Welcome to Day 2 of Event #13 $5,000 Seven-Card-Stud Eight-Or-Better. We will resume play today at 2 p.m. PDT, when chip leader Matt Woodward will be one of 130 competing for a gold bracelet and a first place prize of $266,503.
The plan for the day is to either play ten levels or down to a final table, whichever may come first. Our guess it that it will be the former. Play will resume in the Purple Section of the Amazon Room, which is also hosting Event #11: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em (Six Handed).
Last year's champion Adam Friedman (33,600) and runner-up Todd Brunson (38,500) are still in contention for a bracelet in today's event. Other notables looking to scoop their way to victory include: Yuval Bronshtein (57,200), Ilya Gorodetskiy (56,300), Gavin Smith (51,900), Matt Lefkowitz (50,300), David Bach (49,700), Toby Hausen (49,300), Sanjay Pandya (49,000), Kevin Vo (48,500), Mike Leah (46,900), Michael Chow (45,900) and Maria Ho (44,000).
Could we have a repeat champion? Friedman seems confident:
Gary Benson: / / {x}
Phil Hellmuth: / / {x}
Eli Elezra: /
Phil Hellmuth began the day dead last in chips out of the returning 130 players, but that hasn't stopped the 13-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner from running up his stack on Day 2.
In a recent hand, Gary Benson brought it in with the and Hellmuth completed with the . Eli Elezra, who was showing the , raised it, both Benson and Hellmuth called and three players went to fourth.
Elezra checked, Benson bet and it was off to fifth after two calls were made. All three players checked, and then Benson checked his pair of tens on sixth. Hellmuth took the opportunity to bet, Elezra called and Benson made the call.
Benson then check-called a bet on seventh and the cards were turned up.
Benson:
Hellmuth:
Benson could only muster a pair of tens, which was bested by Hellmuth's aces and eight-seven low. It was a scoop for Hellmuth.
Jamison brought it in, Altbregin completed, and Friedman, who won this event last year, called. Jamison called as well.
On fourth street, Altbregin led out and both of his opponents called. The same occured on fifth street, and on sixth street he checked for the first time. Friedman checked behind him, Jamison fired out a bet, and Altbregin called all in for a single T100 chip. Friedman called as well.
On seventh, Friedman check-called a bet, and all three hands were tabled.
Jamison:
Altbregin:
Friedman:
Jamison held a flush, Friedman a low, and Altbregin mucked his trip kings before hitting the rail.
Artie Cobb: / /
Eli Elezra: / /
Phil Hellmuth: / /
An combined 17 bracelets were just eliminated from the tournament in a single hand. That's because Eli Elezra just eliminated Phil Hellmuth (13 bracelets) and Artie Cobb (4 bracelets) here in Level 10. You're no doubt familiar with Hellmuth, but if Cobb is not known to you, we recommend you check out the profile we did on him on Day 1.
In the big hand, a short-stacked Hellmuth was all in on third after Cobb completed and Elezra called. Elezra then called a bet on fourth and Cobb got the last of his chips in on fifth. We missed the sixth-street cards for Elezra and Hellmuth, but it didn't matter as they had no influence on the hand.
Cobb:
Elezra:
Hellmuth:
Elezra ended up showing tens and sevens, which bested Hellmuth deuces and fives. It was also good against Cobb, who mucked without showing his final card. Elezra scooped the healthy pot and sent both Cobb and Hellmuth to the rail.
After Abe Mosseri brought it in with the , three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Mike "The Mouth" Matusow completed with the . Andrey Zaichenko, who was showing the , then raised and drove Mosseri from the hand. Matusow made the call and then bet when Zaichenko checked fourth.
The Russian made the call and then check-called bets on both fifth and sixth. Both players checked on seventh and Matusow said, "Two pair." He then flipped the for fives and deuces. Zaichenko peered at his cards one last time, gathered them up and then tossed them to the dealer.
We caught up with the action on fifth street, where Tehan called a bet from Matusow. Matusow led out again on sixth and seventh, Tehan called both bets, and Matusow opened up for a flush. Tehan showed for a bricked flush, and we unfortunately missed his seventh card.
A few hands later, at the same table, Todd Ickow was eliminated with unknown action.
Rodawig is still in contention with a big stack, and so is defending champ Adam Friedman. There's still a lot of play to be had, but one can't help but wonder if a former champ will capture the prestigious title once again.
Here's a look at a recent hand involving Rodawig.
Brian Hastings: / /
Eric Rodawig: / /
Brian Hastings brought it in with the and then made it two bets after Rodawig completed. A call was made and then Rodawig check-called a bet on fourth before both players checked fifth. It was back to check-calling on sixth and seventh before the cards were table.
Hastings:
Rodawig:
Hastings had the low locked up, which meant Rodawig's pair of kings took the high. Chopped pots are no fun, but it gave us the perfect excuse to update you on their chip counts.
Max Pescatori: / /
Eli Elezra: / /
Cory Zeidman: / /
Timothy Finne: / /
We just happened upon a massive four-way pot that was accurately described by Eli Elezra as, "The biggest pot of the tournament so far."
We didn't catch the action until after a raising war on sixth, after which Max Pescatori found himself all in. Both Elezra and Cory Zeidman checked dark headed to seventh, and Timothy Finne opted to bet dark. Upon receiving their last card, Elezra raised, Zeidman folded and Finne called.
Elezra:
Finne:
Pescatori:
Finne had the flush prior to seventh, while Elezra made the best low. Pescatori had trip kings, but it wasn't enough to get a portion of the pot. He was eliminated on the hand while Elezra and Finne chopped the pot that they estimated was around 120,000!
Barry Greenstein: / /
Mike Matusow: (FOLDED)
Gavin Smith: / /
Matusow brought it in, Smith called, and Greenstein completed. Only Smith called.
Greenstein bet out on fourth and fifth, Smith called both bets, and we're unsure of the action of the exact action on sixth and seventh. It look as if Greenstein bet out again on both streets, and on seventh he was all in. Regardless, all of the money went in on seventh, and the hands were open.
Greenstein:
Smith:
Smith made a flush on seventh, making Greenstein's aces and sixes no good and eliminating him from the tournament.
"You're a flush machine," Matusow said after the hand. "You've made more flushes today than I have all this year."
Nikolai Yakovenko: / /
Daniel Negreanu: / (FOLD)
Francis Mariani: / /
We caught the action starting on fourth street, where Mariani bet out and both Yakovenko and Negreanu called. Yakovenko caught a pair on fifth street, bet out, and only Mariani called. Yakovenko led out on sixth and seventh, Mariani called both bets, and Yakovenko showed for trip fours and a low. He scooped the pot.
Steve Sung: / (FOLD)
Negreanu: / /
Mike Leah: / /
Owais Ahmed: / (FOLD)
Ahmed brought it in, Sung and Negreanu both called, and Leah completed. Ahmed called, Sung called, and Negreanu made it three bets, going all in.
"How do you like that sneaky play!" Kid Poker exclaimed.
Leah raised again, and only Ahmed called.
Both players checked on fourth, Leah led out on fifth, and Ahmed folded.
Negreanu:
Leah:
Negreanu was excited to make two pair on sixth, but then Leah was dealt a second queen, giving him a better two pair. Leah turned over the on seventh, which was a blank, and Negreanu turned over his own brick - the .
"Good luck, everybody," Negreanu said before exiting.
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for a bricked flush, and we unfortunately missed his seventh card.
on seventh, which was a blank, and Negreanu turned over his own brick - the 
