Carlos Mortensen has one of the finest records in the history of the World Series of Poker. It's hard to argue with more than $10 million worth of tournament winnings. He will be looking to add to that here in Event 20 and so far it's a pretty good start.
We recently watched Mortensen tangle with one opponent on a board showing . Mortensen was on the button and called one bet of 400 from his opponent on the turn. The then hit the river and both players opted to check.
"What you got?" Mortensen's opponent asked.
Mortensen simply replied by turning over , which was good enough for a pair of sixes and good enough to take down the pot.
John Monnette has already had tremendous success at this year's World Series of Poker. Monnette firstly took down the cash and the gold bracelet in Event 10: $5,000 Seven Card Stud and then a few days later finished 3rd in Event 15: $5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. Another big result here could see him become very tough to catch on the Player of the Year leader board.
Unfortunately, Monnette hasn't had a great start today. We recently watched as Monnette and one opponent took part in a hand that saw the dealer spread out a board. Monnette called a single bet from his opponent on each street and then mucked when the player flipped over for a turned set.
We just caught a standard hand with fun chatter over at table #356, between Jameson Painter and Daniel Negreanu. Painter is quite the experienced Limit Hold'em player with three World Series of Poker final tables under his belt. His biggest result came back in 2010 when he finished fourth in the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship, cashing $140,760.
The Canadian super star doesn't need an introduction but some of you guys might not know, two of his four bracelets came in this particular game. In 2008 he won the $2,000 event cashing $204,863, and back in 2004 he won the same event which earned him $169,100.
The hand in question started with a raise from Painter who was under the gun and both the button and the big blind, Negreanu, called. The flop came down and Negreanu check-called Painter's bet. The turn was the and Negreanu check-called 400 this time. On the river, the showed up and the same bet got check-called. Painter turned over for a turned set and Negreanu mucked his hand after which the chatter started.
"You fold when I check-raise the flop right?," Daniel Negreanu just said to his neighbor Jameson Painter who sarcastically replied with, "Right...".
"Fifteen years ago they would've just folded queens there to a check-raise there right?," Eugene Katchalov added jokingly.
"Fifteen years ago you would fold jacks after a three-bet. Let's say someone raised under the gun and middle position would three-bet, you would just fold jacks. Nowadays you four-bet and the first player has ace-eight and the other king-jack," Negreanu replied, while some good old Limit Hold'em banter started.
"Sklansky said you had to fold ace-queen under the gun," Jameson Painter snapped back while the dealer was tossing out another round of cards. The first couple of levels are easy going and it seems as the players are enjoying this mechanical game so far. The game will surely speed up at some point, that's one thing we know for sure!
Two tables of late entrants just started off at the beginning of the second level and we found three known players. Dan Shak is sitting at table #352 while both Tyler Bonkowski and JC Tran took their seats at table #353.
Bonkowski is not a house hold name like JC Tran, but last year he broke onto the scene when he won the $3,000 Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP. The Canadian took home a $220,817 first place prize, which is his largest cash to date. Bonkowski also had a deep run in last year's Main Event finishing 60th for another $130,997.
Tran is someone we all know from having massive results in the post-Moneymaker years. In 2007 Tran had his best year winning a World Poker Tour in Reno for $683,473, and finishing runner-up to Eric Hershler in the Los Angeles Poker Classic Main Event for $1,177,010. In total Tran has over $8.2 in live tournament earnings.
Plenty of big names in today's event so far but we expect to see even more towards the end of registration.
Jeff Shulman has already seen his stack cut in half today and we were there to catch the action on a hand that took a large portion of his chips. It started with Shulman opening the pot from the cutoff. The player on the button then put in the three-bet to 600. The action was back on Shulman and he four-bet to 800. A call from the button player and the dealer would spread some cards on the felt.
Flop:
On the flop, Shulman led with a bet of 200 and received a call from his opponent. The then hit the turn and Shulman put in a bet. His opponent then raised it up and Shulman called.
When the completed the board on the river, Shulman check-called a bet from his opponent and then mucked his hand as an and a hit the felt. With that hand, Shulman will need to re-build.
"There has to be some dead money in this tournament right? It might as well be me," Mike Thorpe shouted as he made his way to table #353.
"Hello!" he said with a smile to the dealer as he sat down and turned in his tournament receipt. The dealer on a table over, who was still waiting for players, bursted out in laughter while Thorpe was told he had to wait until the big blind in order to play a hand. It took Thorpe les than a second to get up from his chair and as we speak he's wondering around questioning himself, "I don't even know why I regged this tournament?".
We're just playing eight levels today Mike, take it easy!
Daniel Negreanu's table has by far been the most chatty in the tournament. Recently they have been talking about the new structure of this event.
"I like this structure," said the player in the nine seat.
"I've been trying to get them to do this to the structure for years, and it's payed off, because everyone seems happy," replied Negreanu.
At this point one of the tournament directors overheard the conversation and came bounding toward the table.
"We lost one player already Daniel, that's gotta be impossible in a limit tournament," the TD said.
"No, that's how it should be," started Negreanu. "Years ago we would start with 5,000 in chips and the levels would be 10-20, 15-30, 20-40 and the whole tournament would still be in six hours later."
The consensus around the tournament area is that it is definitely a welcomed change to the structure and we'll see if the opinions stay the same throughout the tournament.
The PokerNews desk is right in front of `table 353, and as you could read in an earlier post that is where JC Tran, Tyler Bonkowski and Mike Thorpe are sitting. We aren't complaining about our seat since Thorpe tries to get some banter going, right from the first hand he played.
"Who's the guy in the f***ing dinosaur suit?" Thorpe asked the table about the player in seat five, who is actually wearing a dinosaur suit. His name is Michael Winnett. After being chatty in the first level Mister Dinosaur cooled down, and has been awfully silent ever since Thorpe arrived.
"You cannot say that word at the table sir," the dealer kindly informed Thorpe about the use of the F-word.
"Let me tell you a little story," Thorpe said as he directed himself at the dealer. "I've actually been in the Navy for six years so I have a sailors mouth, it's okay."
"So are you my biggest nightmare," Thorpe continued as the dealer said he was just stating the rules. "You are not allowed to direct it at a player," the next dealer said, and Thorpe happily agreed to that.
"So what do we have here, one crazy guy and a dinosaur?"
"Where did you actually get that suit? In the dinosaur section at Walmart?"
"I think you're like, emotionally unstable," Thorpe went on and on against his opponent who was a lot more interested in the Celtics/Heat game on the TV across from their table.
"I think you don't like that he's stealing your attention," JC Tran finally said after listening to the whole thing for about five minutes. "That could be true, that could be true," Thorpe added always looking to have the final word. We expect big things from this table as Thorpe seems to be his usual self.
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. Mortensen was on the button and called one bet of 400 from his opponent on the turn. The 
then hit the river and both players opted to check.
, which was good enough for a pair of sixes and good enough to take down the pot.
board. Monnette called a single bet from his opponent on each street and then mucked when the player flipped over 
for a turned set.
and Negreanu check-called Painter's bet. The turn was the 
and Negreanu check-called 400 this time. On the river, the 
showed up and the same bet got check-called. Painter turned over 
for a turned set and Negreanu mucked his hand after which the chatter started.
completed the board on the river, Shulman check-called a bet from his opponent and then mucked his hand as an 
and a 
