Saturday, March 23, 2019 12:53 AM Local Time
James Burns - Hard Rock Tulsa Main Event Day 1A Chip Leader
The Hard Rock Tulsa $1,700 Main Event kicked off on Friday, March 22 and Day 1A saw a total of 166 entrants out in the trenches. It was a long grind with players playing fifteen 40-minute levels, and one extra 1-hour level. At the end of the first day of play, only 27 players were left standing. Leading the way was James Burns who won a massive pot after the dinner break to breach 300,000 when he flopped second set against an opponent's bottom set. Burns held on and from there it was only upward trending. He finished the day with 406,500 chips, good enough for the chip lead.
Plenty of other notables rose to the occasion and made it through the first day of play as well. Among those that bagged heading into Day 2 were Trung Pham (109,500), Robert Hankins (101,500), Ray Henson (175,500), Maurice Hawkins (384,500), Brett Apter (335,000), Michael Sanders (119,500), Phil Mader (88,500), and former champion of this event, Will Berry. Berry had a late start in this event as he ran deep in Event #9: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha where he finished 4th for $4,241. Near the end of the night, Berry notched a crucial double here in the Main when he got it in with ace-king against the ace-queen of Chuck Barker. Berry held and would finish the night with a healthy stack of 244,000 chips, putting him in a prime position to go back for another shot at the title.
Among those who didn't make it through the day were like the likes of Ryan Phan, Dejuante Alexander, David "ODB" Baker, Dan Lowery, Cory Smith, Chris Conrad, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Mike Cordell, Michael Wang, and Kao Saechao just to name a few. Moneymaker fell in a brutal fashion when he flopped top pair and the nut flush draw against two other players who both flopped flushes. Moneymaker failed to improve and he would be sent out the door before the dinner break.
The survivors from this flight will return on Sunday, March 24th at 12 p.m. where they will combine with the survivors from Flight 1B. Players will play down to a final table or through level 27, whichever comes first. On Saturday, March 23rd, Flight 1B will get started at 11 a.m. which will bring out both new players and some returning, each of whom will have two more chances to enter the event.
WSOP.com will provide live updates from this event throughout its entirety, so be sure to stay tuned so you don't miss a thing.
Saturday, March 23, 2019 12:32 AM Local Time
The players are playing three more hands before they bag for Day 2.
Saturday, March 23, 2019 12:32 AM Local Time
The board reads and Trung Pham gets all in against Matt Lawrence.
Lawrence has for a straight to the six against the of Pham, for two pair.
The river is the and seals the victory and the double up for Lawrence.
Matt Lawrence - 350,000
Trung Pham - 120,000
Saturday, March 23, 2019 12:08 AM Local Time
Will Berry
Will Berry is facing what appears to be a three-bet from Chuck Barker who is on the button to 28,000. Berry takes his time before moving all in for 99,500 and Barker drops into the tank. After a few moments to think it over, Barker calls, putting Berry at risk with a covering stack
Will Berry:
Chuck Barker:
The board runs out and Berry fades to stay alive, allowing him to double to over 200,000 while Barker was left with just 18,000 after the hand.
Will Berry - 220,000
Chuck Barker - 18,000
Saturday, March 23, 2019 12:04 AM Local Time
Dan Lowery
"All you gotta do is W-W-L-D. What would Lowery do," Orlando Romero says.
"Lowery would win that hand one-hundred percent of the time," Robert Hankins replies.
About three minutes earlier...
James Burns opens to 9,000 from middle position and Trey Brabham calls in position.
The flop comes and Burns bets 10,000. Brabham calls.
The turn is the and Burns bets again, this time making it 22,000.
The river is the and Burns checks. Brabham reluctantly checks behind.
Burns shows and Brabham flips over
"The way he flipped that over I bet you're happy with a chop," Hankins says.
"I'm such a puss man," Burns says.
"I'm a puss," Brabham says.
Burns says that he should have bet 35,000.
"All you gotta do is W-W-L-D, what would Lowery do."
"Lowery would win that hand one-hundred percent of the time."
Dan Lowery is quietly sitting in the one seat, still wearing his Texas A&M onesie.
James Burns - 380,000
Trey Brabham - 240,000
Saturday, March 23, 2019 12:01 AM Local Time
Action is heads up between Matt Lawrence and Walter Rodriguez on the turn with the board reading . With about 25,000 in the pot, Lawrence checks over to Rodriguez who bets 8,000. Lawrence thinks for a bit before check raising and making it 25,000. Rodriguez calls to see the river.
On the river, Lawrence moves all in for 28,500. Rodriguez thinks it over and gets a count before calling in the end. Lawrence turns up his for a straight and it's good to take down the pot as Rodriguez mucks.
Matt Lawrence - 132,000
Walter Rodriguez - 47,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 11:37 PM Local Time
Level: 16
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 500
Friday, March 22, 2019 11:22 PM Local Time
The players are on a 15-minute break. They will return and play one last one-hour level before bagging for Day 2.
Friday, March 22, 2019 11:22 PM Local Time
Albert Quintana raises from middle position to 11,000 preflop and Robert Hankins and Jeremy Joseph both call.
Joseph is in the big blind and checks the flop. Quintana bets 10,000 and Hankins folds before Joseph raises to 100,000 putting Quintana at risk should he call.
Quintana flips up his cards to take one last look before tossing them in the muck.
Jeremy Joseph - 177,000
Albert Quintana - 48,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 11:11 PM Local Time
The flop is and Gary Friedlander is first to act against Maurice Hawkins who is on the button. Friedlander puts out a bet of 9,000 which Hawkins calls.
The turn is the and Friedlander bets again, making it 16,000. Hawkins smooth calls once more.
On the river, Friedlander makes a third bet, putting out 32,000. Hawkins ask for a count, takes a look at Friedlander's stack then raises, making it 70,900. Friedlander then moves all in for 102,100 and Hawkins calls the difference, showing his . It's no good though as Friedlander turns up his for a rivered full house.
"That's suicidal," Hawkins says after the hand. "You should never show up with nines there after you bet the turn."
"I got lucky," Friedlander says. "I wasn't going to bet the river."
Gary Friedlander - 252,000
Maurice Hawkins - 101,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 11:07 PM Local Time
Shaun Flewellen limps from middle position and Noah Nodine calls from the small blind before Will Berry checks his option.
The flop is and Nodine and Berry both check. Flewellen bets 6,500 and Nodine raises to 16,000. Flewellen moves all in for about 46,000. Nodine calls showing and Flewellen gets up from his seat as he tables .
The turn is the and the river is the , giving Flewellen the best hand with a better two pair on the river.
Shaun Flewellen - 102,000
Noah Nodine - 190,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 11:05 PM Local Time
Cory Smith recounted his bustout hand to us where he was eliminated by Maurice Hawkins. According to Smith, there was an open to 9,000 and a call before Smith moved all in from the big blind for 54,000. One player moved all in over the top for about 60,000 before Hawkins called to put both players at risk.
Cory Smith:
Opponent:
Maurice Hawkins:
The board would run out and Hawkins scored a pair of queens on the river to eliminate both Smith and the other player in the same hand, pushing him over 200,000.
Maurice Hawkins - 240,000
Cory Smith - Eliminated
Friday, March 22, 2019 10:39 PM Local Time
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 500
Friday, March 22, 2019 10:26 PM Local Time
James Burns and Dan Lowery are heads up with the board reading and Lowery bets 11,000. Burns calls.
The turn is the and Lowery bets again, this time making it 23,000. Burns calls again.
The river is the and both players check.
"No spades," says Burns and then he turns over .
Lowery mucks.
James Burns - 415,000
Dan Lowery - 180,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 10:23 PM Local Time
All the money gets in on a flop of between Dejuante Alexander and Trung Pham. Pham has the covering stack and puts Alexander at risk.
Trung Pham:
Dejuante Alexander:
The board completes with the and the and Alexander, with the shorter stack, hits the rail.
Trung Pham - 237,000
Dejuante Alexander - Eliminated
Friday, March 22, 2019 10:21 PM Local Time
David "ODB" Baker opens under the gun to 4,800 and gets two callers before Walter Rodriguez raises to 21,000 from the small blind.
"What would Lowery do?" Baker says as he contemplates his next move, "I know what Lowery would do."
Baker folds and the remaining players fold behind before Rodriguez shows .
"I had a pair just a little bit below that," Baker says.
Walter Rodriguez - 182,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 10:00 PM Local Time
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Friday, March 22, 2019 9:57 PM Local Time
The board reads and Cory Smith opens to 8,300 and Trung Pham calls in position before another player shoves all in. Smith folds and Pham calls the 45,000 or so.
Pham tables and is against .
The turn is the and the river is the and Pham wins the hand, topping 200,000 chips.
Trung Pham - 201,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 9:40 PM Local Time
Robert Hankins opens from middle position with a raise to 5,500 and the player on the button calls. Brett Apter also calls in the big blind.
On the flop of , Apter checks to Hankins who bets 5,500 again. The player on the button then moves all in for right around 30,000. Apter folds, but Hankins quickly calls.
Robert Hankins:
Opponent:
The board completes with the and and Hankins takes down the pot with his aces and better kicker, moving him over the 100,000-chip mark.
Robert Hankins - 135,000
Friday, March 22, 2019 9:20 PM Local Time
Level: 13
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300