WSOP MAIN EVENT: DAY 1B - Interactive

[Clare]

We're bearing..... give him a big good luck kiss from both of us when you see him! xxx

[snoopy1239]

Feeling refreshed from my much needed 90 minute lunch break, I headed back out in search of anything of interest, but what I got was rather more than interesting. It’s not often Vicky Coren sits at a table and isn’t the main attraction, a middle aged woman with silly hat causing a flurry of railer giggles due to he rhuge (and I mean huuuuuuuuuuuuuge) babylons resting over the table. Examining a photo with his jaw resting on the desk (from surprise as opposed to sexual allure) photographer Lein Toddarts, as he asked to known so as to disguise his identity, claimed her cleavage to be bigger than her head. Honestly, peeps, it has to be seen. Meanwhile, whilst her table mates try to concentrate on the poker or, at the very least, fight for some non-breast intruding elbow room, Vicky is still plugging away with 22k with David Levi still going in the seat opposite.

Back down the other end of the cardroom, the Gutshot’s David Buckle is steady eddie with 22.5k, but what was slightly more interesting was the had going down at his table, an American chap making a good call for 6k with vs. and a board of .

Also noticed that Marc Goodwin (46k) and John Duthie (42.5k) are now neighbours, with Hoyt Corkins (9.5k) the other side of the dealer. Marc was in a hand just as I left, raising to 1.3k pre-flop, checking the Flop  and check calling a 1.5k Turn bet. The River came another Ace and Marc bet 2k. With his hands shaking, the young American raised it another 2k, only for Marc to pick up some chips, semi-fake a re-raise and fold.

I hadn’t spotted him up until now, perhaps due to being located in the very corner of the room where bloggers rarely bother to tread (we’re not lazy, honest!), but Peter Haslam is still in… just. He’s down to just 3k after “bluffing most of it away for 8k and then losing with A-8 vs. A-9, an Ace on the River.” Just a couple of tables down is Bullit Pete’s buddy, Chris Sokrati, aka Soxy online – he’s on 17.5k, so fairing marginally better.

A whole host of big names seem to have vanished, Justin Bonomo, David Williams, Annie Duke, Howard Lederer and online superstar Christoffe Stahle, but liitle ol’ Jen Mason is most certainly still battling away like there's no tomorrow, desperately holding onto her 30 or so k and comfortably staying in touch with the current average. Seated next door is John Kabbaj with 34,500, although he seems to be more interested in his phone at the moment.

Tom Burton has 12k – he seems to be becoming rather frustrated in his lack of handage, recently folding the small blind with T-2 (how can he fold the Brunson?!), and being shown 4-2 in the big. “You had me dominated,” said the Big. “But you had straight possibilities,” replied Burton. Oh, the hilarity, how often have you heard that sort of exchange at the felt?

Meanwhile, and I do apologise for the Mateyboys involved in these ‘Laugh at them because they just got rogered’ hands, but I couldn’t help but be amused by this one, Mateyboy all-in with vs. on a board, hitting the River. I knew it was going to happen which is why I stayed to watch, but why is it never the Queen?

Oh yeah nearly forgot, George ‘Well Chief’ McDonald has 21k, Keith Hawkins has 38k, ut they're both behind Cliff Josephy who has 83k. Au revoir.

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MIA:

Jim Kerrigan
Praz Bansi
Jennifer Harman
Marc Karam
Dubai
Max Pescatori

Dan Harrington (who probably gets away with millions of bluffs these days...) is up to 40k, with the blinds 200/400 with a 50 ante, UTG made it 1,700. Action Dan made it 5,000 straight, more passing than me trying to answer questions on 17th century French Literature on Mastermind. UTG decides to flat-call, despite having just 3.4k behind after that.

Flop:



UTG checks, Dan puts him in. UTG passes. Nope, I don't get it either...

Bo Sehlstedt just made a great call when he was put all-in on the river of a K-2-K-9-J board, he made the call with A-9 only to find his opponent sitting with pocket threes.

New blonde member, isabellefrance has 26k and says hello to all the badbeat and betfair crew.

John Conroy has 65k.

Whenever there's an all-in and a call, the dealers have to shout that out, along with their table number. Over the last half hour or so with the running antes kicking in, this has increased probably at least threefold, and the Amazon room, previously brimming with the sounds of chips riffling, now sounds like an extremely busy cafe, shouting out multiple orders.

Crazy-Hat Man from the Bahamas.
Dan Harrington.
John Henningan
The Field in the Rio stretches on forever.

[snoopy1239]

We're bearing..... give him a big good luck kiss from both of us when you see him! xxx

He said give you one from him. What's your address again?

[Sickdog]

Can you give me any news + chip counts for

-Praz Bansi
-Karl Mahrenholz
-Priyan Demel

Thanks, James.

[snoopy1239]

It's wierd how you can follow a tounament all day and still not spot certain players until 10 hours in, my latest case of foolishly overlooking a player being Mark Convey, perhaps best known as a part-time blogger with the Gutshot team. Rumoured to being backed by the likes of Devilfish, Convey appears to be a dab hand at this poker lark if he has players of that calibre aiding his entrance fee, but from what I hear, he works in property rather than the rollercoaster world of full time poker. Either way, he's enjoyed a solid start to his WSOP experience, happily chugging along with 42,500.

Whilst Mark's moving up, Paul 'Rocket Man' Gourlay has been heading south all day, but he's got no qualms about it, the go-lucky Geordie (or is he a Leedsy now?) happy to admit that he's simply had nothing to play all day. "I just haven't got anything and any time I've had half a hand, I've been re-raised. Just got 4,900 at the moment, but I'm still confident for some reason." Continuing (as he often seems to do), "I'm after that guy's orange chips and will have them on the final." Well, at least he's remaining positive, pity he can't even change up one at the moment though. More amusingly, I passed on the 'kiss' message, and he bizarrely asked if it was his 'sister or his girlfriend'... 

Equally high in spirits is Mr Antonius Guoga, who asked how I was when I approached his table. "Feeling your power, Tony," I replied in honour of one of his many catchphrases. I asked Tony if he was tired, to which he confessed to being a little fatigued, but believed stamina was a big part of the game. "I've been here before, I'm used to it, so it won't be a problem." Tony's currently on 29k and, so far today, has yet to make his table feel his power... baby!

Bumped into Vik Kanwar too from Colchester too - he's looking a tad frustrated, mainly due to two big stacks on his left. "I've never been below 20k, but I just can't do too much with these two next to me". Another English player, Phil Green, asked me to pass on a message to his mates, saying that 'The Phoenix' is on 80k and won a few chips with T-9 (or was it tens AND nines?). Either way, he's doing well, and admitted to making the odd successful bluff to reach that chunky figure.

The highly respected Neil Channing, railed by Willie Tann who finished yesterday with 55k, is still hovering around the 60k mark: "I've been on about the same for a while now, just not making any progress. I'm playing a lot of hands though - at least one every three hands, maybe even every 2."

With Jen Mason still on 24k, we need some inspiration for some of our flag fliers, and perhaps that will come in the form of Priyan de Mel who has shot up to a rather magnificent 90k. Priyan claimed to have won those chips in a number of pots, but did reveal an Aces v Kings coo. "I told him that he should fold and that I had Aces, but he still called!" sniggered a bewildered Priyan.

Meanwhile, we have a few other chip counts, Kevin O'Connell with 38,500, Simon Stoken at 26,500, Richard Redmond on 32,000 and Richard 'Not the one from Bottom' Mail, 43,000. Doing almost as well is Rajesh Modha - he has 29,500 after betting 7k on a T5-5-Q-K rainbow board, his opponent commenting, "I'm going to give you credit for a King, my Jacks shrivelled after the Turn.

Finally, there was a cracking hand on Table Squelch, Richard Redmond flopping a straight but coming in a good third to a Turned Royal Flush and a Rivered Quads, the guy with four of a kind taking at least 90 seconds to realise he'd lost. Well, with Quads, you don't expect to be behind too often, not unless you're playing Razz.

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Controversy now, as David Singer has gone out and isn't a happy bunny. He had pushed all-in on a and his opponent's phone went off whilst the latter was thinking about making the call. The opponent apparently picked out his phone, turned it off straight away, put it back in his pocket and then said, "Call." Singer was claiming that if you touch your phone during a hand, you hand is declared dead. The floor was called and the tournament director made a ruling that the player in seat 1 was allowed to call. This ruling was supported by Nolan Dalla and Singer's failed to improve against the other player's . Singer is not impressed, but Nolan said that the turning off of the phone was done as a courtesy to the other players and not being used as an advantage.

Ben Grundy is feeling a little sick. He flat-called a small blind check/raise from 6k to 17.5k on a board and then insta-called when the board paired with the and the small blind moved in with , and Ben's , behind on the flop, were now in the dominating position, until the river which sent a 110k pot away from him leaving him close to the felt.

Erik Seidel, 8-time bracelet winner, is OUT. K-5 no good vs 6-6.

Roland De Wolfe has added a chunk to his stack busting another player. Both had checked a board before it had all gone in on the turn, Roland's uber-draw with still behind though to the of his opponent. Roland managing to hit the on the river though.

Marc Goodwin lost two chunky pots, first with 6-6 to Hoyt Corkins A-6 on a A-A-3-6-x board, and then with a flush to two pair which rivered a house. He's back down to around 20k.

Pics:

David Singer's phone holding opponent.
Chipped Up TV Host Montel Williams!
Ben Grundy loses the 110k pot.
Joe Sebok.

[snoopy1239]

Perhaps everyone's tired, but not too much seems to have happened over the lost 60 minutes, the most entertaining aspect being the rise of chatshow Montel Williams. Obviously chatshow fame in the shadow of Oprah wasn't enough for the TV star, his ambush on the World Series starting off in sparkling fashion with a 140k stack and rumoured chip lead. Just a couple of seats along is Robert 'animal' Price, who informs me is a blondeite. Robert is licking his lips like a dog spotting the rabbit, that rabbit being Montel who he says isn't the greatest poker talent in the world and perhaps the best chance of obtaining a monster stack.

If anyone can get his hands on the Montel stack, then it would be Robert, who, himself, is sitting pretty pretty himself with with 60k, most of that deriving from the reception of a welcome Pocket Ladies. Raising it up pre-flop, Robert was called in one place, but greeted with an Ace high Flop that he inevitably checked. A Queen arrived on the Turn, albeit a third diamond, and with all the chips flying in, his opponent was ultimately drawing dead with A-J, no diamond.

Charismatically donning a curiously colouful shirt, Montel has a minder, or bodyguard standing behind him as he play. This chap has a VIP pass and seems to be there just to keep an eye on the celebrity. What's more, he's ruddy massive, so no wonder Montel's leading the way, everyone perhaps mucking their cards even they've won. The Last time I visited this table, Montel was splitting a pot with Fours v Aces on a 5-3-6-4-2 board. I wish I knew when the chips went in...

Not previously mentioned, Rob Taylor joins the likes of Alan Smurfit and Donnacha O'Dea (plus son who has 16k) in the Irish contingent here today. Unfortunately, Rob isn't in the best of moods, his 49k stack recently slipping to 31k due to a series of non-profit making hands.

I couldn't find Karl Mahrenholz or Praz, neithe rJim Kerrigan now I come to mention it, but there's still hundreds of players left spread across more than half the room, so I'd need to check every nook and cranny before confirming, but the early signs of being unfindable don't look great. John Conroy's definitely still in with 55-60k, as is Norwegian sensation Jan Sjavik with 33k. Most promising however is the miracle of Gourlay, Rocket Man fulfilling his promise of getting his hands on an orange 5k chip once again, his all-in with surviving 5-4s to climb back up to an unprecedented 9k. The only way's up, unless he loses of course...

So, with Jennifer Harman, Erik Seidel and David Singer tasting dust, the latter not without controversy, we're left with the following chip leaders thanks to worldseriesofoker.com:

1st  Montel Williams -- $150,000
2nd  Michael Woo -- $117,000
3rd  Jun Takada -- $116,000
4th  Jeff Baoghart -- $115,000
5th  Christian Lohmann -- $114,000
6th  Scott Bohman -- $110,000
7th  Chris Viox -- $108,000
8th  Dave Lunde -- $105,000
9th  Mark 'Poker Ho' Kroon -- $100,000
10th Ryan Elson -- $100,000

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A huge cheer went up from the TV table a short while ago, Joe Hachem was all-in with A-K against Aces only for the board to come Q-J-T-8-6. Nicolas Levi has 55k, but isn't wearing his trademark hat today, his table looks to be a odd mix, but I only recognise Joe Sebok on there.

Paul Gourlay is OUT, vs , board coming .

Another player suffers a beat, holding on an board, all the chips go in against only for the river to come the making the wheel. At this point the ESPN crew jump in with a camera and boom mic, desperate for the guy to say something interesting, and when I say 'interesting', I mean swear and generally get cross.

Finally one guy manages to get his whole stack in with on a board against and A-J, bizarrely he manages to catch his Queen and shouts, "Yessireee Bob!!!"

In fact I'm seeing a lot of this shouting and whooping, mostly, not from the young American kids, but from the 30 - 40 year olds who act about one of tenth of their age whenever they're all-in or there's a camera crew nearby.

Pics:

Kevin O'Connell on about 40k
That bizarre board...

[Sickdog]

Karl and Praz are out. Both of them were card dead and couldn't get off the ground. Update on priyan if poss. Cheers snoops.

[K9sixtwo]

Thanks for the update on Tom Burton Snoopy.. He was chuffed to pieces his Picture is on here ... He's tells me he was down to about 9K but is up to 40K now having had his AA come up against QQ giving a nice stack...Any more writings on Tom would be appreciated...
Laying down the brunson is discipline ....It never wins in our poker crowd!!

[kano]

Joey Lovelady please

[b4matt]

Just caught up, great updates guys.....

Thankyou sireeeeeeeebob pmsl OIA

Unlucky Rocketman.

Wish John Conroy all the best please.

[K9sixtwo]

Spoken to Tom Burton ... He's happy with where he is ... Has had a few moments though ... Folding 55 in early position to a raise and then to see 5 5 come on the flop was trying and ...you were quite right ... he was feeling very frustrated with lack of cards... But has got up and taken time out to re focus and is now back in the zone... He's got two big stacks on his table (31)one of which came onto the table and they  have been going hammer and tongs at each other both having river escapes to each other...It'll end in tears!!!
Keep the updates coming !!...Any chance of another picture of Tom ...to see how much he's aged in one day !!
 

[snoopy1239]

First off, let's get some of the exits out of the way. Remember David Redlin from the Grand Prix de Paris? Well, he came 3rd there for a nice payday, but he's out here, as surely Joe Lovelady is. I genuinely haven't seen him since Level 1, so I'm pretty sure he's a gonna. Another Brit, Bullet Pete is missing and presumed lost - but again, I'm 99% sure as he was down to just a couple of thousand not too long ago. Meanwhile, Chris Sokrati is still clinging on with 14k, down but not out.

On the flipside, we have a couple of do-gooders in Phil Green who has continued his gradual climb to the dizzy heights of the top 50 players, his recent chip acquisitions being enough to see him creep into the elite 100k club with 105 thousand. This club is also home to David Barriclough who surely owes me a small percentage after I aiding him in his most recent triumph. Peering over at this chip stack, Dave gave me a quick wave, at which unfortunate point, the player under-the-gun raised to 3,000. Round to Dave on the button, and after a quick glance down at his cards, announced "raise", not knowing that there had already been one in front of him. Looking slightly agitated (it's funny how players can never seem to hide their dismay at these situations), David was correctly informed that verbal goes and was made to bet at least the minimum. Perhaps admitting defeat, Dave didn't pretend he had a monster and risk a bigger re-raise (lucky he didn't in truth), and indeed chose to make it an extra 3k play.

To my surprise, the original raiser made the call and the two saw a raggy Flop, which led to an odd 6k bet from Mateyboy. David smooth called and the dealer dealt out the . Check check, and again on the River with David taking the pot with vs. . The guy with the Kings didn't look best please, David meanwhile just shrugged his shoulders and apologised, although he didn't need to as Mateyboy was being sneaky and trap-checking pre-flop. Anyhow, David gave me a rye smile, which I hope meant (well, translated as) "Thanks for the help, I'll give you 50%".

Back to non-blogger influenced poker, and while Ben Grundy is still looking pissed off after his 4-outer cost him the chip lead and knocked him down to a paltry in comparison 20k, Tom Burton seems to have found his feet from somewhere and climbed up to 34.5k. Hairy arms that lad by the way! On the same table as Burton, a 'cor-blimey' hand devloped between Seat 1 and 2, the former betting out 22k into a Flop of , only for the young chap in Seat 2 to push for a total of 53k. Even Seat 3 spent a session in the the think tank, but he eventually folded what he later claimed was A-Q. Back round to seat 1, who called semi-reluctantly, and it was on their backs time.

Seat 1 Mateyboy =

Seat 2 Mateyboy =

Turn =

River =

The Turn provoking little reaction, but the River resulting in an uncontrollable "Yes!", which, considering the tension at the time, I couldn't fault him for. The losing player took it well.

Another Mateyboy incident which involved a player 'taking it well' was even more painful. As I walked around the back, I nearly jumped out of my skin at one point, a player shoving his chair back and yelping as if bitten in the goolies by a snake lying in wait underneath the table. But after confirming the lack of snakage, I soon realised why the cry and seat flinging had developed, the board reading with Pocket Threes and Pocket Fours lying innocently in front of the players. After the momentary pain, the one-outee smiled, grabbed his bag and congratulated the winner, even shaking his hand and wishing the rest of the table good luck as he left. I thought that was a nice touch.

In other news, Roland and his 42k stack is on the move, locating closer to the lass he bought in after losing a bet, Miss Mason, who hasn't progressed too much recently, but, at the same time, not seen her stack drop very much at all. A few greens have found their way to her stack, so I detect a bit of pinchy pinchy of the antes. Naughty Jen! I also caught sight of Camel's stack - he has 25k and looks a little fidgety, his nut flush being outdrawn by trips and an A-Q failing to improve against a shortstack's Pocket snowmen being the probable cause of his bodily grimaces.

Before I head back out, I have to mention Patric Martensson of Sweden. He's on 37k and definitely one to watch, three (I think) EPT finals to his name making him a very dark horse indeed. Even if you don't rate him, then you have to admire him, the bio his friends set-up for him at the Deauville EPT being hilarious with it's fabricated tales of used-car selling, stamp collecting and even a claim of being the Swedish Monopoly champion. I'm so glad Mad Harper chose to publish those little white fibs. Made my EPT season.

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A group of reporters were gathering around a table watching a large pot develop between two players. Neither of them looked famous, but they managed to get all the chips in the middle on a board, one player holding , the other with . The Queens held giving the winner a 50k+ stack. His name? Sam Simon, one of the creators of the Simpsons. (pic1)

John Duthie is up to almost 70k at the expense of Raj Modha, the EPT head-honcho turned a straight against the Laddies Million Winner's Aces, leaving the latter close to the felt.

Keith Lehr, who was close to the final table of the $5k, managed just now to fold Kings preflop. UTG limped, and then an EP player limped behind him. Keith raised his Kings, the UTG player re-raised, and the limper moved in. Keith passed his kings after a dwell and the UTG player called with...the other two kings! The limper was the one with Aces, which held.

Jen is OUT. Tens against AK, raise, re-raise, and, out of position rest of chips (half stackish) in on 3-3-K flop.  Called instantly, misinterpretation of betting, goodnight Vegas after 10 hours.


Finally, here's a picture of the chip leader, Dag Martin Mikkelsen who is "dmmikkel" online, and coincidentally Annette_15's best friend. He has 220k.

[snoopy1239]

What do you guys think about the Dave Singer incident? As Floppy mentioned earlier, he exited in controversy, his opponent turning off a ringing phone after Singer had moved in and Singer saying that his hand should be dead. According to the grapevine, he's trying to get refunded, or put into one of the other Day 1's. Sounds like a bit of a cheapshot to me, am I alone in thinking that?

[trustno1]

Jen is OUT. Tens against AK, raise, re-raise, and, out of position rest of chips (half stackish) in on 3-3-K flop.  Called instantly, misinterpretation of betting, goodnight Vegas after 10 hours.

[K9sixtwo]

I'm with you snoopy..players on mobiles when first card is dealt renders there hand dead..is i think the rule .. he didn't answer it and has no influence over it ringing...Old sayings about snowballs in warm places come to mind about his chances of getting either a)refund or b) reseating in alt day ...
  

Incidentally i've just realised what a complete spanner i have been signing with 
when really i am K9 and should be signing with