Interesting developments over on Table Eames/Mattern: a huge bet, a tournament life at risk and a big decision counting John Eames' timebank down... the board was standing with the nine having rounded off this hand. Between 17k and 20k was in the pot already, but the bet being considered (and for at least a minute before and a minute afterwards) was a monstrous 34,000, the full remaining stack of Arnaud Mattern.
The aviator-sporting Frenchman was sitting still, his decision already made, but Eames on the other hand looked just like he was having a silent back-and-forth conversation with an invisible person. He nodded sagely at one point, made conversational hand gestures for a while, and finally, reluctantly, threw his hand away.
November Niner Michael Mizrachi won't be making the final tables of both WSOP Main Events this year.
After being ground down under 8,000 chips, Mizrachi three-bet shoved after Farzad Bonyadi opened the pot to his right. Bonyadi called with ace-ten, and Mizrachi was behind but drawing live with king-jack.
An ace-high flop put Mizrachi in a hole he could not climb out of, and he has run out of chips. Bonyadi, on the other hand, is doing just fine with about 67,000 chips now.
Inaugural champion Annette Obrestad has been knocked out, she had raised UTG with and was called by the big blind, the flop came two spades board and she moved all-in against a check-raise only to find her opponent holding for flopped top two pair which held.
Pascal LeFrancois raised to 700 from middle position to start off the action on this hand. Scott Fischman called and Alexander Kravchenko also called from the big blind.
The flop came down and action checked around. The turn added the to the board and action checked around the table once again to see the fall on the river. Action checked to LeFrancois and he fired 1,400. Fischman and Kravchenko folded, allowing LeFrancois to chip up to 32,000.
Justin Tazelaar becomes the second player to fall to Bruno Fitoussi, who's responsible for what's amusingly a very high percentage of the bustouts without having the hundreds of thousands you might expect for this. His victims are shortish, but their chips add up, and he's on about 55k at the moment. Tazelaar's final hand was - he threebet Fitoussi preflop, and then after his stack was scrutinised and found to be less than 12k, had to call all-in with it after Fitoussi just set his whole stack across the line putting the pressure back on. He held and didn't have to wait long, hitting one Ace on the flop and another on the turn to create another space at his table.
Today's first flight of the Main Event has drawn 137 runners, including 1 Phil Hellmuth and 0 Lady Gaga impersonators to the felt. That's down just a bit from the 156 who entered Day 1a last year, but it's quite possible the absent players are the ones who were tipped off about Hellmuth's charade and decided to play tomorrow instead.
We've seen less than a handful of eliminations so far, so we'll call it 133 players remaining until the number gets updated on the big board. About 2/3rds of the starting field survived Day 1a last year, so we should finish up tonight with somewhere around 90 players left.
MAybe it was the sonorous sounds of a blonde-wigged girl singing "Poker Face" as Phil Hellmuth made his entrance that put James "Flushy" Dempsey off his game or that maybe he just had a wrong read.
Either way Dempsey is down to 10,800 after he check raised a 3,600 bet to 8,600 on the turn of a only to have his opponent push all-in, Dempsey immediately folded as a result.
On the flop of , Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi checked to Bruno Fitoussi and he bet 500. Mizrachi called to see the fall on the turn. Mizrachi checked again and Fitoussi fired another 700. Mizrachi called again.
The river completed the board with the and both players checked. Fitoussi tabled the and Mizrachi mucked his hand.
Mizrachi dropped to 5,300 while Fitoussi increased to 40,200.
As has become equally customary here in Leicester Square as across the Pond in Vegas, Phil Hellmuth has arrived to the sound of music and with a girl on each arm.
This year, Hellmuth treated onlookers (and, perhaps, frustrated heads-up semi-finalists) with a Lady Gaga themed arrival. As the usual flock of media raced over to the entrance with their cameras snapping frantically, Hellmuth waltzed into the arena with several Lady Gaga clad ladies, one of which was singing the lyrics to 'Poker Face' in the most piercing of tones. Meanwhile, a brass band marched behind, playing the tune to the hit single as Hellmuth paraded around the casino as if he were Elvis risen from the dead.
Like an accident on the motorway, it was impossible not to lend him a quick glance as he made his way up the staircase with his string of colourful felines in tow. Most of the rail were laughing to themselves, whilst others, such as Howard Lederer who sits on the neighbouring table, simply looked on with their mouth ajar and a bewildered expression plastered across their face.
"This maybe my best entrance ever," gloated Hellmuth upon taking his seat.
After another 'yoohoo, everybody, please look at me' entrance, something tells me that there might be a few lining up to poke his face.
with the nine having rounded off this hand. Between 17k and 20k was in the pot already, but the bet being considered (and for at least a minute before and a minute afterwards) was a monstrous 34,000, the full remaining stack of Arnaud Mattern.
and was called by the big blind, the flop came 
two spades board and she moved all-in against a check-raise only to find her opponent holding 
and action checked around. The turn added the 
fall on the river. Action checked to LeFrancois and he fired 1,400. Fischman and Kravchenko folded, allowing LeFrancois to chip up to 32,000.
- he threebet Fitoussi preflop, and then after his stack was scrutinised and found to be less than 12k, had to call all-in with it after Fitoussi just set his whole stack across the line putting the pressure back on. He held 
and didn't have to wait long, hitting one Ace on the flop and another on the turn to create another space at his table.
only to have his opponent push all-in, Dempsey immediately folded as a result.
and both players checked. Fitoussi tabled the 
