Monday, July 12, 2010 8:37 PM Local Time
Danny Estes limped in for 2,000 with a player in middle position making the call as the big blind checked his option.
The flop fell down , and after the big blind checked, Estes fired out 6,100. The fellow limper made the call before the big blind moved all in for an additional 27,100. Estes made the call to put his opponent at risk as the third player released his hand.
Estes:
Opponent:
The turn and river blanked out with the and to see Estes eliminate his opponent and climb to 280,000 in chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:37 PM Local Time
Amanda Baker was all in before the flop with , and he was racing for double or nothing against an opponent's .
There was trouble on the flop for Baker in the form of an ace, and she was unable to catch up on a board that ran . She was the one at risk when the cards were turned up, and she has thusly run out of chips and run out of chances here in the Main Event.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:33 PM Local Time
Kenny Tran was all in for his last chips on a flop of holding for top set, and the nuts, but it wasn't over just yet as his opponent showed for the flush draw.
The turn was the and the river the and Tran's opponent found his flush on the river to end the tournament of Tran.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:31 PM Local Time
With the board reading , Andrew Brown was faced with a 12,000-chip bet from an opponent and made the call.
The turned and Brown's opponent fired another bullet - this one was worth 25,000. Brown called.
Brown's opponent slowed after the rivered, checking to Brown who took the opportunity to bet 90,000. His opponent quickly called and mucked even quicker when Brown showed him for a set of sevens.
Sandy, your boy now has 445,000 chips.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:29 PM Local Time
Cole South started off the action with a raise from the hijack seat to 5,500. The player on the button flat-called and then Ronnie "Ronasty" Bardah three-bet from the big blind to 19,500. South double checked his hand before folding and the button made the call.
The flop came down and Bardah fired a continuation bet worth 25,000. The button mucked and Bardah moved his way up to 310,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:27 PM Local Time
Michael Mizrachi lost about half of his chips after doubling up an opponent on a hand that saw all the chips go into the middle preflop.
Mizrachi:
Opponent:
Mizrachi was looking for some hearts or an ace, but he didn't get either of them as the board ran out .
After losing 111,000 chips to his opponent, Mizrachi has fallen to about 109,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:26 PM Local Time
Gerasimos Deres is sitting with 640,000 chips thanks in part to a big hand in which a player five-bet shoved 220,000 with . Deres tank-called with and the board ran .
Deres chipped up with some small pots after that hand, and is now amongst our chip leaders.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:24 PM Local Time
On a flop of , Jim Collopy made a bet of 8,200 with Matt Affleck making the call to see the hit the turn. Collopy bet 21,700 but Affleck responded with a cheeky min-raise. Collopy made the call.
The river was the and Collopy checked to Affleck who made it 65,000 to see, but the price was too high for Collopy who let his hand go.
Collopy slips to 375,000 with Affleck now up to 325,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:17 PM Local Time
It's been a tough day for Michael Mizrachi but he's in rebuilding mode after eliminating an opponent. The two got the chips all in pre-flop, with Mizrachi's stack covering his opponent by about 60,000 chips. Mizrachi's pocket kings were in the lead, and needed to fade an ace when his opponent tabled . The board came without much of a sweat for Mizrachi, . He eliminated his opponent and is back up to 225,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:14 PM Local Time
2007 Main Event 3rd-place finisher Raymond Rahme is sprinting up the counts since the dinner break. He re-raised pre-flop to 24,500 in a recent pot after the under-the-gun player opened to 5,000. Action folded to the small blind, who moved all in for about 80,000. That raise folded the under-the-gun player, but Rahme called with . He was racing and came out on top of a board. When his opponent's chips were added to his own Rahme's new chip count was approximately 345,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:12 PM Local Time
Poker's a game in which dreams are realized and legends made, but it's also one of near misses and close-but-no-cigar moments - sometimes the line between the two is thinner than we think.
John Shipley is often cited as falling into the final category and for a few years had a blemish on his otherwise spotless poker career that he found difficult to remove.
Back in 2002, Shipley was the chip leader heading into the Main Event final with more than double that of Russell Rosenblum in second. However, momentum soon switched, and Shipley's stack began hurtling towards the felt before he incredibly exited in a disappointing seventh place for $125,000.
Robert Varkonyi, meanwhile, went on to become the 2002 World Champion and have his picture hung up on the wall, predominately due to a huge double through with jacks versus the ace-jack of Shipley. Shipley had been the odds on favorite to etch his name into history, but that honor had evaded him.
Getting so close must have been painful, but Shipley battled on, and continued his life as a poker pro, finding the occasional score including an EPT win in the inaugural season.
Today, he's back in the Main Event in an effort to better his 2002 performance, and hopefully go that one step further. Of course, the environment is different, and the mountain is steeper, but I see a look of determination on his face that makes me think he could be a dark horse. With 145,000, he's by no means comfortable, but he's still alive and in with a shout if he can hit a good run of cards.
One of the more reserved players on the scene, you won't be hearing him shout and holler, or strive for the attention of the cameras, but he has a story to tell, and one that he hopes will have a happy ending. Perhaps 2010 will finally be Shipley's year and the closing chapter he's been searching for.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:12 PM Local Time
There was about 18,000 in the pot and a flop of when the big blind bet 12,000. Raymond Rahme made the call only to have the button raise to 43,300. The big blind folded and Rahme moved all in over the top. It was enough to take down the pot and Rahme brought his stack up to 220,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:12 PM Local Time
We don't know when the money got in the middle, but when we arrived at Table 298 Thor Hansen was all in with against an opponent's and the flop had already fallen . The turn and river both bricked , respectively and Hansen was eliminated.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:06 PM Local Time
There was about 60,000 in the pot and a flop of when Pat Ricci was all in for around 50,000 against Robert Mizrachi.
Ricci:
Mizrachi:
The ESPN camera crew made their way over and watched as the hit the turn. The on the river gave Mizrachi the pot while increasing his stack to around 460,000. Ricci shook hands with Mizrachi and made a gracious exit from the tournament area.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:02 PM Local Time
Isaac Baron was down to about 70,000 not too long ago, but has worked his chip stack back to about 134,000.
He picked up a few chips after being involved in a hand against another player at his table where Baron bet 7,500 into a board reading , getting a call. When the arrived on the turn, Baron bet again, this time for 16,500. His opponent folded and Baron continued to build.
Monday, July 12, 2010 8:01 PM Local Time
With around 10,000 in the pot by the flop, John Shipley (small blind) checked to David Benyamine (mid position) who bet 6,500. Shipley now check-raised all in for 68,300, and after a moment or two, Benyamine made the call.
"You're in good shape," noted Benyamine as soon as the cards had been flipped.
Benyamine: for a flush draw and a gutshot
Shipley: for a higher flush draw
Turn: giving Shipley a pair of aces
River: a harmless
The man who finalled the Main Event in 2002 doubled up to around 150,000 to stay in the game on roughly average chips. Benyamine dropped back to a not-far-off 160,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 7:56 PM Local Time
With about 36,000 in the pot on the turn on a board of , Kevin MacPhee led the betting for 20,000 with 2002 World Champion Robert Varkonyi making the call.
The river produced the and MacPhee released again, this time for 41,000. Varkonyi went into the tank but eventually mustered up a call.
MacPhee showed for a full house which was good as Varkonyi's cards hit the muck. MacPhee is up to 187,000 with Varkonyi back to 150,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 7:56 PM Local Time
Catching the action on the flop, Frank Kassela fired out 10,500 with his opponent making the call.
The turn landed the and Kassela check-called 25,000 as the peeled off on the river.
Now faced with a 90,000-chip bet, Kassela again took the check-call line, but mucked at the sight of his opponent's .
"It's poker. I just can't believe I called the river!" stated Kassela.
"All I had was two red queens!" Kassela added.
"You played it good . . . whether you meant to or not!" jabbed Kassela as he re-adjusted his now 240,000-chip stack.
Monday, July 12, 2010 7:55 PM Local Time
Isaac Baron is showing signs of life after eliminating a shorter-stacked opponent a few moments ago. That player opened with a standard raise. The action passed to Baron on the button, who re-raised to 12,600. That second raise cleared out the blinds. Baron's opponent then moved all in for about 35,000 and Baron quickly called.
Baron:
Opponent:
Baron's opponent was drawing dead by the turn of a . Aces and kings gave Baron the pot and increased his count to about 125,000.
Monday, July 12, 2010 7:54 PM Local Time
Tony Korfman, author of Texas Hold'em: Tournaments, Cash Games, & Embarassing Social Gas, was recently moved to a new table here in the Red Section of the Amazon Room. Aside from his book and antics, Korfman is also well known for finishing runner-up in the 2007 WSOP Seniors event.
Actually, in that event he was heads-up with Ernest Bennett and the two made a deal. Korfman made it apparent he was after the money and the money only. He agreed to let Bennett win the championship uncontested if Bennett was willing to split the prize money evenly. Bennett agreed and that is what they did.
In a recent hand, action folded to the small blind who raised to 6,000. Korfman, who was still in the process of unbagging his chips, made the call from the big blind and the two saw a flop of .
The small blind bet 8,000 and Korfman immediately raised to 22,000. The small blind called and then checked the on the turn. Korfman bet 30,000 and the small blind made another call. Both players then checked the on the river. The small blind turned over and Korfman mucked. Even with that loss, Korfman is sitting with around 300,000.