Sunday, July 7, 2013 6:13 PM Local Time
Strass Peels for a Discount
Johannes Strassmann raised to 42,000 from the hijack seat, and Rory Rees Brennan three-bet the pot out of the small blind.
"One-eighty six," the dealer announced, sending Strassmann deep into the tank.
He said something about calling if it they were playing a cash game, and then he asked the dealer for the amount once more. She repeated the number 186. Tom Marchese lifted his head at this.
"How much?" he asked.
The two then worked out the math, and realized that it was 146,000, not 186,000.
"Oh," Strassmann said with an excited look on his face. "I'm calling."
He did, and the flop fell . It didn't even look like Brennan had bet before Stassmann sent his cards into the muck.
"Thanks for waking up down there," Brennan joked at Marchese.
Johannes Strassmann | 480,000 | -40,000 |
Rory Rees Brennan | 475,000 | 200,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 6:04 PM Local Time
Daniel Merkus Eliminated in 16th Place ($32,691)
Jared Bleznick raised to 55,000 from under the gun, Daniel Merkus three-bet the pot (140,000) from the cutoff, and Bleznick moved all in. Merkus quickly called for around 400,000.
Bleznick:
Merkus:
Merkus held two suits to Bleznick's one, but Bleznick flopped Merkus dead when the dealer fanned . The turn and river completed , , giving Bleznick a straight flush for kicks and giggles, and Merkus was eliminated in 16th place.
"Steel wheel," Bleznick said, grinning. "That's how good a poker player I am. He has two suits, I have one, and I make a straight flush."
Jared Bleznick | 2,580,000 | 350,000 |
Daniel Merkus | 0 | -405,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:54 PM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts; 16 Remain
Jared Bleznick | 2,230,000 | 130,000 |
Daniel Alaei | 1,620,000 | -580,000 |
James Wiese | 1,450,000 | 130,000 |
Alex Kravchenko | 755,000 | 260,000 |
Oleksii Kovalchuk | 750,000 | 0 |
Tony Cousineau | 615,000 | -65,000 |
Tom Marchese | 610,000 | 15,000 |
Johannes Strassmann | 520,000 | -105,000 |
Daniel Merkus | 405,000 | -55,000 |
Lasell King | 365,000 | -95,000 |
Alexey Rybin | 280,000 | 0 |
Michael Schwartz | 275,000 | 137,000 |
Rory Rees Brennan | 275,000 | 140,000 |
Gjergj Sinishtaj | 270,000 | -350,000 |
Sean Dempsey | 255,000 | -35,000 |
Numit Agrawal | 215,000 | 10,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:51 PM Local Time
Philippe Clerc Eliminated in 17th Place ($32,691)
Shortly after Jonathan Duhamel's elimination, Philippe Clerc was all in with his short stack with and looking for a double versus Oleksii Kovalchuk who held .
Alas for Clerc, the flop came , immediately providing a flush for Kovalchuk, and by the turn Clerc's 17th-place finish had already been determined.
Oleksii Kovalchuk | 750,000 | 95,000 |
Philippe Clerc | 0 | -125,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:46 PM Local Time
Jonathan Duhamel Eliminated in 18th Place ($32,691)
Jared Bleznick raised to 35,000 from middle position, then Jonathan Duhamel reraised all in for about 90,000 total behind him. Those in between stepped aside, and Bleznick called the reraise without much hesitation.
Bleznick:
Duhamel:
The flop came badly for Duhamel, rolling out to give Bleznick a queen-high straight. The then fell on the turn, which left Duhamel needing another nine to appear or a king to survive. But the river was the , and the 2010 WSOP Main Event champion was sent railward in 18th place.
Jared Bleznick | 2,100,000 | 0 |
Jonathan Duhamel | 0 | -90,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:38 PM Local Time
Big Double for Cousineau
Five players took a flop of , including Tony Cousineau who bet 85,000, and Alexey Rybin, his only caller.
The turn was the , the rest of the money went in after unknown action (Jonathan Duhamel had just called a river bet in the previous hand posted).
Cousineau:
Rybin:
Rybin had trip kings and a diamond draw, but Cousineau had turned a full house. Rybin could still score a knockout with a queen on the river, and the two could chop with an ace, but the bricked off.
Cousineau doubled to 680,000 chips, while Rybin slipped to 280,000.
Tony Cousineau | 680,000 | 515,000 |
Alexey Rybin | 280,000 | -500,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:32 PM Local Time
Bleznick Flops Quads; Gets Three Streets of Value
Jared Bleznick raised to 35,000 in the cutoff, Jonathan Duhamel called on the button, and both blinds released. The dealer fanned , Bleznick tossed out 20,000, and Duhamel called.
The turn was the , Bleznick led out for another 65,000, and Duhamel called.
The completed the board, and Bleznick emptied the chamber, firing a third and final bullet worth 110,000. Duhamel called, and Bleznick sent spinning across the felt face up for quad sixes.
Duhamel dropped to 90,000 chips, while Bleznick is above two million.
Jared Bleznick | 2,100,000 | 390,000 |
Jonathan Duhamel | 90,000 | -205,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:21 PM Local Time
Merkus Doubles Through Clerc
Philippe Clerc opened with a raise to 30,000 from late position, then Daniel Merkus set out a raise to 80,000 from one seat over. It folded back to Clerc who sat for a few seconds, then declared he was reraising the pot, and Merkus quickly called with his remaining chips.
Clerc:
Merkus:
The first four community cards came , filling a wheel for Merkus although Clerc could still make a flush. The then fell on fifth street, and Merkus survived.
Daniel Merkus | 460,000 | 25,000 |
Philippe Clerc | 125,000 | -391,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:13 PM Local Time
Redraw
Table | Seat | Player |
353 | 1 | Jonathan Duhamel |
353 | 2 | Tom Marchese |
353 | 3 | Oleksii Kovalchuk |
353 | 4 | Philippe Clerc |
353 | 5 | Daniel Merkus |
353 | 6 | Lasell King |
353 | 7 | Sean Dempsey |
353 | 8 | Rory Rees Brennan |
353 | 9 | Jared Bleznick |
| | |
347 | 1 | James Wiese |
347 | 2 | Johannes Strassmann |
347 | 3 | Michael Schwartz |
347 | 4 | Tony Cousineau |
347 | 5 | Gjergj Sinishtaj |
347 | 6 | Daniel Alaei |
347 | 7 | Alexey Rybin |
347 | 8 | Alex Kravchenko |
347 | 9 | Numit Agrawal |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 5:08 PM Local Time
Mihails Morozovs Eliminated in 19th Place ($26,124)
When we arrived at the table, Mihails Morozovs' hand was being scooped into the muck, and his entire stack was being pushed towards Oleksii Kovalchuk. We caught with two diamonds for Morozovs. The board read , and Kovalchuk had .
Morozovs had flopped multiple backdoor draws, and turned a diamond flush draw only for Kovalchuk to make a full house on the river. Morozovs was eliminated in 19th place, earning $26,124, while Kovalchuk now has 655,000 chips.
Oleksii Kovalchuk | 655,000 | 365,000 |
Mihails Morozovs | 0 | -350,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:57 PM Local Time
Morten Stenheim Eliminated in 20th Place ($26,124)
Preflop action between Morten Stenheim and Johannes Strassman ended with Stenheim nodding and calling his remaining chips, and continuing to nod further as he saw his opponent's hand and recognized he was behind.
Stenheim had and was saying "aces" even before Strassmann tabled his . The board came , bringing no improvement to Stenheim's hand and sending the Norwegian out in 20th place.
Nineteen players remain, meaning one more elimination and they'll be redrawing to the final two nine-handed tables.
Johannes Strassmann | 625,000 | 190,000 |
Morten Stenheim | 0 | -255,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:57 PM Local Time
Updated 2013 WSOP POY Leader Board (7-7-13)
Current 2013 WSOP Player of the Year Standings
Place | Player | Points |
1 | Matthew Ashton | 649.75 |
2 | Daniel Negreanu | 598.34 |
3 | David "Bakes" Baker | 475.35 |
4 | Don Nguyen | 466.13 |
5 | Marco Johnson | 439.38 |
6 | Tom Schneider | 438.51 |
7 | Chris Klodnicki | 400.80 |
8 | Jared Hamby | 395.73 |
9 | Anthony Gregg | 390.00 |
10 | Steve Sung | 369.50 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:50 PM Local Time
Yevgeniy Timoshenko Eliminated in 22nd Place ($26,124); Joseph Cheong Eliminated in 21st Place ($26,124)
Further proof of the wild, swingy nature of pot-limit Omaha was provided in a big three-way all-in hand that just developed between Jared Bleznick (small blind), Joseph Cheong (middle position), and Yevgeniy Timoshenko (cutoff).
Preflop action between the trio saw Cheong committing his entire stack of around 300,000, Timoshenko likewise all in for a little less than that, and Bleznick having both players covered.
Bleznick:
Cheong:
Timoshenko:
The dealer delivered the community cards swiftly, and as they came , then , then , all of those diamonds added up to a winning ace-high flush for Bleznick and spelled the end of the road for both Timoshenko and Cheong — the second double-knockout since the redraw to three tables.
As Cheong had a little more than Timoshenko to start the hand, he takes 21st place while Timoshenko ends in 22nd, although both earn the same reward of $26,124 for their finishes.
Jared Bleznick | 1,710,000 | 710,000 |
Joseph Cheong | 0 | -330,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 0 | -385,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:41 PM Local Time
Rybin Check-Jams the Turn
James Wiese raised to 35,000 from middle position, Tom Marchese called on the button, and Alexey Rybin called out of the small blind. The flop fell , Rybin and Wiese checked, and Marchese fired out 55,000. Only Rybin called.
The turn was the , Rybin checked again, and Marchese tossed out 95,000. Rybin announced that he was all in (the pot was 421,000), and Marchese folded.
Alexey Rybin | 780,000 | 249,000 |
Tom Marchese | 595,000 | -185,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:23 PM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts; 22 Remain
Daniel Alaei | 1,945,000 | -5,000 |
James Wiese | 1,320,000 | 50,000 |
Jared Bleznick | 1,000,000 | 150,000 |
Tom Marchese | 780,000 | 125,000 |
Gjergj Sinishtaj | 620,000 | 0 |
Alexey Rybin | 531,000 | -349,000 |
Philippe Clerc | 516,000 | 110,000 |
Alex Kravchenko | 495,000 | 96,000 |
Lasell King | 460,000 | 205,000 |
Johannes Strassmann | 435,000 | -309,000 |
Daniel Merkus | 435,000 | 139,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 385,000 | 40,000 |
Mihails Morozovs | 350,000 | 40,000 |
Joseph Cheong | 330,000 | -420,000 |
Jonathan Duhamel | 295,000 | -369,000 |
Sean Dempsey | 290,000 | 30,000 |
Oleksii Kovalchuk | 290,000 | 20,000 |
Morten Stenheim | 255,000 | -70,000 |
Numit Agrawal | 205,000 | -70,000 |
Tony Cousineau | 165,000 | 34,000 |
Michael Schwartz | 138,000 | -66,000 |
Rory Rees Brennan | 135,000 | -120,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:15 PM Local Time
Break
The players are now on their first 20-minute break of the day. We will have full counts shortly.
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:12 PM Local Time
Mesbah Guerfi Eliminated in 23rd Place ($26,124)
Daniel Alaei raised to 27,000 on the button, Mesbah Guerfi three-bet the pot (93,000) out of the small blind, leaving just 90,000 or so behind, and Alaei called. The flop fell , Guerfi immediately went all in, and Alaei called.
Guerfi:
Alaei:
Alaei's bottom two pair was ahead, and he improved to a full house when the turned, leaving Guerfi drawing dead. The completed the board, and Alaei now sits with 1.95 million chips.
Daniel Alaei | 1,950,000 | 0 |
Mesbah Guerfi | 0 | -327,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 4:09 PM Local Time
Nadar Kakhmazov Eliminated in 24th Place ($26,124)
James Wiese raised in middle position, Nadar Kakhmazov three-bet the pot (96,000) near the button, and the action folded back to Wiese. He re-potted, Kakhmazov moved all in for 430,000 or so, and Wiese called.
Wiese:
Kakhmazov:
The flop fell , giving Wiese a flush draw to go along with his pocket aces, and Wiese's hand held up as the turn and river came , respectively. Kakhmazov hit the rail in 24th place, earning $26,124, while Wiese is back up to 1.27 million chips.
James Wiese | 1,270,000 | 610,000 |
Nadar Kakhmazov | 0 | -710,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 3:55 PM Local Time
King, Kovalchuk Chop It Up
Lasell King raised to 25,000 from middle position and Oleksii Kovalchuk called from the big blind. The flop came , Kovalchuk checked, King continued with a bet, and Kovalchuk called.
The pot was about 115,000 at that point, and when the fell on the turn Kovalchuk promptly made a pot-sized bet. King sat in contemplation for about a minute, then said he was raising all in and Kovalchuk quickly called with just about all of his stack.
Kovalchuk had and King . The fell on the river, giving both players the same straight and they split the pot.
Oleksii Kovalchuk | 270,000 | -135,000 |
Lasell King | 255,000 | -45,000 |
Sunday, July 7, 2013 3:42 PM Local Time
Eyes On Alaei
"Excuse me... is that Daniel Alaei?"
So asked a railbird of us just now. There's a large crowd gathered — mainly thanks to the Main Event — but many have found themselves intrigued by the last three tables of Event #61 also playing out here in the Amazon ballroom.
Alaei's huge stack of chips likely has caught the eye of many railbirds, too, as its bigger than anyone else's in Event #61 or the Main Event. Alaei recently catapulted up over the 1 million-chip mark, and in fact was sitting with more than 1.5 million for a short while before giving a few chips back to his table here at the start of Level 20.
Alaei earned a big boost at the expense of James Wiese, who had been up over 1 million but now sits with about 650,000. The three-time bracelet winner is looking to earn a second title in this same tournament, as he won the $10K PLO event back in 2010.
Daniel Alaei | 1,280,000 | -370,000 |
James Wiese | 660,000 | -400,000 |