Regional Main Event Day 1b | Hollywood Poker Open Season 3 Toledo Regional Main Event

02-16-2015 04:18 UTC-5

Greear Finishes Day 1b With Monster Lead

mnuwwarah

Level 14 : 1,200/2,400, 400 ante

When Day 2 of Hollywood Poker Open Toledo Regional Main Event begins on Monday, it will be Jeff Greear leading the way with 327,000, which is quite a bit a more than Day 1a chip leader James Wright (255,500). Greear seeks his second win at HPO Toledo, as he banked $34,727 for topping a 599-player field in a $300 deepstack event just a couple of weeks ago.

Day 1b attracted 80 runners, which combined with Day 1a's 104 entries brought the total field up to 180. The top 27 players will earn a payday, with the eventual winner taking home $69,120. After 14 levels of play, Greear bagged a wide lead over Nick Pupillo (240,500), who finished with the second-biggest stack of the 37 survivors. Others joining Pupillo and Greear for Day 2 included Randy Bryer (210,500), Freddy Hamad (209,000), Bobby Dickerson (205,000), Tom Midena (156,000), and Emad Alabsi (153,500).

Greear was hovering with an above average stack of 130,000 during Level 13 (1,000/2,000/300), the penultimate level of the night, when a huge rush vaulted him to the top of the counts. Most of the chips apparently came courtesy of Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, who called off a chunk of his formerly first-place stack in a hand that didn't go to showdown, according to an observer. Then, Greear collected the remainder of Kessler's chips with when Kessler was unable to hold with .

"Chainsaw" wasn't the only prominent player finding his way to the rail during the course of play. Rex Clinkscales, "East Coast" Mike Ross, Aaron Steury, Shawn Cunix, Adam Lamphere, David Eldridge, Ben Grise, and Mid-States Poker Tour Season 4 Player of the Year Patrick Steele all fired one or two bullets without success on Day 1b.

The charismatic Cunix, a former World Poker Tour champion, dusted off his first entry before many players had even taken their seats when he flopped queens up twice only to be counterfeited both times. His second attempt went only slightly better. Meanwhile, Rosee sent his stack to Pupillo, a fellow Chicago resident, when he three-bet and called the rest off against Pupillo's early on, with neither player improving.

Day 2 fires up at 12:15 on Monday, with play continuing until a new HPO champion is crowned. PokerNews will be back on the scene for live updates once more, and you can be ready for some more exciting poker action.

Tags: Jeff Greear Nick Pupillo

02-16-2015 01:40 UTC-5

"That's Why This Game's So F****** Sick"

mnuwwarah

Level 14 : 1,200/2,400, 400 ante

Donnie Kidman put a shorter-stacked player at risk preflop with against . The flop brought , giving his opponent a set.

"One-outer," someone said softly across the table.

"That was a one-outer?" Kidman said after he missed the turn and river. "That's why this game's so f****** sick."

Player	Chips	Progress
Donnie Kidman	25,500 -28,500	-28,500

Tags: Donnie Kidman

02-16-2015 00:05 UTC-5

Bryer Busts Grise, Triples Up

mnuwwarah

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

Randy Bryer opened to 6,000 under the gun, and Ben Grise shoved all in for about 40,000. A player in the blinds moved in as well for 45,000, and Bryer snapped for less.

Bryer:
Grise:
Third player:

"B*******," the player with queens said. "How does he have aces there? Plenty of ladies left..."

None emerged though, and no jacks hit either as it ran out .

Bryer had 31,500 and tripled up, while Grise was busted by the queens in the side pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Randy Bryer	97,600

Tags: Ben Grise

02-15-2015 23:44 UTC-5

Eldridge's Slide Complete

mnuwwarah

Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

Chip leader just a few hours ago, David Eldridge just lost the last of his stack to Freddy Hamad.

Eldridge, down to his last 55,000 or so to start the hand, got the last of it in on a flop with but was crushed by Hamad's . No ten arrived to save Eldridge on the last two streets.

Hamad, an Illinois native, has a WSOPC ring and just short of $100,000 in career cashes.

Player	Chips	Progress
Freddy Hamad	125,000 125,000	125,000
David Eldridge	Busted

Tags: David Eldridge Freddy Hamad

02-15-2015 23:14 UTC-5

Pupillo Takes Another Round from Grise

mnuwwarah

Level 11 : 600/1,200, 100 ante

Nick Pupillo and Ben Grise went to war once more as Pupillo opened for a raise and called a Grise three-bet to 7,500, seeing a flop. Both players checked, and Pupillo bet 6,000 on the turn. Grise raised to 13,000. Pupillo came back with 20,000.

"Is that enough for a raise?" Grise asked. The dealer confirmed it was, and Grise called.

Pupillo plopped down 25,000 on the river.

"You got an eight?" Grise asked as he called.

Pupillo silently flipped .

"That was evil," Grise said as he showed . "Easy game for you."

Player	Chips	Progress
Nick Pupillo	135,000 44,100	44,100

Ben Grise	93,500 -37,000	-37,000

Tags: Ben Grise Nick Pupillo

02-15-2015 21:42 UTC-5

Eldridge Busts Lamphere

mnuwwarah

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Ben Grise opened to 2,500 in the hijack, and David Eldridge reraised to 5,100 on the button. Adam Lamphere cold four-bet to 12,200 in the small blind, and Grise thought awhile before mucking. Eldridge put Lamphere all in for about 56,000 total, and Lamphere quickly called.

Lamphere:
Eldridge:

Lamphere fell miles behind as flopped to give Eldridge trips, and he filled up to lock up the win on the turn.

Player	Chips	Progress
David Eldridge	156,500 63,900	63,900
Adam Lamphere	Busted

Tags: Adam Lamphere Ben Grise David Eldridge

02-15-2015 20:55 UTC-5

Eldridge Shows a Bluff, Then Bounces One

mnuwwarah

Level 9 : 400/800, 75 ante

"This is like a six-bet," Win Tran said of the pot going on at his table.

Ben Grise had 7,000 in front of him preflop in the hijack, and David Eldridge had made it 20,000 on the button.

"There's better spots," Grise said, finally mucking.

Eldridge showed a .

"Still might have been ahead," Grise said.

Eldridge revealed his other card: .

"Wow," Grise said.

The next hand, Eldridge opened for a raise in the cutoff and then called the shove of a short-stacked player who had about 7,000 in the small blind.

Eldridge:
Opponent:

Eldridge made a flush as the board ran out .

Player	Chips	Progress
David Eldridge	92,600 36,800	36,800
Ben Grise	52,500

Tags: David Eldridge Ben Grise

02-15-2015 18:51 UTC-5

Registration Ends

mnuwwarah

Level 7 : 250/500, 50 ante

Players can no longer reenter the tournament if they bust out, and with an unofficial count of 184 Day 1b runners, that puts the tournament total at 288.

02-15-2015 17:32 UTC-5

Tran Gets Coolered

mnuwwarah

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante

Win Tran opened to 1,050 in early position and saw the player on his left make it 4,000. Tran put the player all in for 13,800, and he called instantly with . Tran showed .

"Ace," the player with aces called.

"You want an ace, too?" Tran said with a laugh.

"Gettin' a little greedy," someone chimed in.

No ace appeared, but neither did a king as the board ran out .

Player	Chips	Progress
Win Tran	11,300 -21,700	-21,700

Tags: Win Tran

02-15-2015 15:15 UTC-5

Cunix Gets Lucky

mnuwwarah

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

In a pot that looked to have a raise and numerous calls, a player three-bet to about 1,500 from the blinds, and action folded to Shawn Cunix, the last player to act. He shoved all in from late position, and the player in the blinds snap-called for 16,775.

Cunix:
Opponent: