Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:53 AM Local Time
After starting heads-up play with the chip lead, nothing has gone Mike Chow's way. Dan Heimiller has been grinding him down, bet by bet,pot by pot. Chow tried a different tack in a recent pot. He checked his option after Heimiller limped the button, then check-raised Heimiller's bet on a flop of . Heimiller scrunched up his face, peeked down at his cards, and then mucked.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:39 AM Local Time
Michael Chow raised, and Dan Heimiller called.
Flop: - Heimiller check-called a bet from Chow.
Turn: - Heimiller checked again, then raised when Chow bet. Chow called.
River: - Heimiller bet, and Chow called. Dan held for a set of deuces, and Chow held for a low. Chop it up, and on to the next one.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:31 AM Local Time
With only thirty total big bets in play right now, scooping even one pot can be a huge swing. Dan Heimiller took four big bets off of Michael Chow in a recent pot. Chow limped the button, then called Heimiller's raise. Heimiller led out an flop before it was his turn to call a raise made by Chow.
The turn came and again Heimiller led out. Chow called to the river. Heimiller fired a third time. This time Chow tanked before finally tossing in a call.
"Just two pair," said Heimiller. He opened for two pair, kings and eights.
"Ah!" exclaimed Chow. He sighed. "Good hand."
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:16 AM Local Time
We've reached the next scheduled break. This will be a short one, probably only five minutes.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:15 AM Local Time
An hour ago, Michael Chow looked like he couldn't lose a hand. He was confident and chatty and loving the support of his rail. Heimiller was frustrated and going in the wrong direction. Now, things are starting to turn around. Chow's chip lead is rapidly disappearing, as is his swagger. And Heimiller is starting to act like he's in control.
Chow raised preflop, and Heimiller called. The flop came out [kh9h56h], and Heimiller checked. Chow bet, and when Heimiller raised, he mucked instantly. His rail groaned, and he tried to focus on his stack.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 12:13 AM Local Time
So far Dan Heimiller and Michael Chow have been passing chips back and forth. Heimiller did win a small scooper by rivering a straight-seven, , but other than that it's a stalemate so far.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:59 PM Local Time
Michael Chow - 2,175,000
Dan Heimiller - 1,425,000
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:52 PM Local Time
Ylon Schwartz was in once. Twice. Three times. Four times, over the course of this final tble. Every time he was in, somehow chips came back out to him. He successfully hung on with 100,000 chips until after Koubi busted in 4th place. The next hand, Schwartz was all in yet again and chopped it. The hand after that, he doubled up. But eventually, it had to happen. With 250,000 to his name after doubling, Schwartz three-bet all in on a flop of against Dan Heimiller. Heimiller called with , two pair, nines and threes. Schwartz had the same two pair with . The turn gave Heimiller a better two pair, which held when the turn bricked .
With the elimination of Schwartz in 3rd place, the tournament is now on an unscheduled break.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:46 PM Local Time
After Koubi doubled up Schwartz, he was down to his last 250,000 chips. Schwartz then lost a huge pot to Michael Chow and was left with 100,000. That hand also cost Koubi 100,000, giving him 150,000.
The race was on to see who could survive an extra spot in the pay outs. After Schwartz was crippled, he folded his small blind, and Koubi was forced to fold the big blind when Dan Heimiller raised and Michael Chow called. The next hand, Schwartz folded again, and Koubi made his move. Heimiller called, and it was time for showdown.
Heimiller:
Koubi:
The flop gave Koubi a set, but gave Heimiller a low draw. Things got a whole lot worse for Koubi when the turn gave Heimiller a straight, and when the river didn't pair the board, Koubi was eliminated in 4th place.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:35 PM Local Time
Fred Koubi raised preflop, and Dan Heimiller called on the button. Ylon Schwartz joined from the big blind. The flop came out , and Schwartz and Koubi both checked. Heimiller bet, and Schwartz called. Koubi folded, leaving himself even shorter, and his buddy Mike Matusow threw his hands up in disgust and came through the rail barrier to grab Koubi. They spent the rest of the hand in whispered conversation right in between Schwartz and Heimiller.
The turn was the , and both players checked. After the on the river paired the board and completed a club draw, Schwartz bet, and Heimiller called. "I have a flush," he said, sounding like he didn't think it was good. Schwartz wasn't happy to hear the bad news. Heimiller's was good for the pot, leaving Schwartz crippled with just 100,000.
"You have a flush?" Matusow yelled. "You mean you have the nut flush!"
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:29 PM Local Time
It was very straightforward. Ylon Schwartz raisedpre-flop and Fred Koubi called from the button. Schwartz bet the flop and Koubi called again.
On the turn, Schwartz beta third time, leaving only 5,000 behind in his stack. Koubi stood up from his chair, leaned over the table and stared intently at Schwartz. Schwartz st in his chair, calmly stroking his chin. Koubi finally elected to put Schwartz in. Schwartz splashed his last 5,000 into the pot and opened .
"I only need a heart," said Koubi. He showed . The river bricked to double up Schwartz.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:06 PM Local Time
Is there anyone who can stop Michael Chow at this point? He is literally running over this final table, seemingly showing down the nuts or close to it every time he's in a pot. He and Scott Epstein went to war in a recent pot, with Epstein raising pre-flop and Chow calling in position. Epstein continued on a flop of ; Chow raised that bet.
Epstein called to the turn, where he check-called one bet. He check-called all in on the river . Chow showed down the nut flush and second nut low, . Epstein flashed , having flopped a straight and a good low. Neither was good enough at the end of the day.
Epstein leaves with $51,431 in prize money. Chow, meanwhile, has more than 2 milion of the 3.6 million chips in play.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 11:03 PM Local Time
Dan Heimiller and Michael Chow were heads up in a three-bet pot. The flop came , and Chow check-called a bet from Heimiller. Then he took the reins, betting after the on the turn. Heimiller called, and then called once more after the on the river. Chow showed for trip aces and the second nut low. "Scoopscoop! Scoopscoop!" shouted Chow's friends on the rail, and he did exactly that.
Chow's fans are the only ones making noise at the final table, and as their next round of beers was just delivered, they started singing Happy Birthday to Chow. It may not be his birthday, but it's certainly his lucky day. After running over the table since eliminating Cipolla, he is up to 1.7 million in chips. That's more than everyone else combined.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:47 PM Local Time
And then there were five. Desperately short stack Michael Cipolla held on as long as he could but finally found himself all in on the turn of a with nothing but a very slim draw. Opponent Michael Chow turned up for two pair, aces and kings. The river blanked out, sending Cipolla into the Great Beyond.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:43 PM Local Time
Fred Koubi is getting a little peckish. He just asked where his beef jerky was since he was under the impression that everyone who made a final table was given Jack Link's Beef Jerky to much on. After all, the barricade around the final table is a giant Jack Links ad.
The floor dispatched someone to track down the jerky.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:37 PM Local Time
This hand started out with drama and ended with a goodbye. Sasha Rosewood was in the small blind and got his first card, but when the dealer got to him on the second round, his card fell on the floor. Dan Heimiller, who was in the big blind, called "misdeal," but the dealer said it was simply an exposed card and Rosewood would get another one after the rest of the deal was complete. Heimiller disagreed and the floor was called over. Rosewood jokingly asked if he could just keep the . The floor explained that it was only a misdeal if the first or second card from the top of the deck were exposed, not the first or second card dealt to a player.
By this point, Rosewood had received his new fourth card and action had folded to him in the small blind. He completed, and Heimiller decided he'd rather keep his current hand and raised. Rosewood called, and the flop came out . Rosewood bet, and Heimiller quickly raised. Rosewood then moved all in for only 10,000 more than the cost of a call. Heimiller seemed confused for a minute and acted like he was thinking. "I'm just trying to look at it," he said, asking Rosewood to move his hand out of the way so he could see the bets in the pot. Then he sort of shook himself and said, "I call. Of course I call."
Showdown
Rosewood: for an open-ended straight draw and runner-runner low draw
Heimiller: for a pair of aces
The turn was the on the turn kept Rosewood's hope for a low alive, but the on the river wasn't what he needed. After spending most of the day as chip leader, Rosewood is out in 7th.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:30 PM Local Time
Three bets pre-flop. Three bets on the flop. Two bets on the turn. After all of that, Scott Epstein wound up only getting a quarter of the pot. Epstein was the first raiser pre-flop, then called when Dan Heimiller raised the button. Epstein bet and three-bet a flop of , with Heimiller calling the third bet. On the turn , Epstein led out again. Again Heimiller raised. Epstein just called.
Both players checked on the end, a . Heimiller showed , the nut low with a pair of kings and a busted diamond flushd raw. Epstein showed the same nut low, , but only a pair of eights. He got quartered.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:16 PM Local Time
As my blogging partner just mentioned, the big bets are getting expensive. Joe Leibman lost one pot at showdown and although it did not eliminate him, it did cost him his seat t the final table.
Leibman opened pre-flop with an early-position raise that Ylon Schwartz re-raised. Dan Heimiller called form the small blind and Leibman also called. On a flop of , Leibman bet and then three-bet to get the slightly shorter-stacked Schwartz all in. Heimiller folded out of the way, taking the players to showdown.
Schwartz: , a pair and some draws
Leibman: , a flush draw
The turn and rivver came and to make two pair for Schwartz and give him the double-up. The hand also left Liebman with just 30,000 chips.
The very next hand, Leibman was all in from the big blind. Michael Chow and Sasha Rosewood checked the action all the way to the river, . That's where chow bet his wheel, to fold Rosewood for the side pot. Leibman hadn't yet looked at his cards and rolled them over one at a time. He rolled an , and , but the that was his fourth card was no help. He departs in 8th place.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 10:11 PM Local Time
At this point in the tournament, every hand shifts the balance of power at the table. If a big stack loses one large pot, he's down to the bottom of the counts. With the small bet at 40,000 and the big bet at 80,000, there really isn't much room for mistakes or bad luck. At the break, the shortest stack, Joe Leibman, had 1.3 big bets left while the chip leader, Dan Heimiller, only had 8.5. Everyone else has between 3 and 7.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 9:54 PM Local Time
The players agreed to a ten-minute break. See ya then.