From under the gun, professional basketball player Earl Barron raised to 425. The cutoff seat called, James Mordue called on the button and the big blind called to see the 
flop come down. Action checked to Mordue on the button and he bet 1,100. Everyone folded and Mordue won the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
34,500
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
|
27,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
47,000
13,700
|
13,700 |
|
|
40,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
40,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
40,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
38,800
8,800
|
8,800 |
|
34,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
||
|
|
32,500
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
|
32,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
31,000 | |
|
|
30,500
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
|
29,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
|
27,500
1,500
|
1,500 |
|
|
27,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
25,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
||
|
|
23,300
3,700
|
3,700 |
|
|
17,500 | |
Swedish online-phenom Viktor Blom is one of the many poker studs in the field today. This is Blom's first year competing in the World Series of Poker and, so far, he has managed to cash twice, once in Event 16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed and another in Event 45: $50,000 Poker Players Championship, where he placed 16th.
We recently watched his table for an orbit and here's what went down:
Hand #1: The player under the gun opened to 450 and was called by another player in early position. Action folded around to Blom on the button and he folded as well.
Hand #2: The under-the-gun player raised it up to 500 and was called by another player directly behind him. A third player in middle position then three-bet to 1,600 and Blom folded from the cutoff seat.
Hand #3: It was folded over to Blom in the hijack seat and he opened for 450. He found one caller in the player on the button for a heads-up pot.
The flop came 
and Blom c-bet for 700. His opponent called. The turn brought the 
and this time Blom check-folded to a 900 bet from his opponent.
Hand #4: A player in early position opened for 550 and Blom folded from middle position.
Hand #5: Action folded over to Blom, who folded as well.
Hand #6: Another player in early position opened for 500 and Blom folded directly behind him.
Hand #7: The player under the gun folded and so did Blom directly behind him.
Hand #8: Blom opened to 450 from under the gun and found one caller in the player in the big blind.
The flop came 
and Blom's opponent checked - prompting a 600 bet from Blom. His opponent folded and Blom revealed a for trip kings and mucked.
Hand #9: The under-the-gun player opened for 450 and was called by another player in middle position and Blom in the big blind.
A 
came on the flop and Blom checked to the original raiser, who fired 650 into the middle. The player in middle position called, but Blom mucked.
Hand #10: A player in middle position opened for 600 and it was folded over to Blom in the small blind, who folded as well.
There you have it. A fairly conservative orbit featuring Blom, who, despite being well-known for his hyper-aggressive play, has shown the propensity to change gears and play tight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
31,000
3,600
|
3,600 |
|
||
There was about 12,000 in the middle when we reached the "live stream" table here in the Amazon Room. Antonio Esfandiari was heads up with an opponent with the board reading 
, and the player check-called a 7,600-chip bet from The Magician.
The 
completed the board, the player checked again, and Esfandiari moved all in for 10,250. The player tanked for the better part of two minutes, then finally folded. Esfandiari mucked his cards, and raked in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
38,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
||
A quick walk through the orange section lead to finding Jonathan Little playing a pot. The flop read 
and Little was heads up with an unknown opponent in early position. Little's opponent checked the flop and Little fired out a bet of 800. The early position player made the call.
The 
on the turn brought another check from Little's opponent and a bet from Little himself for 1,700. Again the early positioned player made the call.
The 
river brought more of the same with a check-call from Little's opponent for 2,800. Little started to flip over his hand, and his opponent announced "I have a flush, do you have a boat?", but it was too late and Little showed 
for a three of a kind sixes. Little's opponent exposed 
for the flush and Little quickly turned his cards over and dropped them in the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
42,500
4,500
|
4,500 |
|
|
||
|
|
37,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
34,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
33,500
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
|
33,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
32,800
200
|
200 |
|
|
||
|
|
30,400
3,800
|
3,800 |
|
|
27,400
1,300
|
1,300 |
|
|
||
|
24,700
1,300
|
1,300 |
|
|
||
|
23,900
1,400
|
1,400 |
|
22,800
200
|
200 |
|
18,200
12,800
|
12,800 |
|
16,600
5,400
|
5,400 |
|
|
||
|
15,500
4,800
|
4,800 |
|
|
||
|
15,400
2,400
|
2,400 |
|
|
||
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
37,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
37,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
|
||
|
37,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
||
|
36,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
32,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
32,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
32,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
||
|
|
28,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
28,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
26,500
3,500
|
3,500 |
|
|
24,500
5,500
|
5,500 |
|
|
21,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
20,500 | |
|
|
||
|
11,000
19,000
|
19,000 |
|
|
||
We haven't seen Ben Lamb much at this year's World Series of Poker, with the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year seemingly too busy with some juicy cash games this summer. He couldn't pass up the chance to take part the Main Event though, currently stationed in the Pavilion Room. However, if he wants to repeat his success of last year, he will need to do better than the recent hand we watched him lose.
We arrived at the table with a 
flop already spread out on the felt and with Lamb in middle position and going up against one opponent, who wished to remain unnamed. The player checked to Lamb and Lamb bet 2,400. Lamb's opponent called and then both players checked the 
turn. On the 
river, it would again be checked to Lamb and this time he would bet 4,000. His opponent quickly called and Lamb started slowly mucking his cards. The pace in which he mucked those cards then quickened when his opponent tabled 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
22,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
Here are some counts from the Blue Section of the Amazon Room. David "Doc" Sands informed us that, "Johnny Chan is the best ever. He's won sixty percent of the pots at our table."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
59,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
||
|
54,000
24,000
|
24,000 |
|
||
|
|
48,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
|
33,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
27,500
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
25,200
4,450
|
4,450 |
|
|
||
|
22,300
3,100
|
3,100 |
|
10,300
19,700
|
19,700 |
|
||
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
63,000
33,000
|
33,000 |
|
|
||
|
42,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
35,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
||
|
34,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
|
31,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
28,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
25,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
24,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
17,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
|
|
9,500
20,500
|
20,500 |
Matt Affleck, who's sporting a University of Washington football jersey today, is currently sitting behind a mountain of chips. By our count, he's an early leader with 78,800, and is attempting to make another deep run in the Main Event.
You probably remember Affleck from the 2010 Main Event, where he busted in brutal fashion to the eventual winner; Jonathan Duhamel. Affleck also finished 80th in the 2009 Main Event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
78,800
42,800
|
42,800 |
