Event #32: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (Six Handed) Day 1 | 2013 World Series of Poker

06-19-2013 00:53 UTC-7

Day 1 Concludes; Little Leads with Negreanu Close Behind

donpeters

Level 10 : 400/800, 100 ante

Day 1 of Event #32: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (Six Handed) has come and gone. When registration closed, 516 players had ponied up the buy-in for this event and the top prize was set at over $600,000. Finishing the day in the pole position was Jonathan Little with 179,700 in chips. Hot on his heels are a group of tough competitors including Daniel Negreanu (168,600), Brian Rast (151,200) and Justin Smith (149,800).

Many top pros came and went in this event including Jason Mercier, Vanessa Selbst, Phil Hellmuth, Ben Lamb and Joe Hachem, but not all is lost as plenty of big names advanced to Day 2. Some of those moving on are Brock Parker, Steve O'Dwyer, Chris Klodnicki, Allen Bari, Max Steinberg, TJ Cloutier, Matt Waxman and Gavin Smith.

Day 2 will kick off at 1 p.m. with the cards in the air, and it's going to be a great day of poker. On tap will be the money bubble and then the quest for the final table. With around 120 players still left in the hunt, things will be fast and furious from the get go.

Tags: Daniel Negreanu Jonathan Little

06-19-2013 00:38 UTC-7

Marafioti Flips, Then Flips Out

[user253757]

Brian Hastings Was Gracious in Defeat After Matt Marafioti's Brash Celebration

The loudest celebration of the day, aside from that let loose by the Miami Heat bettors in the house this evening, erupted from Matt Marafioti's table, after the flashy young pro spiked a king on the river to survive.

"Yes!!," he screamed, knocking over his chair as he did so. "That's what he gets for calling my 40 big blind shove with sixes!"

Apparently Brian Hastings called Marafioti's all-in bet before the flop with the best hand. His was a slight favorite against Marafioti's through the turn on the board, but the on the river saved Marafioti, sending him into a frenzy.

"Yeah, sixes are good there," he chided a smiling Hastings. "I've always got the fives there when I shove for 40 bigs."

"I was ahead when I called," reminded Hastings, still smiling despite smarting from the loss. "I was ahead on the flop and fourth street too."

Player	Chips	Progress
Matt Marafioti	59,500	35,500
Brian Hastings	31,250	-45,750

Tags: Brian Hastings Matt Marafioti

06-19-2013 00:17 UTC-7

Don't Forget to Flush the Toilet

[user253757]

Level 10 : 400/800, 100 ante

Faraz "The Toilet" Jaka Stack Plunged After His Last Hand Against Athanasios Polychronopoulos

We just saw recent WSOP bracelet winner Athanasios Polychronopoulos take most of his friend Faraz Jaka's chips, and the man affectionately known as "The Toilet" was eliminated shortly after being crippled.

The action was missed, but Polychronopoulos' was tabled alongside Jaka's , and the board read . Although he had flopped top pair with his ace, Jaka ran into Polychronopoulos' nut flush on the turn.

With this infusion of chips before the players bag and tag for the evening, Polychronopoulos is hoping to generate some momentum for another deep WSOP run.

Player	Chips	Progress
Athanasios Polychronopoulos	36,450	7,450
Faraz Jaka	Busted

Tags: Athanasios Polychronopoulos Faraz Jaka

06-18-2013 23:53 UTC-7

Kid Poker Running Good... or Bad?

[user253757]

Level 10 : 400/800, 100 ante

Daniel Negreanu Has Plenty to Smile About Here on Day 1

We heard Daniel Negreanu and his tablemates avidly discussing the unlikely victory posted by Michael Malm, who recently took down Event #8, ($2,500 Eight-Game Mix), for a first prize of $225,104, without even knowing how to play a few of the games being spread in that tournament.

Sticking around to hear some interesting banter, we also saw "Kid Poker" scoop a couple pots of his own, and although Negreanu ran well in both hands, he would be the first to tell you that he also got unlucky.

First, Negreanu limped in after action folded to him in the small blind. Fellow Canadian Mark Radoja checked his option from the big blind, and the flop fell . Negreanu then led out for a small bet, and Radoja insta-folded.

"Sheesh!," said Negreanu, while tabling his for straight and flush draws. "Great flop... I was ready to go there."

On the next hand, Negreanu called a preflop raise of 3,400 from the button, and playing a three-way flop he saw the dealer spread the across the felt.

Both players checked to Negreanu, and his 5,000 wager earned him the pot.

"Again!," said Negreanu, obviously displeased that he had not found at least one caller with his . "A set of tens and nothin'!"

Despite not being able to parlay these great flops into monster pots, Negreanu has steadily climbed the chip counts throughout the day, and he now holds one of the largest stacks in the room.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Negreanu	153,000	-1,000

Tags: Daniel Negreanu Mark Radoja

06-18-2013 23:34 UTC-7

Benba Busto

[user253757]

Level 9 : 300/600, 75 ante

Ben Lamb (Seen Here Playing an Earlier WSOP Event) Has Been Busted Here on Day 1

We just watched Ben Lamb's last hand of the night, and it wasn't particularly pretty.

The drama began before the flop, after Lamb raised to 1,350 from the cutoff. Russian pro Andrey Gully opted for a three-bet, and he made it 3,200 to play. Lamb decided to ship the rest of his stack, which was on the short side anyway, into the middle, and Gully snap-called.

Showdown:

Lamb:
Gully:

Lamb was behind but live, and it would be up to the board cards to decide each player's fate.

Flop:

Lamb took the lead with his two pair, and Gully was now left searching the deck for a ten or running pair cards to catch up.

Turn:

The perfect card for Gully dropped in, and the on the river sealed the win. Lamb hit the rail short of a cash after eight long levels of shorthanded play, while Gully improved his position as this Day 1 nears its conclusion.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrey Gully	39,500	39,500
Ben Lamb	Busted

Tags: Ben Lamb

06-18-2013 23:20 UTC-7

Youth is Wasted on the Young

[user253757]

Level 9 : 300/600, 75 ante

T.J. Cloutier is Holding His Own Here Against the Youngsters on Day 1

At the age of 73 years young, T.J. Cloutier has been playing poker since before many of the players in this field were even born, and despite the rapid evolution on game theory inspired by the online generation, Cloutier can still tangle when it comes to tournament poker.

We caught up with Cloutier, the holder of six gold WSOP bracelets and two runner-up finishes in the Main Event (1985 & 2000), as he did battle with a player more than 45 years his junior.

On the flop of , the youngster led out for 3,300 and watched as the wizened veteran raised it up to 9,300, all the while dangling his tipping dollars above his stack.

Cloutier's opponent eventually called the raise, bringing the to the board on the turn. The young player, shrouded in the hooded sweatshirt that is now a symbol for his generation of poker players as much as the lit cigarette was to Cloutier's, elected to slow down this time and he tapped the table for a check.

A bet of 12,000 later by Cloutier and the hand was over, but not before the legend of poker rolled over the for a little psychological reinforcement. As the old pro knows better than most, it's always best to leave them thinking you're raises are backed by strength. Makes stealing from them later on that much easier.

Player	Chips	Progress
T.J. Cloutier	62,500	45,000

Tags: T.J. Cloutier

06-18-2013 22:00 UTC-7

Gavin Smith Gabbing, Grabbing Chips

[user253757]

Level 8 : 250/500, 50 ante

Gavin Smith is Having a Blast Here on Day 1

We have overheard a boisterous Gavin Smith throughout much of this Day 1, as he had regaled the Brasilia Room's Silver section with vivid play-by-play announcing of the NBA Finals, and offered fashion advice to his fellow pros. He even took to Twitter recently to post the following photograph of a mustachioed Justin Smith, issuing a challenge to fellow facial hair fan Eric Baldwin.

Gavin Smith @olegsmith

Hey @basebaldy this is @Justinyoung07 showing you real INTIMIDATION!!!! http://t.co/J8SZCBBIxmJune 18 2013

Reply Retweet Favorite

Follow @olegsmith

Last we heard, Smith was telling his tablemates the secret to his prolonged success in the often cutthroat world of professional poker, where flashes in the pan come and go seemingly with every tournament series.

"I was never the best player," said Smith, in a tone that suggested a wise elder patiently delivering a lecture. "But I always got the air time."

Despite the other player's protestations that Smith, who has won a gold WSOP bracelet and captured a WPT title in his illustrious career, was indeed one of the best players in the world at one point, the seasoned vet stayed true to his claim. While he did so, Smith also scooped a small pot with an opening raise to 1,150, padding his already above average stack.

As Smith has proven time and again, no matter how the cards happen to come, its simply best to put on a good show.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gavin Smith	41,000	5,000

Tags: Gavin Smith

06-18-2013 21:39 UTC-7

The Best of the Best

[user253757]

Level 8 : 250/500, 50 ante

Olivier Busquet Just Bounced Defending Main Event Champ Greg Merson

A hand that recently went down illustrated the high caliber of play reserved for the WSOP's big buy-in events, with defending Main Event champion Greg Merson, Borgata WPT Poker Open champ Olivier Busquet, and Nick Schulman, the winner of WPT and WSOP events, all playing a pot together.

The action started when a player opened to 900 from under the gun, and the entire six-handed table called for a family pot filled with pros. On the flop, Merson led out for 2,325, and next to act Schulman popped it to 6,400.

This folded the preflop raiser and another player, but Busquet decided on a reraise to 15,000. Merson immediately shipped his last 13,500 or so into the middle, and Schulman then went deep into the tank. After a minute of pondering his options, Schulman elected to fold and save his last 30,000, leaving Busquet and Merson to battle it out.

Merson:
Busquet:

Both players had flopped a good piece, with Merson's top two pair giving him a slim advantage over Busquet's pair and a flush draw.

The on the turn left Merson out in front, but when the fell on the river he grabbed his stack and handed it across the table, offering a "good game everyone" to the table as he departed. Busquet now has more than double the average stack, and is cruising along as the day nears its conclusion.

Player	Chips	Progress
Olivier Busquet	84,325	13,325
Nick Schulman	31,750	-7,250
Greg Merson	Busted

Tags: Greg Merson Nick Schulman Olivier Busquet

06-18-2013 21:16 UTC-7

Randy Lew Bullying the Table

[user253757]

Level 7 : 200/400, 50 ante

Randy Lew is Using His Big Stack Effectively Here on Day 1

We caught Randy "nanonoko" Lew playing a pot on the turn, with over 15,000 already sitting in the middle. The board read , and Lew bet 9,400 into Nicolas 'Legazdo' Cardyn, who thought things over for a minute or so before making the call.

When the hit the board on the river, Lew quickly announced himself all in for his big stack, putting Cardyn to the test for his tournament life.

Cardyn tanked for over three minutes, but eventually released his hand to fight another day.

Player	Chips	Progress
Randy Lew	98,000	-36,000
Nicolas Cardyn	12,500	12,500

Tags: Nicolas Cardyn Randy Lew

06-18-2013 18:50 UTC-7

Kid PokerStars

[user253757]

Level 6 : 150/300, 25 ante

Daniel Negreanu (Seen Here in Earlier WSOP Play) Made His Allegiance to His Favorite Poker Site Abundantly Clear Here on Day 1

Daniel Negreanu has always embraced his role as one of poker's true ambassador's, and today he has become PokerStars' most fanatical spokesman.

During a recent round of his typically jovial table talk, "Kid Poker" was overheard asking a tablemate why he chose to play so-called underground poker sites online.

"Why would you do that when you could play on PokerStars?," he asked excitedly, "The world's largest poker site, where we have tournaments now, now, and now!"

When a fellow media member told Negreanu he might want to look into a spokesman gig with the company, Negreanu continued with his canned spiel, lecturing the table to keep their online bankrolls on his home site.

"You gotta play PokerStars man," he continued. "It's only the world's largest poker site, where you can play tournaments now, now, and now!"