Event #46: $50,000 Poker Players Championship

2-7 Triple Draw

We picked up with the action on the first draw to see Gary Benson take two, Richard Ashby one, and Bill Chen two. Benson checked and Ashby led out with a bet. Chen and Benson called to see the next draw.

For the second draw, Benson took one, Ashby stood pat, and Chen once again opted for two. Benson checked and Ashby continued his aggression with a bet. Chen announced a raise and both of his opponents flat called. On the final draw, Benson took one card and both Ashby and Chen stood pat. Action checked around to Chen and he bet one last time. Benson ditched his cards and Ashby tossed forward a call.

Chen fanned      , prompting Ashby to muck his cards. Chen raked in the pot and now has about 162,000 in chips.

Bill Chen	162,000	10,000
Richard Ashby	107,000	-23,000

Pot-Limit Omaha

Two players in the blinds checked to Matthew Ashton on the button with the board reading     , and he bet 1,300. Sergii Baranov made the call, but Abe Mosseri wanted to play for more: 6,300. Ashton made the call, and Baranov ducked out of the way. Mosseri slowed down with a check on the   river, and Ashton bet 4,800.

Mosseri tossed in a call, and Ashton showed      for fives full. Mosseri shook his head and mucked, and the defending champ is off to a nice start here on Day 1.

Matthew Ashton	206,000	22,000
Abe Mosseri	180,000	-15,000

Limit Hold'em

George Danzer opened the cutoff and and Matt Glantz three-bet from the small blind. Daniel Negreanu folded his big blind and Danzer called. The flop came down     and Glantz continued. Danzer raised the action and Glantz called to see a turn. The dealer put out the   on the turn, pairing the board. Glantz checked, Danzer bet, and Glantz called.

The   hit the river and Glantz check-called one final bet.

"Queen high," said Danzer, rolling over   .

Glantz showed    for tens and jacks and the best hand. Glantz picked up the pot and now has about 157,000 in chips.

George Danzer	168,000	-17,000
Matt Glantz	157,000	8,000

The 2014 WSOP's incarnation of the $50,000 Poker Players Championship is underway, but prior to its start PokerNews put together a list of players to look out for as things get up and running. The original list, which can be viewed here, is comprised of eight players, but here we're only going to examine three of them (courtesy of Marty Derbyshire), all of whom are currently in the field.

George Danzer

If you haven't heard the name George Danzer at the 2014 WSOP already, you simply haven't been paying attention.

Danzer has two bracelet wins and has jumped out to a 300-plus point lead in the 2014 WSOP Player of the Year race. The bracelets came in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo and $10,000 Seven Card Razz events, games that are both a part of the Players Championship eight-game mix. Plus, Danzer placed fifth in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw and narrowly missed another final table finishing ninth in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed event.

If there's anybody that's prepared for this event, it's Danzer.

"How about George Danzer?" said 2011 $50,000 Poker Players Championship winner Brian Rast. "This is a guy that is playing well and running well. That's what you're looking for."

Calvin Anderson

With a summer that already includes a bracelet win in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo and final table appearances in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo and $10,000 H.O.R.S.E, a lot of the sharps are all over Calvin Anderson in an event like the $50k Poker Players Championship.

"Calvin Anderson is a guy who has been playing well all series," said Rast. "I played with him for a little while in the Dealers Choice. He plays all the games. That's really key: Knowing all the games."

Anderson also started the series with a deep run in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mixed-Max event and is coming off a big 2013 WSOP where he had six cashes in everything from six-handed no-limit Hold'em to 2-7 triple draw lowball.

Benjamin Yu

Benjamin Yu is not exactly a household name. But with deep runs in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E, $10,000 H.O.R.S.E, $1,500 Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball and $1,500 Seven Card Razz event already this year, his is a name that is certainly on the radar of the mixed-game specialists here in Las Vegas.

Dating back to 2008, Yu has collected a total of 20 WSOP cashes for $268,524 and put the mixed-game world on notice in April of this year with a runner-up finish in the PokerStars European Poker Tour's H.O.R.S.E Championships at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.

Razz

This one was a fun one. Not many people would advocate staying in a hand of razz with a king showing on your board, but when you're George Danzer and you've won two gold bracelets at this year's World Series of Poker already — one in Event #18: $10,000 Seven-Card Razz Championship and the other in Event #38: $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Championship — it would be hard to argue with you doing so.

Matt Glantz:    /      /  
Luis Velador:    /     — fold
Danzer:    /      /  

Danzer was the bring-in, and then Glantz completed. Velador called, and Danzer called to take action to fourth street. On fourth, Velador led with a bet, Danzer called, and Glantz called. Then on fifth, Velador checked, which raised some eyebrows and brought about some laughs after action checked to Glantz, he bet, and Velador folded.

"Aces up?" joked Glantz to Velador, who laughed back as he tossed his cards to the muck. Danzer then called.

On sixth street, Glantz check-called a bet from Danzer before the players received their down cards on seventh street. Glantz checked, Danzer bet, and Glantz folded.