Billy Kopp has just eliminated John Martin from the Main Event, and in doing so, he's skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard. Here's how the hand went down:
Kopp opened the pot with a raise to 125,000 from under-the-gun and was called by both Luis Nargentino (hijack) and Martin (cutoff).
The flop came and the action was checked to Martin who led out with a 250,000 bet. Kopp was the lone caller and he and Martin went heads-up to 4th Street, which brought the .
Kopp again passed the first action to Martin, who led out with a 500,000 bet. Kopp then check-raised to 2,325,000 and Martin responded by moving all in for an additional 300k. Kopp made the call and tabled for bottom set; Martin revealed for open-ended straight and flush draws.
The fell on 5th Street, and Kopp's set of sixes reigned supreme, sending Martin home in 57th place.
Kopp stacked up 11,160,000 in chips after the hand.
PokerRoad Nation is grieving today. It started the day with two horses left in the Main Event: Phil Ivey and Joe Sebok. Now it retains only one.
Sebok, a fan favorite and a good friend of many members of the poker media, made his short-stacked stand from the button with . Ben Lamb got in there with . Sebok couldn't find one last miracle to keep his final table hopes alive as the board ran out to make a pair of queens for Lamb. There was a nice round of applause for Sebok as his elimination was announced over the P.A. system.
The table folded to Christopher Bach who raised to 175,000 from late position. Manuel Labandeira called from the cutoff, then Tommy Vedes reraised to 420,000 from the button. The blinds folded, and Bach and Labandeira got out as well.
Vedes is at 8.54 million now, Bach 2.32 million, and Labandeira 1.28 million.
Hieu Luu opened for 125,000 from the cutoff and Tom Schneider called from the big blind.
The flop was . Schneider check-called Luu's 225,000 continuation bet. The turn came the and Schneider led out for 400,000. Luu moved all in and Schneider made the call for his remaining 1,560,000.
"What do you have, baby?" squealed Schneider's wife Julie from the rail.
"I have two pair. He has a flush draw."
"So what do we need?"
"The king of spades would be nice."
"King of spades! King of spades!" cried a very excited Julie.
Boom! The hit the river and Schneider doubled up to 3.8 million.
"Yeah, baby! That's what you do! Stack 'em up! Stack 'em up!" screamed Julie.
Phil Ivey raised to 135,000 from under the gun, and it folded to Scott Sitron who reraised all in for 600,000 from late position. It folded back to Ivey who made the call.
Ivey showed and Sitron . The flop came , and Sitron was still looking for a ten. The next two community cards would bring two of them -- -- and Sitron doubles back to 1.32 million. Ivey now has 6.68 million.
Gabriel Vezina opened for 125,000 from middle position and Bradley Craig called from the big blind.
Craig checked the flop over to Vezina, who bet 140,000. Craig made the call and they both checked the on the turn. The river was the and both players checked again.
Yesterday Hieu Luu was wearing a t-shirt that read "I'm a Lucky Donk". It was fate, therefore, that he should wind up drawing the same table today as Tom "DonkeyBomber" Schneider. Once Jack Effel told his dealers to shuffle up and deal, the game was afoot!
Luu doubled Scheider up earlier, but he wasn't about to give up. Luu got the better of Schneider in a recent pot that was limped four-ways to a flop of . Luu, in early position, bet 175,000 after both blinds checked. Only Schneider called.
The turn was the . Again Luu made a bet, this time for a very healthy 400,000 chips. Schneider called that bet too, then folded to an all-in shove of 1.86 million on the river.
Schneider is almost exactly on 4 million chips now. Luu is up to 2.7 million.
Christopher Bach limped in from middle position, Tommy Vedes raised to 235,000 from the cutoff, and Bach made the call. The flop came . Bach checked, Vedes continued for 275,000 and Bach called. Both then checked the turn.
The river brought the . Bach checked, Vedes bet 420,000, and Bach made the call. Vedes turned over , and Bach mucked. After that one, Vedes was up to 9.44 million, and Bach down to 1.1 million.
The pair were back at it again soon afterwards. In that one, both limped in from late position and saw a flop of along with Phil Ivey in the big blind. Ivey checked, Bach bet 125,000, Vedes called, and Ivey folded. The turn was the . Bach bet 100,000 this time, and Vedes called.
The river was the . Bach checked, Vedes took the opening to make a bet and Bach quickly folded. Now Vedes has 9.9 million and Bach is down to 700,000.
Dennis Phillips was part of a three-way pot that was raised preflop to 175,000 by Joseph Cada, but in the end it was Nick Maimone who took the brunt of the damage. On a flop of Cada bet 250,000 and was called only by Maimone. The turn brought another bet from Cada, this time 450,000 chips. Again Maimone called.
The river fell , not completing many obvious draws. Cada bet a very healthy 900,000 and was called by Maimone one last time. Cada showed down top set, .
"Wow," said Maimone as he flashed top two pair, , and mucked. "I could have raised so easily there on the turn and been drawing dead."