Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:20 PM Local Time
After a short break following Nacho Barbero's exit, play has resumed. Most of the orange chips were colored up during the pause.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:12 PM Local Time
Danny Smith raised to 65,000, and Robert Mizrachi flatted. On the button, Jose "Nacho" Barbero moved all in for 256,000 total. Smith snap called, and Mizrachi folded as fast as he could. Everyone jumped out of their seats to get a look at the cards.
Barbero:
Smith:
The flop gave Smith top set and had Barbero drawing extremely thin. The turn was enough to end his tournament, and after the river, he shook hands with the table and made his exit.
Smith moved up to 1.34 million after notching the final table's first knockout.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:08 PM Local Time
Scott Mandel opened for 65,000 and Robert Mizrachi called in the small blind. They saw a flop.
Flop:
Mizrachi checked and Mandel bet pot - 154,000. Mizrachi now shoved for less than 300,000 total, and Mandel swiftly called.
Mizrachi: for a pair of queens
Mandel: for a pair of kings
Mizrachi was in need of some assistance from the board.
Turn:
No help there. Mizrachi needed a queen, a jack or an ace.
River:
The Mizrachi rail went wild as their boy doubled up to 740,000. Mandel had an expression on his face that can only be described as 'gutted'. He dropped to 640,000.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:00 PM Local Time
Danny Smith limped under the gun, and Chance Kornuth raised it to 60,000. Big blind Julian Gardner called, and Smith paid the tax as well to see the flop. They all checked to get to the on the turn. Gardner bet out the size of the pot - 192,000 - and everyone folded.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:55 PM Local Time
Michael Mizrachi raised to 69,000 in the hijack - the second hand in a row he'd raised. (The first hand, Eric Liu called in the big blind but they checked it down and Mizrachi won it with kings.) This time Ted Martin called in the big blind.
Martin checked the flop and Mizrachi bet 100,000. Martin dwelled up for a long time, squinting at the board, and then called.
Both players checked the turn, and they saw a river. This time Martin bet out 100,000. Mizrachi thought about it for some time before calling - and then mucked to Martin's flush.
Mizrachi dropped to 400,000.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:21 PM Local Time
Ran Azor lost a smallish pot to Chance Kornuth, so he was down to 250,000 when he got involved in a blind-on-blind confrontation with Scott Mandel.
They were at the turn of the board when Mandel checked. Azor bet pot (98,000) and Mandel check-raised pot to put him in. Azor called all in, and they were on their backs.
Azor: for a pair of kings and a flush draw
Mandel: for aces
River:
With that, we have reached our official final table.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:13 PM Local Time
Scott Mandel limped under the gun, and Danny Smith, Robert Mizrachi, and both blinds all came along for the minimum. The flop came , and Ted Martin and Kevin Boudreau checked their blinds. Mandel bet 100,000, and only Mizrachi called to see the turn pair the board. Manel checked, and Mizrachi checked behind. The river was the , and Mandel checked again. His attempt at a trap failed, however, and Mizrachi checked again. Mandel tabled for top boat and took the pot, though it was smaller than he would have liked.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:04 PM Local Time
First hand back, and we've already had some serious action.
It started off slow with an assortment of limps to the flop. It checked around to Danny Smith who bet 125,000. Ran Azor, who had been one of the checkers, was the sole caller.
They went heads up to a turn and this time Azor bet out 120,000. Smith paused briefly, and then raised pot - it looked like 560,000 with 20,000 behind - either way, enough to cover Azor. Azor considered it for a while, but eventually folded.
Azor is now one of our shorter stacks on 315,000. Smith moved into the lead on around a million.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 7:54 PM Local Time
Everyone is back from dinner, settled at the feature table, and back in business.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 7:02 PM Local Time
The players will return from dinner to the following seats and stacks at the unofficial final table:
Seat 1: Scott Mandel - 801,000 (33bb)
Seat 2: Ran Azor - 581,000 (24bb)
Seat 3: Julian Gardner - 266,000 (11bb)
Seat 4: Danny Smith - 728,000 (30bb)
Seat 5: Robert Mizrachi - 833,000 (20bb)
Seat 6: Jose Nacho Barbero - 351,000 (15bb)
Seat 7: Chance Kornuth - 846,000 (35bb)
Seat 8: Eric Liu - 811,000 (34bb)
Seat 9: Edward Martin - 839,000 (35bb)
Seat 10: Kevin Boudreau - 792,000 (33bb)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 6:50 PM Local Time
As it turned out, the number of players hit 10 and the level ended at exactly the same time. We'll be moving to the main feature table after our players have spent an hour running around Vegas looking for shwarma and hummus by the sound of it.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 6:50 PM Local Time
Mark Eddleman raised to 80,000 under the gun, leaving himself 27,000 behind. Only Robert Mizrachi called. The flop came out , but Mizrachi didn't even look at it before he threw in the chips to put Eddleman all in. He called, and it was time for showdown.
Eddleman:
Mizrachi:
Eddleman didn't like the sight of Mizrachi's full wrap. The on the turn gave Eddleman a little help, but the on the river made Mizrachi a straight to eliminate Eddleman just in time for dinner.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 6:47 PM Local Time
We found Scott Mandel betting pot from the small blind position on the turn of an board. Ryan D'Angelo (cutoff) announced all in, Mandel called, and they were on their backs.
D'Angelo: for two pair, queens and eights
Mandel: for two pair, queens and jacks
River:
The stacks were counted, and D'Angelo had change - 3,000. Not a typo. Just 3,000.
So he got it in from the hijack the next hand and Mandel raised, successfully isolating. Once again, the two of them were on their backs.
D'Angelo:
Mandel:
Board: ac]
"Good game guys," said D'Angelo, and we were down to 11.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 6:26 PM Local Time
In two hands, Robert Mizrachi has sent a cash infusion to Chance Kornuth, and he really doesn't look happy about it. Can't say we're surprised.
The first flop fell , and Mark Eddleman checked his big blind. Kornuth bet 130,000, and Mizrachi called. The turn brought the , and Kornuth moved all in for 316,000. Mizrachi agonized for a minute before finding a fold.
The very next hand, Kornuth raised and Mizrachi called. "Hold on, it may take me a minute," Kornuth said. I'm not sure how much I have yet."
The flop came , and Chance checked. Robert bet 110,000, and Kornuth quickly potted for 440,000. Mizrachi couldn't believe it was happening again. But it was, and he was forced to fold again. Mizrachi looked miserably at his stack, now down to 730,000. Chance was quite pleased to rearrange his chips in a formation more suitable for 880,000.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 6:18 PM Local Time
Ryan D'Angelo got his whole stack in on the turn of a board and Kevin Boudreau called.
Boudreau: for a straight
D'Angelo: for the same straight, freerolling for a full house
River:
The board did not pair, and they chopped it up. "Unlucky," said Boudreau, which struck us as most gentlemanly.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 6:05 PM Local Time
Eric Liu raised to 50,000 in the cutoff and Chance Kornuth reraised pot from the button. It folded back around to Liu who announced all in, Kornuth announced call, and they were on their backs.
Liu:
Kornuth:
Board:
Kornuth high-fived someone at the rail as he doubled to 475,000. Liu dropped back to 800,000 or so.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 5:59 PM Local Time
There was supposed to be a 60-minute dinner break after this level, but they have decided to play down to ten players and then take dinner. If they reach ten earlier, they'll stop then. If not, they'll push dinner back. At ten, they'll redraw to the unofficial final table, move their chips to the ESPN featured stage, and then recess for an hour.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 5:42 PM Local Time
All players are back at the table, presumably feeling relieved and ready for another hour of poker before their dinner break.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 5:39 PM Local Time
See, it doesn't just happen in the ladies' event. All twelve players agreed to a five minute bathroom break. Cooperation ftw!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 5:38 PM Local Time
We arrived just in time to see a flop on the felt and Robert Mizrachi (button) betting 130,000. In the small blind, Danny Smith, who seemed to have checked, announced pot - which as it turned out, was greater than his remaining stack. He was all in.
Mizrachi made a face - not a happy face - and after a few moments he folded.
Smith - up to 760,000
Mizrachi - down to 855,000