Before the start of the WSOP, Doyle Brunson announced he would not play any events. He tells Kristy Arnett why he made that decision, and in the end, why he couldn't resist the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and the Main Event.
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
35,350
35,350
|
35,350 |
|
14,500
19,300
|
19,300 |
|
||
The action folded round to the player in the cut-off, who opened to 550. Erick Lindgren was sitting to his immediate left, and made the call, as both players then watched the flop come 
.
The player in the cut-off threw out a continuation bet of 550, which was called, before both players opted to check, as the 
made its way on the turn. The 
fell on the river, and a check gave Lindgren the chance to bet out 1,200, which was enough to take down the pot, as he watched his opponent muck his hand.
That win is hopefully the start of a comeback for Lindgren, who’s already lost two-thirds of his starting stack, early in today’s proceedings.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,850
1,050
|
1,050 |
|
||
There's no doubt that Georges St. Pierre is one of the world's greatest MMA fighters (he is the current Welterweight Champion after all), but when it comes to poker, he's still got a few things to figure out as evidenced by the following hand.
We picked up the action with 1,400 in the pot and a flop of 
. St. Pierre was first to act in the small blind and bet the minimum of 200. His opponents in middle position and on the button called and then the dealer burned and turned the 
.
St. Pierre was first to act, but he neither checked nor bet. Instead he put one hand on his cards and jabbed them to the dealer, who hesitantly grabbed them and pulled them into the muck. "You can check," a player at the table informed St. Pierre, who seemed to know he had just made an amateur error.
Despite that small mental lapse, St. Pierre is actually doing decent and is up a bit from the starting stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
31,200
2,200
|
2,200 |
Just 22 minutes into this tournament, Terry Fleischer sent Mehrdad Danialifar to the rail as the first casualty of the day. By virtue of that, Fleischer jumped out to an early chip lead. It was a situation everyone who plays the Main Event dreams of, but Fleischer's Level 2 was a nightmare.
After losing all the chips he acquired from Danialifar to Micah Raskin, Fleischer continued his downward spiral. We're not sure how it happened, but we can confirm that Fleischer has been eliminated from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Arriving at the table with 2,000 in the pot, and the flop showing 
, the action checked around to the player sitting under the gun plus one, who bet out 1,150. Liv Boeree was in the small blind, and made the call, as the two players in between, folded their hands.
The 
fell on the turn, before Boeree reached for her chips, and bet out 1,500. Her opponent called, and both watched as the completed the board. Another bet of 3,500 from Boeree was quickly called, as she tabled her 
for a rivered set. Her opponent showed his 
, before throwing the cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
39,200
9,700
|
9,700 |
|
||
It's been ten years since Chris Moneymaker changed poker history by outlasting a field of 839 players to turn a $39 satellite seat into a $2.5 million payday. The win is credit as a major contributing factor to the poker boom and multiplied entries into the Main Event for years to come.
A clean-shaven Moneymaker is in today's field looking to do something that he hasn't done since 2003... make a deep run and cash in the Main Event. Despite his other successes, which includes winning his Invitational Rematch against Sammy Farha at the 2011 WSOP, Moneymaker is still looking to recapture that Main Event magic. A ten-year anniversary sounds like a pretty good time to do it.
In a recent hand involving Moneymaker, who is seated in the Pavilion Room, a player in the hijack raised and former Tennessee accountant three-bet to 1,025 from the cutoff. The button and blinds folded, the hijack called and it was heads-up action to the 
flop.
The hijack check-called a bet of 800 from Moneymaker and then both players checked the turn. When the 
completed the board on the river, the hijack bet 1,600 and Moneymaker snap-called.
"Queen," the hijack said and tabled the 
.
"Me too," Moneymaker replied and tabled the to chop the pot. Despite not losing there, Moneymaker is still down on the day and sitting with about 15,000.
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.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
15,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
||
On a board of 
, John Spadavecchia Jr. watched his opponent lead out for a bet of 3,600, and he coolly tossed a pair of orange T5000 tournament chips into the middle for a substantial raise.
His opponent studied Spadavecchia Jr. from a few seats over, and ultimately he decided to flat the raise out of position.
When the 
completed the board on the river, the player slowly tapped the table for a check, and Spadavecchia Jr. wasted no time in moving the rest of his stack into the middle. His opponent quickly flicked his cards towards the muck, and with that one of the larger stacks in the Amazon Room's Orange section emerged from the fray.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
63,500 |
With the board reading 
, the player in the small blind bet out 525, before Andy Frankenberger bumped it up to 1,250. His opponent then opted to raise it up to 2,225, and was called, before the fell on the turn. The player in the small blind reached for his chips, and confidently bet out another 2,650, which was called, before the 
completed the board.
Pausing for just a moment, a quick bet of 10,000 from the small blind, saw an instant muck from Frankenberger, as he drops down to 35,000 in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
35,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
|
||
