Lee Watkinson Poker Tournament Updates

Level 13 Update: Shaun Deeb Suffers Atrocious Beat, Eliminated Shortly Thereafter

Jul 14, '11

Note: Levels are two hours in length.

Players Remaining: 1,080 of 6,865

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

The Chip Leaders:

Patrick Poirier: 1,065,800
Daryl Jace: 980,000
Brian Park: 964,000
Guillaume Darcourt: 951,500
Christopher Bonita: 800,000
Kevin Saul: 740,000
Chris Kwon: 696,000
Anton Ionel: 690,000
Fabian Reyes: 660,000
Aleksandr Mozhnyakov: 640,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu — 261,700
Phil Hellmuth — 160,000
Thomas Keller — 270,000
Todd Brunson — 201,500

Notables Eliminated:

Shaun Deeb
Matt Matros
Noah Boeken
Lee Watkinson
Huck Seed
Victor Ramdin
Sam Stein
Annette Obrestad
Lyle Berman

Hands:

Shaun Deeb Crippled, Eliminated

After a player opened the action, Shaun Deeb three-bet from the small blind. Max Heinzelmann four-bet from the big blind, and the original raiser folded. Deeb five-bet, and Heinzelmann shoved for about 220,000 total. Deeb snap called with pocket aces and was up against A-6 off suit. The flop brought a six and the river brought another one, crippling Deeb to just 20,000 and propelling the European to about 440,000. Deeb was eliminated shortly thereafter.

Sorel Mizzi Takes out an Opponent

Sorel Mizzi opened a pot from the hi-jack and then one opponent moved all in for 30,000. Mizzi made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Mizzi: A K
Opponent: K Q

Board: A J 5 K 3

Mizzi took out his opponent and he increased his chip stack to 150,000.

Lee Watkinson Eliminated

Lee Watkinson was once up to 90,000, but then had his K-K lose to A-Q, and then he got the last of his chips into the middle after flopping a pair of aces, but lost to Q-Q when his opponent hit trips on the river.

Todd Brunson Doubles

Todd Brunson flopped a straight and flush draw in a three-way pot. He moved all in and was called by an opponent holding aces. Brunson hit his draw on the turn and doubled to 150,000.

Noah Boeken Eliminated

In a blind-versus-blind scenario, Noah Boeken got his stack in with A-9 against Q-2. Unfortunately for Boeken his opponent hit a pair of queens and sent him packing.

Featured Poker Tweet — Matt Stout

Galen Hall Eliminates a Player

Galen Hall held A-Q and called an 11-big-blind shove from a short stack. His opponent held a dominated ace and Hall held to bring his chip stack to about 200,000.

Jonathan Little Short

Jonathan Little ran his A-K into K-9 on K-9-X-X-X board. Fortunately Little was able to avoid going broke and sits with 45,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Todd Brunson,   Noah Boeken,   Sorel Mizzi,   Shaun Deeb,   Galen Hall

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Level 1 Hour 2 Update: Lederer Gets Going

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. Yan Chen – 85,500
2. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
3. Andy Seth – 65,000
4. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
5. John Juanda – 45,000
6. Terrence Chan – 44,000
7. Matt Savage – 43,000
8. John Monnette – 41,000
9. Lee Watkinson – 40,000
10. Scotty Nguyen – 39,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 25,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Watkinson Has Ducks Shot Down

After four players limped in preflop, the flop fell 1092. The action was checked to seat 6 who bet 500. Lee Watkinson made the call and seat 3 called from the button. Antonio Tarver folded from the big blind and the turn was the 8. Everyone checked and the river was the 6.

Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,500. Seat 3 made the call and seat 6 mucked his hand. Watkinson then tabled 22 for a set of ducks, but seat 3 showed 87 for a rivered straight and took the pot. Watkinson was down to 32,000.

Boeree Drops Some Chips

After the board ran out A1069K, a player bet 3,100 and Liv Boeree made the call. The opponent then showed down AK for top two pair and Boeree had no choice but to muck her hand.

After dropping the pot, Boeree was down to 21,000 in chips.

Class Begins

A player in late position raised to 300 preflop and action got around to Howard Lederer. He repopped it to 1,000 and the small blind called. The big blind came along as well and the original raiser followed suit, making the pot worth 4,000.

The flop then came 984 and the small blind led out with 2,200. The big blind mucked, as did the late position player. Lederer made the call and the turn was the A. The small blind checked and Lederer bet 3,500. The small blind finally gave it up and Lederer took the pot, putting his stack around 40,000.

McEvoy Unsuccessful In His Bluff Attempt

Tom McEvoy limped in from middle position and then called a raise to 400 from the player directly to his left. They took the flop heads-up of 788. McEvoy checked and called 650 from his opponent. Both players checked when the K fell on the turn and watched the K fall on the river.

Now McEvoy leads out for 1,500 and is instantly called by his opponent. McEvoy turns up J10 for a busted straight draw and his opponent showed AQ, good for ace-high and the pot.

Liz Lieu’s Two Pair Flushed Away

Liz Lieu bet 2,000 on the river into an already bloated pot on a board that read 86JA10. Her opponent then raised her to 6,000 and Lieu went into the tank.

While the ESPN cameras rushed over to catch a glimpse of her decision, she eventually decided to toss in enough chips to make the call. Her opponent showed her 97, good for a flush and Lieu just sighed as she flashed A6, good for two pair.

Chen Puts in the Third Raise, Wins The Pot

Bill Chen raised to 250 preflop and gets two callers. The flop was 104Q. After the first player checked, Chen bet 600 and was met with a raise to 1,500.

The third party got out of the way and without any hesitation, Chen pulled his original bet back and tossed out four yellow chips, as he made it 4,000 to go. It seemed as if as soon as Chen’s chips hit the felt, his opponent’s cards hit the muck and Chen raked the pot.

You’re So Lucky Baby

The player in seat 5 raised to 300 from early position and Scotty Nguyen called from the next seat over. The player in seat 9 called from the cutoff and the three players saw a flop of 653. Action was checked to the cutoff who bet 500. Seat 5 mucked but Nguyen made the call. The turn was the 4 and both players checked. The river brought the A and Nguyen led out for 1,000.

The cutoff mucked and Nguyen tabled KJ for a flopped flush. “You know how lucky you are baby?” Nguyen said as he raked in the pot. He was at 46,000.

Luske Flushes One Out

Picking up the action on the turn with the board reading K863, the player in seat 4 bet 1,600 and Marcel Luske made the call. The river brought the 5 and the action was checked to Luske. He bet 3,000 and seat 4 made the call.

Luske then tabled QJ for a heart flush on the river and seat 4 mucked. Luske took in the pot and was at 42,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Howard Lederer,   Marcel Luske,   Liz Lieu,   Antonio Tarver

Level 1 Hour 1 Update: Juanda Gets Aces Early

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
2. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
3. Terrence Chan – 46,000
4. John Juanda – 42,000
5. Yan Chen – 41,000
6. Lee Watkinson – 35,000
7. John Cernuto – 30,000
8. Abe Mosseri – 30,000
9. Alex Jacob – 30,000
10. Bill Chen – 30,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Griffin Fires Three Barrels

After some action preflop, Gavin Griffin and his opponent saw a flop of 210K. After his opponent checked, Griffin bet 1,300, which was called. The turn was the 7 and Griffin bet 2,100 after his opponent checked, which was called again.

The river was the 4 and his opponent checked one last time. Griffin looked perplexed and then bet 2,100 again. His opponent quickly released his cards and Griffin took the pot.

Juanda Picks Up Aces Early, Wins Pot

On a flop of 962, John Juanda bet 2,500 after his opponent checked, but was met with a check-raise to 7,500. Juanda thought for a minute or so and made the call.

The J fell on the turn and both players checked. The 4 fell on the river and Juanda’s opponent checked a third time. Juanda bet 5,400 and his opponent tossed in a call. Juanda tabled AA and his opponent showed QQ, as he gets on the right side of that cold deck to take the pot.

Bill Chen Goes Up, Bill Chen Goes Down

Bill Chen raised to 225 under the gun and action folded around to the big blind, who made the call. The flop came down J36 and Chen fired 200. The big blind called again and the turn was the 4. Both players checked and the river was the 4. The big blind then led out for 325 and Chen mucked.

A few hands later, a flop of Q48 Chen and his opponent checked with 600 in the pot. The turn then brought the K and Chen fired 325. His opponent mucked and after all of that, Chen was still around 30,000.

Watkinson With Top Two

With four players in the pot, the flop came down J87 and action was checked to seat 6. He bet 300 and Lee Watkinson made the call. Seat 2 mucked and Antonio Tarver mucked his hand. The turn was the 6 and seat 6 fired 1,100. Watkinson made the call and the river brought the A.

Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,600. Seat 6 called and Watkinson tabled J8 for two pair and he took down the pot. He was around 35,000.

Allen Kessler Flops A Set

After a flop of A82, a player bet 750 and Allen Kessler made the call. The turn was the 3 and the action was then checked to Kessler. He bet 1,500 and his opponent called. The river was the 9 and the opponent led out with 2,000.

Kessler just called and his opponent tabled A9 for two pair. Kessler then showed 88 for a set and took down the pot.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   John Juanda,   Allen Kessler,   Gavin Griffin

Level 7 Hour 2 Update: Kathy Liebert Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 2,862 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 352,000
2. Dan Bilzerian – 275,000
3. Jeremiah DeGreef – 210,000
4. Tony Hachem – 181,000
5. Josh Arieh – 180,000
6. Chance Kornuth – 170,000
7. Jordan Siegel – 164,000
8. Jeff Lisandro – 160,000
9. David Benyamine – 158,000
10. Justin Bonomo – 150,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 75,000
Phil Hellmuth – 120,000
Lee Watkinson – 65,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 120,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 20,000
Thomas Keller – 123,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 62,052

Notable Eliminations:

Howard Lederer
Kathy Liebert
Michael Mizrachi
Rob Hollink

Big Hands:

Kostritsyn’s Big Bluff Failed

On the river, there was over 40,000 in the pot already and the board read Q10362 and Alexander Kostritsyn bet 33,000 from early position.

His opponent went into the tank and thought for several minutes. He tried to talk to Kostritsyn, but couldn’t get a response. Eventually he called and slammed 910 on the table, for second pair. Kostritsyn mucked his hand and his stack fell to 82,000.

Kathy Liebert Eliminated

After the button raised and the small blind called, Kathy Liebert squeezed all in from the big blind. The button folded, but the small blind made the call. The small blind showed AJ and Liebert tabled A5.

The board came out 838K4, keeping the small blind in the lead and eliminating Liebert from the tournament.

Liz Lieu Gets Lucky, Then Unlucky to Chop

Liz Lieu was all in preflop for her last 27,000 and was called. Lieu had AJ and was behind the AQ of her opponent.

The flop was Q810, giving Lieu a straight draw, and got there on the turn with the K. The J on the river, however, made both players ace-high straights and splitting the pot. Lieu’s opponent had some choice words which are not fit for repeating after the hand was over.

Ivey Makes a Big Bet, Gets a Set to Fold

On the turn, Phil Ivey called 15,000 with the board reading 4J97. The 8 fell on the river and Ivey’s opponent checked.

With four cards to a straight already on the board, Ivey bet 45,000 and sent his opponent into the tank. After thinking for a while, Ivey’s opponent decided to lay down 99 face up on the table. Ivey did not show his hand, but increased his stack to 148,000.

Watkinson Can’t Fire the Last Barrel

On a flop of 882, Lee Watkinson bet 4,000 and was called. He fired 10,000 on the turn when the Q fell and was called again.

The river was the 6 and he gave up and checked. His opponent checked behind and showed 44 and took the pot as Watkinson only had kigh-high with KJ.

Brown Gets Called By Queen High

Chad Brown has been getting short, but on a flop of 865, Brown check-raised his opponent all in for his last 12,000 in chips. His opponent made the call and tabled A6 and was ahead of the Q10 that his opponent had.

The turn was the 4 and the river was the A, giving Brown a much needed double up. He increased his stack to 37,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Phil Ivey,   Liz Lieu

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Level 1 Hour 2 Update: Lederer Gets Going

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. Yan Chen – 85,500
2. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
3. Andy Seth – 65,000
4. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
5. John Juanda – 45,000
6. Terrence Chan – 44,000
7. Matt Savage – 43,000
8. John Monnette – 41,000
9. Lee Watkinson – 40,000
10. Scotty Nguyen – 39,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 25,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Watkinson Has Ducks Shot Down

After four players limped in preflop, the flop fell 1092. The action was checked to seat 6 who bet 500. Lee Watkinson made the call and seat 3 called from the button. Antonio Tarver folded from the big blind and the turn was the 8. Everyone checked and the river was the 6.

Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,500. Seat 3 made the call and seat 6 mucked his hand. Watkinson then tabled 22 for a set of ducks, but seat 3 showed 87 for a rivered straight and took the pot. Watkinson was down to 32,000.

Boeree Drops Some Chips

After the board ran out A1069K, a player bet 3,100 and Liv Boeree made the call. The opponent then showed down AK for top two pair and Boeree had no choice but to muck her hand.

After dropping the pot, Boeree was down to 21,000 in chips.

Class Begins

A player in late position raised to 300 preflop and action got around to Howard Lederer. He repopped it to 1,000 and the small blind called. The big blind came along as well and the original raiser followed suit, making the pot worth 4,000.

The flop then came 984 and the small blind led out with 2,200. The big blind mucked, as did the late position player. Lederer made the call and the turn was the A. The small blind checked and Lederer bet 3,500. The small blind finally gave it up and Lederer took the pot, putting his stack around 40,000.

McEvoy Unsuccessful In His Bluff Attempt

Tom McEvoy limped in from middle position and then called a raise to 400 from the player directly to his left. They took the flop heads-up of 788. McEvoy checked and called 650 from his opponent. Both players checked when the K fell on the turn and watched the K fall on the river.

Now McEvoy leads out for 1,500 and is instantly called by his opponent. McEvoy turns up J10 for a busted straight draw and his opponent showed AQ, good for ace-high and the pot.

Liz Lieu’s Two Pair Flushed Away

Liz Lieu bet 2,000 on the river into an already bloated pot on a board that read 86JA10. Her opponent then raised her to 6,000 and Lieu went into the tank.

While the ESPN cameras rushed over to catch a glimpse of her decision, she eventually decided to toss in enough chips to make the call. Her opponent showed her 97, good for a flush and Lieu just sighed as she flashed A6, good for two pair.

Chen Puts in the Third Raise, Wins The Pot

Bill Chen raised to 250 preflop and gets two callers. The flop was 104Q. After the first player checked, Chen bet 600 and was met with a raise to 1,500.

The third party got out of the way and without any hesitation, Chen pulled his original bet back and tossed out four yellow chips, as he made it 4,000 to go. It seemed as if as soon as Chen’s chips hit the felt, his opponent’s cards hit the muck and Chen raked the pot.

You’re So Lucky Baby

The player in seat 5 raised to 300 from early position and Scotty Nguyen called from the next seat over. The player in seat 9 called from the cutoff and the three players saw a flop of 653. Action was checked to the cutoff who bet 500. Seat 5 mucked but Nguyen made the call. The turn was the 4 and both players checked. The river brought the A and Nguyen led out for 1,000.

The cutoff mucked and Nguyen tabled KJ for a flopped flush. “You know how lucky you are baby?” Nguyen said as he raked in the pot. He was at 46,000.

Luske Flushes One Out

Picking up the action on the turn with the board reading K863, the player in seat 4 bet 1,600 and Marcel Luske made the call. The river brought the 5 and the action was checked to Luske. He bet 3,000 and seat 4 made the call.

Luske then tabled QJ for a heart flush on the river and seat 4 mucked. Luske took in the pot and was at 42,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Howard Lederer,   Marcel Luske,   Liz Lieu,   Antonio Tarver

Level 1 Hour 1 Update: Juanda Gets Aces Early

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
2. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
3. Terrence Chan – 46,000
4. John Juanda – 42,000
5. Yan Chen – 41,000
6. Lee Watkinson – 35,000
7. John Cernuto – 30,000
8. Abe Mosseri – 30,000
9. Alex Jacob – 30,000
10. Bill Chen – 30,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Griffin Fires Three Barrels

After some action preflop, Gavin Griffin and his opponent saw a flop of 210K. After his opponent checked, Griffin bet 1,300, which was called. The turn was the 7 and Griffin bet 2,100 after his opponent checked, which was called again.

The river was the 4 and his opponent checked one last time. Griffin looked perplexed and then bet 2,100 again. His opponent quickly released his cards and Griffin took the pot.

Juanda Picks Up Aces Early, Wins Pot

On a flop of 962, John Juanda bet 2,500 after his opponent checked, but was met with a check-raise to 7,500. Juanda thought for a minute or so and made the call.

The J fell on the turn and both players checked. The 4 fell on the river and Juanda’s opponent checked a third time. Juanda bet 5,400 and his opponent tossed in a call. Juanda tabled AA and his opponent showed QQ, as he gets on the right side of that cold deck to take the pot.

Bill Chen Goes Up, Bill Chen Goes Down

Bill Chen raised to 225 under the gun and action folded around to the big blind, who made the call. The flop came down J36 and Chen fired 200. The big blind called again and the turn was the 4. Both players checked and the river was the 4. The big blind then led out for 325 and Chen mucked.

A few hands later, a flop of Q48 Chen and his opponent checked with 600 in the pot. The turn then brought the K and Chen fired 325. His opponent mucked and after all of that, Chen was still around 30,000.

Watkinson With Top Two

With four players in the pot, the flop came down J87 and action was checked to seat 6. He bet 300 and Lee Watkinson made the call. Seat 2 mucked and Antonio Tarver mucked his hand. The turn was the 6 and seat 6 fired 1,100. Watkinson made the call and the river brought the A.

Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,600. Seat 6 called and Watkinson tabled J8 for two pair and he took down the pot. He was around 35,000.

Allen Kessler Flops A Set

After a flop of A82, a player bet 750 and Allen Kessler made the call. The turn was the 3 and the action was then checked to Kessler. He bet 1,500 and his opponent called. The river was the 9 and the opponent led out with 2,000.

Kessler just called and his opponent tabled A9 for two pair. Kessler then showed 88 for a set and took down the pot.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   John Juanda,   Allen Kessler,   Gavin Griffin

Level 7 Hour 2 Update: Kathy Liebert Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 2,862 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber – 352,000
2. Dan Bilzerian – 275,000
3. Jeremiah DeGreef – 210,000
4. Tony Hachem – 181,000
5. Josh Arieh – 180,000
6. Chance Kornuth – 170,000
7. Jordan Siegel – 164,000
8. Jeff Lisandro – 160,000
9. David Benyamine – 158,000
10. Justin Bonomo – 150,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 75,000
Phil Hellmuth – 120,000
Lee Watkinson – 65,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 120,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 20,000
Thomas Keller – 123,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Average Chip Count Day 2b: 62,052

Notable Eliminations:

Howard Lederer
Kathy Liebert
Michael Mizrachi
Rob Hollink

Big Hands:

Kostritsyn’s Big Bluff Failed

On the river, there was over 40,000 in the pot already and the board read Q10362 and Alexander Kostritsyn bet 33,000 from early position.

His opponent went into the tank and thought for several minutes. He tried to talk to Kostritsyn, but couldn’t get a response. Eventually he called and slammed 910 on the table, for second pair. Kostritsyn mucked his hand and his stack fell to 82,000.

Kathy Liebert Eliminated

After the button raised and the small blind called, Kathy Liebert squeezed all in from the big blind. The button folded, but the small blind made the call. The small blind showed AJ and Liebert tabled A5.

The board came out 838K4, keeping the small blind in the lead and eliminating Liebert from the tournament.

Liz Lieu Gets Lucky, Then Unlucky to Chop

Liz Lieu was all in preflop for her last 27,000 and was called. Lieu had AJ and was behind the AQ of her opponent.

The flop was Q810, giving Lieu a straight draw, and got there on the turn with the K. The J on the river, however, made both players ace-high straights and splitting the pot. Lieu’s opponent had some choice words which are not fit for repeating after the hand was over.

Ivey Makes a Big Bet, Gets a Set to Fold

On the turn, Phil Ivey called 15,000 with the board reading 4J97. The 8 fell on the river and Ivey’s opponent checked.

With four cards to a straight already on the board, Ivey bet 45,000 and sent his opponent into the tank. After thinking for a while, Ivey’s opponent decided to lay down 99 face up on the table. Ivey did not show his hand, but increased his stack to 148,000.

Watkinson Can’t Fire the Last Barrel

On a flop of 882, Lee Watkinson bet 4,000 and was called. He fired 10,000 on the turn when the Q fell and was called again.

The river was the 6 and he gave up and checked. His opponent checked behind and showed 44 and took the pot as Watkinson only had kigh-high with KJ.

Brown Gets Called By Queen High

Chad Brown has been getting short, but on a flop of 865, Brown check-raised his opponent all in for his last 12,000 in chips. His opponent made the call and tabled A6 and was ahead of the Q10 that his opponent had.

The turn was the 4 and the river was the A, giving Brown a much needed double up. He increased his stack to 37,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Phil Ivey,   Liz Lieu

Level 6 Update: Daniel Negreanu, Alex Kostritsyn Eliminated

Jun 30, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 384 out of 928

Chip Counts:

1. Juha Helppi – 75,000
2. Eli Elezra – 53,000
3. Marc Naalden – 40,000
4. Chris Ferguson – 36,000
5. Ivan Demidov – 35,000
6. Allen Cunningham – 32,000
7. Phil Hellmuth – 31,000
8. Victor Ramdin – 30,000
9. Chad Batista – 30,000
10. Kathy Liebert – 22,000

Average Chip Count: 36,250

Notable Eliminations:

Alex Kostritsyn
Daniel Negreanu

Big Hands:

Phil Hellmuth Acting As Dealer

There have been a couple of dealer miscues at Phil Hellmuth’s table. In one hand the short stack at the table went all in from early position from under the gun and Hellmuth reraised. The player on the button reraised to 20,000 with the AK and Hellmuth mucked. The dealer promptly gave back the 20,000 to the button and put the pot together. When the pocket fives of the all-in short stacked held up, the dealer pushed the pot that only contained the short stack’s initial bet and Hellmuth’s reraise. When the winning player was raking in his chips, Hellmuth noticed the mistake and corrected the situation. If it wasn’t for Hellmuth, the button would have free rolled for an elimination. Phil Hellmuth has also been very active at the table, raising with 10-4 and 8-3 to take down small pots. Hellmuth is around 30,000 in chips.

Alex Kostritsyn Eliminated

Alex Kostritsyn was short stacked when he moved in on a flop of A-K-8 with the A5. He was quickly called by his opponent who tabled K-8 for bottom two pair. The turn and river offered no help to Kostritsyn and he was eliminated.

Lee Watkinson Adds to Stack

Lee Watkinson called a under-the-gun 1,150 bet from the small blind as two players saw a flop of K44. Watkinson checked and his opponent fired out a bet of 1,000. Watkinson thought about it briefly before making the call. The K hit the turn and both players checked. The 7 fell on the river and Watkinson bet 2,000. His opponent made the call and Watkinson exposed the JJ to take the pot. Watkinson now has 34,000 in chips.

Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

On the button, Daniel Negreanu called a 5,500 chip reraise from a player in the small blind. The flop came 662. The small blind fired out a bet of 7,250 and Negreanu quickly announced he was all in for 19,000 total. The small blind quickly called and tabled the 1010 and was ahead of the K2 of Negreanu. The turn brought the 8 and the J fell on the river, eliminating Negreanu so he could return to his other tournament (event no. 55).

Left in the Deck:

The players are now on a 90 dinner break.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Daniel Negreanu,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Final Table Update: Brandon Cantu Wins Event No. 48

Jun 27, '09

Blinds: 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 1 out of 762

Chip Counts:

1. Brandon Cantu – 3,249,000
2. Lee Watkinson – 0

Average Chip Count: 3,249,000

Notable Eliminations:

2. Lee Watkinson – $141,873

Elimination Hands

Brandon Cantu Wins Event No. 48 ($228,867), Lee Watkinson Eliminated In Second ($141,873)

Brandon Cantu raised to 150,000 from the button and Lee Watkinson just called. The flop came Q64 and both players got all their chips into the middle. Cantu exposed the A1074, for a pair of fours with a flush draw. Watkinson tabled the 2357 for a low draw, a straight draw with multiple cards completing it, and an inferior flush draw. However, the turn brought the 9 and the 4 fell on the river, giving Cantu trip fours. Watkinson was sent home in second place.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Brandon Cantu

Final Table Update: Jacqmin Mathieu Eliminated

Jun 27, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 762

Chip Counts:

1. Brandon Cantu – 1,970,000
2. Lee Watkinson – 1,430,000

Average Chip Count: 1,714,500

Notable Eliminations:

2. Jacqmin Mathieu ($92,946)

Elimination Hands

Jacqmin Mathieu Eliminated in 3rd Place ($92,946)

Jacqmin Mathieu raised pot from the small blind and Lee Watkinson called from the big blind. The flop came Q95 and Mathieu elected to check. Watkinson didn’t check behind and eventually bet out pot. Mathieu quickly went all in and Watkinson made the call. Watkinson tabled the QQ62 and was ahead of the A772 of Mathieu. Watkinson’s set of queens had to dodge spades that didn’t pair the board and a runner-runner low draw. The 8 hit the turn, giving Mathieu a low draw but the K fell on the river, eliminating Mathieu. Watkinson is now up to 2,485,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson

Final Table Begins at 2 p.m.

Jun 27, '09

The remaining nine players will resume action at 2.pm today. Brandon Cantu is the massive chip leader with 1,025,000 in the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha 8 or better event. Cantu is looking for his second career bracelet after a disappointing second place finish in event no. 39 ($1,500 no-limit hold’em) just five days ago. Bracelet winner Lee Watkinson is also in the running to take the title. Phil Hellmuth made a run at the final table but finished short in fourteenth place.

Here are the seat positions and chip counts:

Seat 1: Lee Watkinson — 412,000
Seat 2: Steve Jelinek — 260,000
Seat 3: William McMahan — 168,000
Seat 4: Brandon Cantu — 1,025,000
Seat 5: Ted Weinstock — 239,000
Seat 6: Aaron Sias — 353,000
Seat 7: Jacqmin Mathieu — 552,000
Seat 8: Ronnie Hofman — 76,000
Seat 9: Tommy Vedes — 334,000

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Phil Hellmuth,   Brandon Cantu

Level 9 Update: Tran Keeps Rolling

May 31, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with 75 ante

Players Remaining: 530 out of 3,012

Notable Eliminations:

Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

Legend Killer

The player in seat 8 raised to 1,800 from early position and Tommy Le was the only caller from the small blind. The flop dropped KQ6 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and the fireworks began. Seat 8 fired 2,300 after Le checked. Le then raised it to 6,000 straight, which was immediately followed by an all in bet by seat 8 for 3,500 more. Le was disgusted, but was priced in to call and tabled AK. His opponent revealed the superior KK for a set of cowboys. The river was the 3 and the Legend took a huge hit to his stack as he was down to just under 7,000 in chips.

Lee Gets Out of the Way

The player in seat 4 called 800 from middle position, Lee Watkinson called from the small blind and the big blind checked his option. The flop came 773 and seat 4 fired 2,200. Watkinson quickly mucked, as did the big blind. Watkinson was at 16,500 after that hand.

Tran Forced Out of One Pot, K.O.’s A Player in Another

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,600 from early position and action folded around to J.C. Tran on the button. He made the call and the two players saw a flop of K7Q. Seat 4 led out with 2,500 and Tran got out of the way.

Later, Tran called an opponent’s all in and showed pocket nines. His opponent tabled big slick, AK. The board offered no help and Tran knocked out another player, increasing his huge stack to over 60,000.

Don’t Flush!

The player in seat 9 raised to 2,500 on a flop of J42. Monnette made the call and then the player in seat 5 came over the top, going all in for 10,375. Seat 9 mucked and Monnette made the call, showing K8 for the second nut flush draw. Unfortunately, his opponent had A for the nut flush draw. Monnette needed help and he got it when the 8 fell on the turn. The river was the 7, giving Monnette the huge pot and building his stack to roughly 73,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   J.C. Tran,   John Monnette,   Tommy Le

Level 19 Update: Armstrong a Contender

Jun 02, '09

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 81 out of 6,012

Chip Counts:

1. Danny Fuhs — 865,000
2. Adam White — 681,000
3. Amanda Baker — 570,000
4. Steve Ma — 570,000
5. Eric Chhor — 545,000
6. Greg Buonocore — 460,000
7. Phong Huynh — 450,000
8. Jack Powell — 400,000
9. Justin Rollo — 390,000
10. Dan Heimiller — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 222,667

Big Hands:

Dobrilovic Put To a Decision For All His Chips

The player in seat 5 raised to 28,000 from the cutoff. The action was then on Tom Dobrilovic on the button and he repopped it to 100,000. The small blind folded, but the big blind moved all in for over 300,000, having Dobrilovic covered. Seat 5 got out of the way and Dobrilovic went into the tank. He looked back at the board and mucked his hand, perhaps not wanting to put his tournament life on the line with this amount of people remaining. His stack took a big hit as he was at 170,000 after the hand.

Watkinson Makes Right Move

Lee Watkinson raised to 25,000 preflop from middle position and the action folded to the big blind. He came over the top for 50,000 more. Watkinson tanked, then mucked his hand face up, 33. His opponent returned the favor as he showed KK. Watkinson was at 130,000 after the hand.

Armstrong Uses The Strong Hand

Jaime Armstrong faced off against the player in seat 3, in a battle that ended up nearly doubling his already enormous stack. On the preflop Armstrong threw in 25,000 driving everyone at the table to fold except for the player in seat 3 who decided to throw all-in, which was a stack of 244,000. Without a flinch Armstrong called and the showdown commenced. The player in seat 3 flipped an A-10 and Armstrong threw in pocket J’s. The board fell Q2389 and Armstrong’s J’s held up giving him a stack of roughly 500,000 in chips putting him well within the top 5 in the grueling stages of the tournament.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Jamie Armstrong

Level 13: Lee Watkinson Rises Up Leaderboard

Jun 01, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 395 out of 6,021

Chip Counts:

1. J.C. Tran – 218,000
2. Will Failla – 150,000
3. Alex Shin — 103,300
4. Mark Fink — 100,300
5. John Monnette — 90,000
6. Danny Fuhs — 85,700
7. Lee Watkinson – 77,000
8. Allen Puzantyan — 76,100
9. Thomas Bass — 74,700
10. Jack Powell — 72,900

Average Chip Count: 45,729

Big Hands:

“Captain” Tom Franklin Doubles Up Opponent

Tom Franklin and his opponent got it all in pre-flop with Franklin holding AJ and his opponent holding AQ. The flop came 8A3 and Franklin was looking to pair his kicker or lose a 26,000 chip pot. The 2 hit the turn and the 7 fell on the river, and Franklin’s chip stack fell to 45,000.

Lee Watkinson Finds Rhythm At New Table

Riding a short stack at his previous table, the 2007 Main Event 8th place finisher has built up his chips at table 242. On a board of K745, Watkinson bet 16,000 into his opponent on the button. His opponent, holding a little more than Watkinson’s bet, went into the tank for 5 minutes before the clock was finally called on him. Watkinson’s opponent eventually laid the hand down. Watkinson is now up to 77,000 and has a shot at a deep run in the massive field.

Justin “WPThero” Rollo Doubles Up A Player

With the 33 Justin Rollo and his opponent got it all-in pre-flop. Rollo was in a race, up against the AQ for roughly a 25,000 chip pot. The flop was ugly for Rollo as it came A4K, with no club draw for his small pocket pair. The turn brought the 7 and the river bricked out with the 7. Rollo is still above the chip average with just under 50,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Justin Rollo

Level 21 Update: Eric Mizrachi Eliminated and Lee Watkinson Eliminated

Jun 02, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 6,021

Chip Counts:

1. Robert Comegys – 1,200,000
2. Danny Fuhs – 1,100,00
3. Eric Chhor – 900,000
4. Steve Ma – 810,000
5. Jack Powell – 725,000
6. Amanda Baker – 700,000
7. Dan Heilmiller – 660,000
8. Steve Sung – 570,000
9. Jonathan Aguiar – 500,000
10. Vilandos Panayote – 483,000

Average Chip Count: 454,575

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Mizrachi
Justin Rollo
Lee Watkinson

Big Hands:

Eric Mizrachi Eliminated

After raising on the button with the A10, Eric Mizrachi was re-raised all-in from Brent Roberts in the small blind. Roberts shoved 145,000 into the middle, which was just enough to cover the short stack of Mizrachi. Mizrachi went into the tank saying, “I really hope it’s a coin flip.” He eventually made the call and Roberts announced that it was a coin flip and exposed the KQ. Mizrachi flipped his cards over for the slight lead in the hand. The flop was a disaster for Mizrachi as it came 2K4, giving Roberts top pair. The board bricked out for the Mizrachi brother with the 7 and 2 to send him to the rail.

Steve Sung Wins Big Pot With Ace-High

On a flop of 939, Steve Sung checked to his opponent in the cut off. Sung’s opponent fired out 75,000 and Sung contemplated briefly before making the call. The 10 hit the turn and Sung checked. His opponent elected not to double barrel bluff the turn and checked behind. The 3 on the river paired the board and Sung quickly bet just 16,000 into the pot of 200,000. His opponent looked confused and smiled at the very tiny bet from Sung, eventually making the call. Sung tabled the AK for ace-high and his opponent quickly mucked. Sung is now up to 500,000.

Lee Watkinson Doubles Up

Severely short stacked, Lee Watkinson called the all-in re-raise by an opponent who had him well covered. Watkinson turned over the A10 and was ahead of the 35 of his opponent. The flop came J62, putting the Full Tilt Pro well ahead of the suited connectors of his opponent. The K hit the river, giving Watkinson a flush and having his opponent drawing dead for the river. Just after moving tables, Watkinson doubled up to 210,000, still about half the chip average.

Dan Heilmiller Takes Down A Pot

A player in middle position bet 52,000 pre-flop. Action was folded to Dan Heilmiller on the button, who re-raised 75,000 on top. Amanda Baker in the small blind went into the tank before finally folding. Action was then quickly folded to the initial raiser, who asked Heilmiller for a count on his chips. Heilmiller counted out 305,000 more and his opponent eventually folded. Heilillmer is now up to 474,000.

Steve Sung Wins Another Pot

On a board of K83, Steve Sung bet out 65,000 from the big blind. His bet was called by an opponent in middle position. The K hit the river and Sung fired out a large pot sized bet of 200,000 into his caller, leaving only 85,000 behind. His opponent went into the tank before finally folding. Sung said afterward that he wanted a call and that he bet too much on the end. Sung is now up to 570,000.

Lee Watkinson Eliminated

As the short stack of the tournament with just 16,000 in chips, Lee Watkinson moved all-in under the gun. Jonathan Aguilar in the cut-off shoved in over the top of Watkinson’s tiny all-in bet and was called by Amanda Baker. Watkinson held the J10 and wasn’t in too bad of shape against the pocket nines of Aguilar and the pocket eights of Amanda Baker. Aguilar flopped a full house and doubled through Baker to 500,000, eliminating Watkinson.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Eric Mizrachi

Level 9 Update: Tran Keeps Rolling

May 31, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with 75 ante

Players Remaining: 530 out of 3,012

Notable Eliminations:

Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

Legend Killer

The player in seat 8 raised to 1,800 from early position and Tommy Le was the only caller from the small blind. The flop dropped KQ6 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and the fireworks began. Seat 8 fired 2,300 after Le checked. Le then raised it to 6,000 straight, which was immediately followed by an all in bet by seat 8 for 3,500 more. Le was disgusted, but was priced in to call and tabled AK. His opponent revealed the superior KK for a set of cowboys. The river was the 3 and the Legend took a huge hit to his stack as he was down to just under 7,000 in chips.

Lee Gets Out of the Way

The player in seat 4 called 800 from middle position, Lee Watkinson called from the small blind and the big blind checked his option. The flop came 773 and seat 4 fired 2,200. Watkinson quickly mucked, as did the big blind. Watkinson was at 16,500 after that hand.

Tran Forced Out of One Pot, K.O.’s A Player in Another

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,600 from early position and action folded around to J.C. Tran on the button. He made the call and the two players saw a flop of K7Q. Seat 4 led out with 2,500 and Tran got out of the way.

Later, Tran called an opponent’s all in and showed pocket nines. His opponent tabled big slick, AK. The board offered no help and Tran knocked out another player, increasing his huge stack to over 60,000.

Don’t Flush!

The player in seat 9 raised to 2,500 on a flop of J42. Monnette made the call and then the player in seat 5 came over the top, going all in for 10,375. Seat 9 mucked and Monnette made the call, showing K8 for the second nut flush draw. Unfortunately, his opponent had A for the nut flush draw. Monnette needed help and he got it when the 8 fell on the turn. The river was the 7, giving Monnette the huge pot and building his stack to roughly 73,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   J.C. Tran,   John Monnette,   Tommy Le

Level 19 Update: Armstrong a Contender

Jun 02, '09

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 81 out of 6,012

Chip Counts:

1. Danny Fuhs — 865,000
2. Adam White — 681,000
3. Amanda Baker — 570,000
4. Steve Ma — 570,000
5. Eric Chhor — 545,000
6. Greg Buonocore — 460,000
7. Phong Huynh — 450,000
8. Jack Powell — 400,000
9. Justin Rollo — 390,000
10. Dan Heimiller — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 222,667

Big Hands:

Dobrilovic Put To a Decision For All His Chips

The player in seat 5 raised to 28,000 from the cutoff. The action was then on Tom Dobrilovic on the button and he repopped it to 100,000. The small blind folded, but the big blind moved all in for over 300,000, having Dobrilovic covered. Seat 5 got out of the way and Dobrilovic went into the tank. He looked back at the board and mucked his hand, perhaps not wanting to put his tournament life on the line with this amount of people remaining. His stack took a big hit as he was at 170,000 after the hand.

Watkinson Makes Right Move

Lee Watkinson raised to 25,000 preflop from middle position and the action folded to the big blind. He came over the top for 50,000 more. Watkinson tanked, then mucked his hand face up, 33. His opponent returned the favor as he showed KK. Watkinson was at 130,000 after the hand.

Armstrong Uses The Strong Hand

Jaime Armstrong faced off against the player in seat 3, in a battle that ended up nearly doubling his already enormous stack. On the preflop Armstrong threw in 25,000 driving everyone at the table to fold except for the player in seat 3 who decided to throw all-in, which was a stack of 244,000. Without a flinch Armstrong called and the showdown commenced. The player in seat 3 flipped an A-10 and Armstrong threw in pocket J’s. The board fell Q2389 and Armstrong’s J’s held up giving him a stack of roughly 500,000 in chips putting him well within the top 5 in the grueling stages of the tournament.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Jamie Armstrong

Level 13: Lee Watkinson Rises Up Leaderboard

Jun 01, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 395 out of 6,021

Chip Counts:

1. J.C. Tran – 218,000
2. Will Failla – 150,000
3. Alex Shin — 103,300
4. Mark Fink — 100,300
5. John Monnette — 90,000
6. Danny Fuhs — 85,700
7. Lee Watkinson – 77,000
8. Allen Puzantyan — 76,100
9. Thomas Bass — 74,700
10. Jack Powell — 72,900

Average Chip Count: 45,729

Big Hands:

“Captain” Tom Franklin Doubles Up Opponent

Tom Franklin and his opponent got it all in pre-flop with Franklin holding AJ and his opponent holding AQ. The flop came 8A3 and Franklin was looking to pair his kicker or lose a 26,000 chip pot. The 2 hit the turn and the 7 fell on the river, and Franklin’s chip stack fell to 45,000.

Lee Watkinson Finds Rhythm At New Table

Riding a short stack at his previous table, the 2007 Main Event 8th place finisher has built up his chips at table 242. On a board of K745, Watkinson bet 16,000 into his opponent on the button. His opponent, holding a little more than Watkinson’s bet, went into the tank for 5 minutes before the clock was finally called on him. Watkinson’s opponent eventually laid the hand down. Watkinson is now up to 77,000 and has a shot at a deep run in the massive field.

Justin “WPThero” Rollo Doubles Up A Player

With the 33 Justin Rollo and his opponent got it all-in pre-flop. Rollo was in a race, up against the AQ for roughly a 25,000 chip pot. The flop was ugly for Rollo as it came A4K, with no club draw for his small pocket pair. The turn brought the 7 and the river bricked out with the 7. Rollo is still above the chip average with just under 50,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Justin Rollo

Level 21 Update: Eric Mizrachi Eliminated and Lee Watkinson Eliminated

Jun 02, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 6,021

Chip Counts:

1. Robert Comegys – 1,200,000
2. Danny Fuhs – 1,100,00
3. Eric Chhor – 900,000
4. Steve Ma – 810,000
5. Jack Powell – 725,000
6. Amanda Baker – 700,000
7. Dan Heilmiller – 660,000
8. Steve Sung – 570,000
9. Jonathan Aguiar – 500,000
10. Vilandos Panayote – 483,000

Average Chip Count: 454,575

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Mizrachi
Justin Rollo
Lee Watkinson

Big Hands:

Eric Mizrachi Eliminated

After raising on the button with the A10, Eric Mizrachi was re-raised all-in from Brent Roberts in the small blind. Roberts shoved 145,000 into the middle, which was just enough to cover the short stack of Mizrachi. Mizrachi went into the tank saying, “I really hope it’s a coin flip.” He eventually made the call and Roberts announced that it was a coin flip and exposed the KQ. Mizrachi flipped his cards over for the slight lead in the hand. The flop was a disaster for Mizrachi as it came 2K4, giving Roberts top pair. The board bricked out for the Mizrachi brother with the 7 and 2 to send him to the rail.

Steve Sung Wins Big Pot With Ace-High

On a flop of 939, Steve Sung checked to his opponent in the cut off. Sung’s opponent fired out 75,000 and Sung contemplated briefly before making the call. The 10 hit the turn and Sung checked. His opponent elected not to double barrel bluff the turn and checked behind. The 3 on the river paired the board and Sung quickly bet just 16,000 into the pot of 200,000. His opponent looked confused and smiled at the very tiny bet from Sung, eventually making the call. Sung tabled the AK for ace-high and his opponent quickly mucked. Sung is now up to 500,000.

Lee Watkinson Doubles Up

Severely short stacked, Lee Watkinson called the all-in re-raise by an opponent who had him well covered. Watkinson turned over the A10 and was ahead of the 35 of his opponent. The flop came J62, putting the Full Tilt Pro well ahead of the suited connectors of his opponent. The K hit the river, giving Watkinson a flush and having his opponent drawing dead for the river. Just after moving tables, Watkinson doubled up to 210,000, still about half the chip average.

Dan Heilmiller Takes Down A Pot

A player in middle position bet 52,000 pre-flop. Action was folded to Dan Heilmiller on the button, who re-raised 75,000 on top. Amanda Baker in the small blind went into the tank before finally folding. Action was then quickly folded to the initial raiser, who asked Heilmiller for a count on his chips. Heilmiller counted out 305,000 more and his opponent eventually folded. Heilillmer is now up to 474,000.

Steve Sung Wins Another Pot

On a board of K83, Steve Sung bet out 65,000 from the big blind. His bet was called by an opponent in middle position. The K hit the river and Sung fired out a large pot sized bet of 200,000 into his caller, leaving only 85,000 behind. His opponent went into the tank before finally folding. Sung said afterward that he wanted a call and that he bet too much on the end. Sung is now up to 570,000.

Lee Watkinson Eliminated

As the short stack of the tournament with just 16,000 in chips, Lee Watkinson moved all-in under the gun. Jonathan Aguilar in the cut-off shoved in over the top of Watkinson’s tiny all-in bet and was called by Amanda Baker. Watkinson held the J10 and wasn’t in too bad of shape against the pocket nines of Aguilar and the pocket eights of Amanda Baker. Aguilar flopped a full house and doubled through Baker to 500,000, eliminating Watkinson.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Eric Mizrachi

Level 9 Update: Tran Keeps Rolling

May 31, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with 75 ante

Players Remaining: 530 out of 3,012

Notable Eliminations:

Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

Legend Killer

The player in seat 8 raised to 1,800 from early position and Tommy Le was the only caller from the small blind. The flop dropped KQ6 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and the fireworks began. Seat 8 fired 2,300 after Le checked. Le then raised it to 6,000 straight, which was immediately followed by an all in bet by seat 8 for 3,500 more. Le was disgusted, but was priced in to call and tabled AK. His opponent revealed the superior KK for a set of cowboys. The river was the 3 and the Legend took a huge hit to his stack as he was down to just under 7,000 in chips.

Lee Gets Out of the Way

The player in seat 4 called 800 from middle position, Lee Watkinson called from the small blind and the big blind checked his option. The flop came 773 and seat 4 fired 2,200. Watkinson quickly mucked, as did the big blind. Watkinson was at 16,500 after that hand.

Tran Forced Out of One Pot, K.O.’s A Player in Another

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,600 from early position and action folded around to J.C. Tran on the button. He made the call and the two players saw a flop of K7Q. Seat 4 led out with 2,500 and Tran got out of the way.

Later, Tran called an opponent’s all in and showed pocket nines. His opponent tabled big slick, AK. The board offered no help and Tran knocked out another player, increasing his huge stack to over 60,000.

Don’t Flush!

The player in seat 9 raised to 2,500 on a flop of J42. Monnette made the call and then the player in seat 5 came over the top, going all in for 10,375. Seat 9 mucked and Monnette made the call, showing K8 for the second nut flush draw. Unfortunately, his opponent had A for the nut flush draw. Monnette needed help and he got it when the 8 fell on the turn. The river was the 7, giving Monnette the huge pot and building his stack to roughly 73,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   J.C. Tran,   John Monnette,   Tommy Le

Level 19 Update: Armstrong a Contender

Jun 02, '09

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 81 out of 6,012

Chip Counts:

1. Danny Fuhs — 865,000
2. Adam White — 681,000
3. Amanda Baker — 570,000
4. Steve Ma — 570,000
5. Eric Chhor — 545,000
6. Greg Buonocore — 460,000
7. Phong Huynh — 450,000
8. Jack Powell — 400,000
9. Justin Rollo — 390,000
10. Dan Heimiller — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 222,667

Big Hands:

Dobrilovic Put To a Decision For All His Chips

The player in seat 5 raised to 28,000 from the cutoff. The action was then on Tom Dobrilovic on the button and he repopped it to 100,000. The small blind folded, but the big blind moved all in for over 300,000, having Dobrilovic covered. Seat 5 got out of the way and Dobrilovic went into the tank. He looked back at the board and mucked his hand, perhaps not wanting to put his tournament life on the line with this amount of people remaining. His stack took a big hit as he was at 170,000 after the hand.

Watkinson Makes Right Move

Lee Watkinson raised to 25,000 preflop from middle position and the action folded to the big blind. He came over the top for 50,000 more. Watkinson tanked, then mucked his hand face up, 33. His opponent returned the favor as he showed KK. Watkinson was at 130,000 after the hand.

Armstrong Uses The Strong Hand

Jaime Armstrong faced off against the player in seat 3, in a battle that ended up nearly doubling his already enormous stack. On the preflop Armstrong threw in 25,000 driving everyone at the table to fold except for the player in seat 3 who decided to throw all-in, which was a stack of 244,000. Without a flinch Armstrong called and the showdown commenced. The player in seat 3 flipped an A-10 and Armstrong threw in pocket J’s. The board fell Q2389 and Armstrong’s J’s held up giving him a stack of roughly 500,000 in chips putting him well within the top 5 in the grueling stages of the tournament.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Jamie Armstrong

Level 13: Lee Watkinson Rises Up Leaderboard

Jun 01, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 395 out of 6,021

Chip Counts:

1. J.C. Tran – 218,000
2. Will Failla – 150,000
3. Alex Shin — 103,300
4. Mark Fink — 100,300
5. John Monnette — 90,000
6. Danny Fuhs — 85,700
7. Lee Watkinson – 77,000
8. Allen Puzantyan — 76,100
9. Thomas Bass — 74,700
10. Jack Powell — 72,900

Average Chip Count: 45,729

Big Hands:

“Captain” Tom Franklin Doubles Up Opponent

Tom Franklin and his opponent got it all in pre-flop with Franklin holding AJ and his opponent holding AQ. The flop came 8A3 and Franklin was looking to pair his kicker or lose a 26,000 chip pot. The 2 hit the turn and the 7 fell on the river, and Franklin’s chip stack fell to 45,000.

Lee Watkinson Finds Rhythm At New Table

Riding a short stack at his previous table, the 2007 Main Event 8th place finisher has built up his chips at table 242. On a board of K745, Watkinson bet 16,000 into his opponent on the button. His opponent, holding a little more than Watkinson’s bet, went into the tank for 5 minutes before the clock was finally called on him. Watkinson’s opponent eventually laid the hand down. Watkinson is now up to 77,000 and has a shot at a deep run in the massive field.

Justin “WPThero” Rollo Doubles Up A Player

With the 33 Justin Rollo and his opponent got it all-in pre-flop. Rollo was in a race, up against the AQ for roughly a 25,000 chip pot. The flop was ugly for Rollo as it came A4K, with no club draw for his small pocket pair. The turn brought the 7 and the river bricked out with the 7. Rollo is still above the chip average with just under 50,000.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Justin Rollo

Level 21 Update: Eric Mizrachi Eliminated and Lee Watkinson Eliminated

Jun 02, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 6,021

Chip Counts:

1. Robert Comegys – 1,200,000
2. Danny Fuhs – 1,100,00
3. Eric Chhor – 900,000
4. Steve Ma – 810,000
5. Jack Powell – 725,000
6. Amanda Baker – 700,000
7. Dan Heilmiller – 660,000
8. Steve Sung – 570,000
9. Jonathan Aguiar – 500,000
10. Vilandos Panayote – 483,000

Average Chip Count: 454,575

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Mizrachi
Justin Rollo
Lee Watkinson

Big Hands:

Eric Mizrachi Eliminated

After raising on the button with the A10, Eric Mizrachi was re-raised all-in from Brent Roberts in the small blind. Roberts shoved 145,000 into the middle, which was just enough to cover the short stack of Mizrachi. Mizrachi went into the tank saying, “I really hope it’s a coin flip.” He eventually made the call and Roberts announced that it was a coin flip and exposed the KQ. Mizrachi flipped his cards over for the slight lead in the hand. The flop was a disaster for Mizrachi as it came 2K4, giving Roberts top pair. The board bricked out for the Mizrachi brother with the 7 and 2 to send him to the rail.

Steve Sung Wins Big Pot With Ace-High

On a flop of 939, Steve Sung checked to his opponent in the cut off. Sung’s opponent fired out 75,000 and Sung contemplated briefly before making the call. The 10 hit the turn and Sung checked. His opponent elected not to double barrel bluff the turn and checked behind. The 3 on the river paired the board and Sung quickly bet just 16,000 into the pot of 200,000. His opponent looked confused and smiled at the very tiny bet from Sung, eventually making the call. Sung tabled the AK for ace-high and his opponent quickly mucked. Sung is now up to 500,000.

Lee Watkinson Doubles Up

Severely short stacked, Lee Watkinson called the all-in re-raise by an opponent who had him well covered. Watkinson turned over the A10 and was ahead of the 35 of his opponent. The flop came J62, putting the Full Tilt Pro well ahead of the suited connectors of his opponent. The K hit the river, giving Watkinson a flush and having his opponent drawing dead for the river. Just after moving tables, Watkinson doubled up to 210,000, still about half the chip average.

Dan Heilmiller Takes Down A Pot

A player in middle position bet 52,000 pre-flop. Action was folded to Dan Heilmiller on the button, who re-raised 75,000 on top. Amanda Baker in the small blind went into the tank before finally folding. Action was then quickly folded to the initial raiser, who asked Heilmiller for a count on his chips. Heilmiller counted out 305,000 more and his opponent eventually folded. Heilillmer is now up to 474,000.

Steve Sung Wins Another Pot

On a board of K83, Steve Sung bet out 65,000 from the big blind. His bet was called by an opponent in middle position. The K hit the river and Sung fired out a large pot sized bet of 200,000 into his caller, leaving only 85,000 behind. His opponent went into the tank before finally folding. Sung said afterward that he wanted a call and that he bet too much on the end. Sung is now up to 570,000.

Lee Watkinson Eliminated

As the short stack of the tournament with just 16,000 in chips, Lee Watkinson moved all-in under the gun. Jonathan Aguilar in the cut-off shoved in over the top of Watkinson’s tiny all-in bet and was called by Amanda Baker. Watkinson held the J10 and wasn’t in too bad of shape against the pocket nines of Aguilar and the pocket eights of Amanda Baker. Aguilar flopped a full house and doubled through Baker to 500,000, eliminating Watkinson.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Eric Mizrachi

Level 6 Update

Mar 16, '09

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jerry Yang,   Soheil Shamseddin

Lee Watkinson Doubles Up

Aug 23, '08

We caught up with Lee Watkinson's double up hand on the river, and his opponent had already mucked his hand. Watkinson held QQ and the board read 1073A7. Although the action was unknown, his opponent shipped over 14,150 to bring Watkinson back over his starting stack for the first time in a while.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson

Lee Watkinson Out

Aug 25, '08

Lee Watkinson has busted out of the tournament late in level 8 on day 2.

















 

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson