Ben Lamb's stack has been growing quite a bit over the past hour or so. We missed all the fun so we checked Lamb's twitter page and found out that he has already "...been all in twice. Both times bluffing, both times they folded" which helped him get up to 37,000.
Not long later he tweeted, "Over 60k these guys aren't too good..." followed by a post explaining how he won a pot holding on a board to boost his stack up to 73,000.
After we started researching all these hands for this post Lamb won another pot with a straight to boost his stack above the 80,000 mark.
He even tweeted a picture of his chip stack and we're sure he'll be utilizing that stack in his quest to claim this year's "Player of the Year" award. Lamb was at the top of the leaderboard until Phil Hellmuth took 2nd in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship Tournament to take the lead. Hellmuth currently has 710.25 points while Lamb has 659.05.
We came to the table and saw what looked like Al ‘Sugar Bear’ Barbieri in the cutoff calling a three-bet to 2,200 from the button preflop. On the flop, Barbieri checked and then rested his eyes as he looked quite tired. His young counterpart announced, “Two point six”. Barbieri quickly tossed in the 2,600 for the call as the players saw a roll off on the turn.
Barbieri checked again and the button said “Five point five” this time. Barbieri threw in the chips like lightning and the on the river completed the board. Barbieri checked one last time and his opponent proclaimed, “All in” as he slid his stack of around 20,000 into the middle. Barbieri went into the tank and looked back at his cards several times before he finally flicked them in. The pot brought him down to right around the starting stack.
A more serious than usual Jean-Robert Bellande is very deep into Twitter on his IPad and his headphones are securely on his head. Even during a hand, Bellande will barely look up and he seems almost focused to the point of being anxious. Maybe it's because Bellande has been seen playing most of the events at this year's WSOP and has only two min-cahses to show for it. Everyone knows Bellande's stories of being broke and constantly deep into backer's funds etc. so this is his last chance of the series to make up for it all and get the deep run he has been searching for. The poker pro and former Survivor contestant made a deep run in last year's main when he finished 78th, and now with a double stack early, he clearly on a mission to not let this one get away from him. He lost the following hand but still has quite a few chips behind
Bellande opened from early position for 700 and got calls from both the small and big blinds. The flop came down and both players checked to Bellande who bet 1,700. The small blind called and the big blind folded.
The turn came and both players checked. The river came the and the small blind bet out 5,000. Bellande looked up for the first time all hand and gave an intense glare to his opponent. Eventually Bellande made the call and the small blind flipped over . Bellande seemed unable to let go of his cards and gave a disappointing head shake before finally tossing them to the muck. He still has around 55,000 which is a huge stack at the moment. All eyes will be on Bellande to see if he can go deep again and redeem himself for his so far abysmal 2011 WSOP.
The last time we walked by Justin Smith, he had just been a victim of the Aces vs Kings cooler, and had dropped down to 11,000. Well he was able to build that back up a bit, but has just lost a pot that has seen his stack fall to...10,500. When we arrived, Smith was heads up with another player on a . His opponent had bet out 3,000, and Smith was shuffling some chips together, but he was not thinking about just calling. Smith stacked most of his chips together, and slid them into the middle. His opponent thought for a few moments before calling the rest of his stack off, about 8,000 more. The cards were flipped, and Smith would have to draw out.
Smith:
Opponent:
Smith had the nut flush draw, but his opponent had already made a lower flush. The gave him no help, and the wasn't much help either. Smith shipped the chips over, then immediately went back to typing on his phone, as is his usual post big hand tradition.
Roland de Wolfe can't seem to get much going so far - and it's showing in his general demeanor.
In a recent hand, two early-position players limped and the small blind completed. De Wolfe, who had been reading a magazine, took a quick peak at his cards and checked his option.
The flop came and action checked around to the second early position player, who led out for 600. De Wolfe was her only caller.
The turn brought a and De Wolfe again check-called a bet from his opponent - this time for 3,000.
A completed the board and De Wolfe checked once more. This time his opponent checked behind and showed for kings-full. De Wolfe nonchalantly flipped over for king-full as well and the two split the pot.
De Wolfe immediately went back to reading his magazine and is currently sitting on approximately 29,000.
Kevin O'Donnell has been knocked out after he was all in for 14,075 with against on a flop. The turn and weren't enough help as O'Donnell whiffed his flush draw, which ended the main event dreams for yet another player.
An early position player made a raise to 775 and Mike Matusow made the call. The flop fell and Matusow's opponent continued out for 1,400. Matusow riffled his chips a couple of times before tossing a raise out into the middle, making it 3,100 to go. His opponent quickly called and we were off to the turn.
Fourth street came the and Matusow's opponent checked. The Mouth checked behind and they saw the fall on the river. Once again Matusow's opponent checked, and Matusow fired out a bet of 9,000 chips. Matusow remained emotionless as his opponent sat thinking. Finally his opponent polished off his Red Bull and tossed his cards into the middle. Matusow didn't speak a word as he scooped the pot and continued to pad his growing stack.
Edwin Kim, at table 370 in Purple looks to be the early chip leader for Day 1b, sitting with a sizeable stack next to former main event winner Carlos Mortensen. He just won a pot off Danny Ryan, the latter check-folding to a 6,000 bet on the river of a board.
It's been a tough day for Ryan after losing a huge pot with the nut flush to a full house. "It was my first nut flush of the series," he explained, "and I lose half my stack from making it..."
Tyler Box opened to 700 from middle position, Chris King called out of the small blind, and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi defended his big. The dealer fanned , and all three players checked. The turn was the , King checked, Mizrachi tossed out 900, and only Box called.
The river was the , and Mizrachi led for 2,425. Box raised enough to put Mizrachi all in, and he folded.
![[user198205]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
on a 
board to boost his stack up to 73,000.
flop, Barbieri checked and then rested his eyes as he looked quite tired. His young counterpart announced, “Two point six”. Barbieri quickly tossed in the 2,600 for the call as the players saw a 
roll off on the turn.
on the river completed the board. Barbieri checked one last time and his opponent proclaimed, “All in” as he slid his stack of around 20,000 into the middle. Barbieri went into the tank and looked back at his cards several times before he finally flicked them in. The pot brought him down to right around the starting stack.
and both players checked to Bellande who bet 1,700. The small blind called and the big blind folded.
and both players checked. The river came the 
and the small blind bet out 5,000. Bellande looked up for the first time all hand and gave an intense glare to his opponent. Eventually Bellande made the call and the small blind flipped over 
. His opponent had bet out 3,000, and Smith was shuffling some chips together, but he was not thinking about just calling. Smith stacked most of his chips together, and slid them into the middle. His opponent thought for a few moments before calling the rest of his stack off, about 8,000 more. The cards were flipped, and Smith would have to draw out.
gave him no help, and the 
wasn't much help either. Smith shipped the chips over, then immediately went back to typing on his phone, as is his usual post big hand tradition.
and action checked around to the second early position player, who led out for 600. De Wolfe was her only caller.
completed the board and De Wolfe checked once more. This time his opponent checked behind and showed 
for kings-full. De Wolfe nonchalantly flipped over 
for king-full as well and the two split the pot.
turn and 
and Matusow's opponent continued out for 1,400. Matusow riffled his chips a couple of times before tossing a raise out into the middle, making it 3,100 to go. His opponent quickly called and we were off to the turn.
, King checked, Mizrachi tossed out 900, and only Box called.
, and Mizrachi led for 2,425. Box raised enough to put Mizrachi all in, and he folded.
