Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:17 PM Local Time
Billy Baxter is all-in and at risk on a board of holding a flopped flush with to Alex Tran's flopped set of fours.
"You're drawing dead," a tablemate says to Tran, quickly correcting himself by adding, "Unless you fill up."
The player more or less calls Tran's shot, as the spikes on the turn, filling up Tran and putting Baxter at risk of elimination.
He's not drawing dead just yet though, as he has a redraw to a straight flush. It doesn't come, as the completes the board, eliminating the seven-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner.
While Baxter heads to the rail, Tran begins stacking up just over 115,000 chips, putting himself on the first page of the Day 1A leaderboard.
Alex Tran - 115,000
Billy Baxter - Eliminated
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:17 PM Local Time
Jonathan Gaviao starts things off with a raise to 800 and the player to his immediate left three-bets it to 1,800. Another spot over and there is a four-bet to 3,500. Action gets back to Gaviao, who thinks for about 30 seconds, then five-bets to 7,500 total. This draws quick folds from the two remaining players.
"Show the deuce," says another player at the table.
Gaviao cracks a grin and says "I want to, but I can't."
"Come on, one time," pleads another player at the table.
The amiable Gaviao can't help himself and turns over his hand - - and he receives accolades from others at the table for the move. Gaviao has had considerable success on the World Series of Poker Circuit with ten cashes, one ring, and $378,587 in earnings. He'll be looking to add to that with a deep run this week and is off to a good start so far.
Jonathan Gaviao - 75,500
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:14 PM Local Time
Mark Radoja and Adam Singer see a flop of . Singer taps the felt, bringing the action to Radoja, who bets 1,050. Singer comes along to see the fall on the turn. Both players check. After the on the river, Singer wagers 1,600. Radoja sits silently for about 90 seconds before he confirms the bet size with the dealer. Once he gets confirmation, he calls, but mucks his hand when Singer tables for bottom two pair.
Mark Radoja - 60,500
Adam Singer - 36,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:10 PM Local Time
Tony Ma raises from under the gun to 1,200 and Fedor Holz calls from middle position. The flop comes and Ma continues for 2,000. Holz calls and the omes on the turn.
Ma checks over to Holz, and he bets 4,300. Ma calls and the hits the river. Ma check-calls a bet of 9,000 and Holz shows for a flush that causes Ma to slam his hand down on the table. "Every f*$*%g time," Ma says under his breath as he flings his cards into the muck.
Fedor Holz - 112,000
Tony Ma - 51,300
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:09 PM Local Time
Babak Razi bets 16,000 from the small blind on a board of and Anton Wigg calls from middle position. The river is the and Razi checks.
Wig takes a moment and then checks back. Razi shows , giving him a full house and Wigg mucks his hand.
Babak Razi - 97,500
Anton Wigg - 38,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:08 PM Local Time
David Paredes raises to 1,000 from the cutoff, the player on the button calls, and the player in the big blind calls.
The flop comes down and all three players check.
After the drops on the turn, the big blind checks, then Paredes bets 1,800. Two quick folds follow and Paredes takes down the pot.
David Paredes - 57,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:08 PM Local Time
On a board of , Tim Converse pushes all in for his stack of 17,825. His lone opponent on the button tanks for a good while and then says, "Okay, you've earned it. I fold" and folds . Converse shows and the table congratulates him on his hand and his opponent for a good fold.
Tim Converse - 27,600
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:07 PM Local Time
On a board of with roughly 19,000 in the middle, David Bach bet out 15,000 to put his opponent to the test.
After several minutes, Bach's opponent folded and he scooped the pot to move to move to 67,800 after being down to roughly 11,000 at one point today.
Sunday, July 5, 2015 11:04 PM Local Time
Brandon Steven opens to 1,000 in middle position, and Hoyt Corkins calls in the cutoff. Stuart Krasney reraises to 2,000 on the button, and both opponents call.
The flop comes , and it checks to the raiser. Krasney continues for 3,500, Steven calls, and Corkins folds. The turn is the , and Krasney bets 2,000. Steven check-calls that bet, then another 5,000 after the river.
Krasney shows down for aces up, and Steven flashes his inferior as he mucks.
Brandon Steven - 82,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:58 PM Local Time
Facing a raise to 900 from early position, Kenny Tran calls from middle position to see a flop.
Both players check, and when the lands on the turn, they both check again.
The river is the and the preflop aggressor bets out 1,800. Tran calls, and then mucks at the sight of his opponent's .
Kenny Tran - 8,275
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:56 PM Local Time
It is a battle of the blinds when the flop comes . The player in the small blind checks, then Shane Foulds checks behind from the big blind. The turn is the and the pair checks again.
The river is the and the small blind bets 800. Shane Foulds calls.
Foulds tables for a pair of sevens and his opponent turns over . Foulds takes the pot with his bigger kicker.
Shane Foulds - 15,100
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:51 PM Local Time
Maria Mayrinck opens for 1,000 under the gun and players in the cutoff, button, and big blind all call.
They all check it down on a final board of and Mayrink turns over . No one can beat that and Mayrinck is left bemoaning the fact that she waits all day for kings, then gets three callers and an ace-high flop.
Maria Mayrinck - 46,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:49 PM Local Time
Three players see a flop of and a player in the blinds leads out for 3,000.
The next to act player folds and Fabian Quoss calls in late position to see the turn.
The falls and brings another bet from the out of position aggressor, this time for 4,000. Quoss takes a few moments to think before he calls for a second time.
The completes the board and brings checks from both players, with Quoss tabling to best his opponent's pocket queens.
It's a small pot, but one that increases Quoss's stack to just under the 80,000 chip mark.
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:47 PM Local Time
Matt Davidow raises from under the gun and calls a shove from the small blind for about 10,000. Davidow tables and has the small blind's dominated.
The small blind flops the world as the board comes , giving him the nut flush draw, an overcard, and a gutshot to a wheel. The turn is the , keeping Davidow in the lead, and the river is the to eliminate the small blind and give Davidow another pot and more chips.
Matt Davidow - 101,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:46 PM Local Time
Andrew Stringer calls the all in of Tony Boyette and all other players fold.
Stringer:
Boyette:
The board runs out giving Stringer the win and eliminating Boyette with less than two hours to go in Day 1A.
Andrew Stringer - 80,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:46 PM Local Time
There is an open to 800 from middle position when it gets to Billy Baxter in the big blind, and he bumps it up to 2,500. His opponent wants to see his stack. He has just over 29,000 behind, and he calls.
The flop is and Baxter throws out a bet of 4,000. His opponent doesn't instantly fold but the cards are soon heading for the muck.
Billy Baxter - 35,000
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:35 PM Local Time
Cards are back in the air for the final level of the day!
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:34 PM Local Time
Level: 5
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 25
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:14 PM Local Time
The remaining players are heading on a 20-minute break.
With registration now closed, the official numbers have now been released and Day 1A had 741 total entrants. In comparison to the previous few years numbers, the trend of a slight decreased across Day 1A continued following 771 in 2013, 943 in 2012 and 1,066 in 2011. However, with Independence Day being celebrated yesterday...and probably into the wee hours of this morning...many will expect the next two days to follow the trend of seeing a swarm of players take to the felt.
As tables slowly started breaking in the Brasilia Red section, Level 4 would begin with chips flying. Simon Lam found a double into the chip lead when his held against an opponent's when the money went in on the board. Unfortunately for the dinner break chip leader Mel Wiener, he would take a few backwards steps doubling an opponent and slipping back to roughly 108,000.
Kenny Tran got involved in a big hand that saw him take a hit when he folded to an opponent's river shove, while German Anton Morgenstern soared up the counts. Morgenstern - best noted for his deep run in the 2013 Main Event - won a big hand without a showdown before rivering Abe Mosseri and his on a board of with to climb to 142,000. Another player that is familiar with a deep run in the Main Event is last year's third place finisher Jorryt van Hoof (pictured above), who eliminated Matthew Lapossie when he rivered a club flush against Lapossie's rivered flush to soar to nearly 150,000.
As the level wound down, Jonathan Duhamel would find a huge double up when his set of jacks held up against an opponent's pocket kings to put him amongst the chip leaders. Unfortunately for the likes of Bryan Campanello, Billy Kopp, Andy Bloch, Erik Seidel, Fabrice Soulier, Erik Cajelais, Michael Chow, and early day chip leader Barny Boatman (pictured below), they would all find themselves on the rail during this penultimate level of the day.
For now, it is Van Hoof topping the leaderboard,, as he headed to break with an impressive 156,500 in chips. Anton Morgenstern is right on his heels though, along with Simon Lam, Patrick Madden, and Duhamel.
Sunday, July 5, 2015 10:14 PM Local Time
Raul Mestre raises to 4,700 from middle position. The player to his left raises to 7,100 and Mestre calls.
The flop falls . Mestre checks, his opponent bets 8,000 and Mestre goes all in for 52,200. His opponent tanks before folding.
Mestre, who has two WSOP cashes, throws in his hand, face up, showing .
Asked why he showed his hand, Mestre says: "It was such a big bet, 8,000, it had to be aces or nothing but I thought he had nothing. When someone loses a hand, they sometimes tilt, they play worse - who wouldn't want that?"
Raul Mestre - 74,500