Notes from Day Two at the World Poker Finals

Negreanu Unhappy

Daniel Negreanu continues to complain about the structure of the World Poker Finals Main Event, vowing to never play another Foxwoods tournament until they change the format.

"Mark my words," Negreanu said late in the night on Monday. "If this doesn't change, you will never, never, see me here again."

His chief complaints were the 75-minute levels and the hand-for-hand play that commenced once players made the money.

Normally, World Poker Tour events and large buy-in tournament have 90 minute levels. At Foxwoods, the decision was made to make the levels shorter, causing the blinds and ante to escalate faster.

During a hand-for-hand pause in the action, Negreanu calculated that if the levels were the normal size, the blinds would have been 1,500 and 3,000, not the 6,000 and 12,000 the players were facing.

Negreanu's advocacy of large starting stacks, slow levels, and his short stack in day two of the event, caused him to continually expressed his displeasure to the Foxwoods tournament officials.

Tran gets her opponent to call

Mimi Tran, the ultra aggressive tournament professional, spent most of day two making moves and putting pressure on her amateur opponents.

So when she finally caught a hand, Tran got exactly what she wanted - tons of action.

On a rainbow flop reading 3-6-7, Tran moved all-in with $300,000 in chips, representing a bluff because she had not made a sizable pre-flop raise. Chris Wall, the only other player in the hand, went in the tank for a decision that would either make or break his tournament.

Wall thought for a long time and finally called. When he flipped over his hand he looked hopeful. When Tran flipped over hers, he buried his head and looked stunned. Tran had pocket Kings, easily dominating Wall's pocket Eights.

The win brought Tran to the $700,000 chip mark, making her one of the favorites to win the entire tournament. Wall went to the rail in 37th place.

After the hand, Wall said he took into account her aggressive style and the fact that she didn't need the money, therefore, her decision to move all-in for that amount could easily have been a move to steal the pot.

It wasn't and all that time Tran spent creating her aggressive image finally paid off - big.

Chris Boyadjian's big hand

Boyadian currently sits in sixth place with a healthy $700,000 in chips, but it took a miracle for him to get there.

Early in the day on Monday, the short-stacked Boyadian raised from early position and was re-raised by a late-position player. That re-raise was called and Boyadian quickly moved all-in. Both players called and the hand of the day began.

To Boyadian's horror, his opponents held Aces and Kings, easily dominating his pocket Jacks. Holding and kissing a picture of his newborn daughter Nicole, Boyadian prayed for a miracle and got one – a Queen on the flop and a Queen on the turn.

His miracle Quads propelled him to near the tournament lead and put him in great position to make the final table. Boyadian continues to kiss his picture before hands.