blonde poker forum

So welcome to the third day of the H.O.R.S.E event. Today, your genial hosts will be myself and Snoopy, with Jen getting a well-deserved break to rest and relax. Play starts again at 2pm (10pm UK time) and we have 52 players left. Full chip counts to follow.

Come and join us!

Blue Square have updated odds if anyones fancies a bet.

   Table 65      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1   Daniel Negreanu   Las Vegas, NV   307,000
2   Joe Tehan   Utica, NY   166,000
3   David Singer   Las Vegas, NV   332,000
4   Dewey Tomko   Winter Haven, FL   119,000
5         
6   David Oppenheim   Los Angeles, CA   469,000
7   Erik Seidel   Las Vegas, NV   194,000
8   Thomas Weideman   Fair Oaks, CA   127,000
         
   Table 66      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1   Freddy Deeb   Las Vegas, NV   357,000
2   Cyndy Violette   Las Vegas, NV   60,000
3   Matt Hawrilenko   Philadelphia, PA   416,000
4   Toto Leonidas    Los Angeles, CA   621,000
5   Greg Raymer   Raleigh, NC   287,000
6   Andy Bloch   Las Vegas, NV   425,000
7   Kenny Tran   Arcadia, CA   544,000
8         
         
   Table 71      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1   Phil Hellmuth   Palo Alto, CA   412,000
2   Thor Hansen   El Segundo, CA   275,000
3   Steve Sung   Torrance, CA   119,000
4   Bruno Fitoussi   Paris, France   337,000
5   John Hennigan   Philadelphia, PA   204,000
6   Barry Greenstein   Rancho Palo Verde, CA   275,000
7   Chris Reslock   Atlantic City, NJ   98,000
8         
         
   Table 72      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1   Pat Pezzin   Toronto   94,000
2   Isabelle Mercier   Montreal, QC   41,000
3   Tuan Le   Los Angeles, CA   295,000
4         
5   Rob Hollink   Groningen, Netherlands   321,000
6   Annie Duke   Los Angeles, CA   165,000
7   Sam Grizzle   Greer, SC   86,000
8   Annon Filippi   New York, NY   429,000
         
   Table 76      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1   Erick Lindgren   Las Vegas, NV   99,000
2   Thien "Tim" Phan   Westminster, CA   234,000
3   Greg Mascio   Fullerton, CA   290,000
4   Chip Reese   Las Vegas, NV   332,000
5   Mike Wattel   Phoenix, AZ   250,000
6   Eli Elezra   Las Vegas, NV   568,000
7   Stephen Wolff   Newport Beach, CA   251,000
8         
   Table 77      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1   Robert Mizrachi   Marco Island, FL   338,000
2   John Juanda   Marina Del Rey, CA   410,000
3   David Sklansky   Las Vegas, NV   47,000
4   Allen Cunningham   Las Vegas, NV   549,000
5   Mark Gregorich   Las Vegas, NV   249,000
6   Daniel Shak   Bryn Mawr, PA   156,000
7   Mike Matusow   Las Vegas, NV   456,000
8         
         
   Table 78      
Seat   Name   Hometown   Chip Count
1         
2   Neal Friets   Keene, NH   246,000
3   David Williams   Las Vegas, NV   203,000
4         
5   Max Pescatori   Italy   396,000
6   Noah Jefferson   Santa Monica, CA   149,000
7   Justin Bonomo   Los Angeles, CA   508,000
8   Gabe Kaplan   Brooklyn, NY   186,000
         
         
   *Huck Seed   Las Vegas, NV   278,000
   *Gus Hanson   New York, NY   641,000
   *Phil Ivey   Las Vegas, NV   436,000
   *Scotty Nguyen   Las Vegas, NV   72,000
         
   * Did not list correct seating
info on redraw slips      

Wasn't Gus out on day 1

reckon this will turn into a crapshoot with all the  ;flushy;  left in.

if he is still in please tell him i said hi.im sure it will make his day,lol.
im rooting for the poker brat in this though.

:hello:

:hello:

Sorry, error, there was a mistake in the official chip counts sent out. Plus, I wasn't here yesterday.

Apparently, the chip leader is a chap called JOHN Hanson, closely followed by Toto Leonidas.

 :hello:

Before we start, a quick tale of misfortune.

As with last year, I've been encountering real pains with the automatic toilets here and am continually bemused as to their workings. A couple of days ago, I popped into the loo (sorry, restroom) for a number two jobby, but on exiting, noticed that the automatic flush hadn't been activated. Seeing as the other cubicles were full and there were other restroom users present, I was slightly embarrassed to be leaving a feces filled toilet behind, so quickly rushed back in before anyone noticed me. I locked the door and took another look at the problem at hand. It was simple - toilet filled with poo and no flushy flushy, what to do?

"There must be a way to make this flush," I inquired with myself. "Perhaps there's a sensor somewhere that knows when you've finished." Although I used these contraptions last year, I still haven't worked out where that sensor is that detects the completion of your dirty act. So, in order to find out, I decided to try out a number of methods. Firstly, I tried sitting back down on the seat and getting up (I attempted this a number of times with different pressures and various sitting periods... but, alas, to no avail). Then I searched for buttons on the back that would perhaps allow me to flush manually in case of such emergencies. I also tried entering and exiting the cubicle area again (by this time, people had definitely noticed my potential insanity), but that didn't work either. Finally, I jumped up and down like a madman as a last resorts, but no sensor was activated.

In the end, I saw no other option but to poke my head out of the door, wait for an opening and leg it.

What I didn't want was for someone to spot me and accuse me of being a filth meister. Also, the fact that my excretion was lacking solidity that day would have been similarly embarrassing.

Anyhow, run I did, and I think I escaped without detection, although someone is going to be in for a very nasty surprise. However, the problem still remains. Where are these bloody sensors and how do you flush the loo when it doesn't flush itself??

The mind continues to boggle...

Right, off I go into the depths of despair that is the crowd invested journalist blocking vanity brimming H.O.R.S.E event.

Back soon.

how many days is this comp scheduled for?

any joy at the tables last night snoops???

5 I believe

No, did the proverbial mutts nuts, but I'd won the two nights before, so just broke even. Undertook a mammoth 12 hour non-stop session (which is why I probably lost) where I took my notepad and jotted down what happened. Thought it might be a good blog entry/blonde article. Will try and write that up tonight, some peeps might find it interesting and it'll also be a self-reminder for future cash-games on how not to play.

Any idea when he'll be back?

 ;whistle;

S

The Chip Reese table is starting as the feature table for ESPN.

Meanwhile...

John Juanda brings in for 3k with the 2s, Mike Matusow raises to 10k with the Qc, everyone else passes, Juanda re-raises to 20k. Matusow calls.

Juanda:

(?) (?) 2s Aspades

Matusow:

(?) (?) Qc Ks

Matusow calls a 10k bet from Juanda.

Juanda:

(?) (?) 2s Aspades 3h

Matusow:

(?) (?) Qc Ks Kh

Matusow calls another bet.

Juanda:

(?) (?) 2s Aspades 3h 2h

Matusow:

(?) (?) Qc Ks Kh 8c

This time Matusow raises the Juanda bet saying, "What are you going to do now Juuuuuuuaaaaaaaanddddaaaaaaa?"

Juanda calls.

Juanda:

(?) (?) 2s Aspades 3h 2h (?)

Matusow:

(?) (?) Qc Ks Kh 8c (?)

Matusow bets 20k, Juanda calls after a dwell. Matusow flips over Ks 8h 9h for Kings full of Eights, Juanda mucks.

Who?

Current top 10 courtesy of worldserieofpoker.com

1. John Hanson     $641,000
2. Toto Leonidas    $621,000
3. Eli Elezra    $568,000
4. Allen Cunningham    $549,000
5. Kenny Tran    $544,000
6. Justin Bonomo    $508,000
7. David Oppenheim    $469,000
8. Mike Matusow    $456,000
9. Phil Ivey    $436,000
10. Amnon Filippi    $429,000

The other tables

Cries of "crapshoot" here at the Rio, incredibly...

According to my source, the average stack in this 50k (yep, you heard, 50k) has just 15 big bets in the bank.

Zoiks!

(http://blog.zszaiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/scoobyshaggy.jpg)

I think Snoops you should report your lack of flushing to the relevant authorities in the building. They will either provide a demonstration for your future reference or call security to escort you promptly from the building  ;D

Cyndy Violette & Greg Mascio, the former who was starting the day with a pretty short stack, have both bitten the dust.

Bah, we're a milf down!

 :'( :'( :'(

sorry sloppy - or is it ploppy? cant help you mate - normally leave it for the wife to sort out!

No chance, no way I'm going in for another coinflip.

You take the wife in with you to flush the loo?!?!

Lazy sod!  ;)

So Snoopy you are saying you never washed your hands?

S

Toto Leonidas may have been unfortunate enough to be named after a small dog, but his luck is flying through the roof here, coming into Day 2 with an impressive 621k stack. And he's back in the thick of the action today, making a concerted effort to partake in multiple hands in order to build his stack even further. Hunched and hovering over the table like a Mateyboy out of his depth, Toto quietly pokes a bet over the line with (?) (?) 4s 5c 6c Ts against Andy Bloch's (?) (?) Jh Qc 8c Td. Bloch calls and the two receive their final card. Check check and Bloch takes it down with Th 8h 4c (two pair). Then, the very next hand, Toto clashes with former Main Event Champion, Greg Raymer, and loses out again, Greg's bet with (?) (?) Td 8s Aspades 9s vs. Toto's (?) (?) 2s 7s Qc Ks being enough to get him to fold before the last card.

Toto's not sitting back on his stack though.

Hold on, I think Shannon Elizabeth is calling me.

S

A European titan vs. a World titan now as Rob Hollink and Phil Ivey clash heads.

Check calling every single street before checking it down on the end, Ivey mucks his (?)(?) Td 7h Jh Qh (?) to Hollink's (?)(?) Ahrt 3d 2h 6s (?), the Dutchman showing Aspades Kd 8c to take the pot.

Ivey, what a fish!

Please, please don't quote snoop's story again, once was too much information.

Sharing a table with Ivey and Hollink is this chap, who I believe to be Tuan Le (sp?). He really struggled on Day 1, especially after losing out to Eli Elezra in that huge early doors 115k pot, but he's back on track now, in with a decent shot with 275k.

I know we always moan about access and how tricky it is to undertake these WSOP updates, but it genuinely is an uphill struggle. The main problem is that we have to fight through a sometime very reluctant to give way three row deep crowd every time we return to the cardroom. Just take a look at the view we are presented with on each occasion.

It's better than the view you left in the toilet.....

And once I've battled through the crowd (women and children are not spared), this is what we see...

Too right!

Another thing I've noticed over here is that the toilet water level is higher up. Now, me being a lazy sod, I like to wipe whilst seated, but the first couple of times I did that here I ended up dipping my paw into the murky rivers of the toilet. This was not a pleasant experience and I have since resorted to a stand and wipe technique instead.

Oops, forgot accompanying picture that I stood on my hind legs to take...

E

Freddy Deeb, Toto Leonidas and Greg Raymer are involved in a pot.

Fifth Street.

Deeb:

(?) (?) 8h Th 8d

Leonidas:

(?) (?) 7h Ts 4d

Raymer:

(?) (?) 4h Qd 9s

Deeb bets, Leonidas calls, and Raymer passes.

Deeb:

(?) (?) 8h Th 8d 9d

Leonidas:

(?) (?) 7h Ts 4d Ahrt

Leonidas calls Deeb's bet.

Deeb:

(?) (?) 8h Th 8d 9d (?)

Leonidas:

(?) (?) 7h Ts 4d Ahrt (?)

Another bet though this time it was from Leonidas, Deeb calls.

Leonidas shows Ad 6s 5c for Aces for the high and 7-6-5-4-A for the low.

Deeb shows Ac 9s 5s for Nines and Eights with no low.

;kc;

Many thanks to worldseriesofpoker.com for allowing us to publish the top ten chip counts:

1st  Kenny Tran -- $730,000
2nd  Freddy Deeb -- $610,000
3rd  John Hanson -- $610,000
4th  Amnon Filippi -- $570,000
5th  Eli Elezra -- $568,000
6th  Toto Leonidas -- $560,000
7th  Allen Cunningham -- $549,000
8th  Mike Matusow -- $485,000
9th  David Oppenheim -- $469,000
10th  Rob Hollink -- $450,000

You have no idea how much I miss the EPT and Mad Harper right now.

(http://www.golfperiscope.com/scopecrowd.gif)

maybe of use to you Floppy & Snoops

H

I noticed a balcony on the stage area that (kinda) overlooked one table, so I quickly popped over whilst they crept into the Hold'Em part of the H.O.R.S.E acronym.

On this table was an eclectic range of players including the talkative as ever Daniel Negreanu, the silent as ever David Singer and the bulldog chewing on a wasp as ever Dewey Tomko. I didn't catch any big hands, but what I did see was plenty of pre-flop raising, which, on multiple occasions, was enough to take the pot, renowned cash game player, David Oppenheim being the one to predominantly take advantage of this scerio. If the big blind is folding for a min raise, then I guess it just shows you how expensive the price of poker currently is in this $50k event.

sorry mate but since we sacked jeeves Ive got nobody to wipe my a**e :)

It has just been announcing to the Rio cardroom that Chip Reese is now OUT of this year's H.O.R.S.E Event, which therefore means we will indeed be crowing a new champion.

Whilst I was watching the raise-fold-fold-fold routine of Table Negreanu, I made some time-eating observations to which I would like you to partake in.

In that sense, would anyone hazard a guess at the number of the following with 50 players (or so) remaining.

In this $50k H.O.R.S.E Event, how many are:

(1) Donning Full Tilt gear?... = ?
(2) Wearing glasses?... = ?
(3) Wearing a baseball cap?... = ?
(4) Listening to music?... = ?
(5) Seated on two chairs?... = ?

Two or three guesses and I'll let you know the results of my findings.

How exciting!  ;yippee;

(1) Donning Full Tilt gear... = 6
(2) Wearing glasses?... = 6
(3) Wearing a baseball cap?... = 3
(4) Listening to music?... = 8
(5) Seated on two chairs?... = 1

good to see isa as climber of the day taking her 2 bigbets (40k at the start of play) up to 275k at the minute

doing all five together = 1

Latest chip counts from worldseriesofpoker.com

1st  Eli Elezra -- $785,000
2nd Justin Bonomo -- $760,000
3rd  Kenny Tran -- $730,000
4th  Bruno Fitoussi -- $640,000
5th  Freddy Deeb -- $610,000
6th  Toto Leonidas -- $600,000
7th  John Hanson -- $570,000
8th  Amnon Filippi -- $570,000
9th  Robert Mizrachi -- $510,000
10th  Gabe Kaplan -- $500,000

A quick scour around the remaining players informs me that Sir Ivey is OUT.

Still looks likely that a big name player is going to snap up the title though.

Any more guesses?

I think I'm going a bit funny in here on my own. Might try eating some of the cat's medication.

O

Tuan Le raises to 24k, Bruno Fitoussi and Mark Gregorich call.

Flop:

Ks 7h 5c

Checked around.

Turn:

7d

Tuan bets 24k, Bruno folds, Mark calls.

River:

3d

Check check.

Tuan Le:

Ad 8c 4c 3h for Sevens and Threes with a 7-5-4-3-A low.

Mark Gregorich:

Ad Qc 6h 2d for Sevens with a 7-5-3-2-A low.

;kc;

Allo, Allo! This is Amsterdam calling!

Any estimates on Rob Hollink's stack? He started the day in the top 15 and busted Ivey along the way! Thanks guys, keep up the good work!

(1) Donning Full Tilt gear?... = 8
(2) Wearing glasses?... = 14
(3) Wearing a baseball cap?... = 13
(4) Listening to music?... = 6
(5) Seated on two chairs?... = Justin Bonomo prolly has at least 3 seats in this event

50k average is a little short unless i missed something

i thought they started with 100k

ok who stole the chips?

(1) Donning Full Tilt gear?... = 9
(2) Wearing glasses?... = 5
(3) Wearing a baseball cap?... = 10
(4) Listening to music?... = 12
(5) Seated on two chairs?... = 1


How'd u get on grinding cash yesterday snoops?

With the players enjoying a well-deserved 20 minute break (no such luck for us!), it gave me the opportunity to grab a few quick chip counts (to be accompanied by photos as the crowd were dispersing) of Table Raymer.

(1) Freddie Deeb -- 415k
(2) Isabelle Mercier -- 295k
(3) Gabe Kaplan -- 725k
(4) Toto Leonidas -- 465k
(5) Greg Raymer -- 458k
(6) Andy Bloch -- 145k
(7) Robert Mizrachi -- 485k
(8) Max Pescatori -- 485k

Okay, this is the moment no one has been waiting for...

(1) Donning Full Tilt gear... = 5
(2) Wearing glasses?... = 6
(3) Wearing a baseball cap?... = 15
(4) Listening to music?... = 7
(5) Seated on two chairs?... = 3

Those baseball caps sure are popular.

Oh. Well I was wrong.

If my Math (see, no 's', we're in America) is correct...

Ariston = 16
Tonji = 19
brummieboy = 34
danafsh = 60
Le Knave = 17
Christo! = 16

Which means Christo and Ariston are equal winners.

Well done, you win a date with tikay.

Oh good, i didn't want that anyway.  ;D

Snoops means 50k as in the buy-in. The actual average is about 370k now I think.

R

I'm no Razz expert, so your analysis of this might be better than mine, but hangina round Table Raymer, which, judging solely on the 'names' present, would appear to be pretty tough, I decided to jot down three consecutive hands just to give you an idea of how it goes...

(1) Everyone puts in a 3k ante.

Toto Leonidas puts in 5k, Max Pescatori shoves 15k across the line, Toto matches the 15k.

Toto = (?)(?) 6s 9d

Max = (?)(?) 4s Qh

Max bets 15k, Toto calls.

Toto = (?)(?) 6s 9d Qd

Max = (?)(?) 4s Qh 3c

Max bets 30k, Toto folds.

Max shows 2-5 in the hole.

R

(2) Everyone posts a 3k ante

Andy Bloch comes in for 5k, Robert Mizrachi 15k.

Bloch = (?)(?) Jh

Mizrachi = (?)(?) Ad

Bloch folds before it goes any further.

R

(3) Everyone posts the 3k ante.

Isabelle Mercier comes in for 5k, Kaplan 15k, then Deeb 30k.

Mercier folds, Kaplan calls.

Deeb bets the next steet, Kaplan calls, Deeb then checks and calls Kaplan's 30k bet before bother players check at the end.

Kaplan = (2d)(5h) 7h 6s 2s 7s (6h)

Deeb (3s)(4s) 7d 5d 9s Ts (Td)

Deeb takes the pot with er... um... oh yes, 3-4-5-7-9.

Top of the poker pops courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com

1st   Amnon Filippi -- $1,000,000
2nd   Kenny Tran -- $930,000
3rd  Justin Bonomo -- $820,000
4th  Gabe Kaplan -- $700,000
5th  Tim Phan -- $652,000
6th  Max Pescatori -- $570,000
7th  Bruno Fitoussi -- $570,000
8th  Toto Leonidas -- $560,000
9th  John Hanson -- $560,000
10th  Daniel Negreanu -- $560,000

Two players who are rumoured to be doing well to have reached this stage...

Isabelle Mercier
Phil Hellmuth

Ariston, know anything about Isabelle's HORSE game?

Little quiet today, am I going to have to reel out some old gags?

Please no. Look, I'll dance for you!

 ;karabiner;

;)  ;) 

Nobody's here to read updates about a tournament we're not allowed to watch anyway.... Fits perfectly

Oh well, WSOP sucks, I should have stayed home

What's in it for me?...

S

Max Pescatori = (?)(?) 3h 3c Ahrt Qd (?)

Toto Leonidas = (?)(?) 5h 3d 7d Kd (?)

Max called a 30k bet from Toto and then checked the final card down.

Max won with trip threes after showing the 3s.

I seem to remember someone requesting an update on Rob Hollink's stack. Well, here is with 200k, and right next door is Mr Matusow with more than double that amount (455k).

Meanwhile, Andy Bloch and Erick Lindgren must be Star Trek fans as they are major clingons at the moment.

R

Freddy Deeb just took a big pot off Robert Mizrachi, check calling the whole way down to find his 7-5-4-3-2 pipping Mizrachi's 7-6-5-2-A.

The antes are 3k with a 5k bring in and 15k/30k

Gabe Kaplan, the erstwhile host of High Stakes Poker, Toto Leonidas and Freddy Deeb get involved in a pot.

Gabe:

(?) (?) 3c 5s Kh 4c (?)

Toto:

(?) (?) 2d 5s Qs -- which lead to him folding on 5th street

Freddy:

(?) (?) 7h Aspades 6d 6h (?)

After Gabe called Freddy on 5th street despite hitting the king, combined with Freddy pairing the 6 on sixth street, the betting slowed down and both checked the last two streets. Gabe showed Ad 7h Ts for a 7-5-4-3-A which won when Freddy mucked.

Gabe was involved in another hand afterwards against Toto once more, and again Gabe got the upper hand betting the 5th street showwing 6c 7c Ahrt against Toto's 7d 8s 9c leaving the latter to muck.

Perhaps someone should tell him he's not in Kansas anymore...  ;booder;

S

Erick Lindgren is OUT.

He was all-in against Tim Phan with K-J-7-5-2 (four diamonds) vs. Phan's two pair, Queens and Fours.

But with no diamond arriving, Erick was left to exit stage left and out of the limelight of the feature table cameras.

R

Last hand of the Razz, Andy Bloch raises to 15k with a Ahrt showing, Robert Mizrachi calls with a 4c, Freddy Deeb re-raises to 30k with a 5h, both call.

Bloch hits a 2d and bets 15k, Mizrachi folds when he gets a Kc, Deeb raises with a 8s despite his opponent showing A-2. Bloch calls and gets a Td against Deeb's 3s and gives up when he hits another, the Th against Deeb's 4d which probably gave the latter a wheel.

Unfortunately, this is the best shot I can get of the feature table due to the lighting being poor and not being able to get any closer. However, look closely, and you should be able to see Mr Lindgren departing from the scene.

some of us are still here guys.

keep up the good work

The current results of the excessive air-conditioning in the Rio...

(http://www.medscape.com/content/2001/00/41/08/410808/art-smj9406.14.fig4.jpg)

I need...

(http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/b/b4/140px-Chapstick.jpg)

desperately.

S

Gabe Kaplan takes another off Freddy Deeb.

Kaplan:

(4s) (7s) 6h 2s 2d 4c (9s)

Deeb:

(Ahrt) (4h) Js Qc Ad 2h (Kh)

Deeb had raised and bet 3rd and 4th streets, before check-calling 5th and 6th. Both checked the river.

Greg Raymer has been fairly quiet but managed to take a pot off Kaplan (who has been hitting a lot in the last hour or so), Kaplan raised with a 9d, Raymer re-raise with a Ahrt to 30k. Kaplan hit a Tc whilst Raymer had an 8h and both checked, Kaplan got the 7c on 5th whilst Raymer then bet 30k when he received the 9s and Kaplan mucked.

S

Toto Leonidas:

(?) (?) 5h 3d 7d Kd (?)

Max Pescatori:

(?) (?) 3h 3c Ahrt Qd (?)

Max had brought in and Toto had raised to 15k, and Max called. Max bet 15k on 4th when he hit his pair and 30k on 5th and was called, before Toto bet 30k on 6th street, Max called and both checked the river. Max showed 3s 7c 2c for trip Threes which was good enough to take the pot. My Stud isn't really up to scratch but pair and a missed flush draw for Toto sound about right?

Cheers for the updates, dunno why i'm still awake :P but will read the rest in the morning. If Isabelle gets eliminated I feel you should post a picture.

We're onto Eight or Better now, but before I post a few hands, I have to say that I am really disappointed by the manner in which other bloggers, reporters, etc treat us. Many of them are great people and really down to earth, but then there are a whole bunch of pompous journalists waltzing around as if they are better than everyone else just because they have a slightly different coloured press pass.

I just asked one lady watching for the name of a guy at the table. Her "I'm sorry, I can't speak, I have to concentrate" was abrupt and rude. I was only asking for two seconds of her time.

In Europe, we work alongside people like aworldofpoker and gutshot and share information in order to make our job easier and, more importantly, enjoyable. Yes, we are competitors, but we all start off on an even level (none of this colour ranking crap) and just let the best updates shine, which ever site they come from. On top of that, we have a laugh.

At the World Series, it all seems to be about competition and perhaps more predominantly, the dollar.

It really creates a horrible elitist atmosphere, which is truly a shame when we have to all work here for a month.

Anyhow, back to the poker...

E

Noticing that Table Elezra had been removed from the spotlight of the TV cameras, I decided to pop up to the balcony, push my way to the front and watch 5 consecutive hands of Eight or Better.

(1) Mateyboy comes in for 5k, Bruno Fitoussi sticks in 15k, Mateyboy matches it.

Bruno = (?)(?) 7c

Mateyboy (?)(?) 5d

Both players check.

Bruno = (?)(?) 7c 9h

Mateyboy (?)(?) 5d Qc

Bruno bets 30k, Mateyboy calls.

Bruno = (?)(?) 7c 9h Ts

Mateyboy (?)(?) 5d Qc 5c

Bruno bets 30k, Mateyboy cals.

Bruno = (?)(?) 7c 9h Ts (?)

Mateyboy (?)(?) 5d Qc 5c (?)

Bruno checks, Mateyboy bets 30k, Bruno reluctantly folds.

E

(2) Huck Seed is in for 5k with (?)(?) 2d, Bruno makes it 15k with (?)(?) Kd, Huck folds.

E

(3) Bruno (yes, Mr Fitoussi again) is in for 5k, Greenstein makes it 15k, Bruno calls, but then folds his (?)(?) 2s when Greenstein's (?)(?) Ac was joined by the Kc.

E

(4) Early pace setter, Eli Elezra is in for 5k with (?)(?) 2c, but releases when Barry Greenstein makes it 15k with (?)(?) 2h Aspades and Huck calls with (?)(?) Tc.

Barry is dealt the Aspades, and bets 15k, Huck calls with the 9c.

Js to Barry, Ad to Huck, Barry bets 30k, Huck folds.

E

(5) Eli is in for 5k with (?)(?) 6s 3s and wins with a 15k bet, Thor being forced to see Eli turn over a handy Aspades 2s.

E

Isabelle Mercier is eliminated in 30th place, taken down by Gabe Kaplan, who, I hear, won with a set, no low.

Latest counts:

1st  Kenny Tran -- $1,210,000
2nd  Justin Bonomo -- $1,100,000
3rd  John Hanson -- $1,025,000
4th  Tim Phan -- $1,000,000
5th   Daniel Negreanu -- $985,000
6th  Amnon Filippi -- $975,000
7th  Gabe Kaplan -- $870,000
8th  Chris Reslock -- $775,000
9th  Max Pescatori -- $670,000
10th  Freddy Deeb -- $600,000

Many thx to worldseriesofpoker.com

It's not just us, it's all the purple passes who are treated badly. The peasants are getting restless with the elitist bourgeois. Throw off your chains and shackles my brothers and sisters!!!

But no more complaining, you get the message. These guys suck and are causing trouble for all updaters, which will only filter back to people in negative reviews of the series.

E

Tuan Le, who can't not play a pot, gets involved with Rob Hollink, both have juicy looking boards too.

Le:

(?) (?) Ts 9s 4s 7s (?)

Hollink:

(?) (?) 5c 6c 7c 5d (?)

Le unsurprisingly announces 'Flush' on the river, flipping the 8s along with the 8c and 2c.

Hollink shows the Jc, 9c and 8d for a better flush to scoop since neither have a low.

E

More Tuan Le, this time in a pot with Mike Matusow, (who is in one of those moods where everyone around him is described as an idiot).

Tuan:

(5h) (3h) 2c 7d 6h Qd (7c)

Mike:

(Ahrt) (4c) Jd Ac 3c Th (7s)

Tuan Le brought in, Mike raised and Tuan called, Mike bet when hitting his Ace on 4th street and again on 5th. Both then checked 6th street and the river.

Mike takes the high half with his Aces, Tuan takes the low with 7-6-5-3-2.

;kc;

We are creeping up to the 2 hour dinner break, but before that whistle blew, I managed to get four chip counts at a quick glance at how the players looked during these latter stages.

Mike Matusow (770k) -- From the joke in the pack earlier on, Mike is now deadly seriously and seemingly focused on every hand. It's clear he wants to win this one big time.

Rob Hollink (410k) -- usually a cool cucumber, he seems kind of fidgety today. Still, as he sits on his two chairs, his big frame looms over the table in a foreboding manner which must be working wonders for his subliminal table image.

Dave Singer (575k) -- Could this be one of the game's most underrated players? A finalist from last year, Dave is as quiet as usual, casually chewing his gum as if it were a £10 rebuy.

Phil Hellmuth (215k) -- Unsurprisingly standing up and bantering away with all and sundry as you'd expect. Obviously the presenc of cameras has an influence, but either way, he seems to be in confident mood. What bracelet record breaker wouldn't be?

Incidentally, after this hand I reported, Daniel Negreanu came to complain to Tuan about having rolled-up Kings apparently beaten by a pair of Tens.

We've just had a round of Hold'em and are now on the break, with Omaha Hi/Lo when we restart at 9pm Vegas time. The limits for the Holdem and Omaha are now 18k/36k with 9k/18k blinds.

A few piccies as we commence the 2 hour dinner break...

-------------------------- Dinner Break - Back in 75 minutes ----------------------------

Cooeee  :hello:

We're back!

Thank you to those still with us and greetings to hose early morning viewers reading through the update.

There are currently 25 players remaining, and if my source is correct, we're playing down to 21, so it should be a slightly earlier finish than usual for your update team. Yay!  ;yippee;

Before they reconvene at the felt, take a quick gander at the top ten chip daddies courtesy of the good peeps at worldseriesofpoker.com

1st  Kenny Tran -- $1,420,000
2nd  Amnon Filippi -- $1,355,000
3rd  Tim Phan -- $1,070,000
4th  Gabe Kaplan -- $1,060,000
5th  Barry Greenstein -- $920,000
6th  Max Pescatori -- $720,000
7th  John Hanson -- $717,000
8th  Mike Matusow -- $700,000
9th  Freddy Deeb -- $690,000
10th  Chris Reslock -- $659,000

Just before the break, two big names dropped out in former Main Event winner, Huck Seed, and renowned poker superstar, John Juanda.

O

WPT Bellagio finalist, Mike Wattel, is OUT, snipered by Amnon Filipi who must now be the chip leader for sure.

Couldn't see Wattel's holding, but Amnon Filipi had Ts Jh 8c Kc on a Ks 5h Kh Qd 3d board, which was clearly enough to send Wattel to the rail.

Now we're down to three tables, things have gotten very tricky indeed with regards to seeing hands. One table is swamped with spectators that I simply can't battle past, another is in the middle of the sealed off area and thus too far away to see wherever you stand, and the final one is in front of the cameras of the feature table, again too far to see and annoyingly not shot large enough for you to read the cards on the table.

However, I did manage to grab three chip counts from the nearest table, Mark Gregorich being the shortstack of the tournament.

Mark Gregorich -- 70k
Rob Hollink -- 365k
David Singer -- 530k

Also on that table is Phil Hellmuth, who, as they were awaiting the comp to reccomence after the table shuffle, made a concerted effort to waltz around the table shaking hands with each and every player. If only that level of respect remained constant throughout the whole damn kaboodle...

Amusingly, there was a female spectator on the side calling out for Phil's attention as if she was his best buddy - lol. Sheehs, I hate all this 'celebrity' stuff with onlookers thinking it's cool to pretend they know the 'stars'. They're just people ffs.

One thing that annoys me, and this is more of a tongue in cheek humerous quibble, is the fact that certain players can trundle on past the rail without the 'powers that be' batting an eyelid.

As I mentioned last year, there seems to be a rule that if you are a known player, then you can do what the hell you want. The keys to the city (or the cardroom rather).

Wondering what the cut-off is and which player would be the most well known to be stopped from entering, I asked Padraig Parkinson if he knew the answer, to which he replied, "Well, I think I'm marginal, it depends on who the Tournament Director is, but I've walked up to a final table before without anyone bothering me."

Two people that I can say for definite aren't the lesser side of that cut-off are Michael Binger and Cyndy Violette, as I've witnessed them lurking around the tables and past the rails as if they were more 'important' than everyone else. I'm sure they're nice enough folk, it's just a shame that their is this uncomfortable hierarchy of privileges.

Anyhow, I wonder who the cut-off would be?...

thx again to worldseriesofpoker.com

1st  Amnon Filippi -- $1,355,000
2nd  Kenny Tran -- $1,300,000
3rd  Tim Phan -- $1,094,000
4th  Gabe Kaplan -- $900,000
5th  Barry Greenstein -- $895,000
6th  Max Pescatori -- $720,000
7th  Freddy Deeb -- $700,000
8th  Mike Matusow -- $700,000
9th  John Hanson -- $680,000
10th  Justin Bonomo -- $651,000

(http://www.americassoapbox.org/wp-content/themes/soapbox/images/soapbox_left.jpg)

Snoopy for President.

Just gone to Razz with a 5k ante, 5k bring in with 20k/40k, but just before that, short stacked Noah Jefferson has virtually doubled through.

O

His Ac Aspades were good to scoop the high half whilst Gabe Kaplan and Tim Phan had to split the low with 2-3 each on a Ad 9h 6c 9s 4s board.


Elsewhere George Danzer has made the last three tables of the PLO8 event.  ;cheerleader;

R

Mark Gregorich, who was down to a paltry 25k, has doubled up courtesy of Rob Hollink.

Mark Gregorich = (7c)(2c) 6s 7d 4d Jd (7s)

Rob Hollink = (?)(?) 2h 3c 6h Kh (?)

Hollink down to 275k.

R

Just caught Hellmuth leaving the arena. Didn't catch the hand, but it was Kenny Tran who was the assassin.

No 12th bracelet for the Poker Brat this time.

23 left.

And here they are now, both still in, but very low. Gregorich still has some work to do if he is going to survive today's play.

This one should be finished by 11pm max, which is a little disappointing in terms of my prospects of urinating next to someone famous. Last year, when the event was fewer days, we endured one 20 hour shift that went through the night, which meant their were no Joe Publics getting in the way of my mission to widdle next to the Brunsons. No such luck this year.  :(

The European flag is still flying, just...

1st  Amnon Filippi -- $1,660,000
2nd  Kenny Tran -- $1,300,000
3rd  Tim Phan -- $1,060,000
4th  John Hanson -- $1,000,000
5th  Barry Greenstein -- $740,000
6th  Mike Matusow -- $740,000
7th  Thor Hansen -- $650,000
8th  Freddy Deeb -- $615,000
9th  Bruno Fitoussi -- $600,000
10th David Singer -- $600,000

worldseriesofpoker.com

Amnon Fillippi has just added to his stack, his Trip Nines in the Stud Hi variant holding against Greg Raymer's Kings and Eights in pot that looked to be close to half a million chips.

Elsewhere just before it switched from Razz I saw David Singer make a very good call with a Jack-low against a bet from a player he must have suspected to having paired one of his baby cards, indeed the Jack low was good.

S

Dave Singer is over the 1 million mark after the Jack high call in the Razz that Floppy eluded to, but also as a result of taking a few chips off Mark Gregorich.

Gregorich, who has comeback remarkably to climb back up to 150k-200k.

With Singer showing 9d 8h Js, Gregorich passed Qc 2c 3d to a 40k bet.

At first glance, this may appear to be an unnerving segment from a gay porn film, but in reality, it's simply the players from one of the outer tables bagging up for the end of day's play, 23 turning into 21 after two exits in quick succession.

Although shorter than an oompaloompa, Mark Gregorich was not one of those to fall, that unfortunate title going to second-in-chips-at-the-start-of-the-day Toto Leonidas and European favourite Rob (or Robertus as he is listed here) Hollink of Netherlands, the former EPT Grand Final Champ being finished off by Gregorich, his two pairs (7s & 3s) not being enough to conquer the Americans bigger two pair (Qs & 8s).

That's everything then.

Play will recommence again tomorrow at 2pm (10pm UK time) and they'll be playing down to the final table, so it could be a relatively short day.

 ;stickaforkinme;

Toodle pip

 ;stickaforkinme;

Just finished reading the updates with my breakfast. Thanks guys, excellent work.

Just read through, cool updates

I see justin bonomo, the infamous 'ZeeJustin' is still in, what a story that could be. His poker talent has never been in douby due to his various live scores already, but HORSE, and the 50k WSOP event, so so sick.

Catch you guys, and jen at the rio on thursday

I was talking to some guys last night who have percentages of Justin in this.
He's pretty sick, hopefully he ships the win.