2023 BetMGM Poker Championship

$3,500 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
2023 BetMGM Poker Championship
Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aa
Prize
$560,442
Event Info
Buy-in
$3,500
Prize Pool
$3,283,200
Total Entries
1,026
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Players Info - Day 2
Entries
307
Players Left
56
Players Left 1 / 1,026
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Elias Ready for Bubble Time

Level 15 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Ibanez Overbets His Way to Chip Lead

Level 14 : Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Johann Ibanez
Johann Ibanez

Johann Ibanez has been ripping through the field and has taken the chip lead with 140 players remaining.

He just crossed the one million mark after being paid off by Michael Lavenburg.

Ibanez kicked things off by making 12,000 from middle position, with Lavenburg calling from the big blind.

Lavenburg check-raised to 40,000 on the J107 flop after Ibanez continued for 10,000. The latter called.

The K turn checked through to the 7 river, and Lavenburg checked again. Ibanez slid out 135,000, which was an overbet as 106,500 was in the pot. After some thinking, Lavenburg called.

Ibanez tabled his 107, which was good for a full house and Lavenburg mucked.

Johann Ibanez
Johann Ibanez

Tags: Johann IbanezMichael Lavenburg

Lonis Doubles Through Dudani

Level 14 : Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Jesse Lonis
Jesse Lonis

Jesse Lonis opened to 12,000 from under the gun and was met with a three-bet to 32,000 by Shiva Dudani. Action folded back to Lonis who clicked it to 56,000. Dudani waited thirty seconds before moving all in as the bigger stack. Lonis, who had 98,500 more behind, called.

Jesse Lonis: AA
Shiva Dudani: QQ

Lonis' aces were never troubled as the board ran out with the 1010372 runout.

Tags: Jesse LonisShiva Dudani

Weng's Kings Can't Survive Linde's Jacks

Level 14 : Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Bin Weng
Bin Weng

Dylan Linde opened to 11,000 from the hijack before Bin Weng made it 41,500 from the small blind. Action folded back to Linde, who moved all in as the slightly bigger stack. Weng, who had just shy of 200,000 total, snap-called after confirming with the dealer that Linde had shipped in his stack.

Bin Weng: KK
Dylan Linde: JJ

Weng, the No.1 player on the GPI Rankings thanks to numerous major wins this year, was way ahead until Linde leapfrogged him on the J65 flop. The 59 runout confirmed his exit and he wished the players good luck as he left.

"Kings not nice to me today, I can't win with these," he laughed as he exited the poker room.

Tags: Bin WengDylan Linde

BetMGM Qualifiers Battle

Level 14 : Blinds 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Dennis Zeigler
Dennis Zeigler

Dennis Zeigler open-jammed for 28,000 from early position, and Mario Arribas called from the cutoff.

Dennis Zeigler: K2
Mario Arribas: 88

Arribas made a set on the QJ8 flop and had Zeigler on the brink following the 3 turn. The 6 hit the river giving Zeigler the flush and a double-up.

Tags: Dennis ZeiglerMario Arribas

Wang and Waigel Exchange Pots

Level 13 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Jing Wang
Jing Wang

Ezequiel Waigel, who was super short earlier, had managed to boost his stack to around the 275,000 mark, and he put some of those newly founds chips to use by opening to 9,000 from middle position. Josue Aguirre called on the button before chip leader Jing Wang three-bet to 56,000 from the big blind. Waigel called while Aguirre returned his cards to the dealer.

Wang continued for 40,000 on the A42 flop and Waigel called, leaving around 175,000 behind. Wang then quickly bet 200,000 on the J turn to put his opponent all in.

Waigel puffed out his cheeks several times over the next few moments and was clearly stuck on what to do. He eventually folded, and Wang extended his chip lead.

Waigel opened to 9,000 again the following hand and was called by Wang from the small blind.

The J83 flop checked through to the 6 turn. Wang led for 7,000 but folded when Waigel made it 28,000.

Tags: Ezequiel WaigelJing WangJosue Aguirre

Elias Picks Up Momentum

Level 13 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Darren Elias
Darren Elias

Adrian Buckley opened to 8,000 before Darren Elias defended his big blind from middle position.

Elias check-raised to 16,000 after Buckley made a continuation bet on the KK3 flop. Buckley called.

Elias fired another 18,000 into the middle on the 4 turn and Buckley folded after some brief thinking.

The next hand, Anthony Bellino jammed for 33,000 from the cutoff and Elias called from the small blind.

Anthony Bellino: J3
Darren Elias: A5

Bellino's jam was mistimed and he was still behind following the QQ2 flop. Elias locked up the hand on the A turn and the 8 completed the board.

Tags: Adrian BuckleyAnthony BellinoDarren Elias

Ibanez Cracks Aces to Down Kuznetsov

Level 13 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Nikita Kuznetsov
Nikita Kuznetsov

Nikita Kuznetsov opened to 9,000 from the hijack before Johann Ibanez made it 32,000 from the button. Kuznetsov put in the four-bet to 72,000, leaving around 200,000. He then snap-called when his opponent jammed for around 300,000.

Nikita Kuznetsov: AA
Johann Ibanez: QQ

Kuznetsov was on course to scoop in the massive pot, but he was immediately drawing to two immediate outs after Ibanez made a full house on the Q88 flop. The 9 turn changed nothing and the 8 river confirmed the bad beat and Kuznetsov's departure.

Tags: Johann IbanezNikita Kuznetsov

Kalev Gets Jam Through on Break

Level 13 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Petar Kalev
Petar Kalev

Nick Pupillo opened to 8,000 from the hijack, with Ethan Yau and Yuan Yilu calling from the cutoff and button.

Sean Ragozzini then put in the three-bet to 65,000, prompting Petar Kalev to move all in for 220,500 from the big blind. Action folded back to Ragozzini, who began wrestling with himself on whether to call or fold.

The hand played well into the break, and after agonizing over the decision, Ragozzini folded, and Kalev took in the pot.

"Jacks?" asked Kalev.

"I had jacks," said Yilu, who got away from the premium hand for cheap.

Kalev and Ragozzini briefly tried to find out what each other's holdings were, but both players kept their lips sealed.

Tags: Ethan YauNick PupilloPetar KalevSean Ragozzini

Jaffee Climbing the Counts

Level 12 : Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Jared Jaffee
Jared Jaffee

Jared Jaffee opened to 6,000 from early position and was called by Tuan Phan, Bahbak Oboodi and David Lee from the hijack, button and big blind respectively.

Lee led out for 6,000 on the 1053 flop which prompted Jaffee to raise to 21,000. Phan and Oboodi folded before Lee jammed for around 30,000. Jaffee quickly called.

David Lee: QJ
Jared Jaffee: KK

Jaffee would need to dodge Lee's flush outs to score the knockout and he managed to do so as the board ran out with the 65.

Tags: David LeeJared Jaffee