2010 Melbourne Poker Championship $5200 High Stakes No Limit Hold'em Event

[LandoCalrisian]

Due to the technical difficulties that we are experiencing with the PokerNetwork Live Reporting blog, all updates on the 2010 Melbourne Poker Championship $5200 High Stakes No Limit Hold'em Event will be continued to be posted in this thread until we're back up and running.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Cheers,
LandoCalrisian

[LandoCalrisian]

Frank Artufel Eliminated in 4th Place ($20,500)

The action folded around to Sammy Youssef who raised to 45,000 from the small blind pre-flop before Frank Artufel moved all in for 95,000. Youssef threw in the calling chips and the cards were tabled:

Artufel: {7h}{7d}
Youssef: {ah}{7d}

The flop and turn was a very scary {10h}{8h}{5d}{9h}; though Artufel was out in front, Youssef was freerolling for the nut flush. “Brick the damn thing!” he muttered to the dealer.

The dealer didn’t comply this time around, turning up a heart-breaking {4h} for the river, sending Artufel to the rail. For his efforts, Artufel receives $20,500 in cash, but Youssef is now dominating this final table with over 680,000 in chips.

[LandoCalrisian]

Blinds Up - 8000/16,000, ante 2000

[LandoCalrisian]

Slow Going

The remaining three players have fallen back into their raise-pre-all-fold routine, but we have managed to see one small hand play out between Sammy Youssef and Jason Gray.

Youssef limped in from the button before the flop, Ali Ghezelbash folded from the small blind and Gray checked his option from the big blind, before both players checked down a board of {2c}{7s}{8d}{8c}{4c}.

Gray showed {4d}{3c} for two pair, which was good enough to take the pot down.

[LandoCalrisian]

Unscheduled Break

The players have taken a quick bathroom break. We should be back underway in just over five minutes.

[LandoCalrisian]

Play Resumes

The cards are back in the air!

[LandoCalrisian]

Blinds Up - 10,000/20,000, ante 2000

[LandoCalrisian]

Ghezelbash Doubles Through Youssef

Sammy Youssef made it 45,000 to go from the button before Ali Ghezelbash re-raised all-in for 199,000 from the small blind.

Jason Gray folded from the big blind and Sammy Youssef called, tabling {ac}{kh}, well ahead of Ghezelbash's {as}{4s}.

"Oh good, I can go home now!" Ghezelbash joked. Not this time - the dealer spread a board of {4c}{qh}{qc}{3s}{ts}, giving Ghezelbash two pair and the chip lead, now on 430,000 while Youssef slips to 400,000. Jason Gray is the short stack with just over 190,000 in chips.

[LandoCalrisian]

Ghezelbash Taking Control

Sammy Youssef had managed to wrestle some of his chips back from Ali Ghezelbash, but all his hard work has come undone as Jason Gray can do nothing but watch on.

Gray folded on the button preflop before Youssef put in a raise of 60,000 from the small blind. Ghezelbash moved all in for 232,000 and Youssef snap-called.

Youssef: {7s}{7h}
Ghezelbash: {ad}{9c}

Though Youssef was in great shape, Ghezelbash struck gold on the flop of {9s}{4c}{7s} for two pair. Needing any seven to take back the lead, the turn and river bricked out {5d}, {8d}, moving Ghezelbash back into the lead with 470,000.

Youssef is now back to 370,000 while Gray holds a little over 180,000.

[LandoCalrisian]

Jason Gray Eliminated in 3rd Place ($30,750)

Jason Gray had sat back patiently for quite some time, content to let Sammy Youssef and Ali Ghezelbash go hammer-and-tongs, but with the blinds starting to catch up with his short stack, he eventually moved all in with {7d}{6d} from the button before the flop.

Youssef folded his small blind, but Ghezelbash called and had Gray dominated with {ah}{jh}. The board fell {9s}{qc}{5h}{2s}{jc}, sending Gray to the rail in 3rd place to collect $30,750 for another hard day's work.

With Gray gone, we're now down to heads-up, with Ali Ghezelbash with the chip lead, sitting on 650,000 to Sammy Youssef's 400,000.