Saturday, June 5, 2010 7:43 PM Local Time
The Grinder is back! In a huge three-way pot, the action was capped on third street between Michael Mizrachi, Men Nguyen and Nikolay Evdakov. Mizrachi led the betting on fourth, before Evdakov raised on fifth to force Nguyen out of the action. Mizrachi called off his last chips.
Nguyen: (X-X) /
Evdakov: /
Mizrachi: /
Mizrachi was ahead with his aces and when he drew the for aces up against Evdakov's on sixth, Evdakov was left needing a jack to eliminate his opponent. It didn't arrive and Mizrachi virtually triples up to over 600,000!
Saturday, June 5, 2010 7:37 PM Local Time
Mizrachi: (X) (X) /
Schmelev: (X) (X) /
Just a few hands again, Vladimir Schmelev was down to but 90,000 chips. He's back up to 445,000 after beating Michael Mizrachi out of a recent pot. Mizrachi brought it in with a deuce, then called Schmelev's completion. Schmelev bet on fourth street; Mizrachi called.
Mizrachi caught an ace on fifth to take the betting lead. He checked it over to Schmelev, then called a bet. On sixth street, Schmelev bet his open deuces. Mizrachi made what can only be described as a very frustrated fold.
Mizrachi's stake is teetering now with just 213,000 left.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 7:29 PM Local Time
Vladimir Schmelev has tripled up after making a straight in a three-way pot against Michael Mizrachi and Nikolay Evdakov.
Schmelev completed on third, raised fourth before he was all in for his last 25,000 by fifth street. Both opponents came along before checking it down.
Schmelev: /
Mizrachi: -(X) /
Evdakov: -(X) /
Both Mizrachi and Evdakov started out with flush draws but they missed as they couldn't better Schmelev's ten-high straight. He triples to 250,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 7:24 PM Local Time
Schmelev: (X) (X) / / (X)
Cassidy: (X) (X) / / (X)
Things quickly got out of hand on third street in a pot between Vladimir Schmelev and Joe Cassidy. Brandon Adams was the player to complete. He was raised by Men Nguyen, re-raised by Schmelev and four-bet by Joe Cassidy. Only Schmelev called Cassidy's raise.
Cassidy kept the lead for the whole hand. He bet every street, with Schmelev calling every time. At the river, Schmelev squeezed his down cards and then mucked to Cassidy's last bet.
Schmelev has exactly 90,000 chips after the hand. Cassidy is up to 480,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 7:11 PM Local Time
Steve Billirakis brought in with the with Vladimir Schmelev and Michael Mizrachi making the call before Brandon Adams completed. Men Nguyen made the call, with Schmelev and Mizrachi coming along to fourth street.
Adams led out with a bet on fourth but it didn't reduce the field as all three opponents made the call. On fifth, Adams paired his king and bet again. This time Nguyen was the lone caller. Another bet went in on sixth before things got interesting on the river. Adams fired a bet before Nguyen raised. Adams put in a third bet and Nguyen went into the tank again. He eventually splashed the pot with a call.
Schmelev: (X-X) /
Mizrachi: (X-X) /
Adams: /
Nguyen: /
Three kings for Adams but Nguyen took it down with the ace-high flush. He's up to 925,000 as Adams slips to 800,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 7:00 PM Local Time
Nguyen: (X) (X) / / (X)
Billirakis: (X) (X) / / (X)
Since we came back from the last break, it seems that every time Men Nguyen is in a pot he is tanking on multiple streets. He recently played a pot against Steve Billirakis, calling bets from Billirakis on fourth street and fifth street.
On sixth street, Billirakis checked. Nguyen took about 60 seconds before checking behind. Billirakis led into Nguyen on the river, prompting what we can only describe as an epic tank. (This is limit poker, after all.) Nguyen tanked for three full minutes, prompting Michael Mizrachi to shake his head in disgust. Joe Cassidy finally called for a clock, and after another 40 seconds Nguyen folded.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:48 PM Local Time
Joe Cassidy has found a much needed double up through Men Nguyen. Nikolay Evdakov was the bring-in with the before Brandon Adams completed with the . Nguyen made the call with the before Cassidy raised his . Evdakov and Adams folded as Nguyen called once again. On fourth, Nguyen checked and then called the bet, before Cassidy's last chips were all in on fifth. The boards ran out as follows:
Nguyen: / /
Cassidy: / /
Nguyen needed to improve his pair and straight draw on the river but he squeezed out an ace as Cassidy's queens held up. He doubles to around 300,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:38 PM Local Time
Nguyen: (X) (X) / / (X)
Mizrachi: (X) (X) / / (X)
It's been an up-and-down series of hands for Michael Mizrachi. He's back on the downswing after being losing a big pot to Men Nguyen. Nguyen brought it in on third, then raised after Mizrachi completed. The two players were heads-up to fourth street, where Mizrachi's ace was the high hand. Mizrachi bet and again Nguyen raised. Mizrachi called.
Mizrachi retained the lead the rest of the way. He checked and called a bet on fifth street. He checked again on sixth street, a street where Nguyen tanked for about a minute before checking behind.
Down the river, Mizrachi checked for a third street in a row. Nguyen bet, then showed in the hole for trip 5s after Mizrachi called. Mizrachi flashed two red nines as he mucked.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:32 PM Local Time
Once again Vladimir Schmelev and Micahel Mizrachi have tangled and again "The Grinder" has come out ahead. Brandon Adams was the bring-in with the and Men Nguyen called with the . Schmelev completed with the before Mizrachi raised the . Schmelev was the lone caller and again on fourth, before raising the bet on fifth. Mizrachi responded with a three-bet and Schmelev gave it up.
Schmelev: (X-X) /
Mizrachi: (X-X) /
"Aces up..." stated Mizrachi as he raked in the chips to move up to 520,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:25 PM Local Time
Billirakis: /
Mizrachi: /
Steve Billirakis and Michael Mizrachi started off with very similar hands, all the way through fifth street. Billirakis, with an open ace, had the betting lead and bet every street. Mizrachi called all the way to sixth street, where Billirakis caught open aces. That show of strength was too much for Mizrachi to continue to call. He showed his two hole cards, prompting Billirakis to do the same.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:21 PM Local Time
The players are back and the cards are in the air.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:00 PM Local Time
It looked like we were going to play through another level but the players have revolted and instead we'll be taking a twenty-minute break.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:59 PM Local Time
Jamshidi: / /
Adams: / /
Sirious Jamshidi was down to about 90,000 when he caught split eights. He decided to make his stand and completed. Brandon Adams, however, started with split aces and raised, driving everyone else out. By fifth street Jamshidi was all in and the race to two pair was on. Neither player actually made two pair, so Adams' split aces at showdown were enough to win the pot and knock Jamshidi out in 8th place.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:54 PM Local Time
Michael Mizrachi and Vladimir Schmelev must be getting sick of looking at each other after the two played an epic heads-up battle on this very table just a few days ago in the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship.
The two just reacquainted themselves after Schmelev completed and Mizrachi raised. Schmelev made the call, and again on fourth street before giving up on fifth.
Mizrachi: (X-X) /
Schmelev: (X-X) /
Mizrachi's board was looking dangerous but he flashed in the hole to take it down.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:47 PM Local Time
Adams: (X) (X) / / (X)
Schmelev: (X) (X) / / (X)
Jamshidi: (X) (X) / / (X)
Everyone had the betting lead at some point in a three-way pot at our final table. Brandon Adams was the first player into the pot, limping behind the bring-in. Vladimir Schmelev then completed, with Sirious Jamshidi and Adams both calling.
Schmelev bet the lead on fourth street, with Jamshidi and Adams both electing to take another card. On fifth street, Jamshidi took over the lead. It was his turn to bet, with Adams and Schmelev both calling.
Adams made an open pair of treys on sixth street, ensuring he'd have the lead for the last two streets. He checked both times, with both other players checking behind. At showdown, Adams opened for two small pair, sixes and treys. Schmelev and Jamshidi both mucked.
Adams now has about 800,000, while Jamshidi is in the danger zone with about 140,000.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:37 PM Local Time
Joe Cassidy was the bring-in with the and Nikolay Evdakov called showing the . Men "The Master" Nguyen completed with his and Evdakov was the lone caller.
Cassidy: (X-X) /
Evdakov: (X-X) /
Nguyen: (X-X) /
Nguyen led the betting on fourth, with Evdakov making the call before all hell broke loose on fifth street. Nguyen bet, Evdakov raised before Nguyen quickly three-bet to 108,000. Evdakov thought for a moment before re-raising once again, adding another 36,000 to the bet.
Nguyen went into the tank for a long time before eventually open folding for a pair of aces. It was a great fold as Evdakov proudly showed in the hole for rolled up kings!
Nguyen fades a battle of the big stacks but slips to 670,000 as Evdakov is now into the chip lead with 1.17 million chips.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:30 PM Local Time
Jamshidi: (X) (X) / / (X)
Evdakov: (X) (X) / / (X)
The first pot of the final table that went to showdown was won by Nikolay Evdakov. Evdakov and Sirious Jamshidi called Vladimir Schmelev's completion bet on third street. Schmelev bowed out by fourth street, where Jamshidi bet and Evdakov called.
Jamshidi bet fifth street and sixth street. Each time Evdakov called. By the river, Jamshidi decided to slow down and checked. He then called a bet made by Evdakov. Evdakov turned up , having rivered a jack-high straight. Jamshidi flashed , two pair aces and kings.
Jamshidi's count slipped to 220,000. Evdakov now has the lead with roughly 1,000,000 chips.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:18 PM Local Time
The players have taken their seats and have been introduced to the crowd as play is now back underway on this final table.
We have 36 minutes remaining in Level 20.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:13 PM Local Time
Seat 1: Men Nguyen (847,000)
Seat 2: Steve Billirakis (610,000)
Seat 3: Vladimir Schmelev (735,000)
Seat 4: Sirious Jamshidi (365,000)
Seat 5: Joe Cassidy (199,000)
Seat 6: Michael Mizrachi (298,000)
Seat 7: Nikolay Evdakov (823,000)
Seat 8: Brandon Adams (625,000)
Saturday, June 5, 2010 5:03 PM Local Time
With that elimination there will now be a short break as the players rack up their chips to relocate over to the main feature table area of the Amazon Room.