This is it! We are back in the Fontana Room at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas for the taping of the final table for the North American Doyle Brunson Classic.420 players entered the 4 day $10,000 event with hopes of winning a first place prize of $1 million. The winner also gets a free seat in the $25K WPT Championships at the Bellagio. Some of the top names in poker played in this prestigious event and it was great to see some familiar faces at the final table.
With three big stacks and three small stacks, it's gonna be interesting. We could possibly see a Minh Ly/Dan Harrington heads up match up, but I'm sure the young gun Gavin Smith will try to sneak in there.
Here's who will be playing today, including seat assignments and chip counts:
Seat 1: Tony Grand $118KStay tuned for live blogging updates.
Seat 2: Minh Ly $3.056M
Seat 3: Dan Harrington $2.937M
Seat 4: Don Zewin $552K
Seat 5: Gavin Smith $1.368M
Seat 6: Jan Sorensen 370K
Here are today's payouts:
1st place = $1,060,000
2nd place = $620,730
3rd place = $327,610
4th place = $189,630
5th place = $137,940
6th place = $96,560
6:20pm... Right now, the crowd is seated ad the crew is testing the lights.
6:25pm... I'm sitting in Press Row in between Jen from Poker Wire and Foiled Coup from Poker Pages. (You are welcome for the plug Amy!)
6:30pm... I got a last longer bet in the "media pool" with BJ from Card Player and Heather from Poker Wire. I took Dan Harrington, BJ has Minh Ly, and Heather has Gavin Smih.
6:40pm... Charlie Shoten is in the house!
6:45pm... I've been playing cash games on Poker Stars with a bunch of bloggers including Wil Wheaton.
6:57pm... The crew asked the crowd to clap so they could tape it for the show. We did 6 takes and my hands hurt from clapping so hard! Does this get me a SAG card?
7:22pm... Human Head took 4th in the Wil Wheaton tourney on Poker Stars. Great job!
7:34pm... Players are being introduced.
7:36pm... "Shuffle up and deal!" Cards are in the air.
7:50pm... Tony Grand is 81 years old folks! Talk about quite a feat to survive make a final table in a 4 day event.
8:04pm... Dan Harrington won a $500K against Minh Ly with A-3 when he flopped an ace.
8:07pm... We have our first all-in heads up hand. Gavin Smith has 3-3 and Tony Grand has A-10. Tony had the Ace of hearts and flopped three hearts. Tony caught a flush on the turn and doubled up.
8:13pm... Tony Grand has 10-10 and Don Zewin has A-Q and both players were all in preflop. Zewin flopped an Ace and took the lead. The turn and river did not help Tony Grand and he was the sixth place finisher. He won $96,560 and became the oldest player to make a WPT final table. Here's the most recent chip count:
1 Dan Harrington $3.3M
2 Minh Ly $3M
3 Gavin Smith $1.1M
4 Don Zewin $720K
5 Jan Sorensen $300K
8:23pm... Don Zerwin moved all in with 7-7 and Jan Sorenson called with 5-5. Jan Sorenson's hand did not improve and hee was eliminated in 5th place. He won $137,940.8:45pm... Bouncin Round the Room: Players are on a break. And now... back by popular demand.
Last 5 Pros I Took a Piss Next To:8:52pm... We're on a new level. Blinds are $25K/50K with $5K antes. Here's an updated chip count:
1. Gavin Smith
2. Ted Forrest
3. Dan Harrington
4. Minh Ly
5. Erick Lindgren
1 Dan Harrington $ 3.16M8:55pm... With an Ace on the flop, Gavin Smith moved all in with A-Q against Dan Harrington's A-10s. Gavin Smith's hand held up and he doubled up against Harrington.
2 Minh Ly $2.885M
3 Don Zewin $1.22M
4 Gavin Smith $1.125M
9:32pm... Action has slowed down a bit. Here's an updated chip count:
1 Gavin Smith $2.65M9:52pm... Dan Harrington won a hand off of Minh Ly with 9-9. He is now tied for the chiplead.
2 Dan Harrington $2.5M
3 Minh Ly $2.16M
4 Don Zewin $650K
9:54pm... We're at a new level. Blinds are $40K/$80K with $10K antes.
10:20pm... Players are currently on a break. Minh Ly has over $3M in chips.
10:24pm... While on a break, I bumped into a reader of my blog... Chris from Raleigh, NC. He pointed at the bathroom and asked if that was "the bathroom" where the couple were fucking in the stall next to me. I laughed and told him it was at Mandalay Bay. Always great to meet a fan. And damn, that athroom story has been getting a lot of mileage this week.
10:34pm... Don Zerwin doubled up with K-K against Dan Harrington's A-J. Action Dan lost a good part of his stack. Harrington, Gavin Smith, and Zerwin all have about the same amount of chips with $1.5 to Minh Ly's $3M.
10:55pm... While action has slowed down, I'm gonna post two pics that Curtis aka Special K took today.
WPT Hostess: Courtney Friel
Doyle & Courtney
11:11pm... We're on a new level. Blinds are $60/$120K with $15K antes.
11:19pm... BJ told me that we are on hand #99. I think he just wanted to see his named blogged.
11:26pm... Gavin Smith has almost $4M in chips! Harrington is the short stack with $800K.
11:59pm.... Players went on a break and I made a run to the Snack Bar next to Light, one of the more hip clubs here in Las Vegas. The chicks in line were slammin' hot! I could tell they were wet when they saw my cool PRESS badge.
12:01am... Here's an updated chip count:
1 Minh Ly $2.94512:25am... We're at a new level. Blinds are $100K/$200K with a $10K ante.
2 Gavin Smith $2.79M
3 Dan Harrington $1.78M
4 Don Zewin $825K
12:28am... Finally some action!! Minh Ly raised on the button and Harrington came over the top all in with K-J versus Minh Ly's 9-9. The flop didn't help Harrington, but he turned a King and his fans in the crowd went wild. The river did not help Minh Ly and Dan Harrington doubled up.
12:35am... Minh Ly moved all in with his shortstack. He had J-J and Dan Harrington called with 8-8. The flop was Q-Q-Q and the turn and river did not help Harrington. Minh Ly got most of his chips back.
12:45am... Dan Harrington went all in with 9c-7c. Don Zewin called with 9-9 and had Harrington dominated. The flop had a 7 and two clubs. The Harrington-heads went wild because Action Dan picked up a flush draw. When the 10 of clubs spiked on the river, the room erupted in applause. Harrington survived his all in and Don Zewin was eliminated in 4th place. He won $189,630. There was a good four plus hours in between eliminations. There are three players remaining. Dan Harrington has about $3M in chips. Gavin Smith has about $2.7 and Minh Ly has $2.6M.
12:53am... Minh Ly moved all in with K-8o. Gavin Smith took several minutes before he eventually called with A-7s. Minh Ly flopped a King and took the lead. Gavin Smith's hand did not improve and he was crippled. Minh Ly became the chipleader on that hand with over $5M.
12:55am... Gavin Smith moved all in with his short stack with 10-2o. Fitting hand since this is the Doyle Brunson North American Classic and the 10-2 was named after Brunson when he won back to back WSOP main events with 10-2. Dan Harrington called with 8-4s and flopped an 8 and turned a 4 to send Gavin Smith home in 3rd place. He won $327,610 for 3rd place.
12:57am... The Bellagio Babes are coming in for the money presentation. They are wearing sexy black coktail dresses and carrying cash in the Stetson hats like the one Texas Dolly often wears. We now have the anticipated match up between Minh Ly and Dan Harrington. Minh Ly is one of the best cash game players in the world and plays in Doyle Brunson's Big Game. And Harrington is considered one of the best tournament players in the world and has made four final tables at the WSOP main event. Minh Ly holds the chip lead with $5.02M to $3.375M.
1:11am... On hand #131 of the final table and during the first hand of heads up play, both players moved all in preflop. Minh Ly showed K-J and Dan Harrington flipped over A-J. The flop was all rags and the turn and river did not help Minh Ly. Dan Harrington doubled up and now has well over $6.75M to Minh Ly's $1.6M.
1:22am... Minh Ly moved all in with 10-9o and Dan Harrington called with A-9o. The flop was: Q-10-6. Minh Ly took the lead and his hand held up.
1:35am... Both players are about even in chips.
1:45am... New level. Blinds are $150K-$300K with $30K antes.
1:51am... Dan Harrington moved all in with A-5 agianst Minh Ly's J-3. Minh Ly had the chip advantage. The flop was: 3-6-9 and Minh Ly took the lead. The turn was a King and the river was a Jack and Minh Ly won the WPT Doyle Brunson North American Classic. Minh Ly will take home a cool $1,060,000 for first place along with a seat in the WPT Championships next April here at the Bellagio. Dan Harrington won $620,730 for second place.
2005 WPT Doyle Brunson
North American Champion: Minh Ly
Final 2: Action Dan Harrington & Minh Ly
Minh Ly with Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten, and Courtney Friel
That's it for now. You can read my recap and see pictures of this spectacular event and over at Las Vegas and Poker Blog and Poker Player Newspaper.
The next WPT event and poker tournament that I will be covering is the WPT Foxwoods in mid-November. See you there. Thanks for reading and checking in.
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