Wednesday, June 11, 2008 6:19 PM Local Time
With the players relocated to the ESPN stage in the Milwaukee's Best Light No-Limit Lounge area, play resumes.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 6:03 PM Local Time
Barry Greenstein - 981,000
Erick Lindgren - 961,000
Mike Matusow - 925,000
Jeffrey Lisandro - 725,000
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:57 PM Local Time
The remaining four players are being moved into the Milwaukee's Best Light No-Limit Lounge for the remainder of play. In the meantime, players are on a 20-minute break.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:56 PM Local Time
With play tightening up, seeing a draw has become rare. Multi-way draws are practically extinct. Yet that's what happened after Barry Greenstein raised to 60,000 from the button and was called by Jeff Lisandro in the small blind and Mike Matusow in the big blind. Five cards went out on the draw: one to Lisandro, two to Matusow and two to Greenstein.
After the draw, Lisandro, as first to act, made an aggressive bet of 200,000. Both other players immediately folded.
"I bluffed 'em!" said Lisandro with a grin. He flashed 3-4-5-6-7 for a seven-high straight.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:47 PM Local Time
Winning the last three hands in a row, two of which saw his post-draw bets uncalled, Barry Greenstein is quietly building a monster chip stack. He hasn't had a big double-up or won a giant pot, but his aggressive short-handed play has brought his chip count over the 1.1 million mark.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:42 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren - 1,050,000
Barry Greenstein - 1,025,000
Mike Matusow - 930,000
Jeff Lisandro - 510,000
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:41 PM Local Time
Mike Matusow, perhaps feeling a bit brash after his big call against Jeff Lisandro, raised from the button to 60,000. He was called by both blinds, Erick Lindgren and Barry Greenstein. Lindgren and Greenstein each drew one card; Matusow stood pat. Greenstein won the pot with a bet of 130,000 after the draw.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:40 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren opened again, this time from the button for 60,000. Jeff Lisandro moved all in for a total of 175,000 in the big blind and Lindgren quickly called.
Lisandro stood pat with 10-8-7-6-3. Lindgren drew one, looked at Lisandro's hand, then mucked.
"I thought you might have a flush," said Lindgren, with a meaningful glance in Mike Matusow's direction.
After the hand, Lisandro was up to about 360,000.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:36 PM Local Time
Jeffrey Lisandro raised to 60,000 from the cutoff and Mike Matusow called from the button. The blinds passed and both players drew one card. Lisandro was first to act and he bet 100,000. Matusow grabbed a leg of chips but stopped short of making the call. He looked Lisandro up and down before confidently putting the across the stack across the imaginary line.
Lisandro remained expressionless and said, "Pair."
Matusow, clearly having heard him said, "What...a pair?" Lisandro nodded and Matusow said, "I knew it...that's right, king-high's good boys!" as he turned over
.
Matusow continued his celebration prompting Erick Lindgren to rhetorically ask the others, "I thought we lost Tony G?"
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:17 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren raised yet again, this time to 60,000. Mike Matusow made the call from the small blind. He drew two cards, while Lindgren stood pat. Matusow checked to Lindgren, who made a teaser bet of 50,000. Matusow called to see Lindgren table 8-7.
"Eight seven?" Matusow asked with a chuckle. "I made just enough to call you." He flashed 9-6 and then mucked his hand.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:12 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren - 1,350,000
Mike Matusow - 1,015,000
Barry Greenstein - 830,000
Jeffrey Lisandro - 335,000
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:11 PM Local Time
Now that play is four-handed, the players are much more willing to engage. With 50,000 in the pot before the cards are dealt, many more pots are being won with a raise or reraise before the draw.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:09 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren raised to 60,000 from the cutoff seat. Jeffrey Lisandro called him from the small blind and they went to the draw heads up. Both players took one card.
Lisandro was first to act and he checked. Lindgren bet 115,000 and Lisandro insta-called. Lindgren said "nine-seven" to which Lisandro immeidately replied "it's good." Sure enough, Erick flipped up
. Lisandro mucked and Lindgren stacked the pot.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:06 PM Local Time
After hanging on with a short stack most of the afternoon, Tom Schneider has finally given up the ghost. After Jeff Lisandro raised to 60,000 from under the gun and was called by Mike Matusow on his immediate left, Schneider moved all in from the button for a total of 185,000. Action folded back to Lisandro, who called. Matusow then surveyed the situation and also called, prompting Erick Lindgren to say, "Wow."
On the draw, Lisandro took one card, Matusow took one card, and Schneider stood pat. Lisandro checked to Matusow, who bet 200,000. Lisandro just shook his head, flashed 8-5-3-2 and another 8, and then mucked his hand.
"Nine five four three deuce," said Matusow, turning up his hand and looking at Schneider questioningly. Schneider shook his head negative and mucked.
"Yes!" shouted Matusow, jumping out of his chair and clapping his hands.
After sitting back down, he turned to Lisandro and explained, "Once I knew you were drawing, I had to call."
Barry Greenstein chimed in, "Two big squeezes, Jeff, and you could have been chip leader."
None of that is any comfort to Schneider, who is eliminated in fifth place and collects $104,101.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 5:00 PM Local Time
Much to the dismay of players and fans alike, this final table is not being held in the Milwaukee's Best Light No Limit Lounge/ESPN Final Table area. Details are scarce, but rumor has it this was due to some sort of insurance issue. When the subject was recently brought up at the table, Barry Greenstein playfully pointed out "we never had any insurance issues at Binion's." "They didn't have anything to insure!" retorted Matusow.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:51 PM Local Time
From early position, Erick Lindgren opened again for 45,000. Action folded to Mike Matusow in the small blind, who made it 155,000 to go. Lindgren made the call.
On the draw, Matusow stood pat and Lindgren drew one. Matusow then bet 100,000. Lindgren squeezed out his cards and quickly folded.
"Sometimes the idiot gets dealt a hand," began Matusow, flashing 9-6, "and sometimes not."
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:48 PM Local Time
Jeffrey Lisandro raised to 50,000 from under the gun. Mike Matusow folded the cutoff and Tom Schneider moved all in from the button for 139,000 total. Lisandro made the call and tossed one card. Schneider drew one as well. The players showed:
Lisandro:
Schneider:
Lisandro was the first to turn over his fifth card and he shook his head as he turned up an
. Schneider looked to double up unless his fifth card was an ace or it paired him up. With little drama, he turned over a
. Lisandro turned his cards over and slid them into the muck. Tom Schneider doulbed up to 330,000.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:44 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren: Jeff, you want double or nothing on the next game?
Jeff Lisandro: When is it?
Lindgren: Tomorrow.
Lisandro: [inaudible]
Lindgren: What's that?
Lisandro: [inaudible]
Lindgren: We have a bet?
Lisandro: I said, I'll have to think about it.
Lindgren: Oh, you'll have to think about it. Funny thing about me, I always hear what I want to hear!
***
"You know Jamie Horowitz?" Lindgren asked Barry Greenstein.
Greenstein nodded yes.
Lindgren held out his mobile and read a text message aloud: "Don't lose your lead to a Jew!" Greenstein cracked a big smile.
***
Tom Schneider mucked a bit high in the air, prompting Greenstein to say, "Tom, could you not flash your cards? Because it does change the play." Schneider quickly nodded yes and raised a hand as if to say, "mea culpa."
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:38 PM Local Time
Erick Lindgren - 1,105,000
Barry Greenstein - 930,000
Jeffrey Lisandro - 780,000
Mike Matusow - 465,000
Tom Schneider - 200,000
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:38 PM Local Time
Since player came back from the break, play has not been quite so fast and furious. These players still seem willing to engage and are all likely playing for first place, it just seems based on their comments, they haven't had the cards to do it with. In three of the last five hands, the big blind player has gotten a walk and we haven't seen a showdown in about seven hands.