Monday, June 23, 2014 1:46 AM Local Time
Matt Glantz Leads $50K Poker Players' Championship as Five Players Fall
On Sunday, the 2014 World Series of Poker continued with the start of the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, which has been one of the most prestigious events on the calendar for the past nine years. Day 1 attracted 85 runners, but registration is open for two hours on Day 2 so that number will surely increase.
The star-studded field played five 100-minute levels of play, and no one did better during that time than Matt Glantz, who has made the final table of this event twice in the past. Glantz bagged up more than any other player with a healthy 324,700.
During that time five players also hit the rail. The first to go was Vanessa Selbst, who fell to Glantz in Level 4 in a hand of no-limit hold'em. It happened when Glantz raised to 1,700 from the hijack and Selbst three-bet from the button to 4,800. The action folded back to Glantz who four-bet to 13,700 and Selbst tanked for a while before making the call.
The flop brought and Glantz bet 11,500, Selbst made the call. On the turn Glantz checked and Selbst moved all in for about 55,000 chips. Glantz immediately pushed a stack of chips forward and Selbst shook her head in frustration. Selbst showed against Glantz's and she was drawing dead headed to the river, which was the meaningless . No woman has even cashed in the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, and Selbst's exit left Melissa Burr as the last woman standing, so unless another lady enters on Day 2, she is the last hope of making it happen.
From there, 2013 WSOP Europe Main Event runner-up Sergii Baranov, who qualified for the tournament via a satellite, fell to Ismael Bojang in a hand of pot-limit Omaha, and then Dan Shak became the day's third elimination after falling to Ola "Odd_Oddsen" Amundsgard in the same game.
As for the final two eliminations, one would be Atlantic City cash-game player Michael Glick, who was crippled in a big PLO hand early on and then exited in one of the last hands of the night. The other was Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond, who also fell late in a stud hi-low hand to Paul Volpe.
Going back to Amundsgard, he was just one of a handful of online pros that opted to test their skills in the eight-game rotation. Others in the field included Chun Lei "samrostan" Zhou, Alexandre "Alexonmoon" Luneau, and Elior "Crazy Elior" Scion, all of who survived the night.
Others returning to action on Day 2 are two-time winner Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi; two-time finalists Andy Bloch, Bruno Fitoussi, and David Singer; and the defending champ Matthew Ashton (the first non-American to win the title). They will be joined by the likes of Dylan Linde (303,700), Richard Ashby (300,000), Shaun Deeb (282,600), Ismael Bojang (271,400), David Benyamine (246,300), Joe Hachem (208,500), Phil Hellmuth (116,800), Daniel Negreanu (108,500), and Phil Ivey (68,000).
The field is comprised of the best of the best, and the stacks are deep, so it's still anyone's game.
Day 2 is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. local time on Monday, and the plan is to play five more levels. Rumor has it that Gus Hansen an Doyle Brunson may make an appearance, so you'll have to check back then to see if that proves true. In the meantime, check out this interview with the legendary Phil Ivey for this year's $50,000 Poker Players' Championship.
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:43 AM Local Time
End-of-the-Day Chip Counts and Day 2 Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|
| 347 | 1 | Frank Kassela | 230,100 |
| 347 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 347 | 3 | Randy Ohel | 172,800 |
| 347 | 4 | Jason Mercier | 217,000 |
| 347 | 5 | --empty-- | -- |
| 347 | 6 | Ismael Bojang | 271,400 |
| 347 | 7 | Robert Mizrachi | 177,700 |
| | | | |
| 348 | 1 | Phil Ivey | 68,000 |
| 348 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 348 | 3 | Bill Chen | 100,000 |
| 348 | 4 | Gary Benson | 232,600 |
| 348 | 5 | Matthew Ashton | 263,800 |
| 348 | 6 | --empty-- | -- |
| 348 | 7 | John Monnette | 107,800 |
| | | | |
| 349 | 1 | Nick Schulman | 39,600 |
| 349 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 349 | 3 | David Baker | 113,400 |
| 349 | 4 | Richard Ashby | 300,000 |
| 349 | 5 | Andy Bloch | 143,000 |
| 349 | 6 | Bryn Kenney | 105,000 |
| 349 | 7 | --empty-- | -- |
| | | | |
| 350 | 1 | David Chiu | 225,900 |
| 350 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 350 | 3 | Shaun Deeb | 282,600 |
| 350 | 4 | Josh Arieh | 201,700 |
| 350 | 5 | Matt Glantz | 324,700 |
| 350 | 6 | Chris Bell | 141,700 |
| 350 | 7 | Scott Clements | 243,100 |
| | | | |
| 353 | 1 | James Obst | 184,200 |
| 353 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 353 | 3 | Abe Mosseri | 146,700 |
| 353 | 4 | Kevin Song | 190,200 |
| 353 | 5 | Alex Luneau | 273,900 |
| 353 | 6 | John Racener | 34,800 |
| 353 | 7 | Jesse Martin | 118,900 |
| | | | |
| 354 | 1 | Paul Volpe | 166,200 |
| 354 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 354 | 3 | Scott Seiver | 180,700 |
| 354 | 4 | Ofir Mor | 118,000 |
| 354 | 5 | Jeremy Ausmus | 108,900 |
| 354 | 6 | Stephen Chidwick | 132,700 |
| 354 | 7 | Mike Gorodinsky | 11,500 |
| | | | |
| 355 | 1 | Talal Shakerchi | 227,600 |
| 355 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 355 | 3 | Daniel Alaei | 80,000 |
| 355 | 4 | Chunlei Zhou | 137,400 |
| 355 | 5 | Jared Bleznick | 123,600 |
| 355 | 6 | Calvin Anderson | 89,300 |
| 355 | 7 | Allen Kessler | 210,200 |
| | | | |
| 356 | 1 | Chris Klodnicki | 138,700 |
| 356 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 356 | 3 | George Danzer | 137,400 |
| 356 | 4 | Bryce Yockey | 144,600 |
| 356 | 5 | Brock Parker | 182,300 |
| 356 | 6 | Todd Brunson | 169,900 |
| 356 | 7 | Alexander Kostritsyn | 144,500 |
| | | | |
| 357 | 1 | Mike Leah | 115,300 |
| 357 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 357 | 3 | Don Nguyen | 131,900 |
| 357 | 4 | David Oppenheim | 92,000 |
| 357 | 5 | Mike Wattel | 62,800 |
| 357 | 6 | Brian Hastings | 187,300 |
| 357 | 7 | David Benyamine | 246,300 |
| | | | |
| 359 | 1 | David Singer | 63,400 |
| 359 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 359 | 3 | Philip Sternheimer | 161,100 |
| 359 | 4 | Erick Lindgren | 125,600 |
| 359 | 5 | Sergey Rybachenko | 137,200 |
| 359 | 6 | John Hennigan | 188,900 |
| 359 | 7 | --empty-- | -- |
| | | | |
| 360 | 1 | Elior Sion | 126,700 |
| 360 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 360 | 3 | Bertrand Grospellier | 127,600 |
| 360 | 4 | Brian Tate | 103,600 |
| 360 | 5 | Dan Heimiller | 245,800 |
| 360 | 6 | Steve Billirakis | 205,600 |
| 360 | 7 | Daniel Negreanu | 108,500 |
| | | | |
| 361 | 1 | Luis Velador | 36,900 |
| 361 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 361 | 3 | David Bach | 112,600 |
| 361 | 4 | Ben Yu | 227,800 |
| 361 | 5 | Jonathan Duhamel | 237,200 |
| 361 | 6 | Tommy Hang | 74,000 |
| 361 | 7 | Joe Hachem | 208,500 |
| | | | |
| 362 | 1 | Bruno Fitoussi | 125,300 |
| 362 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 362 | 3 | Jeff Lisandro | 84,700 |
| 362 | 4 | Eli Elezra | 239,300 |
| 362 | 5 | Marco Johnson | 216,500 |
| 362 | 6 | Brian Rast | 164,400 |
| 362 | 7 | Justin Smith | 95,600 |
| | | | |
| 363 | 1 | Brandon Shack-Harris | 132,400 |
| 363 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 363 | 3 | Phil Hellmuth | 116,800 |
| 363 | 4 | Melissa Burr | 127,200 |
| 363 | 5 | Michael Mizrachi | 254,900 |
| 363 | 6 | Dylan Linde | 303,700 |
| 363 | 7 | Ola Amundsgard | 210,000 |
| Matt Glantz | 324,700 | 14,700  |
| Dylan Linde | 303,700 | 8,700 |
| Richard Ashby | 300,000 | 52,000 |
| Shaun Deeb | 282,600 | 12,600 |
| Alexandre Luneau | 273,900 | 55,900 |
| Ismael Bojang | 271,400 | 6,400 |
| Matthew Ashton | 263,800 | 3,800 |
| Michael Mizrachi | 254,900 | 52,600 |
| David Benyamine | 246,300 | -28,700  |
| Dan Heimiller | 245,800 | -4,200 |
| Scott Clements | 243,100 | 42,100 |
| Eli Elezra | 239,300 | 28,300 |
| Jonathan Duhamel | 237,200 | 37,200 |
| Gary Benson | 232,600 | -13,400 |
| Frank Kassela | 230,100 | 10,100 |
| Ben Yu | 227,800 | 72,800 |
| Talal Shakerchi | 227,600 | 3,600 |
| David Chiu | 225,900 | 10,900 |
| Jason Mercier | 217,000 | 42,000 |
| Marco Johnson | 216,500 | 21,500 |
| Allen Kessler | 210,200 | 6,200 |
| Ola Amundsgard | 210,000 | 210,000 |
| Joe Hachem | 208,500 | 8,500 |
| Steve Billirakis | 205,600 | -46,400 |
| Josh Arieh | 201,700 | 23,700 |
| Kevin Song | 190,200 | -49,800 |
| John Hennigan | 188,900 | -36,100 |
| Brian Hastings | 187,300 | 36,300 |
| James Obst | 184,200 | 4,200 |
| Brock Parker | 182,300 | -30,700 |
| Scott Seiver | 180,700 | 34,700 |
| Robert Mizrachi | 177,700 | 26,700 |
| Randy Ohel | 172,800 | 9,800 |
| Todd Brunson | 169,900 | 0 |
| Paul Volpe | 166,200 | -3,800 |
| Brian Rast | 164,400 | 0 |
| Philip Sternheimer | 161,100 | 6,100 |
| Abe Mosseri | 146,700 | 0 |
| Bryce Yockey | 144,600 | 8,600 |
| Alexander Kostritsyn | 144,500 | -5,500 |
| Andy Bloch | 143,000 | 4,000 |
| Chris Bell | 141,700 | 21,700 |
| Chris Klodnicki | 138,700 | -11,300 |
| George Danzer | 137,400 | -2,600 |
| Chun Lei Zhou | 137,400 | -23,600 |
| Sergey Rybachenko | 137,200 | -15,800 |
| Stephen Chidwick | 132,700 | -5,300 |
| Brandon Shack-Harris | 132,400 | 4,900 |
| Don Nguyen | 131,900 | 19,900 |
| Bertrand Grospellier | 127,600 | 6,100 |
| Melissa Burr | 127,200 | 7,200 |
| Elior Sion | 126,700 | 11,700 |
| Erick Lindgren | 125,600 | 10,000 |
| Bruno Fitoussi | 125,300 | -24,700 |
| Jared Bleznick | 123,600 | -51,400 |
| Jesse Martin | 118,900 | -71,100 |
| Ofir Mor | 118,000 | 118,000 |
| Phil Hellmuth | 116,800 | 11,800 |
| Mike Leah | 115,300 | 14,300 |
| David "ODB" Baker | 113,400 | 14,400 |
| David Bach | 112,600 | -72,400 |
| Jeremy Ausmus | 108,900 | -17,100 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 108,500 | -61,500 |
| John Monnette | 107,800 | 22,700 |
| Bryn Kenney | 105,000 | -20,000 |
| Brian Tate | 103,600 | -6,400 |
| Bill Chen | 100,000 | -5,000 |
| Justin Smith | 95,600 | -29,400 |
| David Oppenheim | 92,000 | -73,000 |
| Calvin Anderson | 89,300 | -10,700 |
| Jeff Lisandro | 84,700 | 13,700 |
| Daniel Alaei | 80,000 | 17,000 |
| Tommy Hang | 74,000 | -8,000 |
| Phil Ivey | 68,000 | -32,000 |
| David Singer | 63,400 | -10,600 |
| Mike Wattel | 62,800 | -29,200 |
| Nick Schulman | 39,600 | -20,400 |
| Luis Velador | 36,900 | -20,100 |
| John Racener | 34,800 | -21,200 |
| Mike Gorodinsky | 11,500 | -5,500 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:39 AM Local Time
Bagging and Tagging
Players are now bagging and tagging for the night. Stay tuned for some chip counts as well as a full recap of the Day 1 action.
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:30 AM Local Time
Glick and Galfond Depart
Stud 8
A short-stacked Michael Glick got the last of his chips into the middle with split nines, and he was ahead of the eights of Richard Ashby. Unfortunately for Glick, Ashby spiked another eight to eliminate him.
Likewise, Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond was felled in one of the last hands of the night. We missed the action, but we do know he fell in Stud hi-low to 2014 WSOP bracelet winner Paul Volpe.
| Phil Galfond | 0 | -30,000 |
| Michael Glick | 0 | -9,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:26 AM Local Time
Luneau Takes Four-Bet Pot
Limit Hold'em
Sergey Rybachenko opened for a raise, and Ola Amundsgard three-bet from the button. Alex Luneau made it four bets in the small blind, and both raisers called. Luneau bet the flop and again got two customers, but only Rybachenko continued calling on the turn. The river led to one more bet, and Rybachenko paid to see the .
| Alexandre Luneau | 218,000 | 18,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:22 AM Local Time
Rule Clarification Results in One-Round Penalty for Deeb
Pot-Limit Omaha
Shaun Deeb's been very active during the pot-limit Omaha portions of this tournament and just now he got involved in back-to-back hands. First, we saw a board on which Deeb bet 1,600 and Nick Schulman raised it up to 4,000. Deeb put in another raise, making it 11,000 to go, and that was enough to get Schulman to fold.
On the very next hand, a flop showing was checked by Tommy Hang and Eli Elezra. Deeb bet 6,500 and Hang folded, but then Elezra committed to seeing the turn with a call. On the turn, the hit and Elezra bet 15,000. Deeb thought for few moments, then called. The river completed the board with the and Elezra bet 32,000.
After Elezra's bet, Deeb went into the tank. Halfway through Deeb's tanking process, he showed just the from his hand after shuffling back through his four cards. He turned the two tens face up on the table, then turned the cards back over. Eventually, Deeb made the call and Elezra announced that he could not beat a set of tens. Deeb showed his complete hand, which also included the and , and took down this pot.
After the hand, the players at the table started talking about whether or not Deeb's action was legal, and some suggested that Deeb was lucky his hand wasn't ruled dead. Elezra, clearly interested in what the actual ruling would've been, called over the tournament director. The tournament director listened to the players explain what had happened and eventually ruled that Deeb would get a one-round penalty. While the hand was already over, and Elezra only seemed to have been interested in what the rule was, Deeb had to step away from the table for six hands.
"I just can't help myself," Deeb said with a big smile, as he walked past the PokerNews desk.
Six hands later, Deeb returned, but not before Tweeting the following.
| Shaun Deeb | 270,000 | 60,000 |
| Eli Elezra | 211,000 | -39,000 |
| Tommy Hang | 82,000 | -28,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:12 AM Local Time
Shakerchi Pushes Out Bloch
No-Limit Hold'em
The flop read and Scott Seiver and Kevin Song checked. Andy Bloch led at the pot for 5,000 and Talal Shakerchi called. David Bach folded his button and Seiver and Song followed suit.
Bloch and Shakerchi saw the fall on the turn and Bloch slowed with a check. Shakerchi took this opportunity to fire 10,000 and Bloch stuck around for the final card. The river was the and Bloch checked for a second time. Shakerchi moved out 22,000, sending Bloch deep into the tank. He thought for about one minute before finally deciding to kick his cards in. Shakerchi was awarded the pot and now sits at 224,000 in chips.
| Talal Shakerchi | 224,000 | 64,000 |
| Andy Bloch | 139,000 | -15,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:05 AM Local Time
Glick's in Trouble, Kassela on the Rise
Pot-Limit Omaha
Five players saw a flop when the action was checked to Richard Ashby who bet 1,300. Frank Kassela called while Michael Glick, Mike Gorodonsky and Gary Benson all folded. On the turn the hit and Ashby check-called 4,000. The river brought the and Ashby now check-folded when Kassela bet another 14,600.
| Richard Ashby | 248,000 | -17,000 |
| Gary Benson | 246,000 | -14,000 |
| Frank Kassela | 220,000 | 73,000 |
| Mike Gorodinsky | 17,000 | -23,000 |
| Michael Glick | 9,000 | -4,700 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:02 AM Local Time
Alaei Calls Zhou But Can't Beat Threes
No-Limit Hold'em
Daniel Alaei bet 8,200 on the board heads up against Chun Lei Zhou, who made the call in position. On the river, Alaei checked, and Zhou bet 16,000. Alaei counted out his stack and put his palm to his forehead as he considered the bet. Finally, after a sigh, he called.
Zhou looked at his hand for a moment before tossing into the middle for a pair of threes. To his surprise, Alaei mucked his hand, and the dealer pushed Zhou the pot.
| Chun Lei Zhou | 161,000 | -19,000 |
| Daniel Alaei | 63,000 | -37,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 1:01 AM Local Time
Chidwick Makes It
2-7 Triple Draw
Bryce Yockey raised and Stephen Chidwick called in position. On the first draw both players took two cards and Yockey check-called a bet. Yockey took two cards on the second draw, Chidwick took one, and Yockey checked again.
Chidwick bet, Yockey raised and Chidwick put in the third bet. Yockey called, stood pat and Chidwick took one card on the final draw. Yockey checked, Chidwick bet and Yockey reluctantly put in the call.
Chidwick immediately turned over and scooped this pot.
| Stephen Chidwick | 138,000 | 63,000 |
| Bryce Yockey | 136,000 | -28,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:55 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 370
| Matthew Ashton | 260,000 | 45,000 |
| James Obst | 180,000 | -30,000 |
| Jason Mercier | 175,000 | 25,000 |
| Paul Volpe | 170,000 | 75,000 |
| Abe Mosseri | 155,000 | -15,000 |
| Bryn Kenney | 125,000 | -1,600 |
| Phil Galfond | 30,000 | -34,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:54 AM Local Time
Hastings Straightens Out Leah
Pot-Limit Omaha
On a flop of , Mike Leah checked over to Brian Hastings. Hastings shot out a bet of 2,200 and Leah tossed forward the call. The fell on fourth street, causing Leah to check for a second time. This street, however, saw Hastings knuckle the table behind.
The completed the board and Leah checked one final time. Hastings flicked out a single 5,000-chip and Leah called.
"Straight," said Hastings, rolling over , playing his six-trey for a straight to the six. Leah mucked his hand and Hastings picked up the pot. He now has about 151,000 while Leah has dropped to 101,000.
| Brian Hastings | 151,000 | 26,000 |
| Mike Leah | 101,000 | -5,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:53 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 364
| Matt Glantz | 310,000 | 0 |
| John Hennigan | 225,000 | 25,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 170,000 | -89,200 |
| Ben Yu | 155,000 | 44,000 |
| Brandon Shack-Harris | 127,500 | -22,500 |
| Phil Hellmuth | 105,000 | 14,000 |
| David "ODB" Baker | 99,000 | -20,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:44 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 367
| Eli Elezra | 250,000 | -25,000 |
| Shaun Deeb | 210,000 | -2,000 |
| Marco Johnson | 195,000 | 24,000 |
| Melissa Burr | 120,000 | 35,000 |
| Tommy Hang | 110,000 | -2,000 |
| Nick Schulman | 60,000 | -95,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:44 AM Local Time
Lisandro Scoops Bloch
Stud 8
Andy Bloch fired every street until the river and was called down by Jeff Lisandro. On the end, both players checked.
Bloch: /
Lisandro: /
Lisandro had a pair of sixes and an eight-six low, good enough to win both ways against Bloch's deuces with an eight-seven.
| Andy Bloch | 154,000 | 18,000 |
| Jeff Lisandro | 71,000 | -45,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:43 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 356
| Ismael Bojang | 265,000 | 50,000 |
| Bruno Fitoussi | 150,000 | -85,000 |
| Alexander Kostritsyn | 150,000 | |
| George Danzer | 140,000 | 10,000 |
| Brian Hastings | 125,000 | -25,000 |
| Mike Leah | 106,000 | 38,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:42 AM Local Time
Pocket Tens for Yockey
Limit Hold'em
Don Nguyen, Bryce Yockey, and Robert Mizrachi took a flop of in a raised pot. Nguyen checked, Yockey fired, and Mizrachi called. Nguyen tagged along as well, allowing the to pair the board on the turn.
Nguyen checked for a second time and Yockey kept his aggression. Mizrachi called once again but this time Nguyen chose to let his cards go .The rivered and the action went check-check. Yockey rolled over and Mizrachi mucked his hand. Yockey took down the pot and now has about 164,000 in chips.
| Bryce Yockey | 164,000 | 14,000 |
| Robert Mizrachi | 151,000 | -9,000 |
| Don Nguyen | 112,000 | -3,000 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:37 AM Local Time
Clements Over 200,000
2-7 Triple Draw
Scott Clements bet after the first draw, and John Monnette called. Clements was pat, while Monnette drew another card before calling another bet. Both players were pat on the end, and both checked. Clements showed , and Monnette couldn't beat it.
| Scott Clements | 201,000 | 33,000 |
| John Monnette | 85,100 | -19,900 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:33 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 368
| Richard Ashby | 265,000 | 40,000 |
| Gary Benson | 260,000 | 22,000 |
| Brock Parker | 213,000 | 13,000 |
| Frank Kassela | 147,000 | -36,000 |
| Bill Chen | 105,000 | -25,000 |
| Mike Gorodinsky | 40,000 | 1,000 |
| Michael Glick | 13,700 | -21,300 |
Monday, June 23, 2014 12:31 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 366
| David Benyamine | 275,000 | -25,000 |
| Josh Arieh | 178,000 | 43,000 |
| Todd Brunson | 140,000 | 6,000 |
| Bertrand Grospellier | 121,500 | -25,500 |
| Erick Lindgren | 115,600 | -38,400 |
| Brian Tate | 110,000 | 60,000 |
| Mike Wattel | 92,000 | -39,000 |