After 10 levels of play yesterday, only 62 of the 535 players remain in the first Pot-Limit Hold'em event of the series. Today we'll play another ten 60 minute levels. We could however be done earlier, as we'll also be halting the tournament when we reach a final table of nine.
Robert Corcione from Bellingham, Massachusetts is in the lead with 144,600 in chips. His nearest rival is non other than Las Vegas rounder Mike Carson who won his one and only bracelet in the year 2000 in this very event, although it was a $3,000 buy-in back then. Also still in is defending champion Nick Jivkov with 18,100. Last year he won $189,818 after defeating 638 players. Can he go back to back and another $166,136 this year?
There are plenty of recognizable players still left in the field. Dutch player Pim de Goede, who won side-events during EPT's in Madrid and Monte Carlo, brings 74,500 to the table and German super star Johannes Strassmann has 56,900 to start the day with. Strassmann has slightly more than Jason Mercier (55,200) and Allen Cunningham (52,100). Matt Stout (30,500), Melanie Weisner (23,200) and Cary Katz (13,100) have more pressure on them as we start with blind level 11 (600/1,200) at 1 p.m.
Griffin Benger just opened the button with a pot sized raise to 4,200. The small blind quickly folded his hand but Pim de Goede in the big blind repotted to put Benger at risk. Benger immediately called and showed his . De Goede showed and Benger said "Don't so it to me", with a smile.
The dealer did however do it to him: . The on the turn didn't help Benger and neither did the on the river. "Time and counseling will heal all wounds" said Binger with a smile as he departed a couple of spots from the money.
We arrived on the flop as we saw a bet in front of Weisner who was seated in the big blind. On the table we saw and her opponent, Yorane Kerignard on the button, had raised. Weisner thought for some time before announcing allin. Kerignard snap called and turned over his . Weisner sighed and tabled and had to improve to not bubble this event. She didn't succeed with the on the turn and on the river.
It turned out Weisner had 41,000 while Kerignard had slightly more with 42,600. Melanie Weisner busted one off the money on 56th place.
| on the table and Robert Corcione, who started the day as the chip leader, checked from the blinds. Nicholas Mitchell bet out 9,300 and saw his opponent raise to 20,000 total. Before we knew it Mitchell had repotted and Corcione announced allin. Mitchell called. Corcione asked if his opponent had a seven and indeed he had: . Robert Corcione showed his and was out kicked for a big pot.
The river brought out the which gave Corcione a full house. Mitchell shaked his head just once and got up from the table. Corcione is our chip leader again it seems with a little more than 160,000.
The player in the cutoff opened to 3,600 and Matt Stout repotted from the small blind to 12,400. The player in the big blind thought for a couple of minutes and looked in pain with his decision. After a while he slid a big stack of chips to the middle while announcing he was repotting. The cutoff folded and Stout committed his last 7,000.
Stout showed and had to improve since his neighbor tabled . The flop wasn't to good for Stout: . With the on the turn the big blind was already celebrating while Stout got up from the table. The on the river wasn't of any importance and Stout exited the tournament area.
Jason Mercier busted just before the break. We missed the hand unfortunately and thus asked Eric Crain what happened to him. "He busted" Crain laughed. That we knew of course, but fortunately Robert Corcione is more helpful.
Corcione tells us that Mercier opened with pocket sevens, got threebet by somebody with kings and they got it in. Mercier wasn't able to spike a seven and that was the end of it. Mercier also busted the $5,000 Stud-8 tournament so he went from playing two tournaments at the same time to none at all. Or did he register for the 5 p.m. tournament already?
Lev Rofman quickly grabbed all of Gabriel Alarie's chips in just two hands. First Rofman benefitted when an ace hit the flop in an ace-king versus pocket queens allin. Not long after Rofman collected Alarie's spare chips with pocket nines versus in a small blind versus big blind situation.
Sunny Chattha just lost a big pot where he got check-raised on the river and he called. His opponent showed the nuts which proved an expensive mis step.
The hand after he opened to 10,000 and next door neighbor Jaspal Brar made it 23,500 to go. When the action folded back to Sunny Chattha he announced all in for 97,000. That was a little bit to much for this pot-limit format, but the intention was clear to Brar who eventually went for it and put his chips in as well.
Chattha showed while Brar had to battle with. The flop was a devastating one for Chattha: . The turn didn't bring any excitement and Chattha was drawing dead: . The didn't matter and Chattha walked calmly to the pay out desk.
Eric Crain opened the betting with a raise to an unknown amount. Lev Rofman flat called from the next seat over and it folded around to Jonathan Roy who three-bet the pot from late position. It came back to Crain who re-potted all in and Rofman folded his hand. Roy called and the two were flipping for Roy's tournament life.
Crain:
Roy:
Crain stood on his chair as the dealer fanned a flop. The on the turn gave Crain several more outs that allowed him to make a straight and a flush. He made the latter on the river when the drilled the felt and Roy was suddenly eliminated from play. Crain scooped a massive pot and is now by far the chip lead with about 535,000.
. De Goede showed 
and Benger said "Don't so it to me", with a smile.
. The 
on the turn didn't help Benger and neither did the 
on the river. "Time and counseling will heal all wounds" said Binger with a smile as he departed a couple of spots from the money.
and her opponent, Yorane Kerignard on the button, had raised. Weisner thought for some time before announcing allin. Kerignard snap called and turned over his 
. Weisner sighed and tabled 
on the turn and 
. Robert Corcione showed his 
and was out kicked for a big pot.
which gave Corcione a full house. Mitchell shaked his head just once and got up from the table. Corcione is our chip leader again it seems with a little more than 160,000.
and had to improve since his neighbor tabled 
. The flop wasn't to good for Stout: 
on the river wasn't of any importance and Stout exited the tournament area.
in a small blind versus big blind situation.
of Anthony Harb.
to battle with. The flop was a devastating one for Chattha: 
