Event 7 - $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em - Live Updates

Amir Lehavot navigated his way through a tough field of 249 players to win the bracelet in WSOP Event #7 ($10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em).

Action began today with 27 players, and with the near-simultaneous eliminations of Toby Lewis (11th place) and Jonathan Jaffe (10th place), the nine-handed final table was set before the dinner break.

Seat 1. Amir Lehavot - 1,268,000 (63 bb)
Seat 2. Sam Stein - 599,000 (30 bb)
Seat 3. Jarred Solomon - 1,427,000 (71 bb)
Seat 4. Stephen Chidwick - 772,000 (38 bb)
Seat 5. Nicolas Levi - 579,000 (29 bb)
Seat 6. Michael Benvenuti - 670,000 (33 bb)
Seat 7. Eric Cloutier - 457,000 (23 bb)
Seat 8. Tommy Vinas - 1,409,000 (70 bb)
Seat 9. McLean Karr - 290,000 (14 bb)

McLean Karr gunned down on the river.

 

The tone was set early when McLean Karr found himself racing with A♦ J♦ against Sam Stein's 4♦ 4♥. Karr paired his jack on the flop, but grabbed his chest in shock when Stein rivered a set of fours to bust him in eighth place.

The eliminations came fairly rapidly after that, as every all-in situation resulted in an elimination. The two players benefiting more than the rest were Amir Lehavot and Jarred Solomon, and when the dust settled, they were heads-up.

Lehavot started with a 2-to-1 chip lead, and even though the players were very deep (with about 190 big blinds between them) they weren't playing small ball, and Lehavot had Solomon on the ropes with a nearly 10-to-1 chip lead.

Amir Lehavot (left) wouldn't let Jarred Solomon off the ropes twice.

 

Solomon managed to bounce back from the brink of elimination, but it wouldn't last long. Solomon cost himself a lot of chips when he put in 800,000, and then check-folded to a pot-size bet after a flop of 5♦ 3♣ 2♠.

Soon after that, Solomon was all in with A♥ J♠, but dominated by Lehavot's A♠ Q♥. The final board was Q♦ Q♠ 10♣ 10♦ 2♦, and Lehavot won the pot -- and the bracelet -- with a full house, queens full of tens.

Here are the official results from the final table:

1st: Amir Lehavot - $573,456
2nd: Jarred Solomon - $354,460
3rd: Sam Stein - $264,651
4th: Stephen Chidwick - $198,927
5th: Tommy Vinas - $150,453
6th: Nicolas Levi - $114,525
7th: Eric Cloutier - $87,702
8th: McLean Karr - $67,596
9th: Michael Benvenuti - $52,406

Short stack Jarred Solomon had been up against the ropes in Event #7 ($10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em), but he battled back against Amir Lehavot to make it a match again, down only 2-to-1 in chips.

But after the blinds increased to 25,000-50,000, Lehavot raised to 125,000, and Solomon reraised to 325,000. Lehavot four-bet to 800,000, and Solomon called, putting 1.6 million in the pot before the flop.

Premium hands likely missed the flop of 5♦ 3♣ 2♠, and Solomon checked. Lehavot bet the pot (1.6 million), and Solomon thought for a bit before he folded, forfeiting more than half his stack.

Jarred Solomon only had one comeback in him tonight.

 

It wasn't long after that when Solomon four-bet all in with A♥ J♠, only to find himself dominated by Lehavot's A♠ Q♥. The board came Q♦ Q♠ 10♣ 10♦ 2♦, and Amir Lehavot won the pot -- and the bracelet -- with a full house, queens full of tens.

Jarred Solomon finished as the runner-up, earning $354,460.

Amir Lehavot wins Event #7 ($10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em), earning $573,456 and the gold WSOP bracelet. It is the third WSOP cash of his career, as he cashed in the Main Event in 2009 and 2010. Lehavot also finished fourth earlier this year at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic.

Event #7 ($10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em) is experiencing a phenomenon that you rarely see in tournament poker -- every single time two players have been all in at the final table, it has resulted in an elimination.

Every. Single. Time.

So if you find yourself all in, you'd better have your opponent covered.

Shortly after Level 25 began, Stephen Chidwick three-bet all in with A♥ 9♣, and chipleader Amir Lehavot called with K♣ J♥. Chidwick took the lead on a flop of A♣ 10♠ 9♦, and when the 8♥ hit the turn, it looked like Chidwick might break the trend and double up.

But the Q♠ on the river gave Lehavot an ace-high straight to win the pot, and for the sixth straight time, an all-in situation led to a bustout. Stephen Chidwick earned $198,927 for his fourth-place finish.

Sam Stein had to settle for third place.

 

The next hand, Sam Stein reraised all in preflop with A♠ 6♦, but he was dominated by Lehavot's A♣ K♠. The board never gave Stein any hope, and he earned $264,651 for his third-place finish.

That gave Lehavot more a 2.5-to-1 chip lead over Jarred Solomon going into heads-up play:

Amir Lehavot - 5,415,000 (135 bb)
Jarred Solomon - 2,160,000 (54 bb)

Lehavot continued his momentum into heads-up play, winning the bigger pots to push Solomon closer and closer to the felt.

In one key pot, Solomon flopped top pair with K♣ 7♣ on a board of K♠ 8♠ 6♣, but slow-played it, check-calling a bet from Lehavot. Both players checked the 10♦ on the turn, and Solomon bet the J♦ on the river -- only to lose to Lehavot's J♠ 10♠ (runner-runner two pair).

Lehavot continued to win pot after pot, until he won a pot worth more than 1 million on a board of J♠ 10♦ 2♣ K♠ 4♥ with another two pair-over-two pair -- Lehavot's K-10 beat Solomon's 10-4.

That nearly crippled Solomon, giving Lehavot a nearly 10-to-1 chip lead.

Amir Lehavot - 6,800,000 (170 bb)
Jarred Solomon - 700,000 (17 bb)

But Solomon has since battled back, quickly doubling up with A♠ 9♥ over Lehavot's A♦ 7♥. (It was the first time since there were 11 players remaining that an all-in situation didn't result in an elimination.) Solomon picked up another big pot on a board of K♦ J♣ 9♠ K♣ 8♣, showing Q♣ 4♣ for a club flush.

So as Level 26 begins (with blinds of 25,000-50,000), Solomon has slightly improved his situation compared to where he started heads-up play:

Amir Lehavot - 4,995,000 (100 bb)
Jarred Solomon - 2,580,000 (51 bb)

The 10-levels-per-day rule may not be necessary for the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em final table, because after a slow first hour, the bustouts have been coming quickly.

As soon as Level 24 got underway, Nicolas Levi got it all in preflop with 7♦ 7♥ against Amir Lehavot's A♠ Q♦. The board came A♣ 9♦ 5♠ 10♣ 4♠, and Lehavot paired his ace on the flop to win the pot and bust Levi.

Nicolas Levi earned $114,525 for his sixth-place finish, while Lehavot soared to the top of the chip counts with about 2.4 million.

A few minutes later, Tommy Vinas four-bet all in after a flop of Q♠ 9♠ 7♠. Solomon called with 9♣ 9♦ for middle set, and Vinas turned over -- 7♣ 7♦ for bottom set.

Tommy Vinas out in 5th place.

 

Ouch. Set over set.

Vinas was facing a one-outer to stay alive, unless the board brought running spades to chop the pot. But the 8♥ on the turn and the 8♣ on the river offered no help, and Solomon won the pot with a higher full house, nines full of eights.

Tommy Vinas earned $150,453 for his fifth-place finish, while Solomon nudged Lehavot out of the chip lead with 2.5 million.

But Lehavot didn't give up the chip lead so easily. In a big spot, Lehavot three-bet the flop and then pot-bet the turn on a board of Q♣ Q♥ 3♥ A♥. At that point, Sam Stein tanked for several minutes before he folded.

They tangled again a few minutes later on a board of A♥ K♦ J♠ 9♠ 8♥. Lehavot bet the flop, and then check-called bets from Stein on the turn and the river. Stein showed J♦ 9♥ for two pair (jacks and nines), but Lehavot turned over K♣ 8♠ for a higher two pair (kings and eights).

With three big pots being pushed his way, this past level was a great one for Lehavot, who has opened up a large lead, while Sam Stein slipped to the short stack.

Here's a look at the chip counts with four players left and blinds increasing to 20,000-40,000:

Seat 1. Amir Lehavot - 3,950,000 (98 bb)
Seat 2. Sam Stein - 525,000 (13 bb)
Seat 3. Jarred Solomon - 2,550,000 (63 bb)
Seat 4. Stephen Chidwick - 650,000 (16 bb)

It only took one bustout (Michael Benvenuti in ninth place) to get the floodgates moving, and we quickly lost two more after that.

McLean Karr four-bet all in preflop with A♦ J♦ against the 4♦ 4♥ of Sam Stein. Karr caught a jack on the flop to leave Stein with a two-outer -- which he hit on the river. The always animated Karr looked like he had been shot in the chest as he was eliminated in eighth place.

It was only a few minutes later that Eric Cloutier check-raised all in after a flop of 9♦ 6♠ 2♥. Amir Lehavot called with A♦ A♠, and Cloutier was forced to turn over Q♠ 7♠ -- a queen-high bluff.

Eric Cloutier out in 7th.

 

But the 8♠ on the turn breathed new life into Cloutier, giving him a flush draw, an open-ended straight draw, and the possibility of cracking pocket aces. But the 2♣ on the river was a blank, and Lehavot won the pot with his aces to send Cloutier home in seventh place.

That pot carried Lehavot to the top of the chip counts until the end of Level 23.

As Level 24 begins with increased blinds of 15,000-30,000, here are the current chip counts:

Seat 1. Amir Lehavot - 1,990,000 (66 bb)
Seat 2. Sam Stein - 1,590,000 (53 bb)
Seat 3. Jarred Solomon - 1,515,000 (50 bb)
Seat 4. Stephen Chidwick - 835,000 (27 bb)
Seat 5. Nicolas Levi - 480,000 (16 bb)
Seat 6.
Seat 7.
Seat 8. Tommy Vinas - 1,065,000 (35 bb)
Seat 9.

The final nine players in $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em have been in action for an hour after the dinner break, but overall, there hasn't been much chip movement.

McLean Karr has picked up some small pots to move up slightly from the bottom of the chip counts, while Tommy Vinas, Jarred Solomon, and Amir Lehavot continue to battle for the chip lead.

Sam Stein has seen the most movement, picking up a few pots to move up to about 1 million in chips. Stein's biggest pot was against Michael Benvenuti on a board of 3♣ 3♠ 2♦ 10♦ 9♣ -- Stein bet the river with A♦ 10♥ and Benvenuti paid him off.

Benvenuti became the short stack at that point, and then got it all in with A♥ K♣ after a flop of J♣ 10♣ 7♣ (flush draw with gutshot straight draw). Stephen Chidwick called with 6♣ 6♦ for an underpair, but neither the flush, the straight, or even a pair came for Benvenuti, and Chidwick won the pot.

Michael Benvenuti was eliminated in ninth place, earning $52,406.

With the new-for-2011 10-levels-per-day rule, it's possible that this final table will not reach a winner tonight. Action will continue until there is a winner or the end of Level 28, whichever comes first.

Here are the approximate chip counts with blinds at 12,000-24,000 in Level 23:

Seat 1. Amir Lehavot - 1,449,000 (60 bb)
Seat 2. Sam Stein - 1,000,000 (41 bb)
Seat 3. Jarred Solomon - 1,400,000 (58 bb)
Seat 4. Stephen Chidwick - 800,000 (33 bb)
Seat 5. Nicolas Levi - 690,000 (28 bb)
Seat 6.
Seat 7. Eric Cloutier - 450,000 (18 bb)
Seat 8. Tommy Vinas - 1,400,000 (58 bb)
Seat 9. McLean Karr - 350,000 (14 bb)

Event #7 ($10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em) has reached the final table and the final nine players are now on a dinner break until 8:00 pm.

The last two remaining bracelet winners have hit the rail, as Jason Dewitt busted in 13th to Tommy Vinas (J♣ 9♣ < A♠ Q♦) and Robert Mizrachi was eliminated 12th by Michael Benvenuti (9♥ 8♠ < A♦ K♥).

With 11 players left, they were on the verge of combining to a single table and breaking for dinner.

At one table, Toby Lewis four-bet all in with J♣ J♥ against Amir Lehavot's A♦ Q♦. The flop all but clinched it for Lehavot on a board of 9♦ 4♦ 2♦ 6♣ 3♣, and he won the pot with a diamond flush. Toby Lewis finished 11th, earning $40,890.

When that hand ended, there was a big pot underway at the other table between Jonathan Jaffe and Jarred Solomon. With the board showing A♣ Q♠ 6♣ 2♠ on the turn, Solomon bet out, Jaffe raised, and Solomon called.

Solomon checked the K♦ on the river, and Jaffe moved all in. Solomon called with A♥ A♠ for a set of aces, easily crushing the A♦ K♣ (top two pair) of Jaffe. That sent Jaffe home in 10th place, also earning $40,890, and missing the final table.

Play will resume after dinner at 8:00 pm on the ESPN stage. Here are the official final table chip counts, with the blinds at 10,000-20,000:

Seat 1. Amir Lehavot - 1,268,000 (63 bb)
Seat 2. Sam Stein - 599,000 (30 bb)
Seat 3. Jarred Solomon - 1,427,000 (71 bb)
Seat 4. Stephen Chidwick - 772,000 (38.5 bb)
Seat 5. Nicolas Levi - 579,000 (29 bb)
Seat 6. Michael Benvenuti - 670,000 (33.5 bb)
Seat 7. Eric Cloutier - 457,000 (23 bb)
Seat 8. Tommy Vinas - 1,409,000 (70.5 bb)
Seat 9. McLean Karr - 290,000 (14.5 bb)

With the heads-up match between Maria Ho and Allen Bari over with (Bari won) we can now turn our attention to the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em Championship.

One look at the 2011 WSOP schedule will tell you this was supposed to be a three-day event but with 27 players returning for Day 3 that seems very unlikely. The reason for this is a new ten-level limit the WSOP has placed on tournament days.

The original plan called for making the final table last night, on Day 2, but when ten levels were over the tournament staff stepped in and shut things down, even though three full tables remained.

The same limit is in place today which means this event will almost surely be extended to a fourth day.

Right now there are 14 players still in it, most of whom should be familiar to poker fans.

At the moment Tommy Vinas has a commanding lead, with 1.2 million. Check out the top five counts, courtesy of www.wsop.com.

Tommy Vinas - 1,292,000

Jarred Solomon - 699,000

Nicolas Levi - 695,000

Stephen Chidwick - 673,000

Robert Mizrachi - 673,000

If you’re interested in how we got to this point keep reading. We’ve got all the juicy details.

The Good, the Bad and the Busted

We’re down to the final 14 and, unfortunately, many of the busted were big names. Let's start from the beginning.

Nenad Medic won this event in 2008 for more than three quarters of a million dollars but he busted in 25^th this time around, good for $20,000 and change.

Medic got it in bad against his fellow Canadian Owen Crowe, with tens against jacks all-in pre-flop, and couldn’t muster a suck-out.

The Mouth is silenced ... for now.

 

The next familiar face to hit the road was Full Tilter Marco Traniello. He picked up aces and three-bet pre-flop, getting a call from the original raiser. The flop came down with a king and a queen, not exactly what you want to see when you’re holding aces, but it didn’t stop Traniello from shipping the rest of his stack into the middle.

His opponent snap called with pocket queens and that was it for Mr. Jennifer Harman. Marco Traniello took $20,129 for 22^nd place.

Traniello still has at least one fan in Mike Matusow. Moments before the elimination the Mouth was heard to say, “Marco Traniello is my hero. F*** the rest of them.”

Jennifer Tilly scored an early double-up, thanks to pocket aces, but she was only able to ride that stack to 21^st place before busting.

She got into a hand with Frenchman Nicolas Levi and bet out on the flop of K-8-5 with two clubs. Levi put in a raise and Tilly shoved, getting a quick call.

2♣ 3♣ for Tilly was in terrible shape against Levi’s Q♣ T♣. She got a trey on the turn but the river was a brick. Jennifer Tilly was out in 21^st for $20,129.

Shortly after on the same table Robert Mizrachi opened from the cut-off, only to see Mike Matusow raise pot from the button. It folded back to Mizrachi who moved all-in. Matusow made the call.

Matusow: A-Q

Mizrachi: K-K

The pocket kings held and Mike Matusow was eliminated in 20^th place for $20,129.

Next out was Brit Chris Moorman, busted by McLean Karr. The man known as Moorman1 online got it in bad with Q-J against A-Q and, despite flopping an open-ender, he was unable to show down a winner after the river. Chris Moorman busts 18^th for $25,348.

Thorsten Schafer, Gary Rabin and Owen Crowe all busted before the players headed to break moments ago.

14 players remain and we’ll be playing until we have a winner, or we reach the ten-level maximum and are forced to shut it down. Stick with us to find out which it is.