We missed the action but we do know that Brandon Cantu just tripled in the same hand that eliminated George Lind. The board read and the following cards were laid out in front of each player.
George Lind:
Brandon Cantu:
David Oppenheim:
Cantu tripled with the nuts while Lind's set of queens fell to Oppenheim's queen-high straight in the side pot.
Roman Yitzhaki: /
Mike Wattel: / (FOLD)
Paul Volpe: /
We caught up with the action on fourth street, where Yitzhaki bet and only Volpe called. Volpe called another bet on fifth, then led out sixth when Yitzhaki caught a queen. Yitzhaki folded.
Yitzhaki: / /
Justin Smith: / (FOLD)
Volpe: / /
On the very next hand, Smith brought it in, Volpe completed and both Yitzhaki and Smith called. The action checked to Volpe on fourth, and he bet. Both players called.
On fifth, Volpe led out and only Yitzhaki called. Both players knuckled on sixth, and Volpe check-called a bet on seventh. Yitzhaki opened up for a seventy-six, winning the pot.
We're not sure of all the details, but we do know a massive hand just went down over in the corner of the room. We arrived on the flop to discover a three-way betting war created a nearly 900,000 pot with Todd Brunson and Matthew Ashton all in against Brandon Cantu.
Ashton:
Brunson:
Cantu:
To say it was an action flop would be an understatement. Brunson, who had the shortest stack, had flopped a wrap while Ashton, who was in for 307,000, had top set and a flush draw. Cantu, who had them both covered, was drawing to an open-ended straight and the nut flush draw.
A large crowd of players gathered around the table to sweat the action, but all the excitement came to a sudden halt when the dealer burned and turned the , giving Ashton a full house and the guaranteed win. After the meaningless was put out on the river, Brunson exited the tournament area and Cantu shipped the vast majority of his chips to Ashton, who is now the chip leader.
We caught the action on a flop with approximately 110,000 in the pot. Jason Mercier had moved all in from the big blind for his last 41,800 and David Benyamine called from the under-the-gun position. Kevin Song then raise the size of the pot from the button and drove Benyamine from the hand.
Song:
Mercier:
Song had flopped a set and had Mercier in dire straights. A queen was Mercier's best bet, but neither the turn nor river were the lady he was looking for. With that, Mercier grabbed his backpack and made a hasty exit from the tournament floor.
With a dead small blind, Brian Rast opened with a raise to 9,000 from the hijack seat. Minh Ly made the call on the button, and Richard Ashby called out of the big blind.
The flop came down , and Ashby checked. Rast also checked, and Ly bet 16,000. Ashby folded, but Rast called.
The turn was the , and both players checked to see the pair the board on the river. Rast and Ly checked again.
"Straight," announced Rast before showing the . Ly showed the from his hand, then mucked, and Rast was pushed the pot.
Back when Rast won this event in 2011, Ly finished in third place, so these two definitely have a lot of experience playing one another in the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship.
Bryn Kenney opened from under the gun, and was met with a raise from Erick Lindgren on the button. He made the call, as the flop came down . Kenney check-raised a continuation bet from Lindgren, before the fell on the turn. This time Kenney bet out and was called, as the completed the board. Kenney led out once more, and was called.
“I got really lucky,” said Kenney, tabling his for a pair on the river.
“You think?” replied Lindgren, as he mucked his hand, exposing the in the process.
The buzz inside the walls of the Rio extends beyond just the tournaments on the 2013 World Series of Poker schedule. Online poker in Nevada is a very, very hot topic right now, and WSOP.com is making a lot of noise.
While the site has yet to launch, you can head to the Lambada Room of the Rio or look for one of the beautiful and friendly WSOP.com ladies walking the hallways to sign up for a free, personal WSOP.com online poker account. This is a great way to get a jump on the site's registration, and plenty of people have already taken this opportunity.
What's more is that the WSOP will be hosting daily raffles for everyone that has taken the time to register for WSOP.com at the Rio. What can you win? Plenty of fantastic prizes including 36 WSOP seats!
Players 21 years of age and older who sign up for a WSOP.com account will automatically be entered into the “36-Seat Giveaway” where a randomly-selected winner will win a seat into the next day’s first WSOP gold bracelet event. One of the events eligible in this promotion is the $111,111 One Drop High Roller No-Limit Hold’em tournament that is expected to feature a $10,000,000 prize pool and allow you to play poker with the biggest names in the game. In total, $182,333 in WSOP seats, including a seat to the WSOP Main Event, are being given away during this one-of-a-kind WSOP.com promotion.
In addition to the 36-Seat Giveaway, a “Hot Seat” promotion will allow any player who signs up for a WSOP.com online account and wears their WSOP.com patch on their chest at the table while playing an event to be randomly selected to receive 500 bonus dollars deposited directly into their WSOP.com online account once the site has received all regulatory approvals and launches.
With 62 WSOP gold bracelet events and three winners promised for the Main Event, this promotion includes $32,000 worth of value to those participating.
George Danzer raised from under the gun, Justin Smith re-raised in the hijack seat, and Mike Wattel called in the cutoff. Danzer made it three bets to go, and Smith and Wattel both called.
The dealer fanned , Danzer led out, and both Smith and Wattel called. The two called another bet from Danzer when the turned, and the completed the board. Danzer fired out a third time, Smith raised, and Wattel unhappily folded. Danzer called.
Danzer:
Smith:
Danzer and Smith chopped up the pot, while Wattel dropped down to 250,000 chips.
Tommy Hang: () / — FOLD
Doyle Brunson: () / — FOLD
Brian Rast: () /
Tommy Hang brought in, then action folded to Doyle Brunson with only Brian Rast between him and Hang. Brunson completed, then Rast raised. Hang folded, and Brunson called.
On fourth street, Brunson checked the best hand showing, and Rast fired a bet. Brunson called.
On fifth street, Brunson picked up a king, and Rast added a six. Rast led with a bet, and Brunson folded.
button in Safari
and the following cards were laid out in front of each player.
/ 
/ 
flop to discover a three-way betting war created a nearly 900,000 pot with 
, giving Ashton a full house and the guaranteed win. After the meaningless 
was put out on the river, Brunson exited the tournament area and Cantu shipped the vast majority of his chips to Ashton, who is now the chip leader.
flop with approximately 110,000 in the pot. 
turn nor 
river were the lady he was looking for. With that, Mercier grabbed his backpack and made a hasty exit from the tournament floor.
, and both players checked to see the 
pair the board on the river. Rast and Ly checked again.
. Kenney check-raised a continuation bet from Lindgren, before the 
, Danzer led out, and both Smith and Wattel called. The two called another bet from Danzer when the 
completed the board. Danzer fired out a third time, Smith raised, and Wattel unhappily folded. Danzer called.
— FOLD
