2012 World Series of Poker

Event 61: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2012 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k5
Prize
$8,531,853
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$62,021,200
Entries
6,598
Level Info
Level
42
Blinds
1,000,000 / 2,000,000
Ante
300,000

Kurganov Takes Hit

Igor Kurganov has more than $2 million in tournament winnings on his poker resume, but will need to do better here in the World Series of Poker Main Event if he wants to add to that. Kurganov didn't have a great start to the day and that has continued as we have just watched him double up a short-stacked opponent.

It was all in preflop, with Kurganov holding {a-Spades}{k-Spades} against his opponent's {k-Diamonds}{q-Clubs}. The player was all in for 7,775 and it was looking like it was going to be home time. However, the {3-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}{j-Hearts}{a-Diamonds} board had other ideas, giving the player a straight and taking plenty of chips away from Kurganov.

Player Chips Progress
Igor Kurganov ru
Igor Kurganov
13,000
-17,000
-17,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Igor Kurganov

Tangled Up in Tan

Counts from the Tan Section.

Player Chips Progress
Jay Rosenkrantz
Jay Rosenkrantz
49,000
17,000
17,000
Chris Viox
Chris Viox
38,000
-1,000
-1,000
Kennii Nguyen
Kennii Nguyen
37,000
-2,000
-2,000
Barry Shulman
Barry Shulman
36,000
5,000
5,000
Bjorn Li
Bjorn Li
34,000
-10,000
-10,000
Jeff Banghart
Jeff Banghart
34,000
1,000
1,000
Jackie Glazier
Jackie Glazier
33,000
6,000
6,000
Owen Crowe ca
Owen Crowe
30,000
2,500
2,500
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo
29,000
-4,000
-4,000
Mathew Frankland gb
Mathew Frankland
27,000
Kathy Liebert us
Kathy Liebert
24,000
-4,000
-4,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Mark Newhouse us
Mark Newhouse
12,000
-5,000
-5,000

Pollak Doesn't Like Queens

Over on Kevin Pollak's table, he was busy opening the pot to 900 from under the gun. A middle position player then three-bet to 2,100 and the action was back on Pollak. At this point Pollak started talking about his hand a little, asking his opponent some questions. The dealer informed Pollak that this was against the rules and Pollak quietly went into the tank.

"Alright, well i'm gonna need a minute here," said Pollak as he continued to think hard. "I guess i can talk about my hand now, seeing as i'm folding," Pollak exclaimed as he folded {q-Hearts}{q-Diamonds} face up.

"I just hate queens," added Pollak. "I lose way more than i win with them."

Pollak's opponent then asked Pollak if he wanted to see one card. Pollack said yes and the player turned over a {k-Spades}.

Player Chips Progress
Kevin Pollak
Kevin Pollak
35,000
-3,000
-3,000

Tags: Kevin Pollak

Spinks Is Confused

The cutoff limped in, and Jon Spinks raised to 1,250 on the button. He got a call from the cutoff, and the dealer fan out a flop of {10-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}{8-Diamonds}. Both players checked, and the turn brought the {10-Spades}. It was checked to Spinks again, and he fired out 1,175. The cutoff check raised it to 2,400, and Spinks came along to see the river.

That card was the {a-Diamonds}, and the cutoff checked for a third time. Spinks fired out a tiny bet of 850, and the cutoff check raised yet again, this time to 2,125. Spinks simply shook his head, laughed, and said "what are you doing?" He tossed in the call, and the cutoff turned over {q-Spades}{10-Hearts}. Spinks chucked his cards towards the muck, giving the pot to his opponent.

Despite losing that hand, Spinks is still above starting stack, sitting on 36,000.

Player Chips Progress
Jon Spinks gb
Jon Spinks
36,000
-4,000
-4,000

Tags: Jon Spinks

Basebaldy Binks The Double Up

Eric Baldwin got off to a slow start in the first level, dropping down to 24,000, but he has just won a big pot to put him on an early big stack. There was already over 12,000 in the middle when we came over and saw Baldwin heads up with an opponent on a board of {q-Clubs}{k-Hearts}{3-Clubs}{a-Clubs}. It was checked to Baldwin, who fired out 6,625. His opponent check raised all in, and Baldwin committed the rest of his chips.

Baldwin: {a-Diamonds}{k-Spades}
Opponent: {a-Spades}{q-Diamonds}

Baldwin would need to just dodge one of the last two queens in the deck to win, and he did just that, as the river was the {4-Hearts}. After that double, Baldwin is up to 47,700.

Speaking of Baldwin, Lynn Gilmartin sought some Day 1 strategy from the man himself during the last break. We don't think she was expecting this answer when she asked him how he prepared this morning!

Player Chips Progress
Eric Baldwin us
Eric Baldwin
47,700
23,700
23,700
WSOP 2X Winner

Tags: Eric Baldwin

Williams Staying Active

David Williams has been staying active during this second level of the day. We were recently at his table to catch back-to-back hands that Williams was involved in.

The first hand we arrived at on the river of a {4-Diamonds}{10-Spades}{8-Spades}{j-Diamonds}{j-Clubs} board. There was already over 7,000 in the pot at this point and Williams was checking to Brian Davis. A bet of 4,000 from Davis would see William check-raise to 8,000. Davis called and Williams almost immediately mucked, with Davis flipping over {9-Spades}{7-Diamonds}, for a turned straight.

The very next would see Williams open up the pot to 400 from the hijack. The player in the big blind made the call and a {2-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}{j-Spades} flop was spread on the felt. The big blind check-called a bet of 1,350 here and then led for 2,350 on the {10-Hearts} turn. The {5-Hearts} river would see the player again lead, this time for 5,025. Williams made the call and his {j-Diamonds}{8-Spades} would find the win against his opponent's {k-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}.

Player Chips Progress
David Williams
David Williams
28,000
-19,000
-19,000

Tags: David Williams

Vedes Loses a Crisp One

With a board of {A-Spades}{6-Diamonds}{2-Diamonds}{Q-Clubs} in the middle of the felt, Tommy Vedes bet 625. His opponent was Nicholas Crisp from the United Kingdom and he made the call to see the {J-Hearts} fall on the river. Vedes fired again, betting out 1,925. Crisp made the call.

Vedes tabled the {A-Diamonds}{2-Clubs} for two pair, aces and deuces. Crisp held the {Q-Hearts}{Q-Diamonds} for a set of queens and won the hand.

The winner of this pot, Crisp, has never cashed in a World Series of Poker event. In fact, of all his $78,398 in tournament earnings, they've all come from his home country of England. Crisp is currently having his best year on the felt, having already earned over $65,000. That's thanks in large part to a win at the £500 No-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry Event at the Dusk Till Dawn Monthly Deepstack for £39,000. Crisp took the lion's share of the four-way chop and bested a field of 292 players to do so.

Vedes was on the losing end of this pot, but he surely knows how to make a deep run in the WSOP Main Event. His best finish came in 2009 when he took 19th in the grand daddy of all tournaments for over $350,000. In all, Vedes has 22 WSOP cashes and will be looking to make this his 23rd and a big one at that.

Player Chips Progress
Tommy Vedes us
Tommy Vedes
20,000
-10,000
-10,000

Tags: Nicholas CrispTommy Vedes

Chip Counts from the Purple Section

Player Chips Progress
Kevin O'Donnell us
Kevin O'Donnell
53,000
9,000
9,000
Jordan Young
Jordan Young
51,000
-1,000
-1,000
Taylor Paur
Taylor Paur
37,000
2,000
2,000
Jon Spinks gb
Jon Spinks
37,000
1,000
1,000
John Riordan
John Riordan
35,000
10,000
10,000
Erica Schoenberg us
Erica Schoenberg
31,000
-3,000
-3,000
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman
31,000
Soi Nguyen us
Soi Nguyen
31,000
3,000
3,000
Raymond Rahme za
Raymond Rahme
29,000
14,000
14,000
Justin Schwartz us
Justin Schwartz
27,000
-2,000
-2,000
Andy Black
Andy Black
27,000
Heinz Kamutzki
Heinz Kamutzki
24,000
-5,700
-5,700
Lika Gerasimova ru
Lika Gerasimova
24,000
-7,000
-7,000
Tom Braband us
Tom Braband
22,000
-1,500
-1,500
Alex Debus
Alex Debus
21,000
-6,000
-6,000
Lee Markholt us
Lee Markholt
21,000
-12,000
-12,000