It’s another evening of WSOP on ESPN, let’s finish up Day 6 of the Main Event.
Norman wastes no time making his weekly bet against Mark Newhouse: this one involves upside-down cooking, and is oddly specific about the menu.
Episode 9: Establishing Tone
Dan Smith might only have 9-5, but he’s in the small blind and has 3 million chips, so that’s worth calling. Andrey Zaichenko has T-9 suited.
The flop is QJT, both players have the same fair chance at a straight and weak chance at a flush, but Zaichenko has the advantage with his pair. Smith bets, the turn is another Queen (in Zaichenko’s suit.)
Smith bets again, but Zaichenko is patient. A 6 on the river, nothing connects. Smith bets bigger, Zaichenko seems to suspect the bluff but his hand isn’t strong enough to make the risk worth it so he’ll let Smith pick up a small amount of chips from him.
It’s not a dramatic start, it’s not a pivotal hand, but this hour of television is going to go at a different pace than previous episodes so we have to set the stage right.
Keranen in the lead
Michael Finstein has re-raised all-in with T-T against Kyle Keranen who has A-Q.
J8KQ2. There is our first elimination, Finstein will go home in 42nd place.
That means we can expect to cut this pool in half in the next two hours. It also means Keranen increases his lead and now has twelve and a quarter million chips.
Lightbourne and bluff-shoving
Newhouse was smart to get away from the last one. Now he’ll risk raising with 7-6 against someone we haven’t seen much of yet, Iaran Lightbourne. Lightbourne is holding Q-J suited and re-raises, so we have a million chip pot before the 3K9 flop. Newhouse tries too hard to build that pot, and Lightbourne is enticed to go all-in, Newhouse instantly throws the 7-6 away.
The British Lightbourne will follow up betting on a 3-3, which goes unchallenged until Smith in the Big Blind has A-K suited. Both raise, Smith asks for a rule clarification before shoving and now Lightborne is the one to scurry away.
Only Devonshire sees rivers
After a break, Keranen is back at the Feature Table. He looks on as Gal Erlichman goes all-in with A-J for 1.6M. Bryan Devonshire calls with K-K.
3J4JQ, Erlichman’s unlikely trips help him stay alive at Devonshire’s expense.
Devonshire hungers to make that back, so he’ll bet with a suited 6-5. Tom Sarra, Jr will call with A-2. The flop is 42T, but Devonshire has several outs and bets again.
The turn is a 3, and Devonshire has a straight. He bets again, and the river is an irrelevant 6. Devonshire now has to try to bet to extract the maximum amount to not scare Sarra off. Another 775K from each will bring the pot to 3.5M, making up for the previous hand. We’re seeing a lot of back-and-forth.
Awards
Billy Pappas will pit A-T against Felix Stephenson’s J-T, while Andoni Larrabe has the advantage with a pair of Sevens.
443 flop, Larrabe bets small and Stephenson drops out. Pappas raises bigger. 9 on the turn, both check.
The 2 does nothing, but Pappas bets huge to scramble Larrabe’s head. The modest increase for Pappas earns him the Gentleman Jack “The Right Move” of the Night.
Pocket aces for Aaron Kaiser, it takes him a long time to bet a million chips. The only taker is Smith with two Jacks. Kaiser flops a set, 6QA, but hesitates and Smith puts him all-in.
6QAT4, Kaiser doubles up but is warned for taking too much time. Dan Smith loses the hand but wins the DraftKings “King of the Night” for his trouble.
Episode Ten: Three pairs on a table
The second episode opens with Daniel Sindelar trying to make some headway with pocket Aces. Velador with 6-6 and Erlichman with K-K want to stop him, but the 389 flop pleases no one. Erlichman bets 475K, Sindelar raises to 1.2M, and Velador jumps ship. Erlichman goes all-in. A Ten and an Ace send Erlichman home and rocket Sindelar to 2nd place with 12.67 million.
We’re down to four tables.
Sarra with a short stack will call Velador, A-T to T-T. The flop is J4Q. Sarra check-raises and earns a small increase with Velador folds. Velador is still in the top spot, but at least Sarra no longer has the smallest pile at the Feature Table.
That honor now belongs to Leif Force, who has A-9 and will re-raise against Sarra’s J-T. Sarra will then re-re-raise aggressively to send Force running, now in an even worse position.
Meanwhile
Dan Smith is sitting on pocket Kings, but probably doesn’t suspect the A-A in Chris Johnson’s hand. 285; Smith bets low, Johnson tries to play it cool, laying a trap. But then the King turn gives Smith his set. Smith makes another small bet to not tip his hand. Another 2 on the river completes the Full House. Smith keeps the bet reasonable hoping Johnson will bite, which Johnson does, trusting his two pair and trying to push Smith all-in. They have essentially traded stacks.
There are again some wired Aces in Aaron Kaiser’s hand. Smith will call him with Q-T suited. And just like earlier, Kaiser flops a set against Smith, 68A. No one bets after the Jack turn, but this time the river King completes a broadway straight for Smith. Kaiser bets, and Smith casually baits him all-in, sending Kaiser home in 36th and getting his vengeance for earlier. Smith has cracked 10M.
Devonshire has K-K, and gets called by Force with A-Q of clubs. Matt Haugen also calls for some reason, 9-4 of clubs.
T44, Haugen flops trips and Devonshire can’t imagine that this is the case (Force however vanishes.) Turn: 3; River: Jack. Haugen bets 900K and Devo calls, dropping to 4.5M. Haugen is climbing back up to his earlier status, now at 9.5M.
Thinning the herd
Martin Jacobson has A-K against Peter Placey’s A-Q of hearts. The A54 flop gives them each a pair, but Placey goes all-in for 4.7 million. Jacobson calls, Placey has two cards to catch a Queen.
The 2 that comes next gives a slim chance to chop the pot with a straight. Sadly for Placey the river is a 6, and another player is gone.
Strange hands
The only reason Sarra with K-3 faces Velador with Q-T is they are the small and big blind, but 77372 means another full house, and Sarra lets Velador drive the betting. Sarra takes a serious chunk of the older player’s stack.
Johnson is going all-in for 1.7M with Deuces against the A-K of Dan Smith. QQ9A9, goodnight Johnson and we’re down to 30.
Jorryt van Hoof has some Eights to measure against Mahin’s pair of Tens and Dong Guo’s K-Q. Van Hoof gets his set from the 398 flop, but checks, as does Guo. Mahin bets over a million, van Hoof calls and Guo slips away into the night. Not wanting to wait for the turn, van Hoof makes an in-the-dark all-in; Mahin regrets calling as van Hoof’s three eights put him at 5.4 million chips. Mahin has lost half his stack but still shakes van Hoof’s hand.
Guo and Campbell
Guo also backs away from a trap from Billy Pappas, but his stack is hurting.
Something evil possesses Haugen’s body and makes him bet a million chips with A-8 against Velador’s A-A after a 2TK flop. The turn is 2, the demon in Haugen bets another 1.5 million. Velador performs an exorcism by going all-in and Haugen manages to fold, losing only half his stack instead of nearly the whole thing.
Another three pair hand: Guo has Kings, Pappas has Aces, and Campbell goes all-in with 8-8. Pappas wants Guo to go all-in as well, and he makes it happen. Q7529.
Campbell and Guo are both seen leaving as first timer Pappas reaches 3rd place and organizes his stack of fifteen million. Billy Pappas will be DraftKings.com “King of the Second Episode”
Down to 27
Haugen’s raise on T-T will go all-in against Devonshire with Q-Q. Unfortunately after a lot of back-and-forth tonight, 58AK9 will send Haugen home in 28th place. Devonshire warns Haugen about a tell while the exiting player begins mentally spending $230,487.
Day 6 is over, Martin Jacobson will begin tomorrow as chip leader with 22.3 million. See you next week when the focus will probably be more on Mark Newhouse.
