2nd Place: Jonathan Rodgers ($9,097)

3rd Place: Beata Wielgoszewski ($5,868)

On a [Qc][4c][8h] flop, Beata Wielgoszewski bet 560,000 before Vinh Dang moved all in.  Beata thought for awhile, but eventually called all in for less.  It was a good call, as Beata had the best hand with [Qh][3s], but would have to fade the flush draw and overcard of Vinh's [Kc][5c].  The [2d] was safe, but the [Ac] river gave Vinh the nuts and sent Beata to the rail.  Beata will earn $5,868 for her 3rd place finish here today.

Jonathan Rodgers doubles through Beata Wielgoszewski

Jonathan Rodgers moved all in from the button and Beata Wielgoszewski made the call.  Vinh Dang folded his big blind, and the two exposed their hands:

Jonathan [Ac][Jc]

Beata [Kh][9h]

The board ran out a pure [6c][Qh][2d][3h][Td] and Jonathan will double up to 1.05 million.

4th Place: Christopher Leong ($4,741)

Under the gun, at 40,000/80,000 blinds with a 10,000 ante, Christopher Leong moved all in for just over a million.  Jonathan Rodgers was next to act and called all in for less.  Beata Wielgoszewski had a big decision and eventually called the both allins, having both opponents covered.  Vinh Dang broke the tension by saying, "Oh, I have cards?"  The crowd laughed, and Vinh folded.

Christopher [Jd][Ts]
Jonathan [Ad][Ks]
Beata [As][Kh]

The flop fell [5d][Qs][6h], keeping the ace kings in front.  Christopher would need a jack or a ten to survive, but he failed to find it as the board ran out [6d][2h].  Christopher will be eliminated in 4th place, good for $4,741.

5th Place: William Frederick ($3,556)

William Frederick has been his [7h][7d] ran into the [Kh][Kc] of Vinh Dang.  The board ran out [Qd][Jh][3s][9h][2c], and William will head to the payout desk to collect his $3,556 for his 5th place finish.

Beata Wielgoszewski doubles through Vinh Dang

Beata Wielgoszewski was all in preflop and was called by Vinh Dang.  Beata flipped her [2h][2d] and starting putting on her coat and backpack before Vinh even tabled his hand.  He finally flipped his [As][Qs], and the dealer dealt the [Ts][Kd][6h] flop.  The [Ks] on the turn gave Vinh an amazing 21 outs, but the [8h] river meant Beat would double up.

6th Place: William Smith ($2,845)

On a [9h][8c][2h] flop, Vinh Dang was all in with [As][Ad] and was in good shape to double up against William Smith's [Ts][Td].  William was on his feet as the [2s] hit the turn, and when the [8h] river, he could only say, "Good hand."  Vinh will double up to over 2.6 million, leaving William crippled.

William got the last of his chips in the very next hand with [Ad][9h] against his opponent's [Qd][Qc].  The board ran out [2c][8c][Kh][Qs][8h], eliminating William in 6th place, good for $2,845.

Chip counts at the break

Players are now on a 5 minute break.  When they return, blinds will be 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante.  Here are updated chip counts in seat order:

Jonathan Rodgers - 1,500,000
Beata Wielgoszewski - 750,000
Vinh Dang - 1,250,000
William Frederick -  930,000
Christopher Leong - 1,210,000
William Smith - 1,535,000

7th Place: Patrick Tiernan ($2,311)

Patrick Tiernan has been eliminated when he ran his [Js][Ts] into Jonathan Rodgers's [Ah][Ad].  The board ran out [4h][Qc][5d][6d][2c], and Patrick will exit this tournament in 7th place, good for $2,311.

Jonathan Rodgers doubles through Patrick Tiernan

Jonathan Rodgers was all in with [Qc][8c] and was up against the [5s][5c] of Patrick Tiernan.  The [Jh][4h][4c] flop changed nothing, but the [2c] turn gave Jonathan a flush draw to go along with his two overs.  The [8s] hit the river, giving Jonathan a winning pair of eights, and he will double up to over 800,000.

8th Place: Rich Meli ($1,897)

Under the gun, Vinh Dang opened the pot before Rich Meli moved all in from middle position. Action folded to Patrick Tiernan in the big blind, who moved all in over the top.  Vinh thought for a bit but ended up calling as well, creating a three way all in:

Vinh [Ac][Kh]
Patrick [As][Kd]
Rich [Ad][Qs]

Rich would need a queen to survive, and he did not find one on the [Td][7d][9h] flop.  The [6d] turn gave Patrick a flush draw, but the [Ks] river meant Vinh and Patrick would chop the pot, eliminating Rich in the process.  Rich will earn $1,897 for his 8th place finish today.

9th Place: Kurt Fitzgerald ($1,487)

Kurt Fitzgerald moved all in from the cutoff and action folded to William Frederick in the big blind, who snap called.  It was a race as William held [Ah][Kh] against Kurt's [7h][7d].  The flop favored William as it fell [Ks][9h][Kd], and Kurt failed to find a seven on the [8c] turn or [5s] river.  William will double up, and Kurt was crippled to just a few chips.

He got the rest of his chips in with [7h][4c] against his opponent's [Ad][Jc] and failed to improve.  Kurt will earn $1,487 for his 9th place finish today.

Two more $200 Mega Super Satellites tomorrow!

If you want to satellite your way into Event #10 $1,650 Main Event, you still have two chances.

At 9am and 1pm, there are $200 Mega Supers running, awarding seats into the Main Event.  Both events are turbos, which means 10 minute blind levels.  Registration is open until the end of level 6 in each tournament.  A full structure is available here.

10th Place: Antonio Bueti ($1,037)

Antonio Bueti was all in preflop holding [Qd][Jc] and was up against the [Kc][9h] of Jonathan Rodgers.  When the board ran out [5s][Ac][Kd][2c][8d], Antonio was forced out in 10th place.  He will earn $1,037 for his efforts.

Final table chip counts & seating assignments

Seat 1: Jonathan Rodgers - 290,000
Seat 2: Antonio Bueti - 305,000
Seat 3: Beata Wielgoszewski - 970,000
Seat 4: Kurt Fitzgerald - 565,000
Seat 5: Patrick Tiernan - 1,120,000
Seat 6: Vinh Dang - 620,000
Seat 7: William Frederick - 395,000
Seat 8: Christopher Leong - 1,010,000
Seat 9: Rich Meli - 195,000
Seat 10: William Smith - 1,575,000

Here are the remaining prizes to be played for:

1st Place: $14,402
2nd Place: $9,097
3rd Place: $5,868
4th Place: $4,741
5th Place: $3,556
6th Place: $2,845
7th Place: $2,311
8th Place: $1,897
9th Place: $1,487
10th Place: $1,037

Final table reached

We are now down to the final 10 players in Event #9 $300 Big Stack.  The players are taking a brief break and play will resume shortly.

Rich Meli hits a deuce to survive

With 12 players remaining, Rich Meli was all in and in bad shape with [Ac][2d] against [As][Kc].  Rich begged the dealer, "Give me a deuce... or two of 'em!"  The dealer obliged as she spread the [2s][6h][2c] flop, and the [Tc] turn and [Jh] river means Rich will survive as the final table nears.

YouTube Video: Event #6 $400 NLH Final Table

Final 15 players are now on break

The final 15 players are now on break while the tournament staff color up and race off the 1,000 chips.  All 15 players are guaranteed $918, with the next pay jump to four figures at 12 players remaining.  The next blind level is 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante, and levels from this point forward will be 30 minute levels.

Players are now in the money

With the elimination of our 25th place finisher, all remaining players are now in the money.  The final 24 players are guaranteed a $740 payout, but all eyes are on the $14,402 first place prize.  Blinds are currently 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Play is now hand for hand

A player on the feature table with pocket tens cracked another player's pocket aces to bring the field down to 25 players.  The clock has been paused, and the tournament is now hand for hand until one more drops.  The remaining 24 players will be in the money.

Players are on dinner break

The 39 remaining players are now on their 45 minute dinner break.  Play will resume at approximately 7:10pm EST, and blinds will be 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante.

Players are now on break

Players are now on break while the tournament staff colors up and races off the 100 chips.  93 players remain from the starting field of 235 entrants.  When they return, blinds will be 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante.

Event #9 $300 Big Stack Prize Pool & Payouts

There were a total 235 entries in Event #9 $300 Big Stack, creating a $61,100 prize pool.  The top 24 players will be in the money, with a mincash worth $740.  Here are the full payouts:

1st Place: $14,402
2nd Place: $9,097
3rd Place: $5,868
4th Place: $4,741
5th Place: $3,556
6th Place: $2,845
7th Place: $2,311
8th Place: $1,897
9th Place: $1,487
10th-12th Place: $1,037
13th-15th Place: $918
16th-18th Place: $859
19th-21st Place: $800
22nd-24th Place: $740

Event #9 is Under Way

Cards are in the air in Event #9 $300 NLH Big Stack.  This tournament features 30,000 in starting chips and 20 minute levels for the first 25 minute levels, then 30 minutes.  A full structure is available here.  Registration will remain open through the end of the 9th level.

1st Place: Mark Checkwicz ($25,986)

After a grueling day of poker, it was a heads up cooler that would decide the winner.  Don Yiucus was all in preflop holding [Ad][Qs] and was up against Mark Checkwicz's [As][Kc].  Don couldn't find a queen on the [Tc][2d][9h][9c][3s] board, and he will be eliminated in 2nd place, good for $20,000.

Mark Checkwicz has won Event #6 $400 NLH.  He will win the trophy, the title, and the $25,986 first place prize.  Congratulations, Mark!

2nd Place: Don Yuicus ($20,000)

3rd Place: Kevin Dugin ($15,000)

Kevin Dugin was all in preflop holding [Kc][Js] against Don Yuicus's [6s][6h].  It was a coin flip for Kevin's tournament life.  Kevin flopped a pair of kings, but Don flopped a set of sixes to put him way in front.  The [Qs] on the turn meant Kevin was drawing dead.  He will collect $15,000 for his 3rd place finish today.

4th Place: Sammy Wu ($9,648)

Sammy Wu has been eliminated when his ace trey was outflopped by Kevin Dugin's king queen.  Kevin flopped two pair and filled up on the turn to leave Sammy drawing dead.  Sammy will collect $9,648 for his 4th place finish here today.

5th Place: Tekomah Gobbins ($7,200)

After countless allins that he survived, Tekomah Gobbins finally ran out of lives.  This time he had the best hand in [Ad][5d] against Kevin Dugin's [Kh][Qd].  The [Td][8d][Kc] flop gave Kevin the best hand with a pair of kings, but Tekomah flopped a flush draw and had an ace as well.  The [8s] turn changed nothing, and amazingly the [Tc] river didn't give the pot to the shorter stack.  Tekomah has been eliminated in 5th place, and he will collect $7,200 for his efforts.

The short stack keeps surviving!

It's been an hour and a half since Venkat Ganne was eliminated in 6th place, and play has amazingly stayed five handed for that long.  The short stacks keep getting their chips in with the worst hand and coming out the winner.  It has happened so many times that the players are beginning to discuss the possibility of trying to get seven deuce to push in with.

Players are now on break

The final five players are now on break.  Here are updated chip counts, in seat order:

Sammy Wu - 2,175,000
Mark Checkwicz - 2,960,000
Tekomah Gobbins - 380,000
Don Yuicus - 2,600,000
Kevin Dugin - 480,000

6th Place: Venkat Ganne ($5,760)

Venkat Ganne has been eliminated when his [Qs][Qh] ran into the [Ah][Ad] of Sammy Wu.  The board ran out [4c][Tc][Th][Td][7s] to eliminate Venkat in 6th place, good for $5,760.

7th Place: Bill Papaclopoulos ($4,752)

Bill Papaclopoulos was all in preflop holding [Kh][Kc] against Mark Checkwicz's [Ah][Qd].  Bill asked the dealer to be nice, but the [9c][9s][Ac] flop was not what he was looking for.  Bill failed to find a king on the [5h] turn and [Td] river, sending him to the rail in 7th place.  He will collect $4,752 for his efforts.

8th Place: Richard L. Fisher ($3,744)

There was a three way all in between Richard L. Fisher, holding [7s][7d], Venkat Ganne holding [Ks][Kd], and Sammy Wu holding [As][Ah].  Sammy was able to hold off any bad beats as the board ran out [2h][5h][Jd][8c][Js].  He doubled through Venkat and knocked out Richard L. Fisher in 8th place in one fell swoop.  Richard will earn $3,744 for his efforts today.

9th Place: Drew Amato ($2,899)

No justice. 99<1010 on a 5 high flop for my last 15bb
— Drew Amato (@drew_amato) December 12, 2014

10th Place: Tarun G. ($2,102)

Tekomah Gobbins opened the pot before Tarun G. moved all in.  Tekomah made the call with [Qd][Jd], only slightly behind Tarun's [Ac][9c].  The [Qh][6d][7s] changed that, putting Tarun in front.  The [7h] on the turn meant Tarun would need to catch an ace to survive.  It was not to be, as the [6s] hit the river to give Tekomah two pair.  Tarun will collect $2,102 for his 10th place finish.

Final table chip counts and seating assignments

Seat 1: Sammy Wu - 380,000
Seat 2: Mark Checkwicz - 1,455,000
Seat 3: Bill Papaclopoulos - 640,000
Seat 4: Tekomah Gobbins - 490,000
Seat 5: Venkat Ganne - 1,665,000
Seat 6: Don Yuicus - 2,000,000
Seat 7: Tarun G. - 265,000
Seat 8: Drew Amato - 635,000
Seat 9: Kevin Dugin - 440,000
Seat 10: Richard L. Fisher - 700,000

Here are the prizes left to play for:

1st Place: $29,881
2nd Place: $18,505
3rd Place: $12,600
4th Place: $9,648
5th Place: $7,200
6th Place: $5,760
7th Place: $4,752
8th Place: $3,744
9th Place: $2,899
10th Place: $2,102

Final table reached

The player on the button moved all in before the player in the small blind reraised all in.  The big blind got out of the way, and the two players revealed their hands:

Button [Qc][5c]
Small Blind [Ah][Kh]

The [3c][Th][Ad] flop was no help, but the [Ks] turn gave the button a gutshot straight draw.  The [2h] hit the river, which means the final table has been reached.

The final 10 players will be on a 10 minute break while the tournament staff does a chip count.

Players are on dinner break

The final 11 players in Event #6 $400 NLH are now on their 1 hour dinner break.  Play will resume at approximately 8:35pm EST, and the blinds will be 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Three way all in, no eliminations

We saw a three way all in on the feature table between the cutoff, the button, and the big blind.  Here were their hands from biggest stack to smallest:

Big blind [Js][7s]
Cutoff [6s][6c]
Button [As][Kd]

The flop fell [5s][4c][Ah], giving the button the best hand with a pair of aces.  The [8s] was a crazy turn card, giving the big blind a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw.  It also gave the cutoff a different gutshot.  The button would need to dodge a spade, six, or seven to survive.  The river blanked the [2d], and the button tripled up while the cutoff ended up with a few chips himself.

Tarun G. takes another hit

A player opened under the gun to 52,000 and Tarun G. called from the big blind.  When the flop fell [5d][As][Js], Tarun check raised, and subsequently called his opponent's shove.  Tarun held [Ah][Jh] for two pair against his opponent's [Ac][Kc].  Amazingly, the three outer spiked on the turn when it fell [Kd].  Tarun was looking for a jack on the river, but the [5h] fell instead, sending most of his stack across the table.

Ralph Macri has been eliminated

On an A-K-2 flop, Ralph Macri was all in with ace ten against his opponent's [As][2s].  Ralph was unable to catch a ten or a king on the turn or river to survive, and he will exit this tournament in 16th place, good for $1,598.  The remaining 15 players have just hit a pay bump and are now guaranteed $1,814.

Tarun G. makes a big layodwn

On the last hand before break, Tarun G. opened from early position and was called by the big blind.  The flop fell [5h][3s][3c], and Tarun bet when checked to.  His opponent called, and both players checked the [7d] turn.  When the [6c] hit the river, the big blind made a large bet, sending Tarun into the tank.  Tarun looked at his cards for quite a while and eventually folded pocket kings face up.  His opponent did not show.  After the hand, Tarun was knocked down to 875,000.

Final 2 tables reached

Two simultaneous eliminations occured to bring the field of Event #6 down to the final 18 players.  Those players are now redrawing for their seats at the final two tables.

Players are now on break

The final 25 players in Event #6 $400 NLH are now on their break. When they return, blinds will be 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Final 4 tables reached

Since making the money two hours ago, the number of players remaining has dropped from 54 getting paid to 36 remaining.  This means only 4 tables are in play.  Here are updated chip counts for some notables:

Ralph Macri - 500,000
Drew Amato - 240,000

Tarun G. - 190,000

Eric Siegel - 120,000
Blake Scott - 95,000

Players are now on break

The 43 remaining players are now on a 15 minute break while the tournament staff colors up and races off the 500 chips.

Players are now in the money

With the elimination of our 55th place finisher, all remaining players in Event #6 $400 NLH are now in the money.  Everyone is guaranteed a minimum payout of $705, but all eyes are on the $29,881 first place prize.  Play will now resume at 2,000/4,000 blinds with a 500 ante.

Event #6 Prize Pool & Payouts

Event #6 $400 NLH had 433 entries, creating a $144,000 prize pool.  The top 54 players will be in the money, with a mincash worth $705.  Here are the full payouts:

1st Place: $29,881
2nd Place: $18,505
3rd Place: $12,600
4th Place: $9,648
5th Place: $7,200
6th Place: $5,760
7th Place: $4,752
8th Place: $3,744
9th Place: $2,899
10th-12th Place: $2,102
13th-15th Place: $1,814
16th-18th Place: $1,598
19th-21st Place: $1,382
22nd-24th Place: $1,166
25th-27th Place: $1,022
28th-36th Place: $907
37th-45th Place: $806
46th-54th Place: $705