With the board reading and not much money in the pot, Markus Gonsalves threw out a huge 400K bet. Avi Cohen thought a bit and then asked, "Do you have a flush?"
Gonsalves said no, and Cohen instantly said, "I call." And Gonsalves turned over for quads. "I had a flush, that's why I asked," Cohen said as the pot was pushed the Gonsalves' way.
Reagan Silber raised to 70,000 from middle position, Sven Heinecker called and the big blind called. The flop was . Silber bet 100,000, Heinecker called and the big blind folded. The turn was the and both players checked. The river was the . Silber bet 200,000 and Heinecker called. Heinecker showed but Silber held and took down the pot.
Bob Slezak raised to 77,000, Steven Garfinkle re-raised to 177,000 and Slezak called. The flop was . Slezak checked, Garfinkle bet 250,000 and Slezak folded. Garfinkle flashed as he dragged the pot.
Under the gun, Spadea raised to 85,000 and, from the big blind, Kim moved all-in for 725,000. Spadea made the call with pocket Jacks, but Kim had the bigger pair in Kings. The board gave the pot to Kim, who is now up to 1.7 million. Spadea slipped to 2.2 million.
Jeff Tunkel raised to 75,000, Richard Murnick moved all in for 741,000 and Murnick called. Tunkel turned over , while Murnick flipped up . The board came and Murnick doubled up to 1.6 million. Tunkel's stack fell to 2.2 million.
Kirk Morrison
Kirk Morrison seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the hottest players on the tournament circuit in 2007, and many fans look past him as just another newcomer. The top players, however, know differently.
Kirk Morrison was a top young professional in the late 1990s, long before the televised poker boom. He was part of a group of aggressive young players that included Daniel Negreanu, Allen Cunningham, and John Juanda. Morrison reached his first WSOP final table all the way back in 1994, and he won a bracelet in seven card stud in 1998.
But in 1999, Morrison (who is Canadian) left North America in search of a more peaceful life, and moved to New Zealand. He fell in love with the country, and poker took a backseat in his life for the next seven years.
Eventually, his old friend Negreanu paid him a visit down under, telling him about the new popularity of poker on television, and the huge fields in high-stakes tournaments. Morrison returned to the poker world to see if he could regain his old form.
It didn't take long for Morrison to make an impact. He rattled off four straight cashes on the World Poker Tour this spring, tying a record set by Negreanu. Few people made any notice until his fourth cash -- the WPT World Championship, where he "announced his presence with authority" by reaching the final table and finishing second to Carlos Mortensen.
This Main Event is the fifth cash of the Series for Morrison, including a final table in Event #1 ($5,000 Mixed Hold'em) that has already aired on ESPN. He has over $2.7 million in career tournament earnings, with over $2.1 million so far this year. A victory in this event would make him just the third player to break $10 million in a tournament career.
Kirk Morrison's play is already respected by his fellow pros, but he might also have karma on his side. He won his seat into this Main Event by winning Jennifer Harman's charity poker tournament this spring, which benefitted the NSPCA (Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Morrison has voluntarily committed 5% of his Main Event winnings to the NSPCA. As with all donations, any amount is appreciated; but 5% of $8.25 million is $412,500. That would *really* be appreciated.
The final thing to say about Morrison is that he is an extremely likable guy who is easy to root for. He's a bit of table talker, willing to engage his opponents in banter, so he would be a welcome addition to any final table, particularly the Main Event. If he makes it, expect a lot of top pros to be in the audience rooting for him to win.
Pocket Aces are always welcome, but especially so when you've lost a few big hands and are badly short-stacked. Gus Hansen just looked down at bullets and moved in the last of his 389,000. Ryan Elson called with and, after the flop and on the turn, he picked up a flush draw. Elson was bouncing up and down by the table calling "One more club!", and on the river...the . Gus saw the black card and hung his head for a moment before scooping in a pot that lifted him back to 1 million. Elson is down to 2 million.
Scott Freeman raised to 75,000 from the button and Jeff Tunkel called from the small blind. The flop was . Tunkel checked, Freeman bet 170,000 and Tunkel called. The turn was the . Tunkel checked again, Freeman bet 200,000, Tunkel raised to 500,000, and Freeman folded, running away from the table to tell something to his friends on the rail.
Dario Minieri
The following players all won $67,535:
99 - Joe Shield
98 - Alan Levin
97 - Chad Brown
96 - Dario Minieri
95 - Kelly Jo McGlothin
94 - Isaac Haxton
93 - Michael Zinna
92 - Charis Anatasiou
91 - Cory Carroll
and not much money in the pot, Markus Gonsalves threw out a huge 400K bet. Avi Cohen thought a bit and then asked, "Do you have a flush?"
for quads. "I had a flush, that's why I asked," Cohen said as the pot was pushed the Gonsalves' way.
. Silber bet 100,000, Heinecker called and the big blind folded. The turn was the 
and both players checked. The river was the 
. Silber bet 200,000 and Heinecker called. Heinecker showed 
but Silber held 
and took down the pot.
. Slezak checked, Garfinkle bet 250,000 and Slezak folded. Garfinkle flashed 
board gave the pot to Kim, who is now up to 1.7 million. Spadea slipped to 2.2 million.
, while Murnick flipped up 
. The board came 
and Murnick doubled up to 1.6 million. Tunkel's stack fell to 2.2 million.
and, after the 
on the turn, he picked up a flush draw. Elson was bouncing up and down by the table calling "One more club!", and on the river...the 
. Tunkel checked, Freeman bet 170,000 and Tunkel called. The turn was the 
