Lee Davy brings you a round up of all salvoes fired in Day 4 of the World Series of Poker Main Event, including one that blew Phil Hellmuth out of the tournament.
“I didn’t come here to lose.”
Those were the words of 94-year old William Wachter. The man selected to utter the words: “Shuffle Up and Deal” and proof personified as to why this tournament if one of the greatest events in the history of sport and gaming.
Wachter didn’t lose.
How could he?
He spent the afternoon creating an incredible narrative for his own life. He cashed in 524th place for $19,500.
The day began with 661 players. It ended with 237. Phil Hellmuth wasn’t amongst them. Like Wachter, it’s a shame he never managed to waltz through the minefield without being blown towards the rail. The event will suffer has a result of his exit. A point not lost on the man responsible: Daniel Negreanu.
Bitter sweet. Just busted my buddy @phil_hellmuth with AK against his QQ. He is a fun guy to play with. Good for poker when he goes deep.
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) July 12, 2015
Joe McKeehen leads the final 237 with 3.122m chips. Let’s hope the WSOP photography team can find that elusive smile. If he keeps up this terrific pace they are going to need a shot of those pearly whites.
One more little vignette before I launch into the action. Only one man retains the possibility of becoming a two-time Main Event champion. Jim Bechtel won a million bucks when he won the title back in 1993. There were 220 entrants in that event. Those were the days. Bechtel goes into Day 5 with 1.125m in chips.
Here is the news in brief:
Level 16
Not every WSOP Main Event champion uses the opportunity as a springboard to go on to better their careers. Most simply crash and burn, some hang around like wallflowers, and others develop this whisky like burn in their gut to go on to bigger and better things. I would put Jonathan Duhamel in that bracket. He has had a great WSOP, winning the One Drop High Roller, but he will not be added to many nought’s to that figure in this one. Duhamel went out in a hand against Shawn Keller KQ<A7.
Former WPT champion Alexander Kuzmin was ousted by Luis Garla AJAA, and Kelly Minkin eliminated both Matthew Plecki and David Jackson in a car crash of a hand that saw her pocket kings sweep all before her.
Then we lost four WSOP bracelet winners: Chris Bjorin had his aces cracked by Alberto Bari’s AJhh, and John Monnette, Davidi Kitai and Ben Volpe all felt that hardened ache in the Adams Apple.
531 players were left at the end of the level and Michael Shanahan was leading with 1.66m chips.
Level 17
Two-time WPT Champion Randal Flowers bloomed and then died. First he eliminated Justin Pechie KQ>A4, and then he fell at the hands of Christian Harder after the pair went to war on a 9s8s2c flop. Flowers held top pair, Harder held the flush draw, and a third spade showed up on the turn to signify the end of the tournament for Flowers.
Mukul Pahuja had a day that could be described as awkward. One day you are calling the most decorated player in WSOP history a Cheeseburger Salesman, and the next you are playing with him. It wouldn’t be for long though as Richard Barabino flopped an ace in a AJ>QQ flip that terminated Pahuja’s time in the tournament.
Doc Sands was drawing dead when he moved on a board of Ad5s4sQs, in a hand against Upeshka De Silva. Sands holding AJcc, and De Silva holding KJ22 for the flush. And then we lost JC Tran when his kings were cracked by Omri Moga’s jacks, after a third jack showed up on the flop.
Here were the top five stacks at the end of the level. 441 players remained.
Joe McKeehen – 1,908,000
Michael Shanahan – 1,776,000
Charles Chattha – 1,500,000
Federico Butteroni – 1,445,000
Brian Hastings – 1,338,000
Level 18
Two former WSOP Main Event champions were twatted over the head with the exit sign this level. Ryan Riess ran sevens into Jeremy Renz pocket queens, and Phil Hellmuth lost his first flip of the competition when his pocket queens couldn’t hold on against Kid Poker’s AKcc.
Phil Laak went out against Christian Harder AK<AA, Matt Vengrin was bowled over by Tyler Cornell 88
We even saw a Royal Flush in that level, although Matt Berkey wasn’t happy to see it. Berkey getting it in good with top set of kings, only for Alan Wentz to turn the best hand in NLHE.
At the end of the level there 349 players remaining and here were the top five chip counts.
Joe McKeehen – 1,979,000
Jim Rumptz – 1,800,000
Brian Hastings – 1,745,000
Federico Butteroni – 1,708,000
Amar Anand – 1,656,000
Level 19
This was the point that Jim Bechtel became the only remaining former champion left in the field. The Australian Joe Hachem running jacks into the aces of Jonathan Faltz.
At the other end of the chip counts Danny Fuhs became one of the chip leaders after he won the following hand against Nicholas Katz: Fuhs opened and then called a 3B from Katz. The flop was KhQsJd and Fuhs check-called a 78k bet. The turn was the [5c] and Fuhs check-called a 125k bet. The river was the [9c] and Fuhs led for 350k, and it produced the call. Fuhs showed pocket tens for the straight, and Katz showed top set of kings.
At the end of the level there were 286 players left in the tournament and Fuhs had the chip lead with 2.6m of them.
Level 20
The final level of the day saw the reigning WSOP POY bow out of the event. George Danzer running pocket sixes into the jacks of Wasim Ahmar. His fellow PokerStars team member Fatima Moreira de Melo also exited in that level when her A6cc failed to beat the AT of Chad Power.
Curt Kohlberg developed kicker trouble when his A3 failed to beat the AJ of Yordan Mitrentsov, Scott Baumstein lost a fatal blind on blind encounter against Patrick Chan when they both flopped top pair only for Baumstein to be outkicked, and Jasper Wetemans was eliminated by Brandon Fischmann KQ<AQ.
Stephen Graner picked up big slick at the same time Carlos Gonzalez found aces (I will leave to do the math), Kyle Cartwright ran AT into the pocket kings of Arman Soltani, and Scott Montgomery ran queens into the steam train of Joe McKeehen holding AJ. The money went in on a JT5ddd flop, but McKeehen rivered an ace to win the hand with two pair.
Here are the top 10 chip counts at the end of the day.
Top 10 Chip Counts
1st. Joseph McKeehen – 3,122,000
2nd. Upeshka De Silva – 3,067,000
3rd. Erasmus Morfe – 2,502,000
4th. Brian Hastings – 2,464,000
5th. Thomas Cannuli – 2,271,000
6th. Charles Chattha – 2,157,000
7th. Jewook Oh – 2,153,000
8th. Jay Sharon – 2,118,000
9th. Jake Toole – 2,106,000
10th. Mozheng Guan – 2,034,000
Other notable faces heading into Day 5 include: Kenny Hallaert (1,451,000), Toby Lewis (1,436,000), Justin Bonomo (1,350,000), Daniel Negreanu (1,335,000) and Antonio Esfandiari (195,000)
