Scott Freeman Poker Tournament Updates

Level 12 Update

Feb 23, '09

Level: 12

Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 144 out of 696
 

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Score Board

Notable Chip Counts

Antonio Esfandiari - 405,000
Kofi Farkye - 391,000
Mike Sowers - 338,000
Anthony Venturini - 212,000
Haralabos Voulgaris - 210,500
KJ Nam - 200,500
Adam Geyer - 188,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 183,000
Bertrand Grospellier - 178,900
Jeff Garza - 172,500

Average: 96,667

Notable Eliminations

Tim Vance
Eric Mizrachi

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Big Hands:

Shannon Shorr Takes a Big Hit

Webber Kang was all in with pocket queens on a board of Q9275 and Shannon Shorr had called him down. Kang doubled up on the hand to 114,000 while Shorr was knocked down to just 45,000.

John Phan Doubles Up

John Phan was all in for 69,100 and Scott Freeman called him down. Their cards:

Phan: AQ
Freeman: QJ

Board: A65J9

Phan doubled up on the hand and he is now close to 150,000.

Hoyt vs. Esfandiari

On a flop of Q43 with 6,000 in the pot, Antonio Esfandiari bet 5,400 from the button and Hoyt Corkins went into the tank in the big blind. He eventually made the call and both players checked the A on the turn. The river fell K and Esfandiari fired out 10,200. Corkins went into the tank and he eventually mucked. Esfandiari won the hand and he continues to grow his chip lead past 400,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   John Phan,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Shannon Shorr,   Scott Freeman

Free Clinic

Jan 07, '09

Scott Freeman has been putting on a clinic on how to use the all-in bet to your advantage. He has done it multiple times to keep his stack relevant in the tournament, and it hasn't always been when he has been holding cards. He moved all in a few minutes ago and a few players at the table agonized about a call, but thought better of it (one of them folded A-6). Freeman collected the pot and then flipped up 8-6 offsuit as he grabbed the chips.





 

Player Tags: Scott Freeman

Event 44 - $1000 Hold 'Em w/ rebuys - The bubble approaches

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Ante: 1,000

Players Remaining: 9

Chip Counts:

Jesse Chinni: 1,240,000
Rene Mouritsen: 1,135,000
Albert Iversen: 955,000
Phung Ngo: 780,000
Scott Freeman: 650,000
Max Greenwood: 390,000
Curtis Kohlberg: 245,000
Alex Bolotin: 235,000
Aliaksandr Dzianisau: 235,000

Eliminations:
13th: Eric Froehlich - $31,753
12th: Peter Feldman - $39,854
11th: Ivan Demidov - $39,854
10th: Jamie Rosen - $39,854
Notable Hands:

Curtis Kohlberg

Curtis Kohlberg opened with a raise to 25,000. Phung Ngo responded by raising an additional 40,000. Kohlberg moved all in, and Ngo made the call. Kohlberg showed AA, and was well ahead of Ngo's 55. The board ran out 9K748, and Kohlberg secured the easy double up.

D-Day for Demidov

Ivan Demidov open shoved all in and was called instantly by Alex Bolotin. Bolotin's KK was a clear favorite over Demidov's A4. The flop gave Bolotin a little more to sweat, bringing 327, the turn made things worse with the 4, but the river was a harmless 8. Demidov shipped his remaining chips over to Bolotin, and took his leave from the Brasilia room in 11th place. Players redrew for the final table after the elimination.
This Is What A Slowplay Looks Like

Curtis Kohlberg opened for a raise to 35,000, and was called by two players - Rene Mourtisen from the button and Albert Iverson from the small blind. Kohlberg made a continuation bet of 60,000 on the flop of K33 when checked to, and was called only by Mourtisen. Both players checked the turn, the 6. On the river, the 2 fell, Kohlberg checked, and Mourtisen fired out 70,000. Kohlberg made the crying call, mucking his hand as Mourtisen flipped over KK

Double, Double, Freeman In Trouble

Aliaksandr Dzianisau open shoved all in with A10 and was called by the table's original chip leader, Scott Freeman, who held 88. It was not yet Dzianisau's time to go, however, the board running out KQ4JK, giving him a turned straight and a double up and putting another dent in Freeman's stack.
Blinds moved up to 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Rosen Bursts Bubble

The final hand of the evening was also the final hand of Jamie Rosen's tournament life, and will undoubtedly haunt him for some time to come. Following a limp from Phung Ngo, five players went to a flop in an unraised pot: Phung Ngo, Jesse Chinni, Scott Freeman, Curtis Kohlberg, and Jamie Rosen. On a flop of 733, holding 43, Rosen bet out for 41,000. Phung Ngo popped it to 100,000, and Jesse Chinni flat called. Rosen then shoved, pushing out Phung, but getting called instantly by Jesse Chinni, who held 77 for a flopped full house. The case three didn't come for Rosen on the turn, 5, or the river, A, and Rosen was sent to the rail in 10th place with nearly $40,000 in consolation money.

The remaining 9 players will meet again at 2 p.m. tomorrow to decide the winner.





 

Player Tags: Scott Freeman,   Jamie Rosen

$1,000 NLH w/ Rebuys

Jun 27, '08

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

Chip Leaders:

Rene Mouritsen - 3,300,000
Albert Iversen - 1,600,000
Max Greenwood - 900,000

Eliminations: Scott Freeman (4th Place)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scott Freeman Doubles Up

Scott Freeman was down to his last 6 big blinds and got it all in preflop against Albert Iversen. Freeman showed AJ and it held up against Iversen's K8 to double him up to over 300,000.

Scott Freeman Eliminated in Fourth Place ($223,572)

Scott Freeman got the last of his short stack all in against Rene Mouritsen. Freeman held A7, but was dominated by Mouritsen's AK. The board came 8621010 and Freeman was eliminated in fourth place.

Max Greenwood Doubles Up

Max Greenwood was all in holding 55 against Rene Mouritsen's AJ. Things looked bad for Greenwood when the board came A83K, but the 5 on the river gave him the double up to over 900,000.

Player Tags: Rene Mouritsen,   Max Greenwood,   Scott Freeman,   Albert Iversen

Event 44 - $1000 Hold 'Em w/ rebuys - The bubble approaches

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Ante: 1,000

Players Remaining: 9

Chip Counts:

Jesse Chinni: 1,240,000
Rene Mouritsen: 1,135,000
Albert Iversen: 955,000
Phung Ngo: 780,000
Scott Freeman: 650,000
Max Greenwood: 390,000
Curtis Kohlberg: 245,000
Alex Bolotin: 235,000
Aliaksandr Dzianisau: 235,000

Eliminations:
13th: Eric Froehlich - $31,753
12th: Peter Feldman - $39,854
11th: Ivan Demidov - $39,854
10th: Jamie Rosen - $39,854
Notable Hands:

Curtis Kohlberg

Curtis Kohlberg opened with a raise to 25,000. Phung Ngo responded by raising an additional 40,000. Kohlberg moved all in, and Ngo made the call. Kohlberg showed AA, and was well ahead of Ngo's 55. The board ran out 9K748, and Kohlberg secured the easy double up.

D-Day for Demidov

Ivan Demidov open shoved all in and was called instantly by Alex Bolotin. Bolotin's KK was a clear favorite over Demidov's A4. The flop gave Bolotin a little more to sweat, bringing 327, the turn made things worse with the 4, but the river was a harmless 8. Demidov shipped his remaining chips over to Bolotin, and took his leave from the Brasilia room in 11th place. Players redrew for the final table after the elimination.
This Is What A Slowplay Looks Like

Curtis Kohlberg opened for a raise to 35,000, and was called by two players - Rene Mourtisen from the button and Albert Iverson from the small blind. Kohlberg made a continuation bet of 60,000 on the flop of K33 when checked to, and was called only by Mourtisen. Both players checked the turn, the 6. On the river, the 2 fell, Kohlberg checked, and Mourtisen fired out 70,000. Kohlberg made the crying call, mucking his hand as Mourtisen flipped over KK

Double, Double, Freeman In Trouble

Aliaksandr Dzianisau open shoved all in with A10 and was called by the table's original chip leader, Scott Freeman, who held 88. It was not yet Dzianisau's time to go, however, the board running out KQ4JK, giving him a turned straight and a double up and putting another dent in Freeman's stack.
Blinds moved up to 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Rosen Bursts Bubble

The final hand of the evening was also the final hand of Jamie Rosen's tournament life, and will undoubtedly haunt him for some time to come. Following a limp from Phung Ngo, five players went to a flop in an unraised pot: Phung Ngo, Jesse Chinni, Scott Freeman, Curtis Kohlberg, and Jamie Rosen. On a flop of 733, holding 43, Rosen bet out for 41,000. Phung Ngo popped it to 100,000, and Jesse Chinni flat called. Rosen then shoved, pushing out Phung, but getting called instantly by Jesse Chinni, who held 77 for a flopped full house. The case three didn't come for Rosen on the turn, 5, or the river, A, and Rosen was sent to the rail in 10th place with nearly $40,000 in consolation money.

The remaining 9 players will meet again at 2 p.m. tomorrow to decide the winner.





 

Player Tags: Scott Freeman,   Jamie Rosen

$1,000 NLH w/ Rebuys

Jun 27, '08

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

Chip Leaders:

Rene Mouritsen - 3,300,000
Albert Iversen - 1,600,000
Max Greenwood - 900,000

Eliminations: Scott Freeman (4th Place)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scott Freeman Doubles Up

Scott Freeman was down to his last 6 big blinds and got it all in preflop against Albert Iversen. Freeman showed AJ and it held up against Iversen's K8 to double him up to over 300,000.

Scott Freeman Eliminated in Fourth Place ($223,572)

Scott Freeman got the last of his short stack all in against Rene Mouritsen. Freeman held A7, but was dominated by Mouritsen's AK. The board came 8621010 and Freeman was eliminated in fourth place.

Max Greenwood Doubles Up

Max Greenwood was all in holding 55 against Rene Mouritsen's AJ. Things looked bad for Greenwood when the board came A83K, but the 5 on the river gave him the double up to over 900,000.

Player Tags: Rene Mouritsen,   Max Greenwood,   Scott Freeman,   Albert Iversen

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Level One Recap

Jun 14, '08

Blinds: 25-50

Player Registered So Far: 2,700 (sellout)

Notable Names Include:

Phil Hellmuth
Greg Raymer
J.C. Tran
Justin Bonomo
Phil Laak
Name Le
Amnon Filippi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Tran's top pair loses

J.C. Tran in the small blind, the big blind and the player under the gun saw a flop of 532. Tran and the big blind checked and the third player bet 325. Both players called and the turn was the T. Tran, first to act, bet out 700. The big blind called and the third player folded. The river was the 5 and both players checked. Tran flipped over AT for a pair of tens, but his opponent held JJ and won the pot. After the hand Tran was down to 1,700 chips.

Freeman gets paid off on river

With the board showing 752K5 Scott Freeman made a bet of 750. Freeman was in the big blind and his opponent was on the button. The player on the button thought for a minute and then asked the dealer if he could flatten the pot. The dealer said he was not allowed to. Finally he made the call and Freeman showed two black queens. His opponent mucked immediately, and after the pot Freeman was up to about 4,500 chips.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Scott Freeman

$5,000 NLHE - Final Table - Three Quick Eliminations and One Double Up

Jun 13, '08

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 6 of 731

Chip Counts:

Scott "gunning4you" Seiver: 3,000,000
Dave Seidman: 1,658,000
Rajesh Vohra: 1,000,000
Ben Sprengers: 1,000,000
Jacobo Fernandez: 591,000
Chuck Sklar: 185,000

Eliminations:

Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman: 9th Place ($68,714)
Adam "csimmsux" Geyer: 8th Place ($94,481)
Anders Henriksson: 7th Place ($120,249)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman Eliminated in Ninth Place ($68,714)

Scott Freeman moved all in preflop and Scott Seiver made the call. Their cards:

Freeman: AK
Seiver: QQ

Board: 87657

Freeman was eliminated in ninth place, and he took home $68,714 in prize money.

Dave Seidman Doubles Up

Dave Seidman raised all in preflop for 618,000 and Scott Seiver made the call. They then turned up their hands:

Seidman: J10
Seiver: KK

Board: 98447

Seidman hit a 7 on the river to make a straight and survive.

Adam "csimmsux" Geyer Eliminated in Eighth Place ($94,481)

Adam geyer raised all in preflop and Dave Seidman made the call. Each player flipped up a pocket pair, and each player made a set on the turn when it delivered an ace and a 9. Unfortunatley for Geyer, it was Seidman that held the pocket aces, and he was sent to the rail in eighth place when no help fell on the turn or river. Geyer took home $94,481 in prize money.

Anders Henriksson Eliminated in Seventh Place ($120,249)

Anders Henriksson raised to 60,000 preflop and both Ben Sprengers and Chuck Sklar made the call. The flop was dealt K98 and Sklar bet 135,000. Henriksson raised all in for 285,000. Sprengers came over the top of him all in for 460,000 and Sklar went into the tank for a moment before folding. The final two players then flipped up their cards:

Sprengers: AA
Henriksson: 99

Turn and River: 10A

Henriksson was eliminated on the hand in seventh place, and he took home $120,249 in prize money. Once again, a set of aces prevailed against a set of nines.

 

Player Tags: Anders Henriksson,   Adam Geyer,   Scott Freeman,   European Report

$2,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Level 10 recap

Jun 07, '08

Players Left: 141 of 1,397

Average Stack: 49,500

Chip Leaders:

Eli Elezra - 131,000
Theo Tran - 130,000
Napoleon Ta - 123,000
Pete Rios - 115,000
Phillip Duca - 106,000
Jake Solis - 100,000
Lee Watkinson - 100,000
Tony Phillips - 91,000
Scott Freeman - 89,000
Matthias Kuerschner - 83

Eliminations:

Hasan Habib
Amir Vahedi
T.J. Cloutier
Chad Batista
Jared Hamby

Big Hands:

SCTrojans catches five-outter to stay alive

Scott Freeman reraised preflop but was unable to get the original raise to fold. After a Q82 flop, Freeman's opponent bet out. Freeman then pushed all in, a raise of 25,800. His opponent eventually called with QJ, well ahead of Freeman's T8. But the turn was the T, giving Freeman two pair, and the river was the 5. After the hand Freeman had roughly 80,000 chips to put him close to the chip lead.

Vahedi crippled with big slick

Joe Davis raised to 3,600 from early position and then called Amir Vahedi's late-position reraise to 10,600. The flop was 595 and David, acting first, moved all in for over 25,000. Vahedi immediately called time and after about five minutes Davis called the clock. As the tournament director began to count down from 10 (at the zero Vahedi's head would be dead) Vahedi called. Davis flipped over two black sixes, while Vahedi showed A-K. The turn and river were were 8 and 3, and Vahedi was left with just 7,000 chips. Shortly later he was eliminated.

Tran makes 'fun' call to chop pot

With the board showing Q3Q99, a player in the small blind bet 5,200. Theo Tran said out loud, "this will be a fun call," and then tossed his chips into the pot. His opponent told him an ace is good, to which Tran replied that he didn't have an ace. Then his opponent flipped over K8, and Tran showed KJ. As the dealer split up the pot Tran grabbed the 9 and turned it over.

Player Tags: Amir Vahedi,   Theo Tran,   Joe Davis,   Scott Freeman

Main Event Update

Jul 14, '07

Josh Evans Eliminated 76th

Evans moves all with A6 and is called by Pokerstars qualifier Jason Welsh with A10.   The board comes KJ8J9, making Welsh the nut flush and sending Evans home in 76th place.

Scott Freeman Wins Huge Pot

Avi Cohen limps from early position and Freeman raises to $100,000.  Cohen makes the call and the flop comes K96.  Cohen checks and Freeman bets $175,000.  Cohen thinks then makes the call.  The turn is the 10 and Cohen leads for $400,000.  Freeman reraises all in for around $1,010,000, and Cohen quickly makes the call with 87.  Freeman rolls over 86, and is drawing to a backdoor flush to stay alive.  As the ESPN cameras crown the table, Freeman mouths, "one time" then looks up into the roof of the Amazon Room.  The river brings the 5, making Freeman's flush and shipping him a pot worth over $2,500,000 in chips. 

The Great Dane Doubles Up... Without Showdown

Within one orbit Gus Hansen moved in four times and  picked up at least $81,000 each time without even seeing a flop.  He moved in from the small blind, the button, the cutoff and later from early position, and increased his stack from around $400,000  to nearly $800,000 in that orbit.  When Hansen finally saw a flop from the small blind the board came down A A A and Gus was bet out of the pot.  Hansen was still by far ahead of were he started the orbit, and it seems that his putting the pressure on his opponents has so far worked in his favor.

Eliminations

Willie Tann - 77th place ($106,382)
Josh Evans -  76th place ($106,382)
Leonard Pruzanski - 75th place ($106,382)
RIchard Murnick - 74th ($106,382)
Huck Seed - 73rd place ($106,382)
Billy Willis - 72nd place ($130,288)
Warren Karp - 71st Place ($130,288)
Ed De Haas - 70th place ($130,288)
Brandon Adams- 69th place ($130,288)

Adams was short stacked and found himself all-in with 10 6 against an opponent's A 2.  The board came down Q 9 3 7 K and Adams was eliminated.  With Huck Seed's elimination Scotty Nguyen became the only remaining main event champ in the field.

Scotty Nguyen	3,000,000
Bill Edler	1,700,000
Daniel Alaei	1,250,000
Gus Hansen	800,000
Kirk Morrison	755,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	3,300,000
Rep Porter	2,745,000
Jeff Banghart	1,900,000
Jason Welch	1,760,000
Ryan Lawrence	1,000,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen,   Brandon Adams,   Josh Evans,   Scott Freeman

Hour One Recap

Jul 15, '07

The first hour of play on day six is over and already the field has narrowed to 31 players. ESPN film crews are swarming the tournament area in an effort to catch every piece of action and the shuffling of personnel has given the tournament area the feel of a madhouse. A player can't so much as raise the blinds without a camera directly in his face watching every moment.

Tran Donates a Little
David Tran came into day six as the official chip leader by only $30,000 but has taken a few hits in the first hour and has slipped down the leaderboard. Tran got involved in a pot with Jeff Bryan and both players saw a flop of A Q 4. Tran led out with a bet of $285,000 and Bryan called. The turn was the 6 and this time Tran turned up the heat with a $625,000 bet. Bryan thought for a moment and declared that he was all in for $1,215,000 more. Tran eyed his opponent and mucked his hand. Bryan picked up almost a $1,000,000 in chips without ever having to show his hand.

Movin' On Up
Shortly before being moved to the ESPN featured table, Daniel Alaei raised to $165,000 under the gun. David Tran, Philip Hilm and Jeff Bryan all made the call. "This would be a good time to get aces" joked Ryan Elson who was in the big blind. Elson looked at his cards and said "I raise." Elson counted out the $165,000 he owed and then said "I'm all in." The raise was for $1,540,000. Alaei folded, as did Tran. Hilm called from the four seat and Bryan got out of the way. Elson turned over 10 10 and Hilm was holding 6 6. The flop came 8 5 4 and Elson stood out of his seat and started yelling to his fans on the rail. The turn was the 9 and Elson started yelling for paint on the river. The river brought the Q and Elson doubled to over $3,000,000. While Elson stacked his newly acquired chips, he was so happy after doubling up that he folded his small blind without ever looking at his cards.

Freeman Takes a Hit
Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman took a $3,000,000 hit in the first hour courtesy of Raymone Rahme. Freeman and Rahme were all in before the flop with Freeman showing pocket kings and Rahme holding pocket aces. The board bricked out for both players and Rahme's aces held up, giving him the almost $6,000,000 pot.

Kevin Kim Eliminated in 32nd Place ($285,678)
Paulo Loureiro raised to $200,000 from the button and Kevin Kim reraises all in from the small blind for $380,000 more. Louriero thought for a moment and called. Kim showed A K and Loureiro was holding A 9. The flop came J 9 8 and Louriero jumped into the lead. The turn was the Q and Kim picked up a few more outs. Any spade, ten or king would give Kim the pot and keep him alive. The river proved unkind for Kim when it brought the 6. Louriero took down the pot and Kim was eliminated in 32nd place.

Recent Eliminations
36th Place - Robin Bergren ($285,678)
35th Place - Allan King ($285,678)
34th Place - Hoa Nguyen ($285,678)
33rd Place - Christian Togsverd ($285,678)
32nd Place - Kevin Kim ($285,678)

Notables

Lee Watkinson	3,650,000
Daniel Alaei	2,900,000
Alex Kravchenko	1,430,000
Scotty Nguyen	1,400,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	7,100,000
Jason Welch	1,525,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Hoa Nguyen,   David Tran,   Robin Bergren,   Paulo Loureiro,   Kevin Kim,   Philip Hilm,   Jeff Bryan,   Christian Togsverd,   Allan King,   Raymond Rahme,   Ryan Elson,   Scott Freeman

Main Event Update

Jul 14, '07

Josh Evans Eliminated 76th

Evans moves all with A6 and is called by Pokerstars qualifier Jason Welsh with A10.   The board comes KJ8J9, making Welsh the nut flush and sending Evans home in 76th place.

Scott Freeman Wins Huge Pot

Avi Cohen limps from early position and Freeman raises to $100,000.  Cohen makes the call and the flop comes K96.  Cohen checks and Freeman bets $175,000.  Cohen thinks then makes the call.  The turn is the 10 and Cohen leads for $400,000.  Freeman reraises all in for around $1,010,000, and Cohen quickly makes the call with 87.  Freeman rolls over 86, and is drawing to a backdoor flush to stay alive.  As the ESPN cameras crown the table, Freeman mouths, "one time" then looks up into the roof of the Amazon Room.  The river brings the 5, making Freeman's flush and shipping him a pot worth over $2,500,000 in chips. 

The Great Dane Doubles Up... Without Showdown

Within one orbit Gus Hansen moved in four times and  picked up at least $81,000 each time without even seeing a flop.  He moved in from the small blind, the button, the cutoff and later from early position, and increased his stack from around $400,000  to nearly $800,000 in that orbit.  When Hansen finally saw a flop from the small blind the board came down A A A and Gus was bet out of the pot.  Hansen was still by far ahead of were he started the orbit, and it seems that his putting the pressure on his opponents has so far worked in his favor.

Eliminations

Willie Tann - 77th place ($106,382)
Josh Evans -  76th place ($106,382)
Leonard Pruzanski - 75th place ($106,382)
RIchard Murnick - 74th ($106,382)
Huck Seed - 73rd place ($106,382)
Billy Willis - 72nd place ($130,288)
Warren Karp - 71st Place ($130,288)
Ed De Haas - 70th place ($130,288)
Brandon Adams- 69th place ($130,288)

Adams was short stacked and found himself all-in with 10 6 against an opponent's A 2.  The board came down Q 9 3 7 K and Adams was eliminated.  With Huck Seed's elimination Scotty Nguyen became the only remaining main event champ in the field.

Scotty Nguyen	3,000,000
Bill Edler	1,700,000
Daniel Alaei	1,250,000
Gus Hansen	800,000
Kirk Morrison	755,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	3,300,000
Rep Porter	2,745,000
Jeff Banghart	1,900,000
Jason Welch	1,760,000
Ryan Lawrence	1,000,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen,   Brandon Adams,   Josh Evans,   Scott Freeman

Hour One Recap

Jul 15, '07

The first hour of play on day six is over and already the field has narrowed to 31 players. ESPN film crews are swarming the tournament area in an effort to catch every piece of action and the shuffling of personnel has given the tournament area the feel of a madhouse. A player can't so much as raise the blinds without a camera directly in his face watching every moment.

Tran Donates a Little
David Tran came into day six as the official chip leader by only $30,000 but has taken a few hits in the first hour and has slipped down the leaderboard. Tran got involved in a pot with Jeff Bryan and both players saw a flop of A Q 4. Tran led out with a bet of $285,000 and Bryan called. The turn was the 6 and this time Tran turned up the heat with a $625,000 bet. Bryan thought for a moment and declared that he was all in for $1,215,000 more. Tran eyed his opponent and mucked his hand. Bryan picked up almost a $1,000,000 in chips without ever having to show his hand.

Movin' On Up
Shortly before being moved to the ESPN featured table, Daniel Alaei raised to $165,000 under the gun. David Tran, Philip Hilm and Jeff Bryan all made the call. "This would be a good time to get aces" joked Ryan Elson who was in the big blind. Elson looked at his cards and said "I raise." Elson counted out the $165,000 he owed and then said "I'm all in." The raise was for $1,540,000. Alaei folded, as did Tran. Hilm called from the four seat and Bryan got out of the way. Elson turned over 10 10 and Hilm was holding 6 6. The flop came 8 5 4 and Elson stood out of his seat and started yelling to his fans on the rail. The turn was the 9 and Elson started yelling for paint on the river. The river brought the Q and Elson doubled to over $3,000,000. While Elson stacked his newly acquired chips, he was so happy after doubling up that he folded his small blind without ever looking at his cards.

Freeman Takes a Hit
Scott "SCTrojans" Freeman took a $3,000,000 hit in the first hour courtesy of Raymone Rahme. Freeman and Rahme were all in before the flop with Freeman showing pocket kings and Rahme holding pocket aces. The board bricked out for both players and Rahme's aces held up, giving him the almost $6,000,000 pot.

Kevin Kim Eliminated in 32nd Place ($285,678)
Paulo Loureiro raised to $200,000 from the button and Kevin Kim reraises all in from the small blind for $380,000 more. Louriero thought for a moment and called. Kim showed A K and Loureiro was holding A 9. The flop came J 9 8 and Louriero jumped into the lead. The turn was the Q and Kim picked up a few more outs. Any spade, ten or king would give Kim the pot and keep him alive. The river proved unkind for Kim when it brought the 6. Louriero took down the pot and Kim was eliminated in 32nd place.

Recent Eliminations
36th Place - Robin Bergren ($285,678)
35th Place - Allan King ($285,678)
34th Place - Hoa Nguyen ($285,678)
33rd Place - Christian Togsverd ($285,678)
32nd Place - Kevin Kim ($285,678)

Notables

Lee Watkinson	3,650,000
Daniel Alaei	2,900,000
Alex Kravchenko	1,430,000
Scotty Nguyen	1,400,000

Pokerstars Online Qualifiers

Hevad Khan	7,100,000
Jason Welch	1,525,000

pokerstars.com

Player Tags: Hoa Nguyen,   David Tran,   Robin Bergren,   Paulo Loureiro,   Kevin Kim,   Philip Hilm,   Jeff Bryan,   Christian Togsverd,   Allan King,   Raymond Rahme,   Ryan Elson,   Scott Freeman