Jennifer Tilly raised from middle position and Freddy Deeb called from the small blind. The big blind reraised to 3,200 and Tilly folded. Deeb came along to see the flop.
The flop came down and Deeb check-called 1,200 from the big blind. The turn brought the and both players checked.
The river completed the board with the and Deeb fired a small 700. His opponent raised to 5,500 and Deeb folded.
Mohsin Charania, who I'm reliably informed stakes more people than Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was just involved in a pot, his lead for 8,000 on the river of an board check-raised to 22,000. With 25,000 behind, Charania decided to let it go.
With Neil Channing one seat along, we could soon see a battle of the stakers develop before the end of the day.
Double up for Freddy Deeb just now (to 41k) as a flop of set him off on collision course with Andrew Teng. Deeb had check-raised Teng's 1,100 on the flop to a red-chip-plus-100 which could have been anywhere from 3,100 to 5,100 (I missed the actual throw in of the flop raise), but the ball was back in Teng's court. He thought for a long time, chip threading all the while, before throwing in 12,000. Deeb's entire remaining stack was 15k, so this was effectively an all-in question he was asking.
"I don't know..." pondered Deeb, "It's early." Pause. "I'm all in."
Teng made that hand flip sign of the committed to call, but not happy about it, showing down to Deeb's . The Aces held over the turn and river and Teng is down to 13,300.
So insists Jason Wheeler as his table is alternately bemused by Willie Tann and talked over by Steven van Zadelhoff and Martin Kabrhel. Tann admits to wondering who "these young guys who've read too many books, watched too many videos" were, exactly (they're both to his left), but it seems like their brand of table talk is ever-so-slightly tilting the bracelet holder and two-time finalist at this WSOPE.
"It's poker, any Tom Dick or Harry can play poker! It's not rocket science," he said, with a chuckle, away from the table.
Back on it and he'd bet 3,000 on a flop of which Kabrhel was thinking about calling out of position. He was unblinkingly considering the flop and his opponent, when Tann suddenly said, "What you think I am - an alien? I am from planet Earth. It's very rude to stare at people!" He paused (no reply) and finished off with something that sounded like, "WTF, hee hee hee."
Kabrhel did make the call while Wheeler and the rest of the table sat back listening, but neither player bet the running hearts turn and river ( ) - Kabrhel showing down and Tann mucking his hand. Then taking a closer look at Kabrhel's hand and muttering about Ace-Queen.
That guy at Table 6. He looks awfully familiar. Where the heck do we know him from?
Oh, right! That's Noel Furlong! Against all odds, we've spotted the 1999 WSOP World Champion in our field. J.J. "Noel" Furlong is from Dublin, Ireland, and he cashed three times in that 1999 WSOP, including a $1,000,000 score for taking home the big prize, the Main Event bracelet. That final table included Erik Seidel and Huck Seed, but Furlong hasn't become quite the household name those guys have. Alan Goehring, Chris Bigler, and fellow Irishman Padraig Parkinson were also a part of that nine-handed match. Furlong also finished in 6th in the 1989 Main Event, which Phil Hellmuth went on to win for his first (of eleven) gold bracelets.
As far as we're aware, Furlong has not played the WSOP since the year after his last-millennium victory. Still, it took until 2005 for Andy Black to pass him as Ireland's all-time leading tournament earner. He's mostly stuck around his home country since then, picking up a few small wins and a couple five-figure cashes. He's back in the big time now, though, playing for a second Main Event bracelet, which we don't have to tell you, would put him in some pretty elite company.
Furlong is still around his starting stack with about 32,000 right now.
Brian Powell raised to 800 from the cutoff seat and David Steicke reraised from the button to 2,000. Powell called and the flop came down . Both players checked to see the fall on the turn. Powell checked and Steicke fired 3,600. Powell made the call.
The put trips on the board on the river and both players checked. Powell tabled the for a full house and Steicke mucked. Powell moved up to 60,000 while Steicke dropped to 30,000.