A player in middle position opened for 1,600 and action folded to Ryan Beckwith on the button. He put in a three-bet to 4,100 which both the small blind and the original raiser called. It then went check-check to Beckwith on the flop, and he bet 7,100. The small blind got out of the way and then the original raiser raised to 21,000. Beckwith moved all in for a bit more and the MP player snap-called:
Showdown
Beckwith:
MP:
Beckwith was the player at risk and needed a diamond to survive, but it was not meant to be as both the turn and river bricked. Beckwith lamented his fate as his opponent was the only player at the table who had him covered.
We were made aware of some unfortunate news during the dinner break regarding recent WSOP-Circuit ring winner and former November Niner, Dennis Phillips. Just a few hours after defeating 22-year old Gordon Vayo at 5:30 AM this morning in Event #8 $1,100 No Limit Hold'em, and subsequently capturing his first WSOP-Circuit gold ring (not to mention the $55,045 first-place prize), Phillips was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a burst appendix. While Phillips required emergency surgery, we're happy to report that it was a success and he will be just fine.
Unfortunately, he requires 3-5 days of rest, which means he won't be playing in the Main Event here in Hammond. We wish Phillips a speedy recovery and look forward to watching him chase ring #2 at the next Circuit stop.
We're not sure what happened, but Kathy Liebert just passed by us and said, "See you tomorrow." We checked her former seat and sure enough it was void of chips. It all adds up to one thing . . . Liebert has been eliminated on Day 1a, but fear not, she will exercise her re-entry option and return tomorrow for another day of poker fun.
A recent pass through the room has revealed that Circuit regulars Preston Derden and Matthew Lawrence have both been eliminated from the tournament.
On the flip side, we've discovered two notables who've somehow managed to fly under the radar, bracelet winner Robert Cheung and 2010/2011 WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace Event #6 $560 NLHE ring winner Bob Whalen.
A player in early position raised to 2,300 only to have a short-stacked Faraz Jaka move all in for 7,200. The player in the cutoff then wok up with a four-bet to 12,000, which pushed the initial raiser out of the pot. "Don't worry, I got this," Jaka joked as he flipped his hand:
Showdown
Jaka:
Cutoff:
Jaka was in bad shape, and even more so when the case queen appeared on the flop. The turn kept Jaka alive and drawing to a river ace, but it was not meant to be as the peeled off. Jaka was eliminated here on Day 1a, but was quick to assure us that he would be back tomorrow.
Kenny Nguyen was the story of the day before the dinner break. We just passed by his table and he is sitting on 45,000. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Lots of big pots."
flop, and he bet 7,100. The small blind got out of the way and then the original raiser raised to 21,000. Beckwith moved all in for a bit more and the MP player snap-called:
flop. The 
peeled off. Jaka was eliminated here on Day 1a, but was quick to assure us that he would be back tomorrow.
