2012 World Series of Poker

Event 19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 2
Event Info

2012 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Cliff Goldkind
Winning Hand
66
Prize
$559,514
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$3,107,700
Entries
2,302
Level Info
Level
28
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000

Former November Niner Dolan Crushing

John Dolan (Event 16)
John Dolan (Event 16)

John Dolan most famously made the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Here in this event, he just moved to over 400,000 in chips.

With the board reading {6-Hearts}{5-Hearts}{5-Spades}{A-Hearts}, an opponent fired 14,500 into Dolan and he made the call. The river was the {8-Diamonds} and the player fired another 27,000 into Dolan. Again, Dolan called.

"You're good," said his opponent before Dolan then tabled the {10-Hearts}{2-Hearts} for a heart flush. His opponent mucked.

Dolan is Fort Myers, Florida. Against his family’s advice, Dolan left college at Florida State after two years to pursue poker. Things didn’t go well at first, and Dolan was forced to take on various jobs to make a living. In 2007, he took a position as a poker dealer, which reignited his love of the game. Around the same time, Dolan began to find success online.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Dolan revealed his start in online poker: "It was probably more success than I deserved. At the time I was just playing. I was extremely young, very naive about poker. I feel I have a lifetime of knowledge compared to what I had back then. I ran through a bunch of money, ran it back up a couple times, and I don't think I was learning much more, I was just playing. I was down-swinging, taking shots, uneducated about bankroll management, and ended up, through a friend that I played high school baseball with, meeting with Brian "SNo0oWMAN" Hawkins who was having a sick year and … he ended up backing me. It was blind luck and perfect timing. He started helping me and that's when I started to learn and become a student of the game.”

After going on to have an amazing WSOP in 2010, capped off by finishing sixth in the Main Event for $1,772,959, Dolan has put up some very nice results on the live felt. He cashed twice the following year in WSOP events and then won the 2012 Southern Poker Million Dollar Heater $5,000 Main Event in Biloxi for $336,105 to kick off 2012. In April, Dolan took second in the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Showdown to nearly $460,000. In total, Dolan's career earnings in live events are $2,957,860.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Dolan us
John Dolan
425,000
253,000
253,000

Tags: John Dolan

Tolbert's Shove Gets Through Lam

Clint Tolbert
Clint Tolbert

With nine players seated at the table, Tai Lam raised to 9,500 from the cutoff seat. Play folded a couple spots over to Clint Tolbert on the button and he three-bet all in for 48,000. Tolbert's shove worked as the blinds and Lam all folded to give him the pot.

Tolbert has approximately $350,000 in live tournament earnings with his best year coming in 2010. His largest result on record was a 13th-place finish in the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $115,000. He had another six-figure score that year in the $2,000 Main Event at The River Guaranteed $3,000,000 Poker Series held at the Winstar Casino. In that event, Tolbert won $100,520.

This is only Tolbert's second World Series of Poker cash and his first since 2010. That year he placed in the money in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event for $2,802. He's already getting over double that and looking to make an even bigger splash.

*Some of Tolbert's results also fall under James Tolbert

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Tai Lam
Tai Lam
94,000
Profile photo of Clint Tolbert us
Clint Tolbert
68,000
16,000
16,000

Tags: Clint TolbertJames TolbertTai Lam

Hanna Takes a Hit

Jessica Betrand Hanna
Jessica Betrand Hanna

We don't know how the action went exactly, but we do know that day one's end of day chip leader, Jessica Bertrand Hanna had her opponent all in holding {K-}{k-}. Her nemesis in the hand held {A-Diamonds}{J-Diamonds}. A {7-Spades}{j-Spades}{q-Diamonds} flop allowed for Hanna's opponent to grab onto a pair of jacks, which were still only second best to Hana's pair of kings.

An {a-Hearts} on the turn though took the advantage away from Hana. Now she would need a king or a ten on the river in order to take the pot down. The {4-Hearts} was no good though and Hana was forced to give off a sizable chunk of her stack and forfeit the 130,000 pot.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jessica Bertrand Hanna
Jessica Bertrand Hanna
145,000
-44,000
-44,000

Tags: Jessica Bertrand

Level: 17

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 500

Here Comes Stein

Sam Stein
Sam Stein

Sam Stein was once nursing a pretty short stack and looking to double up. He's done that by now, and much more. We just caught him picking up some chips from David Dalesandro that sent him over 225,000.

On the {10-Diamonds}{8-Hearts}{4-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds} board, Dalesandro checked and Stein bet 16,000. After a minute or so in the tank, Dalesandro made the call.

The river completed the board with the {3-Hearts} and Dalesandro checked again. Stein slid out a tall stack of yellow T1,000 chips for a bet of 26,000. Dalesandro tanked for another minute, but this time gave it up and Stein won the pot.

Stein is a Las Vegas resident with over $3.3 million in live tournament earnings. His best year was in 2011 when he won over $2.15 million and also recorded the single largest score of his career. To start off that year, Stein took fourth in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event for a cool $1 million. He then won his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet in the $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event for over $420,000. This was just two weeks after he took third in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship that Amir Lehavot won for $264,651. Later on that year, Stein had another six-figure score by taking down the European Poker Tour San Remo €10,000 High Roller for $€223,000.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Sam Stein us
Sam Stein
227,000
39,000
39,000
Profile photo of David Dalesandro us
David Dalesandro
100,000
-20,000
-20,000

Tags: Sam SteinDavid DalesandroAmir Lehavot

Mountain Turns Into Hill

Dan Hill held a massive stack a few minutes ago, but now that is gone. Still holding strong at a healthy 165,000 Hill is only a fraction of his former strength. We did happen to catch a hand with him where he raised to 7,500 preflop. Ravi Raghavan on the button was the only one who opted to call and both players saw a {6-Hearts}{Q-Spades}{3-Clubs} flop.

It was on the flop that both players agreed to check. The {K-Spades} on the turn saw a 8,000 bet from Hill, and a quick call from Raghavan. A {6-Hearts} on the turn scared both players into tapping the felt for a check, and Hill un-confidentially flipped over {A-Spades}{10-Hearts}. Raghavan countered by throwing his cards in the muck, as Hill possessed the best hand.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Dan Hill
Dan Hill
165,000
-161,000
-161,000

Tags: Dan HillRavi Raghavan

Dalesandro's Jacks Hold

After a raise to 7,000 in front of him, David Dalesandro reraised all in for slightly less than 60,000 from middle position. Play folded over to the player in the small blind and he made the call for less at 40,500. The big blind and original raiser folded.

Dalesandro tabled the {J-Diamonds}{J-Clubs} to be in front of his opponent's {10-Diamonds}{10-Spades}. The flop, turn and river came {8-Clubs}{7-Hearts}{2-Diamonds}{3-Spades}{Q-Hearts} and Dalesandro's jacks held up to bust his opponent.

With that pot, Dalesandro moved back over 100,000 in chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of David Dalesandro us
David Dalesandro
120,000
-22,500
-22,500

Tags: David Dalesandro

Lam Takes a Chunk from Tolbert

From under the gun, Tai Lam raised to 8,500. In the next seat, Clint Tolbert reraised to 21,000 with a little over 50,000 behind. Action folded back to Lam and he made the call, leaving himself with 65,000 going into the flop.

The flop came down 10-high with the {10-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}{3-Spades} falling and Lam moved all in for his 65,000. Tolbert couldn't make the call and was forced to lay down his hand.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Tai Lam
Tai Lam
94,000
Profile photo of Clint Tolbert us
Clint Tolbert
52,000
-23,000
-23,000

Tags: Clint TolbertTai Lam