Level: 3
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 400
Level: 3
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 400
Action was heads up on a completed board showing 6♥3♠8♦J♥9♥, where Ray Parker bet 5,000 from the small blind. Shannon Willman moved all in, covering her opponent in early position.
Parker made the call for his stack of 16,000, and both hands were revealed.
Ray Parker: 8♠8♥
Shannon Willman: K♣K♦
Parker showed his set of eights, beating Willman's kings to secure the double-up. Willman was left short, as she racked up her remaining chips while being moved to another table.
Michael Esquivel opened to 600 in early position, and Felix Borden called on his immediate left. James Decker was next to act and three-bet to 2,000, with Anthony Graham calling in the small blind.
Esquivel and Borden also came along to the 3♠9♥7♥ flop, where action checked around to Decker. He slid a bet of 3,500 into the middle, and all three opponents called.
The Q♥ turn produced checks around the table, and action repeated on the 5♦ river. Decker tabled 10♠10♦, but Graham showed J♣J♦ for a better pair to take the pot as Esquivel and Borden mucked.
In the 1,005th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by WPT Global, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz are back to talk the latest and greatest from the poker world. That includes a week full of High Stakes Poker live stream action, and some record-breaking pots played by the likes of Eric Wasserson, Texas Mike Moncek, and Andrew Robl. See two hands that set records for largest pots in the 20-year history of High Stakes Poker!
Speaking of live streams, Daniel Negreanu ventured into the cash game streets by making his Hustler Casino Live (HCL) debut, where he played a fascinating hand against Sam "Señor Tilt" Kiki. From there, Mike and Chad discuss cheating in LA poker rooms and how a ban on phones has been suggested as a possible solution. But is that a good idea?
Other stories include a look ahead to the WPT Seoul, recapping Talking Stick's 20th Annual Arizona State Poker Championship, winners from the EPT Barcelona, and remembering poker greats Pierre Neuville and Brent Carter. Check out those stories and more in the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast!
Be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.
The $800 Main Event prize pool continues to climb, now passing $286,000 for the week with six more levels of late registration remaining in Day 1e before one final flight begins this afternoon.
This has established a new record in the state of Kentucky, beating a previous tournament at The Barrel Social Club earlier this year.
Level: 2
Blinds: 200/300
Ante: 300
Action folded to Vernon Langston on the button, who raised to 600. Matthew Skaggs defended his big blind, and the 3♠J♦10♠ flop was fanned out.
Skaggs checked and Langston continued for 600. That was enough to take down the early pot, as Skaggs sent his cards into the muck.
At a nearby table, Richard Moscardelli raised to 500 from under the gun, finding a call from David Knuckles on the button. Moscardelli led out for another 500 on the J♠6♣9♥ flop, and Knuckles was quick to let his hand go.
Samuel Hicks checked the 4♣7♥3♦ flop from the big blind, with Christina Hicks and Chase Cocanougher both committing a 1,000 chip into the pot. Samuel Hicks called, and checked again on the 4♦ turn.
Christina Hicks fired a bet of 1,200, and Cocanougher was the only caller. Hicks bet again on the 4♠ river, this time for 2,300. Cocanougher replied with a raise to 6,000, seeing a fold from Hicks to earn the early pot.
With the early entries to begin Day 1e, the Main Event prize pool has officially climbed past the $250,000 guarantee.
The next benchmark will be the largest ever prize pool in Kentucky, which is likely to be met midway through the first day. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 9.