Day 5 of the World Poker Tour's World Championship
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:41 PM
Join us tomorrow for the final table action to see who will win the most prestigious WPT title and nearly four million dollars! The cards go in the air at 5:00PM PDT.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:39 PM
The stage is set for tomorrow. Here are the TV table final six players, their seat assignments, and their chip counts:
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| 1 | Kirk Morrison | 4,194,000 | | 2 | Guy Lilaberte | 4,690,000 | | 3 | Carlos Mortensen | 6,501,000 | | 4 | Mike Wattel | 2,587,000 | | 5 | Paul Lee | 11,828,000 | | 6 | Thien "Tim" Phan | 2,162,000 |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:28 PM
We have our final table six. I should have the chip counts shortly.
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| Thomas Wahlroos - 7th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:18 PM
WOOOOOOOW!!! Here was the showstopper hand of the evening: Mike Wattel raised to 420K, Paul Lee called, and Thomas Wahlroos moved all-in for more than five million. Mike folded quickly but Paul asked for a count and looked pretty serious about calling. After just a couple minutes, he said, "I call!" and flipped over (to the table's and crowd's surprise) A Q . Thomas Wahlroos stared in disbelief that Paul would call for most of his chips with A-Q offsuit. Thomas turned over his A T . The flop brought maximum drama as it came 8 2 J , giving Thomas his flush draw, on top of his tens as outs. But he was heartbroken to see the 2 5 turn and river. Thomas Wahlroos goes from being third in chips out of seven to being out of the tournament on the TV table bubble. And Paul Lee rockets up to the runaway chip lead. Thomas Wahlroos finishes in 7th place, earning $278,465.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:05 PM
We are back and going in level 25: 80K/160K with a 15K ante. We still have to eliminate one player before we are done tonight.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:54 PM
We are on break for nine more minutes.
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| Scott Fischman - 8th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:51 PM
Scott Fischman's aggression finally got the best of him. Kirk Morrison had raised to 425K and Scott Fischman pushed in for 1.44M total. Kirk took his time and made the call. Scott had 7 5 and Kirk was in great shape with 5 5 . The flop came 2 J 4 , keeping Morrison well ahead. The 6 gave Scott some more outs, giving him an open-end straight draw, but also giving the flsuh draw to Kirk. The A river ended Scott's tournament. Scott Fischman finishes in 8th position, earning $247,525.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:43 PM
Mike Wattel raised to 350K from early position and Guy Laliberte popped it to 950K from the small blind. "OK," said Mike and tossed his cards to the dealer.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:41 PM
Carlos opened for 350K, Paul called, and Kirk pushed all-in for 859K on top. Carlos folded and Paul rolled his eyes and finally made the call. Kirk had T T ("same hand!" he declared) and Paul had A 8 . The board came 2 3 9 4 J . Kirk Morrison more than doubles up.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:38 PM
Kirk Morrison raised from the small blind to 600K and Thomas Wahlroos called from the big. Flop was A 5 3 and both players checked. Turn was K . Kirk checked and Wahlroos moved all-in. Kirk agonized and finally asked the tournament director what would happen if he exposed his cards to his opponent. The TD said that he would be assessed a 20-minute penalty but the hand would not be declared dead. Kirk jokingly wanted to know if the penalty could be served during the next break. The TD said no, sorry. Kirk folded. "Tens?" asked Thomas. Kirk nodded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:25 PM
Mike Wattel just won back-to-back pots. First he raised and got called by Tim Phan. When the 5 Q 9 flop came, Tim checked, Mike bet 800K, and Tim folded. On the next hand, Carlos Mortensen opened for 350K and Mike raised to 1.25M. Carlos folded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:19 PM
Mike Wattel now has about 1.8M and Fischman is down to about 1.6M.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:17 PM
When it folded to Mike Wattel in the small blind, he pushed all-in for 781K more. Scott Fischman, in the big blind, took his time and then made the call. Mike admitted that he had only looked at one card and then turned over Q 5 . Scott had ducks: 2 2 . But the flop came 5 K K . The T 6 turn-river were duckless, so Mike Wattel doubles through Scott Fischman.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:08 PM
I have noticed that Guy Laliberte has different poker habits than his tablemates. He looks at his cards right away, instead of waiting for his turn. And he makes decisions very quickly, rather than taking several minutes, like the others. Oh, also, he made an origami bird, which is sitting on top of his 3.5M or so of chips. For those of you who are not familiar with Guy, he started Cirque du Soleil and built it into an empire. He is one of the wealthiest men in the world, estimated to be worth more than $1.5 billion. If you don't believe me, go here.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 10:02 PM
Thomas Wahlroos raised to 350K from under the gun and Scott Fischman, in the cutoff, moved all in for 1.6M. Wahlroos gave it some thought and then ditched his hand.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 09:58 PM
Guy Laliberte raised to 250K and Paul Lee called from the big blind. Flop came 3 J 4 . Paul bet 250K and Guy raised to 850K. Paul made the call. Turn was 8 . Paul checks and Guy moves all-in for about 2.3M more. Lee folds and Laliberte drags the 2.3M pot.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 09:48 PM
Carlos raised twice and won the blinds and antes. Then Paul did.Kirk raised from the button for 325K and Thomas, in the small blind, raised to 900K, which Kirk called. Flop was 5 7 T . Thomas moved all-in for about two million. Kirk folded. Thursday, 26th of April 2007 09:39 PM
Just grinding right now. Mostly preflop raises and folds. Scott Fischman continues to raise and take down the pot more than his fair share.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 09:24 PM
Tim Phan moved all-in on a flop of J-T-2 and got called by Mike Wattel. Phan had K-J and Wattel had J-9. The turn and river were 5-Q and Tim Phan has doubled through.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 09:19 PM
We are getting under way again. Here is the current chip situation:
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| 1 | Kirk Morrison | 3,634,000 | | 2 | Thomas Wahlroos | 3,296,000 | | 3 | Guy Lilaberte | 3,260,000 | | 4 | Carlos Mortensen | 7,226,000 | | 5 | Mike Wattel | 2,832,000 | | 6 | Scott Fischman | 1,992,000 | | 7 | Paul Lee | 7,761,000 | | 8 | Tim Phan | 1,361,000 |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 09:03 PM
We are on a 15-minute break. When players return, they are in for a brisk increase in the blinds and antes: 60K/120K/15K.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:59 PM
Scott Fischman is hellbent on rebuilding his stack. He limped, Guy Laliberte raised to 225K, and Scott called. When the flop came 2 9 T , Guy checked and Scott went all-in. Guy folded.
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:57 PM
Scott has more than 1.7M now and Tim Phan is the short stack with about 1.4M.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:54 PM
Thomas Wahlroos and Scott Fischman reraised each other until Wahlroos moved all-in and Fischman instantly called and showed A A . Wahlroos was in trouble with Q Q . The 3 8 2 flop didn't offer Wahlroos much. But the 9 turn gave him a flush draw. And the 7 on the river gave Wahlroos the runner-runner flush to keep him alive and double him up. Scott calmly asked how much it was (1.4M) and cut out the amount from his stack. Scott still has about 1.4 million, but he now becomes one of the shortest stacks at the table.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:46 PM
I sat down to type up a hand at the wrong time! Here is what happened, as best as I can reconstruct it: Paul Lee raised to 220K and both Kirk Morrison and Carlos Mortensen called. The flop was 5 6 T . Carlos checked, Paul bet 300K and both Kirk and Carlos called. Then the 2 turn. Carlos checked, Paul bet 1M and then Kirk went all-in for his remaining 750K. Carlos just called the 1M bet, creating a half-million side pot between him and Paul. Both checked the A river. Lee turned over Q Q , Carlos turned over 5 5 for the set. But Morrison had K Q for the second-nut flush. Morrison triples up and Mortensen wins the side pot.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:39 PM
We had a rare four-way limp pot. On the A K J flop, Scott bet 150K and only Kirk called. Both players checked it down on the scary 2 5 turn and river. Scott turned over Q J and it was good for the pot!Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:31 PM
Carlos Mortensen has between 8.5 and 9.0 million.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:30 PM
The following raised preflop and got no callers: Tim Phan, Carlos Mortensen, Scott Fischman (twice).Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:14 PM
Kirk Morrison raised and Guy Laliberte made the call. When the flop of 8 5 7 came out, the fireworks went off. Morrison moved all-in and Guy took little time making the call. Morrison had 8 8 for top set. Laliberte had A Q for the nut flush draw. However, the turn-river came 9 6 , putting a straight on the board. Chop pot. Morrison couldn't believe it.
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| Tommy Vu - 9th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:08 PM
Tommy Vu limped, Carlos Mortensen raised from the big blind to 230K, and Tommy Vu pushed in for an additional 623K. Carlos made the call and showed A J . Vu showed K 3 . Board was 9 6 8 A Q . Tommy Vu is ousted in 9th position, earning a respectable $216,585.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:01 PM
Another clash of the titans. Paul Lee raised to 250K and Thomas Wahlroos pops it to 850K from the big blind. On the T 5 5 flop, Thomas leads out with a strong 800K bet and Paul Lee immediately raises to 2M. Wahlroos stared at Lee's soul for a good five minutes and finally laid it down. With that fold, Wahlroos is down around the 2M mark, while Paul Lee is over ten million.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:47 PM
And now Mike just raised Carlos off a pot on the flop. Mike Wattel resurgent!Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:45 PM
Mike Wattel raised to 200K and found callers with Thomas Wahlroos and Carlos Mortensen. On the 3 6 2 flop, Carlos checked, Mike Wattel moved all-in for his last 809K and both Thomas and Carlos called. On the 8 turn and 8 river, both Thomas and Carlos checked it down. Wattel turned over K K , Wahlroos showed T T and Carlos mucked. Mike Wattel triples up to more than three million!Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:38 PM
Tommy Vu pushed and got no callers.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:37 PM
Thomas Wahlroos, Guy Laliberte, and Scott Fischman each win smallish pots.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:32 PM
Our two short stacks, Tommy Vu and Mike Wattel, each around the million mark, have to be feeling the pressure of these higher blinds and antes.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:31 PM
We are going now at level 23: 40K/80K with a 10K ante.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:19 PM
Twelve minutes remain on this break.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:18 PM
On the final hand before the break, Guy Laliberte raised to 200K and Tommy Vu made the call from the big blind. The flop came 2 7 9 . Vu checked, Guy bet 400K, and Vu laid it down, flashing the A while he mucked.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 07:11 PM
We just had a huge confrontation between our two biggest stacks. Paul Lee raised to 200K and Carlos Mortensen, in the big blind, called. Flop was Q 7 Q . Both checked. The turn was the Q . Carlos checked, Lee bet 400K and Carlos called. With the 9 river, Carlos checked again, Paul Lee fired one million and Carlos raised all-in for another 2.7 million. Lee, after a long time, folded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 06:51 PM
Carlos Mortensen raised to 125K from the button and Scott Fischman made the can't-fold-due-to-the-odds call from the big blind. The flop came T T 8 and Scott led out with 130K. Carlos jacked it up to 500K. Fischman takes little time moving all-in for another 1.2M. Carlos folds.
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| Jimmy Tran - 10th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 06:40 PM
Paul Lee raised to 500K and Jimmy Tran moved all in for his million plus. Tran had Q Q and was in great shape against Lee's 5 5 . Oh, but that flop: 3 7 5 . Lee makes his set and now Tran was in big trouble, needing to catch one of the two queens. But that was not to pass, with the 8 4 turn-river. Jimmy Tran is eliminated in 10th place, earning a tidy $185,645.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 06:34 PM
Tran limped, Wahlroos limped, and then Mike Wattel pushed in for his 969K. Each of the following tortured Wattel in turn by having some degree of theatrics or hesitation before folding: Lee, Vu, Phan, Tran, and then Wahlroos. Wattel looked beat up by the time the dealer pushed him the pot.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 06:20 PM
We just had our first huge hand in this final table. Carlos Mortensen opened for 200K and got Thomas Wahlroos and Guy Lilaberte to call. The flop came A-7-6, two diamonds. Thomas checks, Guy checks, and Carlos bets 500K. Thomas then raises all-in. Guy folds, Carlos quickly calls and turns over pocket aces for top set. Thomas has A 4 for top pair and the nut flush draw. The drama is over quickly, though, as the 7 on the turn fills Carlos up. Carlos Mortensen doubles up and now has about six million in chips. Thomas Wahlroos takes a big hit.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 06:17 PM
Scott Fischman limps, Tommy Vu pushes in for a million, and Fischman folds his pair of eight face up.Carlos Mortensen raises to 250K and gets one caller in Paul Lee. Flop T 2 J . Carlos checks, Paul bets 375K, Carlos calls. Both players check the 6 turn and A river. Lee turns over 8 8 and Carlos indicates that they are good my mucking. Thursday, 26th of April 2007 06:10 PM
Mike Wattel opened for 200K and Scott Fischman pushed all-in for about 1.1M. Wattel folded.The next hand, Jimmy Tran opens for 170K and Scott Fischman raises to 500K. Tran makes the call. The flop comes 7 2 7 . Tran checks, Fischman moves all-in, and Tran folds A-Q face up. Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:57 PM
Paul Lee opened for 225K from early position and got callers in Tim Phan and Thomas Wahlroos. The flop was 9 K 3 . Lee led out with 500K and both the others folded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:56 PM
Tommy Vu pushed his million in and got no customers.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:51 PM
The players opted to continue playing so we are playing poker right now.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:50 PM
Here are the final table seating assignments and chip counts:
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| 1 | Kirk Morrison | 1,783,000 | | 2 | Jimmy Tran | 1,327,000 | | 3 | Thomas Wahlroos | 7,186,000 | | 4 | Guy Lilaberte | 3,400,000 | | 5 | Carlos Mortensen | 3,394,000 | | 6 | Mike Wattel | 1,434,000 | | 7 | Scott Fischman | 1,265,000 | | 8 | Paul Lee | 8,994,000 | | 9 | Tommy Vu | 1,083,000 | | 10 | Tim Phan | 2,356,000 |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:42 PM
The players are situating themselves into the final ten-handed table.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:41 PM
Well that was a bit of a poker head-scratcher. Folded around to Grant Lang, in the small blind, he raised it to 160K. Tim Phan, in the big blind, having Grant covered, moved all-in, and Lang instantly made the call for his 800K total and turned over ... 6 5 ! Tim Phan said, "Wow" and showed his A J . The board came 2 7 K 7 9 . Is it possible that Grant looked down at his cards and thought he saw a pair of fives or a pair of sixes and then didn't look back before making the call for all his chips? Dunno. Either way, Grant Lang is our 11th place finisher, earning $154,705.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:35 PM
Jack McClelland just informed the eleven players that once we are down to ten players, they will be given the option to either continue playing or take a one-hour dinner break.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:33 PM
We are resuming play now at level 22: 30K/60K blinds with a 5K ante.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:18 PM
We are now on a 15-minute break.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:16 PM
Paul Lee's chip count is now a staggering nine million!
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| Carlos Mortensen's Chip Tower | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:13 PM
During that last big hand between Kirk Morrison and Guy Laliberte, Carlos Mortense was building this chip creation. While constructing the upper tier, two blue 10K chips rolled off and into the existing pot. The dealer grabbed the two chips and tossed them back to Carlos, who looked a little embarrassed. "Game over," said one of the other players at the table.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:07 PM
Because of the money bubble we are now sitting on, the two table are playing hand-for-hand.
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| Can Kim Hua - 12th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:05 PM
On a J-8-T flop, Can Hua and Tim Phan got all-in. Tim had K-Q for the open-end straight draw, but Can had Q-9 for the made straight. But the 9 on the turn was a heartbreak to Can, as it gave Tim the higher straight. No miracle on the river, with a six, and Can Hua is out in 12th place, earning $154,705.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 05:03 PM
Scott Fischman just got paid off from Carlos Mortensen with his straight.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:59 PM
On a board reading 5 Q T 8 , Jimmy Tran checked, Thomas Wahlroos bet 400K and Tran called. On the K river, Tran checked, Wahlroos fired out 600K and Tran went into the tank for more than five minutes. Finally, he decided to call. Wahlroos shoed J 5 for the turned flush and Jimmy pounded the table and tossed his Q-8 (two pair) face-up into the muck. Wahlroos drags the enormous 2.5M or so pot and Tran takes a big hit.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:51 PM
Guy Laliberte must be getting on Kirk Morrison's nerves. This time, with a ton in the pot already, with a flop of 9 4 Q , Morrison checked, Laliberte bet 300K, and Kirk folded again. Guy's stack is growing and Morrison's is shrinking.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:49 PM
Paul Lee, with the monster stack, raised to 300K preflop and Jimmy Tran, sitting to his left, raised all-in for more than two million. It folded back to Lee, who told Jimmy, "Not yet," and folded his pocket tens face-up. Tran turned over his pocket queens. They shook hands as if to congratulate each other on both making the correct decision.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:42 PM
There was a huge hand from earlier that I forgot to post due to all the bustout hands. On a board of 8 5 7 J , Kirk Morrison checked, Guy Laliberte bet 400K and Morrison check-raised to 900K. Laliberte wasted no time moving all-in for about one million more. Kirk Morrison agonized and folded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:38 PM
I spoke with James Worth and he said that the money bubble had no effect whatsoever on his play. He was just looking for any two decent cards to take his chance to double up, but he got one crappy hand after another after another. At one point, he said that he got T-3 offsuit four hands in a row. The one time that he had a real hand - pocket kings - he moved in from the cutoff and everyone folded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:35 PM
David Levi pushed in with the last of his short stack with K T and got called by Tim Phan, who had A Q . The flop came out 3 J 9 and Levi picked up Phan's queen and plalced it on the board where the turn was to come. The table laughed, as that was the card David needed to make the nut straight. The dealer had no sense of humor and put it back on top of Tim's ace. The turn and river were 5 3 and David Levi is out in 13th place, earning $154,705.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:30 PM
We are playing seven-handed and six-handed now. We won't condense to a single table until we are down to ten players. Also, the next money bubble is 10th place, which will earn $31K more than 11th.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:26 PM
Jake Minter, on the super short stack, got all in with his 8 7 and of course was called by Thomas Wahlroos, with his T T . Jake didn't get any help from the K 2 A 5 9 board. Jake Minter is eliminated in 14th place and takes home $154,705.
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| Carlos Mortensen's Chip Art Creation | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:11 PM
Too bad for James Worth. Not three minutes after he got knocked out, this happened: Sorel Mizzi raised from the button and Carlos Mortensen moved all-in from the blind. Sorel, despite having plenty of chips, made the call and turned over his J J . Mortensen had K K . Sorel was hoping for a jack on the flop, but instead got greeted with 4 K 9 . The A turn sealed the deal and the 3 river was meaningless. Sorel Mizzi is out in 15th place, earning $154,705.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:07 PM
James Worth finally made his play and moved in with his 8 8 but got called by Tim Phan's T T . No help from the K Q 9 4 6 board. James Worth is out in 16th place, earning $123,760.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 04:04 PM
Carlos Mortensen raised to 120K and both Kirk Morrison and Tommy Vu called. The flop came A K Q and Carlos led out for 300K. Morrison folded. Vu asked for a count and Carlos had to damage his chip-art creation (photo coming) in order to tell him it was about 600K more. Vu folded.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 03:57 PM
James Worth just folded both his blinds to drop below 200K. He must be hoping that someone else gets knocked out in the near future, as he would pick up another $31K in earnings.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 03:49 PM
Here we go in level 21: 20K/40K with a 5K ante.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 03:33 PM
We are now on a 15-minute break.
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| Richard Anthony - 17th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 03:29 PM
Richard Anthony and Scott Fischman got all in preflop and it was Anthony's T T against Fischman's A J . The board peeled off Q 2 7 6 J . The jack on the river won it for Scott Fischman. Richard Anthony has finished in 17th place, earning $123, 760.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 03:19 PM
James Worth is one patient guy. He has been nursing his short stack for the longest time. Once, when he was in the small blind and it folded around to him, he moved in and Can Hua folded in the big blind. Of course, with just 300K or so, and at these blind and ante levels, he will need to do something fairly soon.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 03:16 PM
Not much action recently. A lot of preflop raising and then folding around. Phil Hellmuth, presumably after getting paid and cooling off a bit, returned here to the Fontana Room and shook every remaining player's hand, wishing them luck.
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| Phil Hellmuth - 18th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:57 PM
Phil Hellmuth raised to 90K and Thomas Wahlroos re-raised to 230K, which Phil called. The flop came 6 2 8 , Phil Hellmuth checks, Thomas Wahlroos, with his massive stack, fires out 300K, and Hellmuth moves all-in, for nearly a million total. Wahlroos makes the call right away and turns over A A . Hellmuth had J J . The turn-river came 5 9 and Phil Hellmuth is busted. Phil went spouting on about Wahlroos playing 6-9 earlier, this guy has been trying to bust me all day, this is the first time I was all-in, nice playing son, and a bunch of other stuff, some of which is not printable. "It's too bad, Phil," said Wahlroos, as he began stacking the massive pot. Phil Hellmuth, poker royalty, is out in 18th place, good for $123,760. Now where will I get all my material?Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:50 PM
Johnny Chan and Joe Hachem are here, watching from the rail.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:49 PM
Grant Lang raised to 90K and Phil Hellmuth calls. The flop comes out 8 J 9 and both players check. The turn is the J . Grant checks, Hellmuth bets 80K, and Grant folds. Hellmuth turns over Q Q and says, "It's Phil Hellmuth, do you think I'd put eighty dimes in there if I didn't have a hand?"Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:42 PM
We have redrawn and players have taken their new seats at the final two tables. Play has resumed.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:39 PM
Grant Lang got all-in preflop with his A-J and got called by Can Hua with T-T. Out came 3-5-8-J-4 and Lang catches his jack on the turn to double up.
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| Loi Phan - 19th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:37 PM
On a flop of 7 7 A , Loi Phan checked, Guy Laliberte bet 200K and Loi called. On the 2 turn, Laliberte, despite being on the button, blurted out, "All-in!". The dealer reminded him that it was not his turn. Loi Phan checked and Laliberte repeated his all-in declaration. Loi Phan, who was well covered by Guy, decided to make the call, turning over A 2 . But Laliberte had K 7 , for trips. The 4 river closed it off. Loi Phan is out in 19th place, earning $123,760.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:27 PM
Jim "Krazy Kanuck" Worth, on the super short stack, said to me, "Think triple up!" Then he showed me what was playing on his Ipod and added that it was his theme song for the day: "Just Can't Get Enough", by Depeche Mode.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:26 PM
I saw Kirk Morrison, currently contending for the chip lead, away from the table and over in a corner, doing calisthenics. Who says poker isn't a sport? I say if it requires stretching before or during, it's a sport.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:19 PM
On a board of 6 8 5 , David Levi decided to make his stand with 9 8 and got called by Sorel Mizzi, with J J . The turn and river were Q 8. Levi spiked one of his outs on the river to survive and double up.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:16 PM
The shortest stacks right now are James Worth (380K), David Levi (500K), and Grant Lang (520K). With just 19 players left, the average stack is about 1.7M.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:12 PM
Jake Minter raised, Tim Phan re-raised to 270K and Jake Minter pushed all-in for another 432K on top. Tim Phan was getting great odds, but folded. Minter showed A K .Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:07 PM
Kirk Morrison and Phil Hellmuth tangled again. On a 5 2 K 6 board, Kirk checked, Phil bet 120K into the 400K pot, and Kirk asked for a count from Phil. Hellmuth only had about 450K left. Morrison decided to let it go and Phil flipped over K J . "If you had pushed, it would not have been an instacall, Kirk."Thursday, 26th of April 2007 02:02 PM
Phil Hellmuth raised to 80K and Can Hua, on the button, popped it to 280K. "That's the way it's gonna be, huh Can?" Fold.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:57 PM
Blinds are up! They are now 15K/30K with a 4K ante. Play has resumed.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:51 PM
We still have five minutes left in the break.
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| Benjamin Johnson - 20th Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:49 PM
As the rest of the field went on break, there was a big hand still going. Benjamin Johnson, reraised all-in preflop for 673K more. Kirk Morrison took more than five minutes to make a decision. While he was thinking, he told Ben, "If I didn't have this many chips, this would be an easy fold." Finally, he shook his head and made the call. Johnson flipped over K K and Kirk cursed to himself, while he turned over A K . "You gave me way too much respect, Kirk," said Johnson. The flop came J 8 Q , giving Kirk a gutshot to go with his overcard. The 7 turn did nothing. But the deadly A on the river caused the crowd to groan. Ben Johnson took it like a man and shook Morrison's hand, leaving quietly. Benjamin Johnson leaves in 20th place, taking home $123,760.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:40 PM
Another chronicle in the "This Never Happens To Me" file: Tom Pniak and Jimmy Tran get involved in a pot and the flop comes out A A A . Jimmy checks, Tom bet 70K, Jimmy calls. Both players check the 6 turn. With the J river, Jimmy moves all-in, which would actually put Tom all-in. Tom asked Jimmy if he had the ace. Then Tom says, "I can't lay this down. I call," and turns over J T for the full house. Tran yells out, "JIMMY!!!!" and flips over the A 3 for flopped quads! Tom Pniak finishes in disturbing fashion in 21st place, earning $92,820.
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| Raymond Davis - 22nd Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:29 PM
Raymond Davis just went through the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. He moved all in with his A K and got called by Guy Laliberte and his J J . The flop came A 9 5 , vaulting Raymond into the lead. Oh, but that J on the turn put him way behind. But wait! He now has the nut flush draw, so he can win the hand with any club. Sadly, off came the 2 . Raymond Davis finishes in 22nd place, good for a paycheck of $92,820. Hey Raymond, now you can pay back all your buddies back at the Bicycle in L.A.!
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| Paul Lee - Chip Leader | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:19 PM
Paul Lee, who has a lot of smaller cashes in the past, is still our chip leader, now with nearly six million. For those who didn't know, he actually won his first big cash in one of the preliminary tournaments of this Bellagio series. So it is safe to say that he is running well right now.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:15 PM
Raymond Davis pushed in with his last 185K and Jimmy Tran, after giving it some serious thought, chose to let it go.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:10 PM
Carlos Mortensen and Paul Lee, two of the chip leaders, got in a raising match on a K-2-5 flop. Finally, with 1.7M in the pot, they both slowed down and checked the 7-6 turn and river. Paul Lee turned up pocket eights and Mortensen threw his hand to the dealer.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:08 PM
Kirk Morrison just took a monster million-plus pot off Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth had K K , Morrison had A 7 and the flop was 3 5 6 . Morrison called Hellmuth's big bet. The turn was the 3 . Morrison called again. The 2 came on the river, completing Kirk's flush. Once Morrison showed his hand, Hellmuth jumped out of his chair and said, "He did not just do that to me!"Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:04 PM
Tom Pniak doubled through Tim Phan when his pocket nines held up over pocket sevens. Pniak now has about 370K.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 01:01 PM
Kirk Morrison raised from the button to 60K. Hellmuth, in the small blind, took a long time and then declared that he folded. Once the big blind mucked, Hellmuth folded A-T face up. "I'm a feel kind of guy. This time, I think you had it. Normally, I've been raising people with 5-high when they start messing with my blinds."Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:55 PM
Can Hua just doubled up when his 4-4 held up against Kirk Morrison's A-K when the board came J-9-7-J-2. Hua doubles up to 1.3M.
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| David Baker - 23rd Place | |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:46 PM
On a flop of 8 7 6 , David Baker re-raised all-in for 581K on top and Carlos Mortensen contemplated and then made the call. Baker was way ahead with his 9 8 against Carlos' A 7 . The J turn was meaningless. Ahhhh ... but the A on the river changed everything. David Baker is eliminated in 23rd spot, earning $92,820. Justice in poker? Ha!Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:40 PM
Paul Wasicka (with his short stack) and Kirk Morrison got all-in preflop. Wasicka had A-T and Morrison had K-Q. A king came on the flop, leaving Wasicka pretty desperate. No ace came on the turn or river, so Paul Wasicka is out in 24th place, earning $92,820.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:34 PM
Raymond Davis got his last 200K all-in with two red jacks and was up against Jimmy Tran's A-Q. The board dropped 5-2-3-K-9 and Raymond doubles through.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:33 PM
Those darn aces! Adeeb Harb got all-in for about 400K with his A A against Paul Lee's K Q. The flop came T Q 2 , pairing Paul's queen, but keeping Harb in the lead, as well as giving him the nut flush draw. The Q turn shook things up, sending Lee ahead with his trip queens. And the 8 river finished off those rockets. Adeeb Harb is out in 25th place, good for $92,820.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:26 PM
Jimmy Tran raised, Roland De Wolfe moved all-in for 340K more, and Jimmy made the call. Tran: A K . De Wolfe: A J . Board: 2 K 4 9 8 . Result: Roland De Wolfe finishes in 26th place, earning $92,820.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:17 PM
On a 7 7 Q flop, Thomas Wahlroos checked, Sorel Mizzi bet 80K and got called. On the A turn, Wahlroos led out with 200K and Mizzi made the call. On the scary 4 river, Wahlroos checked, Mizzi shoved out about 400K and Wahlroos mucked.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:09 PM
Immediate fireworks! Robert Wazelle moved all-in and got called by Paul Lee. Robert had A-9 and Paul had A-J. The board came a bunch of bricks: 8-4-3-Q-5. Robert Wazelle finishes in 27th place, earning $92,820.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:05 PM
Shuffle up and deal!Thursday, 26th of April 2007 12:03 PM
There is actually just over one minute left in level 18, so we will play one or two hands at that level and then roll straight into level 19.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:54 AM
Just about ten minutes away. Several of the players have already opened their chip bags and are busy stacking.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:43 AM
The media tournament is down to the final eight players. Jimmy Tran walked into the room and I said to him, "Jimmy, you're late! They've already played down to eight!" He gave me a quick flash of concern and then laughed.
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:27 AM
And a reminder of the payout schedule:
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| 1 | $3,970,415 | | 2 | $2,011,135 | | 3 | $1,082,920 | | 4 | $696,220 | | 5 | $464,110 | | 6 | $309,405 | | 7 | $278,465 | | 8 | $247,525 | | 9 | $216,585 | | 10 | $185,645 | | 11-15 | $154,705 | | 16-20 | $123,760 | | 21-30 | $92,820 | | 31-40 | $77,350 | | 41-50 | $61,880 | | 51-100 | $46,410 |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:25 AM
Just to remind you: we have about 20 minutes left in level 18: 10K/20K blinds with 3K ante. After that, here are the next seven levels:Level 19 : 12K/24K/3K
Level 20 : 15K/30K/4K
Level 21 : 20K/40K/5K
Level 22 : 30K/60K/5K
Level 23 : 40K/80K/10K
Level 24 : 60K/120K/15K
Level 25 : 80K/160K/15K Thursday, 26th of April 2007 11:16 AM
Good news and bad news. The bad news is that I got knocked out of the media tournament before the "money" so I'm a little bummed. The good news is that I can now start gathering information to post for you fine folks.Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:49 AM
I am playing in the media-only NLHE tournament at 10:00am today and it is likely to conclude shortly before the main tournament gets under way at noon. So the amount of information that I can post prior to action starting will be inversely proportional to how well I do in the tournament. If you don't hear more from me until past 11:15am or so, I am likely in the money!Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:45 AM
And here they are sorted by their table assignments:
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| Roland DeWolfe | London, England | 460,000 | 59-1 | | Guy Laliberte | Beverly Hills, CA | 1,232,000 | 59-2 | | Thien "Tim" Phan | Westminster, CA | 1,273,000 | 59-3 | | Tom Pniak | Las Vegas, NV | 270,000 | 59-4 | | Scott Fischman | Las Vegas, NV | 1,268,000 | 59-5 | | Loi Phan | San Marino, CA | 1,007,000 | 59-6 | | Jimmy Tran | Las Vegas, NV | 458,000 | 59-7 | | Jake Minter | Las Vegas, NV | 1,568,000 | 59-8 | | Raymond Davis | Commerce, CA | 274,000 | 59-9 | | Thomas Wahlroos | Helsinki, Finland | 1,847,000 | 61-1 | | Carlos Mortensen | Las Vegas, NV | 2,429,000 | 61-2 | | Paul Lee | Los Angeles, CA | 3,601,000 | 61-3 | | Richard Anthony | New York City, NY | 775,000 | 61-4 | | Robert Wazelle | Las Vegas, NV | 284,000 | 61-5 | | Sorel Mizzi | Toronto, Canada | 2,256,000 | 61-6 | | Adeeb Harb | Long Beach, CA | 735,000 | 61-7 | | David Baker | Katy, TX | 983,000 | 61-8 | | James Worth | Toronto, Canada | 556,000 | 61-9 | | Phil Hellmuth | Palo Alto, CA | 738,000 | 62-1 | | Benjamin Johnson | Brooklyn, NY | 1,280,000 | 62-2 | | Grant Lang | Brookfield, CT | 1,201,000 | 62-3 | | Mike Wattel | Phoenix, AZ | 1,060,000 | 62-4 | | Can Hua | Rosemead, CA | 760,000 | 62-5 | | David Levi | Las Vegas, NV | 1,258,000 | 62-6 | | Paul Wasicka | Boulder, CO | 581,000 | 62-7 | | Tommy Vu | Miami, FL | 830,000 | 62-8 | | Kirk Morrison | Topeka, KS | 2,980,000 | 62-9 |
Thursday, 26th of April 2007 08:41 AM
Here are the 27 remaining players, sorted by chip count, and their seat assignment today:
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| Paul Lee | Los Angeles, CA | 3,601,000 | 61-3 | | Kirk Morrison | Topeka, KS | 2,980,000 | 62-9 | | Carlos Mortensen | Las Vegas, NV | 2,429,000 | 61-2 | | Sorel Mizzi | Toronto, Canada | 2,256,000 | 61-6 | | Thomas Wahlroos | Helsinki, Finland | 1,847,000 | 61-1 | | Jake Minter | Las Vegas, NV | 1,568,000 | 59-8 | | Benjamin Johnson | Brooklyn, NY | 1,280,000 | 62-2 | | Thien Phan | Westminster, CA | 1,273,000 | 59-3 | | Scott Fischman | Las Vegas, NV | 1,268,000 | 59-5 | | David Levi | Las Vegas, NV | 1,258,000 | 62-6 | | Guy Laliberte | Beverly Hills, CA | 1,232,000 | 59-2 | | Grant Lang | Brookfield, CT | 1,201,000 | 62-3 | | Mike Wattel | Phoenix, AZ | 1,060,000 | 62-4 | | Loi Phan | San Marino, CA | 1,007,000 | 59-6 | | David Baker | Katy, TX | 983,000 | 61-8 | | Tommy Vu | Miami, FL | 830,000 | 62-8 | | Richard Anthony | New York City, NY | 775,000 | 61-4 | | Can Hua | Rosemead, CA | 760,000 | 62-5 | | Phil Hellmuth | Palo Alto, CA | 738,000 | 62-1 | | Adeeb Harb | Long Beach, CA | 735,000 | 61-7 | | Paul Wasicka | Boulder, CO | 581,000 | 62-7 | | James Worth | Toronto, Canada | 556,000 | 61-9 | | Roland DeWolfe | London, England | 460,000 | 59-1 | | Jimmy Tran | Las Vegas, NV | 458,000 | 59-7 | | Robert Wazelle | Las Vegas, NV | 284,000 | 61-5 | | Raymond Davis | Commerce, CA | 274,000 | 59-9 | | Tom Pniak | Las Vegas, NV | 270,000 | 59-4 |
After successful careers in the financial and high-tech industries, Michael Cheser became fascinated with poker in early 2006. Defying all probabilities, he managed to cash in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. When not tournament reporting for PokerPages, he can be seen at no-limit tables in Las Vegas, cheerfully calling large river bets with second-best hands. Contact Michael. |
