Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:28 PM Local Time
With an all-in pending on another table during hand-for-hand play, an interesting three-way hand developed on another table following a flop.
There was about 30,000 in the middle, and Shaun Suller — who just happened to have bubbled an earlier $365 NLHE event here earlier this week — open-pushed his last 81,500. Paul Snead thought at length about what to do, then finally folded, and the third player folded as well.
Suller then showed his hand — — and the third player showed that he also had . Snead smiled and laughed aloud as he confirmed he'd folded !
"You're welcome!" Snead said to Suller with a grin, as it sounds like from the noise coming from the other table that Suller has managed to avoid bubbling this one.
Shaun Suller | 125,000 | 47,200 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:27 PM Local Time
A disappointed Stephen Hesse was just eliminated from the tournament in 65th place, just two spots shy of the money.
It happened with a board reading and about 70,000 in the pot. Hesse got his stack of 70,000 or so in with the , but it was no good as Chris Renaudette had flopped a set with the . The river was no good for Hesse, and his elimination brought about the money bubble.
Chris Renaudette | 240,000 | |
Stephen Hesse | 0 | -102,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:19 PM Local Time
Chris Vogel had been battling with a short stack for most of the day, but just now found himself having to commit the last of his chips in a blind-vs.-blind situation versus Matt Sedgeman in which Vogel had but against his opponent's .
The board came , and they're now down to just 65 players — two from the cash.
Matt Sedgeman | 165,000 | -30,000 |
Chris Vogel | 0 | -27,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:12 PM Local Time
A short-stacked player moved all in from middle position for just 12,000 and Stephen Hesse called from the small blind. Local legend Pete Campo then opted for a three-bet to 28,000 from the big and Hesse got out of the way.
Campo:
Opponent:
The short-stacked player seemed optimistic with his live cards, but his hope diminished street by street as the board ran out . Ship the small pot to Campo.
Pete Campo | 200,000 | 105,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:06 PM Local Time
With about a half-hour left in Level 19 at the end of which the dinner break is scheduled, we just saw two eliminations in quick succession to reduce the field from 70 to 68.
On one table it was Ylon Schwartz calling his short-stacked neighbor's push in a blinds battle, with Schwartz holding and his opponent . The board came , and Schwartz's pair of sixes were best.
Meanwhile Alex Ortiz called an opponent's all-in for about 40,000 holding and saw his opponent turn over . The flop came to hit Ortiz, and after the turn and river another player had fallen.
"Crushing souls, one three-outer at a time," joked a player across the table from Ortiz.
Only the top 63 will cash.
Alex Ortiz | 424,000 | 99,000 |
Ylon Schwartz | 310,000 | 110,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 6:01 PM Local Time
Here's a look at the remaining schedule for the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit:
Date | Event Location |
April 4-15, 2012 | Harrah's Cherokee (North Carolina) |
April 11-April 22, 2013 | Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Iowa) |
April 25 - May 6, 2013 | Harrah's Philadelphia |
May 9 - May 20, 2013 | Harrah's New Orleans |
May 22-24, 2013 | Harrah's New Orleans (National Championship) |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:52 PM Local Time
The pace of eliminations has slowed and the number of tense moments have increased as the tournament inches toward the money. Just now came a somewhat dramatic hand without a showdown between Paul Snead and Kevin Saul, with Snead showing a willingness to put all of his chips at risk despite having an above-average stack.
The hand began with Snead opening for 13,000 from middle position, then the action moving to Saul who leaned over to ask what Snead had behind. "About 250," said Snead, foreshadowing, in a way, the fact that all of those chips would be ultimately pushed forward before the hand concluded.
Saul reraised to 28,500, and it folded back around to Snead who called. The flop came and Snead checked. Saul bet 25,500, then Snead check-raised to 64,500 total. Saul paused several beats, then called.
The turn then brought the and a fairly quick declaration from Snead that he was all in. Saul sat in thought, sipping from his soda and thinking over the situation for a full minute.
Finally Saul let his hand go, and with that pot Snead jumps over Saul in the chip counts.
Paul Snead | 372,000 | 172,000 |
Kevin Saul | 276,000 | 16,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:48 PM Local Time
Throughout the day Buck Ramsay and Mike Massri have butted heads on the feature table. The former is seated to the latter's direct right, and on more than a few occasions the two have sparred over small pots. It seemed inevitable that a big hand would develop at some point, and that's exactly what happened.
It began when action folded around to Ramsay in the small blind and he opened for 12,500. Massri pushed back to the tune of 44,000 from the big, Ramsay moved all in, and Massri called off for 201,500 total.
Massri:
Ramsay:
It was a cooler for Ramsay, who had up until that point been running very well on Day 2. The atmosphere was tense and eerily quiet as the dealer ran out the board. Massri's kings held and he immediately walked away from the table, jumped on his cell, and told the good news to whoever was on the other end. In the meantime, Ramsay also walked away from the table so as not to see half his stack shipped to his left by the dealer.
Mike Massri | 410,000 | 359,200 |
Buck Ramsay | 200,000 | -150,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:37 PM Local Time
Albert Smith was just all in and at risk for his last 55,000 or so with versus his opponent's .
The flop and turn left Smith looking for one of two jacks to save him, and the river obliged, bringing the to give him the double-up.
Smith is exhaling now, especially given the fact that they're only eight spots away from the cash at the moment. There are 71 players left.
Albert Smith | 118,000 | 56,900 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:36 PM Local Time
Ben Reason opened for 8,500 under the gun only to have Chris Schonbach three-bet all in for 55,000 from the cutoff. The button and both blinds folded, and Reason made the call.
Reason:
Schonbach:
Schonbach got it in as a huge favorite, and he happened to flop gin as the gave him Broadway. The turn guaranteed him the double, and he was pushed the pot after the completed the board on the river.
Ben Reason | 447,000 | -38,000 |
Chris Schonbach | 115,000 | 28,900 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:27 PM Local Time
We saw Tom Cope making a hasty exit from the tournament floor and a quick check at Table 6 confirmed that he had been eliminated by Paul Snead.
We didn't see the hand, but Snead explained what happened. Apparently Snead opened to 12,000 from early position and then called when Tom Cope three-bet to 25,000 from the small blind. Cope proceeded to shove all in on the flop with , and Snead snap-called with . Cope was drawing dead to running straight cards, which didn't materialize.
In other news from Table 6, Brandon Mandy was eliminated in 77th place. If you recall, Mandy began the day as the second-shortest stack with 12,300. He managed to work that all the way up to 140,000, but alas his comeback would fall short.
Brandon Mandy | 0 | -75,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:20 PM Local Time
They're down to less than 80 players now, gathered around nine tables, with many starting to take note of the money bubble lingering in the not-too-distant future. The top 63 finishers make the cash.
Just now the field was reduced by one more after Bobby Corcione used to knock out an opponent holding . The board came , and Corcione's jacks and treys earned him the pot and a knockout.
Bobby Corcione | 116,000 | 44,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:10 PM Local Time
Brian Phelon | 500,000 | 392,900 |
Jonathan Gray | 470,000 | -45,000 |
Luke Vrabel | 300,000 | 80,000 |
Pete Campos | 230,000 | 194,500 |
Ylon Schwartz | 200,000 | 5,000 |
Stephen Hesse | 102,000 | -98,000 |
Tim Reilly | 85,000 | 85,000 |
Jonathan Sorscher | 0 | -75,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:04 PM Local Time
Ylon Schwartz just earned a hefty boost to his stack while knocking out an opponent.
Following a cutoff raise to 11,000, Schwartz made it 25,000 to go from the button and both blinds quickly stepped aside. The original raiser then declared he was all in, and Schwartz called without hesitation.
The player in the cutoff showed , but Schwartz had picked up . The community cards came , then , then , and Schwartz pushed his stack up close to the 200,000-chip mark.
Ylon Schwartz | 195,000 | 140,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 5:01 PM Local Time
Two-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner Nancy Birnbaum has been a welcome presence here in the Foxwoods Main Event, but her chance at a third ring just came to an end courtesy of Milton Thomas.
It happened at the feature table on a flop. We're not sure of the action, but we do know Birnbaum got her stack all in with and was up against the of Thomas. Neither the turn nor river was what Birnbaum needed, and she collected her Blue Shark Optics eyewear, wished the remaining players luck, and made her exit from the tournament.
Milton Thomas | 195,000 | 141,800 |
Nancy Birnbaum | 0 | -67,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:56 PM Local Time
"He's going to get a tattoo of a roller coaster on his arm to signify his chip stack," Aaron Massey said of his friend Kurt Jewell earlier in the day. Well, that roller coaster has crashed.
It happened after Jewell picked up and ran it straight into the of Buck Ramsay. A preflop raising war saw all the chips get in, and Ramsay's kings held to give him a double to 315,000 while Jewell fell to 23,000.
Not long after, Ramsay min-raised from the button and then called when Jewell shoved from the big blind. Ramsay tabled the and was out in front of Jewell's . The board ran out and just like that Jewell's day was done.
We've also noticed that John Dibella is missing from the tournament. Since his former seat is now occupied by another player, it's safe to say he has been eliminated from the tournament.
Buck Ramsay | 350,000 | 225,000 |
Kurt Jewell | 0 | -165,000 |
John Dibella | 0 | 0 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:55 PM Local Time
Ben Reason just took a bit of a hit after losing a preflop all-in hand versus Matt Sedgeman, relinquishing his hold on first position in the process.
All in for 92,500 with , Sedgeman had the advantage over Reason's , and when the board came both players had made two pair but Sedgeman's was best.
Right after that hand, the table broke, thus moving Reason and Jonathan Gray apart from one another as Level 18 continues, with no major confrontations having happened between the two chip leaders during their time together.
Ben Reason | 485,000 | -45,000 |
Matt Sedgeman | 195,000 | 102,500 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:42 PM Local Time
Mike Newman limped under the gun and then called when Terry Grimes raised to 16,000. Newman then checked the flop and Grimes moved all in for roughly 50,000. Newman called with and was well out in front of Grimes' . Neither the turn nor river helped Grimes and he made the long walk out of the Foxwoods tournament area.
Mike Newman | 360,000 | |
Terry Grimes | 0 | -130,000 |
Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:26 PM Local Time
Players are now taking another 10-minute break. They'll return to play two more hour-long levels, after which the dinner bell will ring.
Sunday, April 7, 2013 4:25 PM Local Time
Ronnie Bardah's day is done as we near the end of Level 17. The WSOP bracelet holder battled gamely with a short stack for nearly four hours today, but finally met his end in a hand against Alex Ortiz.
That hand began with Bardah open-raising from middle position for 30,500, then Ortiz calling from a seat over. Bardah turned over , and when he saw Ortiz's he moved to gather his belongings.
The flop came . "Is that a nine?" asked Bardah, then he saw the jack as well and continued to move to leave. The turn was the and river the , and Bardah gave Ortiz a pat on the back as he left.
Alex Ortiz | 325,000 | 45,000 |
Ronnie Bardah | 0 | -45,000 |