Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:34 PM Local Time
This crowd may be made up of players from the 'ol' school', but it's the Internet generation's trend of applying preflop pressure which has taken hold of today's final table.
At the moment, most hands are being taken down preflop, usually with a three-bet. On the last hand, Negreanu raised to 4,400 before folding to a reraise of 11,500 from Jennifer Harman, and the hand before that, Joe Hachem raise-folded 5,500 to Johnny Chan's 16,000 three-bet.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:23 PM Local Time
Annie Duke open shoved for 14,000. After a moment of thought, Joe Hachem flatted on her left. Everyone else got out of the way, so it was time to flip 'em.
Duke:
Hachem:
The got a cheer from the crowd. Way ahead, Duke took a sip of her tea and a deep breath. The turn and river were no help to Joe, and Duke doubled up to 34,000. Hachem is still plenty healthy with 115,000.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:17 PM Local Time
Huck Seed - looking rather more clean cut than when he started the Series - opened to 6,000 from early position and Daniel Negreanu made the call in the big blind.
After both players checked the flop, Negreanu took it down with a bet of 9,200 on the turn.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:11 PM Local Time
Johnny Chan raised to 3,800 under the gun, and it folded to Howard Lederer in the cutoff. He moved all in for an additional 25,700. While Chan was thinking, they realized that despite the level up, everyone had contributed a 200 ante instead of 300, and the blinds had remained at 800/1,600. Chan folded, and Lederer joked that everyone owed him a few extra.
The next hand, Jennifer Harman raised, and Lederer moved all in again. She gave it up, and he took down two in row. That puts Lederer up to 46,000.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:04 PM Local Time
The very first hand went to Daniel Negreanu. He raised it up preflop to pick up the blinds and antes.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 1:51 PM Local Time
As we relocate to the main feature table, the whole atmosphere in the Amazon Room has changed with the previously empty rail now packed to the rafters with poker fanatics looking to grab an autograph or, if they're lucky, photo with their favorite poker star.
Lon McEachern and Norman Chad are currently bashing through their introductory lines to my left, so once they're done and dusted, we should be ready to go. As McEachern says himself, "A very special night of poker lies ahead", although I can confirm it's still day time. The secrets of TV revealed!
Sunday, July 4, 2010 12:51 PM Local Time
Seat 1: Annie Duke - 17, 900 (9bb)
Seat 2: Joe Hachem - 136,000 (68bb)
Seat 3: Erik Seidel - 35,600 (18bb)
Seat 4: Johnny Chan - 152,900 (76bb)
Seat 5: Daniel Negreanu - 175,000 (88bb)
Seat 6: Barry Greenstein - 51,500 (26bb)
Seat 7: Huck Seed - 100,300 (50bb)
Seat 8: Jennifer Harman - 53,400 (27bb)
Seat 9: T.J. Cloutier - 54,300 (27bb)
Seat 10: Howard Lederer - 31,000 (16bb)
Sunday, July 4, 2010 12:11 PM Local Time
Play has now ground to a halt as the players congregate into one 10-handed table. In the meantime, there will be an extended break whilst players undergo some grueling questioning in the interview room.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 12:05 PM Local Time
Phil Hellmuth held on by the skin of his teeth for as long as possible, but it's tough to get much play out of two big blinds. "It's so unfair," he told he his wife after his elimination. "Matusow just powered through all of those chips, and I didn't get any of them."
He was in the big blind with one blind behind. It folded to Howard Lederer in the small blind, and he raised to put Hellmuth all in. The Poker Brat called without looking, and Lederer turned over . Hellmuth wanted to sweat his cards after the board, but Daniel Negreanu insisted he turn them over before. Hellmuth had only flipped over the when the dealer laid out the flop. . Lederer laughed. "I don't know what his other card is," said the TD. "But I do know he'll need help." After the on the turn, Hellmuth showed the to go with his but was drawing dead. He got a round of applause from the fans and stayed to sign autographs for a few minutes.
The rest of the players are breaking to film ESPN interviews before they begin the ten-handed final table. We'll have the new draw and updated chip counts for you in a moment.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:58 AM Local Time
Howard Lederer limped on the button, Phil Hellmuth called from the small blind with three big blinds behind, and Huck Seed checked his option. The flop came down , and Hellmuth and Seed checked. Lederer bet 3,200, and only Seed called. Hellmuth opted to save his 4,000 for a better spot. After checking down the blanks on the turn and river, Seed turned over and took the pot with queens and sevens. He's up to 85,000 while Lederer was left with 26,700.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:57 AM Local Time
Two short stacks clashed with Annie Duke opening the cut-off to 4,000 and Erik Seidel pushing all in from the big blind for around 30,000. Duke immediately folded to leave herself with circa 20,000 in chips.
Five minutes remain at the current level.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:39 AM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu opened under the gun, and Bertrand Grospellier moved all in. Negreanu snap called. "Oh, you've got me crushed," said Negreanu when he saw the cards.
Grospellier:
Negreanu:
The flop gave Negreanu running draws to go with his over cards, and the turn kept his straight draw alive. "Eight, eight!" Negreanu called. "He needs it more than me." But Negreanu is running too hot to miss today. The river paired Negreanu and sent ElkY home. Kid Poker is up to 170,000.
The remaining players immediately started arguing over where the new player should be seated when the TD moved one from the other table to balance them. But as soon as he walked to the other side of the room, Scotty Nguyen was felted to give them six players, meaning we'll keep going with five.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:39 AM Local Time
Scotty Nguyen will not be the 2010 Tournament of Champions Champion. Details are sparse, but we do know that Nguyen was all on the river, but mucked upon seeing the trip sixes of Joe Hachem. Action remains thick and fast here on the final day.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:32 AM Local Time
Despite expressing his belief in their presence, the Poker Gods have now turned on Antonio Esfandiari to send him hurtling to the rail.
The board read , and although Esfandiari held top pair with , Johnny Chan had him by the short and curlies with .
An academic river later and the Magician was gone.
"I folded sevens, Johnny," revealed Jennifer Harman in the aftermath.
"When you play poker, there is no God," mused Scotty Nguyen. For some players, it would seem, he may be right.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:26 AM Local Time
It's mayhem here in the red section; every time I head back to my laptop, there's another all-in showdown. I'm not sure where the money went in (although I suspect the flop), but the bottom line is that Jennifer Harman has just doubled through off Barry Greenstein, versus on a board. Harman now has 63,000.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:24 AM Local Time
T.J. Cloutier raised from the cutoff, and Chris Ferguson moved all in on the button. Cloutier snap-called to put Ferguson at risk, and it was time for showdown.
Ferguson:
Cloutier:
The flop wasn't much help to Ferguson. Neither was the . The on the river looked like a miracle at first and got a murmur from the crowd, but it was one pip short of rescue for Jesus, and he shook hands and disappeared as fast as possible.
Cloutier chipped up to about 60,000.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:14 AM Local Time
So long, Mikey. Daniel Negreanu is on a roll and crushing everything in his path. Picking up kings twice in the first hour doesn't hurt either. On a board, Mike Matusow moved all in. "Call," Negreanu said before Matusow had finished saying "all in." Matusow's family knew that was bad news.
Matusow: for top pair and 0 outs
Negreanu: for top set
"He's out, he's out," Matusow's brother reported back to their mother sitting down on the rail. "What happened?" she asked? "I don't know," he responded. "He was on tilt or something."
The meaningless completed the board, and our chip leader only one short hour ago, Matusow made a beeline for the exit. Negreanu increased his lead over the rest of the field, moving up to a towering 160,000.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:07 AM Local Time
It hasn't been a fruitful five minutes for Scotty Nguyen. After doubling through Antonio Esfandiari just moments ago, he offered Barry Greenstein the same favor a hand or two later.
No bad beats this time, though, Greenstein starting ahead with versus , and maintaining that lead through a flop.
Greenstein now over the 50,000 mark, although I'll get a more accurate count shortly.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:02 AM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu raised to 2,600, and Phil Hellmuth bumped it to 5,600. Negreanu called, and both checked the flop. The turn brought the , and Negreanu checked again. Hellmuth bet 4,800, and Negreanu moved all in to put Hellmuth to the test for his last 22,000. Hellmuth muttered to himself for several minutes before giving up the hand unhappily. Negreanu raked in the chips while Hellmuth assured everyone he'd get Daniel in the end.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:00 AM Local Time
Antonio Esfandiari found his tournament life hanging by the very thinnest of threads when he moved all in with versus the of Scotty Nguyen.
The flop offered him a welcome flush draw, and although the turn was the wrong color and shape, the river wasn't, the dealer laying a on the baize to double the Magician through.
"Yes!" said Esfandiari. "There is a God."
"There's no more God," countered a wounded Nguyen.
"There is, I knew he was out there."
Nguyen down to 60,000.