blonde poker forum

Here's your no-frills, no-chat thread - no replies allowed, just those numbers and histories if you're short on time, or don't feel like asking questions...

Play starting in less than 15 minutes, and less than 10% of the players seem to be in the room... they can just sleep in, to be honest, as they'll lose about 200 chips an hour if they don't show up...

Just been on a quick tour (quick meaning 20 minutes just to walk the perimeter) and it's just like last year, with the wonderful exception of the quiet spaciousness in the press room, and the fact that there's a guy selling popcorn down the hall.  The smell is driving me bonkers.  Must go get some.

Bumped into Ram Vaswani, who's playing - he's never played Razz before, apparently.

Around 110 players, we hear - full list when we get it...

Play has started - the T.D. announced "shuffle up and deal" and the pricey megatourney is underway.

Spotted:

Jennifer Harman
Tony G
Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson
Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Greg Raymer (same table)
Mel Judah
Christy Gazes (I think)
Ram Vaswani
Mike Matusow
Gus Hansen
Patrick Antonius
Scotty Nguyen
Marcel Luske
Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott
David Benyamine
John D'Agostino

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Early player pics

A few players sharing tables:

Doyle Brunson, Scott Fischman, & J Hennighan
Mike Matusow, Marcel Luske, & Mike Sexton
Ted Forrest, Tony Bloom, & Dutch Boyd
Michael Mizrachi, Ram Vaswani, & Dutch Boyd*
Phil Ivey, John Juanda, & Greg Raymer
Freddie Deeb, David Chui, & Huck Seed
Mike Caro & Johnny Chan
Gus Hanson, Allen Cunningham, & the Shiek
Barry Greenstein, Max Pescatori, Scotty Nguyen, Andy Bloch, & Chris Fersguson

At time of posting, unclear exactly who the second Mr. Boyd is meant to be (Snoopy got this information) >:?

Oh, my little ears are always perked up - overhear that there are 143 players in the HORSE event (so far, I think late reg. is still a viable option).

The players are now moving onto Razz.

OK, here we are, the full list as of 15 minutes ago! 

Amit, Rafi                   Pescatori, Max
Antonius, Patrik          Phan, Thien
Appleman, Mickey       Phillips, Paul
Arieh, Josh                 Porter, Ralph
Awada, Yehia             Ramdin, Annand
Bechtel, James           Raymer, Greg
Benyamine, David        Reese, David
Berman, Lyle              Reslock, Chris
Bloch, Andy                Rheem, David
Bloom, Tony              Richey, Brett
Bonyadi, Farzad          Rodman, Blair
Boyd, Russell              Rudd, Ralph
Brown, Chad              Schulman, Nicholas
Browne, Walter          Seed, Huck
Brunson, Doyle           Seidel, Erik
Brunson, Todd            Sexton, Mike
Bucci, Rocco               Shak, Daniel
Burt, Timothy             Sheikhan, Shahram
Caro, Mike                  Singer, David
Cassidy, Joseph           Sklansky, David
Cernuto, John            Smith, Christopher
Chan, Jon                  Smith, Gavin
Chase, Ricky               Sofer, Evan
Chen, William              Sorensen, Jan
Chiu, David                 Talebi, Rodeen
Cloutier, Thomas (J)    Tenner, Mark
Cousineau, Anthony     Thung, Roy
Cunningham, Allen       Tomko, Dewey
D'Agostino, John          Traniello, Jennifer
Deeb, Kassem              Trincher, Illya
Dehkharghani, Raymond  Ulliott, Dave
Diano, Steve                 Vanalstyne, James
Diaz, Arturo                  Vaswani, Ram
Do, Cong                      Violette, Cyndy
Duke, Annie                 Wattel, Michael
Edler, William                Weideman, Thomas
Elezra, Eliahu                Williams, David
Eslami, Ali                     Williamson, Robert
Farha, Ihsan                 Wong, David
Farnood, Sherkhan         Zolotow, Stephen
Feduniak, Maureen
Ferguson, Chris
Fischman, Scott
Flack, Dee
Forrest, Ted
Franklin, Thomas
Freedman, Avraham
Freedman, Jeffrey
Friets, Neal
Gazes, Kristy
Giang, Chau
Glantz, Matthew
Gray, Jason
Greenstein, Barry
Gregorich, Mark
Grey, David
Guoga, Antanas
Habib, Hasan
Hansen, Gus
Hansen, Thor
Hanson, John
Harman, Jennifer
Harmetz, Daniel
Haveson, Brian
Hawrilenko, Matthew
Hellmuth, Phil
Hennigan, John
Hollink, Rob
Hufnagle, Thomas
Ivey, Phil
Jackson, Timothy
Jett, Charles
Juanda, John
Jungblut, Brett
Jurgens, Tad
Kaplan, Gabriel
Kassela, Frank
Katz, Aaron
Keikoan, Matthew
Kessler, Allen
Kim, Ki
King, Jeffrey
Lawson, Ted
Le, Tuan
Lederer, Howard
Leonidas, Alfredo
Levi, David
Lindgren, Erick
Lisandro, Jeffrey
Luske, Marcel
Ly, Minh
Mascio, Gregory
Matusow, Mike
McCrink, James
McDow, Roger
McKenna, Michael
Mizrachi, Michael
Mortensen, Juan
Mosseri, Abraham
Negreanu, Daniel
Nguyen, Scotty
Oppenheim, David
Perry, Rafael

Daniel Negreanu has yet to arrive.

Phil Ivey -- 53,900
Layne Flack -- 55,000
Johnny Chan -- 51,000
Daniel Negreanu -- 48,200

I'm no Razz expert and it's very tricky to catch hands, but what I have seen is:

-- Phil Hellmuth scooping a decent sized pot off Annand 'Victor' Ramdin. Couldn't see Phil's cards, but Victor held 3h 8s Ad 6s 5d 6c 6h

-- Dewey Tomko v Mike Caro

Caro = 2s Ac 4c 5c

Tomko = Aspades 9h 9s Jc

Caro bets 600, Tomko folds.

Elezra, Eliahu -- 47,200

Joe Hachem is not playing today due to making it through to Day 2 of yesterday's Event.

Players are now on a short break.

Just in case you're still unsure of what this event entails (like Karabiner):

Rounds of Hold'em, Omaha 8/b, Razz, Stud, Stud 8/b - each level constitutes one round and lasts 40 minutes.

However, the Final Table will be No-Limit Hold'em. And levels will be 90 minutes.

Day One play will carry on until completion of level 15, Day Two will run from 2pm (10pm UK) until the final table, then Day Three is for the finalists.

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They've just announced the prize pool.

$6.84 million with 1,784,620 going to first.

Layne Flack -- 39,000
Gabe Kaplan -- 41,000
John D'Agostino -- 55,000
Daniel Negreanu -- 42,000

D'Agostino takes down a nice pot with a straight.

9c 8h 7d 5c 6s Qs Kc

3 players in

Negreanu bets a few hundred with Qh 3d Th

Cloutier and Mateyboy call.

Negreanu then bets 1k after receiving a Qd

Cloutier folds, Mateyboy calls with 9c 4c 4h 7d

Face down card deatl.

Negreanu bets around 2k, Mateyboy calls again.

Negreanu shows Kh 8h 5h and take down the pot with a flush.

Mateyboy mucks.

Carlos Mortensen loses a 10k pot after his opponent hits a straight on the last card.

Game has just become Stud 8-or-better...

And at the end of the Stud 40 mins, some counts for you:

Kristy Gazes       35,100
Freddy Deeb      68,000
Ram Vaswani     43,500
John D'Agostino  50,200
Howard Lederer  43,100
Tod Brunson       54,000
Daniel Negreanu  38,400
TJ Cloutier          46,500
John Juanda       64,000
Phil Ivey             51,500
Greg Raymer       52,600
Patrik Antonius    60,000
Tony G              45,100
Devilfish             37,200
Doyle Brunson     54,800
David Benyamine  48,000
Marcel Luske        67,000
Scott Fischman    44,600
Mike Matusow      55,500
Andy Bloch          43,800
David Grey           49,000
Michael Mizrachi    56,500
Tony Bloom        48,000
Gus Hansen         54,500
Scotty Nguyen     51,000
Rob Hollink          55,600
Annie Duke          52,000

Interesting hand from the last round - Hellmuth vs. Luske:

Marcel was sat with Aspades 2d 2c
Phil had 8s 8h Js

Marcel mutters something like "give me an Ace," but is making all the betting (600 a pop at this stage) with Phil calling.  Mike Matusow says to Phil, "I couldn't put you on a hand if I tried..." as their hands become:

Marcel:  Aspades 2d 2c 3h
Phil:  8s 8h Js 4s

Again, Marcel bets and Phil calls.  With all seven cards out, Marcel bets again, and Phil dwells, saying, "I'm thinking about raising.  I already played one hand like a coward.  It's you, Marcel, I raise."  Call - and Phil says, "straight," showing:

8s 8h Js 4s Qh 9h Th.  It's good.

Deeb loses a 10k plus pot to Mateboy.

He called  a final bet, but found his opponent sitting on a full house, aces over eights.

David Benyamine, Daniel Negreanu, and Mateyboy lock horns.

Benyamine -- ? Ac
Negreanu -- ? 6h
Mateyboy -- ? 3c

Benyamine bets, Negreanu and Mateyboy call.

Benyamine -- ? Ac 4c
Negreanu -- ? 6h 2h
Mateyboy -- ? 3c Ad

Mateyboy bets, Benyamine and Negreanu call.

Benyamine -- ? Ac 4c 8c
Negreanu -- ? 6h 2h Kd
Mateyboy -- ? 3c Ad 3c

Negreanu bets, Benyamine and Mateyboy call.

Benyamine -- ? Ac 4c 8c Tc
Negreanu -- ? 6h 2h Kd 2s
Mateyboy -- ? 3c Ad 3c 3h

Mateyboy bets 600, Benyamine raises to 1,200, Negreanu folds, Mateyboy calls.

Benyamine shows 2c 8c 9s for a flush.

Mateyboy has Js 7s 5h for trips.

***********************************BREAK********************************

Another three rounds over, and we'll be heading back in to Omaha 8/b (blinds 200/400) when they return.  Definitely interested in watching some of that...

Only caught a couple of hands from the last round, one being Negreanu taking down a couple of thousand with AK (Ace high) on the river.  Elsewhere briefly worried that Ram Vaswani's high-denomination chips had gone somewhere, but they were just hiding.

Play has now resumed with Limit Omaha.

blinds are at 300/600

Current game is Limit Omaha

Board = 7h Ks 9h Td

Chip Jett bets 800, Chinese guy (he's pretty well known and makes many a final table, but I can't recall his name) makes it 1600. Chip calls the reraises (after Williams and Arieh had folded their rags) and the river brings a Ts

Chip bets 800, opponent calls, and Jett shows 8-6-K-K for a full house.

Chip Counts!  These are taking longer as the stacks get more "impressive" aka larger.  By midnight tomorrow expect it to take an hour per count...

Mike Sexton       61,000
Chris Ferguson    50,200
Kristy Gazes       37,700
Freddy Deeb      72,000
Ram Vaswani     54,000
John D'Agostino  41,900
Howard Lederer  38,100
Tod Brunson       60,000
Daniel Negreanu  31,600
TJ Cloutier          44,000
John Juanda       56,500
Phil Ivey             53,000
Greg Raymer       58,000
Patrik Antonius    75,000
Tony G              65,000
Devilfish             24,500
Doyle Brunson     45,300
Scott Fischman    43,000
Mike Matusow      70,000
Andy Bloch          60,000
David Grey           51,000
Michael Mizrachi    76,000
Tony Bloom        40,400
Gus Hansen         60,000
Scotty Nguyen     44,800
Annie Duke          50,000

Daniel Negreanu = ? Jh Kh
Mateyboy = ? 5h Td

Negreanu bets 600

Mateyboy calls
Benyamine folds
Mortensen folds

Negreanu bets his Js focing his opponent to fold.

Daniel takes a pot, but is still low with just 23k.

Chad Brown wins a pot off Williamson with a flush versus a straight.

As a result, the former is now on around the 80k mark.

Phil Hellmuth = ? ? 7s 3d
Mike Matusow = ? ? Aspades Jh
Mike Sexton = ? ? Qh Ts

Hellmuth bets 600, both call.

Phil Hellmuth = ? ? 7s 3d 3h
Mike Matusow = ? ? Aspades Jh Jd
Mike Sexton = ? ? Qh Ts 6d

Matusow bets 1200, Sexton folds, Hellmuth makes it 2400, Matusow calls.

Phil Hellmuth = ? ? 7s 3d 3h Qd
Mike Matusow = ? ? Aspades Jh Jd Kh

check, check

Phil Hellmuth = ? ? 7s 3d 3h Qd ?
Mike Matusow = ? ? Aspades Jh Jd Kh ?

Both check

Matusow shows 6h 6s 4c for two pair (sixes in the hole)
Hellmuth doesn't show, but takes an age to muck his cards, provoking Sexton to say, "Can we just get on with the next hand, please?"

------------------ Dinner Break -------------------------

Back in 1hr 30mins

Not one single player gone

Dave Ulliott has one of the shortest stacks with 30k.

According to the clock, play will resume in a few minutes.

clock fault - 31 minutes left

Shiek -- 46,300
Allen Cunningham -- 48,500
Scotty Nguyen -- 23,500
Josh Arieh -- 20,600
David Williams -- 93,000
Tony Bloom -- 43,000
Johnny Chan -- 46,900
Daniel Negreanu -- 16,900
Todd Brunson -- 42,000
Huck Seed -- 48,000

There has apparently been some consternation (mainly from The Professor Howard Lederer) at the thought of the length of day which will inevitably ensue if the planned 15 levels are played today, with a return at 2pm.  He's estimating (and probably isn't far off) that it would take around 20 hours to reduce the field to the final table's nine, and that would leave those returning with about three hours' sleep...

So prepare for a last minute change, either to play on tonight, or to come back earlier tomorrow afternoon.

Arturo Diaz is out first and ONLY man out.

Doyle Brunson -- 24,400
TJ Cloutier -- 48,100
Greg Raymer -- 33,500
William Chen -- 49,200
Chris Ferguson -- 39,300
Marcel Luske -- 36,200
Phil Hellmuth -- 43,200
Dutch Boyd -- 34,900
Mike Mizrachi -- 50,000

And as the game changes from Hold'em to Omaha 8/b, some more counts:

Scott Fischman      33,000
Andy Bloch           73,000
David Grey            61,000
Michael Mizrachi     75,000
Barry Greenstein    17,500
Annie Duke           80,000
Chip Jett              57,500
David Willianson     71,000
Josh Arieh            39,000
Max Pescatori        49,000
Jennifer Harman    56,000
Ram Vaswani         72,000
John D'Agostino     43,000
Howard Lederer     25,500
Tod Brunson          74,000
Daniel Negreanu     15,000
TJ Cloutier             36,400
John Juanda          59,000
Phil Ivey                40,000
Greg Raymer          33,600
Patrik Antonius       61,000
Tony G                  58,000
Erik Seidel              84,000
Devilfish Ulliott        31,000
Doyle Brunson        32,000
David Benyamine     86,000
Chris Ferguson        45,800

We're onto Omaha Hi-Lo now, and I just caught an interesting hand from Chan's table.

Dewey Tomko raises 1,600 from seat 2 (blinds are at 400/800)

Gabe Kaplan, Mike Caro, and Layne Flack (big blind) all flat call.

Flop = Jd 3d 7s

Flack checks, Tomko bets 800, Kaplan, Caro, and Flack all call.

Turn = Td

They all check

River = 4c

Flack checks, Tomko bets 1.6k, Kaplan calls, and so does Caro. Flack folds.

Tomko = Aspades 2d 3s 2h

Caro = 3c 4d 6c 5s

Kaplan mucks

Tomko wins the low with A-2

Caro takes the high with a straight, 3-4-5-6-7

split pot

Flop = Qh 8h 4h

Mortensen bets 800, Cloutier calls.

Turn = Kc

Cloutier checks, Mortensen bets 800, Cloutier raises to 1600, Mortensen calls.

River = 4c

Cloutier bets 1600, Motensen dwells for a minute before folding.

Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Razz next.

Just dug out a hold'em hand from the last round... going to give it to you anyway -

Saw a threeway pot between Josh Arieh, Chip Jett and Matey, with a flop of 7h Ks 3d.
I caught the hand from where Matey was raising the flop and Josh and Chip called.  Turn:  3c.  Josh Arieh checks, Matey bets, and he's the only caller this time.
River: 4s     rather unexpectedly it's now Check-Check, and Josh announces, "Seven."  His  5s 7s wins it. 

The following chip counts are all from the same table:

David Chiu = 82,800
Huck Seed = 45,300
Hassan Habib = 47,500
Freddie Deeb = 112,100
Kristie Gazes = 58,400

With just four more players so far being eliminated  - in order these being:

Layne Flack
Tim Jackson
Scott Fischman
Hasan Habib

They've decided (pretty sensibly) to extend today's play by a full HORSE.  Thats 5x40 min levels.  Time for some more coffee, methinks...I reckon the UK contingent may be waking up to watch 'tomorrow' soon. 

Doyle Brunson -- 16k
Max Precatori -- 64k
Erick Lindgren -- 28k
Mike Sexton -- 57.2k
Brett Jungblood -- 87k

It looks like the $1,000 No Limit Freezout has just finished.

John Pham took second.

Friedberg won the bracelet.

Oh, and a few bob on top too.

I think the last hand was all-in preflop, Q-5 v 7-5, with Friedberg spiking a seven on the River.

I just remembered I picked up some counts while on the last zombie-like wandering through the room - and here they are:

Kristy Gazes         64,000
Freddy Deeb       97,000
David Williamson   47,000
Josh Arieh           37,000
Michael Mizrachi    86,000
Ram Vaswani       72,000
Dutch Boyd         29,600
Tony  Bloom        21,000
Rob Hollink          32,000
John D'Agostino   26,300
Howard Lederer   28,000
Phil Hellmuth        66,000
Mike Matusow      75,000
Mike Sexton         55,000
Marcel Luske        26,000
Jennifer Harman    58,000
Chris Ferguson      69,300
Andy Bloch          100,000
David Grey           61,500
Max Pescatori       48,000
Doyle Brunson       21,000
TJ Cloutier            38,000
David Benyamine    57,000
Annie Duke           80,000
Erik Seidel             70,000
Devilfish                16,000
Tony G                 11,000
Patrik Antonius     111,000
Greg Raymer          53,000
Daniel Negreanu     20,400
Tod Brunson          80,000

And, as the close of play draws closer, we're actually starting to lose a few players.

Tony G is the latest casualty.

The announcer has just confirmed the P.O.A.

Tonight will finish as scheduled (in 15 mins time)

Tomorrow will start as schedule at 2pm.

Friday's final is being put back to 6-8pm, as a result of the inevitable lenghty Day 2.

The announcer described this as the only fair conclusion.

Maureen Feduniak is OUT.

Her opponent rivered a straight 2-3-4-5-6

Play has finished for the day, which means...

The chips are currently in the process of being counted and bagged.