In action Friday at the 2012 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Brandon Schaefer won Event #14, the $1,500 NLHE Shootout, earning $311k for outlasting 1317 competitors over three days of play. Significantly, having added a shiny WSOP bracelet to go with his 2005 EPT Deauville championship, Schaefer is now on par with injured colt I’ll Have Another: one crown short of a triple. Heads-up play against Jonathan Cohen began with roughly equal stacks, but Schaefer jumped out to an early 4:1 chip advantage and never really looked vulnerable. A good omen, as Schaefer signed on with the military in September and is about to start a six-year stint as a helicopter pilot. At the very least, the stacks of cash might help smooth out his lumpy mattress back at barracks. Adam Kagin finished third and Layne Flack’s bid for his seventh bracelet died with his fourth place elimination.
Adam Friedman has won Event #15, the $5k Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-Eight-or-Better, after a protracted heads-up battle with Todd Brunson that finished as the sun rose in Vegas. Brunson’s father Doyle, winner of 10 bracelets, was on hand to watch his son do battle. Compelling (and draining) though it may have been, Friedman’s first bracelet came at the expense of a whole host of other narratives. Third-place finisher John Monette narrowly missed collecting his second bracelet of the week. Phil Ivey made his first final table of 2012 but his quest for a ninth bracelet ended in seventh place, just as Phil Hellmuth’s quest for his 12th ended in 15th place.
After two days of play, the final table is set for Event #16, the $1,500 Six-Handed NLHE. Robert Muzzatti holds a slight lead over Mark Darner: 1.445m to 1.412m, followed by Mike Matusow (816k), Matt Glantz (774k), Gordon Vayo (730k), Johnathan Currie (621k), Mark Radoja (556k), Matt Matros (542k) and Ramey Shaio (333k).
We’re one day into Event #17, the $10k Pot-Limit Hold’em, and the field has shrunk from 179 to 69. Topping the survivors list is Steve Landfish with 224k, followed by Farzad Bonyadi at 184k. The top-10 includes Chris Moorman, David Benyamine and Liv Boeree. Day 1 of Event #18, the $2,500 Seven-Card Razz, is also in the books, with Tommy Vedes topping the 136 survivors of the 309 who started the day.
The $1m buy-in Big One for One Drop mega-high-roller event currently has 42 confirmed entrants, not far off the announced 48-player cap. Even with 11.1% of each entrant’s buy-in going to Guy Laliberté’s One Drop potable water NGO, the prize pool will be north of $35m. The winner of the official bracelet event will receive a payday topping the $12m Jamie Gold reaped for taking the 2006 WSOP Main Event title. The noses begin bleeding July 1, concluding two days later with someone posing behind a truly monster stack o’ cash.
