Time Runs Out for Josh Arieh

Level 5: 150-300, 25 ante

With around 9,000 chips already in the pot and the board reading 9542, Josh Arieh bets 4,100 from the small blind and Darren Elias calls from middle position.

The river brings the 3 and Arieh checks. Elias announces he is all-in with his 18,500-chip stack easily covering Arieh's remaining 10,000 chips.

Arieh thinks for quite a while and, eventually, one of the other players at the table calls the clock on him.  A floor person heads over to the table and proceeds to countdown one minute.

The floorman gets all the way to the ten second countdown and Arieh still sits motionless, thinking.  The floorman get down to zero and declares Arieh's hand dead, but even after that Arieh makes no motion to fold and the dealer has to reach over and muck his hand for him.

Darren Elias - 39,000
Josh Arieh - 10,000

 

Scenes From Level 4

Level 5: 150-300, 25 ante

Former Floridian Lauren Kling checks the tournament clock during Level 4 to see how many players have entered. The field size is up to 280 players, including fellow Florida native Jonathan Little (left).

Registration remains open until the start of play tomorrow.



Ebony Kenney (seated, center) chats with Royal Flush Girl Jeannie Duffy in between hands.



South Florida native Jason Mercier (left) sits alongside ClubWPT.com qualifier Don Gehrling on Day 1.



WPT Champions Club member Chino Rheem continues to hold on to the top position on the leaderboard, increasing his stack to 90,000 during Level 4.

Level 5 Begins

Level 5: 150-300, 25 ante

The players return from break to begin Level 5, with increased blinds of 150-300 and a 25 ante. The tournament clock shows 232 players remaining from a field of 280, so the average chip count is about 36,200.

Registration remains open until the start of play on Day 2.

Von Kriegenbergh Giveth, Von Kriegenbergh Taketh Away

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

Took half of Taylor's stack AJ>88 on kq8104 then gave it all back next hand. 29k

— Justin Zaki (@Justin_Zaki) April 18, 2012

Andy Frankenberger's Unusual Satellite

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

Kevin Saul Eliminated

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

Out AA<AK all-in preflop..JT6....J....Q #thisshitisntreal SMH

— Kevin Saul (@KevinSauLivePro) April 18, 2012

Zaki Gets Some Payback on von Kriegenbergh

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

Action folds to reigning Seminole Hard Rock Showdown champ Taylor von Kriegenbergh in the cutoff and he raises to 600. Justin Zaki, who took third in the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown last year, calls from the big blind.

The flop comes KQ8 and Zaki checks. von Kriegenbergh bets 500 and Zaki calls.  The turn is the 10 and Zaki checks again. Von Kriegenbergh bets 1,500. Zaki check-raises to 4,100 total and von Kreigenbergh takes a few seconds before calling.

The river is the 4 and Zaki bets 10,225.

"I have a really good hand," von Kriegenbergh tells Zaki.  He repeats himself. "I have a really good hand."

Von Kriegenbergh continues to think alound and adds, "You could be value betting the worst hand." Eventually, von Kriegenbergh calls.

Zaki turns over AJ for a turned Broadway straihgt draw. von Kriegenbergh smiles and flashes his hand--88 for a set of eights.

"I knew it was coming too," Zaki said, referring to the gutshot draw he flopped.

"You deserve it," von Kriegenbergh tells him. "You deserve a lot of that shit against me."

For those who don't recall, von Kriegenbergh catapulted to a giant chip lead three-handed last year after he cracked Justin Zaki's pocket aces while holding K-10, so it is no surprise that von Kriegenbergh admits Zaki deserved to hit his hand.  It is also no surprise that Zaki jokingly Tweeted about "payback" as soon as von Kriegenbergh took his seat at the able.

Justin Zaki - 48,000
Taylor von Kriegenbergh - 14,000 

Bryan Colin Doubles Thru Jeremy McLaughlin

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

With around 11,000 in the pot and the board reading 645J, Bryan Colin moves all-in from middle position for 19,600 and action is on Jeremy McLaughlin.

McLaughlin has Colin more than covered with a little over 60,000 chips. He takes a minute, then reluctantly tosses his chips in the pot.

Colin turns over QQ for an overpair of queens. McLaughlin holds AK for the nut diamond draw.

The river is a blank and Colin's queens hold to give him the pot and the double up.

Bryan Colin - 52,000
Jeremy McLaughlin - 43,000

ClubWPT Qualifier Don Gehrling Cracks Aces to Bust a Player

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

A player limps from middle position for 200, Jason Mercier raises from the hijack to 750, and ClubWPT.com qualifier Don Gehrling (pictured above) calls from the cutoff. The middle-position player limp-shoves all in for 11,975.

Mercier folds, and Gehrling calls with 99. The middle-position player turns over AA, and he's a favorite to double up.

But the board comes 9535K, and Gehrling flops a set and turns a full house to crack aces, win the pot, and eliminate his opponent.

Don Gehrling  -  34,000

The Big Payback

Level 4: 100-200, 25 ante

The defending champ @TaylorvonK just got seated at my table. Nice guy, but would love to bust him #payback

— Justin Zaki (@Justin_Zaki) April 18, 2012