- Highlights of the day’s action at the WSOP.
Event #51: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em MONSTER STACK (15,000 starting chips)
The chip leader going into the final day of the Monster Stack event turned lifetime tournament winnings of $45k into more than $1.3 million, as Frenchman Hugo Pingray will be taking a bracelet home to Switzerland.
One of the largest live events ever held saw 7,862 entries. Even in a field of that size, the quality of the players who made it to the final table was high.
Thayer “THAY3R” Rasmussen and Casino Employees bracelet holder Sean Drake were there, as was Joseph McKeehen, an experience WSOP circuit player.
All eventually headed for the rail, leaving McKeehen and Pingray heads up. Sean Drake finished in third place for $619k.
After starting with a big chip lead, Pingray saw his advantage disappear as they went into the dinner break. The lead switched again after another flip, and eventually Pingray found the path to the bracelet.
Nine hands after hitting a backdoor flush, Pingray was dealt A-K giving him an easy call after Mckeehan shoved pre-flop with J-T. Mckeehan took $820k for his second place finish.
The Monster Stack was a new event for the 2014 WSOP—its success all but guarantees that it will be back for 2015, with perhaps an even bigger monster field.
Event #55: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
{il:news/moshe-bracelet.jpg::medium-right} Asi Moshe improved four places on his performance in the $1.5k event he entered last year and took the bracelet plus $582k in prize money.
Heads up play lasted only six hands, and ended with Michael Ferrer getting his chips in with the wheel straight against Moshe whose 5-6 gave him the better hand.
Despite the huge prize, in only Moshe’s fourth WSOP tournament, he is more than pleased to have won the bracelet. “I know it’s a cliché,” he said, ”but when we were three handed I would have taken $50k less than my ICM value to have this in my hand.”
Michael Ferrer logged his only WSOP cash with second place money of $360k. November Niner and 6th place finisher in last year’s Main Event, Marc-Etienne McLaughlin made the final table, but went out early in 7th place.
Other events still running
Event #56: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Sixteen players from the day’s starters remain for Day 3 of the latest $1k No Limit Hold’em event.
They are led by Raymond Henson an experienced WSOP and circuit tournament player who finished 12th in the 2007 Main Event for almost half a million dollars.
Second in chips is Steve Gross who has over $6 million in online winnings as well as a bracelet from last year’s series when he won Event #41:$5k Pot Limit Omaha – 6 Handed.
The event drew a record field of over 2,500 and will pay the winner over $400k.
Event #57: $1m The Big One for One Drop
Nine players remain but only eight will get paid—someone is still set to lose $1 million.
An day of high tension action saw Sam Trickett have what was likely the worst day of his poker career, and Gabe Kaplan finish ahead of Phil Ivey.
*Antonio Esfandiari’*s dreams of a back to back win ended when he was the last player to bust out before the end of play.
The chip leader is Rick Salomon and the winner of the $15 million first prize will be decided today.
Event #58: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Mixed Max
Phil Hellmuth missed the One Drop, but told Lee Davy not to be “surprised if I win the Mixed Max tomorrow just look for me at the end.” But it was not to be:
All in with A-K against K-Q Phil was felled by a river queen.
Phil missed out on a piece of a prize pool that almost reached $2 million after 1,475 players entered the event. Day 2 starts with 181 remaining.
Shashank Jain has the chip lead at the end of day 1, with Brandon Cantu in second.
Cantu is looking for his third bracelet, and a little less off the table action than he has had in previous events this year.
Event #59: $3,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
457 entries, $1.25 million in prize money, and Brian Rast leads the pack at the end of Day 1. Rast has two bracelets already, and finished sixth in the first Big One for One Drop in 2012.
Vanessa Selbst is well placed with the fifth largest chip stack, and Jennifer Harman lies in eighth. Well up in the field are recent bracelet winners such as Justin Bonomo and Brandon Shack-Harris.
180 players will start Day 2, and if WSOP history is any guide, everything will change during the day’s play.
