Welcome to Day 2 of Event #37: $5,000 Limit Hold'em. Greg Mueller returns today with by far the biggest stack in the tournament after bagging 94,600 at the end of Day 1. Mueller is looking for his third bracelet, and his first since 2009. Both of his World Series of Poker victories have come in Limit Hold’em events, including one in the prestigious $10,000 Limit Hold’em event four years ago. Mueller is currently riding a hot streak. He’s already made two final tables at the 2013 WSOP, finishing third in both Event #8: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix and Event #29: $5,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Mueller’s closest competitors are Slavko Todorovic (64,000), Brent Wheeler (57,500), Ronnie Bardah (54,800), and Brian Aleksa (54,500). No other player finished the day above the 50,000 mark. There are a number of other notable players still alive in this event, including Justin Bonomo (46,600), Brock Parker (46,100), Juha Helppi (Juha Helppi), David Chiu (32,400), Phil Ivey (24,200), and current WSOP Player of the Year leader Daniel Negreanu (15,900).
There were 170 players who turned out for this event, slightly more than in 2012. Only 103 return for Day 2 today, and only 18 of them will make the money. Eighteenth place pays $11,337, but all players surely have their sights set on the $211,743 first-place prize and the coveted World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
Cards will be in the air at 2 p.m local Las Vegas time. Stay with us here at PokerNews.com as we bring you live updates throughout all ten levels of Day 2 action. In the meantime, here's Kristy Arnett to bring you up to date on all the recent and upcoming events at the WSOP.
Matt Matros has been eliminated and has left the tournament area. His quest for a bracelet in a fourth consecutive year will have to wait for another day.
We didn't catch Phil Ivey's elimination hand, but his fellow team member Mike Leah was kind enough to fill us in on what happened.
According to him, Ivey raised with suited from early position only to have Gary Benson three-bet from the big blind. Ivey called, leaving himself just 1,000 behind, and then called off when Benson led the flop. Benson rolled over for a flopped set, and Ivey was eliminated after he wafted his gutshot draw.
Daniel Negreanu, who started the hand with only 3,200 in chips, raised preflop. Jameson Painter made it three bets, and Pat Pezzin called. Negreanu then re-raised all in, and both other players called. The flop came , and Pezzin bet after Painter checked. Pezzin bet again when the fell on the turn, and this time Painter released his hand. The remaining players turn up their cards.
Negreanu:
Pezzin:
Pezzin's kings were in the lead, but the queen on the turn had given Negreanu outs to beat him. The on the river, however, was no help to Negreanu, and the five-time bracelet winner has been eliminated.
Todd Witteles raised preflop, and Mike Leah called from the big blind. The flop fell . Leah checked, Witteles bet, and Leah called. Then the hand started to get interesting. The turn was the , and Leah checked again. This time he check-raised when Witteles bet. Witteles asked Leah how much he had behind, which turned out to be 5,100. Witteles then three bet, and Leah four-bet all in for 11,100 total. Witteles called and immediately said, "I have the nuts." Leah responded, "Then I have two outs."
Witteles:
Leah:
Witteles had indeed flopped the nut flush, while Leah had flopped a lower flush with an open-ended straight flush redraw. The dealer then brought the river, the , which was not one of Leah's outs, and he has been eliminated from the tournament.
As a fitting postscript, on the very next hand, Witteles raised preflop and got no callers, and turned over the same .
With 20,000 in the pot and a flop of , Ray Dehkharghani bet 3,000 and was immediately raised to 6,000 bu Michael Moore in the cutoff. Dehkharghani responded with a four-bet and then six-bet his last 300 after Moore had five-bet. Moore made the call and the cards were turned up.
Dehkharghani:
Moore:
Dehkharghani was behind and looking to hit one of his overs, but he was left wanting as the blanked on the river followed by the on the river.
Hand-for-hand play was short and sweet here on the bubble, at least for 18 of the players. The sole exception is Danny Warchol, who was just eliminated as the bubble boy.
It happened when Todd Witteles raised the hijack and a short-stacked Danny Warchol three-bet all in for 10,500 from the button. The blinds both folded, Witteles called and the cards were turned up.
Witteles:
Warchol:
Warchol seemed hopeful of winning the flip, but after the flop came down his enthusiasm quickly disappeared. He seemed resigned to his fate as he stood from his chair, which was about the time the dealer burned and turned the . Warchol needed either an ace or jack on the river to stay alive, but you already know neither came. Instead it was the and Warchol was sent packing as the bubble boy.
The remaining 18 players are now guaranteed to take home a minimum payday of $11,337.
Brock Parker, winner of two World Series of Poker bracelets, including one in limit hold'em, has been eliminated.
On Parker's final hand, he raised preflop, and Todd Witteles, three-bet. The players continued raising until they reached the cap. Interestingly enough, the exact same preflop action had occurred on the previous hand. That time, Witteles and Parker ended up chopping the pot with a full house on the board.
This time around, the flop came , and Witteles bet out. After a couple raises, Parker was all in and at risk. He turned over for a pair of twos, but Witteles showed , and Parker would need help. The turn, however, was the , securing the pot for Witteles. The meaningless river was the , and Parker was eliminated in 18th place. He earned $11,337 for his efforts.
Jan Sjavik raised from the cutoff and a short-stacked David Chiu, who won his fifth gold bracelet just last week, called off from the small blind. Brent Wheeler then called from the big blind and there was side action headed to the flop.
Wheeler checked, Sjavik bet and Wheeler woke up with a check-raise to 8,000. Sjavik made the called and then Wheeler check-called bets on both the turn and river. Sjavik rolled over the for the nuts, and Wheeler sent his cards to the muck.
"I even got there," Chiu said as he showed a pair of rivered aces with the . Unfortunately for him, it was not good enough and he had to settle for 17th place.
Both Justin Smith and Ben Yu were short-stacked when they got involved in an all-in confrontation. Ben Yu opened the preflop action with a raise, and Justin Smith put in a third bet from the big blind. Yu called, and the dealer spread . Justin Smith bet out, and Yu raised. Smith's three-bet was enough to put him all in, but he actually had Yu outchipped by 2,500, so Yu was at risk. The players revealed their hole cards:
Yu:
Smith:
The turn was the , and the river the , putting two pair on board. Yu had a better two pair, though, with his kings and sevens. Yu took the pot, and Smith was crippled.
On the very next hand, Smith posted the small, and that put him all in. Greg Mueller raised, and Justin Bonomo called from the big blind. Bonomo check-raised Mueller's bet when the flop fell , then both players checked the turn. Mueller bet again when the completed the board on the river, and Bonomo folded.
Mueller revealed for two pair, and Smith turned over for a pair of jacks. Mueller won the pot, and Smith busted in 16th place, winning $11,337.
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suited from early position only to have Gary Benson three-bet from the big blind. Ivey called, leaving himself just 1,000 behind, and then called off when Benson led the 
flop. Benson rolled over 
, and Pezzin bet after Painter checked. Pezzin bet again when the 
fell on the turn, and this time Painter released his hand. The remaining players turn up their cards.
on the river, however, was no help to Negreanu, and the five-time bracelet winner has been eliminated.
. Leah checked, Witteles bet, and Leah called. Then the hand started to get interesting. The turn was the 
, and Leah checked again. This time he check-raised when Witteles bet. Witteles asked Leah how much he had behind, which turned out to be 5,100. Witteles then three bet, and Leah four-bet all in for 11,100 total. Witteles called and immediately said, "I have the nuts." Leah responded, "Then I have two outs."
, Ray Dehkharghani bet 3,000 and was immediately raised to 6,000 bu Michael Moore in the cutoff. Dehkharghani responded with a four-bet and then six-bet his last 300 after Moore had five-bet. Moore made the call and the cards were turned up.
and Warchol was sent packing as the bubble boy.
, and Parker was eliminated in 18th place. He earned $11,337 for his efforts.
turn and 
river. Sjavik rolled over the 
for the nuts, and Wheeler sent his cards to the muck.
. Unfortunately for him, it was not good enough and he had to settle for 17th place.
, then both players checked the 
