$10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship Day 3 | 2009 L.A. Poker Classic

02-23-2009 14:11 UTC-7

Phan and Nguyen Up the Theatrics

[user75032]

John Phan opened a pot to 2,600 from the button. Men "the Master" Nguyen was in the small blind and moved all in for an additional 43,000.

"Game's on," said Phan with a grin.

"Game on," agreed Nguyen.

"You want action?"

"I don't give a shit," said Nguyen as he stood up from the table. "I move all in so that you have to make a decision. Now make your decision. If you fold and show, I'll show. If you don't show, I won't."

"These guys don't realize the Academy Awards were last night," Mickey "Mouse" Mills muttered to the player on his left.

Phan gave the matter some thought for about a minute, then open-mucked {6-Diamonds}

and called out for a Coronoa. Nguyen showed {A-Spades}

.

"I didnt want to gamble with you," Phan told Nguyen. "If it were Mickey, I'd gamble in a heartbeat."

Tags: John Phan Men Nguyen Mickey Mills

02-23-2009 14:32 UTC-7

The First Break

[user75032]

We've reached the end of the level. Players are on a ten-minute break.

02-23-2009 14:42 UTC-7

Game On

[user38449]

The remaining 144 players have returned to their seats and the cards are back in the air.

Level: 13

Blinds: 800/1,600

Ante: 200

02-23-2009 14:55 UTC-7

Top Ten Chip Counts

[user38449]

With one level now behind us on Day 3, here's an updated look at your top ten chip stacks, courtesy of www.worldpokertour.com:

Kofi Farkye - 447,000
Mike Sowers - 371,000
Antonio Esfandiari - 327,000
Cody Slaughbaugh - 290,000
Zach Hyman - 260,000
Haralabos Voulgaris - 257,000
Chris Karagulleyan - 242,000
Anthony Venturini - 212,000
KJ Nam - 200,500
Bertrand Grospellier - 195,000

Tags: Kori Farkye

02-23-2009 15:01 UTC-7

Unkind Rivers for Esfandiari, Akkari

[user75032]

Antonio Esfandiari has fallen back to the pack a bit through one level of play today. He displayed some frustration in a recent hand where, on a board of {3-Spades}

, Esfandiari bet 48,000. His opponent called with {J-Diamonds}

, having flopped a huge draw and filled it on the river. Esfandiari let out a cry of frustration as he turned over {A-Diamonds}

, having flopped the same straight. Once the pot was chopped, Esfandiari's count stood at about 330,000.

Two tables down, Andre Akkari bet 22,000 into a pot of 30,000 with the board showing {8-Hearts}

. Akkari's opponent agonized over his decision but ultimately moved all in for 48,000 total. Akkari quietly stated, "I call," showing {A-Hearts}

for a flopped two pair. Akkari's opponent turned over {A-Clubs}

but was bailed out by a river {8-Clubs}

, which overcoated Akkari's two pair and gave his opponent aces and eights with a better kicker.

Akkari still has 64,000 chips.

Tags: Andre Akkari Antonio Esfandiari

02-23-2009 15:03 UTC-7

Another Deck in Play at Table 40?

[user75032]

Tournament Director Matt Savage has had to issue a warning to all of the players at Table 40. It seems that several marked cards have been found at that table already today, including on a new deck that had only been in play for ten minutes. With all of the money that's up for grabs, is it any wonder that players are looking for all possible edges?

02-23-2009 15:19 UTC-7

Schoenberg Rivers Corkins

[user75032]

Four community cards were already on the board in a pot contested between Hoyt Corkins and Erica Schoenberg. They were {3-Hearts}

. Corkins confidently bet four orange (5,000) chips and Schoenberg called. The river fell {Q-Spades}

. Corkins moved a full stack of purple (1,000) chips and a full stack of blue (500) chips into the middle, a bet of 30,000. Schoenberg eyeballed Corkins' stack, asked if he had any oranges other than the one at the bottom of a mixed stack of chips, then called.

"Two pair," said Corkins as he showed {A-Clubs}

. Schoenberg also had two pair, {A-Diamonds}

. She made top pair on the flop and a flush draw on the turn. Her aces and queens took down the pot and improved her chip count to 184,000. Corkins has about 55,000.

Tags: Erica Schoenberg Hoyt Corkins

02-23-2009 15:35 UTC-7

Brunson Knocks One Out; Voulgaris Doubles One Up

[user75032]

The field continues to slowly shrink, but not all of the short-stacked players are being eliminated. Todd Brunson got one player out by raising to 4,200 from early position and then calling when the big blind re-raised all in for 22,000 total. Brunson was in the lead with pocket jacks against his opponent's {A-?}

; even moreso when the flop came down {7-?}

. A

on the turn gave Brunson's opponent a temporary stay of execution, but he was eliminated with the river {2-?}

. Brunson has 155,000 chips as a result of the win.

Haralabos Voulgaris didn't have as much luck as Brunson. He had to pay off 18,000 to a short stack after getting all in with {A-Clubs}

against that player's {A-Diamonds}

. The

was a pretty good one for Voulgaris, but the {6-Hearts}

hit the turn to make two pair for his opponent. The river {3-Diamonds}

didn't improve Voulgaris enough to prevent him from losing the pot.

After paying off his opponent, Voulgaris grabbed the {6-Hearts}

and jokingly checked to see if it had been marked (Voulgaris is at Table 40, the table that has had some issues with marked cards). Voulgaris' stack remains significant, at approximately 190,000 chips.

Tags: Haralbos Voulgari Todd Brunson

02-23-2009 15:41 UTC-7

An 'A' for Effort isn't Enough

[user75032]

Action checked to Al "Sugar Bear" Barbieri on a flop of {Q-Clubs}

. The Sugar Bear fired out a bet of 13,000 that the player in the big blind check-raised to 33,000. The player in between the big blind and Barbieri folded; Barbieri considered for thirty seconds before making the call.

The turn fell {9-Spades}

. The big blind checked to Barbieri. He took the opportunity to make it 35,000 to go, a bet that elicited a snap-muck from the big blind.

"Can't fault the kid for trying," one player at the table said.

"Yeah, well, he got the wrong guy," Barbieri responded. "If you knew what I was playing for, you would cry. How long ago was slavery outlawed? The 1800s?"

Barbieri has 166,000 chips.

Tags: Al Barbieri