Day 6 of the World Series of Poker Main Event has ended with 27 players remaining in the field. Daniel Colman, Tom Marchese, and Tony Gregg all started the day – how did they end up?
Day 6 of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event was one of the most exciting in years. Everyone who likes a game of cards wants to see the world’s greatest players make the November Nine with a few surprise packages for the Rocky effect. And the world’s greatest player were all over this.
80 players remained from a starting field of 6,737. Amongst them were Dan Colman, Tom Marchese, Jason Les, Griffin Benger, James Obst, Tony Gregg, Tom Middleton, Max Silver, Matt Moss, Antoine Saout, Kenny Hallaert, and Paul Volpe. The latter was searching for a third place or better finish to win the 2016 Player of the Year award.
The plan for the day was to reach 27 players.
Here is how it all panned out.
Level 27
Only one man remaining in the final 80 knows the path to the final table and that’s Antoine Saout. In 2009, the Frenchman made the final tables of both the WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas and the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event in London finishing third and seventh respectively. He is heavily backed to win. He started well.
Saout opened to 200k in early position, and Dylan Thomassie moved all-in for 365k. The action folded around to Vojtech Ruzicka seated on the button, and he four-bet to 580k. Saout asked for a count and when satisfied five-bet jammed for more than 6 million. Ruzicka folded, Thomassie tabled pocket fives; Saout tabled ace-king, and a king fell on the flop sending Thomassie to the cash desk in 79th place.
Jason Les is another of the favourites, and he also started off like a storm after winning a huge pot from Maxim Sorokin to climb above 10m in chips. Les opened to 180k from midfield, Jared Bleznick called in the hijack seat, and Sorokin also called in the small blind. The flop was AcKh2c, and the action checked to Les, who bet 325k, and only Sorokin called. The turn was the 4d; Sorokin checked, Les bet 750k, Sorokin raised to 1.5m; and Les called. The river was the 9s; Sorokin bet 1.75m, and Les called. Sorokin showed KdJd for a pair of kings and Les showed AdKs for two pairs aces and kings.
Day 2 chip leader Valentin Vornicu eliminated Andrew Sayegh after the pair got it in on the turn in a single raised pot. Sayegh opened in early position, and Vornicu called in midfield. The flop was [Tc] [3d] [2s]; Sayegh bet 425k and Vornicu called. The turn was [4h], Sayegh moved all-in for 3.5m and Vornicu called. Sayegh showed pocket queens and Vornicu showed pocket kings before moving over the 11m mark.
Another man expected to have a good run at this thing is Tom Middleton. The former European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona Champ eliminated Ryan Goindoo to climb towards the 5m mark after winning a flip.
Elsewhere, Tony Gregg doubled through Chang Luo after his AK rivered Broadway when all looked lost against the pocket kings of his opponent. The dangerous Gregg moved up to 3.6m after that pot, and Jerry Wong continued to lead the way after eliminating James Cappucci when his A9 beat K10 all in pre.
And spare a thought for the Swede Per Linde. He doubled up Sergi Reixach when all-in pre-flop holding KK v TT only for Reixach to hit a set of tens on the flop. He was then knocked down to 1bb after running queens into the kings of Mitchell Watson, doubled up through Chris Klodnicki when his Q6ss cracked his aces, before finally being shown the door when the pocket kings Dietrich Fast smashed his pocket tens to smithereens. Linde’s competition ended in 68th place.
There is plenty of British interest in this competition and one of them, William Kassouf, moved over the 10m chip mark in this level after eliminating Wesley Brockhoeft KK v JJ. Both players flopping sets, but the Kings held steady.
The level ended with the Day 2 chip leader Valentin Vornicu in charge with 12,745,000 chips. Jerry Wong (12,350,000), and Kenny Hallaert (11,635,000) rounded up the top three spots.
Level 28
Tyler Hancock, Caufman Talley and Cole Jackson all hit the rail in 63rd, 62nd, and 61st place. Hancock got it in on a flop of QcJs5s holding AsKs, only to see Qui Nguyen turn over pocket jacks for middle set. Hancock did river his flush, but it was the Qs handing Nguyen a full house. Michael Ruane eliminated Talley when his pocket jacks beat his A7o all in pre, and Ruane moved his chip stack to 12.6m when his A7 turned an ace when all-in pre-flop against the pocket jacks of Cole Jackson.
Next to leave was Brian Yoon after he got it in with AQ and Griffin Benger looked him up with AK. The board remained queenless, and Benger moved up to 11.2m. Kenny Hallaert’s hopes of an $8m payday took a set back when he doubled up Kakwan Lau when his pocket Kings couldn’t beat AK. An ace on the flop sorted that one out. And James Obst moved to 9.3m when he eliminated Gorki Oliveira after flopping a set of eights on a low board with Oliveira thinking the coast was clear with his pocket queens. It wasn’t. Oliveira exited in 57th place.
It was at this time that we lost one of the favourites Tom Middleton. The action folded around to him in the small blind, and he opened to 325k. Mike Shin was in the big blind and three-bet to 900k. Middleton moved all-in for 4.3m, and Shin made the call. The young Brit was looking in fine form when he tabled pocket jacks against the lowly looking pocket tens of Shin, but the board ran out with four spades to hand Shin an unlikely flush, sending him over the 14m mark.
It was a horrible way for Middleton’s tournament to end, and Dietrich Fast knows exactly how he feels. The World Poker Tour (WPT) Champions Club member, and former WSOP bracelet holder was all-in pre-flop with aces versus the pocket kings of Cliff Josephy, only for a king to turn up on the flop to send Fast to the rail in 55th place.
And fans of Tom Marchese were jumping up and down all over the world after he doubled up through Jan Suchanek. Big Cheese turned a flush when in bad shape A7ss against AQ. Marchese moved up to 70bb; Suchanek was down to 55bb.
The level ended with 52 players remaining and Jerry Wong with the chip lead with 15m. Mike Shin was a big blind away from him, and William Kassouf was sitting pretty on 14.1m.
Level 29
Jason Les continued his impressive ascent with the elimination of Farhad Jamasi. The pair got it in with Jamasi holding J9hh and Les holding AK. An ace and a king hit the flop to send Les up to the 14m barrier.
Tony Brace eliminated Jesse Cohen in 51st place. It was a cooler. Cohen flopping trip jacks in a single raised flop; Bracy turned a boat, and that’s where all the money went in. And the talented Tony Gregg bowed out in this level after the blinds got the better of him. He eventually made his stand in the small blind with 83o, and Ronald Giles cut him apart with pocket sixes. Gregg’s 50th place finish was worth $142,447.
Jan Suchanek started the day second in chips. He wouldn’t be ending it that way. He moved all-in pre-flop holding AQo, and Fernando Pons was willing to take his chances with pocket jacks. An ace did land on the flop to give Suchanek the lead, but a jack on the river gave Pons a set and 13.7m in chips. Suchanek was out in 49th place.
Max Silver eliminated Andrei Konopelko in a three-way car wreck of a hand. Griffin Benger was the third player involved. All three were all-in pre-flop with Silver holding aces, Benger holding AK, and Konopelko holding pocket eights. The Aces held to move Silver up to 8.4m, Benger dropped to 6.8m, and Konopelko dropped out altogether.
Cliff Josephy started to gain some traction at this level. He moved up to 15m in chips with the elimination of Sergi Reixach. Reixach went for it holding AJdd, but Josephy woke up with the dominating AQ. And then Tom Marchese doubled through Jason Les in a three-bet pot. Les was the pre-flop and flop aggressor on the T65r flop – Marchese calling the three-bet and c-bet. The turn was the 2h; Les bet 2m, Marchese moved all-in for 4.7m, and Les made the call before showing Jacks. Marchese turned over Queens. The hand held. Marchese moved to 13.5m, and Les fell to 3.6m.
Chris Klodnicki exited in 45th place after moving his last million into the middle on the back of QJo. Mike Shin looked him up with pocket queens, and Klodnicki was out in 45th place. Michael Ruane eliminated the former WSOP bracelet winner Paul Hoefer in 43rd place. The pair got it in on a K72 flop with Hoefer holding A5o, and Ruane holding pocket jacks. Ruane moved up to 17.6m.
And Dan Colman sent out a reminder that he was still in the contest when he eliminated Mitchell Watson. Once again it was all-in pre with Colman’s AJ dominating the A5 of Watson who finished in 42nd place. Colman moved up to 6.9m, and Griffin Benger racked up a similar size stack when he clipped the wings of Ronald Giles. AK v A8o all-in pre-flop was the story. The ending was a 41st place finish for the Stetson-wearing Giles.
Had you asked the final 40 players to remove two players from the event, Jason Les and James Obst would have been amongst the picks. Two supreme poker players and they clashed to fatal effect in this level. Obst raised to 275k from midfield, Paul Volpe called in the hijack, Les moved all-in for 2.6m, and only Obst called. Les showed pocket nines; Obst showed pocket jacks, and the strongest hand held. The Australian moved up to 16.1m. Les was out in 40th place.
The level ended with 39 players in the hunt led by Cliff Josephy sitting behind a stack of 19m.
Level 30
Gordon Vayo got lucky to stay alive when he cracked the aces of Jonas Lauck with AK. Vayo turning a Broadway straight to send Lauck down to just 6bb. Vayo moved up to 10m. Mike Niwinski would eliminate Lauck a few hands later when his A9 beat the KJ. And Vojtech Ruzicka started to shift gears winning a few juicy pots from Hari Bercovici and Valentin Vornicu.
The field condensed to four tables after Joshua Weiss eliminated Carlton Tartar when his pocket eights beat pocket sevens all-in pre, we lost the impressive Alex Keating in 35th place when he lost a flip against David L’Honore, and Vojtech Ruzicka kept climbing when he eliminated Hari Bercovici K2s v 88 after he flopped a king.
Then two massive eliminations as we lost both Max Silver and Dan Colman.
Silver and Colman got it in all-in pre with Colman’s pocket tens ripping apart the pocket nines of the Brit. That left Silver with 7bb, and they went into the middle when he moved all-in on a flop of 864, holding Q8 for top pair, and John Cynn had made the call holding KJhh. Silver was ahead, but it wasn’t to last. The dealer put running hearts on the board to hand Cynn a flush and Silver would have to settle for 33rd place.
Colman would exit in 31st place. He opened to 360k from the first position and Fernando Pons called in the hijack. The flop was J7sr, and both players checked. The turn was the 3s; Colman checked, Pons bet 350k; Colman moved all-in for 3.5m, and Pons called. Colman showed J9s for top pair, but Pons had him outkicked with AJo. The deck couldn’t find a nine and Colman was out. Pons moved up to 22.9m, one of the largest stacks in the room.
And that’s where the level ended. 30 players remained. Three more would have to hit the rail before the day came to an end. Michael Ruane had the chip lead with 24.7m. Pons (22.5m), and Josephy (22.2m) were not that far behind.
Level 31
The first of those three players to fall was David L’Honore. He got it in with Vojtech Ruzicka on a flop of 9s7d5d, with Ruzicka holding top set and L’Honore searching for the nut flush. It didn’t arrive. L’Honore would make do with the 30th place; Ruzicka moved into second place with 22.7m.
We lost another boss when Paul Volpe exited in 29th place. It was a cooler after Volpe ran pocket queens into the pocket aces of Thomas Miller. His elimination means Jason Mercier was officially crowned the 2016 WSOP Player of the Year as Volpe was the only person who could catch him. Miller moved up to 17.5m.
And play concluded after Ruzicka eliminated Elliot Peterman. It was a classic coin toss with Ruzicka’s AK finding an ace and a king to beat the pocket queens of Peterman. And with that hand, Ruzicka locked up the chip lead at the end of an exhausting and emotional day for everyone involved.
Top 10 Chip Counts
1. Vojtech Ruzicka – 26,415,000
2. Michael Ruane – 24,565,000
3. Cliff Josephy – 23,860,000
4. James Obst – 19,560,000
5. Mike Shin – 19,345,000
6. Valentin Vornicu – 17,450,000
7. Fernando Pons – 17,270,000
8. Thomas Miller – 17,185,0009.
9. Kenny Hallaert – 15,465,000
10. Tom Marchese – 15,420,000
