Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold'em Six Max (1 Re-Entry)

Event #7
No-Limit Hold'em 6 Max
Buy-in: $300 (+$65)
Total Entries: 175
Prizepool: $52,200

David Aker was full of emotion after winning his second career gold ring. There is no doubting his tournament skills now.

Biloxi, Mississippi (September 14, 2016) – David Aker outperformed a field of 175 players to grab his second WSOP gold ring in Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold’em. The tournament lasted two days and concluded Wednesday morning on the IP main stage. Instantly following the final river card, Aker let out an emotional roar that was heard throughout the poker room.

“Tell me I won’t get number two,” Aker shouted, alluding to the doubters in his life. “Vindication man… for all the people who said I couldn’t”

With a gold ring and almost $200,000 in Circuit earnings before his win at IP Biloxi, it is difficult to think there even was any uncertainty about Aker’s tournament game. No matter the perception of Aker before, there should be no skepticism about his skills now.

Although he has been playing poker for six or seven years, Aker says he did not truly grasp a full knowledge of the game until the summer of 2015.

“I mean I’ve been playing for years… but I didn’t study until then. I didn’t understand the game until then” Said Akers.

Before he really hit the books, Aker claims he was a sporadic player and failed to take advantage of his opportunities. These are areas of his game he will continue to work on. Aker’s triumph shows that hard work, dedication, and studying your craft truly pays off in the end.

Aside from the haters, Aker has many supporters who know that he has been putting in the work. A group of his peers showed their love and support with handshakes and hugs for Aker as he walked away the Event #7 champion after eliminating Derrick Sonnier. There was never a chink in Aker’s armor of confidence during the tournament. In fact, he was responsible for every single knockout at the final table, a remarkable feat to say the least.

Aker took home a nice payday of $14,701, but the prize money is far from his biggest cash. His largest WSOP tournament cash occurred just one month earlier at the Harrah’s Cherokee Circuit, where he finished an impressive third out of 804 players, banking $109,625. Along with the top-prize and priceless gold ring, Aker was awarded 50 Casino Championship points and plans to continue accumulating more. Though Aker will take each tournament one at a time he is brimming with confidence and has high aspirations for the 2016/17 Circuit tour.

“I already know I’m going to lock up a seat,” Aker assured. “I’m just going to concentrate on playing well for the rest of the year.”

Next Circuit stop for David Aker will be Horseshoe Southern Indiana.

here's a look at the final table results:

1st: David Aker - $14,701
2nd: David Nicholson - $9,087
3rd: Derrick Sonnier - $6,524
4th: Kevin Baker - $4,690
5th: Jason Bullock - $3,371
6th: Jonathan Hart -  $2,423

Complete results can be found above, under the "Results" tab.

After only a few hands of heads up play all the chips made their way into the pot. Aker's poke queens held, leaving David Nicholson as the runner-up. Nicholson takes away $9,087 and is awarded 37.5 Casinos Championship points.

The three remaining Six Max competitors are making their way to the IP biloxi main stage, which has commonly been refereed to as the "Disco Stage" because of its raised platform  style and luminous blue glow.

A final dance will determine the victor. David Aker is in the driver seat with a dominating, 6-1 chip lead over both his opponents.

Following in the footsteps of Event #6, the NLHE Six Max tournament is sending three players into Day 2. The second and final day of Event #7 features a field of 30-somethings, who will face off to determine a champion and new WSOP gold ring owner.

David Aker holds a commanding chip lead over his two opponents, David Nicholson and Derrick Sonnier. Aker and Nicholson look to add another gold ring to their already impress Circuit careers. This will be Aker's 21st Circuit cash and Nicholson's 43rd Circuit cash.

Here is a breakdown of the chip count standings:

Chip Leader: David Aker - 1,315,000 (109 bbs)
2nd in Chips: David Nicholson - 227,000 (18 bbs)
Short Stack: Derrick Sonnier -209,000 (17 bbs)

-Play will begin at Level 22 with blinds at 6,000/12,000 and an ante of 2,000

Jason Bullock (pictured) has just been knocked out by David Aker. Bullock leaves in fifth place with a payout of $3,371.

An unofficial final table has been determined. Doug "Rico" Carli is not in attendance, but he did walk away with his 148th WSOP cash.  David Nicholson, who finished seventh in the Pot Limit Omaha event no more than 24 hours ago, finds himself at another final table. Derrick Sonnier finds himself with the current lead, holding 460,000 chips, while Jonathan Hart is the short stack.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts for the final 10 players:

Seat 1: Tommy Ming Zhu – 167,000 (41 bbs)
Seat 2: Derrick Sonnier – 460,000 (115 bbs)
Seat 3: Kevin Baker – 360,000 (90 bbs)
Seat 4: David Nicholson – 182,000 (45 bbs)
Seat 5: Jonathan Hart – 60,000 (15 bbs)
Seat 6: David Aker – 327,000 (81 bbs)
Seat 7: Jason Bullock –  188,000 (47 bbs)

Players have returned from their allotted, 60 minute dinner break. The field is now down to 33. There will be nine more, 30 minute levels played until Day 1 of the tournament comes to a close. Day 2 will resume Wednesday at 2:00 p.m.

Doug "Rico" Carli and Craig Norals, the first and second place finishers, respectively, from Event #4, are still alive. Carli is on his way to a 148th WSOP cash.

Day six here at the IP Biloxi Circuit features the highly anticipated 6 Max, which is the seventh gold ring event at this 12-event series. Beginning at 11:00 a.m. is Event #7: $365 No-Limit Hold'em 6 Max. The tournament will run for two days and allows one re-entry up until the beginning of Level 9.

Here is a quick rundown of Event #7:

• Buy-in: $365
• Players start with 10,000 tournament chips
• Blinds start at 25/50
• Registration remains open until the start of Level 9
• Levels will be 30 minutes long
• There will be a 60 minute dinner break at the end of Level 12
  
• Scheduled to be a two-day tournament
• Day 2 starts Wednesday, September 14 at 2:00 p.m.
• Global Casino Championship points are awarded to all players earning a cash
• The winner will receive a WSOP Circuit gold ring
• 1 Re-Entry is allowed
  

As this event progresses, this updates page will include prizepool information, end of the night chip counts and the winner's report.