Tuesday, July 2, 2013 9:17 PM Local Time
Congratulations to Dana Castaneda, Winner of Event #54: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($454,207)
It was a short day for the remaining players in Event #54. Players dropped off the map quick in the early levels after a few moments of stagnant action at the start of the day. At the end of it all, Dana Castaneda was crowned the champion, becoming the first female open event winner other than Vanessa Selbst since 2007. According to Castaneda, the only reason she even played the event was because of her 94th place finish and cash in Event #51: $10,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship.
Action began the day with 14 players left, and very quickly there were only nine left. First to fall was Orjan Skommo who shoved his into Joseph Wertz's . Skommo didn't catch up and he was the first casualty of the day. Next to go was Thomas Hall who started near the top of the chip counts. Hall lost several races in a row and ended up getting his money all in against Michael Zucchet. Hall flopped a set but a runner-runner straight sent him packing in thirteenth place. Next to go were Rupesh Pattni and Molissa Farber who both began the day short stacked. That brought players to the unofficial ten handed final table.
It was Nicco Maag who fell just short of the final table when his couldn't outrun pocket fours. This brought the players to the final table where the first to fall was Kenneth Gregersen. Gregersen got his money all in for a race with Barry Hutter. Hutter hit the river hard to send Gregsen home with ninth place pay. Then, in a stunning turn of events Jason Bigelow eliminated both Joseph Wertz and Jacob Bazeley. Bigelow woke up with aces over a shove, and a reshove and they held through the runout to take him into the chip lead while scoring a double knockout.
Going out in sixth was Barry Hutter, who began the day, and the final table as the chip leader. Hutter had lost a lot of traction and doubled up several players including Dana Castaneda, the eventual winner. In his final hand, Castaneda made a tough call against Hutter with a pair of threes on a board. Hutter held for an airball and Castaneda notched the knock out. She also picked up the chip lead which she would never relinquish. Philippe Clerc was eliminated in fifth place when he moved in with a straight draw against Michael Zucchet's aces. Clerc didn't catch up and that was the end of his tournament.
The final four players were very close to evenly stacked when four handed play began, but one by one they dropped until only one was left. First to go was Michael Zucchet who shoved all in with a semibluff, and couldn't catch up to Castaneda's made hand. Going home in third was Matthias Bednarek. Bednarek got it all in preflop with but it was no match for Castaneda's . Castaneda flopped a and it was off to heads-up play.
Jason Bigelow looked as if he might turn the tide of the match in his favor after stringing together several pots in a row, but in the end, he got his money in with a flush draw against Castaneda's two pair. The flush never came and Bigelow was eliminated. Castaneda was able to lock up the victory and the bracelet with that hand. We are sure to see Castaneda again soon as she informed PokerNews.com reporters yesterday that she would be using her winnings to play in Event #62: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event.
That does it for us at PokerNews.com. Thanks for staying with us through it all and make sure you stay tuned for updates through the rest of the 2013 World Series of Poker.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:55 PM Local Time
Jason Bigelow Eliminated in 2nd Place ($281,991)
Hand 115: Jason Bigelow limped from the small blind, and Dana Castaneda checked her option. Castaneda bet 125,000 on the flop. Bigelow raised all in, and Castaneda called.
Castaneda:
Bigelow:
Castaneda was ahead with her two pair, sevens and fives, but Bigelow had a flush draw. The on the turn helped neither player, and the river card improved Castaneda to a better two pair. Bigelow missed his flush, and Castaneda won the pot.
Bigelow was eliminated from the tournament in second place, earning $281,991, leaving Dana Castaneda as the sole survivor in the event.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:53 PM Local Time
Trading Small Pots
Hand 113: Jason Bigelow raised to 150,000 and won the blinds and antes.
Hand 114: Dana Castaneda limped from the small blind and Jason Bigelow checked his option. The flop came . Bigelow bet 75,000 and Castaneda called. The dealer then turned the , and both players checked. The completed the board on the river, and Bigelow bet 150,000. Castaneda called, and Bigelow showed for a missed straight draw. Castaneda turned over and won the pot with her pair of tens.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:44 PM Local Time
Both Players Limping The Button
Hand #107: Bigelow limped on the button and Castaneda checked. On the flop both players checked to the turn. There, Castaneda checked to Bigelow who bet 100,000. Castaneda called. The river was the and both players checked again. Castaneda showed for a full house and it was good enough to take down the pot.
Hand #108: Castaneda limped on the button and Bigelow checked. Both players checked until the board read and Castaneda was able to take down the pot with for jack high.
Hand #109: Bigelow raised to 120,000 and he met an all in reraise from Castaneda. Bigelow folded and Castaneda showed while taking down the pot.
Hand #110: Castaneda raised to 130,000 on the button. Bigelow called. The flop came down and Bigelow checked to Cataneda who fired out 150,000. Bigelow reraised all in and Castaneda folded.
Hand #111: From the button Bigelow raised to 130,000 and he took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #112: From the button, Castaneda limped. Bigelow checked his option. The flop came down and Bigelow checked to Castaneda who put out a bet of 90,000. Bigelow folded.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:36 PM Local Time
Bigelow Wins Five in a Row
Hand 101: Jason Bigelow raised and won the pot.
Hand 102: Jason Bigelow got a walk in the big blind.
Hand 103: Jason Bigelow open shoved from the button, and Dana Castaneda folded.
Hand 104: Jason Bigelow got another walk in the big blind.
Hand 105: Jason Bigelow limped from the small blind, and Castaneda checked her option. Both players checked the flop. Castaneda checked again on the turn, Bigelow bet 75,000, and Castaneda folded.
Hand 106: Dana Castaneda raised to 130,000, and Bigelow folded.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:29 PM Local Time
Heads-Up Action
Hand #96: Castaneda folded her small blind and Bigelow picked up the pot.
Hand #97: Bigelow limped on the button and Castaneda checked her option. On the flop, Castaneda checked to Bigelow who bet 100,000. Castaneda called. The turn was the and Castenada checked. Bigelow moved all in and Castaneda rechecked her cards before sending them to the muck
Hand #98: Castenda folded her second small blind in a row. Bigelow showed his from the big blind and scooped the pot.
Hand #99: From the button Bigelow raised to 125,000. Castaneda called. On the flop Castaneda checked to Bigelow who bet out 150,000. Castaneda called quickly after checking her cards. The turn was the and Castaneda checked to Bigelow again who checked behind. On the river, Castaneda led with a bet of 300,000. Bigelow folded and Castaneda took the pot.
Hand #100: Castenada opened from 175,000 from the button and took down the blinds and antes.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:18 PM Local Time
Approximate Heads Up Chip Counts:
| Dana Castaneda | 7,200,000 | 2,600,000  |
| Jason Bigelow | 1,450,000 | 150,000 |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:18 PM Local Time
Matthias Bednarek Eliminated in Third Place ($198,883)
Hand #92: Jason Bigelow raised to 100,000 under the gun, and Dana Castaneda called from the big blind. The flop came . Castaneda checked, and Bigelow bet out. Castaneda folded, and Bigelow took the pot.
Hand #93: Matthias Bednarek raised to 100,000, and both other players called. The flop came . Castaneda checked, and Jason Bigelow bet 150,000. Bednarek called, and Castaneda raised all in. Bigelow and Bednarek both folded, and Castaneda won the hand. She showed the as the dealer was pushing her the pot.
Hand #94: Dana Castaneda limped from the button, Bigelow folded from the small blind, and Matthias Bednarek raised all in from the big blind. Castaneda folded, and Bednarek took the pot.
Hand #95: Mattias Bednarek limped from the small blind, and Dana Castaneda raised to 200,0000 from the big blind. Bednarek then raised all in, and Castaneda called.
Castaneda:
Bednarek:
Castaneda was in a dominating position, which got even better when the flop came . The on the turn sealed Bednarek's fate, and the river was as meaningless .
Bednarek was eliminated in third place, earning a $198,883 payday.
| Matthias Bednarek | 0 | -2,800,000  |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:08 PM Local Time
"No way"
Hand #87: Matthias Bednarek raised to 100,000 from the button and he got one call from Dana Castaneda in the small blind. The flop came down and both players checked. On the turn, both players checkced again. The river came down the and Castaneda pout out a bet of 175,000 which drew a call from Bednarek. Castaneda showed for a pair of fives with deuces on the board and it was good enough to take down the pot.
Hand #88: Castaneda opened to 125,000 from the button. From the big blind, Matthias Bednarek reraised all in. Castaneda announced "No way," and mucked her hand.
Hand #89: After a limp from Bednarek from the small blind, Castaneda shoved from the big blind and took down the blinds and antes when Bednarek folded.
Hand #90: Castaneda raised to 100,000 from the small blind. From the big blind, Bigelow moved all in and took down the blinds and antes when Castaneda folded.
Hand #91: From the small blind, Bigelow called. Matthias Bednarek checked. On the flop, Bigelow led for 75,000. Bednarek folded and Bigelow took the pot.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 8:02 PM Local Time
Revenge for Bigelow
Hand #84: Matthias Bednarek raised to 100,000, and Jason Bigelow called from the big blind. The flop came . Bigelow checked, and Bednarek continued for 175,000. Bigelow announed, "all-in," and Bednarek called. The players turned up their cards:
Bednarek:
Bigelow:
The situation from the previous hand was inverted, with Bednarek now holding the overpair and Bigelow holding the open-ended straight draw. The turn was the , completing Bigelow's straight and giving him a measure of revenge from the last hand. The meaningless river was the , and Bednarek doubled up.
Hand #85: Dana Castaneda raised to 130,000 from under the gun, and no one called.
Hand #86: Jason Bigelow raised to 125,000 from under the gun. Dana Castaneda called from the big blind. The flop came . Castaneda checked, and Bigelow bet 150,000, Castaneda called, and the dealer turned the . Castaneda checked again, and Bigelow checked behind. The river was the . Castaneda moved all in, and Bigelow folded.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:58 PM Local Time
Bednarek Gets Lucky and Doubles Again
Hand #82: From the button, Castaneda opened with a raise and she was able to take down the pot with that raise when both blinds folded.
Hand #83: From the button Bigelow opened to 125,000. Bednarek moved all in from the small blind. When action was back on Bigelow, he snap called for Bednarek's entire 1,315,000 chip stack.
Bednarek:
Bigelow:
The flop came down giving Bednarek an open-ended straight draw. It was a draw he would hit when the dropped on the turn. The river was just salt in Bigelow's wound when the dropped, giving him a useless set. With that Bednarek doubled with a straight and made Bigelow the shortest stack.
| Matthias Bednarek | 2,800,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Jason Bigelow | 1,300,000 | -1,500,000 |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:51 PM Local Time
Bigelow Getting Involved
Hand #77: Jason Bigelow raised to 100,00 under the gun and Dana Castaneda called. The flop was the . Castaneda checked, and Bigelow continued for 125,000. Castaneda folded, and Bigelow won the pot.
Hand #78: Matthias Bednarak raised to 100,000 from the button. Dana Castaneda called from the small blind, and Jason Bigelow three-bet to 475,000 from the big blind. Both other players folded, and Bigelow won the pot.
Hand #79: Jason Bigelow limped from the small blind, and Matthias Bednarek checked his option. The flop came , and both players checked. Bigelow bet 50,000 when the fell on the turn, and Bednarek folded.
Hand #80: Mattias Bednarek raised to 125,000 from the small blind, and Dana Castaneda called from the big blind. The flop was . Bednarek bet 150,000, and Castaneda quickly raised to 400,000. Bednarek folded, and Castaneda took the pot.
Hand #81: Jason Bigelow got a walk in his big blind.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:45 PM Local Time
Michael Zucchet Eliminated in 4th Place ($143,642)
Hand #76: Under the gun, Dana Castaneda raised to 150,000. From the small blind, Michael Zucchet reraised to 375,000. Castaneda just flat called the bet when action folded back to her. On the flop, Zucchet led for 365,000. Castaneda called. The turn came the . Zucchet moved all in and Castaneda called.
Castaneda:
Zucchet:
Castaneda was ahead, but Zucchet could still pick up the pot with any nine or four to complete his straight. The river fell the giving Zucchet a pair, but not a good enough pair to notch him the double up. With that Zucchet was eliminated from the tournament in fourth place.
| Michael Zucchet | 0 | -2,000,000 |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:41 PM Local Time
Castaneda Getting Aggressive
Hand #71: Dana Castaneda raised to 125,000 and won the blinds and antes.
Hand #72: Jason Bigelow raised to 105,000 from the button, and Matthias Bednarek called from the big blind. The flop came . Bednarek checked, and Bigelow bet 150,000. Bednarek called, and the came on the turn. Both players checked, and the fell on the river. Both players checked again, and we saw a showdown.
Bednarek:
Bigelow:
Neither player held a club, and Bednarek won the pot with his pair of jacks and ten kicker.
Hand #73: Jason Bigelow raised to 100,000 under the gun, and all three other players called. The flop was , and all four players checked. The dealer turned the , and Matthias Bednarek led out for 160,000. Only Dana Castaneda called. The river was the , and Bednarek checked. Castaneda bet 360,000, and Bednarek folded, yielding the pot to Castaneda.
Hand #74: Dana Castaneda raised to 175,000 from the small blind and won the pot.
Hand #75: Matthias Bednarek raised to 125,000, and Jason Bigelow three-bet to 300,000. Everyone else folded, and Bigelow won the pot
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:29 PM Local Time
Pair of Threes Good For Bednarek
Hand #66: Matthias Bednarek raised to 100,000 from the button and received calls from Dana Castaneda in the small blind and Jason Bigelow in the big blind.
The flop came down . Castaneda and Bigelow checked to Bednarek who fired 110,000. Castaneda folded, but Bigelow called and the two men saw the on the turn. On that turn both players checked. The river was the . Both players checked again. Bednarek showed his and his two pair was good to take down the pot.
Hand #67: Bednarek raised to 100,000 from under the gun and that was good enough to take down the blinds and antes.
Hand #68: Jason Bigelow raised to 100,000 from the button and he was able to take down the blinds and the antes with that raise.
Hand #69: From the small blind Bednarek raised to 100,000. Castaneda called. On the flop Bednarek led out for 120,000. Castaneda reraised to 365,000 and that was good enough to get Bednarek to fold.
Hand #70: From under the gun Michael Zucchet raised to 100,000 and he was able to win the antes and blinds without a contest.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:28 PM Local Time
Level 27 started
Level: 27
Blinds: 25000/50000
Ante: 5000
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:27 PM Local Time
Bednarek Doubles Through Castaneda
Hand #65: Matthias Bednarek limped from the small blind, and Dana Castaneda raised to 80,000 from the big blind. Bednarek called, and the flop came . Bednarek checked, Castaneda bet 65,000, and Bednarek check-raised to 165,000. Castaneda then re-raised all in. Bednarek thought for a few moments before calling:
Castaneda:
Bednarek:
Castaneda was ahead with her pocket aces, but Bednarek gained a lot of outs when the fell on the turn. Any seven, eight, nine, or diamond would win the pot for him. The river was the , giving Bednarek trips and the pot. He doubled up to 840,000 on the hand.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:22 PM Local Time
Plenty of Extras Being Given Away At This Year's WSOP
The buzz inside the walls of the Rio extends beyond just the tournaments on the 2013 World Series of Poker schedule. Online poker in Nevada is a very, very hot topic right now, and WSOP.com is making a lot of noise.
While the site has yet to launch, you can head to the Lambada Room of the Rio or look for one of the beautiful and friendly WSOP.com ladies walking the hallways to sign up for a free, personal WSOP.com online poker account. This is a great way to get a jump on the site's registration, and plenty of people have already taken this opportunity.
What's more is that the WSOP will be hosting daily raffles for everyone that has taken the time to register for WSOP.com at the Rio. What can you win? Plenty of fantastic prizes including 36 WSOP seats!
Players 21 years of age and older who sign up for a WSOP.com account will automatically be entered into the "36-Seat Giveaway" where a randomly-selected winner will win a seat into the next day's first WSOP gold bracelet event. One of the events eligible in this promotion is the $111,111 One Drop High Roller No-Limit Hold'em tournament that is expected to feature a $10,000,000 prize pool and allow you to play poker with the biggest names in the game. In total, $182,333 in WSOP seats, including a seat to the WSOP Main Event, are being given away during this one-of-a-kind WSOP.com promotion.
In addition to the 36-Seat Giveaway, a "Hot Seat" promotion will allow any player who signs up for a WSOP.com online account and wears their WSOP.com patch on their chest at the table while playing an event to be randomly selected to receive 500 bonus dollars deposited directly into their WSOP.com online account once the site has received all regulatory approvals and launches.
With 62 WSOP gold bracelet events and three winners promised for the Main Event, this promotion includes $32,000 worth of value to those participating.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:16 PM Local Time
Four-Handed Play and Updated Chip Counts
Hand #60: Jason Bigelow took down the pot with a raise to 100,000.
Hand #61: Matthias Bednarek took down the pot with a raise from the small blind.
Hand #62: Under the gun, Michael Zucchet raised to 100,000. From the small blind, Dana Castaneda reraised to 260,000 when action was folded to her. Bigelow folded his big blind, and Zucchet folded as well, giving up his raise and the blinds tand antes to Castaneda.
Hand #63: Bednarek opened with a raise to 80,000 from under the gun. Zucchet was the only caller from the big blind. On the flop, Zucchet led with a bet of 75,000. Bednarek thought briefly before folding his hand.
Hand #64: Matthias Bednarek received a walk in the big blind.
| Dana Castaneda | 3,100,000 | -900,000 |
| Jason Bigelow | 2,300,000 | 100,000 |
| Michael Zucchet | 2,000,000 | 750,000 |
| Matthias Bednarek | 900,000 | 405,000 |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 7:13 PM Local Time
Philippe Clerc Eliminated in 5th Place ($105,007)
Hand #59: Philippe Clerc Raised to 80,000, and Michael Zucchet called from the big blind. The players saw the flop heads up, and the dealer spread . Zucchet checked, and Clerc bet 100,000. Zucchet called, and the dealer turned the . Zucchet checked again, and Clerc bet again, this time for 180,000. Zucchet announced an all-in raise for 1,025,000. Clerc would be at risk if he called, and he went into the tank. After a couple minutes, he called, and the players turned up their cards:
Clerc
Zucchet:
Clerc had a pair of jacks and an open-ended straight draw, while Zucchet had an overpair. The river was the , a complete brick. Zucchet won the pot, knocking Clerc out of the tournament. He earns $105,007 for his fifth place finish.
| Philippe Clerc | 0 | -1,280,000 |