Dan "The Man" Suied Wins the Mega Stack Challenge!

Congratulations to Dan Suied, winner of the $1,650 NLHE Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

Be sure to join us in October for Foxwoods World Poker Finals here at the Foxwoods Resorts Casino!

Marc Podell Eliminated in 2nd Place

After taking most of his chips just a few hands earlier, Dan Suied raised all in from the small blind and Marc Podell called all in for the last of his chips. They showed:

Suied [Kd][Jh]
Podell [4h][4s]

Podell's pocket pair never even made it past the flop as the board came [As][Kh][7h][Qc][9d]. Suied paired his king to win the pot and eliminate Podell in 2nd place.

Mike Dentale Eliminated in 3rd Place

On a checked down board of [9d][8h][3c][8c][9c], Mike Dentale checked and Marc Podell bet 650K. Dan Suied mucked his hand and Dentale then moved all in for an additional 1.72 million.

Podell announced "If you have the boat, you're good..." as he turned over [Kc][7c] for the flush. Dentale tossed his cards into the muck and takes home 3rd place.

Marc Podell and Dan Suied are now heads-up for the Mega Stack Challenge Main Event title!

Ross Santos Eliminated in 4th Place

Ross Santos moved all in preflop and was called by Mike Dentale. The two players turned over:

Santos [Ah][Qc]
Dentale [6c][6h]

Santos needed help but didn't receive any when the board ran out [Jc][9c][2d][2h][Kc]. Dentale won the pot and eliminated Santos in 4th place.

The four player had agreed to a 4-way chop with money left on the table previous to Santos's elimination. They requested that the chop numbers not be listed.

Grant Lang Eliminated in 5th Place ($25,608)

Grant Lang moved all in for just over 800K preflop and Marc Podell reshoved all in from the button. Everyone else folded and they turned over:

Lang [Ac][2d]
Podell [Ad][Kd]

The board ran out [Kh][9h][7h][4c][Th] and Podell's hand held up to win the pot and knock out Lang in 5th place.

Sam Haddad Eliminated in 6th Place ($20,720)

Sam Haddad opened to 350K preflop and Marc Podell moved all in for 1,820,000. Haddad thought for about 12 minutes before announcing call. They turned over:

Haddad [9h][9c]
Podell [Ad][Qc]

Haddad was ahead until the flop came down [Qs][7h][4c]. Podell took the lead with his pair of queens. The turn was the [Qd] and Haddad needed a nine on the river. However, it came down the [Kc].

Haddad had Podell covered, but only by 35,000 chips and he was eliminated on the next hand by Mike Dentale.

Play Resumes at the Mega Stack Main Event.

The six remaining players have returned from dinner break and cards are back in the air.

The blinds have been increased to 50,000-100,000 with a 15,000 ante.

Dinner Break Chip Counts

The chip counts on the dinner break are as follows:

Sam Haddad 2,810,000
Dan Suied 2,700,000
Mike Dentale 2,190,000
Marc Podell 2,068,000
Ross Santos 1,850,000
Grant Lang 1,220,0200

DInner Break at the Foxwoods Mega Stack Main Event

The six remaining players are now on their one-hour dinner break.

Blind Increase with 6 Players Remaining

The blinds have been increased to 40,000-80,000 with a 10,000 ante.

Ben Bianco Eliminated in 7th Place ($17,227)

Dan Suied raised to 150K preflop and Ben Bianco moved all in for an additional 305K. Suied made the call and they turned over:

Suied [Qd][Tc]
Bianco [As][Jh]

The flop came out [Ts][6s][2d], giving Suied the lead with a pair of tens. The turn was the [Ks] and Bianco picked up additional out with both straight and flush draws.

However, the river was the [Td] and Suied won the pot to eliminated Bianco in 7th place.

Rodney Legendre Eliminated in 8th Place ($13,968)

Dan Suied raised to 150K preflop from under the gun and Rodney Legendre moved all in for a total of 580K. Marc Podell made the call from the big blind and Suied folded. They turned over:

Legendre [Tc][Ts]
Podell [As][Kc]

The flop came out [9d][7s][5c] and Legendre's tens were still good. The [4c] on the turn didn't change anything but the rail exploded when the [Kh] hit the river.

Podell took the pot with his pair of kings and eliminated Legendre in 8th place.

Break Time in the Mega Stack Main Event

The eight remaining players are now on a 10-minute break.

When they return, the blinds will be increased to 30,000-60,000 with a 10,000 ante.

Robert Koerber Eliminated in 9th Place ($11,426)

Dan Suied raised to 175K preflop and a short stacked Robert Koerber moved all in for only 70K more. Suied made the call and they turned over:

Suied [7h][7s]
Koerber [Ah][9c]

The board came [4h][3s][2s][4s][6d] and Suied's pair held up to take the pot and knock out Koerber in 9th place.

Mike Perry Eliminated in 10th Place ($7,915)

Ross Santos raised to 125K from the button and a short stacked Mike Perry moved all in from the big blind for an additional 55K. Santos made the call and they turned over:

Perry [Ac][Kh]
Santos [8c][8d]

The board came [9s][5c][2h][2d][3h] and Santos's pocket eights held up to win the pot and eliminated Perry in 10th place.

Break Time in the Mega Stack Main Event

The players are on a short break while the tournament officials color up the orange 1,000 chips.

When play resumes, the blinds will be increasd to 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Mega Stack Final Table Chip Counts

The final table seating assignment and chip counts are as follows:

1. Grant Lang 1,008,000
2. Mike Perry 264,000
3. Mike Dentale 1,298,000
4. Rodney Legendre 631,000
5. Sam Haddad 1,948,000
6. Marc Podell 2,068,000
7. Dan Suied 2,917,000
8. Robert Koerber 1,475,000
9. Ross Santos 731,000
10. Ben Bianco 490,000

Mega Stack Challenge Final Table Set

We are down to the final ten players in the $1,650 NLHE Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

Players are currently redrawing for seats at the final table.

$1,650 NLHE Results: 11th-14th

11th - Chris Valence $7,915
12th - Tyng Low $7,915
13th - Ed Papapietro $6,285
14th - Lior Barlev $6,285

Blind Increase with 11 Players Remaining

The players have been active early on the this final day and we are now on the final table bubble with 11 players remaining.

The blinds have been increased to 15,000-30,000 with 4,000 ante.

Cards Back in the Air at the Mega Stack Main Event

Play has resumed at the $1,650 Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

The blinds are 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante.

Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge Main Event

The final day seating assignment and chip counts are as follows:

Table 1:

1. Barlev Clur 188,000
2. Ed Papapietro 265,000
3. Chris Valence 545,000
4. Rodney Legendre 674,000
5. Marc Podell 798,000
6. Robert Koerber 1,618,000
7. Michael Dentale 1,385,000

Table 2:

2. Ross Santos 233,000
3. Tyng Low 793,000
4. Sam Haddad 2,089,000
5. Grant Lang 750,000
6. Dan Suied 2,000,000
7. Benedetto Bianco 950,000
8. Mike Perry 763,000

There are 33 minutes left in level 24.

Final Day Chip Counts and Seating Assignments

After the redraw, the seating assignment and chip counts are as follows:

Table 1:

1. Barlev Clur 188,000
2. Ed Papapietro 265,000
3. Chris Valence 545,000
4. Rodney Legendre 674,000
5. Marc Podell 798,000
6. Robert Koerber 1,618,000
7. Michael Dentale 1,385,000

Table 2:

2. Ross Santos 233,000
3. Tyng Low 793,000
4. Sam Haddad 2,089,000
5. Grant Lang 750,000
6. Dan Suied 2,000,000
7. Benedetto Bianco 950,000
8. Mike Perry 763,000

Play resumes at noon tomorrow and there will be 33 minutes left in level 24.

Play Concludes for the Day

With 14 players remaining, play has come to an end for the day.

Play will resume tomorrow at noon in the Foxwoods Poker Room and will continue until we have a winner.

Chip counts and seating assignments will be posted shortly.

$1,650 NLHE Results: 15th-20th Place

15th - Irving Pimentel $6,285
16th - David Pocknett $4,888
17th - Mark Falow $4,888
18th - Jeff Picataggio $4,888
19th - Alfred Borges $4,888
20th - William Cunningham $4,888

Redraw for the Final Two Tables of the Main Event

There are now only 18 players remaining. We are currently redrawing for seats at the final two tables.

When play resumes, the blinds will be 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante.

$1,650 NLHE Results: $4,143 for 21st-30th

21st - Sean O'Halleran
22nd - Bradley Hood
23rd - Kevin Ye
24th - David Paredes
25th - Mike Meskin
26th - John Matson
27th - Brian Lesser
28th - Michael Orgettas
29th - Jayme Parro
30th - Gerald Riley

Break Time in the Mega Stack Main Event

The 24 remaining players are now on a 10-minute break. When they return, the blinds will be increased to 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante.

The average chip stack is now just over 533,000.

Play will continue tonight until midnight or the final table, whichever comes first.

$1,650 NLHE Results: $3,817 for 31st-35th

31st - Christopher Garrity
32nd - Robert Ward
33rd - Morgan Litwin
34th - Nicholas Laouette
35th - Steven Fiorentini

YouTube video: Bernard Lee Talks about the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge

Foxwoods Poker Room Spokesperson Bernard Lee talks to Jay "WhoJedi" Newnum about the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge and the upcoming World Poker Finals.

Click here to view the video in HD

The Bubble Bursts at the Mega Stack Main Event

The 36th place players was just eliminated and all players are now guaranteed at least $3,817.

Play is scheduled to continue tonight until midnight or the final table, whichever comes first.

Play Resumes on Day Two of the Mega Stack Main Event.

The 36 remaining players have returned from dinner break and cards are back in the air.

The blinds are now 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante.

Top 35 finish in the money.

DInner Break at the Foxwoods Mega Stack Main Event

The 36 players are now on a one-hour and ten-minute dinner break.

Top 35 players will finish in the money.

On the Bubble in the Foxwoods Mega Stack Main Event

We are down to the final three tables in the $1,650 NLHE Mega Stack Main Event.

There are 36 players remaining with top 35 spots finishing in the money.

40 Players Remaining

We are now approaching the money bubble as there are 40 players remaining with top 35 finishing in the money.

YouTube video: Darvin Moon talks to Jay "WhoJedi" Newnum at Foxwoods

2009 WSOP Main Event Runner-Up Darvin Moon talks to Jay "WhoJedi" Newnum on Day Two of the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

Click here to view the video in HD

Vinny Pahuja Eliminated

Vinny Pahuja has been eliminated on Day Two of the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

There are now 44 players remaining and the blinds have been increased to 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante.

Dan "The Man" Suied Surges to the Chip Lead

Early on Day Two action at the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge Main Event, Dan "The Man" Suied was all in with pocket threes against his opponent's pocket aces. He was walking away from the table when he spiked a three to stay alive.

Since that point, Suied has been a one-man wrecking crew. He has eliminated a number of players and built his stack up to over 1,000,000 chips.

There are now 47 players remaining and the chip average is just above 272,000.

The top 35 spots will finish in the money.

Chris McCormack Eliminated on Day Two Action

Chris McCormack is one of our early casualties here on Day Two of the $1,650 NLHE Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

Blind Increase with 54 Players Remaining

Our apologies, we have had some techincal difficulties but are back up and running.

There are now only 54 players remaining and the blinds have been increased to 2,500-5,000 with a 400 ante.

The average chip stack is now just over 237,000.

Mega Stack Host Jonathan Duhamel Eliminated

A short-stacked Jonathan Duhamel moved all in from early position and was called by David Felger on the button. They turned over:

Duhamel [6h][5h]
Felger [Kd][Kc]

The board bricked out for the 2010 WSOP Main Event Final Table chip leader and he was eliminated from the tournament.

Thanks again to Jonathan, Chris Moneymaker and Darvin Moon for co-hosting this great Mega Stack Challenge event.

Best of luck to Jonathan Duhamel in November as he looks to win the WSOP Main Event!

Play Resumes on Day Two of the Mega Stack Main Event.

Cards are back in the air for our 98 remaining players on Day Two of the $1,650 NLHE Mega Stack Challenge Main Event.

The blinds are starting at 1,500-3,000 with 300 ante.

All levels are one hour in length now.

Play Concludes for the Day with 98 Remaining

Day One of the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge Main Event has come to an end with 98 players remaining. Top 35 will finish in the money.

Mega Stack Host and 2010 WSOP Main Event Final Table chip leader Jonathan Duhamel ended the day with 66,500.

Play will resume at noon tomorrow in the Foxwoods Poker Room.

Thanks for watching and have a great night!!!

Photos: Foxwoods Mega Stack Main Event

left: Jonathan Duhamel, right: Chris McCormack


left: Ronnie Bardah, right: Nick Frangos


left: Eric Siegel, right: Vinny Pahuja


left: Will Failla, right: Ralph Macri

Final Level of the Day

The blinds have been increased to 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante.

This will be the final level of the day.

There are now 113 players remaining.

Sometimes, Poker Players Are Good People...

Corrine

One of the massage girls here in the tournament area was vigorously looking around on the floor for something. When Corrine was asked what she was looking for, she informed the table that she had lost a $100 bill somewhere.

After the bill was nowhere to be found, the players at the table decided to all pitch in to make sure the hard-working massage girl got her money.

Corrine clearly was very grateful to all the players who made sure she didn't go home short on her pay.

Score one for the good guys (poker players)...

Break Time with 134 Players Remaining

The players are now on a 10-minute break.

There are 134 players remaining and the average chip stack is just under 96,000.

When they return, the blinds will be increased to 1,000-2,000 with a 200 ante.

Mega Stack Co-Host Darvin Moon Eliminated

Mega Stack Challenge Co-Host and 2009 WSOP Main Event Runner-Up Darvin Moon has been eliminated from the Main Event. Darvin got all in with top pair against his opponent's flush draw on the flop but was unable to fade his opponent's outs.

With the elimination of Darvin Moon and the earlier knockout of Chris Moneymaker, Jonathan Duhamel is only host still alive in the Main Event.

Blind Increase in the $1,650 Mega Stack Challenge

The blinds are now 800-1,600 with a 200 ante.

There are approximately 150 players left and the average is just over 85,000 chips.

Blind Increase in the Mega Stack Challenge Main Event

The players just completed a short break and are now back at their tables.

The blinds have been increased to 600-1,200 with a 100 ante.

There are approximately 173 players remaining and the average chip stack is just under 74,000.