We were walking near Table 17 moments ago, when a player wanted to tell us about a sick hand Noah Schwartz played.
"I don't know if you can handle it," Mike Matusow interjected. "You might vomit."
We assured The Mouth that we can stomach almost anything, so the table began recounting the hand. According to the players, Schwartz opened to 300, a player on his left called, and another player on the button three-bet to 1,300. Schwartz called, and then the player on his right potted to 5,550. The player on the button and Schwartz called.
The flop came with two spades, and Matusow said that Schwartz, "smashed the flop." We're assuming that means he got the money in, because all three players' hands were shown down:
Schwartz
Opponent 1
Opponent 2
The turn was the , giving Opponent 2 extra outs to scoop, but the river was a none-spade four, giving Schwartz the best hand.
"Bink," Matusow added at the end of the story, along with his signature cackle.
Schwartz hasn't cashed in either of his 10,000-chip lammers, but if you combine them with the chips he has in play, he's basically doubled up.
Sorel Mizzi was calling a preflop re-raise when we reached the table, and the dealer then fanned . Mizzi's opponent moved all in for his last few thousand or so, and Mizzi made the call.
Mizzi
Opponent
The on the turn gave Mizzi extra outs to a straight to go along with his flush outs, but the bricked on the river.
Mizzi has around 3,000 in front of him, along with his two 10,000-chip lammers.
Daniel Alaei knows something about winning this tournament. In 2010, he bested a field of 346 to claim his third World Series of Poker bracelet, as well as $780,559.
We arrived at his table and found Alaei stacking chips from the player on his left. The final board read and Alaei's had bested his opponents .
As we were counting his chips, a pot developed the very next hand (it was still during Level 1). It started with an Alaei raise to 250 from the cutoff and a call from the player on the button (the same player he had just forced to use a rebuy chip). Erik Seidel called from the big blind, too, and the flop came down .
Seidel checked it to Alaei who bet 650. Only the player on the button came along to see the turn. A check from Alaei led to a pot-sized bet of 2,100 from his opponent. Alaei took a few moments before he raised the pot, getting his opponent to call all in for 9,100.
Alaei:
Opponent:
Alaei held top two pair with a flush and straight draw, but was behind his opponent's ten-high straight and better flush draw. However, the hit the river to give Alaei a full house with nines full of sevens, forcing the player on his left to use his last remaining rebuy chip.
"You are giving away all your secrets," said Vanessa Selbst with a smile on her face. "Now we know how you do it all the time."
Ben Grundy raised to 375 under the gun and was called by another player in early position and Daniel Negreanu in the cutoff. The player on the button raised the pot to 2,100, receiving calls from only Grundy and Negreanu.
The flop came down and action checked to the button who bet the pot, 6,900. Grundy folded, Negreanu called, and the hit the turn. A check from Negreanu led to the player on the button moving all in.
"And I only called just in case an ace came," Negreanu said. "Pocket kings."
When we reached Table 9, the board had already been completed , and Chance Kornuth was faced with a pot-sized bet of more than 10,000. Kornuth was tanking for a bit before he noticed that his opponent was holding his rebuy chip.
"Rebuy chip in hand?" Kornuth asked, laughing. "Ohhhhhhhh buddy."
Kornuth tanked for a little longer, before tossing a few chips forward, signaling a call.
His opponent tabled for a full house, and Kornuth mucked.
"He's big timing me hard right now," David "Doc" Sands told Sam Stein moments ago. "I can't get anything out of him."
"Yeah," Stein agreed. "I bet that masseuse is paying to massage him."
"He" is 2011 November Niner and World Series of Poker Player of the Year Ben "Benba" Lamb. Lamb, who won this event last year, has only played in three WSOP events prior to today, admitting on Twitter that he's never been a tournament grinder:
BenbaLamb Ben LambFor those asking why I'm not playing a ton of events? I never have focused on tournaments during the wsop. I usually play more cash. But...June 07 2012
Lamb has been seen playing the $500/$1,500 PLO game here at the Rio, and we're sure that he's been able to lock up a seat in a few private games as well. We won't leave you hanging though, the "but..." in his tweet was followed by...
BenbaLamb Ben LambI will be playing the #onedrop $1 million buy in! Excited to play such a prestigious event for such a great cause! #onetimeforonedropJune 07 2012
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
with two spades, and Matusow said that Schwartz, "smashed the flop." We're assuming that means he got the money in, because all three players' hands were shown down:
, giving Opponent 2 extra outs to scoop, but the river was a none-spade four, giving Schwartz the best hand.
. Mizzi's opponent moved all in for his last few thousand or so, and Mizzi made the call.
on the turn gave Mizzi extra outs to a straight to go along with his flush outs, but the 
bricked on the river.
and Alaei's 
turn. A check from Alaei led to a pot-sized bet of 2,100 from his opponent. Alaei took a few moments before he raised the pot, getting his opponent to call all in for 9,100.
hit the river to give Alaei a full house with nines full of sevens, forcing the player on his left to use his last remaining rebuy chip.
and action checked to the button who bet the pot, 6,900. Grundy folded, Negreanu called, and the 
