Main Event
Day 2 Completed
Main Event
Day 2 Completed
Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event here at Caesars Atlantic City is in the books and we are down to the final nine.
Patrick Houchins of Annapolis, Maryland is the chip leader with 1.62 million and Roland Israelashvili is in search of back-to-back wins in this event.
The clock is paused with 5 minutes left in Level 26 with the blinds at 12,000/24,000/4,000. Here's a look at the entire final table.
Seat | Name | Hometown | Count |
---|---|---|---|
Seat 1 | Albert Winchester | Fallas Church, VA | 1,034,000 |
Seat 2 | Ellis Frazier | Troy, VA | 956,000 |
Seat 3 | Roland Israelashvili | New York, NY | 645,000 |
Seat 4 | Brian Ali | Brooklyn, NY | 1,380,000 |
Seat 5 | Joe Caffrey | Silverton, NJ | 759,000 |
Seat 6 | Patrick Houchins | Annapolis, MD | 1,621,000 |
Seat 7 | John Andress | Doylestown, PA | 808,000 |
Seat 8 | Jerry Van Strydonck | Arlington, VA | 1,177,000 |
Seat 9 | Jeff Rowland | Indianapolis, IN | 438,000 |
The day began with 81 runners including chip leader Frank Argano. Argano didn’t get anything going today however, finishing in 25th place when he jammed with on a board. Brian Ali made the call with and binked the on the turn to record the knockout.
Ali busted four other players in the money including David Fruchter, Jeffrey Vanchiro, Angelo Modica and the last woman standing, Lynne Mitchnick.
Speaking of money, the bubble was burst in a controversial way. Vasilios Hrisafinis and Vincent Moscat busted simultaneously on separate tables, but at first the staff was only going to pay Hrisafinis. After a few minutes of deliberation the decision was reversed and both players split 45th place money.
Argano wasn’t the only player who entered the day with a big stack and failed to make the final table. Dylan Drazen, David Zeitlin, Daniel Buzgon and Mukul Pahuja all had over 200,000 to start Day 2, but busted during the day. Pahuja took a brutal beat with two tables remaining, getting it in with and losing to Adam Lippert’s when a ten peeled on the turn.
Scott Carpenter was also crippled by kings. On a flop of he got all of his chips in the middle against Patrick Houchins. Houchins opened for two-pair and held when the turn and river came , respectively. He was left with 15,000 and busted the next hand.
During the later stages of the day, Albert Winchester shot up to the top of the charts with thanks to a monster hand against Mike Kosowski. Both players flopped trip aces on an board. Winchester’s had Kosowski’s crushed, and Winchester held to push his stack over a million chips.
On the last hand of the night, the official final table bubble burst when Lippert four-bet jammed with and Houchins, the three-bettor, called with . Despite the fact that Strydonck folded and another player mucked an ace, Houchins won the hand when the board ran , solidifying him as the chip leader entering Day 3.
The tournament resumes tomorrow at 2 p.m. local time where we will play down to a winner. Will Israelashvili go back to back? Can Houchins go wire-to-wire at the final table? Will we see Ali vs. Frazier IV? Make sure you set your clocks for daylight savings (Spring FORWARD!) and return to d9y.shop tomorrow for all of your live updates!
Joe Caffrey raised to 50,000 from middle position, then Patrick Houchins, sitting to Caffrey's left, swiftly set out a stack of pink (10,000) chips to raise to 200,000. Adam Lippert was next to act, and after checking his cards and thinking a moment, announced he was reraising all in for his last 448,000.
Jerry Van Strydonck was next in line, and had to think a little while before letting his hand go. It then folded back around to Caffrey who got out, then Houchins quickly called. The pair opened their hands:
Houchins
Lippert
The flop hit Houchins, coming , and the turn and river sealed it. Lippert left the table less than pleased, and after he'd stepped away Strydonck commented it probably was a good idea he didn't mention he'd folded .
Lippert is out in 10th, and Houchins will be our chip leader when play resumes tomorrow, his stack now above 1.6 million.
Patrick Houchins opened to 74,000 from late position and John Andress three-bet to 175,000 on the button. Action folded back to Houchins who flatted and the two saw a flop of .
Houchins checked and Andress moved all in for a little less than the pot. Houchins released and Andress took down the pot.
Albert Winchester raised to 52,000 from under the gun, then Roland Israelashvili pushed all in from middle position for 290,000 total. It folded back around and Winchester made the call.
Winchester
Israelashvili
The flop came -- trips for Israelashvili! And the on the turn made it a full house, making the on the river no matter.
"He's going to go back-to-back," said Adam Lippert, alluding to Israelashvili's WSOP-C Atlantic City Main Event win last spring. "You don't understand how this man runs!"
He's run his stack up to 610,000 now, with Winchester slipping to 875,000.
Jerry Van Strydonck opened with a raise to 55,000 from middle position, then Albert Winchester reaised to 142,000 from the cutoff. It folded back to Strydonck who sat for several minutes before reraising again to 232,000.
Winchester now went into the tank, finally emerging to say "I don't want to do it" and folded. Strydonck showed one card as he dragged the pot -- the .
"That's so dirty!" said Patrick Houchins. "Why didn't you show the deuce?" cracked Roland Israelashvilli.
That hand brings Strydonck and Winchester closer, chip-wise, with both now hovering around the 1.1 million mark.
They've redrawn for the not-quite-final final ten-handed table. Here's where they're sitting:
Seat 1 | Albert Winchester |
Seat 2 | Ellis Frazier |
Seat 3 | Roland Israelashvili |
Seat 4 | Brian Ali |
Seat 5 | Joe Caffrey |
Seat 6 | Patrick Houchins |
Seat 7 | Adam Lippert |
Seat 8 | John Andress |
Seat 9 | Jerry Van Strydonck |
Seat 10 | Jeff Rowland |
Action folded to Leo Whitt in the cutoff and he open-jammed for around 200,000. Joe Caffrey folded his button, Brian Ali gave up his small blind and Ellis Frazier snap-called from the big blind.
"You're way ahead, sir," Whitt announced.
Showdown
Whitt:
Frazier:
The flop was fairly benign, but the on the turn gave Whitt a gut-shot straight draw. The bricked off on the river however and Whitt was eliminated from the tournament in 11th place.
The remaining ten players are redrawing for seats and we will update you on their positions momentarily.
As the clock struck midnight, suddenly the subject of Daylight Savings Time became everyone's central focus, with multiple theories about what really is going to happen later tonight being tossed about like so many chips.
"So what time is it really?" asked Albert Winchester, paraphrasing a line from that old Chicago song.
Remember, spring forward folks. We lose an hour tonight.
Action folded to Jeff Rowland who moved all in from the small blind for around 225,000. Tim Begley sweated his two cards, nodded and announce, "Call."
Showdown
Rowland:
Begley:
The flop fell and Rowland jumped out to the lead with a pair of sixes. Begley was looking for paint, but didn't find any on the turn () or the river () and was left with only 4,000 chips - enough for an ante.
The next hand he was all in blind and John Andress opened to 54,000 from middle position. Jerry Van Strydonck called out of the big blind and the flop came . Strydonck checked to Andress who continued for 65,000 and Strydonck folded.
Andress tabled two aces and Begley looked at his hand for the first time - it was .
The on the turn gave him a gut-shot straight draw, but the on the river was a brick and he was eliminated.