Giuseppe Giovanni opened the pot for 250 and Hal Lubarsky called. The flop was . Giovanni bet another 250 and Lubarsky called. The turn was the . Giovanni bet 700, Lubarsky raised to 2,100 and Giovanni called. The river was the . Giovanni checked, Lubarsky bet 6,000 and Giovanni called. Giovanni showed A-K for top two pair, but Lubarsky held 4-5, turning the wheel and winning the pot.
Hellmuth Arrives with his entourage
Phil Hellmuth was supposed to arrive in an Ultimate Bet racing car. Since he crashed it in the parking lot yesterday afternoon, Hellmuth arrived in a limo wearing a racing uniform and carrying a helmet. Eleven women (each representing one of the eleven bracelets he's won) greeted him and escorted the Poker Brat from the parking lot down the long corridor in the convention center leading up to the Amazon Ballroom. It was a frenzy of media and fans who chased him down the hallway like he was the reincarnation of The Beatles. Hellmuth posed for photos and signed autographs as ESPN's film crew captured his every move.
He finally entered the Amazon Ballroom, two hours late, and with his eleven escorts trailing behind him. He eventually took his empty seat. His tablemates joked that he should wear the racing helmet so he didn't have to hide his face with his hands.
Phil Hellmuth has finally arrived to play in the WSOP main event. He begins his quest for bracelet #12 and his second overall World Championship.
Although Hellmuth was not seriously injured, he woke up this morning sore and stiff. He admitted, "I've won tournaments before when I was hurt. I've won bracelets when I've been in more pain."
Jamie Gold is playing on ESPN's feature table. He doubled up when his held up against . The flop was . The turn was the and the river was the . Gold's Queens held up.
In an interesting aside, a player at the same table as Isaac Haxton asked if anyone seated there had super-glue (reasoning behind this is unclear). Haxton quickly responded, "I don't carry that stuff," which sparked an interesting questionnaire on the reasons why.
"I super-glued my eye shut when I was thirteen years old," Isaac informed his table. Apparently, while working with a model rocket kit, Isaac was applying super-glue to an elastic strip. Leaning in close as he applied the strip, it snapped out of his fingers and smacked him in his eye. The super-glue stung, so he closed his eye to help the stinging stop. Not realizing what he was doing, it only took a few moments for the super-glue to set and successfully glue his eye shut. Isaac was taken to the emergency room by his parents where doctors had to help re-open the eye.
Isaac's eye is fine now, and we're pretty sure he wouldn't mind seeing pocket rockets any time soon. Just as long as they don't come with super-glue.
When you check with pocket threes and the flop is 7-3-3, you're trying to set up the kill. So it was for Ramesh Bavireddy. His opponent had pocket sevens! Fireworks were about to happen and on the river, the case 7 fell for quad sevens over quad threes. Christian Grundtvig hit the case 7 for the miracle win.
Bavireddy stood up and said, "That's unbelievable," in total shock, just like a bolt of lightning hit him as it happened in the film "The Cincinnati Kid."
Grundtvig was up to 34,000 after the hand... but it wasn't easy.
Vinnie Vinh is alive and well on Day 1d
Vinnie Vinh is seated at Table 13, and in good shape, quickly increasing his stack to more than 32,000 in chips.
There was 4,000 in the pot and was on the board. The came on the river, Racener bet 6,000 and his opponent called. Racener turned over for quads, his opponent mucked his cards and Racener moved up to 46,250.
With the board showing on the turn, a player bets 3,500, Vinnie Vinh raises to 7,000, and his opponent calls. The river card is the , his opponent bets 5,000, and Vinh folds. His opponent takes the pot.
Vinnie Vinh is down to about 23,000, but still higher than he started.
Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean is short-stacked and moves all in with A-Q, only to find himself up against pocket tens. But he pairs his queen on the flop to double up to about 8,300 in chips.
. Giovanni bet another 250 and Lubarsky called. The turn was the 
. Giovanni bet 700, Lubarsky raised to 2,100 and Giovanni called. The river was the 
. Giovanni checked, Lubarsky bet 6,000 and Giovanni called. Giovanni showed A-K for top two pair, but Lubarsky held 4-5, turning the wheel and winning the pot. 
held up against 
. The flop was 
. The turn was the 
. Gold's Queens held up.
was on the board. The 
for quads, his opponent mucked his cards and Racener moved up to 46,250.
, his opponent bets 5,000, and Vinh folds. His opponent takes the pot. 
