£10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event - Live Updates
In a heartbreaking heads-up match that saw Daniel Negreanu get unlucky in key spots, Barry Shulman has won this year's WSOPE Main Event. Check out this very section for live updates, photos and results.
Day 5 Live Updates
Shulman is Champion!
The 2009 WSOPE presented by Betfair is over and Barry Shulman is champion! It was a heartbreaker for Daniel Negreanu but the silver lining is that with this cash he becomes poker's all time leading tournament money winner.
It was a marathon heads-up match that ended in a crippling blow followed by the coup de grace.
The Crippler
On a J♣ 8♦ 5♦ flop Daniel Negreanu checked, Shulman bet 300k and Negreanu check-raised to 900,000.
Shulman shoved and after a few minutes in the tank, Kid Poker emerged with the call. It was aces for Shulman and Negreanu needing help holding Q♣ J♦.
As the dealer burned and turned the crowd at the Empire roared in appreciation as the miracle J♥ hit the felt and it appeared the title was Negreanu’s.
Appearances can be decieving, however, and the river was Shulman’s turn for a miracle, as the A♦ came down.
Shocking stuff!
That hand left Negreanu with a massive deficit - down to 1.2 million versus Shulman's imposing 8 million stack - he was in big trouble.
The Death Blow
When Negreanu found pocket fours with just ten big blinds, there was no escape.
Bad luck for Negreanu - Shulman had him trussed up with pocket tens.
Needing to spike to win - instead it was Shulman who made a set, a ten hitting the flop to leave Negreanu virtually dead.
Running fours or running diamonds were his only salvation and when the turn was neither of these - it was all over!
Massive applause for both these gladiators who have slugged it out over a marathon heads-up game. Negreanu refused to give in - but ultimately Shulman made it to the winner's circle alone.
Second place for Daniel Negreanu, he picks up £495,589 for his performance - which happens to propel him above Jamie Gold at the top of the tournament prizes leaderboard.
Meanwhile congratulations to Barry Shulman who collects a huge £801,603 for his performance as well as his second gold bracelet!
Kid Poker Makes His Move
With the blinds a whopping 60k/120k, winning a few pots in a row really changes the status quo.
Negreanu just did that, taking three pots in a row, meaning he was close to Shulman's chip lead for the first time in a while.
The final hand in that sequence saw Negreanu re-raise an opening min-raise by Shulman to 650k, Shulman making the call.
The flop fell K♥ T♦ 6♠ and Negreanu led out for 850k. Shulman passed and Negreanu showed aces for the 1000th time since they started.
Ok, a slight exaggeration but Negreanu has been seeing those bullets more often than you'd think.
And then, suddenly, Negreanu leapt into the chip lead for the first time since he lost that huge pot with aces -again!
The hand saw Negreanu push Shulman off a huge pot.
On a ten-high flop with two hearts Negreanu bet 240k, Shulman raised to 940k and Negreanu shoved!
Shulman tanked for a moment before electing to lay it down, meaning Negreanu now holds a slim lead by just 100k - or less than one big blind.
It couldn't be closer!
I Want That Bracelet So Bad!
Such a frustrating game for Negreanu - every time he looks to be gaining parity through a series of small pots - he loses a big one and Shulman regains chip monster status.
That's exactly how the previous passage of play has panned out, Shulman being forced to fold or being shown the best hand by Negreanu.
Shulman loves his check-raises and as the pair went to a queen-high flop, Negreanu led and again Shulman popped it to 600k, Negreanu making the call.
The pair cautiously checked down the remaining streets and Shulman showed down a queen to take the pot down, sending a super healthy 1.5 million pot the older combatants' way.
Negreanu back to a 3-1 disadvantage. He refuses to give up though...
Angry Negreanu!
Kid Poker is not a happy man right now!
He's become increasingly agitated and annoyed at the way the cards have been falling.
One of the more recent hands saw Shulman make it 200k from the button - a min raise - only for Negreanu to re-raise to 600k.
Shulman made the call.
The players checked down a board of Q♦ 5♣ 4♦ 2♦ 6♣ and Shulman turned over 9♥ 6♥ for a rivered pair, causing Kid Poker to leap in the air and slam down his cards, shaking his head at how unfair the poker gods are sometimes.
"Come on Negreanu!" yelled someone from the crowd in a bid to re-invigorate the Canadian who is so desperate to get his hands on that bracelet.
An unmoved Barry Shulman simply added the chips to his stack - still sitting on a formidable lead.
Clash of the Titans
It's a titanic struggle between the two players right now. Negreanu had started to make some progress against Shulman, chipping back up to 3.5 million, before a series of check-raises when Negreanu had raised the button, saw an increasingly frustrated looking Negreanu begin to concede ground again.
He shipped a pot right at the death when his rivered pair of sixes took down Shulman's pocket deuces so right now here's how they stand as they take a twenty-minute break.
Shulman - 6.5 million
Negreanu - 3.5 million
The kid won't go down without a fight, but Shulman shows no signs of being intimidated by Negreanu and he won't be able to simply bulldoze his way back into contention.
They'll be resuming any moment now, so we're off to re-join the action.
Shulman Shows Heart!
Suddenly the two players tangled in an enormous pot!
Negreanu raised up the button and Shulman re-raised - Kid Poker making the call.
The board peeled off K♦ 8♥ 6♥ - Shulman led out and Negreanu moved all-in. Call from Shulman!
Shulman showed down a heart flush draw with A♥ 5♥, whilst Daniel had him on the backfoot with a pair of black aces. Just needing to fade a heart to pick up the bracelet, Negreanu studied the flop intently.
Shulman has been all-in for his tournament life with the worst hand before though and he's made a habit of hitting the card to stay in and chip up.
And guess what? He did it again!
The 2♥ turned to a mighty roar from the watching rail as Shulman made his flush, leaving a disonsolate Negreanu drawing dead.
Looking very upset, the Canadian removed some of his towers of 25k chips and handed them over to Shulman, who now enjoys a big 3-1 chip lead for the first time since the contest began - his 7.5 million dwarfing Negreanu's 2.5 million.
Can Kid Poker recover from this cruel set back?
Shulman Fights Back!
The posturing is over and now the two prize-fighters are starting to throw some big shots.
A poised Negreanu had put a stuttering start behind him, soaring into the ascendency with oily precision as he began to systematically slip through the many gears his years of poker experience have crafted.
Negreanu had begun to pick up chunky pot after chunky pot as he made great value bets, got Shulman to fold in some key situations and chipped away till Shulman eventually found himself with under 3 million for the first time.
Then a big pot saw the pendulum swing.
The two combatants saw an 8♣ 6♦ 3♥ board peel off and Negreanu called a bet from Shulman, who went on to check the 6♣ turn card.
Negreanu bet out 500k, and now suddenly Shulman sprung what appeared to be a trap, counting out his stack and announcing all-in.
Kid Poker wasn't loving it, and tipped the rim of his baseball cap with a scowl as he considered whether to call.
Eventually he laid it down, and all the inroads he had made into Shulman's stack were lost, the older player fighting back as the Canadian threatened to overwhelm him.
The stacks? As they were at the outset of the contest - Negreanu 6.1 mill, Shuman 3.8 mill.
Game on!
Negreanu Slipping a Little
The players are seated across the felt from each other and a small mountain of £20 bricks lies between them, the bracelet glimmering luxuriantly at the apex of its papery nest.
With the prize and riches lying there as a reminder of just what these two players are playing for, the opening stages of the heads-up have been carefully played by both players.
Negreanu is obviously the favorite as they stand, his experience and skill, not to mention his chip lead all edges which Shulman has to overcome.
So far though, he is more than holding his own.
In fact he has managed to eat slightly into Negreanu's lead. He's still ahead of Shulman but he has to turn the pattern round or he may risk losing out on that fifth bracelet.
Can Shulman take down his more acclaimed opponent?
Bansi Ban-zai'd! (3rd)
Praz Bansi really needed to get back into this, so made a desperation ship of Q♥ 2♥, only for Negreanu to find one of the worst hands for him to face - ace-queen.
Praz realised he was staring down the barrell and head hung he walked over and shook Negreanu's hand as Kid Poker prepared to deliver the killer blow.
Dominated, the crowd realised the English star would have to hit a deuce or hearts to stay in contention and loud, slightly inebriated shouts of "deuce, deuce, deuce" rang out through the casino.
As the rail watched on, their breath held, an inconsequential series of baby cards were peeled off, but unfortunately for Bansi, none of them were the deuce he needed, meaning Negreanu takes another victim, busting Praz Bansi.
Bansi wins £360,887 for his third place finish and receives a standing ovation from his multitude of supporters on the rail.
But now it's mano-a-mano for the title, Negreanu vs Shulman - Kid Poker holding a sizeable advantage.
Who will take it down?
Schulman Strikes Again
Praz raised up the button with K-8 and Barry Schulman made the call in the big blind.
The flop came king-high, Barry checked and Praz led out, only for Schulman to check-raise all-in. Praz made the call and once again Shulma's tournament life was on the line.
This time, he was in good shape though, his king-jack connecting harder with the flop than Bansi's K-8.
Needing to hit an eight, Bansi watched the turn and river blank.
Huge "ahhhhhh" of sympathy from his supporters and he was left short with just 700k to his name, whilst Shulman has moved to over 4 million.
No Kidding! Negreanu Crushing Three-Handed
Big things are happening here at the Empire as three-handed play explodes into action. We've seen big pots, big chops and a clinic in shorthanded play put on by Daniel Negreanu.
Read on for all the action and remember, the most recent stuff's at the top. (We love spoiling the ending for you)
Shulman Gets Lucky ... Again
Barry Shulman has a knack for catching cards when he needs to, something he did again moments ago. All-in before the flop with A-J to Praz Bansi's A-Q the board ran 4-4-5-5-X for the chop, leaving the counts the same and Shulman with a new lease on his tournament life.
Daniel Negreanu is the &@!!ing Man!
There are a number of so-called superstars in the poker world but only a few prove day in and day out that they deserve the accolade. Daniel Negreanu is one of the latter.
Praz Bansi, while not at Negreanu's level earnings-wise, is proving he's got the heart and the courage to make big plays.
In this monster pot Bansi limped from the small blind and called when Negreanu raised to 150k from the big blind. The flop came down A♦ 9♥ 3♠ and Bansi check-called Kid Poker's c-bet.
The A♠ hit the turn and Bansi checked again. Daniel fired out 180k but this time Praz check-raised to 450,000. Negreanu made the call and when the Q♣ hit the river Bansi led big for 1.1 million.
Negreanu insta-called and turned over A-J. Bansi mucked, but not before we saw 5-4 for absolute air. Negreanu rakes in a ginormous pot and Bansi's knocked down to about 2.5 million.
And Just Like That, Shulman's Back
On one of the first hands back from break Barry Shulman has recovered from the crippling hand we describe directly below.
We believe that Daniel Negreanu opened and Shulman shipped. Negreanu made the call and saw he had the best hand A♥ Q♠ to Shulman's T♥ J♦.
Shulman was on the brink of elimination and would need some help from the deck to stay in it. The flop was good, bringing a ten, and the turn was better, bringing a third ten and leaving Negreanu drawing dead on the river.
Shulman's up over 2 million. Negreanu, on the other hand, is down to around 3.7 million.
Big Fold from Shulman
In the closing minutes of the level a hand transpired that changed the landscape of this three-handed match dramatically.
It was between Barry Shulman and Praz Bansi and the real action got going on a flop of J♦ T♠ 4♠. Shulman checked and called a bet from his opponent. On the 3♦ turn Shulman checked again but opted to check-raise Bansi's 350k bet to 1,050,000 total.
Bansi was faced with a big decision and with around half of Shulman's stack in the middle already he couldn't have thought he had a ton of fold equity.
After some deliberation Praz announced all-in. The decision was now on Shulman and with most of his stack committed the call seemed a foregone conclusion. Either he was on a move or had a very strong read because he decided to fold.
With that pot Bansi is up well over 4 million while Shulman is left with around a mill.
Negreanu Crushes Mercier (4th)
We said Jason Mercier was far from finished, but we can only apologise for laying a curse at his door.
Mercier didn't waste too much time finding a spot to chip up - squeezing his stack into the middle following a raise pre-flop from Negreanu and a call from Barry Shulman.
Negreanu counted up Mercier's stack and took a few moments thinking it over...then he made the call, leaving Shulman to throw his hand in the muck.
A good call it proved with Mercier showing down sevens, dominated by Negreanu's pocket nines. Needing a seven, the board ran out with no help from Mercier and he was eliminated from proceedings!
Mercier might be disappointed at having not converted a dominant chip stack into a victory here, but he maintains the scintillating record of deep runs in major tournaments that have seen him rise from unknown online grinder to sponsored, worldwide superstar.
Mercier has time and talent on his side and we are confident the PL.com blogger will add to the millions he's already won over the coming years as well as perhaps increasing his tally of WSOP bracelets.
As far as the WSOPE Main Event goes though, Mercier is eliminated in 4th place, collecting £267,267.
The game continues three handed, Bansi, Shulman and Negreanu vying for the bracelet.
Negreanu is now the chip leader.
Banzai!
He took a chunk out of Negreanu, betting a 8♥ 7♥ 3♠ board only for Negreanu to make a reluctant call. Bansi was in no mood to slowdown though, leading the turn for a full stack of white 25k chips (500k) plus another smaller pile of just six white chips.
Negreanu wasn't too impressed with this - motioning that he felt sick at the bet and he threw his hand away as the audience whooped and cheered on the popular Bansi.
Having made Negreanu squirm that hand, he took on Mercier just a few hands later, Mercier min-raising from the small blind to 100k, only for Bansi to re-pop him to 375k.
Mercier looked at his stack, fiddled with his chips but ultimately threw away his hand, allowing Bansi to extend his chip lead to 3.5 million or so.
Mercier is now the short stack, with just 1.7 million. He's still got time to increase his standing though, and we know the PL.com blogger won't be going down without a fight.
Single Bullet Shoots Down Bansi's Cowboys
The post-dinner action has seen Bansi and Shulman duking it out in a number of pots and the latest saw Shulman's tournament life on the line.
The hand saw Praz open from under the gun, only for both Mercier and Shulman to make the call.
Come the 6♠ 4♣ 2♠ flop, Shulman and Bansi went to war and Shulman (who chip leader Bansi had well-covered) was all-in!
His tournament life hanging in the balance, Shulman showed he just had a draw, but a big one - the nut flush draw with A♠ 9♠.
Meanwhile Praz was lurking with a big overpair, his pocket kings currently the best hand.
So a big flip was on the cards and all Bansi needed to do to knock out Shulman and attain a huge chip lead was to dodge a spade or ace.
The turn came: A♣!
Another ace from space appeared. It's raining aces from space today here at the casino and that turn card saw to it that Praz was likely to lose this 2 million pot.
When the river blanked, exactly that had happened. Shulman flips himself back into contention whilst a disappointed Praz is thrown back into the chasing pack - still holding a chip lead - albeit a small one.
Back From Dinner
The four remaining players have returned from the dinner break and are already in action.
All the players received a big roar as they took their place but the biggest cheer was reserved for hometown favorite Praz Bansi, who holds the chip lead right now and has even managed to extend his lead in one of the early hands.
Easy Showdown for Bansi
On one of the first hands back from dinner Praz Bansi opened from under the gun and Barry Shulman re-popped from the big blind. Bansi made the call and the flop came down T♠ 8♠ 4♣. Shulman cut out 300,000 and dropped it in the middle.
Bansi made the call and they checked down the 2♦ turn and the 7♠ river. Bansi tabled pocket jacks which were evidently good for the pot.
It looks like Mercier, Bansi, Negreanu and Shulman are prepared to take big shots at each other in the bid to win the bracelet.
Let's see how it pans out.
Event Information
- Event Name
- £10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
- Venue
- Casino at the Empire, London
- Date
- 2009-09-26
- Final Day
- 2009-10-01
- Buy In
- £10,000
- Entrants
- 334
- Prize Pool
- £3,340,000
- First Prize
- £801,603
Event Winner
| Player | Prize Money | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Shulman | £801,603 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | £495,589 |
| 3 | Praz Bansi | £360,887 |
| 4 | Jason Mercier | £267,267 |
| 5 | Markus Ristola | £200,367 |
