Legends of Poker - Live Updates

Harrington on Hold'em

Action Dan Harrington has won the World Poker Tour Season 6 Legends of Poker tournament here at the Bicycle Casino in L.A. The win comes after an eight-hour final table that included a lengthy heads-up battle with runner-up David Pham. The pair's chips seesawed back and forth before Harrington finally slayed the Dragon.

The winning hand sees Pham call and Harrington check prior to the T♠ 5♠ 4♥ flop. Harrington bets out $400,000 and receives a call from Pham to see the A♦ turn card.

Harrington bets $1 million and the Dragon moves all-in for the kill with 7♣ 5♥ to land a call from Harrington, who is holding T♥ 5♣. The board gives Harrington two pair - tens and fives - and leaves Pham drawing dead.

The WSOP World Champion and acclaimed tournament Hold'em author wins $1.6 million and a seat at the 2008 Championship for his four days of poker. Pham leaves the event in second place with $800,185.

And the Pham Club Goes Wild

In a big hand prior to Harrington's win, David Pham limps in for $200,000 and Dan Harrington checks. The flop is Q♦ 7♥ 5♠ and Harrington checks again. He hears back from Pham, who bets $250,000, to which Harrington responds by moving all-in. Pham calls with Q♠ 7♦ for top two pair, while Harrington is looking to improve on his K♥ 7♠.

The turn is 8♥ and the river is the 7♣ to double up Pham to $4.32 million.

Ah Ah Ah Ah Stayin' Alive

Moments after doubling up Dan Harrington, David Pham found himself all-in once again. Pham moved all-in and got a fairly quick call from Dan who cringed when he saw his T♠ 6♠ was dominated by the Dragon's A♦ 6♣.

The flop came out K♦ 5♥ 3♠, keeping Pham in the lead. The turn was the 4♦ which gave Harrington a few more outs for the chop. The river was the 4♣ though and David Pham doubles up to stay alive.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

David Pham raises $500,000 pre-flop and Dan Harrington calls. The flop is J♥ 9♣ 3♠ and Pham checks while Harrington bets out $700,000. In a minute, Pham announces he's all-in. Pham has K♠ Q♠ and Harrington is holding T♥ 9♠ off-suit for a pair of nines.

Pham has Harrington covered for $1,020,000.

The turn is the A♥ to give the Dragon a straight draw, but Action Dan is still in the lead with a pair of nines. The pair holds up when the river brings the 8♦ and leaves the Dragon aching for chips.

Harrington with the All-In

Dan Harrington just took a down a big pot when he moved all-in over the top of a David Pham river bet. Both players saw a flop of K♠ 8♠ 4♥ and Harrington bet out $300K. Harrington made the call and the turn brought the J♠.

Both players check and the river comes the A♣. Pham leads out for $800,000 and Harrington takes a few moments before moving all-in. It was more than a million back to Pham and after a bit of thought he released his hand, conceding the pot.

Harrington Calls... Again

David Pham calls and Dan Harrington checks to see a flop of J♠ T♠ 3♥. The flop is checked around to the 2♦, which receives the same treatment. The river is the K♠ and Harrington checks but Pham bets $200,000. Harrington thinks a minute then calls, but when Pham shows A-T for a pair of tens Action Dan gets out of his way.

Advantage = Pham

David Pham just took another nice pot from Action Dan after pushing him out of the hand on the flop. Pham raised to $450,000 from the small blind and got a call from Harrington in the big blind. The flop came down A♠ J♥ 6♣ and after a check from Dan, the Dragon fired $600,000. Harrington only thought for a few minutes before mucking his hand and conceding the pot.

In a related story, PL.com has laid some serious action on Pham to win here in the media room so each pot he takes down is another nail in the coffin of the competing outlet which is pulling for Harrington.

Stacked

According to the latest counts, David Pham has $5.8 million in chips and Dan Harrington has $3.7 million in front of him.

Pham Gets Evil

Dan Harrington calls and David Pham checks to a T♥ 6♥ 6♣ flop. Both men check and the turn is the 4♥. Pham puts out a $200,000 bet to receive a call from Harrington. The river is the Q♠ and Pham bets $500,000. After a moment's pause, Harrington calls, takes one look at the Dragon's 6-3 and mucks his cards.

Blinds Soon to Go Up

The blinds are set to go up shortly. Next level they'll be at $100K/$200K with a $20K ante.

Great Call from the Dragon

David Pham just picked up a nice pot after making an astounding call on the river. Both players limped in with Harrington in the small blind and Pham in the big and the flop came down 6♦ 6♠ 3♥. Both players checked and the turn brought the 4♣. After a check from Pham, Harrington bet out $200K and got a call.

The river was the A♥ and after another check from the Dragon, Harrington counted out $400,000 and pushed it across the line. After a bit of thought Pham made the call. "Nice call," said Harrington as Pham turned over K-9 for just king high. It was good for the pot and as he rakes in the pot we all wonder how you make that call with king high.

I Heart Winning Pots

Harrington and Pham are looking at a flop of K♥ 7♥ 2♥. Action Dan checks but the Dragon bets out $200,000 and receives a call from Harrington. The turn is the 9♦ and it is checked to the river, which is the 8♥, to put four hearts on the board. Harrington opts to check but Pham bets $600,000 and Action Dan mucks.

 Making Up for Lost Ground

David Pham calls for $60,000 and Dan Harrington checks. The flop fills out J♣ 6♠ 6♥ and it’s checked by both men to bring the K♣ for the turn. Harrington bets out $150,000 and the Dragon calls to see a four on the river. Action Dan flips up a 10-2 and Pham shows a jack to take the pot.

Huge Pot for Harrington

Action Dan Harrington just took a massive pot from David Pham just a few hands into heads-up play. Harrington opened to $300,000 from the small blind and got a call from the Dragon.

The flop came Q♣ 7♦ 3♥ and Harrington led out with a $350K bet. Pham makes a quick call and the turn brings the 7♣. Dan checks it over to Pham who bets out $450,000. After a bit of thought Harrington makes the call and the river brings the 4♣.

Dan the Man.

Harrington checks once again and Pham reaches for chips, announcing a bet of $1.5 million. Harrington calls quickly and Pham says, "You got it." Harrington shows Q-T for two pair, queens and sevens, and Pham mucks his hand. With that pot Harrington is up to over $6 million while Pham is down to about $3.5 million.

Thu Nguyen or Not to Win

Thu Nguyen has been eliminated at the hands of The Dragon - David Pham. David opened up the pot to $400,000 from the button and when it got to Nguyen in the big blind he announced all-in. Pham only took a few moments before making the call and laying A♦ Q♠ down on the felt.

Pham saw he was in great shape when Thu tabled A♥ 5♥. The board ran J♣ 7♦ 3♠ 7♦ K♦ and Pham's A-Q high held up for the win and the elimination. Nguyen is out in third place and will take home $388,660.

Dan Gets Some Action

David Pham and Dan Harrington check a flop of Q♣ 8♣ 4♣. The turn is K♠ and Pham bets $160,000 to receive a call from Action Dan. The river is the A♦ and Pham checks, only to have Harrington bet out $500,000. After some thought, the Dragon mucks his cards but shows an eight.

Thu Nguyen Makes Good Fold

Thu Nguyen raises to $190,000 and is called by David Pham. The flop comes down K♠ 6♦ 2♣ and Nguyen throws out a $280,000 and the Dragon raises it up to a $1 million total. Nguyen thinks for a long time before showing a king and folding.

Pham then flips up his hand - pocket twos for a set.

Chip Count

For the latest in chip count technology simply check out our Chip Count Page.

Let's Get Ready to Rumble, Heads-Up Style!

With the elimination of Thu Nguyen we are down to the final two players, each vying for the first-place cash and the right to be called the No. 1 Legend of Poker. The money is being brought into the room and last year's champion, Joe Pelton, is bringing in the championship ring. Game on!

Counts

For the latest in chip counts simply check out our Chip Count Page.

Harrington with the All-In Re-Raise

Dan Harrington opened this pot to $240,000 from the button and after Thu Nguyen got out of the way David Pham re-popped $500,000 on top. The action was back on Harrington and after a few moments he announced all-in. It was $2,515,000 back to Pham and after some time in the tank he released his hand and conceded the pot.

Oops! I Got Eliminated from the Tournament!

Oops! This joke is getting old.

Tom Schneider has just been eliminated from this event in fourth place after getting all-in bad against David Pham. Pocket kings for the Dragon were leading Schneider's A♦ 9♥ going to the flop. The dealer laid J♣ T♠ 9♣ down on the felt and Pham retained his lead going to the turn.

Fourth street brought the T♦ and after the 6♦ hit the river it was all over for this year's WSOP Player of the Year. Schneider will take $228,660 with him to the rail.

In Other News

We've reached a new level and are now playing with blinds of $60,000/$120,000 and an ante of $15,000.

Count 'Em Up

For the latest in the counts check out our Chip Count Tab.

The Dragon with the Check-Raise

David Pham has just busted out a big check-raise over the top of a Dan Harrington bet. The hand began with David Pham limping in from the small blind and Harrington raising it up $240,000 on top.

Pham made the call and the flop came K♥ T♠ 4♣. Pham checked it and Harrington led out for $300,000. Pham began counting out chips and announced raise, pushing a cool million across the line.

It was $700,000 back to Action Dan and after a bit of thought he opted to release his hand. With that pot Pham is up to $3.1 million.

David Phamtastic

In one of the more thrilling hands of the tournament of late (thrilling only because it's the first time in ages we've seen a turn card) David Pham is in the big blind and Tom Schneider and Thu Nguyen limp in. Pham checks to see the flop roll out 6♦ 4♣ 2♥.

Phamalamadingdong.

Schneider checks but Nguyen bets $220,000 and gets a call from Pham. Schneider folds.

The turn is the J♥ and the pair check it, along with the 10♥ on the river.

Both players show a six for a pair, but the Dragon has Nguyen outkicked 7-6 to Nguyen’s 6-3.

Super Fantastic Action Poker

The action has slowed to a crawl here at this final table with the majority of the last series of hands being won by whoever has the guts to throw in a raise. The blinds will march on so expect these players to be forced into action in the near future.

Two Pair No Good

Dan Harrington just managed to take a big pot from David Pham, calling a large bet on the river and showing down the best hand.

Harrington and Pham saw a flop of J♣ 9♥ 7♠ and after a check from David, Dan fired out $120K. Pham made the call and the turn was the 8♦. Both players checked and the river was the J♥.

Pham then led out with a big bet of $440,000 and after a fairly long time in the tank, Harrington announced call. Pham declares he has two pair but Harrington says, "Two pair no good," turning over Q-J for trip jacks.

Oops I Used the Same Update Title Again!

Tom Schneider goes all-in for $700,000 more and the action is folded to Dan Harrington who makes the call with A♦ T♠. Schneider reveals 7♥ 7♣.

The flop comes down A♠ K♠ 7♠, pairing Harrington's ace but giving Schneider a set of sevens. The turn is the A♦, giving Schneider a full house but making room for Harrington to pick up a higher full house. Schneider laughs but then looks a little concerned.

Tom Schneider

The river is a3♣ and Schneider has received a much-needed double-up courtesy of Action Dan Harrington.

"I wanted the J♠ Q♠ more than I wanted an ace," says Harrington.

"The turn always makes it ugly," muses Schneider.

Tape Change Break

There has been a quick tape-change break before action resumes in two minutes. In the meantime, feast on these tantalizing latest hands.

Pham Hits an Ace on the River

David Pham raises to $180,000 from the button and Dan Harrington folds to Tom Schneider who calls. The flop comes out 6♠ 4♥ 3♦ and is checked around to bring a 3♠ on the turn. The men check it around again to see a A♣ on the river.

Schneider checks but Pham bets $200,000 only to see Schneider make the bet $300,000 more. David counts his chips and thinks for a long time – during which someone in the audience yells, "Go all-in!" – before he decides to make the call.

Schneider shows 9-T but David flips over an ace to take down the pot.

One for the Dragon

Tom Schneider limps from the button and Thu Nguyen completes from the small blind. David Pham checks his option and the flop comes down A♥ T♥ 4♥. It's checked around and the turn is the 2♥. It's checked to Schneider who leads out for $120,000.

Nguyen lays it down but Pham makes the call. The river is the 9♠ and both players check it down. Pham shows T-7 for a pair and it's good for the pot.

Schneider Reels One In

It's folded around to Tom Schneider in the small blind and he limps into the pot. Thu Nguyen checks his option from the big blind and the flop comes out K♣ J♠ T♠. Scneider leads out $80K and Nguyen makes a quick call. The turn brings the Q♥ and both players check it.

The river is the 4♠ and again both players check. Schneider tables K♦ 4♦ for two pair and Nguyen shakes his head with a smile as he shows a king and mucks his hand.

Oops! I Won Another Pot

Tom Schneider limps in from the small blind for $60,000 and Nguyen checks to see a flop of K♣ J♠ T♠. Schneider bets the flop, Nguyen calls and both men take a peek at the turn - the Q♥ for a four-card straight on the board. The turn is checked around for the river to bring the 4♠.

With three spades showing, Schneider bets $100k and is once again called by Nguyen. Schneider shows K♦ 4♦ for two pair and Nguyen turns up just a king and smiles as he mucks his cards.

Pham: Keeps On Doubling

Schneider raises from under the gun to $150,000 and David Pham re-raises to $390,000 from the small blind, only to be re-raised by Schneider. Just like that, Pham is all-in with his pittance of remaining chips holding T♣ T♥. Schneider flips up J♣ T♦ and looks mildly concerned.

The flop comes K♥ 7♦ 2♣ to keep Pham ahead. Schneider is looking for a jack but the turn and the river both disappoint, coming up 2♥ K♦ to give Pham the pot with two pair, kings and tens. He has now doubled up courtesy of Schneider.

Today's sixth-place finisher Shi jia Liu, or Jack Liu as he's often called, took a few minutes on his way out of the casino to speak to PL.com about his afternoon, as short as it was. Good-natured from start to finish, Jack had nothing but good things to say about this event and his experience here at the Legends of Poker.

Hi Jack, let's talk for a second about this final table.

Yeah, listen to the crazy man talk!

Tell us about the final hand of your tournament.

Well, David Pham raised to three times the blind, $120,000, and I had A-J. I know he's very aggressive so I moved all-in, that was pretty automatic. Then Dan [Harrington] re-raised again and David folded A-J and I had A-J and Dan had queens. It was pretty straightforward, by the book, because there was six players.

Tell us a bit about your tournament leading up to the final table. How you played and how you think the event was handled here at the Bike.

Liu-se aggressive.

The Bike handled the tournament really well. I got very lucky along the way but I really think it was a great tournament and I'll definitely play it again.

What's your background in poker like?

I play cash games. That's pretty much all I do. I don't play online or anything.

Did you buy in directly?

No, I entered a satellite and took it down for the seat.

Great; thanks Jack.

McClain Falls Off the Bike

Thu Nguyen raises to $200,000 from the cutoff and Mike McClain re-raises from the small blind to $600,000. Nguyen pushes and McClain calls all-in for $1,045,000 holding A♣ Q♣ to his opponent’s J♣ J♦.

The flop is K♣ J♥ 2♥ and the race is on until the turn when the 2♣ arrives to make Nguyen a full house, jacks full of deuces, to clinch his win.

With that, McClain is eliminated in fifth place and takes home $182,900.

Chipping Up

Tom Schneider is still hanging on to his chip lead but Dan Harrington isn't giving him much breathing room.

[[LiveUpdate:ChipholderTable]]

The Breakdown

The 10-minute break has come and gone, putting us at Level 22 with $30,000/$60,000 blinds and a $5,000 ante.

Shi jia Liu the First Casualty

David Pham raises from middle position to $120,000 and Liu moves all-in from the button for $360,000. Harrington re-ups it from the small blind to $750,000 and Pham mucks his cards.

Liu flips up A♦ J♠ but Harrington has the edge with Q♦ Q♣. The flop is J♣ 5♦ 5♠ to pair Liu's jack but leave him still straggling. The board finishes 6♦ 4♣ and Action Dan wins the pot to knock Liu from the tournament.

Shi jia Liu is eliminated in sixth place for $137,175.

Liu Donates to the Dragon

David Pham is all-in from the cutoff and is called by Shi jia Liu from the big blind, holding A♦ T♦ to the Dragon's K♠ 9♥. The flop is J♠ 4♥ 3♥ and Liu is looking good with ace-high. Then comes the turn - a 9♦ - and Pham has edged ahead.

The river is Q♦ and Pham has doubled through Shi jia Liu, who is looking pretty sickly with a $290,000 stack.

McClain Orders a Double

In the third hand of the day Mike McClain raises to $160,000 from the small blind and Shi jia Liu asks McClain for a count. When McClain says $510,000 Liu pushes all-in with K♠ 9♥ and is called by McClain, who shows T♣ T♦.

The flop is Q♣ J♥ 8♠ and McClain's pair holds onto the lead. The turn is A♦ - giving Liu a gutshot straight draw - but the river is the 9♥ and McClain wins with a queen-high straight to double up.