Monday, July 12, 2010 1:03 PM Local Time
Michael Mizrachi is going strong in the early part of today and seems to be in high spirits. He recently limped into a pot from early position. A player a few seats behind raised to 3,600, folding the action back to Mizrachi.
"You sure you want to do this?" he asked, calling chips in hand.
"Sure," his opponent replied.
"Let's do it then." Mizrachi dropped his chips into the pot. "You got two 4s?" he asked.
There was no response from the other player as the dealer peeled off a flop. Mizrachi checked. When his opponent bet 5,000, he quickly open-folded and smiled.
"Thank you sir," said Mizrachi's opponent.
"Thank you for folding?" Mizrachi asked.
"Thank you for the chips."
Mizrachi nodded. "Spend them wisely."
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:02 PM Local Time
A player in middle position raised to 3,100 and Jonathan Aguiar made the call from the button. The small blind called as well and the flop came down . Middle position bet 13,000 and Aguiar made the call. The small blind folded and the turn came the .
Middle position checked and Aguiar bet 20,000. His opponent then moved all in over the top for about 40,000 more. Aguiar quickly called and showed , which was far ahead of his opponent's . Aguiar had more chips so his tournament wasn't at risk.
The dealer burned and revealed the on the river. Aguiar sent his opponent to the rail while increasing his stack to around 150,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:01 PM Local Time
With the board reading , Steve Sung bet 13,500 after an opponent checked. Sung's opponent moved all in for effectively 49,300 and Sung called.
Showdown
Sung:
Opponent:
The on the turn gave Sung's opponent four extra outs to a straight, but the on the river was a big, red brick. Sung won the pot, doubling to 112,000 chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:59 PM Local Time
Floppy-haired German circuit pro Heinz Kamutzki has taken a smallish hit after calling a short-stacked player's preflop push.
Kamutzki:
Short Stack:
Board:
The shortie doubled to around 35,000. Kamutzki is in no particular difficulty on around 160,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:56 PM Local Time
Eddy Scharf pushed his last 14,700 into the pot from the cutoff and was called by an opponent on the button.
Scharf:
Opponent:
The board ran out to see the German sent to the rail.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:55 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu brought on the flop when he checked after a middle-position player called followed by Hoyt Corkins in the cutoff.
The flop came down and Negreanu bet 7,200. The player in middle position folded but Corkins raised enough to get Negreanu to commit all his chips.
Negreanu:
Corkins:
The turn was the and the river followed with the , putting Negreanu at about 63,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:54 PM Local Time
Sully Erna peeked down at in the hole, and he got himself all in for his last 43,000 chips preflop. Unfortunately for Erna, he ran smack into Petter Northug's , and Erna was at risk for his tournament life against one of only two dominating hands.
There would be no salvation from the dealer; the board ran . Unable to improve, Erna has been Godsmack-ed right out the door.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:54 PM Local Time
Vanessa Selbst has continued her winning ways from the first two days of play, having moved past the 300,000-chip mark during the first hour-and-a-half today. She was just now involved in an interesting hand with 2002 WSOP Main Event champion Robert Varkonyi, sitting to Selbst's right.
The hand began with Selbst opening for 2,400 from under the gun, and the table folding around to the small blind who called. Varkonyi then called as well from the big blind.
The flop came , and all three players checked. The turn then brought the . The small blind bet 7,200, and Varkonyi made the call. Selbst then raised to 23,500, forcing out the small blind.
Varkonyi then went deep into the tank, taking several minutes while contemplating what to do. Finally he reraised all in, and Selbst snap-called.
Selbst showed for the straight, and was a bit surprised when she saw Varkonyi's hand -- ! "Are you kidding or are you serious?" she asked, wondering about why he had taken so long to act when holding the current nuts. The river was the , and the pair chopped the pot.
They continued talking about the hand for some time afterwards, with Selbst ultimately apologizing for having reacted to Varkonyi's play. Selbst now sits with about 315,000, while Varkonyi has 132,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:52 PM Local Time
We passed by Allie Prescott's table as Prescott was checking behind after his lone opponent checked the turn, . That player bet 11,500 chips on the river. Prescott called and took down the pot with top two pair, , kings and queens. Adding that pot to his stack increased Prescott's count to 146,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:51 PM Local Time
They say it's a "skill game", but sometimes the cards fall in such a way that an all-in showdown is inevitable.
In a recent hand, Ernst Hermans - who finaled the now defunct E-WSOP in Vienna back in '06 - found himself entwined in an unavoidable blind on blind confrontation with his neighbor.
The big blind made the final call with for what was an additional 48,200 before flipping his onto the felt. Hermans showed .
The board changed nothing, and Hermans doubled through to what must be around the 150,000 mark.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:47 PM Local Time
Jared Hamby has found a much needed double to give himself a little breathing room. Hamby was all in preflop with his in strong shape against an opponent's and there were no surprises on the board.
Hamby doubles up to 34,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:46 PM Local Time
Maria Ho is the latest casualty in the field. She got all in pre-flop with and was called by a player with . The raven-haired beauty made a graceful exit after a board of did not improve her hand.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:45 PM Local Time
Catching the action on the turn on a board of , the blinds checked to the under-the-gun player who fired 4,000. Kathy Liebert was the only caller to see the hit the river. The UTG-player fired 11,000 into the middle, and Liebert made the call, but mucked when showed for a straight.
Liebert is back to 85,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:45 PM Local Time
Carter Phillips has amassed quite a stack, giving him ammunition to play lots of pots and to play them to many streets. He was one of three players to call a pre-flop raise to 2,700. Phillips had last action on a flop of and bet 4,500. The big blind quickly raised to 15,000, driving the two players in between him and Phillips out of the pot. Phillips called.
When the turn fell the big blind forcefully bet another 27,000. It did not take Phillips long to call. Both players checked the river, the . They chopped the pot with (big blind) and (Phillips). Each player had a pair of tens and used the ace, jack and nine on board to fill out his hand.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:43 PM Local Time
There was about 20,000 in the pot and a board reading when David "Devilfish" Ulliott checked and his opponent in Seat 7 bet 20,000. Devilfish grabbed four orange chips as if to make the call but then started to think it over.
He began talking to himself and even did the old fake toss to try and elicit information from his opponent. "If I fold will you show me?" he asked.
"Maybe," was Seat 7's response. The Devilfish then started talking aloud about possible hands before the dealer warned him that he couldn't discuss the hand. Devilfish explained that he was talking to himself but the dealer wasn't having it and called the floor.
The floor explained that the hand was not to be discussed aloud per tournament rules. "Whose rule is that?" inquired the Devilfish.
"[Tournament Director] Jack Effel's," was the response.
"Tell Jack he's an idiot," retorted the Devilfish. He then flashed the and tossed his cards in the muck. Seat 7 showed for a flopped full house. "Nice hand," complimented the Devilfish. He is currently sitting with around 80,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:42 PM Local Time
With a raise to 2,600 from middle position, Carter Gill decided to flat call in the cutoff to see a flop of .
Both players checked and the turn brought the . Again it was checked to Gill who this time took a stab with a bet of 3,000. His opponent made the call the the river was the . Action checked to Gill who fired a healthy 12,000 with his opponent looking him up.
Gill tabled an ambitious for trip treys to scoop the pot. He's up to 175,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:41 PM Local Time
Vanessa Rousso had somehow got all the way to the river of the board by the time we caught up with her going all in for 37,000 into a 22,000 pot. Giovanni Rizzo made the call in the big blind, but mucked when Rousso turned over for a rivered gutshot.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:37 PM Local Time
A raising war between JP Kelly (button) and a gentleman we think was Guy Longworth (big blind) resulted in Kelly four-betting enough to put Longworth all in. Longworth thought about it long and hard, and eventually made what was a very good call.
Longworth:
Kelly:
The poker gods do not always respect good calls, though, and Longworth announced, "F***," with considerable feeling as Kelly paired up on the flop.
Board:
Longworth hit the rail, and tablemates and fellow Brits Barny Boatman and Dan Carter gave Kelly slightly funny looks as he innocently stacked up the chips.
Kelly moved up to 85,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:37 PM Local Time
Lacey Jones has just been eliminated from the tournament. She was all in preflop with the for her last 13,300 and up against the from her opponent. After the board ran out , it was time for Jones to say her goodbyes and head to the rail.
Monday, July 12, 2010 12:33 PM Local Time
Captain Tom Franklin was just all in for his last 14,000 before the flop with and up against an opponent's .
The community cards came , and Franklin survived. Franklin -- who once finished seventh in the WSOP Main Event (in 1995) -- now sits with about 30,000.