Unofficial Day Three leader board

I'll make you a deal. I'll give you a chip count now instad of tomorrow, if you'll accept that this is not yet official and I may have misspelled some names? Fair enough? Good.

1-Mikael Westerlund 281,000
2-Michael Woo 227,000
3-Alex Brenes 201,200
4-Patrick Atonius 199,900
5-Chris McIntyre 194,900
6-John Gale 177,500
7-Anders Henriksson 129,500
8-Steve Billirakis 151,900
9-Jeffrey Henry 132,100
10-Erick Lindgren 123,600
11-Nenad Medic 116,000
12-Michael Goodman 112,000
13-Ted Lawson 112,000
14-William Thorson 109,800
15-Ryan Shore 107,500
16-Justin Bonomo 105,900
18-Daniel Larsson 104,500
19-Allen Cunninham 102,000
20-Pete Giordano 97,900
21-Viet Nguyen 95,600
22-Greg Deborn 94,400
23-William Goff 72,500
24-Paul Sneed 68,500
25-John Smith 68,100
26-Jeff Hubberman 64,900
27-Terrance Chan 61,600
28-Kelly Dickson 61,100
29-Evelyn Ng 59,000
30-Yousef Massoudnia 57,200
31-Avery Cardoza 57,000
32-Patrick Hocking 56,000
33-Steve Zolotow 55,000
34-Morton Sembach 54,600
35-Greg Raymer 53,600
36-Danny Ashman 53,900
37-Stephen Tanner 52,700
38-Alex Balandini 50,500
39-Miami John 48,900
40-David Williams 46,000
41-Millie Shiu 44,600
42-Kid Tran 42,000
43-Matthew Rosenquist 41,500
44-Christian Kruel 40,500
45-Alan White 37,500
46-Ben Sprengers 36,400
47-Spiro Mitro 36,100
48-Chris McCormack 31,500
49-Cliff Josephy 27,500
50-Nick Matala 25,500
51-Patrick Walsh 27,500
52-Mark Smyrski 26,200
53-Joe Lang 25,500
54-Henrik Kask 21,000
55-Peter Gunnarson 16,000
56-Cory Ward 14,000
---------------------------
Out, but cashing $11,600 a piece
57--Michael Kinney
58--Luis Jaikel
59--Lee Watkins
60--Scott Yeates
61--Michael Linhardt
62--Matthew Englander
63--Ronald Corber
64--Geffret Klein
65--Jerry Young
66--Amnon Filippi
67--Carmello Menechella
68--Matt Lefkowitz
69--Maurice Hawkins
70--Marco Frigeri
71--Anthony Plotner
72--John Parker
73--Mark Gregorich
74--Cecilia reyes
75--Daniel Negreanu
76--Howard Bush
78--Jeramy Govert
79--Shane Drobushevich
80--Terrance Winfield

Bidding adieu to the bubble

Just before 8:15pm, in a quick series of all-in bets and bust outs, the big projection screen in the middle of the room changed ever so slightly. Only one number had changed, but the difference meant $11,600 to every player in the room.

81.

It was simultaneously a place so far away from the big money and a precarious edge between something and nothing.


If there was an actual rail in the room instead of a row of chairs and tense security gaurds, it would've been crushed. In a tournament that has had its share of looky-loos, this moment was the first where a single hand was going to mean the difference for everybody in the room.

At 8:15, Tournament Director Mike Ward told the room they would be playing one hand at a time. At 8:16 the room fell into some odd realm of complete chaos and complete control. At 8:17 I noticed Maurice Hawkins' seat was empty. Curiously empty. I'd been watching Hawkins primarily because, as nice as he is, he's rarely not talking and when he's talking, you can usually hear it acoss the room. Now, though, his seat was open. His small stack of chips was there, but he was gone, baby, gone.

I found him sitting near the rail.

"Not playing, Maurice?" I said.

"Nope. Aces aren't going to cost me $11,000," he said plainly.



As I walked away, Maurice stole one of a thousand looks he would take at the projection screen. The look said everything: one more to go, and it ain't going to be Maurice.

By 8:26, I happened upon the first all-in bet that would've made the bettor the bubble boy. It came from none other than Greg Raymer, all in with AK. Daniel Negreanu called with AQ. A king on the flop and a king on the turn made the queen on the river all the more funny. Raymer, in a desperate attempt to rebuild his depleted stack, doubled up and crippled Negreanu.

Keep in mind, Negreanu has cashed big several times in the past year, and bubbling for a loss of $11,600 wasn't going to be a very big deal for him financially. Still, he maintained a keen interest on each table every time there was an all-in bet.

At 8:41, this guy pushed in the rest of his very short stack on the button. The BB had more than $100,000 in chips in his stack and only had to call about $3000 more. Every player in the room crowded around the table. The BB thought for about a minute then mucked, sending Negreanu into a cackling fit that really should've been recorded.

From a table away, I heard the dealer say, "All in and a call."


I made it to the edge of the table and found that a guy had called for the rest of his stack with AJ. He had to be happy to see his opponent's K9, until the board turned simply dreadful. The opponent, turned hero when he paired his king. The news spread like a gasoline fire and cheers rose up from the crowd.


David aka pecale, the man who killed bubble boy

***

There was only one unhappy person in the entire room. I wish I gotten his name. I wish I'd gotten his picture in focus. I wish there wasn't such a thing as a bubble. It's like watching a sick puppy get sicker. It's just sad.


Bubble boy, we hardly knew thee

At least he can say he got his chips in with the best hand.

Now, there are 62 players left. The concept of bubbling is gone. Every remaining player goes home with more than the buy-in.

Except bubble boy.

If you're out there, bubble boy, I'm sorry. While I had nothing to do with the hand, I hate that it had to be documented for everyone to see.

Well, sort of.

In the money

Full report coming soon. Briefly, after half an hour of hand-to-hand play the 81st player went out holding AJ after calling an all-in bet vs. K9d. The king came on the flop and Mr. 81st never improved.

Pictures and a full report in just a bit.

The Money?

For a while it seemed like the some sort of chip-moving demon had invaded this new poker room. During the first six hours of play today, dozens upon dozens of players busted out, walking the long trek back to their rooms, relegated to side games and playing PokerStars on their laptops in the lobby.

Now, as the dinner break ends, ninety-six players remain in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

We hit the money at 80 players. It could happen tonight. It all depends how tight the players get in the next couple of hours.

I'm going to watch this level and will be back with an update in a bit.

Hanging with the cream--Day 2 Update

Before I left for the Bahamas, I found myself inordinately interested in a television cooking show on which a chef was explaining the exact process by which the cream rises to the top. While its a phrase I've heard and used for years, I never really paid much attention to the cream and rising and whatnot. When the show was over, I felt genuinely educated in the ways of all things lactose-oriented.

As Day 2 continues here at the PokerStars Carrieban Adventure, I'm finding myself with a new education in cream rising. We're now down to around 120 players. And the strong players (and some lucky ones) are stacking up. Short-stacked at the end of the day yesterday, Evelyn Ng has been rebuilding her stack. But, yesterday's chip-leader, Gavin Griffen, has suffered throughout the day and has lost a large portion of his 70,000 in chips.


Surviving, but not with as many smiles...or chips and yesterday.

Chris Moneymaker busted out in the first level of the day when he tried to slow-play pocket kings pre-flop. A player to his right made a minimum raise and Moneymaker cold-called, leaving the BB (Jeff from Maryland seen here on the right) a cheap opportunity to see a flop. The flop came TTx. Before anyone knew what was happening, Moneymaker was all-in. Maryland Jeff held T8o and took down the pot and sent Moneymaker packing.


The "Feature Table" of Day 2

There are two ways to define a feature table at this tournament. One, it sits close enough to the rail for the railbirds to crowd in. Second, it's full of big-name players. Table #5 fits the bill in both ways today. WSOP champ is in the two-seat. The three-seat is the guy who hit the miracle gutshot straight yesterday afternoon. The four seat is WSOP second-place finisher David Williams. Not pictured is Ted "Yah Mon!" Lawson, 2004 WSOP Omaha winner in the eaight seat. All three have decent chip-stacks and the play has been fun to watch.


zeejustin

As of a few minutes ago, Justin Bonomo (screen name: zeejustin) was the chip leader. He tells me he found himself in what I've started calling the "Only Online Hand" (aka OOH!): AA vs. KK. He happened to be on the big end of the hand and his rockets held up. He had 120,000ish in chips the last time I looked.

We'll likely be playing here until 9:30 or 10:00. It's looking like we'll get close to the money tonight, but the floor guys are predicting we won't make it there.

I'm heading back into the fray.

A moment in time with Negreanu and Nakano

The following is a guest post from Pokerstars.comcardroom manager, Lee Jones, who as many of you know is also an accomplished writer and a damned nice guy.

People sometimes ask what it is about poker that fascinates me and a few zillion other folks. We had a moment early on Flight Two’s first day that defined it perfectly for me. I happened to wander by a table and noticed that Yosh Nakano and Daniel Negreanu were involved in a huge pot. Daniel needs no introduction, and Yosh needs none for those that have been around the game awhile. He’s been a professional poker player since anybody can remember. Anyway, when I showed up, the board was showing a flop of T-6-6, turn queen, river 7.


Yosh on left, Daniel on right

Yosh checked, and Daniel bet 3500. It was not an overbet of the pot, and when you have 25 and 50 chip blinds, such a pot is a monster. Yosh stopped, put a chip on his cards…

And time stopped.

Ten players, including Daniel and Yosh, froze. The dealer didn’t move. The 4-5 of us standing around the table (including tour photographer Jodi Shapiro and another media person) were silent, still. Of course, Yosh’s brain was a whirlwind of activity, thinking over the hundreds (thousands?) of hands that he’s played against Daniel at one time or another. What would it be worth to him to call and win? What would it cost to call and lose? And no doubt Daniel was thinking “Call call call!” or “Fold fold fold!”

The rest of us were merely observers in a moment of pure poker – the game distilled to its essence. The cricket-chirp of the chips in the room and buzz of conversation was gone from our world. Just those five cards in the center of the table, and the two each held by two extraordinarily good poker players.

Finally, after approximately forever (probably more like 45-60 seconds), Yosh quietly flicked his cards toward the dealer.

The time-space continuum resumed.

Players moved, stacked, restacked, and riffled their chips. The dealer pushed the pot to Daniel, moved the button, collected the cards, and began to shuffle. Conversation resumed. Observers flowed around the room.

But that moment was etched in a dozen or so memories. It is such moments for which poker players live.

Editor's note--UPDATED

My e-mail account seems to be having a few problems. If' you've e-mailed me today, I've not yet been able to read it. Please continue to send e-mails, though. If the problem persists, I'll switch e-mail accounts.


I've now switched e-mail accounts due to persistant problems with my first account. Please use the current link. If you've e-mailed me since 4am Saturday, I've been unable to access you message

Flies and dropping like them

Now is when things start to move fast. Not even two hours into the day and 65 people have dropped out, including former world champion, Chris Moneymaker.

Moneymaker ended up sitting directly next to Greg Raymer at the beginning of the day. Before 2pm, Moneymaker reportedly tried to trap with a pair of kings and ended up falling to an opponent who flopped a set.

We're down to 192 players. That's 112 to go until we hit the money.

Day 2 Underway

Day two is underway and, holy championship table, is this going to be interesting.

I'll keep you updated throughout the day on as much as I can watch and tell, but I may spend the day sweating this table.



Yeah, they're sitting next to each other.

PCA Chip Count

Sure, it's almost 4am. But I suspect some folks require a chip count. Here it is:

Last Name First Name Chips
Griffin Gavin 73,550
Smith John 68,100
Bonomo Justin 59,375
Thorson William 57,025
Dwan Thomas 52,850
Watkinson Lee 52,800
Buchanan Shawn 50,925
Goodman Michael 47,525
Schreiber Thomas 44,700
Debora Greg 43,925
Matala Nicholas 43,300
Woo Yoo Seung 41,775
Ashman Danny 41,175
Rosenquist Matthew 41,050
Alspach Dan 40,950
Feldman Peter 40,575
Cunnningham Allen 39,700
lechman Maros 38,475
Westerlund Mikael 38,300
Hertel Carl 36,975
Raymer Greg 36,950
Linhardt Mike 35,775
Williams Joe 35,100
BalandinAlex 35,100
Incerto Paul 34,050
MizrachiRobert 33,950
Bach David 33,450
Saraf David 32,875
Schlen Josh 32,800
Moncada Edward 32,675
Lang Joe 31,350
Hawkins Maruice 30,325
Gale John 30,150
BillirakisSteve 29,675
EnglanderMathew 29,500
Hagen Andreus 29,225
GoffWilliam 28,975
WilliamsDavid 28,325
HenrissonAnders 28,225
Dickson Kelly George 28,050
Guifre Stephen 27,350
WallsSteve 26,750
Medic Nenad 26,750
Woo Michael 26,600
Thai James 26,575
Simberg Bruce 26,525
Corber Ron 26,475
Talbot David 25,825
Sitton John 25,750
Hubberman Jeff 25,625
Smyrski Mark 25,575
Keller Kevin 25,475
Frigers Marco 25,450
Brannan Dave 25,375
Drobushervich Shae 25,300
Boich Wayne 25,175
Adwar Todd 25,075
Josephy Cliff 25,025
Massoudnia Yousif 24,875
NegreanuDaniel 24,725
Angel Paul 24,425
Pelton Joe 24,375
Markholt Lee 24,250
MoneymakerChris 24,200
Victor Ramdin Annand 24,150
Krue Christian 23,825
LawrencyTony 23,825
Kulley Brad 23,700
Nguyen Viet 23,575
Helppi Juha 23,575
Hawood Joel 23,125
Filippi Amnon 23,100
Persson John 23,000
AntoniosPatrick 22,975
UpchurchJimmy 22,950
White Alan 22,850
Larsen Jonas 22,675
Larsson Daniel 22,225
ChanTerrence 21,675
Lane Ron 21,600
McIntyreChris 21,525
GiordanoPeter 21,350
Chow Howard 21,300
MitrokostasSpyro 21,275
Jones Brandon 21,150
Juvonen Jukka 21,000
Franck Sonigo 20,900
Sead Paul 20,875
Dowda Jimmy 20,400
Hamdan KL 20,225
Rice Jonathan 19,975
Martin Jesse 19,725
Popa John 19,550
JupatovacJohn 19,500
D'agostinoJohn 19,275
Zolotow Stephen 18,675
Rahmn Mats 18,425
Corkins Hoyt 18,325
KeshtavarBehrouc 17,950
ShanebergerTom 17,850
WinfieldTerry 17,750
LindgrenErick 17,450
Hall Harley 17,400
Reyes Cecila 17,350
RuemckevSven 17,300
Floyd Russ 17,000
Pyysing Johanna 16,800
Slaton Cheryl 16,725
Klein Geoffry 16,650
ElharrarClaude 16,375
AdamakisNick 16,225
GunnarsanPeter 16,200
Bush Howard 16,200
Young Jerry 16,025
Leader Eugene 15,950
Tanner Stephen 15,825
Tran Kid 15,425
Doyle Kristophe 15,375
Deabay Michael 15,350
Wong Brandon 15,275
Heym George 15,250
Brown Ammon 15,200
McKormackChris 15,175
Brenes Eric 14,900
Barnes David 14,900
DechelloSteve 14,850
Waldron Steve 14,675
Barcellos Kevin 14,625
Kanter Aaron 14,575
Ely Wanda 14,450
Lovmo Anne Gro 14,400
Yeates Scott 14,325
Timmer Doug 14,300
Cassidy Patrick 14,250
Sprengers Ben 14,175
Seely James 14,125
Duros Greg 13,975
Shanade Mike 13,775
Su Jason 13,725
Shore Ryan 13,675
Lawson Ted 13,625
Rubin Doron 13,600
Tonnillier Ed 13,525
Henry Jeffrey 13,500
Hoching Patrick 13,400
Fair Andrew 13,350
Fahrenkrug Kris 13,200
Menechella Carmen 13,150
Nesheiwat Mazen 13,125
Mizrachi Michael "The Grinder" 13,075
Kask Henrik 13,050
Thompson Layman 13,025
Sembach Morten 13,000
Fredrick William 12,925
Schiller Roy 12,925
Cardoza Avery 12,900
Ward Cory 12,725
Kalman Ian 12,650
Jones Stephen 12,450
Grundtuig Christian 12,450
Liebert Kathy 12,125
Weatherford Michael 12,125
Terranova Henry 11,975
Moran Brandon 11,950
Davis Kristen 11,925
Moore Thomas 11,900
Tatalovich Richard 11,725
Keener George 11,650
Hirsch Yakov 11,625
Morris Derek 11,575
Bambrough Ryan 11,350
Cohen Bruce 11,275
McClain Mike 11,225
Szymaszek Matt 11,125
Erdman Travis 11,125
Campo Bassc Andrew J. 10,875
Smith Danny 10,850
Brenes Alex 10,825
Moore Pete 10,800
Soulier Fabrice 10,775
Tran J.C. 10,725
Walsh Patrick 10,600
Farr Jamie 10,525
Cassidy Joe 10,300
Guay Jean-Francois 10,275
Pitakakangas Kasper 10,225
Reid Brendau 10,200
Byztek Klaus 10,125
Rouas Philippe 9,975
Foran Matt 9,650
Euraham Eytan 9,450
Jaikel Luis 9,400
Macey Tom 9,375
Hill William 9,325
Lacey Michael 9,325
Cernuto John 9,225
Kenney Mike 9,150
Firicano Daryn 8,975
Weinstein Steve 8,925
Lawrence Vincent 8,925
Parker Brock 8,700
Lefkowitz Matt 8,675
Ng Evelyn 8,650
Safieddine Francois 8,625
Zango Herman 8,600
Bean Glen 8,600
Turley Tom 8,425
Fiejo Martin 8,425
Thiret Gary 8,425
Beasley Mike 8,300
Ousdahl Steve 7,925
Somers Ernesto 7,775
Bawden Travers 7,650
Decatur Brian 7,575
Tomko Dewey 7,475
Mueller Greg 7,400
Shiu Millie 7,350
Juanda John 7,250
Garber Bruce 7,175
Combs David 7,175
Plotner Tony 7,050
Phillips Andrew 7,000
Perry Robert 6,900
Hank David 6,650
Johnson Randall 6,525
Scoratow Jay 6,475
Jiminez Frank 6,425
Rasool Jon 6,300
Wheeler David 6,275
Hadjicharalambous Charalambos 6,200
Bachio T.J. 6,175
McCarthy Kevin 5,975
Vilmunen Jani 5,650
Vuong Alexandra 5,650
Garofalo Lenny 5,575
Bucci Jim 5,525
Chambers Ralph 5,525
Azen Arthur 5,525
Elder Bill 5,350
Lambertus Don 5,275
Springer Rob 5,175
Hudspeth James 5,100
Thaler Gabriel 5,025
Gregorich Mark 4,975
Elizondo Daniel 4,950
Larsen Simon 4,750
Eslami Ali 4,550
Medvetsky Igor 4,250
Govert Jeramy 4,250
Higginbotham Mia 4,225
Morgan David 4,200
Hatton Robert 3,850
Eitan Tamir 3,700
Bush Chris 3,600
Gallin Jonathan 3,175
Rainess Ira 2,300
Greenstein Barry 1,825