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Level 11: 800-1,600, 200 ante

Photo Recap: Day 2 of WPT Foxwoods

Level 11: 800-1,600, 200 ante

By BJ Nemeth

There were four players who took advantage of Day 2 registration at WPT Foxwoods, increasing the total field size to 242 players. After five levels of play, there were 68 survivors, but none of the late registrants were among them. Here are the top five chipleaders heading into Day 3:

1.  Kyle Bowker  -  260,100  (162 bb)
2.  Josh Arieh  -  258,200  (161 bb)
3.  Bryon Springer  -  247,300  (154 bb)
4.  Gavin Smith  -  245,800  (153 bb)
5.  Todd Freeman   -  229,100  (143 bb)

Average Stack  -  106,000  (66 bb)

For the full list of chip counts and Day 3 seating assignments, click here.

The prizepool information was released shortly after registration closed, and the top 25 players will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $27,779. That's a big amount for a min-cash in a $10,000 event. The big money (more than six figures) waits for the final six players who reach the televised WPT final table:

1st:   $548,752
2nd:   $325,608
3rd:  $211,759
4th:  $170,773
5th:  $128,650
6th:  $104,741

And now, a photographic look back at Day 2 of WPT Foxwoods:



Day 2 of the WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals began with 169 players, including Gavin Smith, seen here dropping off something at the media desk. Those 169 players represent 168 survivors from Day 1, and a single player who registered that morning, Justin Schwartz. Three more players would show up before registration closed after the first break.



Hoyt Corkins (right) and Todd Terry sit side-by-side on Day 2 of WPT Foxwoods. Corkins won this event in 2003, earning $1,089,200. It was the first million-dollar prize awarded at a regular season WPT event. Both Corkins (155,400 in chips) and Terry (37,000) survived to Day 3.



Bernard Lee takes a quick nap during a break, catching up on some much-needed sleep. Lee was one of the four late arrivals who entered the tournament on Day 2. Lee had an excellent excuse for being late, because he final tabled the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship in Hammond, Indiana. Lee finished third in that event, and then flew out to Foxwoods on Friday morning after less than two hours of sleep.



Can Andy Frankenberger make it to his third final table of Season IX? Here, Frankenberger (center) has moved all in from the small blind with AK, and Micah Raskin (left) tanks for a bit before calling with KQ. The best hand held up, and Raskin was sent home as Frankenberger chipped up.



Early on Day 2, Ben Klier took over the chip lead. Klier is fresh off a final table appearance at WPT Borgata last month, where he finished sixth.



During one of the breaks, WPT Anchor Kimberly Lansing interviews Jason Somerville, who finished Day 1 among the chipleaders, but had an up-and-down Day 2 before finishing with a slightly-above-average stack of 112,800.



Shannon Shorr (right) was the last player to enter the tournament, after final tabling the WSOP Circuit Regional Championship on Thursday and running into flight delays on Friday. Shorr was in good shape heading into the final level, but he ran pocket tens into pocket aces and was out of the tournament. Meanwhile, Josh Arieh (left) emerged as the chipleader late in the day, and finished second on the leaderboard with 258,200.



Jason Mercier (left) stands a few feet away from the featured table as he sends a text or Twitter message. The rules here at Foxwoods forbid players from using their cellphones at the tables, and, as you'd expect, there were a lot of complaints about that rule -- on Twitter.



Mohsin Charania (left) takes a hand to showdown on a board of J5397, but doesn't like what he sees when Gavin Smith (right) turns over 1010. Charania mucked without showing, and Smith, who was tournament chipleader at this point, increased his lead over the field. Charania (148,200) finished the day strong, winning some of his chips back from Smith, who slipped to fourth on the leaderboard with 245,800.



Howard Lederer (left) watches as short-stacked McLean Karr (right) cracks the pocket kings of Darryll Fish (not pictured) to double up with K10. The board brought four clubs to give Karr a flush. Unfortunately, this was just a footnote in a very frustrating day for Karr, who was mistakenly shorted chips in a pot early in the day. It's a long story, and if you're interested, you can read all about it by clicking here. While Karr didn't survive the day, Lederer (33,800) and Fish (15,800) both survived with short stacks.



Jason Somerville (foreground, right) ponders the situation after Andy Frankenberger (center) moves all in on the river with the board showing QJ889. Somerville eventually called to see Frankenberger's J10 -- a queen-high straight. Somerville mucked, saying he could beat anything but a straight, eventually admitting that he had trip eights. Though Frankenberger got the best of this hand, Somerville finished the day much stronger, with 112,800 in chips compared to Frankenberger's 47,300.



Carlos Mortensen doesn't have a lot of chips, but that doesn't stop him from starting construction on one of his famous chip structures. Unfortunately, Mortensen's structure was dismantled when he failed to hit his flush draw against Josh Bergman's pocket kings -- Mortensen busted in the final hour of play.



When the chip stacks were counted, bagged, and tagged, Gavin Smith finished the day fourth in chips. The WPT camera crew recorded Smith's finish, and Smith talked about how much he would love to win his second WPT title here at Foxwoods, which is one of his favorite casinos. Smith's first tournament cashes came at two final tables in the 1998 Foxwoods World Poker Finals, and he won his first event a year later in the 1999 Foxwoods World Poker Finals.


Day 3 begins tomorrow (Saturday) at 12:00 noon ET. Return to WorldPokerTour.com for continuing live coverage, including hand updates, frequent chip counts, video interviews with Kimberly Lansing, and the still-unnamed recap show starring Jessica Welman and BJ Nemeth.

Day 3 Seating Assignments

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

Day 2 Ends with 68 Players

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

All the chips are bagged and tagged and 68 players survived to return for Day 3 on Saturday.  Kyle Bowker appears to be the chip leader with 260,100, but his tablemate Josh Arieh is right behind him with 258,200.

Other players above the 200,000 mark include Bryon Springer (247,300), Gavin Smith (245,800), Todd Freeman (229,100), and Ben Klier (226,500).

We'll have official chip counts, as well as a Day 2 photo blog and another video recap with Jessica Welman and BJ Nemeth will be available before play resumes at 12pm on Saturday.

Mohsin Charania Takes a Late Pot Against Gavin Smith

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

With the board showing 988KA on the river, Gavin Smith checks middle position, and Mohsin Charania bets 33,000. Smith tanks for a bit, and notices Mike Sexton is in the tournament area and watching this hand.

Smith says, "Mike Sexton! I wish I could use a phone-a-friend right now."

Smith thinks another 15 seconds or so and says, "Alright, I'll let you bluff me." Smith folds AQ face up, and Charania takes the pot without showing his cards.

Mohsin Charania  -  150,000  (125 bb)
Gavin Smith  -  240,000  (200 bb)

To add insult to injury, Charania says, "Do you know what color the flop was?" Smith says, "It was red." The two players have been betting the flop colors all day, and red is Charania's color.

Dan O'Brien Eliminated

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

Some Last Minute Day 2 Controversy

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

As the clock winds down on Day 2, the floor staff announces that the clock will be paused with fifteen minutes remaining and, based on the random draw of a card, the final 72 players will play between five and nine hands before calling it a night.

Jon Aguiar and Mike Beasley are not pleased with the announcement, as their table is seven-handed, so playing eight or nine more hands before ending play would result in players being in the blinds twice.

They plea their case to the floor staff, insisting they can't play more hands than a table has players.  Shortly after the floor person ends the argument and walks away, the floorman on the mic announces that the field will play seven more hands before calling it a night.

The table smiles and laughs, believing they had an effect on the number of hands.  Kyle Bowker comes over from another table and informs them he was present for the draw and that there is no conspiracy--the floorman really did just draw a seven.

Carlos Mortensen Eliminated

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

Carlos Mortensen gets the last of his chips in holding a club flush draw against Josh Bergman's pocket kings on a flop of 9-5-5.  Mortensen fails to hit his flush and he is eliminated.

Josh Bergman - 105,000
Carlos Mortensen - eliminated 

McLean Karr Eliminated

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

A player opens for 3,000, McLean Karr reraises to 8,600 in position, and the player in the big blind calls.  The initial raiser folds and Karr and the big blind go heads-up to a flop of J-8-6.  The player in the big blind checks, Karr bets 9,000, and his opponent calls.

The turn brings another jack and Karr shoves all-in for around 14,000.  His opponent calls with pocket nines and Karr shows KQ for a complete bluff.  The river brings a 10 and Karr is eliminated.

What Does Greenstein's Grin Mean?

Level 10: 600-1,200, 200 ante

The players at Barry Greenstein's table can't stop talking about a big hand in which Greenstein shoved all-in on Chris Hunichen (Big Huni) on the river.  

As the table recalls it, Greenstein raised preflop and Hunichen called in position.  The flop came down K-J-9 with two spades, Greenstein bet, and Hunichen called.  The turn paired the board with another jack and Greenstein checked.  Hunichen bet 9,400 and Greenstein called.

The river brought the Q and Greenstein checked again.  Hunichen bet 23,000 and then Greenstein moved all-in for over 50,000.  Hunichen thought for a while before folding A-10 for a Broadway straight face-up.

Each player vividly recalls the giant grin on Greenstein's face when he saw Hunichen's holding.

"I've seen Barry bluff a lot and I've never seen him give a grin like that," Glantz explains.  It is unclear whether the big grin means Greenstein had it or he didn't have it, but it is certainly leaving a lasting impression on his tablemates.

Barry Greenstein - 140,000
Christopher Hunichen - 110,000