2023 World Series of Poker
A player opened from under the gun, then another one in middle position raised to 1,500. On the button, Dan Smith called. The small blind and the player under the gun made the call too.
On the flop 10♣5♦3♦, everybody checked to Smith who bet 1,600. The small blind called, as well as the player under the gun. The middle position player was the only one to fold.
The J♣ came on the turn, and Smith fired a second barrel of 5,000. The small blind quickly check-called once again, but the player under the gun didn't follow them on the river 6x.
Smith added 10,000 chips to the pot on the last street. But the small blind couldn't call a third time, so he folded.
Valentin Vornicu raised to 800 in early position which saw only the button and the big blind call.
On the A♠Q♠J♣ flop, the big blind checked to Vornicu who bet 900, which saw the button raise to 2,300.
The big blind got out of the way and Vornicu responded by raising to 7,000 which saw his opponent quickly cede the pot the 12-time WSOP ring winner.
Also at the table is recent WSOP $10,000 Stud Eight or Better Runner up Bryn Kenney.
Kerry Bell was regaling his table with his grandma's recipe for sweet potato pie, "The secret is, she doesn't put the pumpkin pie spice in like most people do. Which is good, because I don't like cinnamon."
As this was happening 2005 $1,500 Seven Card Stud bracelet winner David Williams raised to 700 from under the gun. 2019 WSOPE Main Event champion Alexandros Kolonias reraised to 2,200, and when it got to Bell, further secrets of grandma's pie would have to wait, because he put in the four-bet all in for 21,600.
Williams called and Kolonias folded.
Kerry Bell: K♠K♥
David Williams: A♠K♦
The board ran out clean for Bell, 3♦5♠9♥3♣2♥ a dollop of whipped cream atop Bell's sweet double up.
The action was picked up in a three-way pot with just over 3,000 in the middle on a flop showing Q♥Q♣J♥. Patrick Tardif checked from the hijack, as did the player in the cutoff. Jinyi Sun bet out 1,100 from the button and both players came along.
The 2♠ peeled off on the turn and action checked again to Sun who sized to 4,000. Tardif quickly folded and the player in the cutoff took some time, but eventually mucked as well and the pot was sent to Sun.
On a heads-up completed board of 2♥9♦3♠3♦K♣, there was almost 30,000 in the middle (100 big blinds) when Ryan Casaly checked it over to Arman Soltani.
"How much are you playing?" Soltani asked, and Casaly responded by lifting up his arm to expose his chip stack, to which Soltani just nodded.
After another minute or so of counting and recounting his chip stack, Soltani decided to check back, at which point Casaly flipped over J♥J♦ for jacks-up and Soltani quickly mucked his hand. The huge pot was then pushed Casaly's way to boost him over 100,000.
In a heads-up pot, the flop was K♠5♥10♦ when the small blind check-called Jake Lowery for a bet worth 1,100. The same action happened on the A♣ turn, this time for 1,500.
After a last check from his opponent on the A♦ river, Lowery sent 5,000 in the middle and after a long thinking, his opponent let it go.
Six players went to a flop of 8♠3♦4♥ when a player in middle position bet 1,200 and was called by Gene Calden in the cutoff and another opponent in the hijack.
All three players checked the 4♣ turn before action checked to Calden on the 7♠ river. He tossed out 2,000 and only the cutoff called.
Calden turned over 6♦5♦ for the rivered straight to win the pot.
"If you played every hand against me you would be the chip leader," Calden's defeated opponent joked with him following the hand.
Mladen Nincevic was three ways on a 2♣3♣2♦ flop with several thousand already in the middle. Nincevic checked from the small blind and Rep Porter bet 3,500 from the big blind. A player in early position called and Nincevic called as well.
Nincevic checked to Porter on the 6♥ turn and he shoved for 19,400 total. It was folded back to Nincevic, who made the call to put Porter at risk.
Rep Porter: A♠K♦
Mladen Nincevic: 5♠5♥
Nincevic was ahead with his pair, and the J♦ river failed to improve Porter, who gave a sincere "Nice call" as he stood up from the table.
Nincevic has built his stack massively through the first two levels of play and currently sits with 190,000.
David Miller raised 1,000 in early position and was called by two players, including Kenneth Broad in the blinds.
On the A♠7♥6♠ flop, the action was checked to Miller and he continued for 1,500. Only Broad check-called.
The 2♣ landed on the turn, and Broad check-called again, this time for 3,000.
The 10♥ completed the board and Broad checked once more. Miller tanked for a few moments before checking back and saying, "I think you have eight-nine."
Miller tabled A♣A♥ for top set but he was correct in that it was no good, as Broad showed 9♠8♠ making a straight on the river.
"If anyone else had that hand I would have won 30,000 more," Said Broad as he collected the pot.