There was nearly 3,000 in the middle and the flop had come 
when a player sitting in the small blind bet 1,750 and after some thought Bernard Lee called. Both then checked the 
turn. The river brought the 
and a check from Lee's opponent, and the instant Lee set chips out for a bet his opponent pushed his cards away.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
36,200
6,200
|
6,200 |
Martin Kabrhel made a big splash at the 2011 World Series of Poker after cashing four times including a cash in the Main Event. We've heard very little from Kabrhel this either other than him being shut out of playing the Big One for One Drop once it reached the player cap.
We found Kabrhel seated in the Orange section of the Amazon room. He opened a pot to 250 from middle position only to have the cutoff three-bet to 675. Kabrhel called and the flop came 
.
Kabrhel checked to his opponent who continued for 900. Kabrhel took one yellow t1,000 chip off of his stack and sat thinking for a moment before calmly sliding it forward.
Fourth street brought the 
and Kabrhel checked once again. His opponent upped the bet to 2,000 and Kabrhel sat motionless once again. This time, however, Kabrhel raised to 6,000. A sigh was heaved from the mouth of Kabrhel's opponent and he released his cards into the muck.
Kabrhel is now sitting on 38,500.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
38,500
8,500
|
8,500 |
|
||
Carlos Mortensen, sitting just a few feet away from the huge banner with his picture on it commemorating his 2001 WSOP Main Event win, raised 3x to 300 from middle position and got a single caller in the big blind.
The flop came 
and both players checked. The turn was the 
and when Mortensen's opponent checked, "El Matador" fired a bet of 400 which was called.
The river was the and again the big blind checked. This time Mortensen bet 500, and after a bit of thought his opponent let it go.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
39,300
2,600
|
2,600 |
|
||
Brian Rast has a knack for building a big stack early in tournaments and he is well on his way to doing the same today.
After a player in early position limped, Rast raised to 400 from middle position. The player on the button called, but the player in the small blind had other ideas and re-raised to 1,675. The player in the big blind called, the original limper folded, Rast called, and the player on the button called.
Got all that? Good.
The flop came down 
and the blinds checked it over to Rast. He bet 2,700, chasing out all opponents except for the player on the button. The 
hit the turn and Rast check-called 3,350 from his opponent. Both players opted to check the 
river.
"Ace-jack," said Rast.
"You win," replied his opponent.
Rast tabled his 
for top pair to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
43,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
Poker tournaments, especially the World Series of Poker, bring everybody out to the table: professionals, amateurs, stars of film and television, etc. It also brings out athletes, and Georges St-Pierre isn't the only one in the building today. PokerNews has spotted a former football player in the field today and one we've seen in the WSOP Main Event before.
Eric Stocz was born in Ohio in 1974, and he was drafted as a tight end by the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1996. He played with them for three years before leaving the game and seeking out other interests to occupy his time. One of those interests, apparently, is poker.
Stocz notched his first live cash in 2008, and later took down the Heartland Poker Tour $1,500 Main Event in Mount Pleasant in 2010 for more than $117,000.
Since his big victory, Stocz has racked up more than $60,000 in live tournament earnings. One of the highlights of his poker career came last year when Stocz finished in the money in the WSOP Main Event for $30,974. He also final tabled another HPT Main Event, this one in Reno for $11,100.
Stocz will be looking for back-to-back cashes in the WSOP Main Event and even top his performance from last year. First things first, though, and he'll be grinding through here on Day 1b.
We mentioned before how Dan Harrington is here. The 1995 WSOP Main Event champion is seated over at one of the three tables still set up from Event 55: $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop. At the other two tables in that section sit a couple of other aces — 2001 ME champ Carlos Mortensen and 2008 winner Peter Eastgate.
Just now the Poker Hall of Famer Harrington was recognized for his achievements with an announcement over the public address. His table had folded around to him at the very moment of the announcement, and as he stood to wave in acknowledgement of the applause, he fired a raise to which everyone folded.
Harrington then showed his hand… 
!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
38,500
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
||
|
|
36,700
6,700
|
6,700 |
|
|
||
|
|
28,800
-1,200
|
-1,200 |
Almost two weeks ago Craig McCorkell outlasted 586 players to win Event 36: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout. Today he had plans to be the last man standing again. Granted any bracelet is a huge accomplishment, but nothing has quite the effect as the Main Event. Winning on poker's biggest stage for the highest of stakes is what it all comes down to.
We recently caught up with McCorkell as he raised from the cutoff to 250 preflop. The button made the call and the big blind completed as well. The flop came 
and the big blind came out firing, betting 1,100. McCorkell made the call and the button released.
The on the turn saw a bet of 2,000 come out of the big blind's stack, and again McCorkell made the call.
A 
on the river seemed to make the big blind second guess himself, and we saw a check. McCorkell then took a few moments, before throwing out a bet of 5,000. The big blind deposited his cards in the muck and McCorkell took down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
34,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
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|
||
|
30,000 | |
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|
||
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
One of the notable faces in the Brasilia Room in former professional footballer Paulo Rink. Rink may not be as well known for his prowess on the felt compared to the pitch just yet, but he's working on building up his poker record. On the Latin American Poker Tour in 2010, Rink ran deep in the R$2,500 LAPT Brazil Main Event with a 29th-place finish for R$9,750 (USD $5,547). He also made an amazing run in the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,000 Main Event. Out of the field of 1,560, Rink placed 27th for $66,000. He also placed in the money in the 2011 R$2,000 LAPT Florianopolis Main Event.
Rink is a retired Brazilian-born German football (or soccer for us Americans) forward who gave up professional play in 2007.
Atletico Paranaense of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A league was the club where Rink got his start before moving to the German team Bayer Leverkusen. He was transferred to the team for the hefty sum of $6 million USD, which up until that point, no one had been transferred from Atletico Paranaense for that sum of money.
Although he spent four years from 1997-2001, scoring 29 goals with Bayer Leverkusen in 88 appearances, Rink played for numerous other clubs. Nuremberg, Energie Cottbus, Olympiakos Nicosia, Vitesse, Jeonbuk, Olympiakos Nicosia, Omonia Nicosia and Atletico-PR were all stints for him following Bayer Leverkusen. Out of that latter group, Rink made the most appearances with Olympiakos Nicosia (21) and scored the most goals with Omonia Nicosia (23).
Outside of club play, Rink earned 13 international caps between 1998 and 2000 with the German national team. Rink was a naturalized German citizen due to his great-grandfather emigrating from Germany to Brazil in 1904, and became the first Brazilian to play for Germany. Although he didn't score any goals with that team, Rink has 98 career goals on his resumé.
It is said that Rink can't even walk the streets of Germany without being mauled by fans. That's not the case quite yet here within the poker world, but all of that could change with a standout performance in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Below is a video PokerNews' very own Kristy Arnett did with Rink during his deep run at the 2011 PCA Main Event.
A player under the gun raised to 225, UFC Welterweight champ George St-Pierre called from middle position, and a late position player called as well. All three checked the 
flop.
The turn then brought the 
, and when it checked to the late position player he fired 350. The UTG player folded, but the UFC one called.
The river brought the . Action was on St-Pierre, who instead of checking or betting surprisingly turned over his hand, showing 
for an eight-high straight. The table looked around and laughed, and his opponent checked behind, showing 
for jacks.
No penalty was assessed to St-Pierre for showing his hand with action pending, although the judges watching from the rail may have docked him a point that round.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
33,500
3,500
|
3,500 |
