Wednesday, June 23, 2010 5:38 PM Local Time
Paul Varano opened to 32,000 from the cutoff and both Michael Pesek (small) and Jeffrey King (big) defended their blinds.
All three checked the flop and both blinds checked after the turned. Varano bet 54,000 and both Pesek and King called.
The three players checked the on the river.
"Ace?" Varano said quizzically.
"I have an ace too," Pesek responded.
King said nothing, rather he opened for a turned straight which was good enough to win him the pot. Here's how the three stacks looked after the hand:
Varano - 725,000
King - 535,000
Pesek - 498,000
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 5:26 PM Local Time
Michael Cooper opened for 50,000 from middle position, and it folded to Dustin Dirksen who reraised to 150,000 from the small blind. The BB got out, and Cooper declared he was all in. Dirksen shrugged as he said "I call."
The pair tabled their cards and laughed -- for Cooper and for Dirksen. The board brought no flushes, and the pair chopped it up.
"Ace-jack is the nuts!" said Dirksen. "Well, it was suited," said Cooper with a smile.
They continued to talk about the hand, and Cooper added a comment relating to the fortitude required of him not to have backed down to Dirksen's reraise: "I took a shower this morning... they were still there!"
Cooper has 435,000 now, and Dirksen 655,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 5:20 PM Local Time
Jeffrey King open-shoved all in for 196,000 from the cutoff and the action folded to Annette Obrestad who snapped it off from the big blind.
Showdown
King:
Obrestad:
It was another race between the two, and King survived the flop. The on the turn gave him a winning set of eights and the on the river gave him a full house for kicks and giggles.
King is rolling now with 400,000 chips in his stack, and Obrestad is starting to get dangerously low with 375,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 5:15 PM Local Time
Jeffrey King has been on the short stack most of today and just received a much needed double up.
King open-shoved for 101,000 from under the gun and the action folded to Annette Obrestad who re-shoved for effectively 370,000 from the small blind. Michael Pesek surrendered his big blind and the hands were opened:
Showdown
King:
Obrestad:
The flop was no help for Obrestad, but the on the turn gave her an extra out. If a king, seven or jack rivered she would eliminate King.
The on the river was no help however, and King doubled to 205,000 chips. Obrestad's stack dipped to 631,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 5:03 PM Local Time
Dustin Dirksen opened to 32,000 from middle position and Justin Scott was his only caller out of the big blind.
The two checked the flop and after the turned Scott check-called 40,000 from Dirksen.
The rivered and Scott immediately bet 50,000. Dirksen called just as quick, but mucked when Scott opened for a straight.
"I had a lower straight," Dirksen sighed.
Scott is sitting at 900,000 chips and Dirksen slipped to 575,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:50 PM Local Time
Dustin Dirksen limped in from the small blind and Reagan Leman checked out of the big. The flop fell and Dirksen led for 15,000. Leman called.
The turn brought the and Dirksen quickly fired 30,000. Leman again called.
As soon as the hit the felt on the river, Dirksen announced, "Forty (thousand)."
Leman slipped a yellow T1,000 chip on his cards and sat back in his chair. He cut out enough chips to make the call and painstakingly tossed them forward.
"King," Dirksen said opening .
Leman mucked, and his stack slipped to 640,000 chips. Dirksen is up to 684,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:41 PM Local Time
Annette Obrestad opened with a raise to 25,000 from under the gun and got two callers -- Johnny Kitchens (button) and Paul Varano (big blind). The flop came . Varano checked, Obrestad bet 40,000, then Kitchens raised to 100,000. Varano got out, and Obrestad paused a moment before acting.
Finally she set her entire stack out before her, reraising all in with the 350,000 or so she had remaining, and Kitchens quickly called. Obrestad turned over , and Kitchens .
The turn was the and river the , and Obrestad's hand held. After a quick count it was determined she indeed had Kitchens covered, and he hits the rail in 12th place.
Obrestad currently has about 810,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:36 PM Local Time
Michael Cooper raised to 40,000 from the cutoff, and it folded to Dustin Dirksen who reraised to 85,000 from the big blind. Cooper called, and the pair checked down the flop, the turn, and the river.
Cooper tabled for kings, and Dirksen grimaced as he mucked. "You made it too cheap for me," said Cooper afterwards, and Dirksen agreed. "Put more mustard on it, and I probably kick it away."
Cooper has 430,000 now, while Dirksen has 675,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:29 PM Local Time
Derric Haynie opened to 24,000 with the button and Annette Obrestad defended from the big blind.
Both players checked the flop and the on the turn, but after Obrestad checked the on the river Haynie fired 33,000. Obrestad thought for a second before calling.
Haynie tabled for a pair of sevens and Obrestad mucked her hand. With the hand Haynie is back above 400,000 chips.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:23 PM Local Time
It folded to Annette Obrestad who raised from the button, and only Jeffrey King called from the big blind.
The flop came . King checked, and Obrestad continued for 15,000. King then check-raised to 40,000, and Obrestad didn't wait long before pushing out a large stack of green (25,000) chips to reraise enough to put King all in. He paused a beat, then let his hand go.
Obrestad has chipped back up to 475,000 now, while King is down to 153,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:18 PM Local Time
Alex Keating is on the rail for Michael Pesek, and whenever he rakes in a pot, raises, calls, shuffles chips or even folds, Keating religiously chants, "Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!"
Don't ask, we don't know either.
In a recent hand Pancakes...err Pesek opened to 27,000 from the hijack seat and Johnny Kitchens called with the button. The blinds released, and the dealer flopped . Both players checked.
The turn was the and Pesek checked again. Kitchens fired 33,000 this time and Pesek folded.
Pesek slipped to 360,000 chips and don't call it a comeback for Kitchens, he's back up to starting stack.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 4:02 PM Local Time
Some spectators on the rail were just cheering on players at Table 375, including one who shouted to Annette Obrestad that he wanted her to win.
"I can't win for about eight hours anyway," she called back, suggesting patience is the word for the time being. "At least seven," was the response from the rail.
Meanwhile over on the other table, Dustin Dirksen and Reagan Leman were watching the sports highlights go by a little while ago on the big screen television nearby. The pair were marveling at highlights of that incredible Wimbledon tennis match today between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, the one which was finally suspended because of darkness after the pair had played more than ten hours, with the fifth set still tied at 59-59!
We'll see how long this one takes. The blinds are now 6,000/12,000 (with a 2,000 ante), and they are playing six-handed (for now), so the shorter stacks will only be able to be patient for so long.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 3:54 PM Local Time
Brett Shaffer moved into the chip lead during the second hour, and Justin Scott and Paul Varano added significantly to their stacks as well. Meanwhile, Annette Obrestad slipped back just a bit toward the latter part of Level 2.
Brett Shaffer -- 950,000
Justin Scott -- 773,000
Paul Varano -- 759,000
Dustin Dirksen -- 628,000
Reagan Leman -- 538,000
Steven Kelly -- 473,000
Michael Pesek -- 445,000
Johnny Kitchens -- 367,000
Michael Cooper -- 348,000
Derric Haynie -- 341,000
Annette Obrestad -- 339,000
Jeffrey King -- 233,000
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 3:30 PM Local Time
Players are now on a 20 minute break.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 3:22 PM Local Time
It folded around to Dustin Dirksen in the small blind who casually tossed out a raise to 20,000. Reagan Leman looked at Dirksen. "I better be careful," he said as he made the call. "You're running hot." Dirksen grinned in response.
The flop came and Dirksen quickly bet 40,000. Leman laughed and folded his pocket eights face up. Dirksen just nodded. "I hit that flop extremely hard," he assured Leman, who continued to chuckle.
Both players have had good starts to their Day 3, perhaps encouraging their blind-vs.-blind banter. Dirksen has 665,000 at the moment, and Leman 595,000.
(Incidentally, Steven Kelly was moved over to Table 376 to balance the tables following Tran's elimination, and where he is sitting in between Justin Scott and Dirksen.)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 3:16 PM Local Time
After being crippled the previous hand, J.C. Tran is now eliminated from the tournament after losing a flip against Reagan Leman.
Action folded to Leman who raised to 27,000 on the button. Brett Shaffer surrender his small blind and Tran moved all in for less than a min-raise, 26,000, from the big blind. Reagan called.
Showdown
Leman:
Tran:
The flop was horrendous for Tran: . Tran grabbed his bag as the turn and river came , respectively and b-lined for the cashier.
It just wasn't in the cards for Tran today, and he will have to settle with a 13th place finish.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 3:12 PM Local Time
J.C. Tran had a rocky first level today, but had chipped back close to his starting stack by the time Level 2 began. He soon lost a couple of pots, however, and had slipped back to about 215,000 when the following hand took place.
Tran opened with a raise to 20,000 from under the gun, and only Dustin Dirksen called from the button. The flop came . Tran bet 22,000, and Dirksen called. The turn was the . Tran checked, and Dirksen checked behind.
The river brought the . Tran wasted little time grabbing chips and tossing out a bet of 56,000. Dirksen promptly raised to 115,000, and Tran called quickly. Dirksen flipped over for the rivered straight, and Tran showed his for a sadly beaten set of sixes.
Tran is now down to 55,000 and in suddenly dire straits. Dirksen, meanwhile, is challenging for the lead with about 650,000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 3:04 PM Local Time
Brett Shaffer opened to 24,000 from under the gun and the action folded to Heinz Kamutzki who three-bet to 54,000 on the button. The blinds released and Shaffer moved all in for effectively 250,000. Kamutzki decided to put his tournament on the line and made the call.
Showdown
Shaffer:
Kamutzki:
The dealer wrapped the table then fanned , a fairly clean flop for Kamutzki. The moment the fell on the turn though, Kamutzki grimaced as if he'd been punched in the gut. The river brought a meaningless and Kamutzki was eliminated in 14th place.
Shaffer collected Kamutzki's stack pushing his own to 710,000 chips and Kamutzki will collect $6,940 for his efforts.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:57 PM Local Time
The table folded to Annette Obrestad in the cutoff. She took a look at her cards, riffled a stack of yellow (1,000) chips a few times, then dropped a bet of 16,000 in front of her. Michael Pesek deliberated for a moment, then called from the button, and both blinds got out.
The flop came , and both players again took their time before checking. The turn was the . This time Obrestad bet 26,000, and Pesek made the call.
The river was the . Obrestad paused, riffled, then bet 52,000. Pesek didn't take too long to call. Obrestad turned over for Broadway, Pesek showed for the same straight, and the pair split the pot.
Both are sitting right around 500,000 at the moment.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:52 PM Local Time
J.C. Tran opened with a raise to 20,000 from the cutoff, then Michael Cooper reraised to 70,000 from the button.
Justin Scott wasted no time bumping it up to 169,000 from the small blind. The big blind and Tran folded quickly, and Cooper tanked a bit before finally folding. "Ahhhhh," Cooper exhaled, a bit exasperated as he pushed his cards dealerward.
Cooper has struggled to get things going here early on, slipping to 285,000. Scott meanwhile adds to his chip-leading stack of 585,000.