Annie Duke Poker Tournament Updates

Level Three Hour Two Update: Jeff Madsen Eliminated

Jul 07, '10

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break. They will return to action at 8:20.

Blinds: 150-300

Average Chip Counts 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Barny Boatman – 144,000
2. Alex Outhred – 99,000
3. David Williams – 84,000
4. Kai Paulsen – 81,000
5. Johnny Chan – 75,000
6. Leo Margets – 71,000
7. Robert Mizrachi – 70,000
8. Lex Veldhuis – 68,700
9. Adam Junglen – 63,000
10. Will Failla – 61,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Stephen A. Murphy — 27,000
Christina Lindley — 35,500
Dani Stern — 30,000
Tony Dunst — 29,700

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Madsen

Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Eric Froehlich
Alex Outhred
Scotty Nguyen
Phil Hellmuth
Jennifer Leigh
Shanna Moakler
Antonio Esfandiari
Nick Maimone
Dennis Phillips
Bryan Devonshire
Annie Duke

Big Hands:

Jeff Madsen Eliminated

A player in middle position bet 600 and Jeff Madsen shoved for 3,600. A player in the small blind called. The original bettor called as well. The flop came J75 and action went check-check. The 6 fell on the turn and the small blind bet 5,000. The other player called. The 2 on the river prompted two checks and Madsen tabled the 1010. However, his opponent in the small blind exposed the QQ and won the hand. Madsen was eliminated. He had just three cashes at the 2010 World Series of Poker with no final tables.

Heather Mercer Doubles Up an Opponent

Heather Mercer bet 850 on the button. The small blind called and the big blind raised to 2,500. Mercer, she four-bet to 10,000. The small blind folded and the big blind called all in for 6,000. Mercer tabled pocket eights but was dominated by the AA of her opponent. The board offered no help to Mercer and she doubled up her opponent. Mercer was at 16,500 after the hand.

Filippi Beats Ace-High

Picking up the action on the flop of Q72, Amnon Filippi and three other players checked.

There was 3,200 in the pot and the 7 fell on the turn. All of the players checked again and the J came on the river.

Everyone checked one last time and the player in seat 3 showed ace-high.

“I can beat that,” Filippi said as two players mucked in front of him.

He turned over J8 for rivered jacks and he took down the pot. He was at 54,000.

Veldhuis Muscles Out Opponent

Picking up the action after the board had run out AQ6J10 and Lex Veldhuis bet 7,000.

The player in seat 6 went in the tank and then mucked his hand with a look of disgust on his face.

Veldhuis raked in the pot and he was at 68,000.

Duke Hurting

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 84410. Annie Duke fired 2,075 into the pot and the player in seat 5 made the call.

The river was the A and Duke checked. Seat 5 did the same and Duke announced she had king-high. Seat 5 then turned over J10 for the best hand.

Duke dropped the pot and she was down to 19,300.

Markholt Triples Up To Stay Alive

In a four-way pot Lee Markholt got his last 3,800 in on a flop of 276 and was at risk against two other players who also got all in. Their hands:

Markholt: AJ
Opponent 1: 1010
Opponent 2: KK

Markholt trailed the pocket pairs but the best hand was about to change. The turn brought the 10, giving a set to the first opponent. But on the river the 8 fell to give Markholt the flush. He took the pot, trippling up to 15,100 in chips.

Mizrachi Climbiing, KOs Opponent

A player in early position raised to 825 and Robert Mizrachi reraised to 2,250. A third player, from the big blind, raised yet again to 4,875.

The player in early position folded and Mizrachi just called. The flop came 829 and the big blind bet 6,375. Mizrachi moved all in, having his opponent covered and was called. Their hands:

Mizrachi: KK
Opponent: QQ

Mizrachi had the better pocket pair and his kings would hold through the 9 turn and 6 river. He eliminated his opponent and found himself with more than 100,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Update

David Williams Slipping

A player in middle position raised to 800. David Williams called from the hijack. The flop came 1087. It was checked to Williams. He bet 1,800 and his opponent called. The turn brought the Q and it was checked to Williams again. Williams bet 4,100 this time and it was called. The A on the river prompted another checked from Williams’ opponent. Williams bet 11,000 and his opponent quickly called with the AA for top set. Williams mucked and was down to 84,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Lee Markholt,   Annie Duke,   Amnon Filippi,   David Williams,   Jeff Madsen,   Lex Veldhuis

Level Six Hour One Update: Ted Lawson Busts

Jul 09, '10

NOTE: Here is the break down of the schedule for the rest of the day:

Level 7
First Half of Level 8
Dinner Break: 90 minutes
Second Half of Level 8
First Half of Level 9

Day 2A will end around 11 p.m.

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,412 out of 2,412

Average Chip Count:

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman – 113,325
Matt Matros – 50,000
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 36,400
Steven A. Murphy – 23,500
Justin Marchand – 23,400
Adam Schoenfeld – 23,000
Bryan Devonshire – 13,800

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Corwin Cole – 230,000
2. Mathieu Sauriol – 217,000
3. Dwyen Ringbauer – 192,000
4. Andrew Liporace – 178,000
5. Lauren Kling – 168,000
6. Jorn Walthaus – 160,000
7. Josef Monro 152,000
8. Barny Boatman – 150,000
9. Johnny Chan – 149,000
10. Michael Reed – 142,125

Notable Eliminations:

James Akenhead
Ted Lawson
Rob Hollink

Big Hands:

Ted Lawson Eliminated

After the flop came down Q65, seat 7 fired 5,000. Ted Lawson was next to act and he took his time to make a decision.

The bet was more than a third of his remaining stack and after much deliberation, he finally moved all in. His opponent snap-called and they showed their hands:

Lawson: 99
Seat 7: AQ

Lawson was trailing and the board finished off J and A and Lawson was eliminated.

Seiver Takes One

Scott Seiver raised to 1,100 preflop and the player in seat 8 made the call. The flop came down Q94 and Seiver led out with 2,000.

His opponent decided to let it go there before losing any more chips and Seiver took down the pot. He was at 54,000.

Mizrachi Bluff Fails

We got to the table after the board had run out A5323. The player in seat 9 had fired a bet and Michael Mizrachi raised to almost 30,000.

His opponent tanked long and the ESPN cameras caught all the action. Finally, seat 9 made the call and Mizrachi lightly tapped the table.

“Ace-jack?” Mizrachi inquired.

His opponent turned over A10 for aces-up and Mizrachi dropped a big pot. He was at 95,000 after the hand.

Alaei Doubles

Daniel Alaei and his opponent got all of the money in the middle on a flop of J97.

Daniel Alaei showed J10 and had the lead against his opponent’s A7. The turn was the 9 and the river bricked off, doubling up Alaei to 30,000.

Duke Scores a Double

On a flop of 3210, Annie Duke checked and her opponent bet 8,000. Duke check-raised to 17,500 and her opponent went into the tank and thought for three minutes before moving all-in. Duke snap-called and tabled 33 and left her opponent drawing very thin with his KK.

The ESPN crew was called over to film the all-in pot. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 6, eliminating her opponent and doubling Duke up to 130,000.

After the hand, Duke joked with the rest of her table about how painful it can be to wait so long for each card to be dealt with the cameras filming.

Sneaky Kaplan Gets Caught

On a flop of J97 Gabe Kaplan checked to Luca Pagano, who bet 2,300.

After some deliberation and asking the dealer what the bet was, Kaplan threw out 5,300. The floor was called over, eventually deciding that Kaplan’s bet was merely a call.

Action continued as both players checked the 7 turn. When the K fell on the river Kaplan led out for 3,100 and Pagano paused for thought. He called and as Kaplan announced “queen-high,” Pagano turned over 49 for two pair to take the pot and chip up to around 31,000.

Kaplan had just 10,400 after the hand.

Cole Going Strong

On a board of 10Q3K, the day’s starting chip leader Corwin Cole checked to his opponent, who bet 6,000 from the button.

Cole check-raised to 35,000, putting his opponent all in for essentially 16,000. His opponent called and they showed down:

Cole: K10
Opponent: K9

Cole held two pair to his opponent’s one pair and straight draw. The 8 river helped neither player and Corwin busted another player while chipping up to 230,000.

Mueller Takes One Down

Greg Mueller check-raised his opponent from 1,600 to 4,400 on a flop of KK3. His opponent called and the turn brought the A.

Mueller checked and called when his opponent fired 6,000 into the pot on the turn. The 6 fell on the river and both players checked. Mueller showed A7 for two pair and his opponent mucked.

Mueller had 34,000 after the hand.

Scotty Gets Action

Scotty Nguyen and two other players saw a flop of AA5. The first player bet 2,500, Nguyen called, and the third party made it 7,500. The first player folded and Nguyen moved all-in for 18,650.

His opponent went into the tank for a solid five minutes before calling. Nguyen showed 55, giving him a full house and was ahead of the A4 of his opponent.

The turn was the K and the river was the Q and Nguyen doubled up to 62,000.

Hasan Habib Gets a Knockout

The player on the button raised to 1,200 and Hasan Habib made it 7,000 from the big blind. The button then moved all-in for his last 20,000 and Habib made the call.

Habib showed AK and was ahead of the button’s QJ. The flop came AA5, giving Habib trips and leaving his opponent nearly drawing dead. The turn was the 4 and the river was the 3, giving the pot to Habib, as he moved up to 72,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Annie Duke,   Hasan Habib,   Ted Lawson,   Michael Mizrachi,   Gabe Kaplan,   Daniel Alaei,   Scott Seiver,   Corwin Cole

Level 13 Hour Two Update: Boatman Ousted, Greenstein Doubles

Jul 13, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 1,125 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 195,173

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — 170,000
Adam Schoenfeld — 80,000
Jon Freidberg — 106,000
Shannon Shorr — 431,500
Tony Dunst — 400,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. James Carroll – 803,000
2. Imari Love – 741,100
3. Gerasimos Deres – 733,700
4. Filippo Candio – 727,300
5. Max Casal – 687,200
6. Arie Kilper – 666,200
7. Andrew Brown – 657,700
8. Johnny Lodden – 656,400
9. Johnny Chan – 636,000
10. Josh Brikis – 616,900

Notable Eliminations:

Barny Boatman
Matt Savage
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Barny Boatman’s Day 4 Cut Short

On one of the first hands of the day, Barny Boatman moved all in for 54,800 after the flop had come down 842. One player called and then Chad Wutke reshoved for 120,000 more to isolate Boatman.

It worked as the other player mucked and Wutke tabled 99 for an overpair. Boatman tabled 65 for an inside straight draw.

The turn and river each added a queen to the board, bricking out for Boatman and he was eliminated early on.

Shorr-line Drive

Picking up the action after the board had run out 33243 a player was all in for 30,000.

Shannon Shorr was putting him at risk with pocket jacks and they held up against the ace-king of the all in player.

Shorr scored the knockout and he was at 431,500.

Duke Slips

Picking up the action after the flop came down QQ9, the cutoff fired 7,400 and Annie Duke made the call from the button.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was 8 and the action was checked to Duke. She bet 11,000 and the cutoff made the call.

Duke mucked as her opponent showed AK for two pair. She was down to about 140,000.

Schoenberg Folds to Aggression

The player under-the-gun raised to 7,500 and the player in the cutoff made the call. Erica Schoenberg was in the small blind and decided to make it an additional 16,000.

The under-the-gun player called and the cutoff tanked for two minutes before making the fold. The flop came 963 and Schoenberg led out for 26,500.

After just a few seconds, her opponent made it 65,500, which essentially put Schoenberg to a decision for her stack. Schoenberg took a few minutes before letting her hand go and she dropped to 70,000 in chips.

Greenstein Doubles

Barry Greenstein got all-in preflop and was a huge favorite for his tournament life.

Greenstein showed QQ and his opponent showed 99. The flop was huge for Greenstein as it came K8Q and Greenstein had his opponent drawing to runners.

The turn was the 9, which gave his opponent a lesser set, and one out going to the river. The river was the 4 and Greenstein doubled up to 158,000.

South’s Stack Moves South

Cole South raised to 5,500 and called a three-bet to 17,500 from the player on the button.

The flop came Q62 and both players checked. The turn was the 8 and South checked and called a bet of 25,000 from his opponent. The river was the J and both players checked again.

South showed pocket nines, but his opponent got there on the river when he showed the J9. South now has 457,000 in chips.

Cunningham Gets Rockets to Double

Allen Cunningham scored a double up when he got all-in preflop with AA and his opponent held AK.

The board ran out 103585 and Cunningham doubled up to 175,000.

Savage Eliminated

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 6,000 under-the-gun and Matt Savage moved all-in for his last 35,000. It folded to David Frazee on the button who moved all-in over the top and had Lunkin covered.

Lunkin went deep into the tank for quite a while. Eventually, after double checking his cards, he tossed his hand into the muck. Frazee and Savage went to showdown and Savage didn’t like what he saw.

Savage had AQ and was up against Frazee’s KK. The board came out 29562 and Savage was eliminated.

Shulman Drops A Big One

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J839 and the player in seat 3 fired 36,000 into a pot holding over 70,000.

Barry Shulman threw in the call and the river was the Q. Seat 3 fired another bet, this one about 56,000. Shulman made the call as the ESPN cameras looked on.

Seat 3 tabled JJ for top set on the flop and Shulman simply mucked. He was down to 170,000 after the hand.

Tran Takes One Down

After the board ran out A9786, Theo Tran fired 25,500 into a pot holding about 70,000.

His opponent in seat 1 thought it over but then threw his hand in the muck, surrendering the pot to Tran.

Tran added to his stack with the win and he was at 195,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Allen Cunningham,   Barry Shulman,   Barny Boatman,   Shannon Shorr,   Theo Tran,   Erica Schoenberg,   Cole South

Level Three Hour Two Update: Jeff Madsen Eliminated

Jul 07, '10

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break. They will return to action at 8:20.

Blinds: 150-300

Average Chip Counts 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Barny Boatman – 144,000
2. Alex Outhred – 99,000
3. David Williams – 84,000
4. Kai Paulsen – 81,000
5. Johnny Chan – 75,000
6. Leo Margets – 71,000
7. Robert Mizrachi – 70,000
8. Lex Veldhuis – 68,700
9. Adam Junglen – 63,000
10. Will Failla – 61,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Stephen A. Murphy — 27,000
Christina Lindley — 35,500
Dani Stern — 30,000
Tony Dunst — 29,700

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Madsen

Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Eric Froehlich
Alex Outhred
Scotty Nguyen
Phil Hellmuth
Jennifer Leigh
Shanna Moakler
Antonio Esfandiari
Nick Maimone
Dennis Phillips
Bryan Devonshire
Annie Duke

Big Hands:

Jeff Madsen Eliminated

A player in middle position bet 600 and Jeff Madsen shoved for 3,600. A player in the small blind called. The original bettor called as well. The flop came J75 and action went check-check. The 6 fell on the turn and the small blind bet 5,000. The other player called. The 2 on the river prompted two checks and Madsen tabled the 1010. However, his opponent in the small blind exposed the QQ and won the hand. Madsen was eliminated. He had just three cashes at the 2010 World Series of Poker with no final tables.

Heather Mercer Doubles Up an Opponent

Heather Mercer bet 850 on the button. The small blind called and the big blind raised to 2,500. Mercer, she four-bet to 10,000. The small blind folded and the big blind called all in for 6,000. Mercer tabled pocket eights but was dominated by the AA of her opponent. The board offered no help to Mercer and she doubled up her opponent. Mercer was at 16,500 after the hand.

Filippi Beats Ace-High

Picking up the action on the flop of Q72, Amnon Filippi and three other players checked.

There was 3,200 in the pot and the 7 fell on the turn. All of the players checked again and the J came on the river.

Everyone checked one last time and the player in seat 3 showed ace-high.

“I can beat that,” Filippi said as two players mucked in front of him.

He turned over J8 for rivered jacks and he took down the pot. He was at 54,000.

Veldhuis Muscles Out Opponent

Picking up the action after the board had run out AQ6J10 and Lex Veldhuis bet 7,000.

The player in seat 6 went in the tank and then mucked his hand with a look of disgust on his face.

Veldhuis raked in the pot and he was at 68,000.

Duke Hurting

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 84410. Annie Duke fired 2,075 into the pot and the player in seat 5 made the call.

The river was the A and Duke checked. Seat 5 did the same and Duke announced she had king-high. Seat 5 then turned over J10 for the best hand.

Duke dropped the pot and she was down to 19,300.

Markholt Triples Up To Stay Alive

In a four-way pot Lee Markholt got his last 3,800 in on a flop of 276 and was at risk against two other players who also got all in. Their hands:

Markholt: AJ
Opponent 1: 1010
Opponent 2: KK

Markholt trailed the pocket pairs but the best hand was about to change. The turn brought the 10, giving a set to the first opponent. But on the river the 8 fell to give Markholt the flush. He took the pot, trippling up to 15,100 in chips.

Mizrachi Climbiing, KOs Opponent

A player in early position raised to 825 and Robert Mizrachi reraised to 2,250. A third player, from the big blind, raised yet again to 4,875.

The player in early position folded and Mizrachi just called. The flop came 829 and the big blind bet 6,375. Mizrachi moved all in, having his opponent covered and was called. Their hands:

Mizrachi: KK
Opponent: QQ

Mizrachi had the better pocket pair and his kings would hold through the 9 turn and 6 river. He eliminated his opponent and found himself with more than 100,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Update

David Williams Slipping

A player in middle position raised to 800. David Williams called from the hijack. The flop came 1087. It was checked to Williams. He bet 1,800 and his opponent called. The turn brought the Q and it was checked to Williams again. Williams bet 4,100 this time and it was called. The A on the river prompted another checked from Williams’ opponent. Williams bet 11,000 and his opponent quickly called with the AA for top set. Williams mucked and was down to 84,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Lee Markholt,   Annie Duke,   Amnon Filippi,   David Williams,   Jeff Madsen,   Lex Veldhuis

Level Six Hour One Update: Ted Lawson Busts

Jul 09, '10

NOTE: Here is the break down of the schedule for the rest of the day:

Level 7
First Half of Level 8
Dinner Break: 90 minutes
Second Half of Level 8
First Half of Level 9

Day 2A will end around 11 p.m.

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,412 out of 2,412

Average Chip Count:

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman – 113,325
Matt Matros – 50,000
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 36,400
Steven A. Murphy – 23,500
Justin Marchand – 23,400
Adam Schoenfeld – 23,000
Bryan Devonshire – 13,800

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Corwin Cole – 230,000
2. Mathieu Sauriol – 217,000
3. Dwyen Ringbauer – 192,000
4. Andrew Liporace – 178,000
5. Lauren Kling – 168,000
6. Jorn Walthaus – 160,000
7. Josef Monro 152,000
8. Barny Boatman – 150,000
9. Johnny Chan – 149,000
10. Michael Reed – 142,125

Notable Eliminations:

James Akenhead
Ted Lawson
Rob Hollink

Big Hands:

Ted Lawson Eliminated

After the flop came down Q65, seat 7 fired 5,000. Ted Lawson was next to act and he took his time to make a decision.

The bet was more than a third of his remaining stack and after much deliberation, he finally moved all in. His opponent snap-called and they showed their hands:

Lawson: 99
Seat 7: AQ

Lawson was trailing and the board finished off J and A and Lawson was eliminated.

Seiver Takes One

Scott Seiver raised to 1,100 preflop and the player in seat 8 made the call. The flop came down Q94 and Seiver led out with 2,000.

His opponent decided to let it go there before losing any more chips and Seiver took down the pot. He was at 54,000.

Mizrachi Bluff Fails

We got to the table after the board had run out A5323. The player in seat 9 had fired a bet and Michael Mizrachi raised to almost 30,000.

His opponent tanked long and the ESPN cameras caught all the action. Finally, seat 9 made the call and Mizrachi lightly tapped the table.

“Ace-jack?” Mizrachi inquired.

His opponent turned over A10 for aces-up and Mizrachi dropped a big pot. He was at 95,000 after the hand.

Alaei Doubles

Daniel Alaei and his opponent got all of the money in the middle on a flop of J97.

Daniel Alaei showed J10 and had the lead against his opponent’s A7. The turn was the 9 and the river bricked off, doubling up Alaei to 30,000.

Duke Scores a Double

On a flop of 3210, Annie Duke checked and her opponent bet 8,000. Duke check-raised to 17,500 and her opponent went into the tank and thought for three minutes before moving all-in. Duke snap-called and tabled 33 and left her opponent drawing very thin with his KK.

The ESPN crew was called over to film the all-in pot. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 6, eliminating her opponent and doubling Duke up to 130,000.

After the hand, Duke joked with the rest of her table about how painful it can be to wait so long for each card to be dealt with the cameras filming.

Sneaky Kaplan Gets Caught

On a flop of J97 Gabe Kaplan checked to Luca Pagano, who bet 2,300.

After some deliberation and asking the dealer what the bet was, Kaplan threw out 5,300. The floor was called over, eventually deciding that Kaplan’s bet was merely a call.

Action continued as both players checked the 7 turn. When the K fell on the river Kaplan led out for 3,100 and Pagano paused for thought. He called and as Kaplan announced “queen-high,” Pagano turned over 49 for two pair to take the pot and chip up to around 31,000.

Kaplan had just 10,400 after the hand.

Cole Going Strong

On a board of 10Q3K, the day’s starting chip leader Corwin Cole checked to his opponent, who bet 6,000 from the button.

Cole check-raised to 35,000, putting his opponent all in for essentially 16,000. His opponent called and they showed down:

Cole: K10
Opponent: K9

Cole held two pair to his opponent’s one pair and straight draw. The 8 river helped neither player and Corwin busted another player while chipping up to 230,000.

Mueller Takes One Down

Greg Mueller check-raised his opponent from 1,600 to 4,400 on a flop of KK3. His opponent called and the turn brought the A.

Mueller checked and called when his opponent fired 6,000 into the pot on the turn. The 6 fell on the river and both players checked. Mueller showed A7 for two pair and his opponent mucked.

Mueller had 34,000 after the hand.

Scotty Gets Action

Scotty Nguyen and two other players saw a flop of AA5. The first player bet 2,500, Nguyen called, and the third party made it 7,500. The first player folded and Nguyen moved all-in for 18,650.

His opponent went into the tank for a solid five minutes before calling. Nguyen showed 55, giving him a full house and was ahead of the A4 of his opponent.

The turn was the K and the river was the Q and Nguyen doubled up to 62,000.

Hasan Habib Gets a Knockout

The player on the button raised to 1,200 and Hasan Habib made it 7,000 from the big blind. The button then moved all-in for his last 20,000 and Habib made the call.

Habib showed AK and was ahead of the button’s QJ. The flop came AA5, giving Habib trips and leaving his opponent nearly drawing dead. The turn was the 4 and the river was the 3, giving the pot to Habib, as he moved up to 72,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Annie Duke,   Hasan Habib,   Ted Lawson,   Michael Mizrachi,   Gabe Kaplan,   Daniel Alaei,   Scott Seiver,   Corwin Cole

Level 13 Hour Two Update: Boatman Ousted, Greenstein Doubles

Jul 13, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 1,125 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 195,173

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — 170,000
Adam Schoenfeld — 80,000
Jon Freidberg — 106,000
Shannon Shorr — 431,500
Tony Dunst — 400,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. James Carroll – 803,000
2. Imari Love – 741,100
3. Gerasimos Deres – 733,700
4. Filippo Candio – 727,300
5. Max Casal – 687,200
6. Arie Kilper – 666,200
7. Andrew Brown – 657,700
8. Johnny Lodden – 656,400
9. Johnny Chan – 636,000
10. Josh Brikis – 616,900

Notable Eliminations:

Barny Boatman
Matt Savage
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Barny Boatman’s Day 4 Cut Short

On one of the first hands of the day, Barny Boatman moved all in for 54,800 after the flop had come down 842. One player called and then Chad Wutke reshoved for 120,000 more to isolate Boatman.

It worked as the other player mucked and Wutke tabled 99 for an overpair. Boatman tabled 65 for an inside straight draw.

The turn and river each added a queen to the board, bricking out for Boatman and he was eliminated early on.

Shorr-line Drive

Picking up the action after the board had run out 33243 a player was all in for 30,000.

Shannon Shorr was putting him at risk with pocket jacks and they held up against the ace-king of the all in player.

Shorr scored the knockout and he was at 431,500.

Duke Slips

Picking up the action after the flop came down QQ9, the cutoff fired 7,400 and Annie Duke made the call from the button.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was 8 and the action was checked to Duke. She bet 11,000 and the cutoff made the call.

Duke mucked as her opponent showed AK for two pair. She was down to about 140,000.

Schoenberg Folds to Aggression

The player under-the-gun raised to 7,500 and the player in the cutoff made the call. Erica Schoenberg was in the small blind and decided to make it an additional 16,000.

The under-the-gun player called and the cutoff tanked for two minutes before making the fold. The flop came 963 and Schoenberg led out for 26,500.

After just a few seconds, her opponent made it 65,500, which essentially put Schoenberg to a decision for her stack. Schoenberg took a few minutes before letting her hand go and she dropped to 70,000 in chips.

Greenstein Doubles

Barry Greenstein got all-in preflop and was a huge favorite for his tournament life.

Greenstein showed QQ and his opponent showed 99. The flop was huge for Greenstein as it came K8Q and Greenstein had his opponent drawing to runners.

The turn was the 9, which gave his opponent a lesser set, and one out going to the river. The river was the 4 and Greenstein doubled up to 158,000.

South’s Stack Moves South

Cole South raised to 5,500 and called a three-bet to 17,500 from the player on the button.

The flop came Q62 and both players checked. The turn was the 8 and South checked and called a bet of 25,000 from his opponent. The river was the J and both players checked again.

South showed pocket nines, but his opponent got there on the river when he showed the J9. South now has 457,000 in chips.

Cunningham Gets Rockets to Double

Allen Cunningham scored a double up when he got all-in preflop with AA and his opponent held AK.

The board ran out 103585 and Cunningham doubled up to 175,000.

Savage Eliminated

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 6,000 under-the-gun and Matt Savage moved all-in for his last 35,000. It folded to David Frazee on the button who moved all-in over the top and had Lunkin covered.

Lunkin went deep into the tank for quite a while. Eventually, after double checking his cards, he tossed his hand into the muck. Frazee and Savage went to showdown and Savage didn’t like what he saw.

Savage had AQ and was up against Frazee’s KK. The board came out 29562 and Savage was eliminated.

Shulman Drops A Big One

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J839 and the player in seat 3 fired 36,000 into a pot holding over 70,000.

Barry Shulman threw in the call and the river was the Q. Seat 3 fired another bet, this one about 56,000. Shulman made the call as the ESPN cameras looked on.

Seat 3 tabled JJ for top set on the flop and Shulman simply mucked. He was down to 170,000 after the hand.

Tran Takes One Down

After the board ran out A9786, Theo Tran fired 25,500 into a pot holding about 70,000.

His opponent in seat 1 thought it over but then threw his hand in the muck, surrendering the pot to Tran.

Tran added to his stack with the win and he was at 195,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Allen Cunningham,   Barry Shulman,   Barny Boatman,   Shannon Shorr,   Theo Tran,   Erica Schoenberg,   Cole South

Level Three Hour Two Update: Jeff Madsen Eliminated

Jul 07, '10

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break. They will return to action at 8:20.

Blinds: 150-300

Average Chip Counts 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Barny Boatman – 144,000
2. Alex Outhred – 99,000
3. David Williams – 84,000
4. Kai Paulsen – 81,000
5. Johnny Chan – 75,000
6. Leo Margets – 71,000
7. Robert Mizrachi – 70,000
8. Lex Veldhuis – 68,700
9. Adam Junglen – 63,000
10. Will Failla – 61,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Stephen A. Murphy — 27,000
Christina Lindley — 35,500
Dani Stern — 30,000
Tony Dunst — 29,700

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Madsen

Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Eric Froehlich
Alex Outhred
Scotty Nguyen
Phil Hellmuth
Jennifer Leigh
Shanna Moakler
Antonio Esfandiari
Nick Maimone
Dennis Phillips
Bryan Devonshire
Annie Duke

Big Hands:

Jeff Madsen Eliminated

A player in middle position bet 600 and Jeff Madsen shoved for 3,600. A player in the small blind called. The original bettor called as well. The flop came J75 and action went check-check. The 6 fell on the turn and the small blind bet 5,000. The other player called. The 2 on the river prompted two checks and Madsen tabled the 1010. However, his opponent in the small blind exposed the QQ and won the hand. Madsen was eliminated. He had just three cashes at the 2010 World Series of Poker with no final tables.

Heather Mercer Doubles Up an Opponent

Heather Mercer bet 850 on the button. The small blind called and the big blind raised to 2,500. Mercer, she four-bet to 10,000. The small blind folded and the big blind called all in for 6,000. Mercer tabled pocket eights but was dominated by the AA of her opponent. The board offered no help to Mercer and she doubled up her opponent. Mercer was at 16,500 after the hand.

Filippi Beats Ace-High

Picking up the action on the flop of Q72, Amnon Filippi and three other players checked.

There was 3,200 in the pot and the 7 fell on the turn. All of the players checked again and the J came on the river.

Everyone checked one last time and the player in seat 3 showed ace-high.

“I can beat that,” Filippi said as two players mucked in front of him.

He turned over J8 for rivered jacks and he took down the pot. He was at 54,000.

Veldhuis Muscles Out Opponent

Picking up the action after the board had run out AQ6J10 and Lex Veldhuis bet 7,000.

The player in seat 6 went in the tank and then mucked his hand with a look of disgust on his face.

Veldhuis raked in the pot and he was at 68,000.

Duke Hurting

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 84410. Annie Duke fired 2,075 into the pot and the player in seat 5 made the call.

The river was the A and Duke checked. Seat 5 did the same and Duke announced she had king-high. Seat 5 then turned over J10 for the best hand.

Duke dropped the pot and she was down to 19,300.

Markholt Triples Up To Stay Alive

In a four-way pot Lee Markholt got his last 3,800 in on a flop of 276 and was at risk against two other players who also got all in. Their hands:

Markholt: AJ
Opponent 1: 1010
Opponent 2: KK

Markholt trailed the pocket pairs but the best hand was about to change. The turn brought the 10, giving a set to the first opponent. But on the river the 8 fell to give Markholt the flush. He took the pot, trippling up to 15,100 in chips.

Mizrachi Climbiing, KOs Opponent

A player in early position raised to 825 and Robert Mizrachi reraised to 2,250. A third player, from the big blind, raised yet again to 4,875.

The player in early position folded and Mizrachi just called. The flop came 829 and the big blind bet 6,375. Mizrachi moved all in, having his opponent covered and was called. Their hands:

Mizrachi: KK
Opponent: QQ

Mizrachi had the better pocket pair and his kings would hold through the 9 turn and 6 river. He eliminated his opponent and found himself with more than 100,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Update

David Williams Slipping

A player in middle position raised to 800. David Williams called from the hijack. The flop came 1087. It was checked to Williams. He bet 1,800 and his opponent called. The turn brought the Q and it was checked to Williams again. Williams bet 4,100 this time and it was called. The A on the river prompted another checked from Williams’ opponent. Williams bet 11,000 and his opponent quickly called with the AA for top set. Williams mucked and was down to 84,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Lee Markholt,   Annie Duke,   Amnon Filippi,   David Williams,   Jeff Madsen,   Lex Veldhuis

Level Six Hour One Update: Ted Lawson Busts

Jul 09, '10

NOTE: Here is the break down of the schedule for the rest of the day:

Level 7
First Half of Level 8
Dinner Break: 90 minutes
Second Half of Level 8
First Half of Level 9

Day 2A will end around 11 p.m.

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,412 out of 2,412

Average Chip Count:

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman – 113,325
Matt Matros – 50,000
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 36,400
Steven A. Murphy – 23,500
Justin Marchand – 23,400
Adam Schoenfeld – 23,000
Bryan Devonshire – 13,800

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Corwin Cole – 230,000
2. Mathieu Sauriol – 217,000
3. Dwyen Ringbauer – 192,000
4. Andrew Liporace – 178,000
5. Lauren Kling – 168,000
6. Jorn Walthaus – 160,000
7. Josef Monro 152,000
8. Barny Boatman – 150,000
9. Johnny Chan – 149,000
10. Michael Reed – 142,125

Notable Eliminations:

James Akenhead
Ted Lawson
Rob Hollink

Big Hands:

Ted Lawson Eliminated

After the flop came down Q65, seat 7 fired 5,000. Ted Lawson was next to act and he took his time to make a decision.

The bet was more than a third of his remaining stack and after much deliberation, he finally moved all in. His opponent snap-called and they showed their hands:

Lawson: 99
Seat 7: AQ

Lawson was trailing and the board finished off J and A and Lawson was eliminated.

Seiver Takes One

Scott Seiver raised to 1,100 preflop and the player in seat 8 made the call. The flop came down Q94 and Seiver led out with 2,000.

His opponent decided to let it go there before losing any more chips and Seiver took down the pot. He was at 54,000.

Mizrachi Bluff Fails

We got to the table after the board had run out A5323. The player in seat 9 had fired a bet and Michael Mizrachi raised to almost 30,000.

His opponent tanked long and the ESPN cameras caught all the action. Finally, seat 9 made the call and Mizrachi lightly tapped the table.

“Ace-jack?” Mizrachi inquired.

His opponent turned over A10 for aces-up and Mizrachi dropped a big pot. He was at 95,000 after the hand.

Alaei Doubles

Daniel Alaei and his opponent got all of the money in the middle on a flop of J97.

Daniel Alaei showed J10 and had the lead against his opponent’s A7. The turn was the 9 and the river bricked off, doubling up Alaei to 30,000.

Duke Scores a Double

On a flop of 3210, Annie Duke checked and her opponent bet 8,000. Duke check-raised to 17,500 and her opponent went into the tank and thought for three minutes before moving all-in. Duke snap-called and tabled 33 and left her opponent drawing very thin with his KK.

The ESPN crew was called over to film the all-in pot. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 6, eliminating her opponent and doubling Duke up to 130,000.

After the hand, Duke joked with the rest of her table about how painful it can be to wait so long for each card to be dealt with the cameras filming.

Sneaky Kaplan Gets Caught

On a flop of J97 Gabe Kaplan checked to Luca Pagano, who bet 2,300.

After some deliberation and asking the dealer what the bet was, Kaplan threw out 5,300. The floor was called over, eventually deciding that Kaplan’s bet was merely a call.

Action continued as both players checked the 7 turn. When the K fell on the river Kaplan led out for 3,100 and Pagano paused for thought. He called and as Kaplan announced “queen-high,” Pagano turned over 49 for two pair to take the pot and chip up to around 31,000.

Kaplan had just 10,400 after the hand.

Cole Going Strong

On a board of 10Q3K, the day’s starting chip leader Corwin Cole checked to his opponent, who bet 6,000 from the button.

Cole check-raised to 35,000, putting his opponent all in for essentially 16,000. His opponent called and they showed down:

Cole: K10
Opponent: K9

Cole held two pair to his opponent’s one pair and straight draw. The 8 river helped neither player and Corwin busted another player while chipping up to 230,000.

Mueller Takes One Down

Greg Mueller check-raised his opponent from 1,600 to 4,400 on a flop of KK3. His opponent called and the turn brought the A.

Mueller checked and called when his opponent fired 6,000 into the pot on the turn. The 6 fell on the river and both players checked. Mueller showed A7 for two pair and his opponent mucked.

Mueller had 34,000 after the hand.

Scotty Gets Action

Scotty Nguyen and two other players saw a flop of AA5. The first player bet 2,500, Nguyen called, and the third party made it 7,500. The first player folded and Nguyen moved all-in for 18,650.

His opponent went into the tank for a solid five minutes before calling. Nguyen showed 55, giving him a full house and was ahead of the A4 of his opponent.

The turn was the K and the river was the Q and Nguyen doubled up to 62,000.

Hasan Habib Gets a Knockout

The player on the button raised to 1,200 and Hasan Habib made it 7,000 from the big blind. The button then moved all-in for his last 20,000 and Habib made the call.

Habib showed AK and was ahead of the button’s QJ. The flop came AA5, giving Habib trips and leaving his opponent nearly drawing dead. The turn was the 4 and the river was the 3, giving the pot to Habib, as he moved up to 72,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Annie Duke,   Hasan Habib,   Ted Lawson,   Michael Mizrachi,   Gabe Kaplan,   Daniel Alaei,   Scott Seiver,   Corwin Cole

Level 13 Hour Two Update: Boatman Ousted, Greenstein Doubles

Jul 13, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 1,125 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 195,173

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — 170,000
Adam Schoenfeld — 80,000
Jon Freidberg — 106,000
Shannon Shorr — 431,500
Tony Dunst — 400,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. James Carroll – 803,000
2. Imari Love – 741,100
3. Gerasimos Deres – 733,700
4. Filippo Candio – 727,300
5. Max Casal – 687,200
6. Arie Kilper – 666,200
7. Andrew Brown – 657,700
8. Johnny Lodden – 656,400
9. Johnny Chan – 636,000
10. Josh Brikis – 616,900

Notable Eliminations:

Barny Boatman
Matt Savage
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Barny Boatman’s Day 4 Cut Short

On one of the first hands of the day, Barny Boatman moved all in for 54,800 after the flop had come down 842. One player called and then Chad Wutke reshoved for 120,000 more to isolate Boatman.

It worked as the other player mucked and Wutke tabled 99 for an overpair. Boatman tabled 65 for an inside straight draw.

The turn and river each added a queen to the board, bricking out for Boatman and he was eliminated early on.

Shorr-line Drive

Picking up the action after the board had run out 33243 a player was all in for 30,000.

Shannon Shorr was putting him at risk with pocket jacks and they held up against the ace-king of the all in player.

Shorr scored the knockout and he was at 431,500.

Duke Slips

Picking up the action after the flop came down QQ9, the cutoff fired 7,400 and Annie Duke made the call from the button.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was 8 and the action was checked to Duke. She bet 11,000 and the cutoff made the call.

Duke mucked as her opponent showed AK for two pair. She was down to about 140,000.

Schoenberg Folds to Aggression

The player under-the-gun raised to 7,500 and the player in the cutoff made the call. Erica Schoenberg was in the small blind and decided to make it an additional 16,000.

The under-the-gun player called and the cutoff tanked for two minutes before making the fold. The flop came 963 and Schoenberg led out for 26,500.

After just a few seconds, her opponent made it 65,500, which essentially put Schoenberg to a decision for her stack. Schoenberg took a few minutes before letting her hand go and she dropped to 70,000 in chips.

Greenstein Doubles

Barry Greenstein got all-in preflop and was a huge favorite for his tournament life.

Greenstein showed QQ and his opponent showed 99. The flop was huge for Greenstein as it came K8Q and Greenstein had his opponent drawing to runners.

The turn was the 9, which gave his opponent a lesser set, and one out going to the river. The river was the 4 and Greenstein doubled up to 158,000.

South’s Stack Moves South

Cole South raised to 5,500 and called a three-bet to 17,500 from the player on the button.

The flop came Q62 and both players checked. The turn was the 8 and South checked and called a bet of 25,000 from his opponent. The river was the J and both players checked again.

South showed pocket nines, but his opponent got there on the river when he showed the J9. South now has 457,000 in chips.

Cunningham Gets Rockets to Double

Allen Cunningham scored a double up when he got all-in preflop with AA and his opponent held AK.

The board ran out 103585 and Cunningham doubled up to 175,000.

Savage Eliminated

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 6,000 under-the-gun and Matt Savage moved all-in for his last 35,000. It folded to David Frazee on the button who moved all-in over the top and had Lunkin covered.

Lunkin went deep into the tank for quite a while. Eventually, after double checking his cards, he tossed his hand into the muck. Frazee and Savage went to showdown and Savage didn’t like what he saw.

Savage had AQ and was up against Frazee’s KK. The board came out 29562 and Savage was eliminated.

Shulman Drops A Big One

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J839 and the player in seat 3 fired 36,000 into a pot holding over 70,000.

Barry Shulman threw in the call and the river was the Q. Seat 3 fired another bet, this one about 56,000. Shulman made the call as the ESPN cameras looked on.

Seat 3 tabled JJ for top set on the flop and Shulman simply mucked. He was down to 170,000 after the hand.

Tran Takes One Down

After the board ran out A9786, Theo Tran fired 25,500 into a pot holding about 70,000.

His opponent in seat 1 thought it over but then threw his hand in the muck, surrendering the pot to Tran.

Tran added to his stack with the win and he was at 195,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Allen Cunningham,   Barry Shulman,   Barny Boatman,   Shannon Shorr,   Theo Tran,   Erica Schoenberg,   Cole South

Tournament of Champions Begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday

Jun 27, '10

The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions will begin at 1 p.m. PDT on Sunday, June 27 at the 2010 WSOP. This invitation-only tournament includes 27 players and they will all begin with 30,000 in tournament chips. Blinds will begin at 50-100. Levels will be 60 minutes long and there will be a 20-minute break after every two levels. There will be a 60-minute dinner break after the completion of level 6. Here is a look at the schedule for the event:

Sunday, June 27, 1 p.m.: Day 1 (Play down to final 9 players)
Sunday, July 4, 1 p.m.: Final Table

This is the fourth year for this prestigious invitational event. The previous champions include Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton. CardPlayer.com will bring you live updates, chip counts, photos, and videos from this marquee event.

Here is the full lineup of players for this event, which includes Card Player’s Barry Shulman (pictured above right). Twenty players were chosen by a popular fan vote, while seven spots were automatic invites or sponsor exemptions:

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Mike Matusow,   Barry Shulman,   Mike Sexton

Level 13 Update: Annie Duke Eliminated

Jul 04, '10

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

Players Remaining: 7 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 115,714

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Johnny Chan – 215,000
2. Joe Hachem – 147,000
3. Daniel Negreanu – 135,000
4. Barry Greenstein – 127,000
5. Huck Seed – 96,000
6. Howard Lederer – 58,700
7. Jennifer Harman – 5,500

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke – $25,000

Big Hands:

!(left){height:255px;width:170px;margin:3px 10px;border:3px solid;}(Johnny Chan)!Chan Takes Chip Lead From Negreanu

Johnny chan raised to 6,000 on the button and was three-bet by Daniel Negreanu to 20,000 from the small blind. Chan called and the flop was K87.

Both players checked the and Q fell on the turn. Negreanu checked again and Chan bet 30,000. Negreanu made the call after a few moments of thought.

The river was the 2 and Negreanu checked for a third time. Chan bet 60,000 and Negreanu went into the tank and saying that Chan probably had missed spades. Negreanu folded and fell to 160,000 and Chan moved up to 200,000 and the chip lead.

Hachem Muscles Up Against Harman

Joe Hachem raised to 8,000 and Jennifer Harman three-bet to 18,000. Hachem sat in thought for a minute or so before announcing he was all-in.

Hachem had more than enough to cover Harman and it didn’t take very long for Harman to toss her cards into the muck.

Greenstein Doubles Through Harman

Barry Greenstein raised on the button to 7,500. Jennifer Harman then raised all-in from the small blind and Greenstein quickly called.

Greenstein tabled AA and was way ahead of Harman’s 44. The board ran out 7699Q and Greenstein took the pot.

Greenstein is now up to 87,000 and Harman is left with just a few chips.

Annie Duke Eliminated ($25,000)

Annie Duke moved all-in for 33,000 from early position. Barry Greenstein isolated Duke by moving all-in over the top.

Jennifer Harman tanked for a while before releasing her hand. Duke showed AQ and was way ahead of Greenstein’s AJ.

The flop came 832 and Duke was still way ahead. The turn was the 7, giving her a flush draw, but Greenstein got there on the river with the J and hit his two-outer to take the pot and is now up to 127,000 while Duke is on her way to the rail.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Daniel Negreanu,   Johnny Chan,   Joe Hachem

Level 12 Update: Seidel Bursts the Bubble

Jul 04, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 101,250

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Daniel Negreanu – 240,000
2. Johnny Chan – 130,000
3. Joe Hachem – 125,000
4. Huck Seed – 88,000
5. Barry Greenstein – 48,000
6. Howard Lederer – 38,000
7. Jennifer Harman – 35,000
8. Annie Duke - 32,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erik Seidel
T.J. Cloutier – $25,000

Big Hands:

Seidel Eliminated, Bubble Bursts

Erik Seidel open shoved all-in for his last 18,700 and Jennifer Harman quickly called, tabling AA. Seidel turned up the Q8 and knew he was in some serious trouble.

The flop came AKK and Seidel was just about drawing dead. The turn was the J and now Seidel had picked up miracle royal flush outs.

The river was the J, however, and Seidel was eliminated from the tournament. Everybody left is now guaranteed a minimum of $25,000.

Duke Wins Race, Doubles Up

Jennifer Harman raised to 5,500 on the button and Annie Duke moves in for 15,000 more from the big blind. Harman made the call and it was the classic coin flip situation.

Harman showed the AK and Duke held the JJ. The board fell 1055Q9 and Duke’s jacks held up against the dreaded overcards.

Duke is up to 33,000 with the double up and Harman dropped to 35,000.

T.J. Cloutier Eliminated in Ninth Place ($25,000)

Daniel Negreanu raised and T.J Cloutier called from the button. Annie Duke joined from the big blind and the flop came KJ5. Duke and Negreanu both checked and Cloutier bet 12,000.

Duke folded and Negreanu called. The turn came the 6 and Negreanu put out enough chips to move Cloutier all-in. Cloutier made the call and showed AJ.

Cloutier was in deep trouble against the K10 of Negreanu. The river was the 7 and Negreanu moved up to 240,000 with the knockout.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke,   Daniel Negreanu,   Jennifer Harman

Level 11 Update: Money Bubble Causes Action to Slow

Jul 04, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 10 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 81,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Daniel Negreanu – 195,000
2. Johnny Chan – 130,000
3. Joe Hachem – 125,000
4. Huck Seed – 94,000
5. Barry Greenstein – 54,000
6. TJ Cloutier – 48,000
7. Howard Lederer – 46,000
8. Jennifer Harman – 41,000
9. Annie Duke – 34,000
10. Erik Seidel – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Duke Doubles

Annie Duke open shoved all-in for 14,000. Joe Hachem thought for a moment before calling.

Duke showed AK and Hachem held the 99. The flop came KKQ and a cheer came from the crowd. The turn was the 8 and the river was 7 and Duke doubled to 115,000.

Hachem Takes Some Back

Johnny Chan raised to 5,000 and Jennifer Harman called from the cutoff. Joe Hachem made it 20,000 and got a call from Chan.

The flop came J95 and Hachem bet 28,500, which brought a fold from Chan. Hachem moved up to 140,000 while Chan slid to 130,000.

Negeanu Plays Pot Control

Jennifer Harman raised to 4,500 and was called by Joe Hachem in position and Daniel Negreanu from the big blind.

Negreanu and Harman checked the flop of 1087 and Hachem bet 9,000. Negreanu made the call and Harman tossed her hand into the muck.

The 6 came on the turn and both players checked. Both players checked again when they saw the board pair with the 8 on the river. Negreanu turned up Kc10c and Hachem mucked. Negreanu is up to 195,000 and Hachem is back to 125,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Joe Hachem

Tournament of Champions Begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday

Jun 27, '10

The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions will begin at 1 p.m. PDT on Sunday, June 27 at the 2010 WSOP. This invitation-only tournament includes 27 players and they will all begin with 30,000 in tournament chips. Blinds will begin at 50-100. Levels will be 60 minutes long and there will be a 20-minute break after every two levels. There will be a 60-minute dinner break after the completion of level 6. Here is a look at the schedule for the event:

Sunday, June 27, 1 p.m.: Day 1 (Play down to final 9 players)
Sunday, July 4, 1 p.m.: Final Table

This is the fourth year for this prestigious invitational event. The previous champions include Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton. CardPlayer.com will bring you live updates, chip counts, photos, and videos from this marquee event.

Here is the full lineup of players for this event, which includes Card Player’s Barry Shulman (pictured above right). Twenty players were chosen by a popular fan vote, while seven spots were automatic invites or sponsor exemptions:

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Mike Matusow,   Barry Shulman,   Mike Sexton

Level 13 Update: Annie Duke Eliminated

Jul 04, '10

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

Players Remaining: 7 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 115,714

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Johnny Chan – 215,000
2. Joe Hachem – 147,000
3. Daniel Negreanu – 135,000
4. Barry Greenstein – 127,000
5. Huck Seed – 96,000
6. Howard Lederer – 58,700
7. Jennifer Harman – 5,500

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke – $25,000

Big Hands:

!(left){height:255px;width:170px;margin:3px 10px;border:3px solid;}(Johnny Chan)!Chan Takes Chip Lead From Negreanu

Johnny chan raised to 6,000 on the button and was three-bet by Daniel Negreanu to 20,000 from the small blind. Chan called and the flop was K87.

Both players checked the and Q fell on the turn. Negreanu checked again and Chan bet 30,000. Negreanu made the call after a few moments of thought.

The river was the 2 and Negreanu checked for a third time. Chan bet 60,000 and Negreanu went into the tank and saying that Chan probably had missed spades. Negreanu folded and fell to 160,000 and Chan moved up to 200,000 and the chip lead.

Hachem Muscles Up Against Harman

Joe Hachem raised to 8,000 and Jennifer Harman three-bet to 18,000. Hachem sat in thought for a minute or so before announcing he was all-in.

Hachem had more than enough to cover Harman and it didn’t take very long for Harman to toss her cards into the muck.

Greenstein Doubles Through Harman

Barry Greenstein raised on the button to 7,500. Jennifer Harman then raised all-in from the small blind and Greenstein quickly called.

Greenstein tabled AA and was way ahead of Harman’s 44. The board ran out 7699Q and Greenstein took the pot.

Greenstein is now up to 87,000 and Harman is left with just a few chips.

Annie Duke Eliminated ($25,000)

Annie Duke moved all-in for 33,000 from early position. Barry Greenstein isolated Duke by moving all-in over the top.

Jennifer Harman tanked for a while before releasing her hand. Duke showed AQ and was way ahead of Greenstein’s AJ.

The flop came 832 and Duke was still way ahead. The turn was the 7, giving her a flush draw, but Greenstein got there on the river with the J and hit his two-outer to take the pot and is now up to 127,000 while Duke is on her way to the rail.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Daniel Negreanu,   Johnny Chan,   Joe Hachem

Level 12 Update: Seidel Bursts the Bubble

Jul 04, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 8 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 101,250

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Daniel Negreanu – 240,000
2. Johnny Chan – 130,000
3. Joe Hachem – 125,000
4. Huck Seed – 88,000
5. Barry Greenstein – 48,000
6. Howard Lederer – 38,000
7. Jennifer Harman – 35,000
8. Annie Duke - 32,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erik Seidel
T.J. Cloutier – $25,000

Big Hands:

Seidel Eliminated, Bubble Bursts

Erik Seidel open shoved all-in for his last 18,700 and Jennifer Harman quickly called, tabling AA. Seidel turned up the Q8 and knew he was in some serious trouble.

The flop came AKK and Seidel was just about drawing dead. The turn was the J and now Seidel had picked up miracle royal flush outs.

The river was the J, however, and Seidel was eliminated from the tournament. Everybody left is now guaranteed a minimum of $25,000.

Duke Wins Race, Doubles Up

Jennifer Harman raised to 5,500 on the button and Annie Duke moves in for 15,000 more from the big blind. Harman made the call and it was the classic coin flip situation.

Harman showed the AK and Duke held the JJ. The board fell 1055Q9 and Duke’s jacks held up against the dreaded overcards.

Duke is up to 33,000 with the double up and Harman dropped to 35,000.

T.J. Cloutier Eliminated in Ninth Place ($25,000)

Daniel Negreanu raised and T.J Cloutier called from the button. Annie Duke joined from the big blind and the flop came KJ5. Duke and Negreanu both checked and Cloutier bet 12,000.

Duke folded and Negreanu called. The turn came the 6 and Negreanu put out enough chips to move Cloutier all-in. Cloutier made the call and showed AJ.

Cloutier was in deep trouble against the K10 of Negreanu. The river was the 7 and Negreanu moved up to 240,000 with the knockout.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke,   Daniel Negreanu,   Jennifer Harman

Level 11 Update: Money Bubble Causes Action to Slow

Jul 04, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 10 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 81,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Daniel Negreanu – 195,000
2. Johnny Chan – 130,000
3. Joe Hachem – 125,000
4. Huck Seed – 94,000
5. Barry Greenstein – 54,000
6. TJ Cloutier – 48,000
7. Howard Lederer – 46,000
8. Jennifer Harman – 41,000
9. Annie Duke – 34,000
10. Erik Seidel – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Duke Doubles

Annie Duke open shoved all-in for 14,000. Joe Hachem thought for a moment before calling.

Duke showed AK and Hachem held the 99. The flop came KKQ and a cheer came from the crowd. The turn was the 8 and the river was 7 and Duke doubled to 115,000.

Hachem Takes Some Back

Johnny Chan raised to 5,000 and Jennifer Harman called from the cutoff. Joe Hachem made it 20,000 and got a call from Chan.

The flop came J95 and Hachem bet 28,500, which brought a fold from Chan. Hachem moved up to 140,000 while Chan slid to 130,000.

Negeanu Plays Pot Control

Jennifer Harman raised to 4,500 and was called by Joe Hachem in position and Daniel Negreanu from the big blind.

Negreanu and Harman checked the flop of 1087 and Hachem bet 9,000. Negreanu made the call and Harman tossed her hand into the muck.

The 6 came on the turn and both players checked. Both players checked again when they saw the board pair with the 8 on the river. Negreanu turned up Kc10c and Hachem mucked. Negreanu is up to 195,000 and Hachem is back to 125,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Joe Hachem

Level 17: Money Bubble Time

Jun 25, '10

Flop Games: 5,000-10,000 blinds
Stud Games: 2,000 ante, 3,000 bring-in, 10,000-20,000 limits

Players Remaining: 23 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 314,347

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brandon Adams – 550,000
2. Marco Johnson – 500,000
3. Carlos Mortensen – 395,000
4. Brian Townsend – 395,000
5. Allen Kessler – 360,000
6. Richard Ashby – 360,000
7. Scott Fischman – 330,000
8. Marco Traniello – 325,000
9. Cuong Do – 325,000
10. Matt Glantz – 273,000

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke
Dario Alioto
John Racener
Cyndy Violette
Tommy Hang

Big Hands:

Razz

Annie Duke Eliminated

Annie Duke was responsible for the bring-in and Roman Yitzhaki raised. Duke called for her last 8,000 chips and she was at risk.

Duke had a pair of sixes up and when Yitzhaki turned over a 7-6 low, she mucked her hand and made her way toward the exit.

Johnson Disposes Of Dehkharghani

Ray Dehkharghani bet 10,000 on fourth street and Marco Johnson made the call. Dehkharghani bet 20,000 on fifth street and Johnson made the call. Johnson then took the lead on sixth street with 20,000 and Dehkharghani made the call with the rest of his chips.

Johnson ended up with an 8-7 low, good enough against Dehkharghani’s queen-low and he was eliminated.

Stud

Alioto Shown The Door

Picking up the action on fifth street, Dario Alioto and Scott Fischman were involved in a hand that ended with the rest of Alioto’s chips in the middle. Here is how their boards ran out:

Fischman: (777)8652
Alioto: (Q3J)A3Q5

Fischman hit the slot machine with three sevens to best Alioto’s two pair and he was eliminated. Fischman was at 330,000.

Omaha/8

Mosseri Lifts Some Off Glantz

Michael Chow raised from the cutoff and both Matt Glantz and Abe Mosseri made the call from the blinds. The flop came down QJ7. Glantz led out with 10,000 and raised it up to 20,000.

Chow got out of the way and Glantz made the call. Both players checked the 10 on the turn and the 9 fell on the river. Mosseri check-called 20,000 from Glantz.

Mosseri then showed AQJ8 for a straight to the queen. Glantz mucked and was down to 235,000 while Mosseri was at 170,000.

Hold’em

Cyndy Violette Bursts Bubble, But Chops 24th Place Money

Cyndy Violette moved all in under the gun against Roman Yitzhaki. Here were their cards:

Violette: AQ
Yitzhaki: 22

It was the classic race and the board ran out 653106 and the ducks held on. Violette finally burst the bubble but Tommy Hang was eliminated on the same hand so the two split the 24th place money.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Scott Fischman,   Cyndy Violette,   Abe Mosseri,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Matthew Glantz,   Roman Yitzhaki,   Dario Alioto,   Marco Johnson

Level 7 Update: Harman Scoops a Big One

Jun 13, '10

Limits: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 177 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 35,932

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 23,200
Shannon Shorr – 36,000
Mark Gregorich – 49,000
Todd Brunson – 35,500
Doyle Brunson – 29,000
Jennifer Harman – 70,000
Steve Zolotow – 29,000
Phil Hellmuth – 72,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. David Benyamine – 85,000
2. Andrew Yeh – 73,000
3. Phil Hellmuth – 72,000
4. Eli Elezra – 70,000
5. Jennifer Harman – 70,000
6. Andrew Brown – 67,000
7. Jeffrey Lisandro – 66,500
8. George Danzer – 65,000
9. Peter Gould – 65,000
10. David “Bakes” Baker – 60,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Jimmy Fricke
Mike Wattel

Big Hands:

Harman Scoops a Big One

Abe Mosseri raised and was called by Andrew Yeh and Jennifer Harman before being three-bet by a fourth player in the hand.

The flop came A410 and Mosseri and Yeh both checked to Harman who bet. The preflop three-better called and was all-in, and Mosseri and Yeh came along for the bet.

The turn was the 5 and Yeh and Mosseri both checked and called a bet from Harman. The 2 was the river and all the players checked.

Harman showed AA77, good for a set of aces and a 7-5 low, and somehow that was good for the whole pot. Harman is up to 70,000 after stacking the chips from the pot.

Evdakov Drops One to Duke

Nikolay Evdakov and Annie Duke got in four bets on a flop of KQ8. The 8 fell on the turn and Evdakov checked and called a bet from Duke.

The river was the A and Evdakov led into Duke. Duke checked her cards before raising. Evdakov called and mucked when he was shown the AA74, good for aces full. Duke moved up to 32,000 in chips, while Evdakov fell to 9,400.

Gould Takes a Pot Off Galfond

Peter Gould checked and called bets from Phil Galfond on every street as the board came A972Q.

Gould showed AK96, good for aces up and Galfond mucked. Galfond dropped to 22,000 and Gould climbed to 65,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jennifer Harman,   Abe Mosseri,   Peter Gould,   Phil Galfond,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Andrew Yeh

Level 2 Update: Evdakov Off to Good Start

Jun 12, '10

Limits: 300-600

Players Remaining: 176 out of 176

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 21,000
Daniel Negreanu – 30,000
Shannon Shorr – 27,400
Mark Gregorich – 30,000
Todd Brunson – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Two Pair Scoops For Evdakov

Four players saw a flop of J23 and Nikolay Evdakov bet and was called befroe Annie Duke raised. Tommy Vedes got out of the way and Evdakov three-bet to 900 and was called in both spots.

The turn was the K and Evdakov bet again and was called by both the player to his left and Annie Duke.

The river was the 5 and Evdakov checked and the player to his left bet. Duke got out of the way and Evdakov called. His opponent showed the A235, showing a missed low and two pair. Evdakov showed AKJ8, giving him a better two pair and a qualifying low hand, good for the whole pot.

Evdakov is up to 35,000 in chips.

Van Alstyne Gets Best of Boostd J

James Van Alstyne raised in the cutoff and Justin Smith three-bet from the big blind. Van Alstyne made the call and they saw a fop of Q42.

Smith bet and Van Alstyne made the call. The turn was the 6 and the same action took place again.

When the Q fell on the river, Smith checked and called a bet from Van Alstyne. Van Alstyne showed A963, giving him queens full for the high and the nut low. Smith checked his cards before tossing them face down into the muck. Van Alstyne is up to 35,200 in chips.

Nguyen Loses One

Scotty Nguyen raised from late position and was called by small blind. The flop came QQ7 and the small blind bet out and was raised by Nguyen. The small blind called and they saw the K fall on the turn.

The small blind checked and called a bet from Nguyen and they watched the 7 fall on the river. The small blind bet and Nguyen called.

The small blind showed AA106, good for aces and queens. “You got it, baby,” said Nguyen as he tossed his cards into the muck and slipped to 26,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Annie Duke,   James Van Alstyne,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Justin Smith

Level 10: Todd Brunson Eliminated

Jun 13, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 144 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 44,167

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 76,200
Phil Hellmuth – 84,300
Jennifer Harman – 66,600
Steve Zolotow – 44,700
Todd Brunson – 18,600

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Eugene Katchalov – 123,200
2. Sergey Altbregin – 112,500
3. David Benyamine – 102,500
4. Sam Farha – 98,500
5. Alexander Kostritsyn – 95,900
6. Tai Nguyen – 94,600
7. George Danzer – 91,700
8. Vladimir Schmelev – 88,300
9. Jeffrey Lisandro – 87,200
10. Brock Parker – 85,900

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Duke Bests Farha

Picking up the action on a flop of A102, Annie Duke bet 2,000 and Sam Farha made the call. The turn was the Q and Duke bet 4,000. Farha raised to 8,000 and Duke called.

The river was the 2 and both players checked. Duke tabled AAQ6 for aces-full.

Farha mucked and Duke took the pot, improving to 36,000.

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Todd Brunson was all in preflop against Sam Farha and another player. Farha and the other player traded bets from the flop to the river. Farha was able to take half the low pot while the other player scooped the high, leaving Brunson with nothing but a story to tell.

Bellande Odd Man Out

On a board reading J76, Brock Parker led out with 4,000 and Jean-Robert Bellande and John Monnette made the call.

The river was the 6 and Parker bet another 4,000. He was called again by both players and he showed down AA84 for the nut flush while Monnette showed A-2 for the best low and Bellande’s king-high flush was left wanting.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Sam Farha,   Jean-Robert Bellande

Level 7 Update: Harman Scoops a Big One

Jun 13, '10

Limits: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 177 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 35,932

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 23,200
Shannon Shorr – 36,000
Mark Gregorich – 49,000
Todd Brunson – 35,500
Doyle Brunson – 29,000
Jennifer Harman – 70,000
Steve Zolotow – 29,000
Phil Hellmuth – 72,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. David Benyamine – 85,000
2. Andrew Yeh – 73,000
3. Phil Hellmuth – 72,000
4. Eli Elezra – 70,000
5. Jennifer Harman – 70,000
6. Andrew Brown – 67,000
7. Jeffrey Lisandro – 66,500
8. George Danzer – 65,000
9. Peter Gould – 65,000
10. David “Bakes” Baker – 60,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Mercier
Jimmy Fricke
Mike Wattel

Big Hands:

Harman Scoops a Big One

Abe Mosseri raised and was called by Andrew Yeh and Jennifer Harman before being three-bet by a fourth player in the hand.

The flop came A410 and Mosseri and Yeh both checked to Harman who bet. The preflop three-better called and was all-in, and Mosseri and Yeh came along for the bet.

The turn was the 5 and Yeh and Mosseri both checked and called a bet from Harman. The 2 was the river and all the players checked.

Harman showed AA77, good for a set of aces and a 7-5 low, and somehow that was good for the whole pot. Harman is up to 70,000 after stacking the chips from the pot.

Evdakov Drops One to Duke

Nikolay Evdakov and Annie Duke got in four bets on a flop of KQ8. The 8 fell on the turn and Evdakov checked and called a bet from Duke.

The river was the A and Evdakov led into Duke. Duke checked her cards before raising. Evdakov called and mucked when he was shown the AA74, good for aces full. Duke moved up to 32,000 in chips, while Evdakov fell to 9,400.

Gould Takes a Pot Off Galfond

Peter Gould checked and called bets from Phil Galfond on every street as the board came A972Q.

Gould showed AK96, good for aces up and Galfond mucked. Galfond dropped to 22,000 and Gould climbed to 65,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jennifer Harman,   Abe Mosseri,   Peter Gould,   Phil Galfond,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Andrew Yeh

Level 2 Update: Evdakov Off to Good Start

Jun 12, '10

Limits: 300-600

Players Remaining: 176 out of 176

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 21,000
Daniel Negreanu – 30,000
Shannon Shorr – 27,400
Mark Gregorich – 30,000
Todd Brunson – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Two Pair Scoops For Evdakov

Four players saw a flop of J23 and Nikolay Evdakov bet and was called befroe Annie Duke raised. Tommy Vedes got out of the way and Evdakov three-bet to 900 and was called in both spots.

The turn was the K and Evdakov bet again and was called by both the player to his left and Annie Duke.

The river was the 5 and Evdakov checked and the player to his left bet. Duke got out of the way and Evdakov called. His opponent showed the A235, showing a missed low and two pair. Evdakov showed AKJ8, giving him a better two pair and a qualifying low hand, good for the whole pot.

Evdakov is up to 35,000 in chips.

Van Alstyne Gets Best of Boostd J

James Van Alstyne raised in the cutoff and Justin Smith three-bet from the big blind. Van Alstyne made the call and they saw a fop of Q42.

Smith bet and Van Alstyne made the call. The turn was the 6 and the same action took place again.

When the Q fell on the river, Smith checked and called a bet from Van Alstyne. Van Alstyne showed A963, giving him queens full for the high and the nut low. Smith checked his cards before tossing them face down into the muck. Van Alstyne is up to 35,200 in chips.

Nguyen Loses One

Scotty Nguyen raised from late position and was called by small blind. The flop came QQ7 and the small blind bet out and was raised by Nguyen. The small blind called and they saw the K fall on the turn.

The small blind checked and called a bet from Nguyen and they watched the 7 fall on the river. The small blind bet and Nguyen called.

The small blind showed AA106, good for aces and queens. “You got it, baby,” said Nguyen as he tossed his cards into the muck and slipped to 26,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Annie Duke,   James Van Alstyne,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Justin Smith

Level 10: Todd Brunson Eliminated

Jun 13, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 144 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 44,167

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 76,200
Phil Hellmuth – 84,300
Jennifer Harman – 66,600
Steve Zolotow – 44,700
Todd Brunson – 18,600

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Eugene Katchalov – 123,200
2. Sergey Altbregin – 112,500
3. David Benyamine – 102,500
4. Sam Farha – 98,500
5. Alexander Kostritsyn – 95,900
6. Tai Nguyen – 94,600
7. George Danzer – 91,700
8. Vladimir Schmelev – 88,300
9. Jeffrey Lisandro – 87,200
10. Brock Parker – 85,900

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Duke Bests Farha

Picking up the action on a flop of A102, Annie Duke bet 2,000 and Sam Farha made the call. The turn was the Q and Duke bet 4,000. Farha raised to 8,000 and Duke called.

The river was the 2 and both players checked. Duke tabled AAQ6 for aces-full.

Farha mucked and Duke took the pot, improving to 36,000.

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Todd Brunson was all in preflop against Sam Farha and another player. Farha and the other player traded bets from the flop to the river. Farha was able to take half the low pot while the other player scooped the high, leaving Brunson with nothing but a story to tell.

Bellande Odd Man Out

On a board reading J76, Brock Parker led out with 4,000 and Jean-Robert Bellande and John Monnette made the call.

The river was the 6 and Parker bet another 4,000. He was called again by both players and he showed down AA84 for the nut flush while Monnette showed A-2 for the best low and Bellande’s king-high flush was left wanting.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Sam Farha,   Jean-Robert Bellande

Annie Duke Defeats Andy Bloch

Mar 05, '10

Annie Duke built a slight lead over Andy Bloch (pictured right) when they got the money all in preflop.

Bloch held KQ and was racing against Duke’s pair of tens. The flop and turn came K334 and it looked like Bloch would take back the lead, but the 10 on the river gave Duke a dramatic victory.

She will now face off against the winner between Darvin Moon and Bill Huntress.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Andy Bloch

Annie Duke Defeats Paul Wasicka ($25,000)

Mar 06, '10

In by far the most entertaining match of the tournament, Annie Duke and Paul Wasicka (pictured right) battled for over an hour and a half before a winner was determined.

Twice, Duke had Wasicka all in with the best hand, only to see him come from behind and stay alive. The second time, Wasicka was given the lead thanks to a river flush.

His good fortune is probably what had him apologizing almost immediately when Duke moved all in with A10 only for him to wake up with AA.

To top it off, the flop came AJ2 and had Duke drawing nearly dead. She picked up some life when the Q hit the turn, giving her four outs to the straight and the room went nuts when the K hit the river, giving her the winning straight and the chip lead.

The two got it in shortly after that and Duke managed to crack Wasicka’s pocket jacks with 8-5 suited. Wasicka was eliminated, picking up $25,000. Duke moves onto the Elite Eight to face Jerry Yang.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Paul Wasicka

Annie Duke Defeats Darvin Moon

Mar 06, '10

Darvin Moon (pictured left) moved all in on a board reading Q8310K and Annie Duke made the call.

Moon showed a pair, but Duke showed kings up to take the pot and advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where she will play the winner between Paul Wasicka and Gus Hansen.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Darvin Moon

Annie Duke Wins NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship ($500,000)

Mar 07, '10

Erik Seidel had Annie Duke all in as the underdog as his AK went up against her Q9. The board brought a queen and suddenly, Duke had the massive chip lead.

Down to his last few big blinds, Seidel made his final move with A2 only to run into Duke’s 99. The board fell 87658 and Duke made a straight to earn the victory.

Seidel earns $250,000 for his runner-up finish. Duke takes home $500,000 and the title of 2010 NBC National Heads Up Poker Champion.

Bracket Contest

Here is a look at the Card Player Bracket Contest final standings. Included is the entrant’s name, score and predicted winner.

Note: Out of nearly 700 entrants, not a single person predicted that Annie Duke would win this tournament.

1. B Mark Rosen — 83 (Erik Seidel)
2. Carrie McBride — 61 (Antonio Esfandiari)
3. James Slusher — 60 (Erik Seidel)
4. Mike Gardner — 59 (Erik Seidel)
5. Richard McGraw — 57 (Erick Lindgren)
T6. Randy Belen — 56 (Allen Cunningham)
T6. Dan Zogman — 56 (Erik Seidel)
8. Tony Ciora — 54 (Erik Seidel)
T9. Charles Lamb — 53 (Chris Moneymaker)
T9. Dan Ross — 53 (Andy Bloch)

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke

Match 2 -- Erik Seidel Wins

Mar 07, '10

Everything that went right for Annie Duke in the first match went wrong for her in the second. Erik Seidel quickly built up a large lead and never let up. It was just a matter of time before Duke was all in.

She decided on K5 and Seidel was priced in with 87. The board gave him a straight when it fell 96459 and Seidel won the match.

We’re going to take a 15 minute break and begin match 3, where the winner will take it all.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke

Match 1 -- Annie Duke Wins

Mar 07, '10

Annie Duke quickly started off match 1 in the hole against Erik Seidel, but she stormed back to a big lead thanks to countless value bets and relentless pressure on her opponent.

Seidel was back into a corner and was forced to commit the rest of his stack with 86 on a flop of KJ7.

Duke made the easy call with AK and it held when the turn and river fell JA. Duke now leads 1-0 in the finals. If she wins the next match, she will be the champion.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke

Annie Duke Defeats Dennis Phillips ($125,000)

Mar 07, '10

After the blinds had reached the point where both players had just over 10 big blinds, Dennis Phillips (pictured left) made his final push with A8 and Annie Duke made the call with pocket sevens.

The board fell 93264 and Phillips was eliminated. Duke advances to the final match to face the winner between Erik Seidel and Scotty Nguyen.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Dennis Phillips

Annie Duke Defeats Jerry Yang ($75,000)

Mar 07, '10

Annie Duke had Jerry Yang (pictured right) all in with the best hand three times and yet never closed it out.

Finally, on the last hand, Yang shoved with J3 and Duke called with A8. The board came AJ2109 and Yang was eliminated.

Duke advances to face Dennis Phillips in the Final Four.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jerry Yang

Annie Duke Defeats Andy Bloch

Mar 05, '10

Annie Duke built a slight lead over Andy Bloch (pictured right) when they got the money all in preflop.

Bloch held KQ and was racing against Duke’s pair of tens. The flop and turn came K334 and it looked like Bloch would take back the lead, but the 10 on the river gave Duke a dramatic victory.

She will now face off against the winner between Darvin Moon and Bill Huntress.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Andy Bloch

Annie Duke Defeats Paul Wasicka ($25,000)

Mar 06, '10

In by far the most entertaining match of the tournament, Annie Duke and Paul Wasicka (pictured right) battled for over an hour and a half before a winner was determined.

Twice, Duke had Wasicka all in with the best hand, only to see him come from behind and stay alive. The second time, Wasicka was given the lead thanks to a river flush.

His good fortune is probably what had him apologizing almost immediately when Duke moved all in with A10 only for him to wake up with AA.

To top it off, the flop came AJ2 and had Duke drawing nearly dead. She picked up some life when the Q hit the turn, giving her four outs to the straight and the room went nuts when the K hit the river, giving her the winning straight and the chip lead.

The two got it in shortly after that and Duke managed to crack Wasicka’s pocket jacks with 8-5 suited. Wasicka was eliminated, picking up $25,000. Duke moves onto the Elite Eight to face Jerry Yang.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Paul Wasicka

Annie Duke Defeats Darvin Moon

Mar 06, '10

Darvin Moon (pictured left) moved all in on a board reading Q8310K and Annie Duke made the call.

Moon showed a pair, but Duke showed kings up to take the pot and advance to the Sweet Sixteen, where she will play the winner between Paul Wasicka and Gus Hansen.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Darvin Moon

Annie Duke Wins NBC National Heads Up Poker Championship ($500,000)

Mar 07, '10

Erik Seidel had Annie Duke all in as the underdog as his AK went up against her Q9. The board brought a queen and suddenly, Duke had the massive chip lead.

Down to his last few big blinds, Seidel made his final move with A2 only to run into Duke’s 99. The board fell 87658 and Duke made a straight to earn the victory.

Seidel earns $250,000 for his runner-up finish. Duke takes home $500,000 and the title of 2010 NBC National Heads Up Poker Champion.

Bracket Contest

Here is a look at the Card Player Bracket Contest final standings. Included is the entrant’s name, score and predicted winner.

Note: Out of nearly 700 entrants, not a single person predicted that Annie Duke would win this tournament.

1. B Mark Rosen — 83 (Erik Seidel)
2. Carrie McBride — 61 (Antonio Esfandiari)
3. James Slusher — 60 (Erik Seidel)
4. Mike Gardner — 59 (Erik Seidel)
5. Richard McGraw — 57 (Erick Lindgren)
T6. Randy Belen — 56 (Allen Cunningham)
T6. Dan Zogman — 56 (Erik Seidel)
8. Tony Ciora — 54 (Erik Seidel)
T9. Charles Lamb — 53 (Chris Moneymaker)
T9. Dan Ross — 53 (Andy Bloch)

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke

Match 2 -- Erik Seidel Wins

Mar 07, '10

Everything that went right for Annie Duke in the first match went wrong for her in the second. Erik Seidel quickly built up a large lead and never let up. It was just a matter of time before Duke was all in.

She decided on K5 and Seidel was priced in with 87. The board gave him a straight when it fell 96459 and Seidel won the match.

We’re going to take a 15 minute break and begin match 3, where the winner will take it all.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke

Match 1 -- Annie Duke Wins

Mar 07, '10

Annie Duke quickly started off match 1 in the hole against Erik Seidel, but she stormed back to a big lead thanks to countless value bets and relentless pressure on her opponent.

Seidel was back into a corner and was forced to commit the rest of his stack with 86 on a flop of KJ7.

Duke made the easy call with AK and it held when the turn and river fell JA. Duke now leads 1-0 in the finals. If she wins the next match, she will be the champion.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke

Annie Duke Defeats Dennis Phillips ($125,000)

Mar 07, '10

After the blinds had reached the point where both players had just over 10 big blinds, Dennis Phillips (pictured left) made his final push with A8 and Annie Duke made the call with pocket sevens.

The board fell 93264 and Phillips was eliminated. Duke advances to the final match to face the winner between Erik Seidel and Scotty Nguyen.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Dennis Phillips

Annie Duke Defeats Jerry Yang ($75,000)

Mar 07, '10

Annie Duke had Jerry Yang (pictured right) all in with the best hand three times and yet never closed it out.

Finally, on the last hand, Yang shoved with J3 and Duke called with A8. The board came AJ2109 and Yang was eliminated.

Duke advances to face Dennis Phillips in the Final Four.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jerry Yang