Official Chip Counts Updated

Level 11: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

The official chip counts have been updated for all 68 remaining players. Check out the Chip Counts page for the full list. Seating assignments will be posted later tonight, and Day 3 begins tomorrow (Saturday) at 12:00 noon ET.

Day 2 Ends with a Race for the Chip Lead

Level 11: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

Day 2 of the Foxwoods World Poker Finals is in the books and over the course of the past five levels we have seen the field dwindle from 206 players at the start of the day to just 71 remaining runners who will return tomorrow to play on Day 3.

As the levels ticked by, several players fell by the wayside, including Day 1 big stacks Adam Lippert, Danny Illingworth, Chris Moore and ClubWPT.com qualifier Alan Sasser.  As the field shrank and the end of the day was on the horizon the players left in the Sunset Ballroom had one thing and one thing only on their mind: almonds.

The final level of play saw the chip lead rapidly bounce from Christian Harder to Day 1 chip leader Todd Terry to Terrence Chan to Soheil Shamseddin to the end of Day 2 chip leader Steve Merrifield (better known online as SteveyMoney).  Every time one of the big stacks took down a big pot, they would inquire first if they were the chip leader and second, whether or not they were in contention for the title of Blue Diamond Almond Bold Player of the Day.

Chan and Harder were seated at the same table and even went so far as to start calculating their "almond equity" in pots and jokingly offered to go all-in blind so one of the two could amass a giant chip lead that could not be overlooked by Amanda Leatherman.  Terry, on the other hand, opted to double up with a dramatic flair, spiking a gutshot on the turn to crack his opponent's set of aces and amass nearly 400,000 chips.

The player who succeeded in accumulating both chips and almonds was Soheil Shamseddin, whose theatrical celebration after calling a big bet on the river with unimproved pocket fours earned him the year's supply of almonds in addition to the six figure pot.  However, it was Merrifield who ended the day with the most chips at 465,100.  Thanks to a big hand in which Merrifield made fours full of queens against Michael "The Grinder" Mizarachi and another pot in which his trip kings held up against a shorter stack's flush draw, Merrifield will be the biggest stack in the room when play resumes tomorrow at 12PM.

Here are the top five chip counts from the end of Day 2:

1. Steven Merrifield (465,100)
2. Soheil Shamseddin (401,000)
3. Todd Terry (396,500)
4. Terrence Chan (394,200)
5. Curt Kohlberg (370,000)

This month, ClubWPT is awarding two seats to the World Poker Tour’s Celebrity Invitational. With many repeat celebrity attendees, this event has grown to be a must-attend for celebrities and VIPs. Click here to learn more. 

Blue Diamond Almonds Bold Player of the Day - Soheil Shamseddin

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

ClubWPT.com End of Day 2 Update

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

Both Jesse Lopez and Dean Meyer came into the second day of play here at the Foxwoods World Poker Finals with high hopes but low expectations since both of them started the day with some of the smallest stacks in the field.

The two ClubWPT.com qualifiers had big days courtesy of some timely double ups, big calls and a lot of patience.  Neither player played many pots during this last level of the day, so they ended slightly down from where they were to end Level 9.  Lopez took a couple of hits after his big hand against Kathy Liebert to end the day with 61,700.  However, considering he started the day with just 9,000 chips, his chip stack has to feel massive compared to where he started the day.

Meyer ended the day with just 30,500, but the ever-optimistic North Dakotan put his end of day results in a positive light.  "Yesterday I ended with 25,000," Meyer explained.  "So, the way I see it, I am up 5,000 chips on the day and that is fine with me."

The third ClubWPT.com qualifier, Alan Sasser, made his exit from the event earlier in the day, but he will be able to look back on Foxwoods with fond memories of ending Day 1 with a top ten chip stack, making a big call with ace high against known pro Theo Tran and holding his own against poker pros like Christian Harder and Victor Ramdin.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see if our two remaining ClubWPT.com qualifiers can continue their wild Foxwoods ride into the money alongside the other 71 players still in the field here in Connecticut.

If you would like to win your way to a WPT Main Event on ClubWPT.com click on the link below for all the details.

Day 2 Ends With About 68 Players

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

After another five levels here today, WPT Foxwoods finishes with about 68 players left in the field. The unofficial chipleader is Steven Merrifield with about 465,000, but we're doing our best to compile all the official chip counts now. 

We expect the full list of chip counts to be posted before 10:00 pm ET.

Nenad Medic Takes a Big Preflop Pot

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

We missed the first stage of the betting, but with only the blinds and antes pulled into the pot, this was the situation: 

Jason Mercier had reraised from the big blind to 17,200, and Jonathan Tare has called from under the gun. The action is back to Nenad Medic on the button, who has a single 5K chip in front of him. 

After some thought, Medic reraises to 67,200. Mercier asks for a count of Medic's chips, and he says he has another 50,000 or so behind. Mercier, who has 133,000 left in his stack, thinks for about two minutes before he folds. 

Now the action is back on Tare, who thinks for about a minute before he folds as well. As the dealer pushes the pot to Nenad Medic, chipleader Todd Terry says, "Nice hand."

For those who don't remember, Nenad Medic won this event in 2006, and came close to repeating the following year when he finished third. No player in WPT history has ever won the same event twice, or even won two titles at the same casino. 

Nenad Medic  -  158,000
Jason Mercier  -  133,000
Jonathan Tare  -  92,000

Soheil Shamseddin Takes A Chip Lead Late on Day 2

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

Soheil Shamseddin opens the pot for a 7,000 raise and Jack Schanbacher reraises to 18,000 from behind.  Action folds back around to Soheil who makes the call.

The flop comes 753 and both players check.  The turn pairs the board with the 5 and Soheil checks again.  Schanbacher bets 26,000 and Soheil calls.

The river brings the 2 and Soheil checks for a third time.  Schanbacher bets 61,500.

Soheil thinks quietly for several minutes checking and rechecking his hole cards.  Finally, he make the call.

Schanbacher:  K10
Soheil:  44

With two pair, fives and fours Soheil takes down the pot.  He gets up from the table and yells from the top of his lungs "I'm so sick!"

Soheil Shamseddin - 400,000
Jack Schanbacher - 220,000

Todd Terry Doubles Up

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

A player in late position raises, the player who has been Jason Mercier's nemesis as of late calls and Todd Terry reraises out of the small blind.  Both players call and they go 3-way to a flop of KJ9.  Terry moves all-in for 146,600 and the initial raiser goes in the tank.  He eventually folds what he later claims is A-K and the other player thinks briefly before calling with JJ for a set of jacks.  Terry needs some help, as he shows AT for just a gutshot straight draw.

Terry gets exactly what he needs when the Q peels off on the turn, completing his straight.  The river 7 fails to pair the board and the dealer starts to push the pot towards Terry.  The player with the jacks looks shocked and confused and it is only after the dealer points out the straight to him that he realizes Terry drew out on him and he throws his hands up in frustration.

That pot sends Terry's chip count up to 375,000, which is enough to put him in the chip lead for the moment.

Jason Mercier Loses a Huge Pot on a Bad Beat

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

After a flop of K96 with more than 30,000 already in the pot, a player is all in for 126,900 with A9 (pair of nines) against Jason Mercier's QQ. This is the same player that Mercier clashed with before the last break, and Mercier is poised to win a pot worth nearly 255,000.

But the turn card is the A, giving his opponent two pair, and the river card is the 9, giving his opponent a full house to win the pot. Jason Mercier tosses his cards down in frustration and sarcastically says, "Well played, sir."

If Mercier's pocket pair had held up, he would have moved into a battle for the chip lead. As it turned out, he has a below average stack with 41 big blinds -- not chip leader, but plenty of room to maneuver.

Jason Mercier  -  82,000

Chip Count Update

Level 10: 1,000-2,000, 300 ante

All of the chip counts have just been updated in the Chip Count Tab.

With 73 players remaining, here is a look at the top five...

Christian Harder - 361,000
Jack Schanbacher - 351,000
Terrence Chan - 320,000
Michael Mizrachi - 310,000
Curt Kohlberg - 305,000

ClubWPT.com Chip Counts

Jesse Lopez - 102,000
Dean Meyer - 41,000

Recent Eliminations:

Kathy Liebert
Adam Lippert
Andrew Barta