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Our very own Sarah Grant caught up with one of the most recognizable faces in the Rio for the World Series of Poker; Shaun "The Dealer" Harris.
David Balkin opened to 130,000 and was called by Richard Pyne from late position and Robert Salaburu in the big blind. The flop came down 
and Salaburu checked. Balkin continued out for 260,000 and Pyne called. Salaburu folded and the two were heads up to the turn.
Fourth street was the 
and Balkin checked. Pyne moved all in for his last 1,100,000 and Balkin snap called, showing 
for trip kings. Pyne showed 
for a flush draw and needed a heart on the river.
The river was the 
and Pyne was sent to the rail.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
Eliminado |
Casey Yontz opened for 125,000 under the gun and was met with a three-bet to 305,000 from Russell Thomas in the cutoff. The button and blinds got out of the way, Yontz moved all in for 1.83 million, and Thomas made a quick call.
Showdown
| Yontz |  |
| Thomas |   |
Yontz was in bad shape, though he did hold an overcard. The 
flop gave Yontz some additional straight outs to a king, but neither the 
turn nor river would be of any consequence. With that, Yontz exited in 53rd place while Thomas chipped up to over 6.3 million.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
6,315,000
4,220,000
|
4,220,000 |
|
Eliminado |
Helge Stjernvang raised to 130,000 from under the gun, and it folded around to Steven Gee who called from the button. Cylus Watson then reraised to 415,000 from the big blind, Stjernvang responded by pushing all in for about 1.07 million, and Gee stepped aside.
Watson:
Stjernvang: 
The flop came badly for Stjernvang, the dealer spreading 
to give Watson two pair. The turn was the 
and river the , and Stjernvang is out.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
6,900,000
4,200,000
|
4,200,000 |
|
Eliminado |
Picking up with the action on the final board of 
, things seemed fairly innocent with a bet of 350,000 from Scott Abrams into a pot of a few hundred thousand chips. Robert Corcione raised to 800,000 and then Abrams moved all in for 2.255 million. Corcione took a minute, then called. Abrams tabled the 
for quad fives and Corcione mucked his hand.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
5,000,000
2,650,000
|
2,650,000 |
|
||
|
4,185,000
-1,595,000
|
-1,595,000 |
Elisabeth Hille raised to 120,000 under the gun only to have Jean Malherbe three-bet to 265,000 from the cutoff. The button and blinds got out of the way, Hille put in a four-bet to 575,000, and Malherbe made it 935,000 to go.
Hille thought for a few moments before six-betting all in, and Malherbe quickly mucked his cards.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
5,790,000
1,880,000
|
1,880,000 |
|
2,290,000
-1,655,000
|
-1,655,000 |
From the hijack seat, Amit Zulkowitz raised to 130,000. Action folded to Jeremy Ausmus in the big blind and he reraised to 485,000. Zulkowitz moved all in for 2.3 million and Ausmus quickly folded.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
5,275,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
||
|
2,905,000
445,000
|
445,000 |
Andras Koroknai raised from the cutoff, Sam Holden called out of the small blind, and the flop fell 
. Holden check-called a 145,000-chip bet, and the turn brought the . Holden checked, Koroknai fired 430,000, and Holden called.
The completed the board, and Holden checked again. Koroknai moved all in, and Holden folded.
A few hands later, Koroknai opened to 125,000 from middle position, and Sam Holden three-bet jammed for around 1.3 million from the cutoff seat. Koroknai called.
Koroknai:
Holden:
The dealer spread 
, which gave Koroknai a set and the lead. Holden couldn't find an eight on the turn () or the river (
), and he was eliminated.
Holden, who finished ninth in the 2011 WSOP Main Event, will have to settle with $128,384 for 55th place.
| Jogador | Fichas | Oscilação |
|---|---|---|
|
4,600,000
2,880,000
|
2,880,000 |
|
Eliminado |
The recent eliminations of 40-year-old David "ODB" Baker and 48-year-old Bobby Law probably caught the attention of certain people in the poker world who have added some interest to their following of the Main Event via some prop bets regarding the eventual winner.
Our colleagues writing the live blog and working on articles for The Muck spoke with Barry Greenstein earlier today who described to them some of the details regarding players' betting with one another whether or not the Main Event winner will be aged 40 or more.
Stay tuned over at the Muck for more on the specifics of the bets. Meanwhile, we talked to the WSOP staff and they helped us try to figure out who among the remaining 55 were aged 40 or older.
It appears that out of 55 players there are currently nine players who are 40 or over: Shahriar Assareh, Robert Buckenmayer, Michael Esposito, Amnon Filippi, Steven Gee, Roland Israelashvili, Richard Pyne, Paul Siem, and Helge Stjernvang. Of course, those making bets should try to corroborate the info, as duplicate names and other factors made this tricky to put together on the fly.
Greg Merson, who currently sits in sixth place on the 2012 World Series of Poker Player of the Year Leaderboard, is only 87.75 points behind the current leader, Phil Ivey, who racked up 568.70 points this summer. If Merson were to bust today, he would earn 75 points and be just 12.75 behind the leader. With that said, a final table appearance would put Merson in the top spot headed into the World Series of Poker Europe.
Roland Israelashvili currently sits in 63rd place on the leaderboard with 231.05, which means either a second or first place finish would put him in the top spot. Likewise, Yuval Bronshtein (108th—187.38), Jeremy Ausmus (145th—159.44 points) and Leo Wolpert (490th—76.50 points) could all take the top spot if they were to win the Main Event. Of course the World Series of Poker Europe counts toward the POY race, so these scenarios could change.
Here’s a look at the current WSOP POY standings:
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Ivey | 568.70 |
| 2 | John Monnette | 524.25 |
| 3 | David “ODB” Baker | 508.38 |
| 4 | Phil Hellmuth | 500.70 |
| 5 | Antonio Esfandiari | 488.10 |
| 6 | Michael Mizrachi | 486.20 |
| 7 | Gregory Merson* | 481.13 |
| 8 | Vanessa Selbst | 463.17 |
| 9 | Andy Frankenberger | 406.66 |
| 10 | Andy Bloch | 405.30 |
*Merson yet to be assigned points for Main Event.
Also, here’s a look at how WSOP POY points will be awarded for the Main Event:
| Finishing Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 500 |
| 2 | 350 |
| 3 | 250 |
| 4 | 220 |
| 5 | 190 |
| 6 | 165 |
| 7 | 140 |
| 8 | 120 |
| 9 | 100 |
| Remaining Top 20% | 75 |
| Next 30% | 50 |
| Bottom 50% | 25 |
