The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a perfect seal in the low post, a soft entry pass and a textbook baby hook off the afternoon poker news glass.
Got a tip for a future edition of the 3-Bet? Let us know in the comments.
Today in the 3-Bet we find Phil Hellmuth declaring war on, well, everybody, Phoenix Sun Earl Barron gets on his grind and Aussie high-roller Matt Kirk lights up the Aria Super High Roller cash game.
1) Hellmuth: At War with... Himself?
While our attention was decidedly diverted by the $250k Super High Roller cash game at Aria yesterday we did, of course, follow the playdown of the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop.
A big deal in its own right it ended up being even bigger with Phil Hellmuth at the final table vying for his 15th bracelet.
While he managed to avoid calling anyone an idiot he did end up declaring "war" on several players throughout the day. Dan Colman, in particular. But also several other players along the way:
War has been declared by @phil_hellmuth against @sorelmizzi @ConnorDrinan me & @MattStoutPoker. That leaves 2 neutral parties.— Andy Frankenberger (@AMFrankenberger) June 29, 2015
Whatever strategy Phil was employing to flank his opponents failed, however, as he ultimately lost his chip lead and fell in sixth while former world champ Jonathan Duhamel walked away with the $4m.
As always, his biggest battle appears to be with himself.
Played my best poker for 24 levels in @WSOP #OneDrop, then DID NOT protect my chip lead at Final Table: 6th place, my fault! #PHMessedUp— phil_hellmuth (@phil_hellmuth) June 30, 2015
Read the full account of Hellmuth's day at wsop.com.
2) Earl Barron Grinding WSOP Like a Pro
We've spotted 7'0" NBA reg Earl Barron at the WSOP several times before but this year he's standing out for more than just his height.
Barron: Game is tight.
His poker game seems better than ever as testified by his two cashes already - a 613th in the Millionaire Maker and a 350th in the 50/50 No-Limit Hold'em event.
He's back at it again the the $1,111 Little One for One Drop today and is already building a stack. He's even tweeting like a seasoned grinder!
That brings his career total up to six WSOP cashes and around $80k in total earnings - impressive for a guy who also happens to be one of the 300 or so best basketball players in the world.
Barron finished up the season this year with the Phoenix Suns and as free agency in the NBA opens today at 9 pm we expect him to be receiving a few calls - possibly at the table later.
We'll keep you posted if he changes hats or anything.
3) Aussie Matt Lights Up $250k Cash Game
Aussie Matt (w/ hair)
We don't want to spoil it for those waiting on the TV show of the Aria $250k Super High Roller Cash Game, but wow: Did "Aussie Matt" Kirk ever light a fire under the game yesterday when he rolled in.
He also, as it turned out, set fire to a quick $500k in buy-ins before finally coming out on the right end of a flip with Ivey. To grab the spotlight at a table that included Jen Tilly, Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari and JRB among others ... that's also saying something.
Speculation naturally ran wild about Kirk's background (and his semi-twitchy behavior at the table). Here's what we found:
- One of the biggest high-stakes cash-game PLO players from Australia who's been playing in Las Vegas/LA for past few years
- Was the player who had $400k in poker chips stolen from his apartment in LA earlier this year
- Was reportedly playing Ivey in a massive heads-up PLO session for previous 48 hours and was down over $1m
- Reportedly lost over $1m in previous sessions with Phil Laak (twice) and others
Based on his play yesterday most seem to think he's the fish at the table but the sample size was fairly limited. Will he be back today?
We cant wait to find out. Check the live stream for another 12 hours today from 2 pm to 2am:
