2012 World Series of Poker

Event 17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info

2012 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
$445,899
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$1,682,600
Entries
179
Level Info
Level
30
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
0

Little Shoves; Saul Folds a Pair

On the {9-Spades}{5-Clubs}{2-Spades} flop, Jonathan Little and another player checked to Kevin Saul. Saul bet 4,000 and Little check-raised to 14,000. The next player folded and then Saul made the call.

The turn was the {A-Spades} and Little moved all in for 30,300. Saul went into the tank before saying, "This is where I usually make the optimistic play and put my opponent on a hand I can beat."

Saul then thought for a little bit longer. "If I show will you show?" he asked, which drew a very small smile from Little's lips. "I've already decided I'm folded, but I just want to know if you will show if I show." Little said no.

Saul showed the {9-Diamonds} as he folded and finished, "Just wanted you to see I wasn't bluffing the flop."

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Saul us
Kevin Saul
106,000 76,000
Jonathan Little us
Jonathan Little
65,000 18,600

Tags: Jonathan LittleKevin Saul

Connect Four

Level 10 : 600/1,200, 0 ante

It looks more like an EPT event than a WSOP event in here right now. Our field is quite an international one, and it happens to be littered with Team PokerStars Pros, as well. We have four of them left, and they're all huddled around one table.

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier is planted in the seven seat, and he's followed by Eugene Katchalov and Liv Boeree. Over on the other side of the dealer, the one seat holds Humberto Brenes, and he's still awfully energetic for it being so far past his bed time.

Boeree is doing the best of that bunch with about 140,000 chips in front of her.

Tags: Liv BoereeBertrand GrospellierEugene KatchalovHumberto Brenes

Ivey Drops One to MacPhee

Phil Ivey jumped in this event at the last possible second. He was blinded off some until he busted from Event 15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better in seventh place for $34,595 and headed over to Brasilia Room. We just caught him losing a pot to Kevin MacPhee that saw him slip back some to 57,000 in chips.

With the board paired on the {K-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}{5-Clubs} board, Ivey checked and MacPhee fired 15,500. Ivey tanked for a bit while shuffling his chips over and over. Ivey wound up folding his hand in the end and MacPhee won the pot to push over 130,000 in chips.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin MacPhee us
Kevin MacPhee
WSOP 2X Winner
138,000 -2,000
Phil Ivey us
Phil Ivey
WSOP 10X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
57,000 2,500

Tags: Phil IveyKevin MacPhee

Chewster!

Andrew Lichtenberger
Andrew Lichtenberger

Once more, we're short on the betting action, but we'll tell you what we know. When we walked up to the near Table 1, there was a {5-Clubs} {J-Clubs} {Q-Diamonds} flop out on board. Andrew Lichtenberger was the one out of position in this three-way pot, and he check-raised Guillaume Darcourt and another player. Both opponents promptly got all their chips in, and now it was Lichtenberger facing the decision.

After some time, he mumbled about not being able to fold now, then slid his chips into the middle as well.

Mr. Opponent turned up {Q-Spades} {J-Spades} for top two, but he was already well behind Darcourt's {5-Spades} {5-Hearts}. Lichtenberger had his gamble on, and his {6-Clubs} {8-Clubs} was drawing live for the double knockout.

The turn was the blank {A-Hearts}, but the river {4-Clubs} was just what Dr. Lichtenberger ordered.

"Chewster!" Antonio Esfandiari piped up as the river card hit. He then turned his attention to us: "Make sure you put in the updates that he check-raised the flop with eight-high against top two and a set," he instructed. "Eight-high."

Eight-high gets there for "LuckyChewy1", and his flush earns him a big pot and a big boost up to about 130,000 in chips.

Player Chips Progress
Andrew Lichtenberger us
Andrew Lichtenberger
WSOP 1X Winner
130,000 65,000
Guillaume Darcourt fr
Guillaume Darcourt
Busted

Tags: Andrew LichtenbergerAntonio EsfandiariGuillaume Darcourt

Mickey Petersen is Out

Mickey Petersen has been eliminated
Mickey Petersen has been eliminated

Mickey Petersen has just had his aces cracked and the end result was an exit from the tournament. He started the ball rolling with a raise to 2,500 in early position. Phil Ivey folded, David Benyamine called before Alexander Venovski three-bet to 9,000. Back to the impassive Petersen and he four-bet pot, Benyamine quickly folded, Venovski moved all-in and Petersen called.

Venovski{Q-Clubs} {Q-Diamonds}
Petersen{A-Hearts} {A-Spades}

So Petersen was in great shape to double up. The flop contained more diamonds that a Britney Spears thong - {J-Diamonds} {9-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds}.

"You haven't got a diamond have you?" Asked Petersen.

Venovski did have a diamond but in the end it was not a diamond that Venovski needed to win the pot. The turn card brought the {8-Spades} and the river {10-Hearts} made a straight for Venovski and Petersen was out.

Player Chips Progress
Alexander Venovski us
Alexander Venovski
142,000
Mickey Petersen dk
Mickey Petersen
Busted

Tags: Alexander VenovskiMickey Petersen

No Moore Flying Under the Radar

This hand occurred during the last level with the blinds at 500/1,000. Action folded to Pierre Neuville on the button and he raised to 2,600. In the big blind was Chris Moore and he reraised to 6,900. Neuville made the call and the flop came down {K-Spades}{10-Diamonds}{10-Clubs}. Moore bet 7,000 and Neuville called.

The {3-Clubs} landed on the turn and Moore fired 12,000. Neuville quickly folded and Moore won the pot.

Moore is a player that tends to fly under the radar as he blends in very well into the field. He has over $2.1 million in live tournament earnings and is coming off of an eighth-place finish in Event 12: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em for $56,380. Last year, Moore ran extremely deep in the World Series of Poker Main Event before finishing in 21st place for over $300,000. He has numerous other large scores on his record and we've highlighted some of them below.

  • 2007 $10,000 Wynn Classic: 3rd - $192,060
  • 2008 $10,000 Wynn Classic: 1st - $692,286
  • 2009 $9,900 L.A. Poker Classic Heads-Up Championship: 2nd - $190,000
  • 2009 World Poker Tour $9,500 Bay 101 Shooting Stars: 3rd - $291,500
  • 2009 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em: 4th - $82,322
  • 2010 $10,000 L.A. Poker Classic Heads-Up Championship: 1st - $147,200
Player Chips Progress
Chris Moore us
Chris Moore
84,500
Pierre Neuville be
Pierre Neuville
39,500 -27,500

Tags: Chris MoorePierre Neuville

Landfish Moving Up

Steve Landfish checked the {10-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{7-Diamonds} flop before Andrew Lichtenberger fired 6,000. 2011 World Series of Poker November Niner Matt Giannetti raised to 17,100 and then action fell back on Landfish. He reraised and made it 45,000 to go. Lichtenberger and Giannetti both folded and Landfish won the pot.

Last year, Landfish had two really big results at the WSOP. First, he placed second in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $204,924. Then, he took fourth in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship for $125,120. This year he's already locked up an in-the-money finish in Event 12: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em for $10,966.

Player Chips Progress
Steve Landfish us
Steve Landfish
275,000 75,000
Matt Giannetti us
Matt Giannetti
96,000 -29,000
Andrew Lichtenberger us
Andrew Lichtenberger
WSOP 1X Winner
65,000 -3,000

Tags: Steve LandfishAndrew LichtenbergerMatt Giannetti

McDonald Goes For Broke

We didn't see the action until all the chips got in, but we found a three-way pot on a {3-Clubs} {7-Clubs} {4-Hearts} flop. When we walked up, Mike McDonald had 6,300 chips out in front of him and so did his neighbor. Jason Senti had raised a mess of orange and yellow chips, and the resulting action saw all three players get it all in.

Senti: {5-Diamonds} {6-Diamonds}
Opponent: {5-Clubs} {6-Clubs}
McDonald: {A-Clubs} {10-Clubs}

Senti and Mr. Opponent had the same hand, but the opponent had a straight flush draw, one out to the clean win. McDonald had high hopes too, and his club draw gave him a shot at dragging the biggest pot of the day.

The turn was the blank {Q-Spades}, though, and the river blanked off with the {7-Hearts} as well. Senti and Mr. Opponent chop it up, and the resulting loss takes McDonald all the way down to about 27,000.

Player Chips Progress
Jason Senti us
Jason Senti
85,000 12,000
Mike McDonald ca
Mike McDonald
27,000 -31,000

Tags: Mike McDonaldJason Senti

Erik Seidel Wins a Flip And Doubles Up

Erik Seidel is flipping great
Erik Seidel is flipping great

It's just like the headline says, Erik Seidel has just won a flip, doubled up and eliminated a player to take us down to 80 players.

All the money went in the middle pre flop with Seidel holding {A-Diamonds} {K-Spades} and his opponent holding {10-Hearts} {10-Spades}. The board ran out {Q-Hearts} {J-Clubs} {3-Clubs} {K-Hearts} {5-Hearts} and Seidel now has 120,000 chips.

Player Chips Progress
Erik Seidel us
Erik Seidel
WSOP 10X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
120,000 74,000

Tags: Erik Seidel