| END OF DAY 2 CHIP COUNT
Alan Goehring Henderson, NV 649,000
Juan Carlos Mortensen Madrid, Spain 491,500
Ted Forrest Las Vegas, NV 391,000
David Pham Cerritos, CA 371,500
Thang Pham Dallas, TX 363,000
Anthony Lellouche Paris, France 339,500
Kevin O’Donnell Petaluma, CA 316,500
Ralph Porter Villanova, PA 292,000
Paul Wolfe West Palm Beach, FL 285,500
Greg Duros Long Beach, CA 282,000
Sam Farha Houston, TX 219,000
Hung La Manhattan Beach, CA 214,500
Erik Seidel Las Vegas, NV 206,000
Jamie Anzurat Mexico 181,500
John Juanda Marina Del Ray, CA 173,500
Kathy Liebert Las Vegas, NV 157,500
Arthur Azen Staten Island, NY 146,500
Kenna James Downey, CA 135,500
David Rubin Middle Valley, CA 122,000
Minh Nguyen Bell Gardens, CA 115,000
Chris Bigler Las Vegas, NV 112,000
Hasan Habib Downey, CA 109,500
Tom Robinson Risskov, Denmark 104,500
Robert Williamson III Dallas, TX 104,000
Max Pescatori Milan, Italy 93,000
Bob Slezak Omaha, NE 91,500
Luis Pires San Jose, CA 88,500
J.C. Tran Sacramento, CA 53,000
Richard Tatalovich Scottsdale, AZ 38,000
David Gray Las Vegas, NV $18,000
Olivia Mandell Las Vegas, NV $15,000
Mike Epstein Las Vegas, NV $15,000
Jerry Young Diamond Bar, CA $15,000
Allen Cunningham Marin Del Ray, CA $15,000
Freddy Bonyadi Aliso Viejo, CA $15,000
Jason Bubarak Las Vegas, NV $15,000
Oscar San Miguel Austin, TX $15,000
Emeline Boich Dublin, OH $15,000
Chip Reese Las Vegas, NV $15,000
Connie Kim Las Vegas, NV $15,000
David Chiu Los Angeles, CA $12,000
Brian Nadell Las Vegas, NV $12,000
Michael Roy Boca Raton, FL $12,000
Sammy Arzoin New York, NY $12,000
Tuan Le Los Angeles, CA $12,000
Michel Abecassis Paris, France $12,000
James Carroll Las Vegas, NV $12,000
Gary Lent Riverside, CA $12,000
Mathew Keikoan Richmond, CA $12,000
Dino Fazilbegu Manalapan, NJ $12,000
THE COUNTDOWN
Eight hours into Day Two the bubble is about to burst for someone. There are 52 players for 50 paid seats and the music is just about to stop.
One of the guys who has been so hot recently, James Van Alstyne, tries pocket 6's all-in with his last 12k. He's raised for protection by an A K offsuit to get heads up. Some protection! The flop comes A K.
Now there is only one bubble child.
We needn't worry about where Harry Thomas' next buy-in is coming from. He's a Real Estate developer in Cincinnati. He knows he can lay down his pocket Kings and get into the money. But for once when a player says they are 'playing to win, not just cash' you can believe it from Thomas. Someone poorer would be justified in laying down even pocket Aces in this spot. Those dirty Ace magnets, pocket Kings, attracted two Aces in the pocket this time. When the hands were turned over, Harry shrugged to his wife Jerri on the rail. What can you do?
Everyone left is in the money.
Often there is cheering from the survivors when their first goal is met, but not this time. A lot of the remaining players are backed. So the $12,000 may mean only a $1,000 payday for two days work. Not slave wages, mind you, but also nothing to cheer about.
Some of the names that cash are:
Table 31
Chip Reese, Sam Arzoin, Allen Cunningham, Hung Le, Ted Forrest.
Table 32
Robert Williamson, Chris Bigler, David Pham, Kathy Liebert, Gary Lent.
Table 44
Erik Seidel, Alan Goehring.
Table 45
Freddy Bonyadi, Minh Nguyen, J C Tran, Hasan Habib, David Chiu
Table 46
Carlos Mortensen, Sammy Farha, Richard Tatalovich.
Table 47
John Juanda, Brian Nadell, Paul Wolfe, Kenna James.
The name that's missing from this illustrious lineup is that of the host, Doyle Brunson. In the first hour of Day Two, Texas Dolly made the mistake for taking pocket Kings up against pocket 7's. With a 7 on the turn, Brunson was out of his own tournament.
With 50 players all getting paid, Sam Farha is the chip leader with over 400,000.
Already the chip leader, Farha finishes off the Day One leader Matt Keikoan. Often the first day chip leader doesn't even make the money, but since this schedule pays so deep (50 out of 312), Matt just makes it in 49th when the usually disastrous A K off draws air against Sammy's pocket Queens.
I asked Richard Tatalovich for an entry into Poor Richard's Almanac. "How long have you been playing at the same table as Sam Farha?" I asked. "Far too long," was Richard's reply. "He's played 98% of the hands and raised most of them. I don't know how I'm still here."
Well, Richard's only barely here with his life-support stack. And when the tables are redrawn at 45, Poor Richard looks like someone ran over his cat. Now he's short and right in front of near chip leader and former world champion Carlos Mortensen and 1st year WPT champion Alan Goehring. Could it get any worse? How is this guy still living?
David Pham has Tuan Le talking to himself. "How can he call 45k with pocket 3's. Maybe David knew that his trey was coming on the river.
In 44th, Sam Arzoin is taken out by Paul Wolfe with pocket Kings versus 30k all-in and A rag.
The 'muscle' guy as Doyle called him, Michael Roy, gets all the way to 43 with Doyle's chips.
"I knew I shouldn't have called the first 10k," Brian Nadell said. Presto makes his chips disappear when pocket 8's flops top set for 42nd.
41st David Chiu has A J and about 30k. John Juanda has lots more chips and K 10. With a 10 on the turn, David can Chiu glass.
Connie Kim seems to be having fun. She laughs when Robert Williamson sucks out on her to stay alive. In 40th, Connie quits laughing when a King flops. She's in the big blind with K 8 and sails 40k off a cliff. No good.
When the redraw for 36 is completed these are the lineups (with approximate chip counts).
Table 44
J C Tran (100k), Richard Tatalovich (30k), Chris Bigler (150K), Kenna James (150), Alan Goehring (250k), Paul Wolfe (350k), Kevin O'Donnell (450k).
Table 45
David Pham (300k), John Juanda (200k), Hasan Habib (350k), Kathy Liebert (100k), Ted Forrest ( 250K).
Table 46
Robert Williamson (100k), Erik Seidel (250k), Allen Cunningham (50k).
Table 47
Hung La (150k), Minh Nguyen( 100k), David Grey( 89k), Carlos Mortensen ( 200k), Max Pescatori (100k), Freddy Bonyadi (100k), Sammy Farha (150k).
Where did all of Sammy Farha's chips go, you ask. Oh, it's a joy to write for such an observant audience.
Here's what happened to Farha. The flop comes Q J 10 with two diamonds. Kevin O'Donnell has Q 8. Sammy has the K 3 of Diamonds, second flush and top straight draw. Kevin goes all-in for 140k. Sammy calls. An 8 comes on the turn and a blank on the river. That's what happened to Farha's chips.
Freddy Bonyadi must not know how to play the A K of Hearts. Anthony Lellouche sends Freddy packing in 35th with a crummy pair of pocket Queens.
Presto is having a bad day. Allen Cunningham tries pocket 5's and his chips disappear as well in 34th to an A Q and a Queen on board.
There was no magic for Magic Mike Epstein in 32nd.
Olivia Mandell has such a tight table image, she thinks she can get away with a theft from the big blind. Olivia goes all-in with 78k and a 5 4. Sure, Alan Goehring says, and he calls with A Q offsuit. Fair Olivia jumps to her death into the lake because Hamlet has told her to 'get thee to a nunnery.' No, wrong story. Mandell is missing in 31st when a Queen comes.
We get to call it a night when David Grey finds someone who can play A K of Hearts, Carlos Mortensen. The mood is Grey in David's household for 30th when his A 9 is outkicked.
Sleep quick children. The race to the big money starts at noon.
Mike Paulle
|
