Alessio Isaia Poker Tournament Updates

Eugene Katchalov Wins Event #5 ($122,909)

Jun 04, '11

Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 2nd Place ($75,911)

Alessio Isaia started heads-up play with a huge chip advantage over Eugene Katchalov, but after slowly chipping and putting his way to the chip lead, Katchalov had eventually chiseled Isaia’ stack down to just 30,000 after winning a big pot with two pair against Isaia’s smaller two pair.

On the final hand, Alessio Isaia was all in on third street with (K 8) J against Katchalov’s (A 3) 9.

The final cards were dealt and Katchalov rivered two pair to beat Isaia’s pair of kings and a bunch of missed draws.

Katchalov: A 3 9 8 5 9 A
Isaia: K 8 J 10 K 9

Alessio Isaia was eliminated in 2nd place ($75,911) while Eugene Katchalov clawed his was back from the short stack to win Event #5 ($122,909) and his first gold bracelet.

Player Tags: Eugene Katchalov,   Alessio Isaia

Level 24: Katchalov Takes Chip Lead

Jun 04, '11

NOTE: Players will break for twenty minutes at the conclusion of this level and will return at approximately 11:30pm to resume play in Level 25.

Ante: 5,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 20,000
Limits: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 357

Average Chip Count: 803,250

Chip Counts:

1. Eugene Katchalov – 1,000,000
2. Alessio Isaia – 600,000

Katchalov Chipping Up

Eugene Katchalov started off heads-up play severely outchipped by more than five to one, but managed to double up early and win a few small pots to gain some footing.

After chipping his way back up a bit, Katchalov opened with the 7, Isaia completed the bet with the 10, Katchalov raised and Isaia called.

Fourth Street: Katchalov bet out with 7 K and Isaia called with 10 J.

Fifth Street: Isaia made an ace on fifth street and bet out with 10 J A, Katchalov raised with 7 K 5 and Isaia called.

Sixth Street: Isaia paired his jack and checked to Katchalov who paired his seven. Katchalov bet, Isaia check-raised, Katchalov three-bet and Isaia called.

River: Isaia checked, Katchalov bet and Isaia called.

Isaia: 10 J A J
Katchalov: 7 K 5 7 (K 9 7)

Katchalov turned over a full house and brought himself right back in the game with just under 700,000 to Isaia’s 900,000.

Katchalov Takes Chip Lead

Severely narrowing the chip deficit in the hand before, Eugene Katchalov completed the bet with the J after Alessio Isaia opened with the 7. Isaia then raised and Katchalov called.

Fourth Street: Katchalov checked J 3, Isaia bet 7 2 and Katchalov called.

Fifth Street: Katchalov checked J 3 Q, Isaia bet 7 2 Q, Katchalov check-raised and Isaia called.

Sixth Street: Isaia paired his deuce and bet out, Katchalov raised and Isaia called.

River: Isaia checked with 7 2 Q 2, Katchalov bet and Isaia called. Katchalov showed J 3 Q 6 (A J 5) for a flush and took the chip lead this hand with just under one million to Isaia’s 600,000.

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

Player Tags: Eugene Katchalov,   Alessio Isaia

Level 23: Heads-Up; Buchman 3rd, Spinks 4th

Jun 04, '11

Ante: 3,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 15,000
Limits: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 357

Average Chip Count: 803,250

Chip Counts:

1. Alessio Isaia – 1,350,000
2. Eugene Katchalov – 250,000

Eliminations:

3rd. Eric Buchman – $48,961
4th. Jonathan Spinks – $35,476

Jonathan Spinks Eliminated in 4th Place ($35,476)

Third Street: Eric Buchman opened with the 6, Alessio Isaia completed the bet with the 7, Jonathan Spinks raised with the K, Buchman reraised, Isaia folded and Spinks called.

Fourth Street: Spinks checked K 4, Buchman bet 6 J and Spinks called.

Fifth Street: Spinks paired his king and and got it all in against Buchman’s jack-high.

Spinks: (10 10) K 4 K 9
Buchman: (8 6) 6 J 9 6

Spinks was ahead with two pair on fifth street when the money went in, but Buchman made trip sixes on sixth street. Spinks failed to improve on the river and was eliminated in 4th place ($35,476), while Buchman grabbed the chip lead with just under 900,000.

Eric Buchman Eliminated in 3rd Place ($48,961)

Eric Buchman and Alessio Isaia have been getting involved in a lot of big pots this past level. Early in the level Isaia took the chip lead for just under one million after catching a straight on the river.

Buchman continued to lose some pretty big showdowns to Isaia until finally getting the last of his chips in the middle on fifth street with (K Q) 4 5 8 against Alessio Isaia’s (Q J) 8 J 9.

Isaia made a straight on sixth street and Eric Buchman was eliminated in 3rd place ($48,961).

The final hands were…

Buchman: (K Q) 4 5 8 7 10
Isaia: (Q J) 8 J 9 10 Q

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

Player Tags: Eric Buchman,   Eugene Katchalov,   Alessio Isaia

Level 20: Six Remain; Eslami 7th, Lazarou 8th

Jun 04, '11

Ante: 2,000
Low Card: 2,000
Completion: 8,000
Limits: 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 357

Average Chip Count: 267,750

Chip Counts:

1. Eugene Katchalov – 525,000
2. Eric Buchman – 455,000
3. Jonathan Spinks – 320,000
4. Alessio Isaia – 151,000
5. Dennis Parker – 125,000
6. Kai Landry – 40,000

Eliminations:

7th. Ali Eslami – $14,723
8th. Vasili Lazarou – $11,301

Eslami Doubles Through Isaia

Eslami had dropped down to the short stack with less than two full big bets at one point before he managed to double through the former chip leader, Alessio Isaia in this hand.

Third Street: Alessio Isaia completed with the K, Ali Eslami raised with the A and Isaia called.

Fourth Street: Isaia paired his door card (K K) and got it all in against Eslami’s A 4.

Eslami: A 4 5 7 (A 3 A)
Isaia: K K 8 3 (K 9 7)

Isaia was ahead with trip kings, but Eslmai nailed a third ace on the river (trip aces) to double up to 80,000. Isaia was down to 140,000 after this hand.

Vasili Lazarou Eliminated in 8th Place ($11,301)

Vasili Lazarou was eliminated by Eugene Katchalov in a two-part series, with Lazarou losing all of his chips except for one single bet on the hand right before his elimination.

Lazarou went all the way to seventh street with 10 J 2 8 against Katchalov’s A 5 J A, but folded to a blind bet by Katchalov on the river.

On the very next hand, Lazarou got it all in on third street with the 4 against Katchalov’s A.

Lazarou ended up with a pair of threes 4 9 6 A (3 5 3) while Katchalov double-paired and made a flush on the river with A A 2 2 7 6 K. Katchalov secured the chip lead after these hands with over 500,000 while Vasili Lazarou was eliminated in 8th place ($11,301).

Ali Eslami Eliminated in 7th Place ($14,723)

Third Street: Jonathan Spinks came in with the low card (3), Ali Eslami completed with the Q, Eugene Katchalov called with the 7 and Spinks called the raise.

Fourth Street: Eslami bet with Q J, Katchalov called with 7 6 and Spinks folded 3 2.

Fifth Street: Eslami bet Q J A, Katchalov raised 7 6 10 and Eslami called all in.

Eslami showed Q 5 for split queens and Katchalov showed 8 7 for split eights.

Sixth Street: Katchalov made two pair with the 8 and Eslami fell behind with the 7.

River: Katchalov makes a final board of 7 6 10 8 (8 7 5) for two pair while Eslami bricks with Q J A 7 (Q 5 K) for one pair. Ali Eslami is eliminated in 7th place ($14,723).

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

Player Tags: Ali Eslami,   Eugene Katchalov,   Vasili Lazarou,   Alessio Isaia

Ausmus Eliminated 9th; Final Table Now Underway

Jun 04, '11

NOTE: The final nine players consolidated down to one table, and with the elimination of Jeremy Ausmus in 9th place ($8,800), the official eight-handed final table began at around 4:20pm.

Level: 19
Ante: 1,500
Low Card: 1,500
Completion: 6,000
Limits: 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 357

Average Chip Count: 200,812

Chip Counts:

1. Eric Buchman – 386,500
2. Jonathan Spinks – 263,500
3. Alessio Isaia – 228,000
4. Eugene Katchalov – 195,000
5. Kai Landry – 153,000
6. Vasili Lazarou – 140,000
7. Dennis Parker – 94,000
8. Ali Eslami – 80,000

Payouts:

1st. $122,909
2nd. $75,911
3rd. $48,961
4th. $35,476
5th. $26,083
6th. $19,546
7th. $14,723
8th. $11,301

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

Player Tags: Eric Buchman,   Ali Eslami,   Eugene Katchalov,   Dennis Parker,   Vasili Lazarou,   Alessio Isaia,   Kai Landry

Level One Hour Two Update: Dario Minieri Eliminated

Jul 07, '10

Blinds: 50-100

Average Chip Counts 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

David Williams – 80,000
Johnny Chan – 65,000
Adam Junglen – 52,000
Leo Margets – 47,000
Andy Seth – 45,300
Jennifer Leigh – 45,000
Pieter de Korver – 43,000
Jason Gray – 42,000
Thayer Rasmussen – 40,100
Brian Rast – 40,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Steve Murphy — 37,800
Christina Lindley — 35,500
Dani Stern — 30,000
Tony Dunst — 29,700

Notable Eliminations:

Dario Minieri

Big Hands:

Oppenheim Gets Caught

The player in seat 2 raised to 325 preflop and Paul Magrill made the call from late position. David Oppenheim also made the call and the flop came down 765.

Seat 2 and Magrill each checked and Oppenheim bet 500. Seat 2 made the call but Magrill got out of the way. The turn was the 8 and seat 2 checked. Oppenheim bet 1,600 and seat 2 called.

The river was the Q and seat 2 check-called 2,200 from Oppenheim.

“You got it,” Oppenheim said as he tapped the table. “No pair.”

Seat 2 tabled 75 for two pair on the flop and took down the pot. Oppenheim was at 23,000 after the hand.

Eric Baldwin Loses Minimum

Picking up the action on the flop, the board read K6610 and there was 700 in the pot.

The player in seat 7 checked and Eric Baldwin did the same. The A fell on the river and both players checked once more.

Seat 7 then tabled K9 and Baldwin mucked. He was at 30,500 after the hand.

Chau Giang Takes One Off Antonio Esfandiari

On a board of AQ610 Antontio Esfandiari checked from the small blind. Chau Giang checked from the button. Both players then checked the 8 river with 2,000 in the pot. Giang tabled the Q9 and Esfandiari mucked. Giang was up to 29,000 after the hand.

Christian Harder Wins with Set-Over-Set

Christian Harder bet a QJ6 flop. His opponent raised him all in for about 12,000. Harder made the call with a set of jacks. His opponent showed the 66 for bottom set. Harder’s opponent failed to hit the one outer and Harder was back up 25,000 after the hand.

Dario Minieri Eliminated

A player from middle position bet 4,000 on a J84 flop. Dario Minieri moved all in for 23,000 total. Minieri’s opponent called with pocket kings. Minieri tabled the K9 for a flush draw. The 5 on the turn and the 9 on the river were bricks for Minieri and he was eliminated. Minieri had a decent 2010 World Series of Poker. He cashed four times but fell short of making any real noise. The bracelet-winner’s highest finish this year was eighth place in the $10,000 seven card stud 8 or better championship.

Gray Cuts Isaia With His Diamonds

Picking up the action after the board had run out J43A2, there was 10,000 in the pot.

Jason Gray fired 4,000 and Alessio Isaia decided to look him up. Gray turned over QJ for the flush and Isaia mucked. Gray took in the pot and was at 42,000 while Isaia slipped to 16,125.

Hawrilenko Can’t Steal It

The player in seat 2 raised to 300 and Matt Hawrilenko made the call from the button. The blinds also called and the flop came down A76.

Action was checked to Hawrilenko and he bet 500. Everyone threw in the call and the turn was the 2. Everyone checked to see the 9 on the river.

Action checked to seat 2 and he bet 800. Hawrilenko folded and the blinds followed suit as seat 2 took the pot. Hawrilenko was at 33,000 after the hand.

Sexton Not Happy About His Runner-Runner Flush

Mike Sexton was heads up with the player in seat 3 when the flop came JK3. Both players checked, but when the 8 hit on the turn Sexton fired out a bet of 600. Seat 3 called.

The river was the 6 and Sexton bet 1,500. Seat 3 reraised, doubling Sexton’s bet to 3,000.

As Sexton thought it over seat 3 said, “Runner-runner,” and smiled, alluding to the runner-runner flush he had made.

Sexton responded with, “I see that. The thing is, I made runner-runner.”

Sexton eventually called, and sure enough both players were telling the truth. Their hands:

Seat 3: AQ
Sexton: 109

Seat 3 showed the ace-high flush and Sexton’s 10-high flush was no good. He sighed and turned to watch the conclusion of the Germany-Spain World Cup action. He had around 26,400 in chips after the loss.

Jaka Makes Big Lay Down

Entering the action late, Faraz Jaka looked pained as he pondered his opponent’s bet of 13,000 on a board of AQ8K7. Jaka eventually folded AQ face up. He still had around 35,000 after the hand.

CardPlayer TV

Day 1C Begins

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Chau Giang,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Jason Gray,   Dario Minieri,   Eric Baldwin,   Christian Harder,   Alessio Isaia

Level 18: Money Bubble Bursts

Jul 03, '10

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Remaining: 35 out of 346

Average Chip Count: 296,571

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Tom Dwan – 902,000
2. Julio Marines – 570,000
3. Seamus Cahill – 545,000
4. Alessio Isaia – 540,000
5. Danny Wong – 480,000
6. Ludovic Lacay – 475,000
7. Miguel Proulx – 445,000
8. Dmitry Stelmak – 410,000
9. Jonathan Cantor – 400,000
10. Michael Binger – 375,000

Notable Eliminations:

Eli Elezra
Chau Giang

Big Hands:

Chau Giang Eliminated

Chau Giang moved all in preflop for his last 65,000 and David Ullliot came over the top for the rest of his chips, which were 30,000 more. Matthew Wheat made the call to put both players at risk.

Giang: AKK3
Ulliott: 10987
Wheat: KQJ10

The board ran out A8628 and Ulliott made trips to eliminate Giang and double up to 210,000.

Elezra Eliminated As Money Bubble Bursts

Alessio Isaia limped in from the small blind and Eli Elezra raised to 30,000 from the big blind. Isaia made the call and the flop fell A32.

Elezra moved all in and Isaia made a quick call.

Elezra: AJ65
Isaia: 9754

Elezra had top pair but Isaia flopped a wheel and the board finished off Q and 8 to eliminated Elezra.

On the other tables, Noah Schwartz and Tore Lagerborg were both eliminated to burst the money bubble.

Player Tags: Eli Elezra,   Chau Giang,   Alessio Isaia

Level One: Turner And Lindgren Start Off Well

Jun 09, '10

Blinds: 50-75 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 70

Notable Eliminations:

None

Players Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Justin Smith
Jean-Robert Bellande
Doyle Brunson
Vanessa Rousso
Barry Greenstein
Chad Brown

Big Hands:

Turner Bets Out Chen And Monnette

Picking up the action on the draw, John Monnette stood pat, Yan Chen drew one card and Jon Turner drew two cards.

Chen then led out with 400 and Monnette quickly folded. Turner then popped it to 1,600 and Chen released his hand just as quickly as Monnette.

Turner took the 1,600 pot and was off to a good start.

Brown’s Nine Bests Alaei

We caught up with this hand at showdown and Chad Brown turned over 9-6-4-3-2. Alaei mucked his hand and Brown took an early 800 chip pot, his three add-on chips still by his side.

Bellande Gets Jacked

Alessio Isaia raised to 1,800 and Jean-Robert Bellande made the call. Bellande drew one card while Isaia stood pat.

Bellande then fired 3,600 and Isaia thought for a few moments before making the call.

“I got a queen,” Bellande said as he tapped the table.

Isaia showed J-9-7-6-2 and he took a nice pot early in the day.

Greenstein Takes One Down

Jean-Robert Bellande raised to 250 before the draw and he was called by John Kabbaj and Barry Greenstein.

Bellande stood pat, Kabbaj took one and Greenstein took two cards on the draw. The three players then checked and Greenstein turned over a perfect jack-low, J-5-4-3-2.

He took down the 1,000-chip pot and was off to a positive start.

Lindgren Takes Pot Off Four Players

Erik Seidel, John D’Agostino, Nikolay Evdakov, Erick Lindgren and the player in seat 6 each had 300 in the pot before the draw.

Seidel and D’Agostino each drew two cards, Lindgren and seat 6 drew one and Evdakov stood pat.

Lindgren then led out for 900 and only Evdakov stuck around to look him up. Lindgren showed 9-6-5-4-3 and Evdakov mucked, surrendering the 1,350 pot to Lindgren.

Mizrachi Beats Seed

Huck Seed raised to 225 and Michael Mizrachi three-bet to 600. Seed made the call and Mizrachi stood pat on the draw.

Seed drew one card and both players checked. Mizrachi then turned over 10-9-8-4-2 and Seed mucked, surrendering the 1,350 pot to Mizrachi.

Left In The Deck

Reload When Ready

The players have started the tournament with 7,500 in chips in front of them. But they also have three red add-on chips worth 7,500, thus making the starting stacks equal 30,000. The players are free to use the chips at any time during the first four levels, after which they will be forced to cash them in.

Come Back In 45 Minutes

Freddy Deeb and Steve Sung were just a couple of players who registered late for this event. As a result, the floor has told them that they will be a part of the second flight and must return at the beginning of the second level. The entrants list reads 70 at the moment, but that number is sure to grow by the time the dinner break hits after level four.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Erick Lindgren,   Barry Greenstein,   Huck Seed,   John D'Agostino,   Michael Mizrachi,   John Monnette,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Steve Sung,   Jon Turner,   Freddy Deeb,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Alessio Isaia

Level 21: Marco Johnson Eliminated In 13th, Isaia 12th, Altbregin 11th, Lind 10th

Jun 08, '10

Blinds: Ante 5,000, Bring-In 5,000, 20,000-40,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 9 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 566,667

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Kirill Rabstov – 955,000
2. Jennifer Harman – 822,000
3. Dario Minieri – 620,000
4. John Juanda – 600,000
5. Steve Zolotow – 570,000
6. Allen Kessler – 450,000
7. Vladimir Schmelev – 370,000
8. Frank Kassela – 330,000
9. Gary Benson – 276,000

Notable Eliminations:

13. Marco Johnson — $32,439
12. Alessio Isaia — $37,297
11. Sergey Altbregin — $37,297
10. George Lind — $43,833

Big Hands:

Juanda Takes A Pot Off Kassela

Frank Kassela bet 10,000 on third street and John Juanda raised to 20,000. Kassela made the call and Juanda led out for 10,000 on fourth street.

Kassela called again and the A on fifth street gave him the lead in the hand. He proceeded to lead out for 20,000 on the next three streets with Juanda calling every time.

Juanda showed down a broadway straight and Kassela mucked. Juanda took the nice pot and was at 634,000. Kassela was down to 685,000.

Kessler Nearly Quadruples Up To Escape The Short Stack

Allen Kessler was all in by fourth street and in a pot against John Juanda, Frank Kassela and George Lind. Here were their boards:

Kessler: 2K84
Lind: 55K7
Kassela: Q668
Juanda: 5310Q

Juanda folded on the river but Kessler turned over A35 for the wheel and scooped the main pot to get his ailing stack healthy fast to 380,000.

Marco Johnson Eliminated In 13th Place

Marco Johnson was all in by fifth street against Dario Minieri. Here were their boards:

Johnson: (75J)3356
Minieri: (JQ8)JQ55

Minieri’s queens and jacks bested Johnson’s fives and threes and Johnson hit the rail.

Alessio Isaia Eliminated In 12th Place

Alessio Isaia was all in on fifth street against Steve Zolotow. By the time all the cards were dealt, Zolotow made two pair, 5544.

Isaia could only salvage one pair and was eliminated.

Sergey Altbregin Eliminated In 11th Place, George Lind Eliminated In 10th Place

Sergey Altbregin was eliminated when John Juanda made aces-up to defeat Altbregin’s lone pair of aces.

Lind was eliminated a few hands later when he was scooped by Vladimir Schmelev’s ace-high flush and 7-6 low.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   John Juanda,   Steve Zolotow,   Allen Kessler,   Marco Johnson,   Alessio Isaia,   Sergey Altbregin

Things are Slow; Pots are Big

Jan 21, '09

Things have slowed down here as the clock ticks down towards end of play.

Some unknowns have managed to acquire some large chip stacks, and the table featuring the "Devilfish" has broken up with only minutes left to go - adding some spice to the mix.

Jesper Hougaard called another player's all-in for 15,475, and before he even had the time to get the chips out, the player flipped over pocket aces.

Hougaard had to then get the chips together and put them in, but remained hopeful as he flipped over pocket queens.

The board came down: 765102

"Argh!" sighed Hougaard.

On a table nearby Alessio Isaia took down another big pot with AK versus pocket sixes.

The board came down completely in the illuminous pink-haired Isaia's favor: AA325.

He is sitting on about 88,000 in chips now.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard,   Alessio Isaia

Isaia Back on the Straight and Narrow

Jan 21, '09

In a pot that had amounted to more than 10,000 chips by the flop, Alessio Isaia went all-in for his last 2,200 with KQ.

His opponent called him with A2 and the pot was then worth more than 15,000.

The turn was the 4 and the river the 10.

Isaia hit his straight on the river and chipped up, much to the frustration of his opponent, who banged the table in disgust.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Lets One Go

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia, on the button, raises to 6,200. Olaf De-Zeeuw reraised to 17,400.

Isaia considers it... and then folds. The illuminous pink-haired Italian resorts to a bag of colorful Haribo sweets at his feet for a consolation.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 13th Place (€23,200)

Jan 23, '09

Alessio Isaia shoves all-in from under the gun with 10-7. Thomas Delattre calls from the big blind with Q-10.

The board is Q-5-4-A-X.

Isaia should be able to afford more hair dye however as he doesn't go home empty handed. He is in fact €23,200 richer for 13th place.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Italy Versus England

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia raises to 16,500 and Dave Ulliott calls. The flop falls J22 and both players check.

The turn is the 5. Ulliott checks and Isaia checks.

The river is the 7, Ulliott bets 20,000 and after some thought Isaia folds.

Uliott shows 8-7 for a pair of sevens on the river.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Pink Haired Monster

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia has just doubled up with A-K versus J B Bot's A-Q. The board was pretty uneventful: 10-9-5-6-J.

J B Bot has very little now, and a purple-shirted pink-haired Isaia is slowly building his stack.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Things are Slow; Pots are Big

Jan 21, '09

Things have slowed down here as the clock ticks down towards end of play.

Some unknowns have managed to acquire some large chip stacks, and the table featuring the "Devilfish" has broken up with only minutes left to go - adding some spice to the mix.

Jesper Hougaard called another player's all-in for 15,475, and before he even had the time to get the chips out, the player flipped over pocket aces.

Hougaard had to then get the chips together and put them in, but remained hopeful as he flipped over pocket queens.

The board came down: 765102

"Argh!" sighed Hougaard.

On a table nearby Alessio Isaia took down another big pot with AK versus pocket sixes.

The board came down completely in the illuminous pink-haired Isaia's favor: AA325.

He is sitting on about 88,000 in chips now.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard,   Alessio Isaia

Isaia Back on the Straight and Narrow

Jan 21, '09

In a pot that had amounted to more than 10,000 chips by the flop, Alessio Isaia went all-in for his last 2,200 with KQ.

His opponent called him with A2 and the pot was then worth more than 15,000.

The turn was the 4 and the river the 10.

Isaia hit his straight on the river and chipped up, much to the frustration of his opponent, who banged the table in disgust.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Lets One Go

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia, on the button, raises to 6,200. Olaf De-Zeeuw reraised to 17,400.

Isaia considers it... and then folds. The illuminous pink-haired Italian resorts to a bag of colorful Haribo sweets at his feet for a consolation.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 13th Place (€23,200)

Jan 23, '09

Alessio Isaia shoves all-in from under the gun with 10-7. Thomas Delattre calls from the big blind with Q-10.

The board is Q-5-4-A-X.

Isaia should be able to afford more hair dye however as he doesn't go home empty handed. He is in fact €23,200 richer for 13th place.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Italy Versus England

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia raises to 16,500 and Dave Ulliott calls. The flop falls J22 and both players check.

The turn is the 5. Ulliott checks and Isaia checks.

The river is the 7, Ulliott bets 20,000 and after some thought Isaia folds.

Uliott shows 8-7 for a pair of sevens on the river.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Pink Haired Monster

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia has just doubled up with A-K versus J B Bot's A-Q. The board was pretty uneventful: 10-9-5-6-J.

J B Bot has very little now, and a purple-shirted pink-haired Isaia is slowly building his stack.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Things are Slow; Pots are Big

Jan 21, '09

Things have slowed down here as the clock ticks down towards end of play.

Some unknowns have managed to acquire some large chip stacks, and the table featuring the "Devilfish" has broken up with only minutes left to go - adding some spice to the mix.

Jesper Hougaard called another player's all-in for 15,475, and before he even had the time to get the chips out, the player flipped over pocket aces.

Hougaard had to then get the chips together and put them in, but remained hopeful as he flipped over pocket queens.

The board came down: 765102

"Argh!" sighed Hougaard.

On a table nearby Alessio Isaia took down another big pot with AK versus pocket sixes.

The board came down completely in the illuminous pink-haired Isaia's favor: AA325.

He is sitting on about 88,000 in chips now.

Player Tags: Jesper Hougaard,   Alessio Isaia

Isaia Back on the Straight and Narrow

Jan 21, '09

In a pot that had amounted to more than 10,000 chips by the flop, Alessio Isaia went all-in for his last 2,200 with KQ.

His opponent called him with A2 and the pot was then worth more than 15,000.

The turn was the 4 and the river the 10.

Isaia hit his straight on the river and chipped up, much to the frustration of his opponent, who banged the table in disgust.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Lets One Go

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia, on the button, raises to 6,200. Olaf De-Zeeuw reraised to 17,400.

Isaia considers it... and then folds. The illuminous pink-haired Italian resorts to a bag of colorful Haribo sweets at his feet for a consolation.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 13th Place (€23,200)

Jan 23, '09

Alessio Isaia shoves all-in from under the gun with 10-7. Thomas Delattre calls from the big blind with Q-10.

The board is Q-5-4-A-X.

Isaia should be able to afford more hair dye however as he doesn't go home empty handed. He is in fact €23,200 richer for 13th place.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Italy Versus England

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia raises to 16,500 and Dave Ulliott calls. The flop falls J22 and both players check.

The turn is the 5. Ulliott checks and Isaia checks.

The river is the 7, Ulliott bets 20,000 and after some thought Isaia folds.

Uliott shows 8-7 for a pair of sevens on the river.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Pink Haired Monster

Jan 22, '09

Alessio Isaia has just doubled up with A-K versus J B Bot's A-Q. The board was pretty uneventful: 10-9-5-6-J.

J B Bot has very little now, and a purple-shirted pink-haired Isaia is slowly building his stack.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

Alessio Isaia Flushed Away

Dec 11, '08

The next player to go is Petter Petterson from Sweden in 42nd place (€8,300). Alessio Isaia hit the rail shortly after him in 41st for the same amount.

When Isaia saw the river card on a board of J106J9, he thought he had managed to double up. But he was sadly mistaken. His KQ may have made a straight on the river, but Manuel Bevand's pocket aces were still winning. All it took was the little heart on one of Bevand's aces to flush Isaia out of the event.

Player Tags: Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Table - Isaia 4th ($50,122) / Hunt 3rd ($68,686)

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 3,000
Bring-In: 5,000
Completion: 15,000

Players Left: 2

Chip Counts:
Ryan Hughes: 1,082,000
Ron Long: 550,000

Eliminations:
Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 4th Place ($50,122)
Thomas Hunt Eliminated in 3rd Place ($68,686)

Big Hands:

Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 4th Place ($50,122)

Hughes brought it in with the 2 and Isaia completed with the 10. Hughes raised and Isaia called. Hughes checked the K on fourth street and Isaia bet the 6. Hughes paired his king on fifth street (K) while Isaia paired as well (6). Hughes took the betting lead back on fifth street and continued on sixth street as well.

Hughes: 2KK3 - K54
Isaia: 10669 - AA2

Hughes threw in a final bet on seventh street and Isaia called for the rest of his chips. Hughes turned over three kings and scooped the pot, Isaia showed aces up (aces and sixes). Alessio Isaia was eliminated in 4th place ($50,122).

Thomas Hunt Eliminated in 3rd Place ($68,686)

Against the chip leader Ryan Hughes, a short stacked Thomas Hunt got it all in with the 2 in the door. Hughes called the slight raise with the 3.

Hunt: 22104 - Q53
Hughes: 3Q2J - 843

All in on third street, the best hand Hunt could make by the river was pair of deuces (high) and a busted low draw. Hughes made a pair of threes to scoop the pot and eliminated Thomas Hunt in 3rd place ($68,686).

And Then There Were Two...
Thomas Hunt (3rd)  was eliminated just moments into Level 23 and Ryan Hughes led Ron Long into heads-up play.

Ryan Hughes: 1,317,000
Ron Long: 315,000

Player Tags: Ronald Long,   Ryan Hughes,   Thomas Hunt,   Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Table - Ryan Hughes Up Over 1 Million

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 3,000
Bring-In: 5,000
Completion: 15,000

Players Left: 4

Chip Counts:
Ryan Hughes: 1,010,000
Ron Long: 265,000
Alessio Isaia: 220,000
Thomas Hunt: 140,00

Big Hands:

Play has slowed down considerably here over the past round while Ryan Hughes extends his chip lead to over 1 million. With a 4:1 chip lead over second place, all of the other players seem to be taking turns as the short stack, fighting for the
crumbs as Hughes continues to widen his lead.

Thomas Hunt Doubles Through Alessio Isaia

Thomas Hunt got it all in on fifth street and Alessio Isaia had him covered.

Hunt: 8A5Q - 853
Isaia: AJ86 - K22

All in on fifth street, Hunt made two pair (eights and fives) by seventh street and Isaia finished with just one pair of deuces. With no qualifying low hand either, Thomas Hunt scooped the pot and doubled up to about 125,000.

Player Tags: Ronald Long,   Ryan Hughes,   Thomas Hunt,   Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Table - David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 2,000
Bring-In: 3,000
Completion: 10,000

Players Left: 7

Chip Counts:
Alessio Isaia: 350,000
Jonas Klausen: 338,000
Ryan Hughes: 250,000
Ron Long: 224,000
Josh Feldman: 200,000
Tim D’Alessandro: 140,000
Thomas Hunt: 54,000

Eliminations:
David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th place ($19,306)

Storylines:

Final Table Set

With the elimination of James Richburg (9th) right before the level change, the final eight players took a half-hour break to prepare for the final table. Here was what the final table (eight-handed) looked like as play began in Level 20.

Seat 1: Tim D’Alessandro - 140,000
Seat 2: Jonas Klausen - 338,000
Seat 3: David Sklasnsky - 66,000
Seat 4: Josh Feldman - 200,000
Seat 5: Ryan Hughes - 400,000
Seat 6: Ron Long - 224,000
Seat 7: Alessio Isaia - 220,000
Seat 8: Thomas Hunt - 31,000

Richburg’s elimination took place at just about 4:00 pm, and preparations for the final table took longer than expected. Cards didn’t get back into the air until about 4:35 pm, and here is what has happened since then…

Big Hands:

Alessio Isaia Takes Chip Lead

Alessio Isaia brought it in with the 2 and Ryan Hughes completed the bet with the 2. Isaia called and continued to bet all the way down through seventh street. Hughes looked him up.

Isaia: 2746 - AJ3
Hughes: 293K - X-X-X

The players had a showdown on the river where Isaia turned over a jack-high flush (high) and a 6-4-3-2-A low, scooping the pot and taking the chip from Hughes with almost 350,000. After the hand, former chip leader Ryan Hughes fell down to just about 250,000.

David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Down to his last 8,000 in chips, Davis Sklansky called all in with the 8 when Tim D’Alessandro completed the bet with the 4. Ryan Hughes raised the side pot with the 7 and D’Alessandro called.

D’Alessandro: 42AA
Hughes: 7Q105
Sklansky: 8Q67

D’Alessandro and Hughes both checked on fourth and fifth street, D’Alessandro bet on sixth street and Hughes called. Both players checked the river and Alessandro turned over a third ace for trip aces (high) while Hughes showed a 7-5-4-3-2 low. D’Alessandro and Hughes split both the side and main pots as David Sklansky was eliminated in 8th place ($19,306).

Player Tags: Ryan Hughes,   David Sklansky,   Timothy D'Alessandro,   Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Day - Hefer (13th), Brooker (12th), Nicewander ($11th), Macre (10th), Richburg (9th)

Jun 28, '08

Note: The remaining eight players have just taken a short fifteen-minute break in order to prepare for the final table, which should begin shortly.

Ante: 2,000
Bring-In: 2,000
Completion: 8,000

Players Left: 8

Chip Counts:
Jonas Klausen: 346,000
Ron Long: 185,000
Alessio Isaia: 172,000
Josh Feldman: 121,000
David Sklansky: 110,000
Thomas Hunt: 101,000
Tim D'Allesandro: 82,000
Ryan Hughes: 80,000

Eliminations:
Mike Hefer Eliminated in 13th Place ($8,168)
David Brooker Eliminated in 12th place ($11,880)
Daniel Nicewander Eliminated in 11th place ($11,880)
Margaret Macre Eliminated in 10th Place ($15,593)
James Richburg Eliminated in 9th Place ($15,593)

Big Hands:

Mike Hefer Eliminated in 13th Place ($8,168)

Alessio Isaia brought it in for 2,000 with the 7 and Mike Hefer limped in with the K.

Isaia: 7476 - 742
Hefer: KJ46 - X-X-X

Hefer hit a jack on fourth street and bet out, Isaia called. Isaia then paired sevens on fifth street and took the betting lead, this time Hefer called him. Isaia bet again on sxith street and Hefer raised all in, Isasi called. Isaia turned over a full house and Mike Hefer was eliminated in 13th place, earning $8,168.

David Brooker Eliminated in 12th Place ($11,880)

Ron Long brought it in with the 6 and David Brooker completed the bet with the A. Long called the raise.

Long: 6257 - 883
Brooker: AKQ8 - J72

Brooker hit a king on fourth street and bet out. Long called with a deuce. Brooker checked a queen on fifth street and Long bet with a five. Brooker called all in for the rest of his chips. By seventh street, Brooker had to failed to make a single pair or a qualifying low hand. Long made a pair of eights and it was good enough to scoop the pot, and as a result, David Brooker was eliminated in 12th place ($11,880).

Daniel Nicewander Eliminated in 11th Place ($11,880)

Hughes: JK93 - 663
Nicewander: A6QK - X-X-X

Ryan Hughes took the betting lead from the start and Daniel Nicewander had committed all of his chips by the river, calling him down and coming up short on seventh street. Hughes turned over two pair (sixes and threes) for the high hand and Nicewander threw his hand away, failing to catch a better high hand or make a qualifying low. Hughes scooped the pot and Daniel Nicewander was eliminated in 11th place ($11,880). 

Margaret Macre Eliminated in 10th Place ($15,593)

Margaret limped in with the 9 as did Josh Feldman with the 8.

Macre: 98A2 - 98-X
Feldman: 8377 - AA5

Feldman took the betting lead on fourth street and Macre called. On fifth street, Macre bet out with the ace and Feldman raised. Macre called the raise all in. Macre made two pair (nines and eights) by the river where Feldman made aces up. With no qualifying low hand for Macre, Feldman scooped the pot and Margaret Macre was eliminated in 10h place ($15,593).

James Richburg Eliminated in 9th place ($15,593)

Alessio Isaia brought it in with the 4, Josh Feldman raised with the 7, and James Richburg reraised all in with the 9. Both Feldman and Isaia called the raise and continued to pay heads-up for the side pot.

Feldman: 75510 - AA2
Isaia: 43Q8 - 763
Richburg: 9QKQ - X-X-X

Side Pot: Feldman bet out on both fourth and fifth street, Isaia called. On sixth street, Feldman checked, Isaia bet, and Feldman called. Isia and Feldman turn over their hands for the side pot, Feldmna with aces up (high) and Isaia with the 8-7-6-4-3 low. Feldman and Isaia split the side pot as Richburg tosses his hand in the muck. James Richburg is eliminated in 9th place ($15,593) and Feldman and Isaia split the main pot as well

Player Tags: Ronald Long,   Ryan Hughes,   Dave Brooker,   Alessio Isaia,   Mike Hefer,   Daniel Nicewander