Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship

Ali Eslami called in the small blind and Phil Ivey checked in the big blind. The flop was       and both players checked. The turn was the   and Eslami checked for a second time. Ivey bet 80,000 and Eslami mucked his hand.

Then Phil Ivey called in the small blind and Andy Frankenberger checked in the big. The flop was       and both players checked. On fourth street we saw the   and once again both players checked. The river card was the   and Ivey check-called a 155,000 Frankenberger bet. Frankenberger turned over     for trip jacks and Ivey mucked.

Phil Ivey raised to 120,000 from under the gun and Andy Frankenberger took one in position. The flop was      , Ivey checked, Frankenberger bet 150,000 and Ivey folded.

Andy Frankenberger raised to 120,000 in the cutoff and Phil Ivey defended his big blind. The flop was      , Ivey checked, Frankenberger bet 120,000 and Ivey check-raised to 360,000. Frankenberger checked his cards reached into his stack and pulled out a chunk of change before laying both palms face down. A few seconds later and Frankenberger's hand went into the muck.

Manuel Bevand opened the action with a raise under the gun, and it would be a bad thing in the end. Andy Frankenberger potted in the next seat over, and the two men got it all in right there. Frankenberger was the one at risk for 730,000, and Bevand had that just barely covered. The biggest pot of the tournament and the fate of the two men came down to a coin flip.

Showdown
Bevand:    
Frankenberger:    

The tension was almost tangible, and we could feel Frankenberger's heart sink as the dealer rolled out a flop full of blanks:      .

Turn:  !

"Yes!" Frankenberger yelled as he clapped his hands together. Fourth street was his money card, and he was suddenly in a huge lead with one to come. Only a two-out jack could spoil the party.

The river was a blank, though, the  . Frankenberger has found his monster double, and he's certainly a force to be reckoned with now. Pink pants and all.

Bevand is left short with just 45,000 chips now.

Andy Frankenberger	1,535,000	805,000
Manuel Bevand	45,000	-490,000

Manuel Bevand opened to 120,000 under the gun, and Alex Venovski wanted to play for more. He three-bet to 400,000 from the button, and Bevand tank-folded.

Alexander Venovski	860,000	95,000
Manuel Bevand	550,000	-105,000

Ali Eslami raised in first position, Manuel Bevand called on the button and Andy Frankenberger squeezed from the small blind for 300,000. Eslami made the call, Bevand folded and we headed to the flop with Frankenberger only having 5,000 behind.

Flop:      

Frankenberger puts the last 5,000 into the middle and Eslami called.

The turn   and river   not helping Eslami and Frankenberger doubled up.

The action folded around the Alexander Venovski in the small blind who raised to 140,000. Ali Eslami was seated in the big blind and he asked for a stack count before making the call.

Flop:      

Venovski made a 100,000 c-bet and Eslami's hand went into the muck.

Ali Eslami	1,060,000	-140,000
Alexander Venovski	940,000	140,000

One orbit later, Phil Ivey made his standard 120,000-chip under-the-gun raise. The table once again folded around to Ali Eslami's big blind. This time, though, he decided to just save the 70,000 chips and the pain of check-folding on the flop. He ditched his big blind, and that's another one passed to Ivey.

He's got about 1.7 million chips now.

Phil Ivey did indeed re-take the chip lead with that last pot.

Phil Ivey	1,575,000	630,000
Manuel Bevand	1,325,000	-230,000
Ali Eslami	970,000	-235,000
Alexander Venovski	790,000	60,000
Andy Frankenberger	685,000	-250,000

The action has been very passive in the first 15 minutes of the new level. The average stack is starting to get a little thin, and each decision is becoming more meaningful at this point. We've seen one pot checked down to the river, another one checked through the river, and plenty of raise-and-takes.

The last hand stuck out only because it was a copy of the action we saw on the first hand of the level. Ivey was under the gun and raised to 120,000, and Ali Eslami defended his big blind. Ivey bet another 120,000 on the      , and Eslami quickly check-folded.