Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:22 AM Local Time
The rail is getting fidgety.
T.D. Nikki: "Do not touch the clock or I will move the rail back!"
She stormed over to the rail and turned the clock monitor back around to face the table, giving a stern look to a few mischievous spectators.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:17 AM Local Time
First in from the button, James Calderaro raised to 150,000, and Tom Marchese announced a reraise from the big blind. He made it 575,000 total, Calderaro reraised back, and Marchese got his last few hundred thousand chips into the middle to put himself at risk. And he was in a bad spot.
Showdown
Calderaro:
Marchese:
Marchese looked stricken as he saw the bad news, five cards away from elimination. The news would get worse in a hurry, too. The flop came to give Caldero the nearly-unbeatable full house. As the turn and river filled out the board with the and , Marchese was shaking hands with the table and wishing them luck on his way out the door. It was another exceptional performance for "Kingsofcards", but it comes to an end here at the final table. He'll take home six figures of cash, but the look on his face shows disappointment at this near miss.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:10 AM Local Time
Peter Jetten opened for 175,000, Valdemar Kwaysser re-potted and Jetten called all-in.
Jetten
Kwaysser
There was no help for Jetten on the board and he exited in 7th place.
Kwaysser is up to over 2 million.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:50 PM Local Time
Konstantin Bucherl opened for 110,000 and Peter Jetten made the call.
Bucherl led out for 140,000 on the flop. Jetten called. Both players checked the on the turn. The river was the and Bucherl bet 200,000. After more than five minutes in the tank, Jetten called.
Bucherl tabled and took down the pot to deafening cheers from his railbirds (and some sort of rally song emanating from a bullhorn). He's up to 2,055,000 while Jetten is down to 380,000.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:33 PM Local Time
Valdemar Kwaysser 1,690,000
Konstantin Bucherl 1,640,000
James Calderaro 1,225,000
Dani Stern 1,125,000
Peter Jetten 820,000
Tom Marchese 775,000
Matt Marafioti 650,000
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:25 PM Local Time
Tom Marchese made it 90,000 to go, Konstantin Bucherl reraised to 210,000, Marchese set him all-in and Bucherl called.
Bucherl
Marchese
The board ran out and Bucherl doubled to 1.5 million.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:14 PM Local Time
The table folded around to the blinds where Valdemar Kwaysser opened the pot to 120,000 from the small. In the big, Blair Rodman thought it over for a moment and made the call to see a flop.
It came , and Kwaysser continued out with another 135,000 chips. After another minute in the tank, Rodman announced an all-in raise for about 450,000 total, and Kwaysser quickly called. With Rodman at risk for his tournament life, the cards were on their backs:
Kwaysser:
Rodman:
Matt Marafioti couldn't help himself. "Oh, what a f***ing cooler!" he practically yelled as the cards were turned over. The on the turn cued the handshakes, and Rodman was ushered out the door by a meaningless on the river. For his eighth-place finish, he'll take home more than $70,000.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:58 PM Local Time
Alexander Kuzmin opened for a raise, Tom Marchese reraised enough to set him all-in and Kuzmin called.
Kuzmin
Marchese
The board ran out and Kuzmin was eliminated. Marchese is now up to 1.8 million and holds the chip lead.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:49 PM Local Time
Suddenly, it's turned into the World Cup in here. As our floor supervisor Nikki Ivey began introducing our final tablists, each group of railbirds got their opportunity to let their voices be heard. By far the most vocal were Konstantin Bucherl's supporters, who broke into song, waved German flags and swilled beer. Peter Jetten and Dani Stern's groupies are rather excitable as well, and many of them are already on their third or fourth drink.
Hey, it's almost midnight and we've still got nine players left. Anything to elevate the mood!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:39 PM Local Time
After three full levels on the bubble, we have a final table.
Sam Stein opened for 140,000 from the button, Dani Stern set out a stack of green 25,000-denomination chips, setting him all-in for his last 75,000, and Stein made the call.
Stein
Stern
Stern flopped trips on the board and Stein became our final table bubble boy, exiting in 10th place.
We've paused for a short break before the final table players are introduced.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:21 PM Local Time
Alexander Kuzman opened for 100,000, Peter Jetten reraised, and Kuzman called all-in for 185,000 total.
Kuzman
Jetten
The board ran out and Kuzman doubled to 410,000. Jetten is down to 980,000.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:09 PM Local Time
Valdemar Kwaysser 1,360,000
Tom Marchese 1,270,000
Peter Jetten 1,180,000
James Calderaro 1,145,000
Dani Stern 825,000
Matt Marafioti 750,000
Konstantin Bucherl 640,000
Blair Rodman 545,000
Sam Stein 340,000
Alexander Kuzmin 185,000
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:57 PM Local Time
Our table is still deadlocked at ten, and the players have been sent off for a twenty-minute after-dinner break.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:57 PM Local Time
Alexander Kuzmin opened to 60,000, and James Calderaro made the call from the cutoff seat.
The two men took a heads-up flop of , and Kuzmin continued out with a bet of 40,000. Calderaro announced a pot raise to 285,000, committing more than half his remaining stack. When Kuzmin reraised, Calderaro called it off to put himself at risk for 460,000 total. Cards up, gents:
Kuzmin:
Calderaro:
Calderaro would likely need to find a spade in order to stay alive, but the turn was a blank . The river, however, was one of those spades, and the filled in Calderaro's flush to notch his double up.
He's all the way up to 1.095 million now, while Kuzmin is left just 175,000.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:55 PM Local Time
A preflop raising war broke out between Valdemar Kwaysser and Peter Jetten, and it ended with Jetten calling all in for his last 510,000 chips to put himself at risk of elimination.
Showdown
Kwaysser:
Jetten:
The flop was a big sweat for both players as it came out to give Jetten the flush draw to go with his overs. "How about a heart," he said quietly.
Turn:
It's not a heart, but Jetten will take that, improving himself to the leading pair of aces and putting himself one card from a double up. The river was a blank , and Jetten's tens full of aces give him the pot and the chip boost up to 1.065 million. That second double up this level pulls him almost even with Kwaysser and his 1.105 million chips.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:39 PM Local Time
Valdemar Kwaysser 1,675,000
Tom Marchese 1,315,000
Alexander Kuzmin 850,000
Dani Stern 750,000
Matt Marafioti 745,000
James Calderaro 685,000
Peter Jetten 560,000
Konstantin Bucherl 550,000
Blair Rodman 470,000
Sam Stein 295,000
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:30 PM Local Time
Peter Jetten made a pot-sized raise to 100,000, Sam Stein reraised to 360,000 and Jetten called all-in.
Jetten
Stein
Jetten's railbirds were delighted to watch the board run out , as was Jetten, who doubled to 560,000.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:15 PM Local Time
Short stack James Calderaro is opening up a little breathing room thanks to Dani Stern. Three hands ago, Stern opened from the button with a raise to 70,000. Calderaro announced a pot reraise from the big blind, but he didn't move.
"Can you put it out there?" Stern asked.
"What? You can't see it here?" Calderaro asked, now moving his towers forward. Stern let him finish, then folded. "I knew that's what was going to happen, that's why..." Calderaro trailed off.
Just now, Stern opened another pot to 70,000, and Calderaro promptly potted it again. Stern folded more quickly this time, and Calderaro has worked his stack back to a half-million chips with those no-showdown pots.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:06 PM Local Time
When the table folded around to the blinds, Peter Jetten opened to 90,000 from the small. Big blind Sam Stein took a good look at his stack before saying, "Pot," and Jetten shrunk. he had just 275,000 chips left in his stack, and it quickly became obvious that he couldn't call all in. He shook his head and mucked his cards, saving those nine bigs for a better spot.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 8:54 PM Local Time
Tom Marchese opened for 55,000 and Konstantin Bucherl made the call.
Like a starving supermodel, the flop was the beautiful, yet frightening . Marchese bet 65,000 and Bucherl called. The turn was a fourth king, the and Marchese led again, this time for 135,000. Again, Bucherl called. The river was the and after a long think, Marchese made it 390,000 to go. Bucherl tanked for several minutes before folding his hand.
Marchese is up to 1,390,000 while Bucherl fell to 765,000.