4:00pm

The $500 spending cash will come in handy now!  John Ulland (pictured right) is looking forward to playing cash games and hanging out with Mitch Schock and his crew (who just got into town). 

Unfortunately Brook busted after a player in the big blind called his raise and flopped the nut straight holding 6-7 offsuit.  Brook held middle pair and an open-ended straight draw but picked a bad time to make a move...Brook says he has no regrets but was unhappy with his opponent's call preflop. 

Justin Sellers also busted...

I'm going to go put some money down on the Twins, and relax with a cool one.  The weekend has just begun and we're going to make the best of it.  I will upload some of the photos from today's tournament and also throw in more updates on our weekend if anything interesting happens.  

Later, Pete

2:20pm JEREMY LEE & JOHN ULLAND BUSTED

Things happened fast and furious during the second level of play.  With only a 3,000 chip starting stack there are players busting out right and left.

Jeremy (pictured right) got his money in good when his pocket jacks looked good to a flop of all small cards.  He correctly called a players all-in and was well ahead when the player showed KQ.  But a Queen on the river crippled Jeremy down below 1,000.  After paying the blinds a couple times he found himself down to 600 on the button with no callers.  He pushed all-in to steal the blinds but the big blind woke up with AQ and Jeremy's K5 did not improve.  Jeremy took it pretty well and pointed out to me that 2 players on his table were wearing WSOP bracelets (including the guy who busted him).

Bubba had quite the roller coaster Level 2 as he got in trouble with Ace little and lost about 2,000 of his stack to AQ on a board of A22Jx.  He was kicking himself for that but quickly rebounded when he hit trip Jacks with QJ and basically doubled back up over 3,500.  A few hands later in the big blind he gets to see a free flop with 8-10.  After a flop of 79x he semi-bluffed 200 and got called by the lady to his left.  A jack on the turn gives Bubba the nut straight and he bets 300 this time.  The lady raises him to 800 and he pushes all-in.  She quickly calls with J9 of hearts (top two pair with a flush draw).  A 9 on the river delivers her the 8,000 pot and finishes off Bubba.

All of our players seem to be in good spirits and plan on enjoying the rest of their vacation (and spending the $500 that was part of the package).  On a side note, Brook just tripled up to around 5,000 with 8's vs. 7's vs. 5's.  Him and Justin Sellers (Bismarck native) are still alive around 4,000 after the first break and I will keep an eye on both of them throughout the day.

How fast things can happen in poker!  In as long as it took me to write the last entry,  I go back to check on the players to find we've experienced our first casualty.  Bob is no longer at his table and Jeremy's fiance Raquel tells me he had just walked out after getting busted.  He does play a hyper-agressive game and that's how he took down the state championship but unfortunately he's done.  I will try to get more details. 

Round One is over and Bubba is over 5,000 after winning about 2,000 with Big Slick.  Jeremy and Brook are slightly up.  It's always a bummer busting out early, our

12:48 pm

Pete Bushey reporting...

Well folks, we're underway in the first hour long level and all of our players have drawn seating assignments in Bellagio's main poker room (the tournament is divided into 2 rooms).  This tournament is packed as expected and they will be seating alternates as players start to bust out.

After a quick glance at  our 3 players tables,  it does not appear that  any of them are playing with any "big-name" pros, but John "Bubba" Ulland has Clonie Gowen sitting directly behind him and Jeremy and Bob are sitting right outside "Bobby's Room" where Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein and others are playing in the "big game". 

All of our guys seem to be off to a decent start and I've seen them all drag a pot already.  Bubba took down the first hand of his table when he woke up with pocket jacks to start the tournament.  Bob has been active (big surprise for those who know him!) and he's raked a few decent pots.  Blinds started at 25/50 with one hour long levels.  Players began with 3,000 in chips.  Back to the action...