Three way pot with Greg "FTB" Mueller, David Williams, and Eli Elezra. The flop was. Mueller bet out 100 and Elezra raised to 200. Mueller called. The turn was . Elezra check-called a bet from Mueller. The river was and both players checked. Elezra showed and Mueller mucked.
With most of the top pros registering in advance (other players are still in the halls, waiting for their turn), there are some very tough tables in this field. Like Table 44:
Seat 2 - Nam Le
Seat 4 - Online player "Beautiful Man"
Seat 5 - Mike Matusow
Seat 6 - Michael "Martine23" Martin
Seat 7 - Andy Bloch
Seat 8 - Brandon Adams
I really, really will resist goofy headlines trading on "The Magician's" nickname. But after a substantial preflop battle of the blinds built a sizeable pot, both players checked the flop after an ace appeared. The appealed enough to the big blind to bet 1,200 after Antonio checked, but the on the river drew a 3,300 bet from Esfandiari. The BB called and showed A-8, but Esfandiari had A-9 and, it turns out, really didn't need the nine on the river. Not that he probably minded.
On a board of , one player went all in for 3500 and Gavin Griffin reraised to 9K to isolate. No one else called. Griffin showed A-Q and his opponent showed K-K. The river was the and Griffin was crippled to 2075.
Phil Ivey took two small pots in a row--one after seven limpers saw a flop of and no one wanted to call Ivey's 275 bet. On the next hand Phil limped UTG and, along with the big blind, called a 250 raise from middle position. Ivey bet 700 after the flop and took the pot down.
In a battle of the blinds Jesse Jones completed from the small blind, then called a 125 raise. After a flop of Jones check-called a 225 bet. The on the turn drew a 500 bet from Jones, which the big blind called. And he also called Jones's 1,000 bet on the river after the fell. Jones turned over the , making a pair on the river, and the big blind mucked.
Doug Lee raises from late position, Greg Raymer reraised from the cutoff, and Joe Sebok reraised to more than 2,000 from the big blind. Lee folded, Raymer folded, and Sebok took the pot.