Day 30 of the World Series of Poker solved the mystery as to who the final eight players that will have a shot at being the inaugural winner of the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy will be. Elsewhere around the RIO two different WSOP records were set while another marathon final table showdown took place on the ESPN Main Stage.
Here is the rundown from the action on Saturday:
Event #49 ($1,500 No Limit Hold ‘em)
A sold-out field of 2,719 took to the felt in the second to last No Limit Hold ‘em event of this year’s WSOP. This event sold out before the cards hit the air despite the large number of professionals still involved in other events or those that used Saturday as a much needed rest day.
Despite the lack of top flight professionals, many recognizable names showed up to take on the group of mostly amateur players.
Controversy broke out in the back corner of the Tropical Room when a players hand was taken from him and mistakenly ruled dead. It appears that few people, both dealers and players alike, fully understand the rules regarding cell phone use during tournament action. At a table, while cards were dealt, a player had some form of interaction with his cell phone. When action came to the player, the dealer mucked his hand and declared it dead. The player objected to the action of the dealer and floor needed to be called for an explanation.
Although rule #81 of the official tournament rules state that “The hand of any player talking on a cell phone, texting, e-mailing or otherwise communicating electronically while in a hand with action pending, will be declared dead”. However, this rule was changed just prior to the start of the Series and players are in fact allowed to be on a cell phone at their table. As a courtesy they are asked to step a table length away to avoid interrupting their fellow players.
After much explanation and the threat of penalty to the players involved in the dispute, play eventually resumed.
A long standing WSOP record was broken today inside the Brasilia room as Nikolay Evdakov made history with his ninth cash of the year. This breaks the previous record of eight cashes held by four other players in addition to Evdakov. After placing in the money Evdakov’s run in this event was put to a stop. He will have one last week of events to add to his record as he exited in 156th place. Notable players to join Evdakov on the rail were David “The Dragon” Pham, Player-of-the-Year front-runner Jacobo Fernandez and Johnny Neckar. For complete details on who made the final table check out Event #48 Chip Counts and Live Updates.
Event #47 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better)
Another record was set when Ryan Hughes became the first person in WSOP history to win two bracelets in Seven Card Stud 8. Hughes dominated the final table in route to a heads-up match with another Seven Card Stud bracelet winner, Ron Long. Initially, Hughes stumbled in heads-up, losing three large pots to Long; losing the chip lead for the first time since sitting down at the final table. Hughes found his composure, upped his aggression, and methodically took back the chip lead, crippling Long on a few key hands en route to notching his name in the record book.
For the win, Hughes pockets $182,997 and his second bracelet. Ironically, Hughes paid 500 dollars less to enter this event then last year’s event; he will pocket about $6,639 more for this win then he took home for winning last year’s event. For a full recap of the final table of Event #47 check out Two Times the Stud.
Event #46 ($5,000 Six-handed No Limit Hold ‘em)
All eyes were on Davidi Kitai as he sought to capture his second bracelet of the week. This time however, the odds would be against him as he entered the day as the shortest stack of the six remaining competitors with nearly a 10:1 chip disadvantage to leader Richard Lyndaker. Having to make a move early Kitai went all-in with pocket ten’s only to be met by Lyndaker’s pocket kings. The board provided little help to Kitai and he was eliminated in sixth place. Lyndaker then proceeded to knockout two out of the next three players to find himself heads-up with Joe Commisso.
Commisso was not only seeking his first WSOP bracelet but was also playing in his first WSOP event. Heads up action provided a treat for anyone who ventured into the ESPN Main Stage area. Tournament announcer Robbie Thompson commented that “This (heads-up) match was one of the most epic battles I have ever seen”. The nearly six hour long match featured five lead changes and a total of 15 all-in moments. 13 of those all in moments came from Lyndaker, who found himself behind going to the flop in 11 out of those 13 encounters. Amazingly each time he was behind he would find a card until his last all in where he was unable to make anything with his nine-seven and allowed Commisso to take home the victory with his pair of queens.
For his win, Commisso takes home $911,855. For a full recap of the final table of Event #47 check out Cimmissso Cashes In
Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E.)
Day four of H.O.R.S.E. took place in the crowded confines near the side entrance of the Amazon Room. 24 players and hundreds of fans gathered along the rails to see which of the best in the business would make it through to the Sunday’s final table. Play went deep into the night, as players played every hand with a high level scrutiny showing just how important coming home with the first ever Chip Reese Memorial Trophy would be for them.
The bubble burst when Mike Wattel busted out leaving some of the game’s brightest stars still in contention. But Doyle Brunson, Andy Bloch, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey all busted in-the-money before the final table was set.
The eight players with a chance to take home that coveted trophy and a top prize of over 2 million dollars are Scotty Nguyen, Huck Seed, Matt Glantz, Lyle Berman, Barry Greenstein, Patrick Bueno, Michael DeMichele and chip-leader for Erick Lindgren. For complete chip counts and seating assignments visit Official WSOP Live Updates.