2010 NAPT Venetian Main Event | 2010 NAPT Venetian

Level: 28

Blinds: 40,000/80,000

Ante: 10,000

02-24-2010 11:16 UTC-12

Chip Counts at the Break

donpeters

Here's how the stacks look at the break. The average stack is 3,270,000.

Sam Stein - 7,450,000
Tom Marchese - 4,000,000
Thomas Fuller - 3,950,000
Daniel Clemente - 3,275,000
Yunus Jamal - 3,050,000
David Paredes - 2,350,000
John Cernuto - 1,500,000
Eric Blair - 1,450,000

02-24-2010 11:04 UTC-12

Break

donpeters

The players at the final table are on a 15-minute break.

02-24-2010 11:03 UTC-12

Fire with Fire

[user75032]

Maybe Tom Marchese thought he could take advantage of a reeling David Paredes. After Paredes opened the cutoff for 135,000, Marchese three-bet the button to 310,000. Small blind Eric Blair gave a lengthy thought before folding his hand. Big blind Daniel Clemente did the same.

With action back to Paredes, he quickly moved all in. Marchese just as quickly flicked his cards towards the dealer.

Tags: David Paredes Tom Marchese

02-24-2010 10:58 UTC-12

Stein Picking Up Chips Against Fuller

donpeters

Sam Stein opened with a raise to 140,000. Thomas Fuller made the call from the next seat and everyone else folded. After a flop of {A-Spades}

, Stein was first up. He checked and Fuller checked behind.

The turn was the {6-Diamonds}

. Stein was up first again and wouldn't be checking this time. He bet 180,000. Fuller made the call.

The river card produced the {Q-Clubs}

. Stein fired 430,000 into the pot and Fuller folded his hand.

Tags: Sam Stein Thomas Fuller

02-24-2010 10:53 UTC-12

Clemente Doubles through Paredes

[user75032]

It was another three-way pot for our final table of eight. Tom Marchese opened from under the gun with a raise to 140,000. Daniel Clemente called in middle position. All others folded to big blind David Paredes. He also called, creating a pot of roughly 450,000 chips.

We didn't expect much action on a flop of {5-Hearts}

but action is what we got. Paredes checked to the pre-flop raiser, Marchese, who made a small-ish bet of 195,000. Clemente quickly raised that bet to 550,000; Paredes re-raised all in. Marchese got out of the way, allowing Clemente to put the rest of his chips on the line. He was the player all in and at risk of elimination.

Clemente: {A-Spades}

Paredes:

Clemente showed down a pair of aces and was in good shape against Paredes' pair and gutshot draw. The board bricked off {2-Spades}

and

, giving Clemente the double-up. He popped out of his chair to go give a high-five to one of his railbirds.

Tags: Daniel Clemente David Paredes

02-24-2010 10:43 UTC-12

Stein Takes Three Ladies to the Party

donpeters

The flop came down {Q-Hearts}

and Sam Stein checked. Yunus Jamal bet 280,000 and David Paredes folded before action moved back to Stein. He made the call and the two players went to the turn.

Fourth street brought the {5-Clubs}

and Stein checked. Jamal checked behind before the {Q-Clubs}

was placed on the river. Stein was first to act and he fired a bet of 360,000. Jamal studied his opponent while methodically shuffling chips. He then asked Stein how much he had left. Another minute later, Jamal made the call.

Stein tabled the {Q-Spades}

for three queens with a nine kicker. Jamal double checked his cards and then flung them into the muck.

Tags: Sam Stein Yumas Jamal

02-24-2010 10:36 UTC-12

Marchese Doubles -- Without Showdown

[user75032]

Less then ten minutes into the day the final table saw its first river card -- and it was a doozy. David Paredes opened pre-flop for 135,000 and was called by Tom Marchese from the cutoff and Sam Stein from the big blind. Things started slowly after a ragged flop of {10-Clubs}

, with each player checking in turn. Stein took a stab on the {4-Diamonds}

turn with a bet of 220,000 but was unable to shake either Paredes or Marchese.

The river fell {2-Hearts}

. Stein fired again for 430,000. Paredes dove into the tank for about a minute before raising to 1,130,000. Marchese, sitting behing Paredes, then moved all in for 1,970,000!

Stein quickly folded but Paredes could be seen talking to himself. Looks of "what have I walked into" flashed across his face. With more than 4.5 million chips in the pot and only 800,000 to call he was clearly having a hard time finding a fold. He did finally fold, showing {5-Clubs}

, a six-high straight. Marchese said nothing as he raked in the pot.

Tags: David Paredes Sam Stein Tom Marchese

02-24-2010 10:30 UTC-12

Packed House

donpeters

There's not a seat open in the house in the Bellini Ballroom here at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Friends and family along with casual fans have packed the room to watch the action, which can be seen live on PokerNews. It's quite an atmosphere to embrace here and should make for some awesome excitement.

02-24-2010 10:25 UTC-12

First Blood to Cernuto

[user75032]

"Miami" John Cernuto started play as the short stack, but that didn't prevent him from getting involved in the first pot. After Tom Fuller opened for 140,000, Cernuto re-raised to 300,000, almost a quarter of his stack. That was enough to end the hand and take down the pot.