Andre Akkari is among the leaders to conclude Day 1 of Event 40
A starting field of 302 players came out to compete for the bracelet today in Event 40: $2,500 Limit Hold'em - Six Handed. And come tomorrow, about one in three of those who began the event will be returning for Day 2.
Among the 101 players bagging up chips at the end of the day, Vincent Gironda, Michael Reed, Andre Akkari, and Terrence Chan looked to be the ones stowing away the most of them, all hovering around the 50k-60k chip range. Additionally, Chad Brown, John Hennigan, Scott Seiver, and many other top pros are primed to return on Friday to above average stacks.
Speaking of stacks, it was a fairly stacked field all around today. Among the familiar faces who failed to make it through the eight one-hour levels were Carlos Mortensen, Andy Bloch, Michael Mizrachi, Annie Duke, Matt Hawrilenko, J.C. Tran, Shaun Deeb, Barry Greenstein, Eli Elezra, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Ivey.
The Brazilian Akkari led for much of the early evening, with Gironda, Reed, and Chan both making late charges. Also within shouting distance is Brian Meinders who hopes to earn a second LHE bracelet after having won the Event 25: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout.
Play resumes tomorrow at 2 PM local time with the plan being to play 10 one-hour levels. Join us then as we continue to follow who among the remaining group will survive into the top 36 and the cash and have a shot at the bracelet and $182,088 first prize.
A player under the gun raised, the cutoff called, and Event 10: $5,000 Seven Card Stud champion John Monnette thought a moment on the button before letting his hand go.
Daniel Negreanu then made it three bets from the small blind. The big blind folded, and the other two players called. The flop came and Negreanu bet. Both quickly folded, and Negreanu grinned and winced, looking as though he'd wished for some action. Monnette said he'd folded , although subsequent talk made it sound as though Negreanu would've had that beat.
In any case, Negreanu added a few more to his stack, and now sits with around 16,000 as we near the end of Level 4.
Humberto Brenes was just now sharing sticks of gum with a couple of his table mates, including the player sitting to his right. With half the table smacking away, it folded around to the small blind who raised, and Brenes called the bet.
The flop came , and when checked to Brenes bet, and his opponent called.
The turn was the . This time both players checked. And chewed.
The river was the . Brenes' opponent checked, and when Brenes bet his neighbor raised his eyebrows and blew a bubble. He thought a little longer, then with a pained look let his hand go.
Brenes showed the table one card — the — which didn't do much to dissolve the pained look on his opponent's face. Then, just as he'd shared his gum before, Humberto shared a peek at the other card to his neighbor alone, and his reaction suggested the second card took away any bitter taste the hand had caused.
Jerrod Ankenman opened with a raise from the cutoff, his neighbor on the button three-bet, then Richard Brodie made it four to go from the small blind. Millie Shiu then called as well from the big blind. Ankenman called, too, and the original raiser — with a laugh and a shrug — also called.
The flop came . Brodie bet, Shiu raised, Ankenman called, and the original raiser folded. Brodie shot a look over at Shiu, then called as well.
The turn was the . Brodie checked, Shiu bet, and both Ankenman and Brodie called. All three then checked the river.
Brodie tabled , then Shiu turned her cards over. "You've got the other two!" said Brodie with surprise upon seeing Shiu's . They then looked up across the table as Ankenman showed his for the best pair of the group.
"Awww!" said Brodie, still grinning. "You slow roller," joshed Shiu, to which Ankenman laughingly explained he'd hesitated because the two of them had seemed so excited about their hands.
Noticing your humble scribe furiously jotting it all down, Brodie asked "You got all that?"
"You can list me as 'opponent' in that one," said Ankenman with a sheepish grin.
and Negreanu bet. Both quickly folded, and Negreanu grinned and winced, looking as though he'd wished for some action. Monnette said he'd folded 
, although subsequent talk made it sound as though Negreanu would've had that beat.
, and when checked to Brenes bet, and his opponent called.
. This time both players checked. And chewed.
. Brenes' opponent checked, and when Brenes bet his neighbor raised his eyebrows and blew a bubble. He thought a little longer, then with a pained look let his hand go.
. Brodie bet, Shiu raised, Ankenman called, and the original raiser folded. Brodie shot a look over at Shiu, then called as well.
river.
, then Shiu turned her cards over. "You've got the other two!" said Brodie with surprise upon seeing Shiu's 
. They then looked up across the table as Ankenman showed his 
for the best pair of the group.
