We stumbled upon a conversation with David "Bakes" Baker and his table where we heard Baker tell someone at the table that he finished sixth in the $50,000 Player's Championship earlier in the 2010 World Series.
"Stupid no-limit," said Baker. "I'd have two bracelets. They should just make that final table mixed."
Baker went on to say that he somewhat understands the argument for television wanting to have the entire table just no-limit hold'em, but he doesn't think they'd draw any fewer players. "I saw 100 players that would play even if the final table was mixed, they'd all play," he finished.
Lyle Berman got most of his chips into the middle in a hand against Pat Pezzin and James Van Alstyne, eventually choosing to fold on the turn of a board. Van Alstyne went on to win the had whole pot with when a deuce hit the river to counterfeit Van Alstyne's .
"Did you like the river?" Chino Rheem dead-panned.
A few hands later the rest of Berman's chips went into the middle. They didn't come back out.
We picked up a three-way pot contested among Alex Kostritsyn, Eli Elezra and Erik Seidel as they came to the turn, . Kostritsyn bet, with both other players calling.
The river came another low card, . Kostritsyn bet again. This time only Elezra called. He showed down , a set of sixes and a live ace for low. Kostritsyn had , two pair for high and the same live ace for low. He wound up with one-quarter, while Elezra got three-quarters of the pot. Each man has roughly 75,000 chips now.
George "Tiny" Danzer started the day seventh in chips. He has even more chips now after eliminating Howard Lederer. Lederer's was no match for Danzer's on a board of . Each player had three jacks, but Danzer's ace-queen was superior to Lederer's ace-six.
On a different table, Michael Jarmark hit a fortuitous river to claim both halves of the pot and knock out Ted Lawson. Lawson was all in on a flop of , tabling a pair of eights and a low draw, . Jarmark showed down a better low but not much of a high draw, . The turn made Jarmark's low; the river give him a pair of a queens and the best hand for high. Jarmark's up to 105,000 while Lawson is out.
Usually Phil Hellmuth is the man with the target on his back. Most jokes made at Hellmuth's table are made at his expense. To be fair, Hellmuth is usually good-natured about those jokes but he has definitely been the recipient of more than his fair share.
But Hellmuth was the one doing the needling a short time ago when Allen Kessler popped up to complain to the floor that the feature table -- pulled out of the center of the floor and put in a special feature table area -- had not been broken in order. That was where Hellmuth started razzing Kessler for being a rules nit.
"Does Allen talk to you every single day?" Hellmuth asked the floor.
"Yes," replied the floor. The whole table burst into laughter. For his part, Kessler took it just as good-naturedly as Hellmuth often does.
Yesterday Carlos Mortensen was all in before the dinner break, one of the first players at risk of elimination in the whole tournament. Today he's alive and kicing with about 40,000 chips after eliminating Nikolay Evdakov. Evdakov was all in on the turn of a board with unimproved queens, . Mortensen called with two pair, . The on the river didn't improve Evdakov's high hand, and with no low hand he lost both halves of the pot. He's out.
Sorel Mizzi is, in the parlance of the industry, "on a heater" lately. He made a final table yesterday and today is up to 84,000 after a strong hand against one opponent. Mizzi bet and three-bet a flop of after being check-raised. His opponent called the three-bet, then check-called a bet on the turn and check-called another bet on the river. Mizzi turned up , two pair, kings and tens.
Jerry Buss raised in early position before the button called. The big blind also called and the three of them watched the flop roll out . The big blind and Buss checked. The button then bet, the big blind called and then Buss called.
On the turn, the big blind bet out first, Buss raised all in for 3,600 total and the button folded. The big blind called.
The big blind tabled the for a wheel and Buss held the . Buss was sent to the rail and will be able to watch the Lakers take on the Celtics later tonight.
Erick Lindgren, Tom Schneider and Shannor Shorr started the day among the short stacks. Now they're both among the players on the rail. Each was recently eliminated.
![[user75032]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
board. Van Alstyne went on to win the had whole pot with 
when a deuce hit the river to counterfeit Van Alstyne's 
.
. Kostritsyn bet, with both other players calling.
. Kostritsyn bet again. This time only Elezra called. He showed down 
, a set of sixes and a live ace for low. Kostritsyn had 
, two pair for high and the same live ace for low. He wound up with one-quarter, while Elezra got three-quarters of the pot. Each man has roughly 75,000 chips now.
on a board of 
. Each player had three jacks, but Danzer's ace-queen was superior to Lederer's ace-six.
, tabling a pair of eights and a low draw, 
. Jarmark showed down a better low but not much of a high draw, 
. The turn 
made Jarmark's low; the river 
give him a pair of a queens and the best hand for high. Jarmark's up to 105,000 while Lawson is out.
. Mortensen called with two pair, 
. The 
after being check-raised. His opponent called the three-bet, then check-called a bet on the 
turn and check-called another bet on the