day Lee held the chip lead and now his long, fall from grace is complete.

Player Tags: Ronald Lee,   James Bord

Level 26 Update -- Steinberg, Levi, and de Wolfe Out

Sep 28, '10

NOTE: The players are now on dinner break and they will return at 9:40 p.m. local time (1:40 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 6,830,000
2: Fabrizio Baldassari – 2,480,000
3: James Bord – 1,120,000

Average Chip Count: 3,460,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Daniel Steinberg Eliminated in Sixth Place (£156,530)

Ronald Lee raised to 110,000 and Daniel Steinberg reraised to 285,000 total from the big blind. Chip leader Lee then moved all in and Steinberg went into the tank. He had about 900,000 behind and after contemplating his decision intensely, he decided to call. The two revealed their cards:

Steinberg: A J
Lee: 4 4

Board: Q 9 6 3 8

Pocket fours were enough to scoop the whole lot and Steinberg hit the rail £156,530 richer.

Nicolas Levi Eliminated in Fifth Place (£208,119)

Nicolas Levi bet 135,000 from the cut-off and Lee raised enough from the big blind to put the Frenchman all in. Just moments before this hand Levi had made the all-in move but this time he was calling all in. After some thought, Levi called and showed 9 9. Lee flipped over K Q.

The board ran out 8 5 4 K 10 and with that Lee had destroyed another finalist.

Roland de Wolfe Eliminated in Fourth Place (£278,945)

Roland De Wolfe moved all in from the small blind with his short stack and Fabrizio Baldassari called.

De Wolfe: K Q
Baldassari: A 8

The board went in Baldasarri’s favour: A 8 3 2 9 and the popular Brit hits the rail just before the dinner break.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 25 Update: Dan Fleyshman Eliminated in Seventh Place (£118,643)

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 2,550,000
2: Fabrizio Baldassari – 2,250,000
3: James Bord – 2,200,000
4: Dan Steinberg – 1,500,000
5: Nicolas Levi – 1,275,000
6: Roland de Wolfe – 550,000

Average Chip Count: 1,730,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Dan Fleyshman Eliminated in Seventh Place (£118,643)

Ronald Lee raised it to 85,000 preflop and Dan Fleyshman reraised all in for 250,000. Lee made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Lee: K 5
Fleyshman: J 10

Board: K 7 3 8 A

Fleyshman was eliminated in seventh place and he took home £118,643 in prize money while Lee continued to build his chip lead.

James Bord Doubles Up and Ignites the Crowd

Ronald Lee raised to 85,000 preflop under the gun and Nicolas Levi reraised to 225,000 from the cutoff. James Bord then reraised all in after thinking for quite some time. Lee got out of the way and Levi made the call. Their cards:

Levi: A Q
Bord: J J

Board: 9 5 5 5 7

Bord won the hand to double up and the cheers from the crowd could be heard throughout the Empire Casino.

Nicolas Levi Doubles Up

Roland de Wolfe raised to 95,000 preflop and Nicolas Levi reraised all in for 595,000. De Wolfe made the call after spending a moment in the tank and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: A 10
Levi: A 8

Board: 8 6 2 A 5

Levi doubled up on the hand and de Wolfe suffered another setback.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Dan Fleyshman,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   James Bord

Level 24 Update: Levi and Steinberg Double

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 7 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 3,136,000
2: Dan Steinberg – 2,277,000
3: Nicolas Levi – 1,560,000
4: Roland de Wolfe – 1,130,000
5: James Bord – 962,000
6: Fabrizio Baldassari – 961,000
7: Dan Fleyshman – 400,000

Average Chip Count: 1,482,857

Big Hands:

Levi Doubles Through Lee

Ronald Lee has been putting the pressure on in the last level. In one explosive hand, Lee raised from UTG and Nicolas Levi moved all in for 399,000 on top. It was folded back to Lee who thought for a moment and then made the call flipping over 5 5. Levy revealed K Q and the crowd around the rail got excited as the flop came down 6 4 3. The turn was the 4 keeping Lee ahead, but the K on the river sent the pot the Frenchman’s way.

A little after, Levi bet 75,000, Daniel Steinberg called from the button, and James Bord made the call from the small blind. The flop came down A J 4 and it was checked around. They also checked the Q turn but when the 7 was dealt on the river, Levi bet 110,000. Steinberg made the call and Bord folded. Levi showed K Q to add some more to his increasing stack

Steinberg Doubles Through Fleyshman

Dan Fleyshman bet 64,000 and big blind Danny Steinberg raised it up to 205,000. Fleyshman then quickly popped it up to 569,000 and Steinberg insta-shoved for 1,117,000. Fleyshman wasn’t too happy about this but elected to make the call. He turned over A Q while Steinberg flipped over K K. The board came out 10 10 10 8 6 and Steinberg doubled up.

Just before break time, Levi bet 73,000 and Fleyshman called from the big blind. The flop came down A J 3 and Fleyshman checked. Levi bet a little more this time – 75,000, and Fleyshman made the call. The 5 was dealt on the turn and both players checked. The river was the 2 and Fleyshman bet 375,000. Levi went into the tank and reached for the chips. He looked as if he was calling, and the other players started to complain that he was feigning a call, so Jack Effel stepped in and determined that it was indeed a call. To Fleyshman’s disappointment, Levi then showed A-10 and took down the pot.

The young entrepreneur is now the shortest stack with 400,000.

The 1,000 chips are being removed during this break as we strive forward to find our 2010 champion.

Player Tags: Dan Fleyshman,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 23 Update: Marc Inizan (9th) and Brian Powell (8th) Eliminated

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 7 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 3,164,000
2: Dan Steinberg – 2,063,000
3: Dan Fleyshman – 1,797,000
4: James Bord – 1,059,000
5: Roland de Wolfe – 931,000
6: Fabrizio Baldassari – 787,000
7: Nicolas Levi – 584,000

Average Chip Count: 1,482,857

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Eliminated in Ninth Place (£54,114) and Brian Powell Eliminated in Eighth Place (£69,754) on the Same Hand

Marc Inizan moved all in preflop for 313,000 preflop and Brian Powell moved all in over the top of him before Ronald Lee made the call and had both opponents covered. Their cards:

Lee: A K
Inizan: 8 8
Powell: 8 8

Board: J 10 6 K 4

Lee won the hand to take a dominating chip lead with more than 3 million. Inizan was eliminated in ninth place (£54,114) and Powell took home eight-place money (£69,754).

Nicolas Levi Doubles Up Through Roland de Wolfe

Dan Fleyshman limped preflop and Roland de Wolfe also joined the pot from the cutoff. Nicolas Levi then moved all in from the small blind for 336,000. Fleyshman mucked and de Wolfe made the call. Their cards:

Levi: 10 10
De Wolfe: A K

Board: Q 9 4 8 8

Levi doubled up on the hand and de Wolfe suffered a setback to start the day.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Marc Inizan

Level 14 Update: Kid Poker Hits Rail

Sep 26, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 43 of 346

Chip Counts:

1 Andrew Pantling — 795,000
2 Bojan Gledovic — 720,000
3 Darren Woods — 550,000
4 Phil Ivey — 435,000
5 Daniel Steinberg — 409,000
6 Arnaud Mattern — 365,000
7 Viktor Blom — 350,000
8 Thomas Bichon — 346,000
9 David Baker — 340,000
10 Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 340,000

Average Chip Count: 241,395

Notable Eliminations:

Eli Elezra
Daniel Negreanu
Anton Wigg

Big Hands:

2009 Runner-Up Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu just handed his stack over to Darren Woods who has already been sitting in the top 10 since early yesterday. Woods bets 7,100 from the cut-off and Negreanu makes it 20,100 from the small blind. Woods thought for a while and raised it up. However Negreanu insta-shoved for just a little more and Woods was committed to call. It was A-K versus pocket threes for Negreanu and Woods respectively. The threes held however and Negreanu stood up looking a little pale. He said, " I can’t believe you thought I was going to fold there. I’m never folding in that spot."

Negreanu’s hopes of taking a seat at his third consecutive World Series of Poker Europe main event final table have now been destroyed, along with many others’ as the field has been quickly demolished on day 3.

Loss for Levi

Freddy Deeb bets 7,500 from the hijack and the button, Anthony Newman. moves all in for 41,000. Nicolas Levi calls from the big blind and Deeb folds showing an ace. The board comes 8 7 4 2 8. Levi holds J J but Newman has Q Q and so improves to 88,000. Levi has 150,000 in chips now.

Blom Versus de Wolfe

Roland de Wolfe is on Viktor Blom’s left and the two have been battling it out in the past level, along with Thomas Bichon. De Wolfe bet 7,200 and Bichon made it 21,500. Blom called, as did de Wolfe, and the three saw a 9 5 4 board. It was checked to the K turn and de Wolfe and Blom checked again. Bichon bet 41,000 and his two opponents folded their cards. De Wolfe dropped a little to 120,000 while Bichon increased his stack to 355,000.

It wasn’t long before de Wolfe was involved in another pot, but this time for his tournament life. Blom made it 6,800 from mid-late position and de Wolfe called from the hijack. The two went heads up to the J 7 6 flop and Blom bet 14,500. De Wolfe looked at his opponent and then called. The turn was the 10 and both players quietly checked. The river was the 5 and Blom bet 25,000. De Wolfe moved all in and it was 61,800 more for Blom to call. After a few minutes he did, but de Wolfe turned over 5 5 for a rivered set and Blom mucked his hand. De Wolfe improves to 215,000.

Blondeau Takes from Ivey

Two other players going to battle are Rudy Blondeau and Phil Ivey. With around 41,000 in the pot and the board showing A K 2 2 6 Ivey was staring down Blondeau as he decided how much to bet. He went for 23,000, but Ivey didn’t take long to make it 81,000. Blondeau went into the tank but eventually called and flipped over A J. Ivey showed A Q and the two chopped the pot.

They didn’t have to wait much longer to face each other again. Ivey bet 7,500 from the hijack and Blondeau made it 21,500 from the button. Ivey let it go. In the next hand Ivey then bet 7,500 again and Blondeau made it 21,500 once more. This time Ivey called and they saw a 7 5 2 flop. Ivey studied his opponent with widened, darting eyes and then checked. Blondeau did not make eye contact and quietly put 26,500 out in front of him. Ivey let his hand go again and drops to 430,000, which is still among the top 10. Blondeau improves to 246,000.

Trouble for Inizan

Marc Inizan bets 7,075 from UTG+1 and gets two callers, the button and the big blind. The flop comes down 10 4 7 and Inizan bets 10,100. Hoi Cheung (the button) comes along for the ride, while the big blind steps aside. The turn is the 2 and Inizan bets 22,500. Cheung moves all in for 58,200 and Inizan goes into the tank. He eventually folds and Cheung collects the pot.

Mitchell Takes a Hit

James Mitchell bets 7,300 from the hijack and Viktor Blom calls. Ronald Lee then moves all in for another 79,300 and Mitchell calls. Blom folds and the two flip over their cards.

Mitchell: J J
Lee: A K

Board: A Q 9 Q 8

Mitchell’s stack takes a hit and he is now on 126,000. Lee doubles up just before break.

Timoshenko vs. Seed

Yevgeniy Timoshenko raised to 8,000 preflop and Huck Seed reraised to 23,500. Timoshenko made the call and the flop fell 10 9 5. Both players checked and the Q fell on the turn. Timoshenko bet 29,000 after some thought and Seed made the call.

The river fell 4 and Timoshenko checked after spending some time in the tank. Seed checked as well and he flipped over J J after Timoshenko had revealed K Q. Seed dropped to 115,000 after the hand and Timoshenko rose to 360,000.

Left in the Deck

Chip Movers and Shakers

Andrew Pantling has had a fantastic level and has come to the fore as chip leader with just under 800,000 in chips. It’s still a tough leader board however with the likes of Phil Ivey, Arnaud Mattern, Viktor Blom, and Thomas Bichon in the top 10. Mattern is on Pantling’s left with just under 400,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Nicolas Levi,   Yevgeniy Timoshenko,   Ronald Lee,   Marc Inizan,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom,   Rudy Blondeau

Level 19 Update -- Blom and Ivey Gone

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 15 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,727,000
2. Dan Fleyshman – 1,460,000
3. James Bord — 1,359,000
4. David Peters — 835,000
5. Nicolas Levi — 729,000
6. Daniel Steinberg -702,000
7. Brian Powell – 675,000
8. Fabrizio Baldassari — 602,000
9. Andrew Pantling – 397,000
10. Hoyt Corkins — 384,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Eliminated in 19th Place (£26,400)

Ivey has finished just 10 places away from this year’s World Series of Poker Europe main event final table. Phil Ivey bet 35,000 and the big blind Ronald Lee thought for a moment. He then raised it up to 101,000 and Fabrizio Baldassari who had limped in, got out of his way. Ivey glared at his opponent long and hard and eventually said he was all in. Lee quickly rechecked his cards and called the all-in bet of 444,000. The two players flipped over their cards:

Ivey: A 10

Lee: A K

Board: 9 4 3 K 10

To much disappointment, Ivey made the long, hard walk away from the tournament floor, and collected £26,400 for a strong finish.

Bojan Gledovic Eliminated in 17th Place (£33,285)

Bojan Gledovic moved all in for 470,000 preflop and Dan Fleyshman made the call. Their cards:

Gledovic: 4 4
Fleyshman: K K

Board: A 8 6 10 7

Fleyshman held 1,490,000 after the hand, which gave him a tie for the chip lead. Gledovic was eliminated in 17th place and he will take home £33,285 in prize money.

Viktor Blom Eliminated in 16th Place (£33,285)

Viktor Blom raised to 23,000 preflop from early position and Ronald Lee made the call from the cutoff seat. The flop fell 10 10 9 and Blom bet 38,000. Lee made the call and the turn fell 2.

Blom bet 65,000 this time and Lee made the call. The river delivered the 6 and Blom checked. Lee bet 101,000 and Blom made the call after a few moments of deliberation. Lee revealed pocket aces and Blom mucked his hand. He was knocked down to 210,000 after the hand.

His ultimate hand came when Brian Powell raised to 36,000, and Blom moved all in. Powell made the call and the two turned over their cards:

Powell: K Q
Blom: 8 8

Board: Q 7 7 K J

The alleged high stakes phenomenon now joins Phil Ivey in the list of big names that almost made it to this year’s final table.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Dan Fleyshman,   Ronald Lee,   Viktor Blom

Level 27 Update: Ronald Lee Eliminated in Third Place (£326,829)

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Fabrizio Baldassari – 6,365,000
2: James Bord – 2,310,000

Average Chip Count: 5,190,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Fabrizio Doubles Up through Ronald Lee

Fabrizio Baldassari raised to 130,000 and James Bord made the call. Ronald Lee reraised to 400,000. Baldassari reraised all in and Bord mucked. Lee made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Baldassari: A 4
Lee: A K

Board: 8 4 3 9 J

Baldassari doubled up on the hand and Lee took a big hit.

Ronald Lee Eliminated in Third Place (£326,829)

James Bord raised to 175,000 from the button and Ronald Lee reraised all in from the small blind. Bord made the call and they turned up their cards:

Bord: A K
Lee: 5 5

Board: K J 8 2 K

Bord won the hand and immediately began to celebrate the pot. Lee was eliminated in third place and he took home £326,829. For much of the early day Lee held the chip lead and now his long, fall from grace is complete.

Player Tags: Ronald Lee,   James Bord

Level 26 Update -- Steinberg, Levi, and de Wolfe Out

Sep 28, '10

NOTE: The players are now on dinner break and they will return at 9:40 p.m. local time (1:40 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 6,830,000
2: Fabrizio Baldassari – 2,480,000
3: James Bord – 1,120,000

Average Chip Count: 3,460,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Daniel Steinberg Eliminated in Sixth Place (£156,530)

Ronald Lee raised to 110,000 and Daniel Steinberg reraised to 285,000 total from the big blind. Chip leader Lee then moved all in and Steinberg went into the tank. He had about 900,000 behind and after contemplating his decision intensely, he decided to call. The two revealed their cards:

Steinberg: A J
Lee: 4 4

Board: Q 9 6 3 8

Pocket fours were enough to scoop the whole lot and Steinberg hit the rail £156,530 richer.

Nicolas Levi Eliminated in Fifth Place (£208,119)

Nicolas Levi bet 135,000 from the cut-off and Lee raised enough from the big blind to put the Frenchman all in. Just moments before this hand Levi had made the all-in move but this time he was calling all in. After some thought, Levi called and showed 9 9. Lee flipped over K Q.

The board ran out 8 5 4 K 10 and with that Lee had destroyed another finalist.

Roland de Wolfe Eliminated in Fourth Place (£278,945)

Roland De Wolfe moved all in from the small blind with his short stack and Fabrizio Baldassari called.

De Wolfe: K Q
Baldassari: A 8

The board went in Baldasarri’s favour: A 8 3 2 9 and the popular Brit hits the rail just before the dinner break.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 25 Update: Dan Fleyshman Eliminated in Seventh Place (£118,643)

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 2,550,000
2: Fabrizio Baldassari – 2,250,000
3: James Bord – 2,200,000
4: Dan Steinberg – 1,500,000
5: Nicolas Levi – 1,275,000
6: Roland de Wolfe – 550,000

Average Chip Count: 1,730,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Dan Fleyshman Eliminated in Seventh Place (£118,643)

Ronald Lee raised it to 85,000 preflop and Dan Fleyshman reraised all in for 250,000. Lee made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Lee: K 5
Fleyshman: J 10

Board: K 7 3 8 A

Fleyshman was eliminated in seventh place and he took home £118,643 in prize money while Lee continued to build his chip lead.

James Bord Doubles Up and Ignites the Crowd

Ronald Lee raised to 85,000 preflop under the gun and Nicolas Levi reraised to 225,000 from the cutoff. James Bord then reraised all in after thinking for quite some time. Lee got out of the way and Levi made the call. Their cards:

Levi: A Q
Bord: J J

Board: 9 5 5 5 7

Bord won the hand to double up and the cheers from the crowd could be heard throughout the Empire Casino.

Nicolas Levi Doubles Up

Roland de Wolfe raised to 95,000 preflop and Nicolas Levi reraised all in for 595,000. De Wolfe made the call after spending a moment in the tank and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: A 10
Levi: A 8

Board: 8 6 2 A 5

Levi doubled up on the hand and de Wolfe suffered another setback.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Dan Fleyshman,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   James Bord

Level 24 Update: Levi and Steinberg Double

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 7 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 3,136,000
2: Dan Steinberg – 2,277,000
3: Nicolas Levi – 1,560,000
4: Roland de Wolfe – 1,130,000
5: James Bord – 962,000
6: Fabrizio Baldassari – 961,000
7: Dan Fleyshman – 400,000

Average Chip Count: 1,482,857

Big Hands:

Levi Doubles Through Lee

Ronald Lee has been putting the pressure on in the last level. In one explosive hand, Lee raised from UTG and Nicolas Levi moved all in for 399,000 on top. It was folded back to Lee who thought for a moment and then made the call flipping over 5 5. Levy revealed K Q and the crowd around the rail got excited as the flop came down 6 4 3. The turn was the 4 keeping Lee ahead, but the K on the river sent the pot the Frenchman’s way.

A little after, Levi bet 75,000, Daniel Steinberg called from the button, and James Bord made the call from the small blind. The flop came down A J 4 and it was checked around. They also checked the Q turn but when the 7 was dealt on the river, Levi bet 110,000. Steinberg made the call and Bord folded. Levi showed K Q to add some more to his increasing stack

Steinberg Doubles Through Fleyshman

Dan Fleyshman bet 64,000 and big blind Danny Steinberg raised it up to 205,000. Fleyshman then quickly popped it up to 569,000 and Steinberg insta-shoved for 1,117,000. Fleyshman wasn’t too happy about this but elected to make the call. He turned over A Q while Steinberg flipped over K K. The board came out 10 10 10 8 6 and Steinberg doubled up.

Just before break time, Levi bet 73,000 and Fleyshman called from the big blind. The flop came down A J 3 and Fleyshman checked. Levi bet a little more this time – 75,000, and Fleyshman made the call. The 5 was dealt on the turn and both players checked. The river was the 2 and Fleyshman bet 375,000. Levi went into the tank and reached for the chips. He looked as if he was calling, and the other players started to complain that he was feigning a call, so Jack Effel stepped in and determined that it was indeed a call. To Fleyshman’s disappointment, Levi then showed A-10 and took down the pot.

The young entrepreneur is now the shortest stack with 400,000.

The 1,000 chips are being removed during this break as we strive forward to find our 2010 champion.

Player Tags: Dan Fleyshman,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 23 Update: Marc Inizan (9th) and Brian Powell (8th) Eliminated

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 7 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 3,164,000
2: Dan Steinberg – 2,063,000
3: Dan Fleyshman – 1,797,000
4: James Bord – 1,059,000
5: Roland de Wolfe – 931,000
6: Fabrizio Baldassari – 787,000
7: Nicolas Levi – 584,000

Average Chip Count: 1,482,857

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Eliminated in Ninth Place (£54,114) and Brian Powell Eliminated in Eighth Place (£69,754) on the Same Hand

Marc Inizan moved all in preflop for 313,000 preflop and Brian Powell moved all in over the top of him before Ronald Lee made the call and had both opponents covered. Their cards:

Lee: A K
Inizan: 8 8
Powell: 8 8

Board: J 10 6 K 4

Lee won the hand to take a dominating chip lead with more than 3 million. Inizan was eliminated in ninth place (£54,114) and Powell took home eight-place money (£69,754).

Nicolas Levi Doubles Up Through Roland de Wolfe

Dan Fleyshman limped preflop and Roland de Wolfe also joined the pot from the cutoff. Nicolas Levi then moved all in from the small blind for 336,000. Fleyshman mucked and de Wolfe made the call. Their cards:

Levi: 10 10
De Wolfe: A K

Board: Q 9 4 8 8

Levi doubled up on the hand and de Wolfe suffered a setback to start the day.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Marc Inizan

Level 14 Update: Kid Poker Hits Rail

Sep 26, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 43 of 346

Chip Counts:

1 Andrew Pantling — 795,000
2 Bojan Gledovic — 720,000
3 Darren Woods — 550,000
4 Phil Ivey — 435,000
5 Daniel Steinberg — 409,000
6 Arnaud Mattern — 365,000
7 Viktor Blom — 350,000
8 Thomas Bichon — 346,000
9 David Baker — 340,000
10 Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 340,000

Average Chip Count: 241,395

Notable Eliminations:

Eli Elezra
Daniel Negreanu
Anton Wigg

Big Hands:

2009 Runner-Up Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu just handed his stack over to Darren Woods who has already been sitting in the top 10 since early yesterday. Woods bets 7,100 from the cut-off and Negreanu makes it 20,100 from the small blind. Woods thought for a while and raised it up. However Negreanu insta-shoved for just a little more and Woods was committed to call. It was A-K versus pocket threes for Negreanu and Woods respectively. The threes held however and Negreanu stood up looking a little pale. He said, " I can’t believe you thought I was going to fold there. I’m never folding in that spot."

Negreanu’s hopes of taking a seat at his third consecutive World Series of Poker Europe main event final table have now been destroyed, along with many others’ as the field has been quickly demolished on day 3.

Loss for Levi

Freddy Deeb bets 7,500 from the hijack and the button, Anthony Newman. moves all in for 41,000. Nicolas Levi calls from the big blind and Deeb folds showing an ace. The board comes 8 7 4 2 8. Levi holds J J but Newman has Q Q and so improves to 88,000. Levi has 150,000 in chips now.

Blom Versus de Wolfe

Roland de Wolfe is on Viktor Blom’s left and the two have been battling it out in the past level, along with Thomas Bichon. De Wolfe bet 7,200 and Bichon made it 21,500. Blom called, as did de Wolfe, and the three saw a 9 5 4 board. It was checked to the K turn and de Wolfe and Blom checked again. Bichon bet 41,000 and his two opponents folded their cards. De Wolfe dropped a little to 120,000 while Bichon increased his stack to 355,000.

It wasn’t long before de Wolfe was involved in another pot, but this time for his tournament life. Blom made it 6,800 from mid-late position and de Wolfe called from the hijack. The two went heads up to the J 7 6 flop and Blom bet 14,500. De Wolfe looked at his opponent and then called. The turn was the 10 and both players quietly checked. The river was the 5 and Blom bet 25,000. De Wolfe moved all in and it was 61,800 more for Blom to call. After a few minutes he did, but de Wolfe turned over 5 5 for a rivered set and Blom mucked his hand. De Wolfe improves to 215,000.

Blondeau Takes from Ivey

Two other players going to battle are Rudy Blondeau and Phil Ivey. With around 41,000 in the pot and the board showing A K 2 2 6 Ivey was staring down Blondeau as he decided how much to bet. He went for 23,000, but Ivey didn’t take long to make it 81,000. Blondeau went into the tank but eventually called and flipped over A J. Ivey showed A Q and the two chopped the pot.

They didn’t have to wait much longer to face each other again. Ivey bet 7,500 from the hijack and Blondeau made it 21,500 from the button. Ivey let it go. In the next hand Ivey then bet 7,500 again and Blondeau made it 21,500 once more. This time Ivey called and they saw a 7 5 2 flop. Ivey studied his opponent with widened, darting eyes and then checked. Blondeau did not make eye contact and quietly put 26,500 out in front of him. Ivey let his hand go again and drops to 430,000, which is still among the top 10. Blondeau improves to 246,000.

Trouble for Inizan

Marc Inizan bets 7,075 from UTG+1 and gets two callers, the button and the big blind. The flop comes down 10 4 7 and Inizan bets 10,100. Hoi Cheung (the button) comes along for the ride, while the big blind steps aside. The turn is the 2 and Inizan bets 22,500. Cheung moves all in for 58,200 and Inizan goes into the tank. He eventually folds and Cheung collects the pot.

Mitchell Takes a Hit

James Mitchell bets 7,300 from the hijack and Viktor Blom calls. Ronald Lee then moves all in for another 79,300 and Mitchell calls. Blom folds and the two flip over their cards.

Mitchell: J J
Lee: A K

Board: A Q 9 Q 8

Mitchell’s stack takes a hit and he is now on 126,000. Lee doubles up just before break.

Timoshenko vs. Seed

Yevgeniy Timoshenko raised to 8,000 preflop and Huck Seed reraised to 23,500. Timoshenko made the call and the flop fell 10 9 5. Both players checked and the Q fell on the turn. Timoshenko bet 29,000 after some thought and Seed made the call.

The river fell 4 and Timoshenko checked after spending some time in the tank. Seed checked as well and he flipped over J J after Timoshenko had revealed K Q. Seed dropped to 115,000 after the hand and Timoshenko rose to 360,000.

Left in the Deck

Chip Movers and Shakers

Andrew Pantling has had a fantastic level and has come to the fore as chip leader with just under 800,000 in chips. It’s still a tough leader board however with the likes of Phil Ivey, Arnaud Mattern, Viktor Blom, and Thomas Bichon in the top 10. Mattern is on Pantling’s left with just under 400,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Nicolas Levi,   Yevgeniy Timoshenko,   Ronald Lee,   Marc Inizan,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom,   Rudy Blondeau

Level 19 Update -- Blom and Ivey Gone

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 15 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,727,000
2. Dan Fleyshman – 1,460,000
3. James Bord — 1,359,000
4. David Peters — 835,000
5. Nicolas Levi — 729,000
6. Daniel Steinberg -702,000
7. Brian Powell – 675,000
8. Fabrizio Baldassari — 602,000
9. Andrew Pantling – 397,000
10. Hoyt Corkins — 384,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Eliminated in 19th Place (£26,400)

Ivey has finished just 10 places away from this year’s World Series of Poker Europe main event final table. Phil Ivey bet 35,000 and the big blind Ronald Lee thought for a moment. He then raised it up to 101,000 and Fabrizio Baldassari who had limped in, got out of his way. Ivey glared at his opponent long and hard and eventually said he was all in. Lee quickly rechecked his cards and called the all-in bet of 444,000. The two players flipped over their cards:

Ivey: A 10

Lee: A K

Board: 9 4 3 K 10

To much disappointment, Ivey made the long, hard walk away from the tournament floor, and collected £26,400 for a strong finish.

Bojan Gledovic Eliminated in 17th Place (£33,285)

Bojan Gledovic moved all in for 470,000 preflop and Dan Fleyshman made the call. Their cards:

Gledovic: 4 4
Fleyshman: K K

Board: A 8 6 10 7

Fleyshman held 1,490,000 after the hand, which gave him a tie for the chip lead. Gledovic was eliminated in 17th place and he will take home £33,285 in prize money.

Viktor Blom Eliminated in 16th Place (£33,285)

Viktor Blom raised to 23,000 preflop from early position and Ronald Lee made the call from the cutoff seat. The flop fell 10 10 9 and Blom bet 38,000. Lee made the call and the turn fell 2.

Blom bet 65,000 this time and Lee made the call. The river delivered the 6 and Blom checked. Lee bet 101,000 and Blom made the call after a few moments of deliberation. Lee revealed pocket aces and Blom mucked his hand. He was knocked down to 210,000 after the hand.

His ultimate hand came when Brian Powell raised to 36,000, and Blom moved all in. Powell made the call and the two turned over their cards:

Powell: K Q
Blom: 8 8

Board: Q 7 7 K J

The alleged high stakes phenomenon now joins Phil Ivey in the list of big names that almost made it to this year’s final table.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Dan Fleyshman,   Ronald Lee,   Viktor Blom

Level 27 Update: Ronald Lee Eliminated in Third Place (£326,829)

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Fabrizio Baldassari – 6,365,000
2: James Bord – 2,310,000

Average Chip Count: 5,190,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Fabrizio Doubles Up through Ronald Lee

Fabrizio Baldassari raised to 130,000 and James Bord made the call. Ronald Lee reraised to 400,000. Baldassari reraised all in and Bord mucked. Lee made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Baldassari: A 4
Lee: A K

Board: 8 4 3 9 J

Baldassari doubled up on the hand and Lee took a big hit.

Ronald Lee Eliminated in Third Place (£326,829)

James Bord raised to 175,000 from the button and Ronald Lee reraised all in from the small blind. Bord made the call and they turned up their cards:

Bord: A K
Lee: 5 5

Board: K J 8 2 K

Bord won the hand and immediately began to celebrate the pot. Lee was eliminated in third place and he took home £326,829. For much of the early day Lee held the chip lead and now his long, fall from grace is complete.

Player Tags: Ronald Lee,   James Bord

Level 26 Update -- Steinberg, Levi, and de Wolfe Out

Sep 28, '10

NOTE: The players are now on dinner break and they will return at 9:40 p.m. local time (1:40 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 6,830,000
2: Fabrizio Baldassari – 2,480,000
3: James Bord – 1,120,000

Average Chip Count: 3,460,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Daniel Steinberg Eliminated in Sixth Place (£156,530)

Ronald Lee raised to 110,000 and Daniel Steinberg reraised to 285,000 total from the big blind. Chip leader Lee then moved all in and Steinberg went into the tank. He had about 900,000 behind and after contemplating his decision intensely, he decided to call. The two revealed their cards:

Steinberg: A J
Lee: 4 4

Board: Q 9 6 3 8

Pocket fours were enough to scoop the whole lot and Steinberg hit the rail £156,530 richer.

Nicolas Levi Eliminated in Fifth Place (£208,119)

Nicolas Levi bet 135,000 from the cut-off and Lee raised enough from the big blind to put the Frenchman all in. Just moments before this hand Levi had made the all-in move but this time he was calling all in. After some thought, Levi called and showed 9 9. Lee flipped over K Q.

The board ran out 8 5 4 K 10 and with that Lee had destroyed another finalist.

Roland de Wolfe Eliminated in Fourth Place (£278,945)

Roland De Wolfe moved all in from the small blind with his short stack and Fabrizio Baldassari called.

De Wolfe: K Q
Baldassari: A 8

The board went in Baldasarri’s favour: A 8 3 2 9 and the popular Brit hits the rail just before the dinner break.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 25 Update: Dan Fleyshman Eliminated in Seventh Place (£118,643)

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 2,550,000
2: Fabrizio Baldassari – 2,250,000
3: James Bord – 2,200,000
4: Dan Steinberg – 1,500,000
5: Nicolas Levi – 1,275,000
6: Roland de Wolfe – 550,000

Average Chip Count: 1,730,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Dan Fleyshman Eliminated in Seventh Place (£118,643)

Ronald Lee raised it to 85,000 preflop and Dan Fleyshman reraised all in for 250,000. Lee made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Lee: K 5
Fleyshman: J 10

Board: K 7 3 8 A

Fleyshman was eliminated in seventh place and he took home £118,643 in prize money while Lee continued to build his chip lead.

James Bord Doubles Up and Ignites the Crowd

Ronald Lee raised to 85,000 preflop under the gun and Nicolas Levi reraised to 225,000 from the cutoff. James Bord then reraised all in after thinking for quite some time. Lee got out of the way and Levi made the call. Their cards:

Levi: A Q
Bord: J J

Board: 9 5 5 5 7

Bord won the hand to double up and the cheers from the crowd could be heard throughout the Empire Casino.

Nicolas Levi Doubles Up

Roland de Wolfe raised to 95,000 preflop and Nicolas Levi reraised all in for 595,000. De Wolfe made the call after spending a moment in the tank and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: A 10
Levi: A 8

Board: 8 6 2 A 5

Levi doubled up on the hand and de Wolfe suffered another setback.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Dan Fleyshman,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   James Bord

Level 24 Update: Levi and Steinberg Double

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 7 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 3,136,000
2: Dan Steinberg – 2,277,000
3: Nicolas Levi – 1,560,000
4: Roland de Wolfe – 1,130,000
5: James Bord – 962,000
6: Fabrizio Baldassari – 961,000
7: Dan Fleyshman – 400,000

Average Chip Count: 1,482,857

Big Hands:

Levi Doubles Through Lee

Ronald Lee has been putting the pressure on in the last level. In one explosive hand, Lee raised from UTG and Nicolas Levi moved all in for 399,000 on top. It was folded back to Lee who thought for a moment and then made the call flipping over 5 5. Levy revealed K Q and the crowd around the rail got excited as the flop came down 6 4 3. The turn was the 4 keeping Lee ahead, but the K on the river sent the pot the Frenchman’s way.

A little after, Levi bet 75,000, Daniel Steinberg called from the button, and James Bord made the call from the small blind. The flop came down A J 4 and it was checked around. They also checked the Q turn but when the 7 was dealt on the river, Levi bet 110,000. Steinberg made the call and Bord folded. Levi showed K Q to add some more to his increasing stack

Steinberg Doubles Through Fleyshman

Dan Fleyshman bet 64,000 and big blind Danny Steinberg raised it up to 205,000. Fleyshman then quickly popped it up to 569,000 and Steinberg insta-shoved for 1,117,000. Fleyshman wasn’t too happy about this but elected to make the call. He turned over A Q while Steinberg flipped over K K. The board came out 10 10 10 8 6 and Steinberg doubled up.

Just before break time, Levi bet 73,000 and Fleyshman called from the big blind. The flop came down A J 3 and Fleyshman checked. Levi bet a little more this time – 75,000, and Fleyshman made the call. The 5 was dealt on the turn and both players checked. The river was the 2 and Fleyshman bet 375,000. Levi went into the tank and reached for the chips. He looked as if he was calling, and the other players started to complain that he was feigning a call, so Jack Effel stepped in and determined that it was indeed a call. To Fleyshman’s disappointment, Levi then showed A-10 and took down the pot.

The young entrepreneur is now the shortest stack with 400,000.

The 1,000 chips are being removed during this break as we strive forward to find our 2010 champion.

Player Tags: Dan Fleyshman,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 23 Update: Marc Inizan (9th) and Brian Powell (8th) Eliminated

Sep 28, '10

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 7 of 346

Chip Counts:

1: Ronald Lee – 3,164,000
2: Dan Steinberg – 2,063,000
3: Dan Fleyshman – 1,797,000
4: James Bord – 1,059,000
5: Roland de Wolfe – 931,000
6: Fabrizio Baldassari – 787,000
7: Nicolas Levi – 584,000

Average Chip Count: 1,482,857

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Eliminated in Ninth Place (£54,114) and Brian Powell Eliminated in Eighth Place (£69,754) on the Same Hand

Marc Inizan moved all in preflop for 313,000 preflop and Brian Powell moved all in over the top of him before Ronald Lee made the call and had both opponents covered. Their cards:

Lee: A K
Inizan: 8 8
Powell: 8 8

Board: J 10 6 K 4

Lee won the hand to take a dominating chip lead with more than 3 million. Inizan was eliminated in ninth place (£54,114) and Powell took home eight-place money (£69,754).

Nicolas Levi Doubles Up Through Roland de Wolfe

Dan Fleyshman limped preflop and Roland de Wolfe also joined the pot from the cutoff. Nicolas Levi then moved all in from the small blind for 336,000. Fleyshman mucked and de Wolfe made the call. Their cards:

Levi: 10 10
De Wolfe: A K

Board: Q 9 4 8 8

Levi doubled up on the hand and de Wolfe suffered a setback to start the day.

Player Tags: Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Nicolas Levi,   Ronald Lee,   Marc Inizan

Isaac Haxton Doubles Up, Marco Johnson Eliminated

Oct 28, '09

Ronald Lee raised to 2,000 and Isaac Haxton called behind him. Marco Johnson then moved all in for 5,600 from the hijack seat.

Action folded back around to Lee, who reraised to 12,000. After some thought, Haxton moved all in for an additional 28,700 more. Lee went into the tank for a few minutes before finding a call, showing AQ. Johnson showed 77 and Haxton was ahead with KK.

The board came J96103 and Haxton’s hand held to eliminate Johnson and increase his stack to 89,100.

Player Tags: Marco Johnson,   Isaac Haxton,   Ronald Lee