Our PokerNews team caught the action on a flop of , where an opponent led out for 1,050. Svetlana Gromenkova raised to 2,500, but then the opponent came back with a re-raise worth 6,000. Gromenkova shoved for 22,800 and her opponent snap-called all-in for 16,700.
Gromenkova:
Opponent:
Despite having flopped a set of tens, the player had flopped Broadway, so needing the case ten or the board to pair, the river was not what she was looking for.
The player in the UTG +1 position raised to 850 and the cutoff called before Braden Murphy also called from the big blind, making it three-handed to the flop of . Murphy checked to the raiser who bet 1,350; the cutoff folded, but Murphy called before he led out for 1,900 on the turn of the .
Murphy then bet out 3,700 on the river with about 20,500 behind. The UTG +1 player called, to which Murphy remarked, "Good call," before the player showed down to scoop the pot.
Phil Hellmuth has just made his entrance to the Main Event, and it wasn't exactly race cars, dancing girls, and a shower of confetti this time. With an entourage of cheering people trailing and a couple cameras shooting him from the front, Hellmuth walked slowly through the building with an ESPN microphone, talking in quiet words as he paced down the long hallway. As he passed us, we heard him say, "I've already got three second-place finishes here this summer..."
The featured table is reserved for Jonathan Duhamel today, so Hellmuth will have to settle for a seat at the secondary featured table just outside of the mothership. He's drawn quite a crowd, already.
With 2,350 in the pot and a flop of , Dan Shak put out a bet only to have his opponent raise to 5,000. Shak responded by making it 40,000, and the other player called off for 13,000.
Showdown
Shak:
Opponent
The turn and river changed nothing, and Shak sent his opponent to the rail. To borrow a phrase from our favorite B-52's song: "Love Shak, that's where it's at."
A late position player opened for 1,250 and action folded to Neil Channing in the small blind. Channing reraised, making it 4,750 total. The opponent called and the flop fell . Channing took a moment and measured out 5,650. His opponent folded and Channing is up to around 38,000.
With about 2,000 in the pot and a flop of , an unknown player bet 1,000 only to have Phil Gordon raise to 4,200 from the cutoff. The original bettor responded by making it 7,400, Gordon four-bet to 14,200, and a call ensured.
When the hit the turn, the unknown player check-folded to Gordon's all-in bet. Gordon is up to 53,000.
The secondary feature table has players around it now… and a large crowd as well. Among those assigned seats there is Mimi Tran, as well as Massimiliano Martinez, he of the roughly 100,000-chip stack. Also with a seat there is the game's greatest attention-getter -- and habitual late-arriver -- Phil Hellmuth.
Well, to be accurate, Hellmuth hasn't quite sat down as yet. The ESPN crew first had Hellmuth repeatedly shoot a short bit of lead-in for a future WSOP broadcast. Wearing a sport jacket and shirt (no tie) -- and no cap, glasses, or "Poker Brat" jersey -- the dapper-looking Hellmuth was asked to walk across the stage to his seat while carrying a microphone.
"Phil Hellmuth here at the World Series of Poker, the biggest and most prestigious post tournament in the world," he said as he walked. Then, as he sat down, Hellmuth added "I'm about to sit down and do some work… back to you Lon and Norm!"
The crew had him repeat the sequence several times, the crowd laughing at each take. It sounded it wasn't as though Hellmuth was botching the lines, but that he was being asked to say different things each time at the very end.
After several takes, it appears they've gotten what they need. Now Hellmuth has disappeared again, though will surely be returning shortly. Those of us on the side were thinking how those repeated takes reminded us of Hellmuth's three runner-up finishes at this year's Series. Today begins his final chance to get the ending right.
Aaron O'Rourke sporting a button and unique (?) sunglasses.
Around the poker circuit we've seen various players, including Tom Dwan, sporting a giant oversized button with a picture of Jetten and a koala bear. Today we spotted a signed button on the chest of Aaron O'Rourke.
O'Rourke is a friend of Jetten and Dwan and was at a party recently with them. After a drinks O'Rourke volunteered to wear the button. But we're pretty sure he had to have lost a bet to wear those sunglasses.
A player in early position limped and Paul Pierce, who was next to act, raised to 1,200. Action folded back to the limper who called. The flop came and both players checked. After the came on the turn the first player checked again and Pierce tossed out a bet of 1,200. The other player thought only for a few seconds before tossing in the call. The river brought the and both players checked and revealed their hands.
Pierce:
Opponent:
The ducks were good enough to win the pot but Pierce was still left with a decent stack of 52,000 after the hand.
, where an opponent led out for 1,050. Svetlana Gromenkova raised to 2,500, but then the opponent came back with a re-raise worth 6,000. Gromenkova shoved for 22,800 and her opponent snap-called all-in for 16,700.
was not what she was looking for.
. Murphy checked to the raiser who bet 1,350; the cutoff folded, but Murphy called before he led out for 1,900 on the turn of the 
.
with about 20,500 behind. The UTG +1 player called, to which Murphy remarked, "Good call," before the player showed down 
to scoop the pot.
, Dan Shak put out a bet only to have his opponent raise to 5,000. Shak responded by making it 40,000, and the other player called off for 13,000.
river changed nothing, and Shak sent his opponent to the rail. To borrow a phrase from our favorite B-52's song: "Love Shak, that's where it's at."
. Channing took a moment and measured out 5,650. His opponent folded and Channing is up to around 38,000.
and both players checked. After the 
