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EVENT UPDATES

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:44:12 -0400

Congratulations to Samuel Chartier, WSOP-C Caesars Atlantic City Champion! ($322,944)

It took just over eight hours of play, but things have finally ended here at Caesars Atlantic City with Samuel Chartier left as the last man standing. Over 200 players began the Main Event a few days ago and it came down to two natives of Canada playing for the title. Chartier would emerge victorious, but it wasn't an easy road. He battled all day long after entering the final table second from the bottom as one of the short stacks. Some early double-ups soon followed to put Chartier amongst the chip leaders. The key pot came in a big confrontation with Frank Vizza. Chartier put in an aggressive all-in reraise, which prompted a fold from Vizza and netted him a huge chip lead in three-handed action. Vizza was eliminated by John Nixon shortly thereafter, immediately following the dinner break. Nixon would then only last a handful of hands against Chartier. Chartier's biggest cash to date was just over $250,000 when he final-tabled the EPT Barcelona Main Event, but this finish surely trumps that. Chartier took home over $322,000 for his finish, the coveted gold championship ring, and the $10,000 seat into the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas this summer. Congratulations to all of our final table players, especially the champion Samuel Chartier! We'll see you all for the next stop on the WSOP Circuit schedule in Rincon.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:28:02 -0400

John Nixon Eliminated in 2nd Place ($177,619)

A handful of hands into heads-up play, John Nixon opened the action from the button for a raise to 100,000. Samuel Chartier reraised to 280,000. Nixon then moved all in and Chartier snap-called. [u]Showdown:[/u] Chartier:

Nixon:

This would be it if Chartier could have his hand hold up. The flop came down

, giving Chartier two pair and further control of the hand. The turn then brought the

, meaning Nixon would need a five on the river to chop the pot. The river was the

though and that was it. Chartier's aces and jacks proved to be the best hand and give him the victory! Nixon took home over $177,000 for his runner-up finish.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:00:54 -0400

We're Now Heads Up

We're now heads up between John Nixon and Samuel Chartier, both Canadians. Not only is the money up for grabs, but also the $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat and the coveted gold Circuit ring. Here are the chip counts: Samuel Chartier - 2,550,000 John Nixon - 1,610,000

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:44:51 -0400

Frank Vizza Eliminated in 3rd Place ($90,828)

Since Vizza lost that last big pot, each of the following pots has been won with a preflop all-in bet. In the last hand, Samuel Chartier folded the button. John Nixon then announced an all-in from the small blind, and Frank Vizza quickly made the call, putting himself all in for his tournament life. [u]Showdown:[/u] Nixon:

Vizza:

There was paint on the flop, but it was safe for Vizza, coming out

. The turn was the

, adding a few more outs for Nixon. Vizza wouldn't like the river card one bit. The

was the last card off the deck, and Nixon came from behind to eliminate the gregarious Frank Vizza out in third place. For his efforts, he'll take home more than $90,000. The money is now on the table, and we're heads up for the title.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:36:25 -0400

Starting With a Bang!

On the second hand back from dinner, Frank Vizza opened for 110,000 on the button. Samuel Chartier folded in the small blind and then John Nixon moved all in for 615,000 total from the big blind. Vizza quickly made the call. [u]Showdown:[/u] Vizza:

Nixon:

The crowd stood from their chairs and gathered as closely to the rail as possible. The dealer then dealt the flop:

. Nixon's ace high was still in the lead going to the turn. The turn brought the

and kept Nixon in the lead. The river was the

and just like that, Nixon doubled through Vizza and now has over one million chips. Vizza was left with around 300,000.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:28:56 -0400

Play Resumes

After taking just a minute to look at the numbers, the three remaining players are back in their seats, and the cards are in the air once again!

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:25:49 -0400

Updated Chip Counts at the Dinner Break

Samuel Chartier - 2,550,000 Frank Vizza - 955,000 John Nixon - 635,000

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:25:36 -0400

Dinner Break

And with that last big pot, the remaining three players are on a one-hour dinner break.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:24:51 -0400

A Massive Confrontation

Frank Vizza opened with a raise to 100,000. Next door, Samuel Chartier re-popped it, making it 246,000 total. Vizza called, and we had our first flop in quite some time. Heads up, the first three community cards came

. Chartier continued out with a bet of 200,000. Vizza sat rock still for a moment or two before announcing, "Seven," and sliding out seven tall stacks of gray chips. Chartier leaned back in his chair as he glanced back and forth between the board and his opponent. After about two minutes, he waved both hands forward in the universal all-in gesture. Vizza would spend the next five or seven minutes deep in the think tank. He asked for a count of his opponent's stack. Then he counted his own stack. Then he re-counted his own stack. He stood up, kneeling on his chair, leaning over the table and staring down at the board. He was clearly pained by the decision, completely uncertain of what to do. "I really think you got something," he said, adding, "This is so silly." Finally, after that long soak, Vizza reluctantly slipped his cards back to the dealer, choosing to fight his battle in another spot. After taking down the biggest pot of the tournament, Samuel Chartier is now the overwhelming chip leader.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:58:47 -0400

Updated Chip Counts

Frank Vizza - 2,144,000 Samuel Chartier - 1,526,000 John Nixon - 490,000

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:55:45 -0400

Flopless

Since Michael Michnik busted, we've only seen two flops. A simple raise or reraise is often enough to win the pot preflop. The chip counts haven't changed much either, as the players seem to be taking turns winning the pots preflop. Sooner or later, there's bound to be some big hands running into each other.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:45:21 -0400

Vizza Stealing Preflop

There hasn't been much action in the recent few hands, but Frank Vizza has taken down two or three pots preflop by putting in some three bets. His opponents have been folding to him every time and allowing him to increase his chip lead.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:32:09 -0400

A Little Blind-Versus-Blind Action

John Nixon folded before Frank Vizza raised to 100,000 from the small blind. Samuel Chartier called from the big blind. The flop came down

and Vizza hesitated before checking. Chartier checked behind. The turn brought the

and Vizza checked again. Chartier fired out a bet of 110,000. Vizza took about 30 seconds and then mucked his hand, giving Chartier the pot.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:29:45 -0400

Michael Michnik Eliminated in 4th Place ($70,644)

Under the gun, Michael Michnik opened the pot with a raise to 80,000. When the betting passed around to big blind Samuel Chartier, he peeked at his hole cards, capped them with an orange chip, and eyed up his opponent. After a moment, he slid out two big stacks of gray chips for a total re-raise to 232,000. Michnik removed his sunglasses, sunk back in his chair and announced, "All in." Chartier quickly called. "Ace-jack," said Chartier. Michnik let out a big sigh of relief as he turned over the same hand. "I'm happy for a chop," came the response from the at-risk Michnik [u]Showdown:[/u] Michnik:

Chartier:

The flop brought

, and Michnik reacted as if his fate was already sealed. "Freerollin'!" said one of Chartier's railbirds, referring to the fact that Chartier could not lose the hand. Fourth street was lots of trouble as the

gave Chartier the bigger flush draw. Sure enough, the

spiked on the river, drawing a big reaction from the now-thinning crowd of spectators. Michnik looked disgusted for a moment as he dropped his head into his hands. For the second time today, a player has been four-flushed to the exit, and this time hit a little too close to home for Michnik. After taking just a second to gather himself, Michael Michnik wished the remaining three players the best and headed over to collect his payout.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:15:50 -0400

Quick Break

The players have opted for a quick bathroom break.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 19:07:37 -0400

Hitting Another Wall

After that small flurry of action following the break, things have returned to the slow pace we are growing accustomed to. In the last ten or twelve hands, five have been walks to the big blind. We know it's only a matter of time before things pick up once again, but it's anybody's guess when that will be.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:50:34 -0400

Alex Bolotin Eliminated in 5th Place ($60,552)

In the second hand back from break, Alex Bolotin opened with an all-in shove for 306,000. The table folded around to big stack Frank Vizza, and he shrugged his shoulders and quickly announced, "I call." [u]Showdown:[/u] Bolotin:

Vizza:

The flop was no fun for Bolotin. The

came right in the door, filling out a flop of

. The turn card was a bit of help as the

fell, giving Bolotin a pair to work with. From the rail right behind Bolotin, David Fox smirked and said, "Oh, that would be a dirty way to do it," hinting at the possibility of two running threes. To Bolotin's dismay though, the

landed on the river, locking up the pot for Vizza and sending Alex Bolotin to the exit in 5th place. He stood from his chair, grabbed the last peanut butter cup from atop his chips, and made his way to the payout desk.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:43:33 -0400

Play Resumes

With Alex Bolotin running back to his seat, the cards are back in the air.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:37:54 -0400

Updated Chip Counts

Here's the way the final five shake out: Frank Vizza - 1,563,000 Samuel Chartier - 1,099,000 John Nixon - 764,000 Michael Michnik - 405,000 Alex Bolotin - 314,000

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:26:02 -0400

Get Up, Stand Up

With the last 20 minutes of relative inactivity behind us, we have reached the end of the level. The clock is paused, and the players are taking a 15-minute break.

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:04:59 -0400

"You Can't Call the Clock"

Second to act, John Nixon opened with a raise to 64,000. The betting folded around to Alex Bolotin in the big blind, and he slid out re-raising chips totaling 224,000. Nixon considered for just a moment before saying, "I'm all in... Clock." Very early in the day, Bolotin clocked Nixon in a big pot, and apparently the young "left-handed" Nixon didn't take too kindly to that. "You can't call the clock," said Bolotin. Indignantly, Nixon responded, "I just did. Why not?" During this quick exchange, he continued to shoot evil glances across the table at Bolotin. The table, nearly in unison said, "You have to wait a 'reasonable' amount of time." Nixon didn't seem too thrilled as the tournament staff denied his clock call for the time being. Bolotin stood up to eyeball his own stack and that of his opponent. Nixon had just about 600,000 in front of him, more or less even with Bolotin. After another moment or two, Bolotin said, "Fold," and the dealer pulled his cards into the muck. It seems much of the friendliness and jollity at this final table left with the eliminations of Jason Young and Matt Brady. It's all business now.