Saturday, June 12, 2010 8:18 PM Local Time
Although we just reported on Richard Ashby's newfound riches, he was almost immediately involved in a couple of hands that saw him lose a large percentage of his chips.
In the first hand he made two pair but was outdone by Darren Shebell's two pair.
Ashby: /
Shebell: /
Both players had limped in on third street. Shebell check-called a bet from Ashby on fourth street, and check-raised on fifth street, getting a call. Sixth and seventh streets were checked down and Shebell had a better two pair.
Ashby: (XXX) /
Pietsch: /
A few hands later he lost a large number of chips to Christine Pietsch. Most of the action took place on third street when Pietsch raised and later called Ashby's re-raise. Pietsch bet on fourth street and Ashby called, but that was all the betting that was to be done in the hand as the two checked it down the rest of the way.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 8:06 PM Local Time
Darren Shebell: / /
Richard Ashby: / /
Richard Ashby bet every street until he was all in on sixth; Shebell called all the way and they turned the cards over.
Shebell was holding a pair of nines and an open-ended straight draw, but he blanked on seventh and Ashby's pair of aces was good enough to double him to around 250,000.
"Get in there!" said Ashby as he raked in the pot.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 8:03 PM Local Time
Dan Heimiller: (XX)
Darren Shebell: /
Dan Heimiller bet out on streets three and four and Darren Shebell called; Heimiller bet out again on fifth and this time Shebell raised. Heimiller called.
Heimiller bet out once more on sixth street, and Shebell raised again ("Raise!!!"). Heimiller now tanked up for a long, long time. Eventually he called.
Heimiller checked seventh street and to no-one's surprise Shebell bet.
"You don't have three aces," Shebell declared. "You probably just have two aces."
"I was drawing good," sighed Heimiller as he folded. "Ow."
Shebell moved on up to 470,000. Heimiller dropped to 200,000.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 7:52 PM Local Time
Rich Ashby had to make the bring it and was called by Owais Ahmed and Darren Shebell before Christine Pietsch completed. Ashby got out of the way, but the other two stuck around.
Pietsch: /
Ahmed: /
Shebell: (XXX) /
Pietsch led out with a bet on fourth street and Shebell raised. Ahmed made the call and Pietsch followed suit. Shebell also bet on fifth street, getting calls from both of his opponents. On sixth street he would bet once more with both players calling. Ahmed didn't have enough to make a full call, and was all in.
Shebell checked the river in the dark saying "He's all in." But Pietsh wasn't interested in checking it down and fired one more bet, which was called by Shebell.
Ahmed was looking for outs, which he was unable to find. Meanwhile, Shebell mucked upon seeing Pietsch's straight.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 7:42 PM Local Time
A brief raising war on third street resulted with Richard Ashby and Owais Ahmed turning their cards over, Ashby all in.
Ashby turned over and was up against Ahmed's . Ashby had made a heart flush by fifth street and although he got a bit of a sweat - Ahmed had four diamonds showing by the time his last down card was dealt - the outdraw never came and Ashby doubled up to around 170,000.
He looks a lot happier now than he did when he headed off on his dinner break.
On the other hand Ahmed is now looking a bit more nervous - he is our short stack on 130,000.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 6:32 PM Local Time
Even finalists need to eat.
Back in an hour.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 6:20 PM Local Time
Pietsch: /
Shebell: /
Christine Pietsch hit a broadway straight on sixth street to steal a huge pot and the chip lead from Darren Shebell. The pot was limped four ways on third street, but when Shebell max bet for 30,000 on fourth street, Pietsch was the only taker. Shebell bet 30,000 once more on fifth street and got a call from Pietsch.
On sixth and seventh street it was Pietsch who started betting after Shebell checked. He called each time and showed his set of fives, but they were no good compared to Pietsch's straight.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 6:16 PM Local Time
Christine Pietsch: (XX) / - bring in and fold
Richard Ashby: (XX) - fold
Sorel Mizzi: / /
Darren Shebell: / /
Christine Pietsch brought in and Richard Ashby called. Sorel Mizzi completed and Darren Shebell called; Pietsch folded and Ashby called.
Ashby bet out on fourth street and Mizzi thought about it for some time before raising. "I call!" announced a suspiciously cheerful Shebell; Ashby called too and they were at fifth street.
This time Ashby checked, and Mizzi now bet all in for 17,000. "Sorel Mizzi, stud champion!" shouted a passing Mike Matusow. He couldn't have been more wrong. The action moved over to Shebell, who raised. Back to Ashby, who tanked for a minute or two while Mizzi showed his down cards to a couple of railers. Eventually Ashby folded, and Mizzi and Shebell turned their cards up.
Once the cards had all been dealt, Mizzi could only boast a pair of eights. He was standing and wishing the rest of the table good luck before he'd even seen the last two cards. Shebell's set of deuces were good, and our field is now five.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 6:04 PM Local Time
Sorel Mizzi is getting extremely short in chips. He recently completed under the gun with the showing. Mizzi was happy when everyone folded, saying "Double up baby, ship it!"
He'll need a few more of those to get back into contention. Then again many of the chips on the table are just shuffling around. We haven't had a lot of big action since our two recent double ups, and no bust outs in over an hour and a half.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:59 PM Local Time
Dan Heimiller: /
Darren Shebell: (XXX) /
Owais Ahmed was involved as well, but folded on fourth street with open to the elements to a bet from Darren Shebell. Dan Heimiller called, though.
Shebell and Heimiller checked down fifth and sixth streets and Shebell checked seventh as well before calling a bet from Heimiller. Heimiller turned over two queens and a five for two pair, and Shebell just mucked.
Shebell remains our chip leader after that on 580,000. Heimiller made a bit of a recovery and once his chips were stacked up they looked to number around 190,000.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:51 PM Local Time
Dan Heimiller: / /
Sorel Mizzi: / /
A short raising war between Sorel Mizzi and Dan Heimiller had Mizzi all in on third street. They turned that cards up and waited for the rest of their respective hands to be dealt.
"Straight!" announced Heimiller as he turned over his last down card, revealing the which did not make a straight. A pair of sixes was the best he could do.
"Doesn't matter," said Mizzi, who was now holding trip jacks.
Mizzi doubled up to around 150,000, although he lost a small pot to Christine Pietsch next hand to drop him back to 110,000. Heimiller was sitting on 135,000 after that.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:43 PM Local Time
Owais Ahmed was fortunate enough to double through Christine Pietsch, keeping him in the race.
Ahmed: / /
Pietsch: / /
The action was three-bet on third street, and Ahmed was all in on fifth street. His aces and kings were good enough to double through the queens and jacks of Pietsch.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:26 PM Local Time
For the past couple of hours, this final table has been punctuated by curious grunts from the rail - they sound like, "LUN-kin," they are directed at Sorel Mizzi, and they seem to be coming from the mouth of a perma-grinning Roland de Wolfe.
Just now Mizzi attempted to call security on the ever-cheerful de Wolfe. We think he was joking, but we'll let you know if Mizzi does in fact succeed in having de Wolfe ejected.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:19 PM Local Time
Christine Pietsch: (XX) /
Richard Ashby: (XX) /
CHristine Pietsch bet out with a pair of queens on fifth street, and it was enough to make Richard Ashby fold his pair of threes.
It was just a small pot, but worthy of note because Pietsch has been slowly creeping up in the chip counts and after that pot she was up to 550,000 - within 50,000 of the chip lead. The next-biggest stack at the table is Richard Ashby, who was at 218,000 after the hand.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:08 PM Local Time
Darren Shebell has extended his chiplead after winning a small pot against Sorel Mizzi.
Shebell: /
Mizzi: (XXX) /
Mizzi completed on third street and got Shebell to come along for the ride. But that was it for betting as the two checked it down the rest of the way.
Shebell's two pair were good enough to take it.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 5:05 PM Local Time
Sorel Mizzi said he didn't get a chance to hit the bathroom at break. The rest of the table agreed on giving themselves three minutes to hit the can.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 4:59 PM Local Time
Darren Shebell: /
Richard Ashby: (XXX) /
Darren Shebell brought in and was the sole caller when Richard Ashby completed. Both players checked on fourth street, but Shebell, first to act with a pair of nines, bet out on fifth. Ashby made the call and they reverted to checking on sixth and again on seventh.
"Twoooo-pairrr," said Shebell in a singsong voice, flipping a second three for, as he said, two pair, nines and threes. It was enough and Ashby just mucked, dropping to 215,000. Shebell, who'd lost small pots to Sorel Mizzi and Christine Pietsch in the preceding few hands, moved back up to 480,000.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 4:44 PM Local Time
Darren Shebell had to make the bring in, but he got out of the way when Christine Pietsch completed and Dan Heimiller called.
Heimiller: (X) /
Pietsch: (XXX) /
Heimiller bet on third street with Pietsch calling. It was Pietsch who bet her aces on fifth and sixth streets, though. Pietsch bet on the river and Heimiller tanked for a while before announcing a raise. However at that point Pietsch three-bet and Heimiller folded.
Before mucking his cards, Heimiller showed rolled up jacks for a set.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 4:27 PM Local Time
The six remaining stud finalists have returned from their break, and cards are a-flying.
Darren Shebell is our current chip leader.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 4:04 PM Local Time
Players are taking 20.