Monday, July 12, 2010 1:54 PM Local Time
Irish pro Owen Robinson has been eliminated from this year's Main Event courtesy of multiple WSOP finalist Theo Tran.
Robinson had a good start, building his stack up of 29,000 up to 50,000, but when he moved tables and into the orange section, it all went the shape of the pear.
Within moments of arriving, Robinson found in the small blind, and with Tran raising it up to 3,200 from UTG+1 and another player flat calling, Robinson decided to come along for the ride.
After everyone checked the flop, Tran fired at the turn and Robinson shipped it in. Tran made the call with , which not only held, but improved to two pair on the river.
"I should have raised preflop," regretted Robinson in the aftermath. "It's just that it was a new table and I didn't know the players too well."
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:53 PM Local Time
David Singer has just been eliminated from the Main Event.
Singer found himself all in holding against an opponent's .
The flop dropped a king and Singer was unable to improve, and consequently was booted from the tournament.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:52 PM Local Time
With about 17,000 in the pot and a board reading , Daniel Negreanu checked under the gun and his opponent bet 6,000. Negreanu made the call and showed but was behind his opponent's rivered pair of aces with .
Negreanu is down to 41,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:51 PM Local Time
On a board of Jay Rosenkrantz check-called 16,500 into a pot of around 23,000.
The river landed the and following checks from both players, Rosenkrantz' bested his opponent's .
Rosenkrantz is now up to 110,000 in chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:49 PM Local Time
We had just finished writing about a player's elimination at the hands of Matt Graham when he knocked out yet another on of his tablemates.
A series of preflop raising had seen Graham calling an all-in bet from another player at his table.
Graham:
Opponent:
Graham didn't look too good heading into the flop, and didn't really catch any help when it came . However, the on the river gave Graham a straight-draw and a flush-draw, the later of which he hit with the on the river.
With the chips he won in that hand, Graham is now up to 280,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:48 PM Local Time
There was about 10,000 in the pot and a flop of when Michael Mizrachi checked. His sole opponent in Seat 8 bet 9,000 and Mizrachi called. The turn was the and Mizrachi led out for a bet of 11,000. Seat 8 wasted little time in moving all in for 36,000 more.
Mizrachi began to think about the situation as the ESPN cameras surrounded the table. "I don't think your bluffing," he said. After thinking it through for a couple minutes, Mizrachi made the call.
Seat 8 turned over . "I'm in bad shape," Mizrachi stated as he revealed . The river was the and Mizrachi slipped back down to around 260,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:46 PM Local Time
We just caught the tail end of another pot that was pushed to Johnny Chan's corner.
The board showed , and Chan had laid out a big bet to put about 100,000 in the pot. His opponent eventually called as the ESPN cameras huddled around, and Chan tabled for the full house. That was good enough to earn him another large pot, chipping him up all the way to 495,000 and once again challenging for the chip lead.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:44 PM Local Time
Matt Savage raised to 3,000 from early position. A player in middle position called and the small blind called. The big blind three-bet to 9,500. Savage made the call while the other two players folded.
The flop came down with Savage having position. The big blind moved all in, having over 100,000 in chips. He was effectively putting Savage all in for his 26,500. Savage made the call after tanking for a few minutes.
Savage held the for a pair and a gutshot while his opponent held the for two overcards.
The turn brought the and kept Savage in the lead. The river completed the board with the to give Savage a straight and win him the pot. He's now up to nearly 80,000 in chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:43 PM Local Time
We're not sure when the money got into the middle, but we are sure that Matt Graham is up to 220,000 after his stayed ahead of an opponent's on a board of .
Graham had his opponent well covered and there's now an empty chair at his table.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:42 PM Local Time
Michael Carroll got into a battle of the blinds with his neighbor to the left, and it didn't go so well. He bet 3,500 at an flop, and the big blind raised it to 8,300. Carroll flatted to see the turn, then checked the action to his opponent. The big blind bet 12,500, and after a minute, Carroll called, meaning he now had half of his stack in the middle. The river was the , and Carroll quickly checked. His opponent didn't notice, however, and sat silently for three or four minutes before someone pointed out that the action was on him. He embarrassedly checked behind and turned over . Carroll shook his head but didn't release his cards. And still didn't. And looked at them again and put them back down in front of him. Finally, with his opponent fearing a super slow roll, Carroll looked one more time and surrendered them to the muck. He is down to 19,500.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:40 PM Local Time
There was no loud announcement of "All in and call!" at Red 365, but that didn't change the fact that a player was all in for about 85,000. Paul Magriel was the man trying to take that player out and had the slightest edge with two red jacks against the other player's .
"Let's see if I can win one of these," that player said. Verdict: no. A board of gave Magriel the pot. He's up to 258,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:35 PM Local Time
Gabe Costner was heads up on a board with about 10,000 already in the middle. His opponent bet 4,500, and Costner called. The turn was the , and the first player checked. Costner overbet the pot, sliding out 35,000. His opponent called the substantial bet, then checked the river. The card put a possible flush out there to go with the straight, and Costner opted to check behind with for two pair. His opponent showed , but top pair was no good, and Costner jumped to 283,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:32 PM Local Time
In a hand that extended deep into the break, the Main Event now boasts a new chip leader with over half a million in chips!
Marco Johnson opened to 3,200 and Kevin Gates made the call before an opponent three-bet to 11,000.
With the action back on Johnson, he made it 27,000 to go, and again Gates made the call as the three-better folded.
Johnson led out for 52,000 on the flop and Gates made the call as the landed on the turn.
Johnson moved all in for roughly 225,000 and Gates immediately made the call for his remaining 194,000.
Johnson:
Gates:
With Gates in the lead, Johnson would need any diamond or jack to take the lead, or plenty of other cards to chop it up.
Unfortunately the river of the was greeted by Johnson looking skywards in shock at the pot that had just played out.
As Gates raked in the pot to move to 550,000, Johnson slipped down to 32,000 in chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:27 PM Local Time
Tournament Director Jack Effel has set things going, and we're playing poker again.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:05 PM Local Time
Players are now taking their first 20-minute break of the day, stopping here halfway through Level 10 to do so. The big board is still showing we are down to 2,304 players total, although we've likely dipped below that figure as the number hasn't changed for a while.
Among those hitting the rail during the first two hours of play today were Scott Seiver, Matt Hawrilenko, Lex Veldhuis, Marc Naalden, Lacey Jones, Phil Laak, Maria Ho, and Sully Erna.
Meanwhile, we've seen the always tough Alexander Kostritsyn rocket to the top of the counts, hitting the 400,000-chip mark. Johnny Chan also continues to enjoy a spot among the leaders after having a very active, up-and-down couple of hours, and Vanessa Selbst has pushed up beyond 300,000 as well.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em. See you back here in 20 minutes.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:05 PM Local Time
As players were dispersing from the tables for a well-deserved 20-minute break, two players remained glued to their seats at the feature table, Vanessa Rousso facing a decision preflop that could potentially eliminate her neighbor who had moved all in for 26,800.
When I arrived, Rousso was going through all her options out loud, much like that advert where we we momentarily dip into the mind of Phil Ivey. After she had seemingly gone through every possible scenario, she turned to her opponent and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
At first, her foe remained statuesque under pressure, but eventually cracked and gave a reply: "I'll tell you after the hand."
"What, you'll tell me what you wish I'd done?" added a confused Rousso.
"She's dangerous when she removes her glasses," whispered another player who had hung around to check out the action.
In the end, Rousso opted for the fold, and complimented "good hand". She then probed like a psychiatrist as to the identity of his hole cards, and although there were no specifics, he did, at least, reveal that he had a "big pair", the news of which appeared to set Rousso's mind at ease. Of course, he could have been fibbing...
Rousso heads into the first break of the day with what appears to be around the 85,000 mark.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:05 PM Local Time
Prahlad Friedman has found a double just prior to the break.
Friedman:
Opponent:
With the ESPN TV cameras pointed directly on Friedman, the board ran out to see Friedman double through to 33,000 in chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:04 PM Local Time
An under the gun player raised to 3,200 and Michael Mizrachi made the call from the hijack position. Both players checked the flop. When the hit the turn, the under the gun player checked and Mizrachi bet 3,000.
After a call, the river was the . The under the gun player checked once again and Mizrachi bet 6,000. His opponent called and showed but it wasn't good against Mizrachi's . Mizrachi is up to 346,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:04 PM Local Time
Jason Somerville and an opponent were heads up with the board reading . Both players checked.
The turn was the and Somerville led for 4,500. His opponent called.
The on the river paired the board, and Somerville again led - this time for 6,000. His opponent again called.
Somerville opened , his opponent mucked and Somerville is up to 260,000 chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 1:04 PM Local Time
Our new chip leader is the Russian superstar Alexander Kostritsyn after a huge hand just went down on his table. The hand was recalled to us by one of his tablemates.
A player raised under the gun to a rather hefty 8,200 and Alexander Kostritsyn made the call in the big blind.
The flop landed and Kostritsyn checked to his opponent who again overbet the pot for 30,000. Kostritsyn flat-called.
The turn was the and again Kostritsyn checked to his opponent who fired 30,000. This time, Kostritsyn responded with a check-raise to 100,000 before his opponent went all in. Kostritsyn made the call and opened for flopped two pair as his opponent showed pocket jacks for the overpair.
The river bricked the and Kostritsyn takes it down in a monster pot to jump to over 400,000!