Wednesday, June 9, 2010 4:29 PM Local Time
Craig Bergeron is now in clear second-place chip position at this final table. Sitting in the big blind, he called a pre-flop raise to 50,000 by button player Rusell Thomas. After Bergeron checked, Thomas continued for 55,000 on a flop of . Bergeron made the call.
Both players checked the turn and the river. At showdown, Bergeron turned up for two pairs, jacks and sixes, to collect the pot.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 4:28 PM Local Time
Craig Bergeron opened the pot with a 70,000-chip raise under the gun and David Diaz went all in in the big blind. Bergeron called.
Showdown
Bergeron:
Diaz:
Flop:
Turn:
River:
Set of tens for Bergeron and David Diaz is our 6th place finisher.
Bergeron is now up to 1,700,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 4:23 PM Local Time
This is one of the youngest final tables we can ever remember covering. The average age of the six remaining players is 22.8 years old. Russell Thomas, Carter Phillips and Craig Bergeron are all the minimum 21 years old. Hugo Perez is the old man at the table at the ancient age of 26.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 4:19 PM Local Time
Because of the move to the feature-table area, the tournament went on break a little early. But we're back now. Tournament Director Nikki Ivey (no relation) just introduced the players.
Cards are in the air. There are 3 minutes left in Level 22.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:56 PM Local Time
Craig Bergeron opened the pot with a 46,000-chip raise from the hijack seat and Thong Tran went all in, for an additional 260,000 chips, on the button. Craig called.
Showdown
Bergeron:
Tran:
Board:
Thong Tran is our 7h place finisher and bubbled the final table.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:33 PM Local Time
Carter Phillips opened the pot with a 60,000-chip raise in the small blind and Samuel Gerber called in the big blind.
Flop:
Phillips check-called a 85,000-chip bet from Gerber.
Turn:
The same movement but now with a 110,000-chip bet.
River:
Phillips check-called a 150,000-chip bet and Gerber tabled for a straight.
Gerber is now up to 1,000,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:29 PM Local Time
There wasn't much of a rail when we started play roughly two hours ago, but now that the tournament is one spot off of the "official" final table a few spectators have wandered in. Roughly twenty people are scattered around the feature table in the back corner of the Amazon Room. It's hard to tell who they're here to support, and with the action not announced they may not be able to tell what's going on.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:14 PM Local Time
They've re-drawn again and cards are back in the air with 36 minutes left int the level. Here are the final seven players:
Orange 316
Seat 1: Russell Thomas (1,035,000)
Seat 2: David Diaz (795,000)
Seat 3: Craig Bergeron (695,000)
Seat 4: Hugo Perez (453,000)
Seat 5: Thong Tran (301,000)
Seat 6: Carter Phillips (3,407,000)
Seat 7: Samuel Gerber (816,000)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:04 PM Local Time
Carter Phillips didn't even think about it for a second. On the turn of a board, he bet 100,000 after Mikhail Lakhitov checked. Lakhitov then check-raised all in for about 570,000 total and Phillips snap-called. His made a pair of trey and an inside straight draw. Lakhitov had two overcards and a flush draw with .
Lakhitov apparently missed the memo from Mark Flowers and Craig Bergeron earlier about how red-hot Phillips has been running. The board blanked out to allow Phillips' hand to hold and to send Lakhitov to the rail in 8th place.
With only seven players remaining, the tournament is on another pause to consolidated to a single, seven-handed table.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 3:04 PM Local Time
With only 66,000 chips on his stack, Alexander Wilson went all in under the gun and got called by Samuel Gerber in the cutoff seat.
Showdown
Wilson:
Gerber:
Board:
Wilson is our 9th place finisher and took home $30,420.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:56 PM Local Time
Alexander Wilson moved all in from the button. Big blind Hugo Perez peeked down at his cards and quickly called. His was behind Wilson's .
"Ace-nine's been good this World Series," said one railbird. And sure enough, the flop came to give Perez the lead. His pair held with running queens on the turn and river. He doubled up to 427,000, leaving Wilson with just 75,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:52 PM Local Time
Carter Phillips just knocked another opponent out...
Mark Flowers went all in from the button and Phillips called in the small blind.
Showdown
Flowers:
Phillips:
Board: and Flowers is our 10th place finisher. Carter Phillips is now up to 2,405,000 chips and seems that the bracelet has his name on it.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:32 PM Local Time
Russel Thomas just doubled his stack twice in just one orbit.
Act I:
Thomas went all in from the cutoff seat and Mark Flowers called in the small blind.
Showdown
Thomas:
Flowers:
Board:
Act II:
Holding ace king, Russell ended up all in pre-flop against Carter Phillip's ace jack. The board gave him a full double up.
Thomas Russell is now up to 1,200,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:24 PM Local Time
The very next hand after the elimination of Kevin Iacofono, as Carter Phillips was still stacking his chips, he made a pre-flop raise. Matt Ezrol was next to act. He moved all in for about 350,000. Phillips quickly called with a hand that was once again in the lead. His was the dominating favorite over Ezrol's , even moreso after a ten-high flop. Ezrol never caught any piece of the board and was thusly retired in 11th place.
"Carter's won every pot," said Craig Bergeron.
"Easy game," Mark Flowers chimed in.
Mikhail Lakhitov was broken to the table after Ezrol's elimination. Flowers waraned Lakhitov how hot Phillips was running.
"He's won every pot. Hopefully you'll be his kryptonite."
It's going to take a lot of kryptonite to de-rail Phillips. He has roughly 2.7 million chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:17 PM Local Time
What a huge pot!
Kevin Iacofono opened the pot pre-flop before Carter Phillips re-popped it. Holding pocket kings, Iacofono went all in. Carter eventually called with ace-king of clubs, setting up a showdown for a pot worth 140 big blinds.
Flop:
Turn:
River: Flush for Phillips!
Phillips was pumped to see the river card. Iacofono was disgusted. When the stacks were counted down, Phillips had Iacofono covered. Iacofono is out of the tournament. Phillips has now a huge chip lead, with more than 2,000,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:04 PM Local Time
With the tournament down to its last two tables, the player have again re-drawn for seats:
Orange 309
Seat 1: Samuel Gerber
Seat 2: Hugo Perez
Seat 3: Mikhail Lakhitov
Seat 4: Thong Tran
Seat 5: David Diaz
Seat 6: Alexander Wilson
Orange 316
Seat 1: Kevin Iacofono
Seat 2: Mark Flowers
Seat 3: Carter Phillips
Seat 4: Matt Ezrol
Seat 5: Craig Bergeron
Seat 6: Russell Thomas
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:03 PM Local Time
Kevin Iacofano opened the pot with a 37,000-chip raise under the gun and Matt Zoorob re-popped it to 106,000 on the button. Iacofano tanked for a bit and announced he was all in. Zoorob eventually called.
Showdown
Kevin Iacofano:
Matt Zoorob:
Board:
Zoorob leaves us in 13th place and took home $17,488.
Iacofano is now up to 1,045,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 1:59 PM Local Time
Usually, when players go into the tank before the flop, they wind up folding their hand. Thus we were expecting a fold from Conrad Monica in a recent hand against Carter Phillips. Hugo Perez opened to 36,000 in front of Monica, who called on the button. Phillips, from the big blind, then moved all in.
"Really!" said Perez. He quickly folded. That put the decision to Monica, who had 300,000 behind. He thought it over for about a minute before announcing, "Call."
Monica:
Phillips:
If the chips hadn't gone all in pre-flop, they surely would have gone in on an action flop of . Phillips made top two pair; Monica had a double-digit draw. The board blanked out and to end Monica's run. He leaves in 14th place with $17,488.
Phillips now has about 1.1 million chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 1:49 PM Local Time
Mark Flowers opened the pot with a 31,000-chip raise under the gun and Michael Meyers went all in in the small blind. Flowers called and tabled . Meyers tabled pocket fives and the river of the board gave him the 15h place in this tournament.
Flowers is now up to 1,100,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 1:40 PM Local Time
On one of the very first hands of the day on our feature table, action passed to Jesse Martin in late position. He opened all in with and was re-raised all in by Alexander Wilson. Wilson tabled two tens and the race was on. Wilson emerged victorious on a board of , sending Martin to the rail before all of the players had settled into their seats.
Martin leaves with $17,488 in prize money.