John Phan Eliminated By the Flip of a Button

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

With over 100,000 chips already in the pot and the board reading KQ35, Travis Carson moves al-in for 44,200.  John Phan is trying to decided whether or not to call-in for his last 30,000 or so.

Phan has tucked his cards in between his chips and the rail for safe keeping while he deliberates.  After a while, he asks the dealer if she has a second blue "all-in" button.  One of the buttons is in front of Carson, but the second button is still in the well.

Phan tells the dealer he is not going all-in, but he was wondering if he could borrow the button for the minute.  The dealer warily hands it to him and he begins to use it as a coin.  He gives it a small toss in the air and it lands face-down right in front of him.  He tries to give it another small toss and it nearly gets away from him.

On the third toss, Phan hefts it a little higher and it lands face-down on the other side of the betting line.  There is a beat before Phan reaches in and pulls the button back.

"That's a call," Carson says.  Phan does not seem to agree.  A floorman is paged to the table to hear the situation and Phan pleads his case that he told the dealer he was just borrowing the button, not using it to move all-in.  The table seems to agree with Carson that it should be ruled a call.

Tournament Director Matt Savage is paged to the table and as soon as he hears that Phan asked for the button, he tells him, "You're all-in."  Savage even adds that asking for the button is called "the John Phan rule" before walking away.

Carson flips over his QQ for middle set and Phan still doesn't touch his cards.  After some more insisting from the dealer and the floor, Phan shows AK for top pair.

The river 8 means Phan is officially eliminated, though he does stick around and plead his case to his tablemates for another minute or so before heading for the door.

Travis Carson - 195,000 (163 BBs)
John Phan - eliminated

Top Five Chipleaders

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

Here's a look at the five players who entered play at the top of the leaderboard.



Gordon Vayo started Day 3 first in chips with 284,000 (236 BBs).



Behzad Teranie started Day 3 second in chips with 280,000 (233 BBs).



Greg "FBT" Mueller started Day 3 third in chips with 279,700 (233 BBs).



Darren Elias started Day 3 fourth in chips with 257,400 (214 BBs).



Vasile Buboi started Day 3 fifth in chips with 238,700 (198 BBs).

Sam Barnhart Busts a Short Stack

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

After getting some chips in from the button, Sam Barnhart faces an all-in move from Nedjeh Yeroomian in the small blind for another 17,000 or so. Barnhart calls with 68 and Yeroomian turns over A9, proclaiming, "I'm ahead."

"I'm live," Barnhart points out.  The 543 flop gives Barnhart an open-ended straight draw, but the J on the turn keeps Yeroomian out front. 

The river 6 pairs up Barnhart and he takes the pot, eliminating Yeroomian in the process.

Sam Barnhart - 210,000 (175 BBs)
Nedjeh Yeroomian - eliminated

Scott Seiver Eliminated By JC Tran

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

JC Tran and Scott Seiver get it all-in preflop with Seiver holding pocket jacks to Tran's pocket queens.  The board is no help to Seiver and the reigning WPT World Champion is eliminated.

JC Tran - 190,000 (158 BBs)
Scott Seiver - eliminated

Tom Lee Eliminated By Dan O'Brien

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

With around 10,000 already in the pot and the board reading J86, WPT Ones to Watch Dan O'Brien bets 6,800 from the small blind and Tom Lee raises to 16,800 on the button.  O'Brien thinks a bit before moving all-in, having Lee covered.

Lee, who has around 40,000 behind quickly calls.  O'Brien turns over 66 for a set of sixes.  Lee trails with 99 for a pair of nine.

The turn brings the 10, which does give Lee an open-ended straight draw, but the 10 on the river give O'Brien a winning full house and sends him to the rail early in the Day 3 action.

Dan O'Brien - 178,000 (148 BBs)
Tom Lee - eliminated

Day 3 Underway

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

Day 3 of the LAPC Main Event is going to be a doozy as teh 182 players still alive in the tournament will play down to the 54-person money bubble over the course of the day.

According to Tournament Director Matt Savage, the plan for today is to play four levels, then take a one-hour dinner break.  The field will then return and continue to play until the bubble bursts.  If the field is within one table of bursting the bubble after four levels, there will be no dinner break and play will continue.

Savage announces to players that Day 3 of the LA Poker Classic is underway and cards are now in the air.  Blinds begin at 600-1,200 ante 200.  Levels are once again ninety-minutes long.

Luck of the Draw

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

WPT L.A. Poker Classic, Day 2 Recap

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

By BJ Nemeth



A WPT television camera (bottom left) captures some footage at the featured table, which included a particularly impressive lineup (in seat order): (1) Jason Paquin, (2) Jason Mercier, (3) Erick Lindgren, (4) Dan O'Brien, (5) Matt Berkey, (6) Dan Kelly, (7) Allen Kessler, (8) Men Nguyen, (9) Will Failla.

In this photo, you can see Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler raking in a pot early, but Kessler exited rather quickly on Day 2, running pocket kings into the pocket aces of Dan Kelly in a classic Kessler cooler.



Michael Rocco was the Day 1 tournament chipleader with 156,200, but Day 2 wasn't as kind to Rocco, as he didn't survive the day.



In addition to being the WPT's Raw Deal Analyst on the TV show, Tony Dunst is the lead commentator for the WPT Final Table Live Stream, which shows all the action (including holecards) on a 30-minute delay. The final table for this event will be on Wednesday, February 29th. (Yes, it's a leap year, so February has 29 days.)

(Did you notice the banner of WPT on-air talent over Dunst's shoulder?)



WPT Commentator Mike Sexton joined Tony Dunst (and Dan O'Brien) for the WPT Live Stream at the last WPT stop, the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open, down near Miami, Florida. By most accounts, it was one of the most popular live streams among the viewers.



Liv Boeree smiles after doubling up with AA, all in after a flop of 933. Her opponent called with QQ, and Boeree's aces held up. Boeree lost momentum later in the day, but she is still alive and heading into Day 3 with 52,100 in chips.



Barry Greenstein (right) watches as Phil Ivey plays a hand to the river early on Day 2. The long-time friends both survived to Day 3, with Greenstein at 34,000 and Ivey at 106,000.



Jason Mercier (left), Erick Lindgren (center right), and Allen Carter (foreground right) wait for a player to act at the Day 2 featured table. Lindgren and Carter are both members of the WPT Champions Club (Lindgren actually won two titles and was the WPT Season II Player of the Year), while Mercier has seemingly won everything under the sun except a WPT title.



If the smile of Tony Hachem looks a little familiar, that may be because you know his brother Joe, who won the 2005 WSOP Main Event. Tony made a deep run in the 2011 WSOP Main Event, finishing 37th as he tried to bring another WSOP championship home to Australia.

This is Tony's first WPT event (brother Joe won a WPT title too, back in 2006), and both Hachems are in good shape with average chip stacks heading into Day 3.



Royal Flush Girls Tugba Ercan (left) and Ivy Teves played in a special bounty tournament for members of ClubWPT.com. Their laptops were set up at the Royal Flush Girls Social Bar overlooking the WPT L.A. Poker Classic.

During the bounty tournament, any ClubWPT player who eliminated a Royal Flush Girl will receive an additional bounty prize -- a swag bag valued at over $100, with a hoodie, t-shirt, hat, backpack, and an autographed photo from the Royal Flush Girl that was eliminated.

ClubWPT.com players who missed out on Saturday's bounty tournament will have another chance on Sunday at 3:30 pm PT, when Royal Flush Girls Brittany Bell and Danielle Ruiz will take their turns on the virtual felt.



Royal Flush Girl Ivy Teves poses for a quick photo between hands in the ClubWPT.com bounty tournament, while the WPT L.A. Poker Classic plays on in the background.



Mike Sexton gives his thoughts to the WPT television camera after his elimination in the middle of the day.



The WPT Champions Cup is a unique trophy that travels the tour and is engraved with the name and winning hand of every WPT champion. (WPT winners receive a slightly smaller version to keep for themselves.)



Shannon Shorr watches carefully as the dealer counts down chip stacks between him and Mike Leah. Shorr had just doubled up with pocket kings, and since they were nearly even in chips, the loss crippled Leah, who was eliminated a short while later. Shorr survived the day with 38,100.



ClubWPT.com qualifier Steven Simmons found himself playing against Phil Ivey on Day 2. Simmons was short stacked and didn't survive the day, but it's unlikely that he'll ever forget the stare of Ivey.



With the board showing A9358, Vanessa Rousso (center) bets nearly enough to put Jennifer Harman (foreground, right) all in. Harman thought for about two minutes before she folded.

Rousso assured Harman it was a good fold, but when Harman asked if she had a flush, Rousso said, "No flush, but I think I was good. Unless you had aces."



Jason Somerville (left) and Darren Elias (right) were both battling for the top of the leaderboard in the final level. When the dust settled at the end of the day, Elias had the advantage, fourth in chips with 257,400, while Somerville finished in the top 15 with 190,300.



Greg "FBT" Mueller had a strong day, finishing third in chips with 279,700, and he was named as the ClubWPT.com Player of the Day.



Day 2 came to an end with 182 players remaining. Here's a look at the top of the leaderboard (average chip stack: 90,500):

1. Gordon Vayo - 284,000
2. Behzad Teranie - 280,000
3. Greg "FBT" Mueller - 279,700
4. Darren Elias - 257,400
5. Vasile Buboi - 238,700
6. Keith Ferrera - 235,100
7. Eric Cloutier - 231,300
8. Joe Tehan - 223,200
9. Barry Woods - 206,600
10. Shaun Deeb - 197,400

Day 3 begins Sunday at 12:00 noon PT, and the plan is to play to the money (54 players), though they will play at least five levels if they reach the money early. (Spoiler Alert: They won't reach the money within five levels.) Return to WPT.com for continuing live coverage throughout the day.