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Pietsch was narrowly edged in the $1.5k Seven-Card Stud event by Englishman Richard Ashby who won his first WSOP bracelet.

She almost performed the feat just as the $1,000 Ladies event was playing down to a final table in a nearby area.

Noted poker player Tex Barch also won his first bracelet on a very busy day at the 2010 WSOP.

Here's a closer look at how each event unfolded:

Event 21 $1,500 Seven-Card Stud

Richard "Chufty" Ashby is known more for crushing high stakes cash games on Full Tilt Poker than winning live tournaments but that all changed on Saturday.

The Englishman beat a tough final table that included the likes of Dan Heimiller, Sorel Mizzi and Pat Pezzin. He took home over $140,000 for his first place finish.

Ashby displayed a splendid heads-up game and quickly overwhelmed Christine Pietsch who put in an otherwise strong performance in the tournament.

Event 20 $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

John "Tex" Barch took down the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event. After making three final WSOP final tables, he's finally sealed the deal and has a bracelet he can call his own.

Barch began the day second in chips and didn't look back from there. Players dropped until it was just Klinghammer Thibaut and Barch left standing.

The heads up match took all of one hand. Barch managed to flop middle set and it held up against Thibaut's two pair and straight draw. Second place earned Thibaut $158,698 but it was Barch who took home the lion's share worth $256,919 and bracelet glory.

Event 24 $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 24, yet another $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, tournament started today. These tournaments were put in place to allow more people a chance at trying their hand at a WSOP event and try they are.

Today 1,931 players ponied up the dime to play day 1a of this event and 290 of them are left standing. Leon Yanovski somehow managed to grind out a stack of 58,275 by the end of play. It puts him at the top of the leader board and is an impressive feat considering the 3,000 starting stacks.

Tomorrow starts day 1b at 12 p.m. when another big group of weekend warriors are expected to take their seats and try their hand at a little No-Limit Hold'em World Series of Poker style.

Event 22 $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em

Day 2 of the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em saw 136 players play down to a final table of nine.

Notable players Michelle Lewis, Liv Boeree, Lacey Jones and Karina Jett were all relegated to the rail over nine and a half hours of play.

Relatively unknown player Sidsel Boesen finished with 789,000 for the overnight chip lead.

The final table begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Event 23 $2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed

108 players entered Day 2 of the $2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-handed event and after approximately 12 hours of play only 12 remained.

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, J.C. Tran, Annie Duke, Andy Bloch and Vitaly Lunkin all hit the rail before even getting a whiff of the money.

Justin Bonomo, Michael Binger, Shawn Buchanan and Rafe Furst all did a bit better and at least got paid for their efforts before busting.

Veteran poker pro Al "Sugar Bear" Barbieri finished with the chip lead but he'll have to beat Dutch Boyd and JJ Liu to win the event.

Play recommences at 3 p.m. Sunday.

For a full account of how day 15 of the WSOP 2010 played out, click through to PokerListings' WSOP coverage.

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It was a day where fortunes were made and reputations created. Here's the balla action we witnessed at the Rio.

Event 13 - $1k NLHE

Two days ago 3,042 players entered event 13 of the WSOP, creating a monster prize pool and after three days of play, nine players returned today to contest the final table.

Jared Hamby was the crowd favorite, but he wasn't able to make it past 8th place and in the end it was  Matthew Vance and Stephen Gee who faced off for the title. 

Vance couldn't find a way to overcome the chip deficit he took into the heads-up, and he finished in 2nd place, whilst Gee took home the bracelet and $472,479 in hard earned cash.

"Tournament winners are like rockstars," said Gee. "Now I want two bracelets."

Event 16 - $1.5k NLHE

Sixteen players returned to play down to the bracelet today and incredibly it was EPT Barcelona winner Carter Phillips who returned with the bracelet and the $482,774.

Phillips defeated Samuel Gerber heads up to take down his second major title, and is now just one WPT title away from achieving the fabled poker Triple Crown.

No mean feat clearly, but Phillips has time and talent on his side and it would be a brave man who would bet against the young prodigy.

Event 17 - $5k NLHE

One of the toughest NLHE fields assembled at this year's World Series saw 205 return today to play down to as close to the final table as possible.

Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, David Benefield, Perry Friedman and newly crowned bracelet winner James Dempsey were amongst those returning but when time was called with eighteen players still left, Hellmuth and Dempsey were no longer still in contention.

The others made it through to the final two tables and will reconvene tomorrow at 3 p.m. to chase down chip leader Jason Dewitt in the playdown to the bracelet.

Event 18 - $2k Limit Hold'em

476 players fished twenty benjamins out of their wallets to gain entry to this $2k Limit. A day of furious min-raising proceeded and by the time the chips were bagged and tagged, 144 players had made it through the day.

A number of elite players including Joe Serock, Maria Ho and Matt Glantz were numbered in the top ten chip counts by the end of the day and they will return tomorrow to play to the final table.

Event 19 - $10k 2-7 NL

A compact field with excellence compressed into its every pore gathered to contest the 2-7 Championship Event. With barely a weak spot in the 101-strong field, it was a tough battle between the best players in the business, but eventually some had to succumb.

Inevitably there were some big names shot down before the end of the day, including Phil Ivey and J.C. Tran, but when the remaining 74 players return at 3p.m. tomorrow, we'll be in for an exciting day's 2-7 poker.

For a full account of how the day played out, visit the PokerListings WSOP Live update page.

WSOP Live!

Check out PokerListings' WSOP Live! The most star studded and entertaining daily WSOP recap in the industry:

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It's no small feat to win the title as players must play enough events to accumulate the points necessary to win and play well enough to cash multiple times against thousands of the best tournament poker players in the world.

The early favorite to win the 2010 crown is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who has already collected the Player's Championship bracelet as well as final tabling the $10k Championship Stud Event, two of the three WSOP events that he's played so far.

Not many people picked Mizrachi as a favorite to win the crown prior to the start of the WSOP.

"We held a 96-man fantasy draft at Howard Lederer's house prior to the start of the tournament where 12 people each picked a team of eight players with a $25,000 buy in," said New York-based poker pro Amnon Filippi.

"Not one person took Mizrachi."

"I kind of came out of nowhere this year," said Mizrachi. "I haven't really been on the circuit and not many people knew if I was going to be playing all of the events or not."

Hindsight is 20-20 as Mizrachi is now the clear favorite to win the 2010 title. Past champ Erick Lindgren likes his chances.

"I guess Grinder should win if he goes deep in the Stud," Lindgren told PL.com. "He'd have to air ball the rest of the events not to."

Not everyone is ready to hand the trophy to Mizrachi, however.

"There are still a lot of $10k events and we're still going to see someone win two bracelets like we do every year," said Barry Greenstein. "Plus, I still plan on catching him."

Ever the mathematician, former POY Allen Cunningham took a more pragmatic, by-the-numbers approach to making a prediction.

"Who is leading the points? Mizrachi? That's who I've got," he said.

Russian player Vladimir Schemelev is currently giving The Grinder a run for his money, having made both of the same final tables. Daniel Negreanu, Eli Elezra and Victor Ramdin all said they think Schmelev is the favorite.

"There are a couple Russian players who are playing so damn well. It wouldn't surprise me to see [Schemelev] win it," said Ramdin.

But who does the defending champion think will win?

"I still think Phil Ivey can do it," 2009 Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro said.

"Even though he's got no points, he's got the style."

The race could hinge on the outcome of tonight's 7-card stud final table where both Mizrachi and Schmelev are still playing.

If Mizrachi wins tonight, then it will take a major upset to overtake him for the title. Needless to say, things are going pretty well for Mizrachi nowadays, but that doesn't mean he's entirely stress free.

"It's going to be hard to play in enough events if I keep making all these final tables," he said with a grin.

You can follow the progress of Mizrachi and Schmelev in the $10k Stud by clicking through to PokerListings live updates.

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It's no small feat to win the title as players must first enter enough events to accumulate the points necessary to win and, oh by the way, they must also play well enough to cash multiple times against thousands of the best tournament poker players in the world.

The early favorite to win the 2010 crown is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who has already made two final tables through only three WSOP events that he's played.

Not many people picked Mizrachi as a favorite to win the crown prior to the start of the WSOP. "We held a 96-man fantasy draft at Howard Lederer's house prior to the start of the tournament where 12 people each picked a team of eight players with a $25,000 buy in," said New York-based poker pro Amnon Filippi. "Not one person took Mizrachi."

"I kind of came out of nowhere this year," said Mizrachi. "I was just playing pot-limit Omaha cash games for seven days a week down in Miami. I haven't really been on the circuit and not many people knew if I was going to be playing all of the events or not."

Hindsight is 20-20 as Mizrachi is now the clear favorite to win the 2010 title. Past champs Eric Lingren and Allen Cunningham both like The Grinder's chances. "I guess Grinder should win if he goes deep in the stud [tournament]," Lingren told PL.com. "He'd have to air ball the rest of the events not to."

Not everyone is ready to hand the trophy to Mizrachi. "There are still a lot of $10k events and we're still going to see someone win two bracelets like we do every year," said Barry Greenstein. "Plus, I plan still plan on catching him."

Ever the mathematician, Cunningham took a more by-the-numbers approach to making a prediction. "Who is leading the points? Mizrachi? That's who I've got."

Russian player Vladimir Shchemelev is currently giving The Grinder a run for his money, having made both of the same final tables as Mizrachi. Daniel Negreanu, Eli Elezra and Victor Ramdin all said they think Shchemelev is the favorite. "There are a couple Russian players who are playing so damn well, it wouldn't surprise me to see [Shchemelev] win it," said Ramdin. Negreanu said that if he doesn't come back and win it himself, then Mike Schwartz is his underdog pick.

Who does the defending champion think will win? "I still think Phil Ivey can do it," Lisandro told PL.com "Even though he's got no points, he's got the style."

Other players to keep an eye on: Greg Raymer said he never bets against himself until it's mathematically impossible to win. Darvin Moon said that Annie Duke is the best female player in the world and should be a contender if she plays enough events.

The race could hinge on the outcome of tonight's 7-card stud final table where both Mizrachi and Shchemelev are still playing. If Mizrachi wins tonight, then it will take a major upset to overtake him for the title. Needless to say, things are going pretty well for Mizrachi nowadays, but that doesn't mean he's entirely stress free. "It's going to be hard to play in enough events if I keep making all these final tables," Mizrachi said with a grin.

 

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Ilari "Ziigmund" Sahamies would be the first player to take on the unknown Swedish pro.

After 451 hands of $300/$600 Pot-Limit Omaha, with Sahamies losing over $487k, the two moved their game to $500/$1,000 PLO, where they remained for 40 minutes.

By the end of the 259-hand nosebleed session, Sahamies logged off, down another $290,965.

With Sahamies gone, Isildur1 went on the hunt for his next opponent, finding him in Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo. The two played $200/$400 NLHE for 791 hands with Bonomo finishing up $187k.

Looking to bounce back after that NLHE loss, Isildur1 took on the CardRunners team, playing both Cole South and Brian Hastings heads-up at the same time.

Despite starting the year off with a white-hot streak of wins, South lost $334k over his 825 hands, while Hastings made $330k over a shorter 224-hand match, all at $300/$600 PLO.

Hastings, who holds the online record for most money made in a single session after crushing Isildur1 for $4.2 million on Full Tilt late in 2009, tried to repeat his feat, convincing Isildur1 to move their game back up to $500/$1,000, where they played for another 468 hands.

Although Hastings was unable to make anything close to $4.2 million, he came away from the nosebleed session with another $219k, up over half a million total on the day.

After some small sessions at smaller stakes games, Isildur1 sat for his final heads-up sessions, giving South a chance to get even on the day.

After 565 hands of $100/$200 PLO, and South getting himself suck another $222k, the two doubled the stakes, finishing their session with 344 hands at $200/$400.

Although he wasn't able to get completely out of the hole, South managed to make back $77,958 before the end of the match.

In total, Isildur1 added $572,746 to his roll, putting him up well over $1 million in 2010 so far.

Below you can find Isildur1's three largest hands of the day. To see more hands from Isildur1, including the $1.3 million dollar largest-ever online pot, head to MarketPulse.

 

 

 

 

 

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After all, Bay 101 has seen deeper runs by women than any other venue on the World Poker Tour.

At the 2007 edition of the popular bounty event, Joanne Liu made runner-up to Ted Forrest in an attempt to become the WPT's first female champion.

Then last year, veteran pro Kathy Liebert matched the feat, finishing second to 2009 champion Steve Brecher.

Liebert's runner-up finish helped push her up and over $5.6 million in career tournament earnings, making her far and away the number one earning female poker player of all time.

Being the number one female player in the game is not exactly the reason Liebert plays the game, but it's certainly an honor she cherishes.

"Being a top poker player is more important to me than being a top female poker player," she said. "But being the top woman in poker is something I'm proud of. There are a lot of women trying to catch up to me."

One of the women chasing Liebert is two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and respected high-stakes cash game pro Jennifer Harman.

Though Harman, who currently sits fifth on the all-time female money list and made the final table at Bay 101 in 2008 finishing third, really sees herself as just one of the boys.

"I look at myself as a poker player," she explained. "I don't believe in the whole gender thing because this is a co-ed sport.

"You shouldn't get kudos for being a woman or a man, you should get kudos for being a great poker player and that's all."

International Women's Day is about celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past.

But even as women like Liu, Liebert and Harman continue to achieve in poker, it appears many men on the felt refuse to treat them as equals.

"I think some men treat women with no respect at the table and some men treat women with too much respect," said Harman. "For me, since I'm like old furniture in this business, they just treat me the same as anybody else. They don't play any differently against me because I'm a woman, but I know with some women they do."

Regardless, Harman, who booked her first major cash in a poker tournament 16 years ago, says the game is changing all the time and more women are flocking to it every day.

"When I first started, I would walk into a poker room and there would be me," she said. "Now you walk into a poker room and there are one or two women at every table.

"I think it's grown and it will continue to grow. A lot of women are still intimidated, but I know they enjoy the game and they want to do it, they just need to take that next step, because poker can be a lot of fun."

Liebert says she feels a lot of love and support from female fans of the game, many of whom she sees following her lead.

"I always have women coming up to me and telling me they are rooting for me," she said. "And they feel like if I'm a woman and I can do it they can do it to."

Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

Visit PokerListings.com

After all, Bay 101 has seen deeper runs by women than any other venue on the World Poker Tour.

At the 2007 edition of the popular bounty event, Joanne Liu made runner-up to Ted Forrest in an attempt to become the WPT's first female champion.

Then last year, veteran pro Kathy Liebert matched the feat, finishing second to 2009 champion Steve Brecher.

Liebert's runner-up finish helped push her up and over $5.6 million in career tournament earnings, making her far and away the number one earning female poker player of all time.

Being the number one female player in the game is not exactly the reason Liebert plays, but it's certainly an honor she cherishes.

"Being a top poker player is more important to me than being a top female poker player," she said. "But being the top woman in poker is something I'm proud of. There are a lot of women trying to catch up to me."

One of the women chasing Liebert is two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and respected high-stakes cash game pro Jennifer Harman.

Though Harman, who currently sits fifth on the all-time female money list and made the final table at Bay 101 in 2008 finishing third, really sees herself as just one of the boys.

"I look at myself as a poker player," she explained. "I don't believe in the whole gender thing because this is a co-ed sport.

"You shouldn't get kudos for being a woman or a man, you should get kudos for being a great poker player and that's all."

International Women's Day is about celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past.

But even as women like Liu, Liebert and Harman continue to achieve in poker, it appears many men on the felt refuse to treat them as equals.

"I think some men treat women with no respect at the table and some men treat women with too much respect," said Harman. "For me, since I'm like old furniture in this business, they just treat me the same as anybody else. They don't play any differently against me because I'm a woman, but I know with some women they do."

Regardless, Harman, who booked her first major cash in a poker tournament 16 years ago, says the game is changing all the time and more women are flocking to it every day.

"When I first started, I would walk into a poker room and there would be me," she said. "Now you walk into a poker room and there are one or two women at every table.

"I think it's grown and it will continue to grow. A lot of women are still intimidated, but I know they enjoy the game and they want to do it, they just need to take that next step, because poker can be a lot of fun."

Liebert says she feels a lot of love and support from female fans of the game, many of whom she sees following her lead.

"I always have women coming up to me and telling me they are rooting for me," she said. "And they feel like if I'm a woman and I can do it they can do it to."

Action at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star continues through March 12. For comprehensive coverage, tune in to PokerListings' Live Updates and News.

Visit PokerListings.com

Well known pros Thor Hansen and Ray Henson both made the final table of the $1,065 Six-Handed Limit Hold'em event.

But it was 2009 PokerStars EPT Grand Final runner-up Matt Woodward who took down the title and $30,000 first place prize.

Woodward is beginning to emerge as a Limit specialist following a final table appearance at the 2009 World Series of Poker's mixed event and a 16th place finish in the $10k Limit Hold'em World Championship the summer before.

The very next tournament on the LAPC schedule, a $545 Limit Hold'em event, was won by "Miami" John Cernuto.

Cernuto, who is actually from Las Vegas, booked the $11,590 win after beating a final table that included 2007 WSOP Player of the Year Tom Schneider.

But the weekend's biggest prize at the LAPC went to none other than Carlos Mortensen.

The WSOP Main Event and WPT Championship winner added the LAPC's $1,065 No-Limit Hold'em with Rebuys title to his resume, banking a massive $273,500 first-place prize in the process.

Taking the title was no easy feat for Mortensen, as pros Ralph Perry and Joe Serock both made the final table of the 317 person event that saw 381 rebuys and 244 add-ons.

Finally, 2008 November Niner and WPT Five Diamond champion David "Chino" Rheem found himself back in the winner's circle this weekend, taking down the LAPC's $1,065 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw event.

Rheem took home $23,910 after beating a final table that included Las Vegas pro Mark Gregorich.

The LAPC continues through the end of February at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles with the $10k Commerce H.O.R.S.E. Championship, $10k Commerce Heads-Up Championship, $25,100 Commerce High Roller, the World Poker Tour's Celebrity Poker Classic and the $10k WPT LAPC main event still to come.

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Posted: February 03, 2010 06:07 PMRegrettably, poker lost one its all-time good guys when Amir Vahedi passed in January.  I attended his funeral in LA on Jan 15.  Amir was loved by everyone, and this is no small feat in the poker world these …