LeBron James is a member of the Miami Heat, Phil Ivey and Emmitt Smith are to dine together and Brent Baldrey has a lot of chips.
150,000 chips to be exact.
2005 Main Event Champion Joe Hachem hit the door, and so too did the player he beat heads up to win the title; Steve Dannenmann. Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy, Blair Hinkle, Jose Nacho Barbero and Anna Wroblewski also reported to the rail during Level 3.
Anh Van Nguyen (94,000) and Johannes Steindl (98,000) are on the up and up, while Phil Ivey has slipped all the way down to the starting stack.
The prizepool was announced during the level, and this year's Main Event champion will bank $8,944,138. This of course comes with the bracelet, the fame and a load of sponsorship deals.
Unless you decline them...
We are now on a 90-minute dinner break which puts the cards back in the air at roughly 8:25 p.m. PST. If you want to know where we're going to eat dinner, you'll just have to wait for our Decision at our twitter page.
We arrived to see a flop reading and Frank Kassela all in to cover his opponent. She seemed to have been dwelling up for some time. "Can I use a lifeline?" she asked unhappily.
She tanked up for a little longer, and eventually folded face up. Kassela showed her for the Right Decision.
John Juanda was all in preflop with the . He was up against the of Jason Calacanis, who can recently be seen on an episode of PokerStars' The Big Game. The board ran out and that was it for Juanda.
With five cashes, three final tables, and two bracelets, it hasn't been a bad year for Frank Kassela, and barring some miracle from the Poker Gods, we should be seeing his enlarged face in the Rio corridors next year as we make our daily jaunt to Starbucks.
However, 2010 could get even better for Kassela, as he's currently plugging away in today's field in a final effort to make it bracelet #3. At time of writing, he has 58,000 in chips, and so will be in great shape when players return from the upcoming dinner break.
On a board reading Amanda Musumeci checked to the player on the button, who bet 1,500. Amanda Musumeci raised to 4,200 and was called.
The river brought the into play and Musumeci led out for 6,375, leaving just 21,000 behind. The player on the button raised to 13,000 and Musumeci folded.
Phil Ivey raised from the cutoff seat to 800 and the big blind made the call. The flop came down and the big blind fired 1,200. Ivey made the call.
The turn added the to the board and the big blind fired 2,000. Ivey again made the call.
The river completed the board with the and the big blind checked. Ivey fired a bet of 6,000 and his opponent paid it off. Ivey tabled the and his opponent showed that he was ahead on the flop with the for bottom two pair. His hand was counterfeited though and Ivey won the pot to push his stack back to 34,000 in chips.
Jason Alexander fired out 1,000 on a flop and was called by his opponent before the dealer dropped the on the turn.
Alexander tossed in a 5,000-denomination chip and his opponent again made the call as the river landed the .
Alexander checked, his opponent fired out 7,000 and Alexander made the call tabling his to best his opponent's and collect the pot to send him to 33,000 in chips.
The ESPN cameras continue to circle, looking for interesting hands to include in the Day 1 coverage later this summer. Occasionally the presence of the cameras appears to unnerve some players, while others are clearly quite comfortable to be in the spotlight.
Recently there was a hand in which a player opened with a raise to 800. "All right," said David Tuchman, noting the presence of the camera at his table. "This is for the cameras," he said, and reraised to 2,150. It folded around and his opponent, perhaps taking Tuchman's comment into account, reraised again to 7,000.
Tuchman then made it 12,000, at which point his opponent decided he didn't like this program anymore and shut it down. Tuchman showed his hand -- to the camera, that is: pocket aces.
Tuchman is sitting with 32,000 as we edge close to the end of the level and the dinner break.
An under-the-gun player limped, the cutoff seat limped, the button limped and then action moved to Phil Ivey in the big blind. He squeezed in a raise to 1,800. The player under the gun called and the cutoff called. The button folded.
The flop came down and Ivey checked. The next player bet 2,500 and the cutoff folded. Ivey made the call.
The turn brought the and both players checked before the fell on the river to put four clubs on board. Ivey fired 6,000.
"How many clubs are out there?" said Ivey's opponent. "6,000? I call."
Ivey nodded his head and his opponent tabled the . Ivey mucked and dropped to 24,000 in chips.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and Frank Kassela all in to cover his opponent. She seemed to have been dwelling up for some time. "Can I use a lifeline?" she asked unhappily.
face up. Kassela showed her 
for the Right Decision.
. He was up against the 
of Jason Calacanis, who can recently be seen on an episode of PokerStars' The Big Game. The board ran out 
Amanda Musumeci checked to the player on the button, who bet 1,500. Amanda Musumeci raised to 4,200 and was called.
into play and Musumeci led out for 6,375, leaving just 21,000 behind. The player on the button raised to 13,000 and Musumeci folded.
and the big blind fired 1,200. Ivey made the call.
and his opponent showed that he was ahead on the flop with the 
flop and was called by his opponent before the dealer dropped the 
on the turn.
and collect the pot to send him to 33,000 in chips.
and both players checked before the 
. Ivey mucked and dropped to 24,000 in chips.
and Varkonyi fired the same bet and his opponent tanked. After a few minutes he eventually folded.