There were to be no gaffes on the final day of World Series of Poker Event #54 as Will Jaffe managed to complete the job after two hours of heads-up play earlier today. The $1,000 NLHE event spilled over to a fourth day after Jaffe and Luis Campelo couldn’t be separated last night. In addition to his first bracelet, Jaffe gets a payday of $500,075 and he admitted to feeling some national pride, which he doesn’t usually have, adding: “When we were playing in the other room, there were players chanting ‘USA’ who were in the other tournament, so I really felt like I had the country behind me for the first time in my life.”
Later in the day – early hours of the next one to be exact – Tomas Junek came out of nowhere to not only win his first bracelet but also earn his first ever WSOP cash in Event #56: $1,500 NLHE. The Czech player had only cashed $3,000 in his whole career in the lead up and confessed to Bluff Magazine that he will be playing on the live circuit “a little bit more”. The field was one of the largest at this year’s WSOP at 2,798 players and for a first WSOP cash $661,022 isn’t bad.
Event #57 is heading towards its final stages with 27 remaining in the $10k NLHE/Six Handed event. Christopher Brammer is the leader on 1,546,700 chips with Carter Phillips still in the frame looking for an unprecedented second bracelet in this year’s series and sits in fourth with 928,000. Timothy Adam is another that can make it a second win at the 2012 WSOP and has a stack of 831,000. The winner gets a huge $1,136,917 as well as the customary bracelet.
31 players are returning for the final day of Event #58 with Felicia Johnico and Yuval Bronshtein leading the way. Whoever wins the $3k Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better, apart from a bracelet, will get $330,277.
Phil Ivey’s latest bid for some WSOP gold is taking in the final significant NLHE event before the Main Event – Event #59. He sits just outside the top ten, with a stack of 50,000, after opening day “A” of the $1k NLHE tournament. Out in front is Ronald Lee with 79,325 and all this is of course before day “B” gets underway.
In more harrowing news, British poker player Sam Trickett was attacked by six men as he left a Vegas club and left bruised. The 26-year-old, who came runner up in the Big One for Big Drop tournament, was attacked as he left a club with his female friend Natasha Sandhu. Trickett took to Twitter shortly afterwards, stating: “Was having a great day until 6 guys did this to me. Seriously WTF? Couldn’t be more angry #cowards,” along with a photo showing him with cuts and bruises. He added: “Is this what happens if ur successful? literally beat the shit out of me and spat in @NatashaSandhu face all over nothing…”
Find more on WSOP and CalvinAyre.com’s Poker month coverage.
