4th Place: Matthew Pierce ($23,079)

Matthew Pierce (left) watches his unfortunate demise

Matthew Pierce was all in preflop holding [Jc][Ts] against his opponent's [Ah][7d].  Matthew turned a gutshot straight draw on the [5h][6c][Kh][Ac] board, but failed to hit it when the river fell the [4c].  Matthew will exit this tournament in 4th place, earning $23,079 for his efforts.

Salvatore Morello doubles up!

On a flop of [5h][3c][9h], Salvatore Morello got all in holding [Ah][Ac] against the [Js][Jd] of Matthew Pierce.  When the turn and river fell [3d][4h], Salvatore became the new chip leader, leaving Matthew to drop from first to last in the chip counts.

Updated chip counts at break

Chip leader Matthew Pierce's chip stack

The remaining 4 players from the $1,200 Mega Stack event are now on a 10 minute break.  When they return, they will be playing 40,000/80,000 blinds with a 10,000 ante.  Here are updated chip counts:

Matthew Pierce - 4,470,000
David Stefanski - 4,140,000
Salvatore Morello - 3,235,000
Gregory White - 1,030,000

David Stefanski makes a rare 4-bet!

The hand started innocently enough, with Gregory White limping in under the gun.   David Stefanski raised the 60,000 big blind, and Matthew Pierce elected to 3-bet it.  Salvatore Morello, who hadn't yet put a chip in the pot, cold called the 3-bet, leaving Gregory to slip out of the hand.  Action was back on David, who announced raise, and finally settled on a 4-bet size of 1,545,000.  Matthew eventually folded, as did Salvatore, and David increased his chip lead over the field.

Chip counts for final 4

Here are updated chip counts for the final 4 players in the $1,200 Mega Stack event:

Salvatore Morello - 4,830,000
David Stefanski - 4,615,000
Matthew Pierce - 2,630,000
Gregory White - 775,000

5th Place: Monty Dennis ($18,666)

Monty Dennis raised under the gun from 50,000 to 200,000, only to be reraised all in by Matthew Pierce.  Monty eventually made the call with the [9s][9c] only to see the bad news that he was up against Matthew's [Jh][Jc].  When the board fell [Qs][Ah][Js][As][4h], Monty hit the rail in 5th place, collecting $18,666 for his efforts.

6th Place: Stephen Rimer ($15,273)

David Stefanski opened the action with a raise on the button, and Stephen Rimer moved all in from the small blind for his last 685,000. Matthew Pierce folded his big blind, and David insta-called, having Stephen covered. Stephen showed [Ad][Kd] but was behind David's [9s][9c]. The board fell [Qc][4d][Jc][2c][4h], ensuring David's pocket nines held up. Stephan will exit this tournament in 6th place, earning $15,273 for his showing.

Updated chip counts at break

Here are updated chip counts at the break. When the players return, they will be playing 25,000/50,000 blinds with a 5,000 ante.

Salvatore Morello - 3,560,000
David Stefanski - 3,425,000
Matthew Pierce - 3,095,000
Gregory White - 1,380,000
Stephen Rimer - 775,000
Monty Dennis - 740,000

7th Place: Arthur Fera ($12,727)

Arthur Fera was all in preflop holding [Ad][Qs] to Salvatore Morello's [Kd][Kc].  When the flop fell [8s][Js][As], Salvatore found himself in bad shape, as he needed to hit his one outer to take the lead.  Salvatore did just that when the turn came a miraculous [Kh], putting him in the lead but leaving him vulnerable to any river spade to give Arthur a flush.  It was not to be, however, as the river fell the [2d] to eliminate Arthur in 7th place, earning him $12,727 for his efforts.

8th Place: Jeremy Barron ($9,843)

Jeremy Brown moved all in under the gun for his last 255,000 and was called by Gregory White in the big blind.  Gregory had [6h][6c] but was behind Jeremy's [As][Ah].  The flop was safe for Jeremy when it fell [Qh][4c][2c], but when the [6d] hit the turn, Jeremy found himself drawing to two outs.  The [Qc] hit the river to give Gregory the winning full house, and sending Jeremy to the rail in 8th place.  Jeremy took the beat very well, and the $9,843 he earned will be a nice prize to ease his pain.

Gregory White doubles up!

On a [Td][Tc][8h] flop, Gregory White moved all in holding pocket aces.  Stephen Rimer made the call with a pair of sixes, but the turn and river were kind to Gregory, and his pocket aces held up.  He now has over 1,200,000.

9th Place: Scott Dorey ($7,481)

After a raise by Stephen Rimer, Scott Dorey moved all in for his last 305,000 and Stephen made the call.  As the table said, it was a classic race, with Stephen holding [Ac][Kh] to Scott's [Ts][Tc].  When the board ran out [6h][Js][6c][8d][3c], Stephen found himself heading to the rail to collect his $7,481 for his 9th place finish.

10th Place: Dr. Kammar Andries ($6,176)

Dr. Kammar Andries was all in on a [Ts][5s][9s] flop holding the [Ac][Td].  While he held top pair, he was in very big trouble as David Stefanski held the [5h][5c].  Kammar would need runner runner to win the pot.  The turn brought a glimmer of hope as the [6s] gave Kammar chop outs with any spade, but the river [5d] gave David unnecessary quad fives to eliminate Kammar.  Kammar will earn $6,176 for his 10th place finish.

All In and a Call on the first hand!

On the first hand of the final table, action folded to our short stack Stephen Rimer in the 6 seat, who moved all in for his last 495,000. Chip leader Matthew Pierce in the small blind made the call, and the hands were exposed. Stephen was well ahead with his [4h][4d] vs. the [2h][2d] of Matthew. The board ran out clean, and Stephen doubled up and is now 5th in chips.

$1,200 Mega Stack Final Table Underway

The final 10 players of the $1,200 Mega Stack are now back from dinner break. There are 48 minutes left in the 15,000/30,000 blind level, and the button will begin in the 9 seat. The average stack is currently 1,284,000, and the far and away chip leader is Matthew Pierce with 3,375,000. The short stack is Stephen Rimer with 500,000, so he'll have some work to do this level. All players are guaranteed at least $6,176, with 1st place taking home $82,948.

You can watch the live feed by clicking on Watch LIVE Feature Table at the top of this page.

Rob Brown has been eliminated

Out

— Rob Brown (@RobBrownPro) December 11, 2011

After getting his chips all in a few times, Rob Brown finally doubled up with pocket eights against his opponent's AJ. The flop came jack high, but Rob spiked an eight on the river to earn the double up.

A few hands later, Rob found himself in great shape to double up again, getting it all in with AQ against his opponent's AJ. His opponent held the [As], however, and that proved to be the key card as the board ran out with runner runner spades to give his opponent the winning hand and the knockout.

Rob Brown will exit the tournament in 13th place, and will earn $4,921 for his efforts. All of the remaining 12 players are guaranteed at least a $6,176 payday.

$1,200 Mega Stack blinds increased

Blinds have been increased to 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante in the $1,200 Mega Stack.  22 players remain in the field, which means the average stack is almost 585,000.

$1,200 Mega Stack on break

The tournament staff are now coloring chips in the $1,200 Mega Stack event.  There are 27 players remaining, and when they return, they will redraw to three tables and play 8,000/16,000 blinds with a 2,000 ante.

$1,200 Mega Stack is in the money!

With the elimination of our 37th player, the final 36 players of the $1,200 Mega Stack is now in the money.  All remaining players are guaranteed at least $2,409, with 1st place taking home $82,948.  Click here to view full payouts.

$1,200 Mega Stack blinds increased

The second level of day 2 in the $1,200 Mega Stack has just begun.  The 53 remaining players are now playing 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante.

$1,200 Mega Stack Day 2 is Underway

Cards are back in the air for the $1,200 Mega Stack.  Day 2 begins with 58 players remaining, and the average chip stack is 221,000.  The blinds will resume at 3,000/6,000 with a 500 ante with 50 minute levels.

You can watch the live feed by clicking on Watch LIVE Feature Table at the top of this page. Here are the names and chip counts for the Feature Table:

Seat 1 - Arbing, Vince - 199,000
Seat 2 - Camara, Martinho - 83,500
Seat 3 - Bugley, Matthew - 130,500
Seat 4 - Brichetto, James - 236,000
Seat 5 - Afragola, Rich - 157,000
Seat 6 - Procaccini, Jim - 90,500
Seat 7 - Dennis, Monty - 108,500
Seat 8 - Marston, Paul - 195,000
Seat 9 - Labriola, David - 448,000

Paul Darden has a chip and a chair!

Paul Darden was one of the first arrivals this morning, and when he found his name low on the chip count sheet, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I have a chip and a chair."  We'll see if Paul can use his 90,500 chips to make a run at the final table today.

Foxwoods December 2011 $1,200 No Limit Hold'em Mega Stack Challenge Returning Players

Place	Name	Chips	Table/Seat
1	Stefanski, David	730,500	3-9
2	Barron, Jeremy	556,500	5-6
3	Dorey, Scott	543,500	2-5
4	Bendiks, Jonas	510,000	5-4
5	Morello, Salvatore	501,500	5-5
6	Labriola, David	448,000	1-9
7	Rimer, Steve	384,000	4-7
8	Dobkin, Yevgeniy	361,000	4-4
9	Olivieri, Nick	352,500	5-2
10	Fairweather, Dan	340,500	2-2
11	Kelliher, Tim	338,500	4-9
12	Goldstein, Rob	314,500	4-6
13	Thouch, Sarravy	313,500	2-1
14	Debreceni, James	309,000	7-6
15	White, Gregory	303,500	6-7
16	Solerti, Carlos	291,000	2-7
17	Andries, Kammar	270,500	6-1
18	Ciccotto, Louis	257,000	7-8
19	Godin, Dorian	256,500	5-3
20	McAvoy, Jason	244,000	3-8
21	Fitzgerald, Kurt	241,500	6-2
22	Brichetto, James	236,000	1-4
23	Pierce, Matt	230,500	3-1
24	Guarascio, Anthony	219,000	5-9
25	Arbing, Vince	199,000	1-1
26	Marston, Paul	195,000	1-8
27	Lee, Catherine	191,000	7-7
28	Korres, Christopher	185,500	3-5
29	Phan, Eric	180,000	4-1
30	Andrews, John	169,500	2-3
31	Afragola, Rich	157,000	1-5
32	Leskowitz, Bryan	155,000	7-5
33	Hickman, David	143,500	3-2
34	Guthrie, Bart	143,000	4-2
35	Tremblay, Rick	143,000	4-5
36	Lahey, Tim	142,500	3-6
37	Zoine, Steven	138,000	6-6
38	Brown, Rob	134,000	6-9
39	Torgersen, Eric	134,000	63
40	Bugley, Matthew	130,500	1-3
41	Petrillo, James	126,500	4-8
42	Guadalupe, Celestino	122,500	2-6
43	Dennis, Monty	108,500	1-7
44	Botchis, William	106,500	5-7
45	Reynolds, Scott "Tuna"	101,000	3-3
46	Starratt, Joe	97,500	7-4
47	Cascone, Ron	95,000	7-2
48	Campo, Peter	92,500	5-8
49	Darden, Paul	90,500	7-1
50	Procaccini, Jim	90,500	1-6
51	Haggar, William	87,500	6-4
52	Camara, Martinho	83,500	1-2
53	Gmerek, Kristopher	82,000	7-3
54	Lamonica, Rocco	76,500	2-9
55	Deroche, Ken	72,500	6-5
56	Bitker, Adam	59,500	3-7
57	Renaudette, Chris	31,500	5-1
58	Fera, Arthur	22,500	2-4

Day 1 concludes in the $1,200 Mega Stack

With 15 minutes left on the clock, a card was drawn, and it was determined that each table would play eight hands before completing play for the day.

The clock shows 59 players remaining, but an official count will be released shortly.

Day 2 will resume on Sunday at 11am EST, where the remaining players will play down to a winner.  Top 36 players will each earn at least $2,409, with 1st place taking home $82,948.

Break Time in the $1,200 Mega Stack with 75 Left

The players in the $1,200 Mega Stack Challenge event are now on a 10-minute break.

When play resumes, the blinds will be increased to 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante.

With 75 players remaining, the average chip stack is now 171,200.

The final 36 players will finish in the money.