Event #62: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event Day 1b | 2013 World Series of Poker

07-08-2013 01:12 UTC-7

Tripodi Leads Day 1b w/ "Jungleman" Close Behind; Three Former Main Event Winners Advance

Chad Holloway

Level 5 : 200/400, 50 ante

The 2013 World Series of Poker continued Sunday by crowning two more bracelet winners—Brian Yoon in Event #58: $1,111 Little One for One Drop and Loni Harwood in Event #60: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em—and kicking off Day 1b of the $10,000 Main Event. All three tournament rooms were filled to the brim as 1,942 players took their shot in the second of three starting flights. Even though that was down a bit from last year’s 2,114 players, it was more than twice as many as Day 1a’s 943. That said, Monday’s Day 1c is expected to draw more than the first two flights combined to put the 2013 WSOP Main Event over 6,000 runners.

After five two-hour levels of play, Clement Tripodi finished as the Day 1b chip leader of the advancing 1,300 with 207,500, which is a bit more than Evan Panesis, who bagged up 190,975 to lead the advancing 584 players from Day 1a. Other Day 1b big stacks include Daniel "Jungleman" Cates (198,425), Robert Russ (176,650), Rullo Gianluca (167,800), Robert Neyhorayan (146,100), Sorel Mizzi (134,100), Olivier Elissandre (128,975), John Ott (126,375), Tyler Denson (125,000), Richard Hu (118,450) and Adrien Allain (118,125).

Cates, who is a well-known online player, got the majority of his chips in what was likely the biggest pot of the day. You can read about that hand by clicking here.

Five former Main Event champions were in the field today, but not all of them would survive. The 2004 WSOP champ, Greg Raymer, fell in Level 3, while Scotty Nguyen followed him out the door in Level 5 after being on the bad end of a set-over-set situation. The three that did survive were Doyle Brunson, Chris Moneymaker and Dan Harrington.

Other players who failed to make it through the day include Bernard Lee, Marco Johnson, Lex Velduis, David Bach, Yuval Bronshtein, Mickey Petersen, Nick Abou Risk, Brad Garrett, Kevin Saul, Erick Lindgren, John Monnette, MMA star Georges St. Pierre and last year's runner-up Jesse Sylvia, just to name a few.

While a slew of players fell, the following players all advanced to Day 2b: Annette Obrestad (108,750), Cliff Josephy (96,900), Rupert Elder (94,800), Scott Seiver (94,100), Matthias De Meulder (88,200), Melanie Weisner (81,700), Maxim Lykov (81,125), Dan Smith (54,575), Galen Hall (51,050), Tony Gregg (48,650), Lauren Kling (47,500) and Eugene Katchalov (37,150).

Day 1c, which drew a record 3,418 players last year, will begin at 12 p.m. on Monday and is expected to be the biggest field yet. Join us then as we bring you all the action and eliminations from the third and final starting day of the 2013 WSOP $10,000 Main Event. For now, we will leave you with an exclusive look at the diamond-encrusted Main Event bracelet that will be awarded to the champion of this event - the richest trophy in all sporting history.

07-07-2013 23:15 UTC-7

You Call, It's Gonna Be All Over Baby!

[user253757]

Level 5 : 200/400, 50 ante

Scotty Nguyen Has Been Busted From the 2013 Main Event

The champion of the 1998 edition of this event, Scotty Nguyen, will not be making history this year with by winning a second Main Event title, as he has just been eliminated from the field in particularly painful fashion.

The action began when Nguyen opened for 1,200 from under the gun, and Tyler Denson three-bet to 3,500. After Nguyen flatted, the flop fell , and the former champ checked the action.

Denson fired out a bet of 3,500, and Nguyen decided to make his stand, reraising for the rest of his stack. Denson snap-called and revealed the with a flourish, while Nguyen was left to table his slowly and in silence, knowing that the end was near.

The turn () and river () failed to deliver the case ten to Nguyen, and he quickly walked away from the tournament floor in a daze, a cooler canning him from the most important tournament of the year.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tyler Denson	73,500	73,500
Scotty Nguyen	Busted

Tags: Scotty Nguyen

07-07-2013 23:08 UTC-7

Jungleman Swings into the Chip Lead

Chad Holloway

Level 5 : 200/400, 50 ante

Online superstar Daniel "Jungleman" Cates has been among the big stacks all day, and so has Danny Illingworth. The two were seated at the same table, and while they stayed out of each other's way for four levels, they just collided in what is by far the biggest pot of the day.

It began when opened for 1,000 and Illington three-bet to 3,100. Action folded back to Cates and he pushed back with a four-bet to 7,000, which Illingworth called. When the flop fell , Cates checked and Illingworth bet 8,100. Cates made the call and then checked after the dealer burned and turned the .

Illingworth took the opportunity to bet again, this time 12,000, and then Cates woke up with a check-raise to 30,000. Illingworth thought for a few moments before making the call and the was put out on the river. Cates, who barely had his opponent covered, proceeded to move all in and Illingworth quickly called off for roughly 45,000.

Cates tabled the for trips fives with an ace kicker, and disheartened Illingworth rolled over the for trips fives but with an inferior kicker. The table was stunned at the sudden turn of events, and as Cates stacked a hefty pile of chips, Illingworth made a beeline for the door.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Cates	195,000	99,300
Danny Illingworth	Busted

Tags: Daniel Cates Danny Illingworth

07-07-2013 22:16 UTC-7

Ravi Raghavan Riding Big' Mo to an Even Bigger Stack

[user253757]

Level 4 : 150/300, 25 ante

Ravi Raghavan (Seen Here Playing in Event #57) is Building His Second Big Stack in as Many Big Buy-In NLH Events

After making a very deep run in another big buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Event just three days ago (Event #57 $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em), where he finished in 13th place and earned $37,806 for his efforts, pro Ravi Raghavan is proving that superior skills, momentum, and a little run good make a dangerous combination.

Ragahavan has quietly built a big stack through Level 4 of Day 1b, and appears to have chipped up every time we pass his table.

As he proved with a huge win at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, Las Vegas $10,000 Championship Event, Raghavan is fully capable of closing the deal, and by amassing a big stack here today, he is giving himself a shot to do just that on the biggest stage in poker.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ravi Raghavan	74,800	4,800

Tags: Ravi Raghavan

07-07-2013 21:17 UTC-7

Minh, Maxim and Mermelstein All Moved Off

[user253757]

Level 4 : 150/300, 25 ante

Minh Ly (Seen Here at the Final Table of Event #55) Knows Better Than Most That the Road to the Mothership Stage is a Long One

The action has been slow and steady throughout this Day 1b of the Main Event, but the post-dinner lull has been especially pronounced, with just two or three bustouts occurring so far in the Amazon Room's Purple section.

We passed by the tables of three pros recently, and the passive play demonstrated by each was indicative of the mood on the tournament floor here today.

First, Minh Ly checked his option from the big blind after three players limped in to begin the action. When the flop fell , Ly tapped the table along with his three opponents, and he quickly folded when one of them bet the turn.

Shortly thereafter, Aaron Mermelstein made it 750 to play from middle position, and received a lone call from a player defending his big blind. On the action flop, both players checked cautiously, and Mermelstein reluctantly mucked when his opponent led out for 1,000 on the turn.

Finally, Maxim Lykov checked a three-way pot on the turn, with the board showing . He mucked along with one other player when a woman bet 2,100 from the big blind, after the river brought the .

We hope to hear the familiar refrain of "all in... and a call!" begin to echo through the tournament floor once again, but with players who have seen their starting stacks halved to 15,000 still in possession of 50 big blinds, there is no need for a rush at this point in the evening.

Tags: Aaron Mermelstein Maxim Lykov Minh Ly

07-07-2013 18:13 UTC-7

Steve Zolotow Springs the Ambush on Unsuspecting Amateur

[user253757]

Level 3 : 150/300, 0 ante

Steve Zolotow Knows How to Play the Game

Earlier in the day we encountered a fairly common sight on the first day of a World Series of Poker tournament: a lively player with a larger stack than he started with, beginning to table talk as if the tournament was already won.

"See, now I called there, I just called," the player told his latest victim. "That means I might've had a flush draw, but you didn't notice."

With more than 45,000 during the first level of play, the player had plenty of reason to feel confident, and he regaled the table with stories of his strategic prowess.

"Now, I have my reasons for everything I do," the player continued, after opening for a large raise before the flop that many players would not consider to be standard operating procedure. "The number of limpers, my position, who's left to act behind me... there's a lot of factors behind my moves. It's something like a Rubik's cube."

Steve Zolotow, a noted tactician on the felt who has cashed dozens of times at the WSOP, winning two gold bracelets in his long and storied tournament career, decided to join the lively conversation, telling the player not to reveal too much so early in such an important event.

"Don't give away your strategy now," said Zolotow with a sinner's smile spreading across his face. "Just keep on doing what you're doing... it's working."

With the pit now dug and a thatch of fresh leaves laid over his trap, Zolotow returned his focus to the game at hand, and a few hours passed by without incident.

That is, of course, until Zolotow found the perfect opportunity to double through his mark. With the flop of arranged neatly across the felt, and a bet already in front of the amateur opponent, Zolotow raised it up to 6,500 and stared silently into the ether.

"How much do you have left there?," said the player to the pro, before suddenly shoving his stack forward for an all-in move.

He soon found out that Zolotow had precisely 32,050 in his stack, as the experienced tournament player and veteran of the famed Mayfair Club in New York City snapped him off with for a flopped set.

The once confident player could do nothing but turn over in shock, his Rubik's cube suddenly a jumble of discordant colors. When the turn () and river () failed to deliver a face saving four, Zolotow secured a well deserved double, the predator having laid a trap hours earlier before waiting patiently to ambush his prey.

Player	Chips	Progress
Steve Zolotow	67,500	-500

Tags: Steve Zolotow

07-07-2013 18:09 UTC-7

Get to Know Shane Warne

Chad Holloway

Level 3 : 150/300, 0 ante

We've talked a lot today about the celebrities in the field, and another we've yet to feature is Australian cricket legend Shane 'Warney' Warne. For those who don't know, Warne, who retired after the 2006-07 series, was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1994, One-Day International Player of the year in 2000, and Test Player of the Year in 2006.

Warne has also co-authored three books: Shane Warne: My Official Illustrated Career, The Complete Shane Warne, and Shane Warne: My Own Story. He may not be the biggest name in the States, but believe us when we say that Warne is a big a celebrity as they come in the Asia Pacific region.

Since 2008, Warne has been keeping his competitive spirit alive by playing in poker tournaments around the world. His biggest cash to date back in August 2010 when he took third in the Victorian Poker Championship A$10,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Stakes Event for $35,899. He is still looking for his first WSOP cash.

Tags: Shane Warne

07-07-2013 17:50 UTC-7

Fossilman Buried

[user253757]

Level 3 : 150/300, 0 ante

Greg Raymer Was All Smiles Earlier in the Day, but a Busted Bluff Has Sent the Former Champ Packing

Whenever the camera crews begin circling like vultures here on a Day 1 flight of the Main Event, it usually spells either triumph or trouble for one of the field's brightest stars.

For the champion of the 2004 Main Event, Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, the arrival of the film crew spelled the latter.

According to the helpful poker fans lining the rail alongside Raymer's former table, the action began when he opened to 800 from UTG+1, receiving calls from a player in middle position, as well as Andy Miller in the big blind.

When the flop brought a rainbow board of to the table, Miller led out for 2,000, and both Raymer and the third player in the hand flatted. The turn card was a , and again Miller led out for a bet, this time for 3,000.

Raymer decided to spring his trap, jamming all in for a sizable stack in hopes of forcing his opponents off the pot. The player in middle position tanked for a solid two minutes, but eventually folded while flashing his to the rail. With the action back on him, Miller decided to look "Fossilman" up and he made the call with for top pair.

His bluff called, Raymer could table only the and he would need an ace or a king to extend his latest Main Event run.

River:

With that, the buzzards began filming Raymer's departure, and the champ was typically gracious in defeat, offering Miller his trademark fossil card protector as a memento of their all-in encounter.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andy Miller	63,500	63,500
Greg Raymer	Busted

Tags: Greg Raymer

07-07-2013 16:28 UTC-7

Second Break of the Day: From the Chip Lead to Out, Moneymaker & More

Chad Holloway

Level 2 : 100/200, 0 ante

Main Event Day 01B players in the Pavilion Room

What a difference a level can make. The difference between Level 1 and Level 2 for Terry Fleischer, who had eliminated Mehrdad Danialifar 22 minutes into play, was clearly night and day as he lost all those chips and then some to poker pro Micah Raskin. By the end of the level, the man who jumped out to an early chip lead was eliminated from the tournament.

It was also at the start of Level 2 that we spotted Dan Harrington, who won the 1995 WSOP Main Event and made back-to-back final tables in the 2003 and 2004 WSOP Main Events, in the field. Harrington, who gained quite a bit of notoriety through his acclaimed Harrington on Hold'em series, became one of five past Main Event champs in today's field alongside Doyle Brunson (1976 & 1977), Scotty Nguyen (1998), Chris Moneymaker (2003) and Greg Raymer (2004).

Speaking of Moneymaker, it's been ten years since his historic win. Despite his other successes, which includes winning his Invitational Rematch against Sammy Farha at the 2011 WSOP, Moneymaker is still looking for his second Main Event cash. A ten-year anniversary sounds like a pretty good time to do it. For more on Moneymaker and his thoughts on the Main Event a decade later, check out the interview he did with PokerNews just prior to the 2013 WSOP.

We'll be back in 20 minutes for another level of action.

07-07-2013 16:19 UTC-7

Michael Howell Excavates Fossilman's Stack

[user253757]

Level 2 : 100/200, 0 ante

After a player in middle position opened for 600, Greg Raymer tossed out a call one chip at a time holding the button. Michael Howell was in the big blind, and he opted to pump it up with a three-bet to 2,000. Both the initial bettor and Raymer opted to flat, and the flop fell .

Howell fired out a bet of 6,000 to fold the preflop raiser, but Raymer elected to smooth call, tossing out the requisite chips one at a time.

When the dealer burned and turned the on fourth street, Howell slowed down with a check, and Raymer opted to fire out a bet of 6,500. It was Howell's turn to flat this time, and after he did so the river came .

Howell tapped the table for a check, and Raymer did the same, but when Howell rolled over the for the ultimate overpair to the board, "Fossilman" flung his cards into the muck without hesitation, almost as if he suspected Howell was riding the rockets.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Howell	35,350	35,350
Greg Raymer	14,500	-19,300

Tags: Greg Raymer