Sunday, June 27, 2010 11:37 PM Local Time
The flop read when Leif Force put Chris Bell all in. Bell made the call.
Force:
Bell:
Turn:
River:
Force's low draw failed to come in and Bell scooped the pot to double to 625,000 as Gavin Smith wandered in announcing, "The cowboy is here."
Force was left with 550,000. "It's your turn now," Dan Shak told him.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 11:30 PM Local Time
David Ulliott moved all in for 145,000 from the small blind -- technically illegal, since pot was only 90,000, but Dan Shak didn't mind. He raised all in, or called Ulliott's all in, depending on your perspective, and the cards were on their backs. Ulliott said, "I don't like it," with his up against Shak's . Cue the flop:
Each man made a pair of aces. Ulliott's kicker was in the lead until the turn came to give Shak two pair.
"I knew that f***er was coming," said Devilfish. But he got a great card with the river , giving him a Broadway straight. Ship the double-up to Devilfish.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 11:26 PM Local Time
Leif Force limped in on the small blind and the short-stacked Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott checked his option. They saw an flop on which Force bet pot. Devilfish folded and dropped down to 145,000.
One of Force's railers appeared at the table.
"Hey Leif, what are those things in front of you?" He pointed to the two rather vicious-looking drinks next to Force - our best guess is vodka Red Bull. Force motioned to take them back to the rail with a grin. Good to know there are ways around the Rio's new ban on waiters serving railers.
The rail, currently including Ricky Fohrenbach and Alex Wice, suddenly all piped up at once.
"Hey Leif, I want an Ultra!"
"Vodka tonic!"
"Jack and sour!"
---
So next hand Devilfish got his whole five-big-blind stack in from the small blind and was up against Dan Shak in the big.
Devilfish:
Shak:
Board:
They chopped it up, as the rail heckled Devilfish.
"What?" he cried back, 'That's the best hand I've seen in f***ing hours!"
Called over a gent at the rail: "Fish! She wants a Michelob Ultra!" - indicating a rather lovely girl next to him.
"I'll cheer for you too!" she added.
"What is it?" Devilfish called back, "Is it a drink?"
---
By the by, the ban on serving railers seems to have been temporarily lifted since Force's rail promised they'd behave themselves if they got served. Power to the people!
Sunday, June 27, 2010 11:14 PM Local Time
Dan Shak opened to 100,000 pre-flop in front of Chris Bell. Bell then moved in for just a bit more, with Shak making the call. Check out the hands:
Shak:
Bell:
While all of this was going on, things in the $1,500 no-limit hold'em table started to get seriously out of control. They've got vuvuzelas (seriously), football chants and just all manner of buzz. Over here, we've got James Dempsey.
This is not a case of potato, potatoe.
In any event, flop comes to give Bell the wheel wrap. It fills with the turn and Bell doubles with the river. Ta da! Bell increases his count to 275,000.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:52 PM Local Time
Incidentally, just a little while ago Dan Shak wandered off from the table to chat to his rail, which mostly consists of some very pretty girls, the view spoiled only by James "Flushy" Dempsey sitting among them.
While he was gone, Devilfish took his chair away and put it on the rail.
Oh, that Devilfish!
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:48 PM Local Time
We just had a break, but the players are on another while a color-up is performed.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:48 PM Local Time
Dan Shak's been leading through most of this Day 3 and isn't about to let Joe Ritzie steal his thunder. Ritzie limped in late position, with Shak checking the big blind. On a flop of , Shak checked and called a bet of 60,000 from the flush-with-chips Ritzie.
The turn paired the board . We don't know whether that was a "good card" or a "bad card" for our two combatants. What we do know is that Shak checked and called another 105,000 from Ritzie. But when the river fell , Shak led into Ritzie for 150,000. What to do, what to do. Ritzie eventually folded, allowing Shak to claim the pot uncontested and to become the second player to more than a million in chips. In fact, he has 1.1 million.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:43 PM Local Time
Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott limped under the gun, Joe Ritzie limped on the button, Erik Seidel limped in the small blind and Leif Force checked his option in the big. That's four players to the flop, as we learned in elementary school.
The flop came down and it checked around to Devilfish, who bet 30,000. Ritzie and Seidel both folded, but Force now raised to 120,000. Devilfish checked his hole cards. Force checked his as well. "Have to bluff now," he said cheerfully. They showed first one card, then another - eventually it became clear that Devilfish was folding, and Force showed his whole hand - for a set of threes and the nut low draw.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:43 PM Local Time
Former chip leader Chris Bell - although actually every player remaining at this final has been chip leader at one point or another; such is PLO8 - is now in some very serious trouble.
He checked the turn of a board and then called a bet from Joe Ritzie. They both checked the river and Ritzie turned over . Bell showed, but the dealer took his cards away rather quickly.
Bell is down to 125,000 - just about five big blinds.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:25 PM Local Time
The last Dutch hope in this tournament was Rob Hollink. We say "was" because "Mr. Hollink", as our esteemed tournament director referred to him, has just busted in seventh place. The player with the most chips (again, what some would call the "chip leader"), Joe Ritzie, opened pre-flop for 70,000. Hollink thought through his decision for about a minute before calling to a flop of . Hollink then tried a stop-and-go by moving all in. Ritzie wss having none of it. He called with , a pair of sevens and the nut low draw. Hollink showed , which was behind in all regards. The turn gave Ritzie the nut low; the river gave Hollink the boot in 7th place.
Ritzie now has about 1.25 million in chips.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:22 PM Local Time
Erik Seidel limped in on the small blind and Perry Green in the big checked his option. They saw a flop.
Flop:
Seidel bet out - around 45,000 - and Green called. Most interesting.
Turn:
This time Seidel checked, and Green announced all in, or pot, whichever was greater. Seidel briefly thought about it - and then decided to get the chips in. On their backs.
Seidel: for a flush
Green: for a smaller flush, meaning that he was drawing dead
"Good game," said Green.
River: an academic
There will be no fourth bracelet this time around for Green, as he is our eighth place finisher. Bracelet number nine is a distinct possibility for Seidel, though - he's up to 845,000.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:13 PM Local Time
Move over, Dan Shak. There's something leaner. Joe Ritzie is our new chip leader after doubling through Chris Bell in what our colleague change100 would call a "monsterpotten". The pot was limped four-ways for 24,000 each pre-flop, with Erik Seidel, David Ulliott, Bell and Ritzie all in there. Action on the flop checked to Bell, who bet 90,000. Ritzie raised pot to 366,000, quickly clearing out Seidel and Ulliott. Bell then moved all in and Ritzie called all in for 471,000 total.
Ritzie: , a set of nines and a low draw
Bell: , a pair of sixes, some straight draws, and a better low draw
It was "vaffles" for Bell as the turn and river came and to give Ritzie a scooper for the whole pot. Our gorilla math now puts Ritzie at 1,036,000, while Bell is rocking a much-depleted stack of 200,000.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 10:06 PM Local Time
Harkin - for whom the Bell tolls.
Chris Bell opened for 70,000 from the button and Jeremy Harkin shoved from the big blind. A quiet call, and the cards were on their backs.
Bell:
Harkin:
Board:
Harkin was already standing to leave when Bell flopped trip fours, and by the end of the board Bell had only improved to a straight and a 7-5-4-3-A low. Harkin took his leave to a round of applause, and Bell moved up to around 700,000.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:57 PM Local Time
Dan Shak is the chip leader at the moment, which at this final table simply means he has slightly more chips than the next guy. He was in the big blind and called a raise to 55,000 made by Jeremy Harkin, who is not the chip leader. Shak led out at the pot for 122,000 on a flop of , which was enough to chase Harkin away.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:49 PM Local Time
The action was all preflop, and went like so:
Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott - raise to 70,000
Dan Shak - reraise to 220,000
Devilfish - all in
Shak - call
Devilfish:
Shak:
Board:
Devilfish made the nut low and Shak made two pair for the high. They chopped it up, and we remain nine-handed.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:42 PM Local Time
The first hand was taken by Devilfish, with a simple preflop raise.
The second was taken by Seidel in similar fashion.
The third hand, Leif Force raised in position and Dan Shak called from the small blind. Force took it down without a fuss on the flop.
Fourth hand, and Devilfish raised from the button, only for chip leader Dan Shak to reraise in the big blind. Devilfish thought about it for a long time, but ultimately decided to pass.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:36 PM Local Time
There's a final table behind us, which would seemingly be $1,500 no-limit hold'em. The chants coming from the spectators over there are way better than the chants from the spectators here, which are non-existent. Our spectators really need to pick it up unless they're ok with being out-chanted and out-spectated.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:28 PM Local Time
They made some introductions. One of these players' poker ambitions is to meet Erick Lindgren, which seems like not such an ambitious ambition. But whatever! Cards are in the air. 12 minutes are left in this level.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:20 PM Local Time
And what a final table it is!
There are no fewer than 13 bracelets at this final table - Seidel eight, Green three, Ulliott and Hollink one each - and almost all the spectator seats have already been filled, in spite of the players not actually being here yet.
This is going to be awesome.
Sunday, June 27, 2010 8:14 PM Local Time
...At the Poker Kitchen, that is. The burritos are particularly good today.
We'll be back in an hour.