$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 14: 1,200/2,400 with a 400 ante
Players Remaining: 77 of 395

Jason Koon who is our reigning $5,250 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open champion is celebrating his 32nd birthday attempting to bag chips in this event. There is only 30-minutes left in the night, and Koon is in good shape to succeed.

Happy Birthday Jason!

Jason Koon  –  150,000 (63 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 13: 1,000/2,000 with a 300 ante
Players Remaining: 90 of 395

The player on the button opened to 5,500, and Marvin Rettenmaier called in the small blind. From the big blind, Jack Duong three-bet to 19,000, though, and the button folded out of the way.

Rettenmaier, though, pondered for long enough that the clock was called on him. A few seconds after the floor person arrived, Rettenmaier four-bet shoved for just less than 100,000. Duong shrugged and called, having Rettenmaier slightly covered and at risk.

Rettenmaier:
Duong:

The board ran out , and Duong came out on the good side. He nearly doubled up, eliminating Rettenmaier in the process.

Jack Duong – 205,000 (103 bb)
Marvin Rettenmaier – Eliminated

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 12: 1,000/2,000 with a 300 ante
Players Remaining: 108 of 395

The cutoff opened to 4,100, Darren Elias three-bet to 10,500 from the button and the small blind shoved for less. It checked around on the flop.

The hit the turn and Elias bet 12,000 winning himself the small sidepot. Elias turned over and was in good shape against his opponent’s . The came on the river giving Elias the winning straight, eliminating his opponent.

Darren Elias  –  80,000 (40 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 13: 1,000/2,000 with a 300 ante
Players Remaining: 99 of 395

Paul Balzano shoved for just less than 20,000 in early position, and Matt Smith re-shoved for more than 50,000 behind him. The rest of the table folded, leaving Balzano heads-up for his tournament life.

Balzano:
Smith:

The board ran out , and Balzano ran down a wheel to double up.

Paul Balzano – 42,0000 (21 bb)
Matt Smith – 36,000 (18 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 117 of 395

Brian Altman has already made one of the Big 4 final tables — he’s the chip leader with nine left in the $1,100 event — and he’s doing his best to make multi-tabling a necessity on Tuesday.

Altman got his last 19,300 chips into the middle preflop in a coin flip against Jake Bazeley.

Altman:
Bazeley:

The board ran out , and Altman won the race to double up.

Brian Altman – 42,000 (26 bb)
Jake Bazeley – 65,000 (41 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 126 of 395

Ernest Smith opened to 3,500 in middle position, and Ryan McKnight called next to act. From the small blind, Aaron Massey squeezed all in for 36,600, and Smith re-shoved for more than 80,000 total. McKnight overcalled, putting both players at risk with his big stack.

“You both have aces?” Massey wondered.

Smith:
McKnight:
Massey:

The board ran out , and Massey turned a set and rivered tens full to notch an unlikely triple-up.

Smith was eliminated, and McKnight actually earned a small profit from the side pot on the exchange.

Aaron Massey – 113,000 (71 bb)
Ryan McKnight – 180,000 (113 bb)
Ernest Smith – Eliminated

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 126 of 395

Players have returned from a 15-minute break in which we had a chance to check out some chip counts:

Jason Koon  –  146,000
Blake Bohn  –  114,000
Aaron Massey  –  110,000
Brian England  –  104,100
Tom Thomas  –  100,500
Grayson Ramage  –  83,200
Matt Smith  –  80,200
Matt Salsberg  –  73,000
Lexy Gavin  –  52,000
Faraz Jaka*  –  47,400
David Jackson  –  41,000
Steve Karp  –  40,000
Joe McKeehen  –  34,500
Niall Farrell  –  34,000
Ronit D’Angelo  –  35,200
Cate Hall  –  27,000
Michael Laake*  –  26,000
Brian Altman  –  20,100
Dan O’Brien  –  19,000
Keven Stammen  –  12,500

*denotes Seminole Hard Rock Team Member

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 11: 600/1,200 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 126 of 395

On a final board reading Alex Condon in the big blind put Joe Cheong all in. Cheong thought about it a while before calling with . Condon turned over for the winning full house eliminating Cheong.

Alex Condon  –  140,000 (117 bb)
Joe Cheong  –  Eliminated

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 11: 600/1,200 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 135 of 395

Rainer Kempe (middle position) and the player in the small blind waged a preflop war that left the small blind all in for about 60,000 and at risk.

Kempe:
Small blind:

The board ran out , and Kempe earned the big knockout, nearly doubling up in the process.

Rainer Kempe – 135,000 (113 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 11: 600/1,200 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 153 of 395

Curt Kohlberg opened to 2,800, Sean Perry three-bet shoved 24,000 and Marvin Rettenmaier called. Perry turned over and needed to get lucky against Rettenmaier’s .

The board came and Rettenmaier’s king kicker held eliminating Perry.

Marvin Rettenmaier  –  108,000
Sean Perry  –  Eliminated