Click "read more" for updates... 

6:15 pm  - ROSS BUSTS

Well everyone, our last player, DPL runner-up Ross Ladwig from Slammers in Fargo has just busted out.  I have been watching Ross non-stop since they busted his table about 45 minutes ago.  He had hardly played a hand, waiting for some good cards.  Halfway through Level 6 (200/400, 50 ante) he found himself under-the-gun with 2400 in chips.  He peeks at A9 of spades and decides its now or never.  Looks good as it is quickly folded around to the button, who puts all of his chips in the pot!  Ross is up against pocket Kings for his tournament life.  He turns a flush draw and has 12 outs on the river, but a blank finishes the day for Ross. 

It was hard to get a solid count on the remaining number of players, but it appears there were between 900 and 1000 players left in the tournament meaning Ross outlasted almost 2000 players today.  Good job to Ross and all the players for playing some good poker today, but no cashes for our group this time around.

All the players seem to be a little bummed after busting out (I know the feeling from last year) but all appear to make the most out of the rest of the weekend.  I'm off to join them for some beverages and more poker in the local cash games.

5:20 pm - POCKET KINGS CRACKED, THEN DOUBLED UP

Ross finally picked up pocket Kings in the 150/300 level (25 ante) and got one caller.  A short-stacked player moved all-in on the flop and Ross called and found he was up against A3 of clubs with 2 clubs on board.   A club on the river stole the pot from Ross and brought him down to 1500.  After a round of blinds, he moved all-in from late position after a few players limped and found himself way ahead with AT vs A2.  Right back up to around 3500.

4:30 pm 2ND BREAK - STILL ALIVE

Ross finished Level 4 having grown his chip stack to 3950.  He made a big lay down during this level when a player raised to 1200 pre-flop.  Ross looks down to find pocket 10's but it will cost him half his stack to call the raise.  He reluctantly lets it go and it turned out he was facing pocket Jacks!  However a 10 on the flop made Ross a little sick, but he knows he made the proper play at the time.  

Here are the official numbers.  2778 entrants, 270 players will cash with 270th taking $3,223 and 1st place taking $673,628!  

Many, many pros played today and here a list just to name a few; Marcel Luske, JC Tran, Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon (Troy's table), Jen Tilly, Men Nguyen, Kathy Liebert, Lee Watkinson, David Pham, Steve Paul Ambrose, Rafe Furst (Brook's table), Mike Mizrachi, Joe Sebok, Kenna James, Joe Hachem, Mimi Tran, Antonio Esfandieri, Vanessa Rouse, plus many more.

We were also made aware that Troy Mattson made www.pokernews.com photo gallery with his patented headband selection.  Here is the current link to his picture;

http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/photo-gallery/?t=33&e=143&p=2

3:20 pm - LEVEL 3, PLAYER DOWN

With the blinds at 100-200 our players were all fairly short-stacked.  "Uncle Jeff" Schulz folded for most of the level and finally picked up AJ in his small blind facing a raise.  He had only about 600 left counting his blind so he decided to move it in hoping to be a coin flip against a smaller pair.  His opponent turned over a pair of 1's....Rockets!  Jeff picked up a gut-shot on the turn but couldn't hit that magical river card this time and his day has come to an end.

Ross Ladwig tripled up from around 400 to almost 1200 when he flopped an ace holding A3 in the blind.  After his table broke, he found himself moved to a new table (with quite a few large stacks) and proceeded to double up to around 3200 with AT against KQ when he made a straight.  Ross still has around 3k in chips as Level 3 winds down, about to go to 100-200 with a 25 ante.

League founder Brook Lyter has also busted.  He told me he lost a lot of chips in a race between small-blind/big-blind hands.  Brook had pocket 6's in the small blind and pushed, the big blind called for all of his chips (about 1100) with Jack-nine offsuit.  Of course, a jack and a nine flopped, leaving Brook short-stacked. 

In the end he pushed in late position with pocket queens but got called by Tens and Rockets.  No help and Ross remains as the only league player/rep left in the tournament. Let's go Ross! 

They had finished seating alternates at around 2pm and just announced the final tallies.  Around 2700 players and 1st place will payout around $650,000.  Tables are busting very quickly and I estimate we have lost close to half the field already at 3:30pm.

2:00 pm - BREAK TIME, PLAYER DOWN

Looks like my jinx worked again as Troy Mattson was the latest victim.  With a stack of around 800, Troy raised to 300 from the cutoff.  The Small Blind called and the flop came Axx all diamonds.  Troy moved in to try to protect against the flush, but the Small Blind held K8 of diamonds and had flopped the nuts.  Unlucky for Troy as Big Slick was his undoing today.

Our Nebraska champion Jeff Schulz is still alive after a roller-coaster round.  Jeff had raised a pot with KJ and got 2 callers.  Flop came KTT and both players checked to Jeff.  He put in 250 and got 1 caller.  An 8 on the turn and Jeff now pushed to 500 and got check-raised all-in.  He thought for a while and then folded, leaving him with only 600. 

After the blinds passed him he was left with only 450 and was waiting for a hand to move in on.  The same player that took the pot from him earlier opened UTG to 300 and Jeff pushed it in with AT.  The raiser was the only caller and turned over 68 of diamonds.  The flop looked bad 8J4, but a 9 on the turn left Jeff open-ended.  He was already getting up to leave when a 10 hit on the river to save him and he got back up to 1050. 

As I was waiting for him on the hand before the break, 2 players moved all-in preflop and Jeff woke up to AK of diamonds on the big blind.  He put his 1050 in the pot and found himself against another AK and AT.  Nothing on the flop, but a 10 of diamonds on the turn left Jeff needing a diamond or King on the river to stay alive.....King!!!!  He did have to chop the pot, but is still alive.

Blinds are moving to 100-200, Jeff has 1500, Ross has 875 and Brook has around 2100.

1:25 pm - BLINDS UP TO 50/100, PLAYER DOWN

Looks like I successfully jinxed Vern, as when I went back to check on his progress out in the Pavilion, he was nowhere to be found!  I'm hoping against hope that they just moved him, but I have that sinking feeling that he has busted.  I will try to find out more details as the day progresses.  (Found out later that Vern had flopped a flush, then moved all-in after a blank on the turn and got outdrawn when another suited card came against an opponent holding the ace)

Troy, however has tripled up.  Being on a short stack of just over 400 he pushed with QJ and got 2 callers.  He flopped a Jack and tripled up.  Phil Gordon however, told him "bad play", Troy relayed to me.  Whatever works!

Meanwhile, Brook Lyter took a horrible bad beat.  He was up to 3700 in chips when he woke up to pocket aces and with the blinds at 25-50 made a raise to 275 and got 2 callers.  Brook flopped a set of aces and bet 300 on the flop, and his opponent moved all-in.  Brook called instantly with the nuts, catching the other player bluffing with 6-9 diamonds, having bottom pair on a board of A-6-8d.  Turn 7, River 10 for a runner-runner straight!  Now that's bad luck...Luckily Brook still has a little over 2000 chips left. 

Updated chip counts;

Jeff Schulz - 2275

Brook Lyter - 2050

Ross Ladwig - 1725

Troy Mattson - 950
 

12:55pm Saturday, June 23rd (updates by Pete Bushey)

All players are seated and off and running.   Troy Mattson, our MN Poker League player, finds himself seated right next to none other than Phil Gordon.  Unfortunately for Troy he finds himself on  an early short stack with around 500 after pushing hard with AK and a player hitting a 9 on him with A9.

Vern Runyan, our 2nd place winner from Nebraska, looks like he's off to the fastest start with around 3500, everyone is somewhere between 2000 and 3000.  Vern also drew the unfortunate seat in the "Outdoor Pavilion", an air-conditioned tent outside where the temp is around 90 degrees.

Ross Ladwig, our runner-up from the Dakota Poker League, got involved in a hand that required the floor to be called over and retrieve a flop from the muck.  It seems Ross had made a bet, one player folded, and then the dealer started to award the pot to Ross because he thought he was the only other player remaining.  After the flop was retrieved the other player called, then bet the turn and Ross had to fold.

Back to the action, will try to get more updates in shortly, it's been crazy trying to follow 5 players scattered across a large room!

FRIDAY JUNE 22ND

Update by Brook Lyter 

Alright, everybody made it! 

Ross Ladwig was the first to check in at the Rio.  This is his first trip to Las Vegas.  He checked in on Thursday night and got a chance to shakes hands with Humberto Brenes, the crazy Brazillian. 

Pete & I walked into the Rio this afternoon to check things out.  The atmosphere is way better than last year...The final table area has 360 degrees of stadium seating, plus a raised section featuring "Milwaukee's Best" bar with stools and hi-top tables.  Now that's what I'm talking about! 

In addition to the improved final table pit, the walls have huge hanging portraits of previous WSOP champions.  The Amazon room feels much more like a poker room than a banquet hall now. 

Troy "The Legend" Mattson also checked in.  He had a brief encounter with Jennifer Harmon.  Troy gave her an encouraging "Good luck, Jennifer" in passing in the hallway.  She stopped dead in her tracks, stared at him, and after a pause said, "Why couldn't you have told me that an hour ago??!!". 

Tonight we're going out to dinner with the crew at the Venetian at the Delmonico Steakhouse...This one's on the league...I'm craving the Ribeye.

Pete Bushey will takeover the updates tomorrow since I will be playing in this event as well.  He'll post a couple pictures of our players and provide updates every hour or so (hopefully).  So feel free to check in!