WSOP 6 Max Event(1xRe-Entry)

Michael is King as we head into Day 2 of the WSOP 6-Max

Posted Mon, 11 Dec 2017 4:17pm

After almost twelve hours Day 1 of the 2017 WSOP Sydney 6-Max Event held in the Star Poker Room has come to an end.

It has been a day of mammoth proportions. There were 341 entries in the event and that has been whittled all the way down to just 33 players who will come back tomorrow to fight for the top price.

The top prize is a very tidy $93,787 and there are plenty of talented players in the field who will believe they lay a serious claim to it.

There are the two young guns from Brisbane, James 'Hoppy' Hopkins and Aidan 'Lock and Key' Hildebrandt who have played some great poker today and will be eager to put a big result together. There are big-time Sydney players Peco Stojanovski, Daniel Nielson, Chris 'FatCat' Moussa, Toothpick Tony, Haoran 'Rotus' Zhang and Turbo event winner Jarrod Thatcher who will all believe that this title has their name on it.

Don't discount the Melbourne boys still alive in this tournament either. Joe Hachem's far more popular and better-looking brother, Tony, is still alive and well as is perpetual final table finder Todor Kondevski.

The man with a target on their back is our chip leader Michael King. He is a long way in front and has timed his aggression perfectly in this 6-max format. He will be very tough to beat here. He is a feared player at the tables and loves the aggressive format of 6-Max poker. If he can get on a run tomorrow he will be very hard to beat.

So it all happens again tomorrow at 4:00 pm when these players return to play down and find our champion. The action will come thick and fast so if you can, make sure you head down to the Star Poker Room. If you can't then stay tuned to StarPoker.com.au/live and the Star Poker Live Reporting Team. This is not an event you want to miss!

Top 5 Chip Leaders 

1 - Michael King - 333,000

2 -  Toothpick Tony - 311,000

3 - Chris 'FatCat' Moussa - 308,500

4 - Mai Ha - 243,000

5 - Tim Ulmer - 220,000

10 and Three

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 11:42pm

There are ten minutes left in tonight's final level.

The tournament director has just announced that we will play three more hands before our remaining player's bag and tag before coming back tomorrow.

Chris Coughlin Wins Big

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 11:40pm

A big cheerio to Chris Coughlin who has finished in 36th place picking up a crisp $1,969 in the process.

Coughlin's story is a good one as for the entire 45 minutes of the bubble, Coughlin had a stack ranging between one or two big blinds. 

He used an amazing degree of patience to hang on and got rewarded for his efforts with a payday.

Well done Chris!

Jarred Graham is our bubble boy

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 11:37pm

After an extremely long period of hand for hand play, Jarred Graham has been eliminated in 37th place to burst our bubble!

An extremely short-stacked Graham moved all in from the small blind for 26,000 after Ray Liu raised to 9,000 from the button. The big blind folded and Liu made the call.

Liu: 

Graham: 

Board: 

Hand for Hand Play

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:51pm

That was quick!

We are now on the bubble as Level 15!

The race is on!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:50pm

We are on the final level of the evening and just three eliminations away form the bubble bursting.

What will happen first?

Blinds are 2,000/4,000 with a 500 ante.

Jarred Graham gets a (faint) heartbeat as the bubble approaches

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:39pm

We have forty players left which means we are just four more eliminations away from the bubble bursting.

Jarred Graham is quite short-stacked, he just scored a much needed double up to stay alive.

Graham: 

Opponent: 

Board: 

Graham moves to 30,000 in chips. He is still alive but will need to work hard if he is to survive the bubble.

Atik is top floor

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:35pm

On a flop of  Izzy Atik (pictured) checked to Michael Larcher who bet out 7,500 and Atik called. The turn was  which was again checked to Larcher who fired another 12,500, Atik made the call.

The river fell  and in line with tradition, Atik checked to Larcher who threw 24,000 into the middle which Atik snap-called.

Atik turned over  and Larcher instantly mucked. Atik was last seen racking up his 257,500 chips as the table was broken and he moved on to a new territory to dominate.

FatCat Fattens Up

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:29pm

Chris 'FatCat' Mousa just got a nice double up to put him well above the 200,000 mark.

With a raise to 6,000 in front of him, he called as did Charbel 'CB' Boustani. The three of them took a  flop.

The preflop raiser led out for 12,500 and Moussa then raised to 33,000. Boustani folded and the preflop raiser made the call.

The turn came the  . The preflop raiser checked to Moussa and he moved all in for his final 88,000. The preflop raiser called.

Preflop Raiser: 

Mousa: 

The river was no help and Chris 'FatCat' Moussa is now very healthy in this tournament! 

Michael King busts one to build a sky scraper

Posted Mon, 11 Dec 2017 12:00am

After Michael King (pictured) bet out 6,000 he was called by three others who all saw the flop 

Giddy with the coordinated board King bet out again for 12,000. He was called by one other but Dean Blatt and the final player bowed out of the hand before it got out of control.

The  turn was checked to the  river. 

King's opponent decided to take control of his own destiny and move all in for 51,200 and King made the call.

King rolled over  which had his opponent's  well and truly dominated.

Michael King has sent one to the rail and begins the arduous task of stacking up his 290,000 strong chip stack as we approach the bubble - He can barely believe it

Jabbour delivers a Jab to Zhang

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:15pm

Syd Jabbour has just won a nice pot at the expense of Haoran 'Rotus' Zhang here in the Star Poker Room.

We picked up the action on the flop with the board reading with Zhang putting out a bet of 9,000. Jabbour made the call.

Both players checked the  turn and then when the  hit the river Zhang checked once more. This time Jabbour bet out 13,500. Zhang looked pain and came close to making a call before he finally folded.

Jabbour raked in the chips and started chuckling to himself, which made Zhang thing maybe he should have called after all.

Syd Jabbour - 145,000

Haoran 'Rotus' Zhang - 100,000

Penultimation!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:09pm

We are now onto level 14 which is the penultimate level of the evening.

We are 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante which means our back 100 chips will need to work very hard to justify their existence.

We are getting close to the bubble, someone has very kindly decided to turn the only tv we can see from the tournament channel over to the news. Makes sense, which poker player doesn't want to watch the news at 10 pm on a Sunday night.

We will get a number for you shortly.

Brad Kain Gets A Nice Double

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:06pm

As we get closer to the bubble every single double up gets more important. Especially when you are short-stacked.

It folded around to the button in a recent had who raised to 5,000. With the action on Brad Kain in the small blind he moved all in over the top for a total of 37,900. The button made the call.

Button: 

Kain: 

Board: 

Kain doubles up to 85,000 and is ready to make a run up the chip leaderboard! 

Level 13 has begun

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 9:34pm

Our final 53 players are now on level 13.

We are now playing 1,200/2,400 with a 400 ante. 

Final Break

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 9:22pm

Tournament players are on their final ten-minute break of the evening. 

We are getting close to the money, will the bubble burst before we bag and tag?

Hildebrandt has the key to success

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 9:21pm

Aidan 'Key' Hildebrandt is making all the right moves in this tournament so far. He is currently sitting with a stack of just above 200,000 as we charge towards the money.

In a recent hand, following a raise from the UTG player, Hildebrandt looked down to see  he opted to call.

The went to the flop heads up and it came down . After the UTG player checked, Hildebrandt bet 3,200. His opponent called.

On the  turn it was again checked to Hildebrandt, this time he bet 9,200. His opponent then check-raised to 21,500. Hildebrandt called.

The  hit the river and the other player instantly moved all in. Hildebrandt saw through this though and made the call.

Hildebrandt:  - a pair of Queens

The other dude that got caught with his hand in the Cookie Jar:  - zero, nada, zilch!

If Hildebrandt keeps this up he could have this tournament under lock and key! 

This will end in tears

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 9:08pm

When the flop came  Danny Civic (pictured) raised the initial bet only to have the initial bettor shove over the top. Danny Civic made the call and they were off to the races:

Civic: 
Initial Bettor: 

The reason for the aggression became apparent after the hands were turned over with Civic flopping a straight and the Initial Bettor flopping a set of 10s and a runner-runner flush draw. 

The turn came  and things were looking up as the flush drew nearer but it was not to be. The river fell  and Danny Civic eliminates his opponent and scoops a very healthy pot.

Karamalikis Busts From The Tournament, My Heart Breaks A Little

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 9:03pm

In news that breaks the heart of men, women, children and certainly this reporter, Jonathan 'xMONSTERxDONGx' Karamalikis has been eliminated from the tournament.

It folded to Brett Murtagh in the small blind who made it 4,500 to go. Karamalikis looked down at  in the big blind and moved all in for his final 46,000.

Murtagh thought through his hand for what must have been at least a minute before making the call and turning over .

Karamalikis (aka The Prince of Rundle Mall) could not improve and was sent to the rail.

Jason Quarmby Busts One and Builds His Stack

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 8:54pm

Jason Quarmby has just booted a player from this tournament to build his stack up above 120,000!

He got his  all in against an opponent's . The board ran out  and Quaramby's stack headed north!

Blinds are up

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 8:43pm

Blatt doubles through Misaghian

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 8:41pm

We caught the action on the river where Dean Blatt was all-in heads up against Maz Misaghian. Blatt played correspondent on the floor and explained how the hand played out.

Misaghian three-bet pre-flop and Blatt called to see  . They checked to see the  turn where Blatt moved all in for his remaining 23,000 and Misaghian called.

Blatt: 
Misaghian: 

River: 

Blatt's turned flush cracks Misaghian's flopped set and gives him the double up he sorely needs.

Toothpick is leagues ahead

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 8:29pm

Blinds Up

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 8:05pm

Big Jim Pizanias succumbs to The Tony

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 8:20pm

Todor Kondevski recently joined the table of Jonathan 'xMONSTERxDONGx' Karamalikis, Michael Mayer, Toothpick Tony and Jim Pizanias making it one of the tougher tables in the room.

To celebrate this fact he limped from UTG+1 in a recent hand. With the action on Toothpick Tony he raised to 4,200. Jim Pizanias made the call from the small blind and we took a  flop.

Kondevski checked and The Tony bet out 9,000. Pizanias called and Kondevski folded. 

On the  flop, The Tony upped the ante. This time by betting 18,000. Pizanias once again called and we saw a  river. When the action was back on Toothpick he moved all in, covering Pizanias. Pizanias said "I call". It would be the last thing he said prior to his elimination.

Pizanias:  - a straight

Toothpick Tony:  - a bigger straight

Toothpick Tony has close to 350,000 in chips and is now one of our chip leaders. 

The party has just begun

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 7:58pm

As Maz Misaghian (pictured) took his seat at the table I don't think anyone knew what they were in for.

The cut-off bet 2,600 and it was folded around to Misaghian who made the call. 

"I apologise in advance for the bad beat" Mizaghian quipped as the flop came 

The cut-off bet out again for 6,100 and Misaghian called once more. The  turn was checked around to the  river and Misaghian shifted gears, leading out this time for 12,000. The cut-off made the call and the two players tabled their hands.

Cut-off: 
Misaghian: 

Misaghian's rivered two pair was good enough to win the hand. After exchanging some witty banter, the cut-off said to Misaghian "I'll keep giving you the black chips if you want, as long as you give me the bananas"

Misaghian replied with a smile "How many bananas have you given me already?" after just one hand.

Kristjan Rausberg eliminates a player!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 7:48pm

Kristjan Rausberg is best known for winning the turbo event at the 2017 Sydney Championships. Now he is trying to add a WSOP Gold Ring to his impressive resume.

He recently eliminated a player by getting  all in against an opponent's . The board ran out  and Rausberg moved up to 80,000 chips

Back into the swing of things

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 7:34pm

Players are back from the dinner break and will play six more levels tonight before bagging and tagging.

We are playing 600/1,200 with a 200 ante

Toothpick takes a big one from xMONSTERxDONGx

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:59pm

Toothpick Tony, Jim Pizanias and Jonathan "xMONSTERxDONGx" Karamalikis were three way on a flop reading  

Karamalikis bet out for 2,700 and both other players called to see the  turn. 

He fired again for 5,800 which Toothpick called and Pizanias folded. When the  came on the river, Karamalikis bet once more for 14,000 and Toothpick raised to 41,000 with Karamalikis making the call after some consideration. 

Toothpick tabled  for a flopped set and Karamalikis mucked. Toothpick Tony is now up over 150,000 and one of the biggest stacks in the room right before the break!

Dinner anyone?

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:50pm

The Sweet Sweet Nectar of Prizemoney

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:45pm

There were 341 entries for this event generating a whopping prize pool of $375,100!

The Lion's share of this will go to our champion who will pick up $93,787 as well as a WSOP Gold Ring and a title of WSOP champion that will remain with them forever.

Just making our seven-handed final table will net you the princely sum of $10,499.

Our final six tables, or 36 players, will make the money. A min-cash will get you $1,969!

The fisherman and the fish

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:42pm

Not only do people play poker for the fame, the glory, the mental challenge and the immense wealth that sometimes flows, they also play it for fun. Just now we caught Michael "The Fisherman" Mayer in the act, having light-hearted fun with a hand of poker.

"I call blind" He said, calling the big blind.

"Okay, I call blind too" Said Jim Pizanias 

In a display of deep mastery of the game of Poker, both players checked their way through the streets without lifting a single card. They finally tabled:

Mayer: 
Pizanias:

Board: 

Without looking, Mayer has won the pot and proven once and for all, by unanimous vote around the room that he is indeed The Fisherman and Pizanias is the fish.

Dong the Donkey

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:36pm

Jim Pizanias was quite happy to tell us* how he felt about Jonathan 'xMONSTERxDONGx' Karamalikis

They just had a small blind vs big blind confrontation. Pizanias completed from the small blind and Karamalikis checked his option.

The flop came  . Pizanias bet out for 2,000 and Karamalikis called. 

On the  turn Pizanias slowed down, by checking. This time Karamalikis took control, betting 4,200. Pizanias made the call.

When the  hit the river Pizanias checked once more. Karamalikis tossed in two yellow chips and one orange one (for a bet of 11,000). Pizanias sighed and called.

Karamalikis flipped over  for three of a kind. 

"I knew you had the three you donkey!' Pizanias called out as he showed the  for top pair before throwing his cards into the muck.

"I knew it!" he said again. He looked at Michael Mayer on one side of him and then back at Karamalikis on the other side of him.

"I am surrounded by donkeys!"

Ioannou eliminates one and builds a mountain

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:27pm

All of the money went in pre-flop when Sam Ioannou called his opponents all-in.

Ioannou: 
Opponent: 

Board: 

Ioannou's kicker does what it does best and has kicked one out of the tournament. Ioannou is now up and over 150,000 chips, more than triple the average stack!

BREAKING NEWS: Brendon Rubie Does Not Win Tournament!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:16pm

Something very strange has just happened here in the Star Poker Room. Brendon Rubie has been eliminated from this tournament.

He moved all in and was called by Bassam 'The Giant' Habib.

Habib: 

Rubie: 

The board did not help Rubie and he has been sent away from the tournament area. He was last spotted standing and staring off into the abyss. We are not sure if he knows what to do when you are eliminated at this stage of a tournament!

Nine Time

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:11pm

We are now on Level 9!

The blinds a 500/1,000 with a 100 ante.

We have 125 runners remaining. 

The Famous Brother's still got it

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 6:08pm

Tony "The Famous Brother" Hachem (pictured) opened to 2,100 and was called by both Michael Larcher and William Qiu. The flop came  which was checked around to Hachem who fired again for 2,700. Larcher called and Qiu moved all in. 

Tony Hachem calls all-in and Larcher gets out of the way.

Larcher:
Hachem: 

The famous brother was in front but at risk. No one improved as the board played out and Hachem doubled up. Qiu is now severely short stacked as we close in on level 9

Riberra and Zhang get Chao'd on!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 5:37pm

Sal Riberra raised to 1,600 from middle position and both Haoran 'Rotus' Zhang and Chao 'for now' Duan called from the blinds.

Everyone checked the  flop and when the  hit the turn Zhang led out for 2,825. Duan wasted no time before re-raising to 8,200. Riberra folded and then after some manly posing Zhang did the same.

"I folded a monster, I had ,' RIberra told the table. Somehow I don't think anyone believed him.

Next Level

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 5:31pm

We are now on level 8.

The blinds are 400/800 with a 100 ante. 

There are currently 145 players remaining and the average stack is 35,725.

Quads will do

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 5:30pm

There were two players in the hand, Brett Murtagh (pictured) and one other. With the board reading , Murtagh called his opponents bet of 9,500. 

When the  came on the river, Murtagh's opponent moved all in for 23,000 and Murtagh snap called tabling  for quads on the turn, crushing his opponent's pockets.

"That's never happened to me before!" Murtagh explained as he built his mountain of chips.

Bassam Habib Doubles!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 5:20pm

The player in the small blind limped after it was folded to them and then Bassam 'The Giant' Habib raised to 1,600. The small blind called and we headed to the flop.

The flop came  and with the small blind led out for 3,500. Habib raised to 10,000 and the small blind went all in. Habib quickly called.

Habib: 

Small Blind: 

The turn  and river  changed nothing and Bassam Habib is now sitting on 45,000 chips!

Peco spreads his wings and takes flight

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 5:10pm

Peco Stojanovski is best viewed through the lens of a camera. Regularly seen making the most of the limelight, Peco wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste.

As we strolled past his table we caught him moving all in for his remaining 2,750 on the  flop and was called by one other. 

Peco: 
Caller: 

The turn and river came:  and Peco doubles up, ready to make a move in this tournament. 

Saunders Eliminated By Nielson

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 5:05pm

Occasionaly when dealers give players their whole cards one flips up and is exposed. That card is shown to everyone, mucked and then the player is given another card to replace it.

This happened in a recent hand where the  was accidentally exposed when it was being given to Daniel Nielson.

Once the cards were dealt and the hand commenced Trevor Saunders bet 1,300. Daniel Nielson looked down at his hand and saw that he had ! The dealer had very kindly replaced the other Jack that had been exposed with a new Jack! Nielson raised to 5,200 and Saunders made the call.

The flop came down  . Saunders moved all in for around 10,000. Nielson gave it some thought before eventually making the call.

He was in front, Saunders held  for second pair and a flush draw. However, he did not improve on the turn or the river and was eliminated from the tournament.

Daniel Nielson now has around 53,000!

Back to it

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:51pm

The Re-Entry period has now closed and players are back for 300/600 with a 50 ante.

The board is telling us that 340 runners entered this tournament and that just 184 remain. We will get final numbers as soon as they are made available.

Michael Mayer puts one away before the break

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:50pm

On the final hand before the break, we got the table just in time to see Michael Mayar scoop a nice pot and make an elimination.
Mayar made it 2,700 pre-flop and got two callers. When the flop came  the player in front of Mayer moved all in for his remaining 16,000 which was folded to Mayer who called.

Mayer:
Opponent: 

Turn and River: 

Mayer is now in a nice position as players return from the break in time for level 7 

Riberra ribs Rotus

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:50pm

Haoran 'Rotus' Zhang lost a large chunk of his stack just before the break against Sal Ribbera who is up from Melbourne for this tournament series.

With the board reading  Ribbera bet 11,000 into a 9,000 pot. Zhang moved all in and Ribbera quickly called.

Zhang:  - Top pair and nut flush draw

Ribbera:  - Overpair and an up and down straight draw

Zhang got no help from the river and handed most of his chips over to Sal Ribbera who is now on 80,000!

Break

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:41pm

Players are on their second break of the day.

Re-entry will end after this break and we will have final numbers when we come back in ten minutes!

Hopped up on chips

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:41pm

James 'Hoppy' Hopkins has continued to acquire chips in this event today. His table has gotten a lot tougher as now Daniel 'Moses' Nielson, Joel 'Carry Over Champ' Dodds, Joseph 'Selma' Hayek and Trevor 'The Banana' Saunders now call the table home too.

On a previous hand, Hopkins raised to 1,050 preflop and received a call from Nielson. Both players checked the  flop before Nielson took control on the  turn by betting out 1,900. Hopkins called.

On the  river Nielson bet out 7,400. Hopkins called.

Nielson:  - King high

Hopkins:  - for free Jacks, a flush and several other hands that beat Nielson.

James Hopkins is looking red hot today, as the picture shows!

Lin and Matsioukkou go head to head

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:23pm

On a four-way flop reading  Celina Lin (left) and Michael Matsioukkou were about to enter a grudge match that could end Matsioukkou's tournament.

The action was checked around to Lin who raised to 2,000 and was re-raised by Matsioukkou to 6,000. The other two players saw the aggression on offer and got out their way. Lin moved all-in for 22,000 (just under average stack), Matsioukkou made the call and was at risk.

Lin: 
Matsioukkou: 

In an unlikely turn of events, no one managed to improve over the other when the remaining cards fell  giving both players a straight. The pot was chopped and both Lin and Matsioukkou went on to play another hand. 

The Hippo gets fatter!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:05pm

Ali 'Peppermint Hippo' Khalil has doubled up on his very first hand back in the tournament! With a raise to 750 and a call in front of him, Khalil raised to 2,300. The initial raiser than raised to 6,300 and the other player folded. 

Khalil was here for a good time not a long time so he moved his total stack into the middle. His opponent called.

Khalil: 

Other guy: 

The board changed nothing and Khalil gets a nice double up to start his second bullet with a bang,

Nielson's got the goods

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:05pm

On table including James Hopkins, Trevor Saunders and Joel "Reigning Champion" Dodds, we caught some well-timed aggression from Sydney's favourite pacifist, Daniel Nielson.

Nielson re-raised the player on his left from 650 to 1,800 and was called to see the flop. When  hit the board it was checked to Nielson who c-bet to 1,500 and was called once more. Nielson continued his aggression on the  turn, barrelling again for 4,000. Unwaveringly, he was called again. 

The river came  and this is where things changed. Nielson's opponent fired 8,000 into the middle which stopped Nielson in his tracks. Nielson went into the tank, counting out his remaining 10,000 chips and made the call.

Nielson: 
Opponent: 

Nielson's aces hold as he dodges the flush and scoops a pot worth over 30,000

Next Level

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:02pm

We are now on Level 6, the last before the break.

Blinds are now 200/400 with a 50 ante.

The Hippo is hunted down by Hunter

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 4:01pm

Ali 'Peppermint Hippo' Khalil has been eliminated from his first bullet.

The chips went all in preflop.

Khalil: 

Hunter S:

Board: 

Khalil moved quicker than he ever has before to get to the re-entry counter.

Atik vs Dong II - 9 high is good sir!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 3:56pm

One orbit later, Atik and Dong were at it again in another battle of the blinds. 

This time it folded to Karamalikis in the Small Blind, he raised to 700 and Atik made the call

Both players checked the  flop as well as the  turn. When the  hit the river Karamalikis bet out 300 chips.

Atik gave it a moments thought before making the call. 

Karamalikis turned over  for three high. Atik smiled and showed  for nine high!

Nine high was good, pay the man his money.

Atik vs Dong

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 3:44pm

There is a little bit of chemistry here between Izzy Atik and Jonathan 'xMONSTERxDONGx' at one of our raised tables here in the Star Poker Room.

On a recent hand, it folded to Karamalikis in the small blind who made it 700. Atik then re-raised to 2,200 from the big blind. The action was then back on Karamalikis who put in a fourth bet to 5,700. Atik folded and the dreamiest man in poker just got a little dreamier.

Ante Up

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 3:18pm

We are now onto our first level with Antes in today's tournament.

The blinds are once again 150/300 but this time there is a 25 ante.

A tale of three Michaels

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 3:16pm

There is a going trend on one of our outer tables. The trend is having the name Michael.

We have Michael Mayer, Michael Tran and Michael Mariakis all sitting next to each other at a table. 

Tran is slightly short-stacked, Mayer is doing ok but it is Michael Mariakis who is doing the best of our three Michaels.

He just picked up a recent hand where he raised to 650 from middle position and was called by Michael Mayer on the button and then, shockingly, by a player whose name is not Michael, in the small blind.

On the flop of  when checked to him Mariakis bet out 1,750. Both of his opponents folded and he maintained his status as the dominant Michael!

Back in the swing of it

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 2:46pm

Players are back from the break. We are now playing 150/300 with no ante.

We have had 290 entries so far with 225 still remaining.

Break time

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 2:30pm

Players are on their first ten-minute break of the day.

When we come back registration will be closed, players will still be able to re-enter for another three levels though.

Big hand for Michael Mariakis!

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 2:27pm

It seems like three-way all-ins are the preferred move today. Michael Mariakis has just been a major beneficiary of one.

Mariakis was on the button when the player in the cutoff raised to 2,125. Mariakis looked down at his hand to see  and re-raised to 6,250.

Then the action was on Jun Lin in the small blind who moved all in for around 13,000. Both the cut-off and Mariakis made the call.

Mariakis: 

Lin: 

Cut-off: 

Board: 

Mariakis busts two players and gets a huge triple up to sit above 50,000! 

The Man Levitates

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 2:21pm

Stan 'The Man' Levitan is walking on sunshine at the moment.

He was getting short-stacked and managed to get all in against two other opponents with pocket nines.

One opponent had pocket sixes and the other had Ace-Queen. 

The pocket nines held and Levitan is back up to 26,000.

Turns Out He Can be beat

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 2:04pm

Turns out that James 'Hoppy' Hopkins is human after all.

Joseph Hayek limped from the cut off and it folded around to Hopkins in the big blind who made it 850 to go.

Hayek made the call and we saw a flop of  . Hopkins led out for 1,500 and with the action on Hayek he raised to 3,500. 

With the action back on Hopkins he moved all in and Hayek quickly called.

Hayek:  - Flopped Flush

Hopkins:  - Top pair and nut flush draw

Hopkins received no help on the turn and river and doubled up Hayek to around 35,000.

Tres

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:52pm

We are now on level three of this tournament

Blinds are 100/200 and this is the last level before the break. We currently have 243 entrants here today!

"He can't be beat!"

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:49pm

James 'Hoppy' Hopkins has had a cracking start to today's tournament and currently is sitting on around 55,000 in chips!

In a recent hand, Joseph Hayek opened from the cut off and Jimmy Tran completed from the small blind. Hopkins looked down to see  and made it 850 to go.

Hayek and Tran both called.

On the  Tran checked over to Hopkins who made a 2,100 continuation bet. Hayek folded and Tran made the call.

The  hit the turn and Tran once again check-called Hopkins bet. This time it was a bet of 4,200. 

On the river  Hopkins moved all in when it was checked to him. "I can only beat a bluff," Tran said which must have pleased Hopkins who was not bluffing.

Tran called and true to his word could not beat a pair of Kings. He mucked when Hopkins showed his hand.

"He can't be beat!" a player exclaimed at the table as it became evident that James 'Hoppy' Hopkins was turning everyone into a believer.

The Man Falls Early

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:34pm

Stan 'The Man' Levitan is on to his second bullet in this event.

We missed the hand but we just caught up with the man who talked us through his bust out.

He had Kings and decided to slowplay them. He ended up three-way on an  flop and he got his chips all into the middle against an opponent. The only problem was, his opponent had slow played Aces!

In a six-handed tournament, it is likely the chips were all going into the middle regardless but Levitan has dusted himself off and sat at table 33 for his second attempt at this event.

Early Action

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:22pm

We are seeing lots of action early so far in this event.

A lot of players have already utilised their re-entry early in this event. They include Michael O'Grady, Johan Lees and Matthew Velcic who have all been sent to the rail once already.

Playing for second

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:20pm

Brendon Rubie has just registered for the tournament and taken his seat.

Given how good he is running during this WSOP Sydney, firstly winning the 5k Challenge and then going into Day 2 of the Main Event with a massive chip lead. Everyone else may be playing for second here today!

Joueurs notables

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:19pm

We are jam-packed with notable players in today's field. So far we have spotted:

Stan Levitan, Martin Kozlov, Paul Byrne, Luis Arrilucea, James Hopkins, Aidan Hildebrandt, Haoran Zhang, Peco Stojanovski, Michael Tran, Daniel Nielson, Ashleigh Tran, Michael O'Grady, Ryan Bownds, Ali Khalil, George Psarras, Daniel Laidlaw, Dean Boskovic, David Lee, Andrew White, Sailendra Sha, John Caridad, Dean Blatt, Tim Ulmer, Marc Liddel, Charbel Boustani, Huss Hassan, Royce Lui, Toothpick Tony, Najeem Ajez, Warwick Mirzikinian, Alan Casas, Daniel Hope, Robert Damelian, Jim Pizanias, Al Josue, Michael Mayer and Madhu Appia!

Deuce

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:12pm

We are on the second level of the day. The blinds are now 75/150.

We currently have just under 200 entrants in this tournament so far!

Whoever brakes first loses

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 1:09pm

In a No Limit Hold'em 6 Max tournament aggression is generally far more powerful than cards.

We just saw an example of that in a recent hand involving Alan Wilson (possibly related to Owen and Luke?) and the 2017 WSOP Sydney Opening Event Champion, Johan Lees.

The action folded to Lees on the button who raised to 250. The small blind folded and Wilson 3-bet to 850 from the Big Blind.

Lees thought for a moment before responding with a 4-bet to 2,300. Wilson then 5-bet to 4,800!

This was more than enough for Lees who quickly mucked and Wilson and his aggression won out the day!

1x Re-Entry

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 12:47pm

This tournament is a 1x Re-Entry tournament. 

'What does that mean?' I hear you ask? That means you can re-enter the tournament once only. 

Players can join our tournament up until the end of the first break, so around 2:40, and can re-enter all the way up to the end of the second break, around 4:50.

Plenty of room to move

Posted Sun, 10 Dec 2017 12:43pm

Welcome back to the Star Poker Room for Event 7 here in the 2017 WSOP Sydney Circuit, the 6-Max Event!

This is probably the most comfortable tournament in the series as with just six players at each table there is plenty of room to move. In saying that the play is a little more aggressive so you pay for your comfort by finding yourself in some very uncomfortable spots!

We will be playing 15 levels on Day 1 of this event each going for 40 minutes. Blinds have started at 50/100 and players start with 15,000 chips which is good for 150 big blinds.