2010 NAPT Venetian

2010 NAPT Venetian Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info

2010 NAPT Venetian

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
1010
Prize
$827,648
Event Info
Buy-in
$4,750
Entries
872
Level Info
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
20,000

Kopp Out

After a few players limped into the pot preflop, the flop came down {6-?}{6-?}{3-?}. Billy Kopp fired 600 and one player called. Another player raised to 1,600. Kopp then made it 5,050 and the caller in between folded. The raiser went all in and Kopp made the call, holding pocket threes and a flopped full house. His opponent held {6-?}{4-?} for trip sixes.

After a four fell on the turn, Kopp's tournament was over with the river card not producing the miracle case three.

Tags: Billy Kopp

Smith Busts One

On a board of {10-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{2-Hearts}{2-Spades}, two players checked to the last player to act. He bet 4,200. The first player folded and then the next player that had checked was Gavin Smith. Smith check-raised to 15,000, which was enough to put his opponent all in. The player tanked for several minutes before finally committing the rest of his stack. The hand he did it on was just ace high with the {A-?}{J-?} offsuit. Smith had him drawing very slim with the {J-Hearts}{J-Spades}. Only an ace on the river would save the player and cost Smith the pot.

The river card was the {5-Diamonds} and Smith's jacks were still the best hand. He was able to bust the player and collect the hefty pot to put himself up to just over 50,000.

Tags: Gavin Smith

Level: 4

Blinds: 150/300

Ante: 0

Cada Improving

Joe Cada just stormed up to 65,000 chips after making a full house with pocket fours on a board of {J-?}{J-?}{5-?}{4-?}{3-?}. Cada busted a player in the process who held about 25,000 chips.

Tags: Joe Cada

Fricke Loses Some Ground

Jimmy Fricke
Jimmy Fricke
The cutoff seat raised to 525 after action folded around to him and then Jimmy Fricke called from the button. The player in the small blind called as well and then the big blind folded, leaving three players to the flop.

The first three cards onto the felt were the {K-Spades}{8-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}. The small blind checked and then the preflop raiser fired 1,050. Fricke called and the other player folded.

The turn card was the {8-Clubs} and both players left checked.

The river was the {7-Diamonds} and the cutoff seat fired 3,000 into Fricke. After a few minutes in the tank, Fricke tossed in the call. His opponent showed him a full house with the {K-Hearts}{8-Hearts} and Fricke mucked his cards, dropping back to 37,000 after the hand.

Tags: Jimmy Fricke

No Pain, No Gain for Shak

Dan Shak
Dan Shak
Dan Shak and two other players each put 2,100 in the pot on a flop of {A-Diamonds}{J-Diamonds}{7-Spades}. After the turn came the {10-Spades}, Shak checked and the next player checked. The third player bet 4,500. Shak then check-raised to 15,000 while wincing in pain. He's wincing because of his arm that's in a sling due to a broken shoulder from a skiing accident. The next player folded before the player that bet the 4,500 tanked for a couple minutes and then made the call.

The river completed the board with the {K-Hearts} and Shak moved all in, using his one good arm to slide the chips across the line. The other player looked at the dealer and mumbled some complaints about the river card. After a minute or so in the tank, he folded {A-Hearts}{10-Clubs} face up on the table. Shak showed two red sevens for a flopped set and scooped in the pot to move up to 50,000 chips.

Tags: Dan Shak

The Grumbling Begins

the offending chips
the offending chips
It's a well-known fact that poker players tend to be complainers. If there's something the slightest bit off, wrong or just plain unusual, they'll gripe about it. The complaints have already started to filter in from many of the players regarding how hard it is to eyeball an opponent's stack.

The chip set that the Venetian uses for its high-profile tournaments have a very elegant -- but some would argue impractical -- design. Each starting stack contained green (25), black (100), purple (500), yellow (1,000), red (5,000) and brown (10,000) chips. The flecks on the sides of the chips are small and difficult to see. The biggest complaints are with the dark colors: black, purple and brown.

The black and the brown are a particular challenge because they represent such vastly different chip amounts. Players have been instructed to make sure that their biggest chips are on top of their stacks so that there are no "surprises" at any point in a hand. Some players are following this rule; some are either unaware of it or are choosing to ignore it.

Unfortunately enforcement of this rule by dealers has been haphazard. It's probably only a matter of time before there's a dispute regarding hidden large-denomination chips.

Getting Sticky with Steicke

"How much has the leader got?" asked Asia-Pacific phenom David Steicke when we came by his table to get a count on his stack. "Is it in the 100s already?"

We told Steicke that with the field still containing more than 750 players, it was hard to determine who the leader might be.

"Well they don't wait long, do they," Steicke replied. He counted down his stack at approximately 45,000 -- definitely above the par, but nowhere close to the top.

Tags: David Steicke

Pilgrim Loses One, But All Smiles

On the turn, the board read {J-Diamonds}{10-Hearts}{10-Spades}{9-Hearts} between Dwyte Pilgrim and one other player. Pilgrim fired 800 and his opponent called.

The river was the {5-Hearts} and Pilgrim fired 1,500. His opponent didn't look to happy about Pilgrim firing out the bet, but made the call anyway. Pilgrim tabled {Q-Clubs}{10-Clubs} and then his opponent tabled {K-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds} for the winning hand.

Pilgrim dropped to 31,000 chips, but still has a big smile on his face. Maybe that's because he's kicked off 2010 on a heater at the tables. In January, Pilgrim won a $500 event and a $300 event at the Souther Poker Championship good for $52,040 and $28,733, respectively. He also took second for nearly $45,000 in a $1,000 event at the same series.

So far in February, Pilgrim has scored a sixth-place finish at the WSOP Circuit event in Tunica for just under $27,000 and then he won the Mega Stack Challenge XV at Foxwoods for over $50,000. After his win on the East Coast, Pilgrim made his way to Vegas where he has already final tabled one of the preliminary events here at the Venetian.

Tags: Dwyte Pilgrim