5:40pm: Selbst takes it sans showdown

Tyler Kenney limped in on the button and Vanessa Selbst made it an additional 135,000 to go from the small blind. Dan Shak folded and Kenney made the call. The [Js][7d][6s] flop saw Kenney check-call Selbst’s 155,000 bet, which both players followed up with checks when the [3c] fell on the turn. The river was the [4h] and Kenney checked a third time. Selbst bet 365,000 but it was too rich for Kenney, who mucked his hand. With that pot, Selbst is back up to 2.3 million while Kenney fell to 3.8 million. —KB

5.25pm: Thomas Hoglund Jr. out in fourth, winning $120,000

Tom Hoglund Jr., who has done a good job of staying out of trouble and moving into the final four, could go no further. He is out in fourth, winning $120,000 for his week in Connecticut.

Hoglund shoved his short stack all in from the button and was called by the mighty towers of Tyler Kenney. Kenney also had the best hand when they were showndown:

Hoglund: [qh][9s]

Kenney: [as][7d]

Both players flopped pairs on the [ac][qd][6h] board, but Hoglund couldn’t get any further help on the [5c] turn and the [8d] river and that meant he was sent to the rail. — HS

5.05pm: Rubianes out in fifth, winning $90,000

Vincent Rubianes was close to a triple up, but now he’s close to the cash cage. He is out.

Tyler Kenney opened to 140,000 and Dan Shak called. Sensing that potential triple up, Vincent Rubianes decided this was his chance and moved all in for 155,000.

The flop came [3c][4d][2d] and Kenney bet 160,000. Shak mucked, leaving Rubianes and Kenney to decide the former’s tournament life.

Rubianes: [ad][7c]

Kenney: [Kh][10c]

At this stage it looked good for a potentially life-saving moment for Rubianes. He only had a few outs to fade on turn and river. Howevever, both turn and river were horrible for him, coming [kd][ks], and that was that for Rubianes.

He is out in fifth for $90,000. — HS

4:59pm: Selbst doubles through Rubianes

On the shortstack and down to 1.2 million in chips, Vanessa Selbst open-pushed for around 1.1 million with [kd][jh]. Vincent Rubianes called her with [8d][8c]. From the rail came the call of “”http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/ept/2009/ept-copenhagen-introducing-the-pokerstar-036333.html" target="_blank">One Time Chip!"

The flop came down [kh][2h][7h], leaving Rubianes with just one out…until the turn came the [ks]. The opened up one more out for Rubianes. It didn’t hit. The [4c] came on the river and Selbst doubled to around 2.3 million. The hand left Vincent with 150,000. He’ll be all in before I hit publish on this post. —BW

4:50pm: Moving pictures

4:45pm: Shak seizes the chip lead, doubles through defending champ

On Day 1 of this event, we reported a hand where Dan Shak, quite literally asleep in the small blind, woke up to ace-six and ultimately called his opponent’s re-shove, doubling his stack. The hand once again proved to be lucky for the New York City futures trader, as it just gave him a double-up through (formerly) second-in-chips Vanessa Selbst.

Selbst opened for her standard twice the big blind raise to 120,000, Shak three-bet to 400,000 and Selbst moved all-in. Shak didn’t waste too much time in calling, revealing [Ad][6h] to Selbst’s [7d][7s].

Although Selbst’s pair held on the [Th][8c][4h] flop, the [Ah] on the turn left her drawing to only a single out as Shak picked up the nut flush draw. The river was the [9d] and Selbst shed about two-thirds of her stack, leaving her on 1.2 million while Shak vaulted into the chip lead with over 4 million.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Selbst’s normally enthusiastic rail has been temporarily silenced. —KB

4:36pm: Small flop, small(ish) pot for Kenney

Tyler Kenney opened for a raise to 140,000 and got one caller in Vincent Rubianes. The flop fell [3d][2s][2h] and Rubianes checked to Kenney, who made a 140,000 continuation bet. Rubianes called, and the [6d] came on the turn. Rubianes checked a second time, Kenney made it 325,000 to go and it was enough to fold out Rubianes, our hooded leader adding a few more chips to his growing stack. —KB

4.30pm: Five for it

Welcome back to Connecticut, where there are five players still in the hunt for NAPT glory.

On the final hand of the past level, the NAPT Los Angeles champion Joe Tehan was eliminated, ending his hopes of becoming the first two-time NAPT champion.

But Vanessa Selbst, the only other player with that chance at the start of the tournament, could still pull it off. She not only remains at the final table, she is also the chip leader.

The full counts of the remaining five are as follows:

Vanessa Selbst: 3,230,000

Tyler Kenney: 3,200,000

Dan Shak: 2,135,000

Tom Hoglund: 1,590,000

Vincent Rubianes: 1,550,000

Blinds are now 30,000-60,000, meaning each small blind is now the equivalent of a starting stack in this tournament.

Reporting team: Kristin Bihr, Howard Swains and Poker’s Brad Willis. Photography: Joe Giron.

This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.

Hands 50-59: Selbst chips away at Shak’s comeback

Dan Shak’s comeback was all but erased in hands 50-59. The chip counts as the players take a 15-minute break look like this:

Selbst: 8,875,000

Shak: 2,835,000

Here are the hands.

Hand 50: Selbst limped in and Shak checked his option. On a flop of [3h][tc][ks], both players checked. Shak checked the [8s] turn, Selbst bet 175,000, Shak raised to 400,000, and Selbst folded. -

Hand 51: Shak raised to 250,000 pre-flop and Selbst folded.

Hand 52: Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak folded.

Hand 53: Shak limped in, Selbst raised, Shak folded, and Selbst showed a pair of nines.

Hand 54: Selbst limped in and Shak checked his option. On a flop of [2s]⁶[5h]. Selbst bet 125,000 and Shak called. The [ts] came on the turn. Shak checked and Selbst bet 280,000. Shak then raised to 680,000. Selbst made the call. The river was the [3s]. Shak bet 800,000 and Selbst called. [kd][2d]. Selbst showed [ad]td] for a pair of tens and the win.

Hand 55. The two players saw a flop of [9h][6c][ah]. Selbst checket, Shak bet 100,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 56: Selbst raised to 200,000, and Shak folded.

Hand 57: Shak raised to 200,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 58: Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak called. On a flop of [kc][qc][kh], Shak checked, and Selnst checked behind. The [ad] came on the turn. Selbst bet 160,000. Shak raised to 400,000. Selbst folded and Shak picked up the pot.

Hand 59: Shak folded and Selbst won the pot.

9:48pm: Hands 40-49— Shak doubles through Selbst, misses value on nut boat

Dan Shak managed to make a bit of a comeback over the last ten hands. He doubled up with a straight against Selbst’s nut flush draw on Hand 42, but could not get paid off on the full house he turned on Hand 45. Currenlty Selbst is on 7.1 million in chips while Shak is up to about 4.6 million.

Hand 40: Selbst opened for 200,000 on the button and Shak called. Shak checked the [4h][Js][8h] flop over to Selbst, who bet 260,000. Shak folded and Selbst won the pot.

Hand 41: Shak limped in on the button and Selbst checked her option. Selbst led out for 100,000 on the [5c][Jh][Ac] flop and Shak folded. She showed the [Js].

Hand 42: Selbst limped in and Shak checked from the big blind. The flop was [8h][7c][4h] and Shak checked to Selbst, who bet 125,000. Shak raised to 375,000, Selbst moved all-in and Shak called.

Selbst [Ah][3h]

Shak [5d][6d]

Shak flopped an eight-high straight but Selbst had outs to an ace-high flush draw. She missed on the turn when the [6c] fell, and again on the river with the [Jd]. Shak doubled to just over 4 million, leaving Selbst on 7.7 million.

Hand 43: Shak raised to 250,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 44: Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak folded.

Hand 45: Shak raised to 250,000, Selbst three-bet to 500,000 and Shak called. The flop fell [Kc][7c][7h] and both players checked. Same story when the [Ac] came on the turn. The river was the [Td] and Shak cut out a 1,000,000-chip bet. After talking through the hand out loud and speculating about Shak’s hand, Selbst decided on a fold. Good thing she did—Shak showed pocket aces for the nut boat.

Hand 46: Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak folded.

Hand 47: Shak gave Selbst a walk

Hand 48: Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak called. Shak led out for 200,000 on the [2h][Js][8d] flop and Selbst called. The turn was the [Qd] and Shak checked to Selbst , who bet 580,000. Shak folded and Selbst won the pot.

Hand 49: Shak raised to 250,000 and Selbst folded. —KB

9.30pm: Another ten hands

Hand 30 – Selbst limped from the small blind and Shak checked. The flop came [9c][5s][3h], which they both checked, to take them to a [ac] turn. Selbst bet 125,000, called by Shak, and the [7c] rivered. This time Selbst bet 400,000 and Shak called again, only to be shown the [3c][4c] for a flush. Selbst took it.

Hand 31 – Shak raised pre-flop to 250,000 and Selbst let him have it.

Hand 32 – Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak called. The flop was [3c][2d][kc] and Selbst’s bet took it. “Unstoppable!” bellowed one of Selbst’s fan club in the bleachers.

Hand 33 – Shak folds.

Hand 34 – Selbst made up Shak’s big blind and Shak moved all in. Selbst wasn’t having any of that and folded. Shak still has less than two million chips. Selbst has close to nine million.

Hand 35 – Shak limped from the small blind, and Selbst raised 200,000 more. Shak called. That took them to a [8d][2d][6s] flop and Selbst bet 250,000. Shak called. The [4d] turned and Selbst fired again, this time for 300,000. Shak folded, and Selbst showed [ad][kd] for the turned nut flush. “I thought you were going to shove some time in that hand,” Selbst said.

Hand 36 – Selbst open shoved, which, of course, is simply asking Shak if he fancies playing for all his chips. He didn’t. He folded.

Hand 37 – Shak moves all in and Selbst calls! This could be it…



Selbst: [kc][jc]

Shak: [qh][6h]

Selbst is miles ahead, and the [4c][10d][3h] doesn’t change that. The turn, however, comes [6c], which puts Shak into the lead.

Selbst still had plenty of outs, but the [10h] isn’t one of them. That gave Shak the double up and he now has about 3.5 million. Most importantly, he’s still alive.

Hand 38 – Selbst raised. Shak folded.

Hand 39 – Shak folded. — HS

9:16pm: Hands 21-29— Selbst steamrolling

How about some more hands? Here’s another nine, which saw Vanessa Selbst chip up to nearly 10 million via a series of small pots, while Shak slipped to 1.8 million.

Hand 21: In a limped pot, Selbst led out for 150,000 on a [Kd][Jc][3h] flop and Shak folded.

Hand 22: Selbst opened for 200,000 and Shak called. Both players checked the [8s][5d][2s] flop. When the [Jc] hit the turn, Shak bet 200,000 and Selbst called. The river was the [5s] and they checked it down. Selbst’s A-Q high was good.

Hand 23: Shak limped in on the button and Selbst checked her option. THe [Ad][Jc][7c][Ah][4s] board was checked through the turn before Selbst put in a 115,000 bet on the river. Shak folded and Selbst took it down.

Hand 24: Selbst opened for 200,000, Shak three-bet to 600,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 25: Shak gave Selbst a walk.

Hand 26: Selbst did the same for Shak.

Hand 27: Another limped pot. Selbst check-folded to Shak’s 300,000 bet on a [As][Qs][3c] flop.

Hand 28: Selbst opened for 200,000 and Shak called, only to fold to her continuation bet on a Q-5-3 rainbow flop.

Hand 29: Shak opened for 250,000 and Selbst caled. Both players checked the [Jh][6h][4c] flop. The turn came the [5s] and Selbst bet 340,000. Shak gave up his hand and Selbst took the pot. —KB

9:03pm: A brief recap

You can see the first 20 hands below, but the only one that really matters after the first 45 minutes of play is the one in which Selbst turned the tables. Selbst started off heads-up play by keeping the pots small. She won most of them, and only stumbled when she ran into Shak’s very disguised quad kings. That cost Selbst a bit of her stack, but not so much that she couldn’t turn Shak upside down and shake out his pockets when she played kings as straightforwardly as she could and got paid off for everything she had in front of her after flopping middle set. The chip stacks are now reversed from where they were when Shak and Selbst got heads up. —BW

8:59pm: Hands 13-20—Shak pulls quads, but Selbst now leads

In the hands below, you might just want to check out the last one. It explains how the chips now look something like this:

Dan Shak: 3.25 million

Vanessa Selbst; 8.3 million

Hand 13: Shak limped in and Selbst checked her option. On a [js][3s][ah] flop, both players checked. The dealer put out the [6c] on the turn. Selbst check-folded to a bet from Selbst.

Hand 14: Selbst limped in and Shak checked in the big blind. On the [tc][qs][4c] flop, Selbst bet 155,000. The turn brought the [ts]. Shak checked and Selbst checked behind. On the [kc] river, Shak checked again and Selbst checked behind. Shak showed [jh][4h] for bottom pair and the win.

Hand 15: Shak folded pre-flop and Selbst won the blinds and antes.

Hand 16: After the level went up, Selbst min-raised to 200,00. The flop came down [ks][kc][7h]. Shak checked, Selbst bet 210,00 and Shak called. The [8h] came on the turn. Both players checked to [2s] on the river. Shak bet 500,000 and Selbst called and let her mouth hang open a little but when Shak showed her…pocket kings…for quads.

Hand 17: Shak raised to 200,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 18: Shak raised to 200,000 and Selbst folded

Hand 19: Shak limped in and Selbst checked her option. The flop was the [kh][7h][7s]. Both players checked and saw the [8h] on the turn. Two more checks to the [5d] on the river. Two more checks and Shak’s queen-high wins it.

Hand 20: Selbst raised to 200,000 and Shak re-popped it to 600,000. Selbst didn’t back down and bumped it up to 1.3 million. Shak made the call. The flop brought [ad][2s][kh]. Shak checked and Selbst fired out 800,000. Shak moved all in. Selbst snap-called with [kd][ks]. Shak held [kc][qc]. The [jc] came on the turn. The river was the [js] giving Selbst kings full and the massive pot.—BW

8.50pm: Counts

The approximate chip counts at this stage are:

Dan Shak 6,000,000

Vanessa Selbst 5,600,000

Ms Selbst is coming back. — HS

LEVEL UP. PLAYING 50,000-100,000 IN LEVEL 29

8:40pm: Hands 11-12 of heads up play—Selbst wins a big one

Hand 11: Shak raised to 200,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 12: Selbst raised to 175,000 and Shak called. On a [4s][jc][9c] flop, Shak checked and Selbst bet 155,000. Shak, in his first display of aggression since heads-up play began, raised to 355,000. Selbst wasn’t ready to go away and made the call. The dealer put out the [9d] on the turn. Shak led at the pot for 500,000, and Selbst called. The river brought the [4d]. Shak put out a bet of 800,000. Selbst announced she was all-in and Shak went into the tank. He rested his cheek on his hands, looked at Selbst for about a minute, and folded. Score the first big one for Selbst. —BW

8:32pm: The first ten hands of heads-up play

Hand 1: Selbst took it down on the turn for a min-bet.

Hand 2: Selbst limped in. Both players checked the [jd][4s][3d] flop. On the [5s] turn, Shak bet 100,000 and Selbst called. The [9h] came on the river. 200,000 from Selbst on the river. Selbst called with a three in her hand. Shak announced eight-high and mucked.

Hand 3: Another to Slebst, uncontested.

Hand 4: Selbst limped in. Shak raised to 400,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 5: Shak gives Selbst a walk.

Hand 6: Selbst min-raised to 160,000 and Shak called. The flop came out [ad][ts][5s]. Shak checked and Selbst bet 140,000. Shak folded.

Hand 7: Shak called, Selbst checked her option to the [qh][jc][4c] flop. Both players checked. The [3c] came on the turn. Both players checked again. The river was the [kc]. Selbst min-bet 80,000 and Shak folded.

Hand 8: Selbst raised to 160,000 and Shak called. On a flop of [2s][tc][as], Shak checked, and Selbst checked behind. The [4s] came on the turn. Shak checked, then folded to a 180,000 bet from Selbst.

Hand 9: Shak raised to 200,000 and Selbst folded.

Hand 10: Selbst Made it 160,000 and Shak folded.

8:13pm: Cards back in the air

We have an obscene amount of BBQ in our bellies and hopefully our two remaining gladiators are similarly sated after the one-hour break. Action has just resumed, and Poker Dog has taken front-row seat alongside Team Selbst. —KB

7pm: Schedule change

We’re going to take a one-hour dinner break. Play will resume at 8pm. Join us, and Poker Dog, after the break!

6:55pm: Heads-up chip counts

Here’s how our final two are stacked going in to heads-up play:

Dan Shak 8,650,000

Vanessa Selbst 3,025,000

6:48pm: Tyler Kenney eliminated in third place

Dan Shak opened to 200,000 and Tyler Kenney moved all-in. Shak snap-called with [ah][qs]. Kenney was in rough shape with [as][7c] and didn’t improve on the [9h][jh][8h][tc][4h] board. Kenney banks $170,000 – and a hug from Vanessa Selbst.

There is going to be a ten-minute break before we begin heads-up play. Approximate counts have Dan Shak with a 8.6 million to 3 million lead.—BW

6:38: Kenney’s river raise shakes Shak

Dan Shak and Tyler Kenney limped in from the blinds and saw a [Qs][6d][5d] flop. Shak checked, Kenney bet 100,000 and Shak made the call. Both players checked the [4h] on the turn. The river fell the [3s] and Shak tossed in another 100,000-denomination chip only to watch Kenney raise to 325,000. Shak quickly folded and Kenney took down the pot. —KB

6:09pm: Selbst doubles, poker dog scored with assist

Tyler Kenney opened to 200,000 from the button and short-stacked Vanessa Selbst shoved for 1.2 million from the small blind. Dan Shak folded, but Kenney made the quick call with [ah][kd].

Selbst was in bad shape with [ac][5h]. Selbst’s rail squeezed up to the flop-cam monitor. Included in the rail is a labrador retriever service dog that has become the de facto mascot for Team Selbst today. One of Selbst’s friends muttered, “Come on, poker dog.”*

The dog must have done the trick. Selbst hit a five on the flop.

Kenney couldn’t find a king on the turn or river and Selbst is back up to 2.5 million. —BW



*Later immortalized in song by falsetto’s Brad Willis.

6pm: Break counts

Here are the three handed chip counts at the latest break:

Dan Shak: 6,950,000

Tyler Kenney: 3,525,000

Vanessa Selbst: 1,280,000

LEVEL UP. BLINDS 40,000-80,000-10,000

5:46pm: Shak looking unbeatable

Tyler Kenney came in for a raise to 140,000 and got calls from both Vanessa selbst and Dan Shank. On a [8c][8h][qd] flop Selbst and Shak both check-called a 160,000 bet from Kenney.

The [9d] turn drew a check from Selbst, but this time Shak came out betting 250,000. Kenney gave up, but Selbst raised to 750,000. Shak made the call.

When the [ks] fell on the river, Selbst checked. Shak didn’t think for long before moving all-in. Selbst wasted no time in folding and gave up the giant pot to Shak.

Players are now on a 15-minute break. —BW

5:40pm: Selbst takes it sans showdown

Tyler Kenney limped in on the button and Vanessa Selbst made it an additional 135,000 to go from the small blind. Dan Shak folded and Kenney made the call. The [Js][7d][6s] flop saw Kenney call Selbst’s 155,000 bet, which both players followed up with checks when the [3c] fell on the turn. The river was the [4h]. Selbst bet 365,000 but it was too rich for Kenney, who mucked his hand. With that pot, Selbst is back up to 2.3 million while Kenney fell to 3.8 million. —KB

5.25pm: Thomas Hoglund Jr. out in fourth, winning $120,000

Tom Hoglund Jr., who has done a good job of staying out of trouble and moving into the final four, could go no further. He is out in fourth, winning $120,000 for his week in Connecticut.

Hoglund shoved his short stack all in from the button and was called by the mighty towers of Tyler Kenney. Kenney also had the best hand when they were showndown:

Hoglund: [qh][9s]

Kenney: [as][7d]

Both players flopped pairs on the [ac][qd][6h] board, but Hoglund couldn’t get any further help on the [5c] turn and the [8d] river and that meant he was sent to the rail. — HS

5.05pm: Rubianes out in fifth, winning $90,000

Vincent Rubianes was close to a triple up, but now he’s close to the cash cage. He is out.

Tyler Kenney opened to 140,000 and Dan Shak called. Sensing that potential triple up, Vincent Rubianes decided this was his chance and moved all in for 155,000.

The flop came [3c][4d][2d] and Kenney bet 160,000. Shak mucked, leaving Rubianes and Kenney to decide the former’s tournament life.

Rubianes: [ad][7c]

Kenney: [Kh][10c]

At this stage it looked good for a potentially life-saving moment for Rubianes. He only had a few outs to fade on turn and river. Howevever, both turn and river were horrible for him, coming [kd][ks], and that was that for Rubianes.

He is out in fifth for $90,000. — HS

4:59pm: Selbst doubles through Rubianes

On the shortstack and down to 1.2 million in chips, Vanessa Selbst open-pushed for around 1.1 million with [kd][jh]. Vincent Rubianes called her with [8d][8c]. From the rail came the call of “”http://www.pokerstarsblog.com/ept/2009/ept-copenhagen-introducing-the-pokerstar-036333.html" target="_blank">One Time Chip!"

The flop came down [kh][2h][7h], leaving Rubianes with just one out…until the turn came the [ks]. The opened up one more out for Rubianes. It didn’t hit. The [4c] came on the river and Selbst doubled to around 2.3 million. The hand left Vincent with 150,000. He’ll be all in before I hit publish on this post. —BW

4:50pm: Moving pictures

4:45pm: Shak seizes the chip lead, doubles through defending champ

On Day 1 of this event, we reported a hand where Dan Shak, quite literally asleep in the small blind, woke up to ace-six and ultimately called his opponent’s re-shove, doubling his stack. The hand once again proved to be lucky for the New York City futures trader, as it just gave him a double-up through (formerly) second-in-chips Vanessa Selbst.

Selbst opened for her standard twice the big blind raise to 120,000, Shak three-bet to 400,000 and Selbst moved all-in. Shak didn’t waste too much time in calling, revealing [Ad][6h] to Selbst’s [7d][7s].

Although Selbst’s pair held on the [Th][8c][4h] flop, the [Ah] on the turn left her drawing to only a single out as Shak picked up the nut flush draw. The river was the [9d] and Selbst shed about two-thirds of her stack, leaving her on 1.2 million while Shak vaulted into the chip lead with over 4 million.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Selbst’s normally enthusiastic rail has been temporarily silenced. —KB

4:36pm: Small flop, small(ish) pot for Kenney

Tyler Kenney opened for a raise to 140,000 and got one caller in Vincent Rubianes. The flop fell [3d][2s][2h] and Rubianes checked to Kenney, who made a 140,000 continuation bet. Rubianes called, and the [6d] came on the turn. Rubianes checked a second time, Kenney made it 325,000 to go and it was enough to fold out Rubianes, our hooded leader adding a few more chips to his growing stack. —KB

4.30pm: Five for it

Welcome back to Connecticut, where there are five players still in the hunt for NAPT glory.

On the final hand of the past level, the NAPT Los Angeles champion Joe Tehan was eliminated, ending his hopes of becoming the first two-time NAPT champion.

But Vanessa Selbst, the only other player with that chance at the start of the tournament, could still pull it off. She not only remains at the final table, she is also the chip leader.

The full counts of the remaining five are as follows:

Vanessa Selbst: 3,230,000

Tyler Kenney: 3,200,000

Dan Shak: 2,135,000

Tom Hoglund: 1,590,000

Vincent Rubianes: 1,550,000

Blinds are now 30,000-60,000, meaning each small blind is now the equivalent of a starting stack in this tournament.

Reporting team: Kristin Bihr, Howard Swains and Poker’s Brad Willis. Photography: Joe Giron.

This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.

2:29pm: Selbst ousts Overton in seventh place

With the action folded around to him in the small blind, table short-stack Aaron Overton moved all-in and Vanessa Selbst made the call.

Overton [Kh][Qd]

Selbst [Ah][2h]

Selbst hit top pair on the [Ac][Th][6s] flop while Overton found a small ray of hope with a gutshot straight draw. One of his four outs disappeared on the turn when the [3h] fell giving Selbst a flush draw, and the rest vanished when the [5s] hit the river. Overton departed the table to polite handshakes all around, collecting $50,000 for his seventh-place finish. —KB

2.10pm: Steve O’Dwyer out in eighth, winning $32,230

Steve O’Dwyer, who was down to only 10,000 in chips on day three but rallied all the way to the final table, is the first player eliminated today.

Play was folded all the way to Vincent Rubianes in the small blind. He peeked and moved all in, essentially simply asking O’Dwyer if he wanted to call for his tournament life. O’Dwyer saw an ace and decided that was good enough. The hands:

Rubianes: [qd][10s]

O’Dwyer: [ah][7d]

O’Dwyer will know that the best hand pre-flop does not always stay like that to the end, and so it proved on this occasion. By the time all five cards were out – [2c][jc][qh][qc][10d] – Rubianes had made a boat, which beats ace high most days.

Bye bye to Steve O’Dwyer. Rubianes has about 2.5 million now. — HS

1:50pm: Hoglund doubles through Tehan

Season 1 NAPT Los Angeles champion Joe Tehan came in for a raise to 80,000 and short-stacked Thomas Hoglund moved all-in. Tehan considered his call for a couple of minutes before deciding to take a shot with [2c][2d]. Bad news. Hoglund held [qc][qh]. The board ran out [kh][kd][6h]tc][4d] and Hoglund doubled to just under a million chips. Tehan is now down to around 600,000. —BW

1.30pm: Kenney comes to the party

Tyler Kenney, who has started this final table in a muted fashion (he can; he’s the chip leader) finally put out a raise. He made it 82,000 and Joe Tehan asked whether he really wanted to play, re-raising to 220,000.

Kenney was pretty emphatic in his response, raising all in. With dreams of a double NAPT title fading like Marty McFly’s family in a tattered photograph, Tehan folded and brought them all back to life. — HS

1:26pm: O’Dwyer survives second clash with Overton

Down to 149,000 in chips, Steve O’Dwyer moved all-in and Aaron Overton made the call, this time having his opponent surely covered. Although Overton again had the best of it with [Ac][8h] to O’Dwyer’s [Kd][3s], O’Dwyer hit a king on the river to make top pair and double up to 367,000. —KB

1.15pm: O’Dwyer dives, Overton doubles

Short stacks collide! Steve O’Dwyer had allowed himself to get a little short and was forced to move all in from the button. Aaron Overton was also very low on chips and so when he called from the big blind, it wasn’t immediately clear who covered whom.

One thing was for sure, Overton had the best hand with [ah][kd] to Overton’s [ac][7h]. And once the tournament officials had done the requisite cutting and counting, it was evident that O’Dwyer had the bigger stack. (Something you would have known because you’re keeping an eye on our regularly updated chip-count page).

So it was Overton under threat and soon it seemed even more perilous. The flop came [7d][3d][10h], to hit O’Dwyer’s pair.

But this one wasn’t over yet. Once the [4d] turned, Overton now had a flush draw too. And he was send bounding to his rail on the [9d] river. “I was all in twice yesterday with the nine of diamonds!” Overton bellowed in delight. He has a new favourite card.

Meanwhile Steve O’Dwyer is now down to fumes, with only about 153,000. Overton returns to the position of authority he has held for the past few days. — HS

LEVEL UP. BLINDS 20,000-40,000-4,000

1:06pm: Rubianes won’t. be pushed. a. round.

Vanessa Selbst may be able to bully Steve O’Dwyer into a fold, but she is dealing with a different customer in the form of Vincent Rubianes. Selbst came in for a raise to 60,000 and Rubianes re-raised to 160,000. Selbst, perpetually undaunted, made it 425,000. Rubianes took just a few seconds before moving all-in. Selbst snap-folded and Rubianes scored first blood on last year’s champion. —BW

12:55pm: Selbst cuts down O’Dwyer

On the third hand of play, the action folded around to Steve O’Dwyer in the cutoff. He put in a min-raise to 60,000 and Vanessa Selbst re-popped it to 215,000 total. O’Dwyer called and they saw a [6s][9d][Jc] flop. Selbst checked and O’Dwyer checked behind. The turn brought the [Kh] and Selbst thought for quite a while before settling on a 220,000 bet. O’Dwyer made the call and they went to the river which fell the [3c]. Selbst quietly declared herself all-in and O’Dwyer tanked for a solid ten minutes, an audible sigh escaping his lips before he made a tortured fold.

“You’re too good. I couldn’t put you on a hand,” O’Dwyer said as Selbst raked in just over 40% of his chips. O’Dwyer is down to 585,000 while Selbst is sitting on 2.725 million. —KB

12:41pm: A look at your final table

Here’s a look at the final table players on their last opportunity to smile before putting on their game faces. —BW

12:35pm: Cards in the air

As expected, the over took it, but play is finally underway. —KB

12:30pm: Getting closer-er

It looks like we might be getting close to started. The gallery is full, the players are getting their pictures take, and the media are at the ready. We’ll be started in just a matter of minutes. —BW

12:16pm: Getting closer

Six of our final eight are in their seats and the other two are being miked up by ESPN. We’ll set the over/under at a 12:30pm start (though I’d still take the over). —KB

11:26am: Final table to commence at Noon(ish?)

We’ve said it before and it certainly bears repeating this morning— if you’re suffering from a profound sense of deja vu when it comes to this final table, you’re hardly alone. In a stunning repeat of events, Vanessa Selbst ended Day 3 of the NAPT Mohegan Sun as the chip leader, lost the lead on Day 4, and will arrive at the final table sometime in the next hour in second position. Today, Selbst is looking to make history not only as the first repeat NAPT champion (a tour that is only five events old, mind you) but as the first player to win the same poker major in back-to-back years. Remarkably enough, Selbst isn’t the only player at this final table pursuing a second NAPT title. Season 1 Los Angeles champion Joe Tehan is looking to do the same. Both of them will have their hands full, though, with a formidable group of challengers including Steve O’Dwyer, Vincent Rubianes, and chip leader Tyler Kenney threatening their record-breaking runs.

Today’s final table will be filmed for broadcast on ESPN and as these things go, we’re nearly a lock for a late start this morning. Cameras are being positioned, the felt meticulously cleaned, and the players are trickling in following their pre-game interviews. We’ll be here with wall-to-wall coverage until someone lays claim to the shiny silver trophy and the $450,000 grand prize.

Here’s a look how our final eight stack up:

Seat 1: Joe Tehan (1,238,000)

Seat 2: Thomas Hoglund, Jr. (541,000)

Seat 3: Dan Shak (1,571,000)

Seat 4: Vincent Rubianes (1,711,000)

Seat 5: Steve O’Dwyer (1,032,000)

Seat 6: Tyler Kenney (3,021,000)

Seat 7: Aaron Overton (373,000)

Seat 8: Vanessa Selbst (2,249,000)

Reporting team: Kristin “change100” Bihr, Howard “Horseradish” Swains, Brad “Otis” Willis

Photography: Joe Giron

This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.

4:15pm: Joe Tehan eliminated

On the last hand before break, Joe Tehan got it all in with [kd][6s] and ran directly into Thomas Hoglund’s [8c][8d]. The board was no help for Tehan and he went out in sixth place for $70,000. Hoglund ended that hand with 1,590,000.

Tehan’s exit leaves Vanessa Selbst as the only remaining former NAPT champion at the final table. —BW

4.10pm: Shak finds some support

After a routine blind steal from Dan Shak, the audience around the ESPN feature table went nuts. It might have been a touch on the ironic side, but for the time being Shak’s appeal for supporters (see 3.56pm) seems to have worked. — HS

4.05pm: Selbst takes challenge to other champion

Tom Hoglund limped under-the-gun, which was one way of enticing the two former NAPT champions in from the blinds. Vanessa Selbst made it up from the small blind and Joe Tehan checked his option.

The flop was all diamonds: [5d][kd][4d]. Selbst bet 115,000, Tehan called and Hoglund folded.

The turn was the [10c], and Selbst again fired at it. She bet 170,000 and again Tehan called. This one was getting intriguing.

The [9h] rivered, and Selbst wasn’t done yet. This time she bet 290,000 and after a couple of minutes’ thought, Tehan called again. Selbst showed [ks][5h] for kings up, and Tehan folded.

That gain of about 600,000 put Selbst back up very close to the lead. Tehan is the shortest of short stacks. — HS

3:56pm: Shak’s only fan

As a hand between Joe Tehan and Vanessa Selbst played out at the table, Dan Shak wandered over to the rail and stood in front of a quiet Nick Binger.

“I’ve got a problem here,” Shak said. You’re my only fan."

At issue was the amount of cheering going on for all the players at the table…except Dan Shak.

“I didn’t think you wanted me to cheer,” Binger said.

“It’s either that or you gotta find some slot players and bring them in here to cheer,” Shak begged.

As of this minute, Binger has taken a deep interest in something on his iPhone.—BW

3:49pm: Chop bails Kenney out

Tyler Kenny limped on the button, which didn’t seem at all scary to Joe Tehan. He shoved for 845,000 more from the big blind. After dwelling on the bet for a few moments, Kenny made the call with [kc][qh]. ‘Twas not the best of decisions. Tehan held [ad][qs]. But wait! What’s that board? Well, sure enough, it went [ah][ks][2c][js][td] for the chop. Tehan was not best pleased.

As you were. —BW

3:40pm: Yup, that’ll do it

As she’s prone to do, Vanessa Selbst opened for a raise to 100,000 and was called by Dan Shak and Tom Hoglund in the blinds. Hoglund led out for 225,000 on the [6c][5h][4h] flop and Shak quickly raised to 600,000. The move folded out Selbst and after a brief tank, Hoglund gave his hand up as well.

Shak showed [2h][3h] for the flopped straight and a straight flush redraw, worthy of the raise indeed. —KB

3.30pm: Shak on the rise

Buoyed after picking up a few chips from Tyler Kenney when he hit top pair kings, Dan Shak again raised pre-flop to 100,000. This time he was up against Vincent Rubianes, who called from one seat to Shak’s left.

The flop was [qh][2h][kc] and Shak wasn’t so keen. He checked. Rubianes checked back at him. The [qs] turned and now Shak bet 125,000, which Rubianes called.

The river was [8c] and Shak again bet 125,000. With a smirk, Rubianes thought through a few of his options. Eventually he decided to call, but was shown [kd][jd] for two pair, which was good.

That’s the second hand in succession that Shak took with a pair of kings, and he’s now approaching the two million mark. — HS

3:22pm: Kenney exacts his revenge on Rubianes

Just moments after Vincent Rubianes stole the chip lead from Tyler Kenney, Kenney looks to have taken it back.

Kenney called a raise to 110,000 from Rubianes and they saw a [2d][ts][jd] flop. Rubianes led for 135,000 and found himself raised to 310,000. Rubianes made the call and then checked the [6s] on the turn. That opened the door to a 435,000 bet from Kenney. Again, Rubianes called. Rubianes checked the [qh] turn. Kenney put out a bet (the amount of which wasn’t announced) and Rubianes insta-mucked.

Kenney now has more than 3 million and the chip lead again. —BW

3:09pm: Kenney loses the chip lead, Rubianes tops 3 million

Vincent Rubianes opened for a 130,000 raise and Tyler Kenney made the call. Rubianes led out for 165,000 on the [Td][7s][6s] flop and Kenney looked him up. The turn brought the [5s], and Rubianes fired a second time, making it 415,000 to go. Again, Kenney called (drawing his brother Bryn and friends over to the flop-cam to sweat the river). It was the [8d], and both players checked.

Rubianes turned over two black kings and claimed the 1.5 million-chip pot. He’s up to about 3.2 million while Kenney slipped to 2.5 million. —KB

2:49pm: First break chip counts

Tyler Kenney 3,275,000

Vanessa Selbst 2,830,000

Vincent Rubianes 2,435,000

Tom Hoglund 1,345,000

Dan Shak 1,235,000

Joe Tehan 610,000

2.38pm: Break time

Players are now taking their 15-minute break.

2.35pm: Shak shaken down by Hoglund

From under-the-gun, Tom Hoglund opened to 100,000 but couldn’t get it past Dan Shak, one seat to his left. Shak three bet to 300,000 and that persuaded all others out the way.

It came back to Hoglund, who moved all in for about 900,000 and Shak called, with something close to double that in his stack.

Hoglund: [as][ks]

Shak: [ac][qd]

So Hoglund was ahead at the start, and he only managed to tighten his grip on the hand with the [ad][6h][2d] flop. The [kh] completed it in his favour, and he doubled up.

Accurate counts for the six remaining players will be with us momentarily as they go on their first break of the day. — HS

2:29pm: Selbst ousts Overton in seventh place

With the action folded around to him in the small blind, table short-stack Aaron Overton moved all-in and Vanessa Selbst made the call.

Overton [Kh][Qd]

Selbst [Ah][2h]

Selbst hit top pair on the [Ac][Th][6s] flop while Overton found a small ray of hope with a gutshot straight draw. One of his four outs disappeared on the turn when the [3h] fell giving Selbst a flush draw, and the rest vanished when the [5s] hit the river. Overton departed the table to polite handshakes all around, collecting $50,000 for his seventh-place finish. —KB

2.10pm: Steve O’Dwyer out in eighth, winning $32,230

Steve O’Dwyer, who was down to only 10,000 in chips on day three but rallied all the way to the final table, is the first player eliminated today.

Play was folded all the way to Vincent Rubianes in the small blind. He peeked and moved all in, essentially simply asking O’Dwyer if he wanted to call for his tournament life. O’Dwyer saw an ace and decided that was good enough. The hands:

Rubianes: [qd][10s]

O’Dwyer: [ah][7d]

O’Dwyer will know that the best hand pre-flop does not always stay like that to the end, and so it proved on this occasion. By the time all five cards were out – [2c][jc][qh][qc][10d] – Rubianes had made a boat, which beats ace high most days.

Bye bye to Steve O’Dwyer. Rubianes has about 2.5 million now. — HS

1:50pm: Hoglund doubles through Tehan

Season 1 NAPT Los Angeles champion Joe Tehan came in for a raise to 80,000 and short-stacked Thomas Hoglund moved all-in. Tehan considered his call for a couple of minutes before deciding to take a shot with [2c][2d]. Bad news. Hoglund held [qc][qh]. The board ran out [kh][kd][6h]tc][4d] and Hoglund doubled to just under a million chips. Tehan is now down to around 600,000. —BW

1.30pm: Kenney comes to the party

Tyler Kenney, who has started this final table in a muted fashion (he can; he’s the chip leader) finally put out a raise. He made it 82,000 and Joe Tehan asked whether he really wanted to play, re-raising to 220,000.

Kenney was pretty emphatic in his response, raising all in. With dreams of a double NAPT title fading like Marty McFly’s family in a tattered photograph, Tehan folded and brought them all back to life. — HS

1:26pm: O’Dwyer survives second clash with Overton

Down to 149,000 in chips, Steve O’Dwyer moved all-in and Aaron Overton made the call, this time having his opponent surely covered. Although Overton again had the best of it with [Ac][8h] to O’Dwyer’s [Kd][3s], O’Dwyer hit a king on the river to make top pair and double up to 367,000. —KB

1.15pm: O’Dwyer dives, Overton doubles

Short stacks collide! Steve O’Dwyer had allowed himself to get a little short and was forced to move all in from the button. Aaron Overton was also very low on chips and so when he called from the big blind, it wasn’t immediately clear who covered whom.

One thing was for sure, Overton had the best hand with [ah][kd] to Overton’s [ac][7h]. And once the tournament officials had done the requisite cutting and counting, it was evident that O’Dwyer had the bigger stack. (Something you would have known because you’re keeping an eye on our regularly updated chip-count page).

So it was Overton under threat and soon it seemed even more perilous. The flop came [7d][3d][10h], to hit O’Dwyer’s pair.

But this one wasn’t over yet. Once the [4d] turned, Overton now had a flush draw too. And he was send bounding to his rail on the [9d] river. “I was all in twice yesterday with the nine of diamonds!” Overton bellowed in delight. He has a new favourite card.

Meanwhile Steve O’Dwyer is now down to fumes, with only about 153,000. Overton returns to the position of authority he has held for the past few days. — HS

LEVEL UP. BLINDS 20,000-40,000-4,000

1:06pm: Rubianes won’t. be pushed. a. round.

Vanessa Selbst may be able to bully Steve O’Dwyer into a fold, but she is dealing with a different customer in the form of Vincent Rubianes. Selbst came in for a raise to 60,000 and Rubianes re-raised to 160,000. Selbst, perpetually undaunted, made it 425,000. Rubianes took just a few seconds before moving all-in. Selbst snap-folded and Rubianes scored first blood on last year’s champion. —BW

12:55pm: Selbst cuts down O’Dwyer

On the third hand of play, the action folded around to Steve O’Dwyer in the cutoff. He put in a min-raise to 60,000 and Vanessa Selbst re-popped it to 215,000 total. O’Dwyer called and they saw a [6s][9d][Jc] flop. Selbst checked and O’Dwyer checked behind. The turn brought the [Kh] and Selbst thought for quite a while before settling on a 220,000 bet. O’Dwyer made the call and they went to the river which fell the [3c]. Selbst quietly declared herself all-in and O’Dwyer tanked for a solid ten minutes, an audible sigh escaping his lips before he made a tortured fold.

“You’re too good. I couldn’t put you on a hand,” O’Dwyer said as Selbst raked in just over 40% of his chips. O’Dwyer is down to 585,000 while Selbst is sitting on 2.725 million. —KB

12:41pm: A look at your final table

Here’s a look at the final table players on their last opportunity to smile before putting on their game faces. —BW

12:35pm: Cards in the air

As expected, the over took it, but play is finally underway. —KB

12:30pm: Getting closer-er

It looks like we might be getting close to started. The gallery is full, the players are getting their pictures take, and the media are at the ready. We’ll be started in just a matter of minutes. —BW

12:16pm: Getting closer

Six of our final eight are in their seats and the other two are being miked up by ESPN. We’ll set the over/under at a 12:30pm start (though I’d still take the over). —KB

11:26am: Final table to commence at Noon(ish?)

We’ve said it before and it certainly bears repeating this morning— if you’re suffering from a profound sense of deja vu when it comes to this final table, you’re hardly alone. In a stunning repeat of events, Vanessa Selbst ended Day 3 of the NAPT Mohegan Sun as the chip leader, lost the lead on Day 4, and will arrive at the final table sometime in the next hour in second position. Today, Selbst is looking to make history not only as the first repeat NAPT champion (a tour that is only five events old, mind you) but as the first player to win the same poker major in back-to-back years. Remarkably enough, Selbst isn’t the only player at this final table pursuing a second NAPT title. Season 1 Los Angeles champion Joe Tehan is looking to do the same. Both of them will have their hands full, though, with a formidable group of challengers including Steve O’Dwyer, Vincent Rubianes, and chip leader Tyler Kenney threatening their record-breaking runs.

Today’s final table will be filmed for broadcast on ESPN and as these things go, we’re nearly a lock for a late start this morning. Cameras are being positioned, the felt meticulously cleaned, and the players are trickling in following their pre-game interviews. We’ll be here with wall-to-wall coverage until someone lays claim to the shiny silver trophy and the $450,000 grand prize.

Here’s a look how our final eight stack up:

Seat 1: Joe Tehan (1,238,000)

Seat 2: Thomas Hoglund, Jr. (541,000)

Seat 3: Dan Shak (1,571,000)

Seat 4: Vincent Rubianes (1,711,000)

Seat 5: Steve O’Dwyer (1,032,000)

Seat 6: Tyler Kenney (3,021,000)

Seat 7: Aaron Overton (373,000)

Seat 8: Vanessa Selbst (2,249,000)

Reporting team: Kristin “change100” Bihr, Howard “Horseradish” Swains, Brad “Otis” Willis

Photography: Joe Giron

This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.

Day done!

And with that, day one of the $10,000 Bounty Shootout comes to a close. Just like Vanessa Selbst has a chance of pulling off an historic double in the Main Event tomorrow, her Team PokerStars Pro colleague Jason Mercier has the chance of going back-to-back in the Bounty Shootout after he won his table today.

Mercier also won six bounties, so leads the charge for the $20,000 extra prize awarded to the best bounty hunter of them all.

He’ll be joined by Eugene Katchalov, also of Team PokerStars Pro. But they’ll have their work cut out against Joe Sweeney, Micah Raskin, Jonathan Jaffe, Scott Blackman, Jimmie Guinther, Taylor Von Kriegenbergh and Michael Pesek.

That final table will begin on Thursday. Return to PokerStars Blog tomorrow for the conclusion of the Main Event. Until then, goodnight from Uncasville.



See the full Bounty Shootout final table line up, and list of bounty winners, on the results page.

1.55am: Von Kriegenbergh applies finishing touch

Taylor von Kriegenbergh has won the last table of the day, and completed the final table line-up for Thursday. The last hand went like this: Von Kriegenbergh raised to 10,000 and Pezzin called. That took them to a flop of [ad][2c][5s]. They both checked. The turn was [8c] and Pezzin counted out a bet. Then he simply announced, “All in” instead, for 64,800 total.

Von Kriegenbergh thought about this decision a lot, but then pushed a tower of blue chips over the line to call. Pezzin knew he was in a spot of bother when he turned over his [6c][3c], but probably didn’t realise quite how bleak it was. Von Kriegenbergh had [kc][5c], covering the flush draw, so Pezzin was drawing to his straight only.

The [2d] wasn’t one of his outs, and with that Von Kriegenbergh ended this one. Pezzin comes up one place short. — HS

1.45pm: Pezzin persists

Pat Pezzin moved all-in for just over 40,000 and von Kriegenbergh called.

Pezzin: [6d][7d]

von Kriegenbergh: [kh][9h]

The flop was [5c][4s][6c] giving Pezzin a pair and a straight draw. The [8s] on the turn completed the straight and Pezzin doubled up to 82,000. Von Kriegenbergh still holds the chip lead with about 143,000. —AV

LEVEL UP. PLAYING BLINDS OF 2,500-5,000-500 IN LEVEL 10

1.35am: Levelled out

Taylor von Kriegenbergh has got his stack up to around the same size at Pat Pezzin’s, and this battle could go on for some time yet. Just recently, Von Kriegenbergh limped from the small blind, which prompted a bet of 11,000 from Pezzin. Von Kriegenbergh responded by intimating that he had set a trap. He moved all in, and Pezzin dwell-folded. Von Kriegenbergh then proudly flipped over [7d][8d]. Pezzin was unmoved. — HS

1.25am: Leveling the playing field

The battle continues.

Team PokerStars Pro Pat Pezzin raised to 10,000 and Taylor von Kriegenbergh moved all-in for 45,800 more.

Pezzin called and showed [kc][jc], Kriegenbergh showed [ah][qd].

The flop paired Kriegenbergh’s queen and it was good enough for the double up. Both players are now close to even in chips. —AV

1.15pm: Pezzin chipping away

On our only remaining table, Pat Pezzin has amassed something like 185,000 of the total 225,000 chips in play on that table. Taylor von Kriegenbergh is trying all he can to keep afloat, but Pezzin has entered bullying mode.

Just recently, Von Kriegenbergh opened to 8,000 and Pezzin called. They both checked the [qd][9h][9c] flop, but then it kicked off on the [8c] turn. Pezzin bet 9,500, Von Kriegenbergh raised to 20,500 and Pezzin moved all in. Von Kriegenbergh folded. — HS

1.05am: And then there were two

Our last table is now heads up.

Jason Somerville went all-in at the Hearts table and Pat Pezzin called.

Pezzin: [kc][10d]

Somerville: [9c][8c]

The board ran [3h][6h][4h][ks][ah] and Pezzin’s pair of kings was good enough for Somerville’s bounty. —AV

1am: Jaffe applies the final squeeze on Walsh

Jonathan Jaffe has finished the job on Pat Walsh after a very measured heads up battle. The damage was done principally when Jaffe cracked Walsh’s pocket kings, getting all the money in on a turn of [9d][7h][9c][qc]. Jaffe had [9h][8h].

The [3c] rivered, leaving Walsh with less than two big blinds. He doubled up on the next hand, but then was knocked out the hand after that. Jaffe’s [7h][4d] beat Walsh’s [5c][6c]. — HS

12.55pm: Staying alive

Jason Mercier’s chance at a back-to-back NAPT Mohegan Sun Bounty Shootout title stays alive.

In the last hand at the Clubs table, Mercier and Ronnie Bardah were all-in preflop.

Mercier: [3c][3d]

Bardah: [ah][qs]

The board, [6s][8h][7d][10c][2s], brought all low cards and gave Mercier the win at the Clubs table, good for $40,000. He also walks away with six bounties and a signed copy of Barry Greenstein’s “Ace on the River.”

On the neighboring table Pat Pezzin knocked out Nenad Medic, the hearts table is now 3-handed. —AV

*Take a deep breath before reading this sentence.

12.45am: Heads up ding dong

On table five, Jonathan Jaffe has a small chip lead over Pat Walsh, but the relative parity means the two of them are playing an intriguing heads up battle. Just recently, Walsh flat-called from the small blind, Jaffe raised to 9,000, Walsh then re-raised to 25,000 and then Jaffe moved all in. Walsh folded.

Shortly after, another three bet pre-flop from Jaffe – making it 19,800 after Walsh had made it 8,500 – also got through.

The neighbouring heads-up table, featuring Jason Mercier and Ronnie Bardah, is more one-sided. Mercier has something like a four-to-one advantage, and is milking it. — HS

LEVEL UP. PLAYING BLINDS 1,500-3,000-400 IN LEVEL 9

12.25pm: Dombrowski downed

Jason Mercier has eliminated Chris Dombrowski. It was all in pre-flop, but then swung both ways, before Mercier emerged victorious.

The hands were as follows: Mercier [as][10s], Dombrowski [6h][qh].

The flop looked like it had given Dombrowski the out-draw, when it came [qd][10h][kd]. But the turn put Mercier back out front. It was the [jh]. Dombrowski still had outs to the flush, but the [4c] wasn’t one of them and so he went broke.

Mercier has now picked up five bounties and is heads up with Ronnie Bardah. — HS

12.20am: Another winner

The Spades table was heads up with a [qc][3d][6d][10s][2s] board, there was more than 10,000 in the pot and Chris Klodnicki had just announced all-in.

“I know you were going to say that,” said Joe Sweeney. He stood up while he contemplated his next move. He looked down at his stack and announced the call.

Sweeney showed [qd][9h] and Klodnicki threw his hand into the muck, making Sweeney the second winner of Flight B. —AV

12.10am: Medic doubles through Somerville

Nenad Medic is battling still, having just doubled up to about 46,000 with pocket sixes. Jason Somerville was his opponent, with [kc][9h]. The pocket pair stayed good.

12am: Alex out

It’s getting late and concentration is beginning to wane. That’s one excuse for the hand that has just ended Jim Alex’s participation in this event. Chris Dombrowski opened the pot and Alex moved all in – despite the fact that there were still two players to act before him.

Jason Mercier, who was one of those two, asked for a ruling. If he raised Dombrowski’s opener, then apparently Alex would be allowed to take back his out-of-turn raise. However if Mercier only called, Alex would be forced to move in.

Mercier called.

As instructed, Alex was forced to move in and when Dombrowski got out the way, the two of them were heads up. Mercier had [th][tc] and Alex had [5s][5d]. Mercier flopped an unneeded set and Alex was sent to the rail.

Mercier is now playing three-handed against Ronnie Bardah and Chris Dombrowski. — HS

11.55pm: Baumstein bounced by Jaffe

Scott Baumstein is out, leaving Jonathan Jaffe heads up with Pat Walsh. Baumstein shoved for [qd][6h] and Jaffe called with [as][8c]. The board was dry and the ace high stayed good. — HS

11.50pm: DeBora DeParts

Pat Pezzin remains as the last Team PokerStars Canada in the field after Greg DeBora followed Daniel Negreanu out the door. DeBora got the last of his chips in the middle on a flop of [2c][9d][jc] and he had a straight draw with his [qh][ts]. His opponent, Pat Walsh, had [jd][kc] and DeBora needed to hit.

He didn’t.

The turn came [5s] and the river [td]. That was the end of that for DeBora.

11.45pm: Medic doubles up

Nenad Medic was all-in for 37,825 against Jason Somerville.

Somerville held [8h][8s] and was flipping against Medic’s [ac][jd].

The flop came [9c][10h][ks] giving Medic even more outs. The [10c] wasn’t one of them, but it came on the turn anyways.

A [js] came on the river to give Medic a pair and the double up. He now has over 75,000, while Somerville is down to 15,000. —AV

LEVEL UP. BLINDS 1,200-2,400-400 IN LEVEL 8

11.37pm: Details

Nick Binger moved all-in for 15,500 and got a call from Jason Somerville.

Somerville showed [qh][9h] and was up against Binger’s [jc][9h]. The flop, [8h][5d][10c], giving Binger a straight draw. A [3d] came on the turn then a [10h] fell on the river and Binger missed his straight.

Somerville won his bounty and the Hearts table is now 4-handed. —AV

11.35pm: Binger bounced

Nick Binger has been eliminated by Jason Somerville. Details to follow.

11.30pm: Timoshenko tamed by Sweeney

Yevgeniy Timoshenko has become the latest player to be defeated by Joe Sweeney. Sweeney is now heads up with Chris Klodnicki. — HS

11.25pm: Cada crushed

That’s the end of Joe Cada’s day, defeated by Chris Dombrowski’s mighty [6d][3c]. Cada had [ad][2h] but this board – [8s][7d][5s][9d][2c] – gave Dombrowski the straight and crushed Cada. — HS

11.20pm: Micah Raskin wins

Micah Raskin is the first winner of Flight B.

The flop was [as][ks][qh] and Joe Gibbons and Raskin got it all-in. Gibbons showed [kh][qs] for two pair and Raskin had a pair of aces with [ac][9s].

A [2h] came on the turn and the [ah] caused Raskin to throw his arms up in celebration. Raskin wins the final bounty at his table and an entry to Thursday’s final table. —AV

11.15pm: Paredes’ parade ends

Nenad Medic and David Paredes were all in pre-flop, and although Medic’s [jd][tc] was behind Paredes’s [ac][9s], the board soon changed that. It ran [4c][8d][9h][qd][8c], which gave Medic the straight. Paredes is out. — HS

11.10pm: Timoshenko ends Azzi’s day

Yevgeniy Timoshenko has sent Charbel Azzi out the door in a fairly standard all in pre-flop confrontation. Azzi had [9s][8h] and needed to hit an eight to beat Timoshenko’s [as][9h]. But he didn’t. In fact, the board brought two aces and Azzi was no more. — HS

11.10pm: Heads up

We now have our first heads-up table in Flight B.

Micah Raskin and George Lind found themselves all-in preflop. Raskin had Lind’s 39,700 covered, he also had Lind’s [ac][4d] dominated with [ah][10c].

The board ran [qh][ad][5d][6s][9d] and Lind surrendered his bounty to Raskin. —AV

11.05pm: Bardah takes over chip lead

Jason Mercier could seemingly do no wrong, but he has just doubled up Ronnie Bardah and yielded the chip lead in the process. Joe Cada opened, making it 3,200. Mercier raised to 6,400, then Bardah made it 27,000, which was pretty much all in. Cada folded, but Mercier was happy to play and they made the all in official with Mercier’s shove.

Mercier had [ad][kc] and he was against Bardah’s [tc][td]. This time Mercier couldn’t win the race as the board came seven high. Bardah’s pair held and he now has something like 80,000.

11pm: Loman laid low

Kyle Loman and Scott Baumstein were all-in preflop and at first, it wasn’t certain who was at risk.

After counting out both stacks, the dealer revealed that Baumstein had Loman covered by a couple hundred chips. They had:

Loman: [jc][js]

Baumstein: [ah][6s]

The flop fell [6h][10c][kd], giving Baumstein a pair.

The turn was a [4h] and Baumstein seemed resigned. “Just give him a jack, I’m pretty indifferent now,” he said.

But a [6c] came and turned Baumstein’s indifference into celebration. He’s now has 40,000 and another bounty chip.—AV

LEVEL UP. PLAYING 800-1,600-200 IN LEVEL 6

10.55pm: Three more down

Two more short-stacked players, one on the feature table and one not, are out. The first of those is Bryan Colin, who shoved pre-flop with [qs][8c] and couldn’t outdraw Joe Gibbons’ [ac][qh]. The second was Eric Froehlich, whose [qs][8s] couldn’t beat Pat Pezzin’s [ac][10c].

Moral of the story: queen-eight no good.

Also missing in action is Allen Bari. Greg DeBora got him. — HS

10.50pm: The most wonderful time of the tournament

It’s that time in the tournament again. The blinds are high, stacks are short and all-ins are heard every other minute.

At our feature table Micah Raskin found himself all-in on a [10c][8s][5h] flop against Bryan Colin.

Colin held [10d][6d] but Raskin showed [qs][qc] for the over pair. Raskin’s hand held up and he doubled through Colin.

A few hands later Colin would find himself all-in again, this time it was preflop versus Joe Gibbons.

Colin was at risk this hand and he was trailing behind Gibbons’ [ac][kd]. The first card on the flop paired Colin’s 9 and the river paired his 10, doubling him up.

Action is sure to continue as another all-in has just been announced. —AV

10.45pm: Mercier’s mauling continues

Adam Junglen has become the third player to fall to the bounty might of Jason Mercier. Junglen moved all in pre-flop for 7,600 and Mercier called from his huge stack. “I only looked at one,” said Junglen, and turned over [qh][9c].

Mercier had [qd][jc] and the board blanked, meaning Mercier’s jack played. Junglen headed home and Mercier took yet another bounty chip. The Team PokerStars Pro won this event last year, and is looking good for a repeat already. — HS

10.40pm: Lind doubles up

George Lind just doubled-up courtesy of Micah Raskin.

Micah Raskin held [7s][7c] and was up against Lind’s [ah][7d].

The flop, [6c][ad][8c], gave Lind the pair of aces and it held up for the double up. Lind now has over 60,000. —AV

10.35pm: Azzi doubles through Sweeney

Joe Sweeney can’t knock everyone out – at least not yet. Charbel Azzi just doubled up when his pocket nines stayed good against Sweeney’s [ah][7d]. Azzi was all in pre-flop for a little more than 15,000. —HS

10.25pm: The tale of Sweeney continues

Joe Sweeney found himself in a three-way all-in with king-jack for the second time today.

But this time he was up against Dan Suied’s [ah][qc] and Gregory Merson’s [5c][5d], Sweeney had them both covered.

The flop was [10c][2d][jd], putting Sweeney in the lead. Another jack came on the turn and Sweeney killed two birds with three jacks.

He’s now up to around 75,000. —AV

10.20pm: Disturbance in the force: Selbst is beaten

Yep, here comes that rash of eliminations.

First up, Greg DeBora bust Daniel Illingworth, when DeBora’s [ad][qs] stayed good against Illingworth’s [qh][6h]. A queen was on the turn and they got it in.

Then on the feature table, Joe Gibbons managed what no one else has ever managed at Mohegan Sun: he eliminated Vanessa Selbst from a poker tournament.

It looked for all the world as though it wouldn’t happen, but he hit a two-outer on the river to end the Bounty Shootout participation of the Team PokerStars Pro. (She is, of course, still in the Main Event.)

Selbst opened the pot, Gibbons raised to 10,000, Selbst moved all in for 41,300 and Gibbons called.

Gibbons: [9d][9c]

Selbst: [ks][qs]

Selbst flips well, and it looked as though she was going to do it again when the flop came [ac][qc][qh]. The turn was [jd], but then the [9h] rivered and Gibbons vaulted into the lead.

He had Selbst covered, and so her day is finally done. — HS

10.15pm: Back for level five

We’re now entering level five, and if Flight A was any indication, this is where a lot of players get knocked out.

To see who has already been eliminated, head on over to the results page, then stay here to see what happens next.

Level five begins with the following players leading their respective tables: Joe Sweeney, Jason Mercier, Nenad Medic, Micah Raskin and Pat Walsh.

Here’s a glimpse of what they’re all playing for (in addition to the odd thousand dollars here and there).

Reporting team: Howard Swains, Alex Villegas and Brad Willis. Photography: Joe Giron.

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