Level: 10
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 1,200
2019 World Series of Poker
Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold'em Deepstack
Day: 1
Over $4,000,000 in Prize Pool Guarantees at the Merit Poker RETRO (September 3-16)
Level 9
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
The Merit Poker RETRO Cup has over $4,000,000 in guarantees and runs September 3-16. It features a $5,000 Main Event with $2,000,000 guaranteed!
The Merit Poker Room offers some unique amenities:
- The best professional staff in the world
- Free 24/7 amazing food, fresh fruit, deserts, spirits, and beverages
- Lots of recreational players; making the game even more entertaining
Taking place in beautiful Cyprus, you can count on plenty of sunshine, the cleanest sea, a magnificent private beach, an all-inclusive 5-star hotel, and various activities to keep the players, their friends, and families busy.
Get ready for the real poker experience and royal holiday on the Mediterranean coast! Check out all the information about the event at meritpoker.com.
Cada Makes the Hero Call
Level 9
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Joe Cada opened in early position for 2,200 and got three callers, going four ways to the flop.
The flop hit 
, and the action checked all the way through to the turn, which came the 
. The small blind checked, the big blind put in a min-bet of 1,500, and Cada raised to 3,700. A player in middle position called, the small blind folded, and the big blind called the raise.
The river brought the 
, and the big blind checked. Cada checked, and the middle position player put in a bet for 7,400. The big blind folded, and Cada tanked for several minutes, before finally making the call with his 
.
The middle position player showed the 
, his bluff having failed against the four-time bracelet winner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
137,000 | 27,000 |
Updated Chip Counts
Level 9
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
270,000 | 100,000 |
|
|
175,000 | |
|
|
140,000 | |
|
|
110,000 | |
|
84,000 | 17,000 |
Bicknell Eliminates a Player
Level 9
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
A player in the cutoff moved all in for 7,500 and action folded around to Kristen Bicknell in the big blind who made the call.
Kristen Bicknell: 
Opponent: 
The board ran 
meaning Bicknell's pair was good for the pot and she climbed to 84,000 in chips while her opponent hit the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
84,000 | 17,000 |
Level: 9
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 1,000
On Break
Level 8
: 400/800, 800 ante
Players are on a 20-minute break, and play will resume with Level 9 after the break.
Hellmuth Staves off Elimination
Level 8
: 400/800, 800 ante
Phil Hellmuth kept his tournament hopes alive after seeing his stack dwindle to 14,500, getting all of his chips in on a flop of 
. An opponent in the small blind called, and the 15-time WSOP bracelet winner showed 
for a flopped straight.
The small blind got no help on the turn and river, and Hellmuth doubled up to 29,000.
"Did you have a flush draw?" Hellmuth asked, to which his opponent confirmed. "And you called off 10k with that?"
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
29,000 | 29,000 |
Hazelbaker Stays Alive
Level 8
: 400/800, 800 ante
A player in middle position raised to 1,100 and John Hazelbaker reraised to 3,500 behind. The cutoff moved all in for 18,000 and only Hazelbaker made the call, putting him at risk for his tournament life.
John Hazelbaker: 
Opponent: 
The board ran out 
and Hazelbacker kept his tournament hopes alive.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
40,000 | 40,000 |
Taylor Up to 125,000
Level 8
: 400/800, 800 ante
Everton Taylor has quadrupled his starting stack, and is up to 125,000 after taking down a pot with a big check-raise on the flop.
On the big blind, Taylor called a preflop open for 1900 from the button. The flop came 
, and Taylor checked, and his opponent put in the continuation bet for 2200. Taylor raised to 7200, and the button player thought it over for a couple of minutes before folding.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
125,000 | 125,000 |