Poker News

Dan Bilzerian Interview with Poker News Daily

This year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) brought anyone and everyone from the industry, including Victory Poker pro Dan Bilzerian, whose 180th place finish in last year’s feature tournament turned heads around the globe. We caught up with Bilzerian on the floor of the Amazon Room during Day 1 of his Main Event run.

Poker News Daily: Tell us how your day has been going so far.

Dan Bilzerian: I wasn’t going to play today, but my brother [Adam Bilzerian] talked me into it and I’m doing pretty well. I have around 80,000, so it has been a good start to the day so far. Last year, my brother and I got seated right next to each other, which was pretty sick. It was literally side by side. I haven’t blown up yet today and haven’t done anything stupid so far.

PND: Tell us about your experiences shooting guns in the desert. You recently took our very own Sean Gibson to shoot propane tanks.

Dan Bilzerian: The first time I went, I bought a car from CraigsList and blew that up. The second time, we blew up an RV. The third time, I shot Antonio Esfandiari in the chest with body armor. The funny story about that trip was that I went out there with a buddy of mine who is an ex-Seal and we were shooting a little bit. I have these explosive rounds and we’re shooting at a mountain about two miles out and every time you hit it, it lights up.

So, we figured that our producer, Nima, [could hit it since] it’s seven miles long and two miles out, but he missed the whole thing. He gave new meaning to missing the broad side of the barn.

PND: We understand you’re about to participate in an MMA fight. Tell us when it is and how you’re preparing.

Dan Bilzerian: I am doing a full MMA fight in about three months. I’ll be going every day and training. I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now, so I’m looking forward to having my first fight out here. I have to do something to keep myself entertained.

Victory Poker Pro Dan Bilzerian in Spat Over Controversial Tweet

In 2009, Victory Poker pro Dan Bilzerian and his brother Adam were featured prominently in ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Dan Bilzerian finished 180th for $36,000 in the prestigious poker tournament, while Adam Bilzerian took 47th for $138,000. However, a controversial Tweet by the former “Flying Bilzerian Brother” has him in the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

In a recent Twitter post, Bilzerian quoted acclaimed actor Clint Eastwood in the movie “Gran Torino,” saying, “A Mexican, a Jew and a colored fellow walk into a bar… The bartender looks up and says… Get the **** out of here.” In the process, Bilzerian enraged poker reporter Joy Miller. Bilzerian detailed what happened next in a thread that appeared on TwoPlusTwo: “She told the CEO from Victory Poker that neither myself nor any of the 20 sponsored pros would get any ESPN coverage until I gave a formal apology. I explained to her that it was a quote from a movie. She flipped out and started swearing and screaming at me about using the word ‘colored.’ She sent me a bunch of angry texts [and] yelled at the CEO.”

In a voice mail that Miller left Bilzerian – which appeared on YouTube – Miller explained, “I don’t give a **** if the quote was from a movie. I asked you to apologize because you said ‘colored’ and I just don’t get what you don’t get about that. I don’t even want an apology anymore. Good luck to you.”

In the same YouTube video, Bilzerian appears on a rooftop in Las Vegas summarizing the situation: “I told her she was super offended because the joke had the word ‘colored’ in it. I told her that the NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, so… maybe she should ask them for a public apology because they seem to think it’s socially acceptable and they’re pretty much the biggest black rights activist group in the country. I don’t know. Call me crazy.”

Despite Miller’s claims, a source close to ESPN told Poker News Daily that she is not affiliated with the network or ESPN 360 in any way: “She is not an employee of ESPN and, as such, does not speak for us in any capacity.” On her Twitter feed, Miller, who goes by @joykendra, lists her occupation as “WSOP/Bluff Media/ESPN360 Producer (and professional poker Socializer).”

Miller has posted video interviews from the 2010 WSOP with pros like Jeff Madsen, Andy Bloch, and UB.com’s Joe Sebok on Bluff Magazine’s website.

A 14-page thread erupted within hours on TwoPlusTwo, with posters evenly divided on the issue. Some were critical of Bilzerian’s possible lack of judgment with the Tweet, while others called out Miller for overreacting. In the former camp was “snoopy1239,” who posted, “I think it’s really naive to post it. You’re representing a poker company, it’s the World Series, your Twitters are going up on PokerNews, and people are obviously going to misinterpret and be offended, despite your intentions.”

In her most recent Twitter post, submitted around 1:00am ET early Monday morning, Miller once again called out Bilzerian: “No, ESPN did not request an apology. Joy Miller did, but you’re too much of a toolbag to get it. Good luck.” Bilzerian quickly responded, “Quit pulling the race card and realize it was a movie quote. Toolbag… Really, are we in high school?”

Miller threatened to disrupt Victory Poker’s coverage at the 2010 WSOP, although it remains to be seen if she has the power to do so. The USA-friendly site’s stable of pros includes Bilzerian, Antonio Esfandiari, Sara Underwood, Lee Markholt, Andrew “good2cu” Robl, and former World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little.

Victory Poker Launches February 1st

One day prior to Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, officials from Victory Poker will celebrate the site’s launch at a party at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas. The online poker room will open for business on February 1st.

Victory Poker will make its home on the merged Everleaf/UPN network, which has yet to take on an official name. According to PokerScout.com, the newly created network will boast traffic similar to that of Betfair, which has a seven-day running average of 610 real money ring game players. A press release announcing the Trash Talk Championship of the World Straddle Tournament at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on February 6th revealed that the Victory Poker launch party would occur at 10:00pm following the festivities.

UFC’s Randy Couture will be sporting a Victory Poker logo when he takes to the ring in UFC 109 against Mark Coleman. The bout emanates from the Mandalay Bay Events Center near the Hard Rock and will also feature Nate Marquardt facing off against Chael Sonnen and Matt Serra fighting Frank Trigg. The first brawl takes place at 4:45pm, while televised matches start at 7:00pm. Couture will don a dot-net logo for the new online poker room.

Antonio Esfandiari headlines the Victory Poker stable of pros. A World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Esfandiari has become widely known for his insatiable appetite for prop bets. He even co-starred with his close friend Phil Laak on the MOJO show “I Bet You,” which ran for two seasons on the cable station. Esfandiari has three WPT final tables to his credit and one title, which came in the Season 2 L.A. Poker Classic. At the tender age of 31, Esfandiari is one of the veterans of the game.

Jumping over from DoylesRoom to be a part of Victory Poker is Alec “traheho” Torelli. The Cake Poker Network site and Torelli severed ties two weeks ago. Torelli has made two WPT final tables, finishing fourth in both the Bellagio Cup V and Solvakia events. The former will air its finale at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net this Sunday in a one-hour episode. Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten will once again provide commentary for Season 8 of the WPT.

Coming over from Full Tilt Poker are Paul Wasicka and Lee Markholt. The latter was removed in recent days as a Full Tilt Red Pro and finished fourth in the WSOP Circuit Championship in Tunica four years ago for $183,000. In addition, Markholt won the WPT Season 6 World Poker Challenge in Reno for $493,000 and owns $1.3 million in career earnings from the roving tournament series. Wasicka was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, earning a colossal $6.1 million.

Also appearing in the Victory Poker pro lineup is Chinese Poker sensation Danny Wong. Owning the moniker “Chinese Poker Wizard,” Wong learned to play the game’s variation at age five. Despite his success in Chinese Poker, he’s also excelled in No Limit Texas Hold’em, making three WPT final tables. Joining Wong will be online poker pro Brian “tsarrast” Rast.

Those who watched the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN will recall the deep run of the “Flying” Bilzerian brothers. Dan Bilzerian, who finished 180th, will become part of the Victory Poker cast. In his final hand of the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament, Bilzerian committed his stack with A-6, but could not best Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo’s pocket tens. His brother, Adam Bilzerian, renounced his U.S. citizenship and is now a passport holder of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other Victory Poker pros include Andrew "good2cu" Robl, Keith Gipson, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, Sander Lylloff., and 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara Underwood. The site is scheduled to launch on February 1st and will accept players from the United States.

The Trash Talk Championship is a $1,000 buy-in charity poker tournament benefiting the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program and Cedars-Sinai.

WSOP on ESPN: Antonio Esfandiari Featured on Day 7 Coverage

With 64 players left, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event played out Day 7 on ESPN on Tuesday night. The feature table included Antonio Esfandiari, Ryan Fair, Steven Begleiter, and James Akenhead.

In the first hand shown at the feature table, Esfandiari raised to 135,000 pre-flop with A-3 and Akenhead pushed for 1.5 million with pocket nines. Hung Pham folded pocket tens and Mark Ader shoved with A-K. Akenhead was all-in for his tournament life against Ader after Esfandiari got out of the way and the flop came nine-high, giving Akenhead a set. Elsewhere in the Amazon Room, Prahlad Friedman pushed all-in with K-Q pre-flop and was called by Bradley Craig, who held A-K. The board ran out 7-9-2-8-9 and Friedman was sent packing in 64th place.

The lone woman remaining in the field, Leo Margets, doubled up Grayson Ramage with pocket fours versus pocket eights when Ramage spiked a third eight on the flop. Meanwhile, Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp scooped a 6.3 million chip pot at the expense of John Martin, who shoved on a board of A-6-9-K with two diamonds holding 8-7 of the suit for flush and straight draws. Kopp had pocket sixes for a set and watched as the river came the jack of spades. Kopp added Martin to his list of knockouts, which also included WSOP Main Event champions Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem.

Joe Sebok hit the rails in 56th place when his A-9 ran into Nick Maimone’s A-Q. Then, Akenhead doubled up again, this time with pocket kings against Adam York’s A-J. Also doubling up was 2008 WSOP November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who check-raised Steve Sanders all-in on a 2-A-6 (all clubs) board holding pocket queens, including the queen of clubs. Sanders held pocket aces for top set and watched as the river came another club, giving Phillips a flush.

The longtime ESPN segment “The Nuts” reviewed the origin of the term “donkey” and then Tom Schneider hit the skids in 52nd after running A-7 into pocket nines. Jonathan Tamayo scooped a 6.7 million chip pot holding pocket kings against Craig’s A-K and, at the feature table, Fair became agitated in a hand against Pham. In it, Fair raised to 150,000 pre-flop with pocket tens and Pham re-raised to 550,000 with kings. Fair shoved and Pham, after some deliberation, made the call. Fair exclaimed, “Such a slowroll,” but sucked out when a ten hit the flop. Fair did a chest bump with a person in the audience after the hand was over and explained, “I don’t feel that bad.”

Adam Bilzerian, one-half of the Norman Chad-dubbed “Flying Bilzerian Brothers,” found the exit in 47th place after running tens into kings; his brother, Dan Bilzerian, took 180th. Phillips’ run through the 2009 WSOP Main Event ended after he was all-in pre-flop with A-K of diamonds against Francois Balmigere’s A-K of spades. The board included three spades, sending the crowd favorite out in horrific fashion after back-to-back runs in the $10,000 buy-in poker tournament. Meanwhile, Kopp, the chip leader, padded his stack after busting a player with pocket jacks against pocket tens.

Darvin Moon, sporting his signature New Orleans Saints hat, was moved to the feature table and, while arranging his chips, was involved in a hand against Eugene Katchalov. In it, Katchalov shoved with A-10 pre-flop and Moon isolated with pocket kings by raising to five million. Esfandiari peeked down at pocket jacks and, after much deliberation, tossed them into the muck. The board ran out 8-6-10-2-K and Moon sent Katchalov packing in 39th place. His run of cards continued against Balmigere, who flopped a set with pocket tens, but Moon hit the nuts, an ace-high straight. Balmigere surrendered by the river, but Moon’s stack still grew to over 15 million.

Joe “LatestLines2” Ward sent Martin Lapostelle (pocket queens) and Gabriel Vezina (pocket jacks) packing in the same hand holding pocket kings. A king hit the flop, making Ward a 98% favorite to win the hand, and the turn and river blanked out. Although Ward scooped a 6.1 million chip pot, he’d ship much of it to Phil Ivey. In the end, Ward was all-in against Jamie Robbins holding A-K against Robbins’ A-Q. Both players hit an ace on the flop, but a queen on the river secured Ward’s exit in 28th place, ending play on Day 7.

WSOP on ESPN coverage continues next week with Day 8 of the 2009 WSOP Main Event. The action gets underway at 9:00pm ET.

WSOP Main Event Days 5 and 6 Air on ESPN

With 96% of the field gone, players took to the felts for Days 5 and 6 of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on ESPN. Three women, two former Main Event champions, and one gold bracelet remained.

The first hand shown at the feature table, which once again contained Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and Jeff Shulman, saw Randy Propson and Grospellier see a flop of 10-2-6. The action went check-check to bring a king on the turn and Grospellier check-called a bet of 42,000 from Propson. The river was a deuce and Grospellier once again check-called a bet, this time 75,000. Grospellier showed A-8 for ace-high, good enough to scoop the 330,000 chip pot. Elsewhere in the room, Phil Ivey bet 40,000 on a board of 8-7-7-8-J and Charles Clark called. Ivey showed J-6 for a rivered two pair to claim the pot.

At Table Two, Andreas Flakstad shoved all-in holding pocket eights on a 7-J-2-3-5 board with three hearts. Antonio Esfandiari tanked before finally folding pocket queens. Table Two also included “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” winner Lou Diamond Phillips. Back at the feature table, Brent Catalano doubled up at the expense of Joe Hachem, who joined the cast. Catalano held pocket queens in the hand, which saw Hachem miss a flush draw.

In the PokerStars-sponsored “Straight from the Pros” segment, Hachem relived a hand from the 2007 Main Event in which he stressed the importance of position. Then, back at the Rio, Estelle Denis, one of three women remaining in the field, pushed all-in over the top of a raise by J.C. Tran. However, the dealer pulled her cards into the muck. A floor supervisor, Steve Frezer, was called. After Denis told him her cards, Frezer looked at the top two cards in the deck, which did not match, and her hand was declared dead. Denis noted that she had aces.

Joe Sebok could be found alongside his cousin, Mike Linn, and both were decked out in PokerRoad gear. In the Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Wild Card Hand, Francois Balmigere raised pre-flop with unknown cards and Hachem called from the big blind with 5-7 of diamonds. The flop came 10-5-2. Hachem checked, Balmigere bet 43,000, and Hachem called to see the turn fall an ace. Hachem once again checked, Balmigere fired out a bet of 86,000, about half the size of the pot, and Hachem folded. Balmigere held just 6-7 for a bluff.

At Table Two, Esfandiari signed a woman’s chest and promptly autographed a man’s stomach, attracting the attention of ESPN cameras. Then, his pocket aces sent Adam Sanders and his pocket tens packing after the board ran out 4-K-K-8-3. In “The Nuts,” which asked poker pros which of their peers would make ideal reality television show contestants, Phil Hellmuth claimed his agent inquired if he wanted to be on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” In one of the final hands shown during the first episode, which aired at 9:00pm ET, Phillips was all-in with kings against two players holding pocket aces. The board came 8-9-9-5-9 and one of the last celebrities left in the field hit the rails in 186th place.

The second episode profiled Day 6 at the 2009 WSOP Main Event and kicked off with a rap by bracelet winner Prahlad Friedman. ESPN announcer Norman Chad quipped, “In terms of rapping, I’d have to put him ahead of Jeff Madsen, but behind Jay Z.” Out in the field, ESPN viewers saw two eventual November Nine members clash, as James Akenhead check-raised Steve Begleiter, who promptly re-raised to 505,000. Akenhead made the call on the 9-8-Q board with two clubs to see the three of spades hit the turn. Akenhead check-called an 850,000 chip bet to bring the river, the seven of spades. Both players checked and Begleiter scooped the massive 2.8 million chip pot with 9-7 for two pair.

Seated at the same table during the 10:00pm ET episode were Hachem, Tran, Dennis Phillips, and Peter Eastgate, a group dubbed by ESPN announcer Lon McEachern “the table of death.” Elsewhere, Dan Bilzerian, one-half of the Norman Chad-labeled “Flying Bilzerian Brothers,” was ousted by Jonathan Tamayo with his A-6 could not out-draw pocket tens. After the Full Tilt Poker sponsored segment “Deal Me In” recapped a hand with Jennifer Harman during the 2005 Main Event, Nichoel Peppe took down a pot at Table Two. Peppe and Leo Margets headlined the side table and represented the lone women remaining in the 2009 WSOP Main Event after Denis was sent packing.

Darvin Moon put in a raise to 650,000 and Ben Lamb called on a board of A-3-2-J. The river came a nine. Lamb checked, Moon bet 500,000, and Lamb folded, boosting Moon’s chip stack to 4.1 million, among the top tallies in the Amazon Room. Adam Bilzerian doubled up after calling all-in with 5-4 on a board of 6-5-2. His opponent showed J-9 for a bluff and Bilzerian’s hand held up. Bilzerian would give some of his newfound chips to John Martin after Martin was all-in with pocket nines on a 5-8-7-2 board with two spades. Bilzerian held 5-6 of the suit for flush and straight draws, but the river was the jack of hearts.

Tom Schneider, the 2007 WSOP Player of the Year, took down a 2.6 million chip pot at the feature table to close out Tuesday’s WSOP on ESPN festivities. New episodes air at 9:00pm ET on Tuesdays on ESPN and replay throughout the week.

Jeff Shulman Takes Center Stage on WSOP Main Event on ESPN Coverage

Day 5 of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event played out on ESPN on Tuesday night. Jeff Shulman, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, and Andy Black were seated at the feature table as the field narrowed from 400 players.

Holding down the fort at Table Two were several brand name pros, including Vitaly Lunkin, Prahlad Friedman, and Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger, who will be featured once again on tonight’s installment of the G4 online poker reality show “2 Months, $2 Million.” Lichtenberger raised to 20,000 pre-flop with 10-5 and was met with an all-in from Lunkin, who held A-8. Lunkin told his foe, “It seems to me you are bluffing.” On Lichtenberger’s youth, ESPN announcer Norman Chad quipped, “It seems to me he doesn’t shave yet.”

Back at the feature table, Grospellier had pocket aces cracked by Scott Buller’s pocket kings when a king hit the turn. Needing an ace or jack to hit on the river, Grospellier watched as a benign deuce fell. Meanwhile, Pasha Esfandiary, brother of Antonio Esfandiari, was ousted with aces against pocket fives when a five hit the flop. Antonio changed his last name to end in the letter “i” because he thought it looked better, while Pasha has left his last name unchanged.

Adam Bilzerian, a Vanderbilt University graduate, revealed to ESPN cameras that he renounced his citizenship to the United States after college. He penned, “America: Love it or Leave it, So I Left” and now boasts a passport from St. Kitts and Nevis. He apparently regretted his decision, noting, “You don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone.” Adam was seated directly next to his brother, Dan Bilzerian.

ESPN cameras continuously checked in on Kara Scott, whom Chad ogled for much of the night. Scott doubled up Jamin Stokes with A-K against Stokes’ pocket kings, leaving Chad to note, “Kara Scott Chad should be more careful with our money.” Back at Table Two, Carter Swidler called the all-in raise of Lunkin with pocket nines. Lunkin held A-Q and the two were off to the races. The flop came A-Q-J, giving Lunkin two pair, and a running 2-3 doubled him up. “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” winner Lou Diamond Phillips promptly dropped a pot against Scott Baumstein after Baumstein hit a straight on the river.

Lunkin was crippled when his pocket aces fell to 2-5, while 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate doubled up with pocket kings against Gabe Walls’ Ad-4d. Eastgate’s chips hit the middle on a 7-3-7 board with two diamonds and the reigning champion dodged a multitude of outs to scoop the pot. Black called off his stack with pocket fours against Shulman’s pocket eights on a 10-8-5-2-5 board, leaving Chad to lament, “I didn’t see that blowup coming.” Black appeared very weary during the hand.

In the second episode, which aired at 9:00pm ET, Tom Schneider, the 2007 Player of the Year, began as the chip leader with a stack of 2.2 million. Table Two featured Esfandiari and Phillips, while the feature table remained the same. Scott doubled up at an outer table and, interestingly enough, is just the second woman to cash in back-to-back Main Events. Meanwhile, fellow female player Nichoel Peppe scooped a 2.6 million chip pot, the largest to air during the 2009 WSOP Main Event on ESPN.

At the feature table, Shulman raked in a 323,000 chip pot after raising to 30,000 pre-flop with pocket fours. Grospellier made the call with Jh-10h and the flop came 4-8-K with two hearts. Shulman bet out 60,000 with his set and Grospellier came along to see the deuce of spades hit the turn. Shulman fired out a bet of 120,000 and Grospellier folded. Meanwhile, PokerRoad CEO Joe Sebok doubled up with A-K against Q-7 after spiking a king on the river to stay alive. He had begun to put his backpack on after a seven hit the turn.

Scott doubled up again, but ultimately fell with A-2 against 5-3. The board ran out Q-6-5-5-9, leaving Chad to lament, “I am crestfallen.” Also hitting the exits was Dan Harrington, who departed after his flush draw failed to hit. Heading in the other direction was Phil Ivey, who called an all-in with A-7 against 10-6 on a 6-7-Q board for most of his chips. The turn was a nine and the river was a five, sending Mats Anderson to the rails.

Tuesday’s theatrics ended with Grospellier earning a 1.3 million chip pot with pocket aces against Tyler Patterson’s pocket tens. The board ran out Q-6-3-K-6 and, despite slipping for most of Day 5, Grospellier was back to nearly even. Three women remain along with two former Main Event champions, Eastgate and 2005 winner Joe Hachem.

Starting next week, new episodes will air from 9:00pm to 11:00pm ET on ESPN.

Bertrand Grospellier Leads after Day 3 of WSOP Main Event

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier vaulted to the top of the leaderboard Friday evening and will enter Day 4 of the World Series of Poker Main Event as the chip leader with 1,380,500 in chips. Fellow Frenchman Ludovic Lacay is second with 896,000.

Day 3 began with 2,044 players and 789 survivors advanced. With the top 646 spots being paid, we are currently 141 spots from the money, which will likely be reached on Day 4.  Everyone that cashes will earn a minimum of $ 21,365.

While the rapid eliminations were eye opening on Day 3, the biggest story was Grospellier. A sudden rush of fear came over the Amazon Room as word got out about Grospellier’s tower of chips that eclipsed the one million mark late in the evening. Most of those came in a pot against Jerry Wong, which gave Grospellier a jolt into the chip lead. With the board reading Wong bet 33,000 and Grospellier raised to 133,300. Wong then moved all in for a total of 390,000, and after a few minutes of thought Grospellier called:

Wong:
Grospellier:

Grospellier’s set of nines were good and Wong was sent packing. Grospellier, meanwhile, had so many chips in front of him that the tournament staff had to exchange several of his lower denomination chips for higher ones.

“It was a very good day”, Grospellier said after play concluded for the night. “The beginning was pretty slow. Then, I began to get good hands and I picked my spots pretty well. I got good hands and people tried to push me off hands when I would flop sets, so it was pretty good timing.  Anyone that was weak and trying to stay alive, I tried to push around but that’s about it.”

Grospellier already has amassed nearly $6 million in live poker tournament winnings, all within the past four years. His major titles include two wins in 2008, at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the Festa Al Lago Championship. He also finished fourth in the NBC Heads-Up World Championship held earlier this year.

Several former world champions continued play on Day 3 and all but two survived. Bobby Baldwin, Phil Hellmuth, Dan Harrington, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Joe Hachem, and Peter Eastgate all advanced to Day 4, while Greg “Fossilman” Raymer and Carlos Mortensen were eliminated. Other big names joining Raymer and Mortensen on the rail Friday were Humberto Brenes, John Juanda, Liz Lieu, Ville Wahlbeck and actor Jason Alexander.

With Wahlbeck’s elimination on Day 3, Jeffrey Lisandro officially locked up the 2009 WSOP Player of the Year title. When the results became known, Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack took the microphone and approached Lisandro, who was playing at the ESPN feature table. He announced Lisandro’s achievement, which received a nice round of applause. All of Lisandro’s opponents at the table also offered handshakes and congratulatory remarks. Lisandro was eliminated later in the day.

Here’s a look at the top 10 chip counts along with some notables heading into Day 4 of the WSOP Main Event:

1. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier – 1,380,500
2. Ludovic Lacay – 896,000
3. Jason Brice – 858,500
4. Benjamin Jensen – 835,500
5. Kasper Cordes – 796000
6. James Akenhead – 794,000
7. Billy “Patrolman35” Kopp – 792,000
8. Tyler Patterson – 784,000
9. Adam Bilzerian – 767,000
10. Christian Heich – 735,500
Kenny Tran - 666,500
Justin Bonomo - 517,500
Phil Hellmuth - 485,000
Mike Sexton - 414,000
David Benyamine - 381,500
Phil Ivey - 371,000
Lou Diamond Phillips - 359,500
Alexander Kostritsyn - 340,500
Joe Sebok - 297,500
Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi - 297,000
Paul Wasicka - 294,000
Peter Eastgate - 292,500
Antonio Esfandiari - 283,500
Joe Hachem - 239,500
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson - 232,500
Tom Schneider - 231,000
Dan Harrington - 187,500
Vitaly Lunkin - 159,500
JC Tran - 119,000
Greg “FBT” Mueller - 101,500

Day 4 of the Main Event will get underway at Noon Vegas time on Saturday. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for continuing updates on the 2009 World Series of Poker.