2012 WSOP MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP: DAY SEVEN MID-DAY REPORT
Photo Caption: WSOP Main Event Championship Day Seven began with three tables of 27 players. Six hours later by the time of the dinner break, only 15 remain. One of two females remaining is Gaelle Baumann, from France (pictured along rail). The other is Elisabeth Hille, from Norway. Play will continue for the remainder of the night until the final nine players, otherwise known as the “October Nine,” have been determined. -- Photo by Jay WhoJedi Newnum
DAY SIX MID-DAY HEADLINES
15 Players Remaining in the 2012 WSOP Main Event Championship
All Survivors Guaranteed a $465,159 Payout
Roberto Salaburu Sits Atop the Poker World (For Now) – Current Main Event Chip Leader
Day Seven Plays Down to the “October Nine”
JUST THE QUICK FACTS
There are 15 players still remaining in the 2012 WSOP Main Event Championship. UNOFFICIAL CHIP COUNTS are available on WSOP.com. The current chip leader is Jacob Balsiger -- with just over 23 million in chips (estimated count). Here is a glance at the top five chip counts:
1. Jacob Balsiger - 25,730,000
2. Robert Salaburu - 22,245,000
3. Scott Abrams - 21,160,000
4. Michael Esposito - 17,570,000
5. Greg Merson - 16,805,000
There are two women remaining in the field, Gaelle Baumann and Elisabeth Hille. Each female is guaranteed a payday of at least $465,159. This figure is the largest payday for a woman in the WSOP Main Event ever -- besting the $400,000 earned by Tiffany Williamson when she took 15th place in the 2005 Main Event for $400,000.
Moreover, there are two gold bracelet winners still in the field -- Steven Gee and Greg Merson. Merson is also the only player who is capable of taking the lead in the "WSOP Player of the Year" race today. He currently stands second in the ranks behind leader Phil Ivey. But if he makes the final table, he will move into the lead headed into events to be played at WSOP Europe.
MAIN EVENT FIELD TRIMMED FROM 27 DOWN TO 15
A dozen more players are gone. The initial six hours of Day Six was marked by the elimination of 12 more players, as the Main Event was trimmed from 27 players down to 15. Tournament officials expect Day Seven to play deep into the night in what will determine the final nine players of poker’s World Championship. Here are the players we have lost so far:
16th: Percy Mahatan - $369,026
17th: Robert Buckenmayer - $369,026
18th: David Balkin - $369,026
19th: Jamie Robbins - $294,061
20th: Paul Volpe - $294,061
21st: Robert Corcione - $294,061
22nd: Cylus Watson - $294,061
23rd: Yuval Bronshtein - $294,061
24th: Daniel Strelitz - $294,061
25th: Roland Israelashvili - $294,061
26th: Jan Heitmann - $294,061
27th: Nicco Maag - $294,061
It is worth noting that, while Jamie Robbins has failed to make the November Nine in his poker career, he does have one of the more impressive resumes of the November Nine era. Back in 2009, Robbins came up just shy of the final table in 11th place. This time around, he once again made it to the final three tables of the tournament, but busted out in 19th place. The only other player who can lay claim to two Day 7 runs since the November Nine was implemented in 2008 was Ben Lamb, who took 14th in 2009 then finished third last year.
JACOB BALSIGER SEIZES CHIP LEAD
We've seen the chip lead change quite a bit today. A player can go from big stack to the payout desk in a matter of minutes at this stage of the game. Just ask Daniel Strelitz, who began the day second in chips only to exit in 24th place roughly three hours after Day 7 play began. Jacob Balsiger began the day 14th in chips but now holds the top spot with 25,730,000 after winning a large pot off Russell Thomas during the last hand before the break.
Balisger is the youngest player left in the field at just 21 years of age. The junior at Arizona State University hails from Portland, Oregon, but will be returning to Tempe in a matter of weeks for his senior year. Prior to this, his biggest cash was a seventh place finish at the Casino Arizona Winter Poker Classic where he earned $8,400, almost as much money as the buy-in of this event.
NEXT UPDATE: MONDAY AT CONCLUSION OF SESSION, ONCE FINAL NINE PLAYERS HAVE BEEN DETERMINED (DAY SEVEN END-OF-DAY REPORT). THIS WILL BE THE FULL-LENGTH STATISTICAL REPORT.
__________
-- by Nolan Dalla