Alex Kunichoff Refuses to Relinquish His Chip Lead Here on Day 2
Entering the second day of play with an overwhelming chip lead, as one of only two seniors with more than 100,000 after Day 1, Alexander Kunichoff has already claimed another 100,000 in short order.
We watched Kunichoff causally call Douglas Baughman's all in shove of 13,000 from the small blind, revealing and hoping his run good would continue.
Baughman held the , and although he was ahead, Kunichoff's live cards put him at risk of elimination.
The flop of kept Baughman out in front with top pair, but Kunichoff had picked up a open-ended straight draw, and the completed his hand.
"I got it," said Kunichoff, standing after the turn put him in the lead. "Practice makes perfect."
The river came , changing nothing, and the native of Houston, Texas notched yet another knockout as he rolls through this Seniors Championship.
Before the break, an entertaining table came together at one end of the Amazon room. Bracelet winner Larry Wright, of McQueeney, Texas, recently joined a table with Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon and Joe "XYZ" Aronesty. The good-humored trash talk began immediately, with Kroon talking about how quickly he planned on busting out Wright. Aronesty, meanwhile, often calmly leans back from the table, reading a copy of How to Win No-Limit Hold'Em Tournaments.
The book might be working, as Aronesty recently scored a bustout. The player under-the-gun pushed the rest of his chips forward, and Aronesty was the only caller. He turned over . His opponent held , and the board ran out .
On the very next hand, Kroon raised to 5,300 pre-flop, and Aronesty in the small blind was the only caller. Both players checked the flop, and then Kroon bet 5,400 on the turn. Aronesty folded and Kroon raked in the pot.
Given its position in the room, this table is unlikely to be broken today, and it will be interesting to watch these players over the next several hours.
Eliminations have been fast and furious. Over 100 people have already busted out since the money bubble, as shorter stacks are aggressively getting involved in hands trying to chip up.
In a recent hand, a player with 9,900 remaining shoved all in preflop. James Miller, who started the day second in chips, tanked for about a minute before folding, but then Roy Roy Shimada called from the big blind and turned over . The all-in player held , and the board ran out . Shimada scored a bustout, and the number of players left continued to drop.
Things were a little too quiet over at Young Ji's table so we decided to check in and see what was happening. Ji said "today is a different day." He went on to explain the only other time he woke up to play before noon was yesterday. He promised to be back to normal and more energized a little later in the afternoon "after his body gets over the shock". We are looking forward to an entertaining show. It should also be entertaining on the felt as Dan Heimiller was just moved to his table.
Although Jonathan Battaglia Had Trouble Navigating These Halls, He Found His Way Into the Money Here at the Seniors Championship
Jonathan Battaglia likely spent the night restlessly dreaming about today's Seniors Championship, tossing and turning as he contemplated his strategy for this decisive second day of play. Holding a slightly above average stack of 36,700 entering play, Battaglia knew he would have room to maneuver as the payouts approached, but any big confrontations could easily leave him busted before the bubble broke. With a full night to sleep on it, Battaglia woke up refreshed and ready to take his seat here in the Amazon Room, with a shot at a gold WSOP bracelet within grasp... he just couldn't find that seat.
Apparently Battaglia got lost on his way to the Amazon Room, following bad directions for nearly an hour while the Seniors Championship progressed without him. In his absence, his unstacked pile of chips was blinded off, orbit after orbit, with players busting all around his empty seat.
Eventually, Battaglia stumbled upon the right entrance to the right room, finally making his way to Table #441 in the Purple section with just ten minutes or so remaining in the first level. When he started to stack his chips, still a bit flustered after his unexpected excursion into the wilds of the Rio, Battaglia heard his tablemates talking excitedly among themselves.
With realization slowly spreading across his face, Battaglia wondered aloud, "we're in the money?"
Having been outside of the room when the bubble bursting announcement was made, Battaglia had no idea that he had already cashed before looking at a single hand. Although he took an unorthodox route to securing his piece of the prizepool, Battaglia accomplished something nearly 4,000 other seniors did not, and all he had to do was get lost.
Dan Heimiller has spent most of the event so far under the radar. With a field size this large, it was hard to find all the notables among the endless rows of poker tables. It wasn't until late last night that we found Heimiller in our field.
Heimiller is coming off an unofficial final table finishing tenth in Event 15: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. With 48 cashes in multiple disciplines and field sizes, Heimiller is positioned to make a deep run here and is currently sitting with an above average stack.
and hoping his run good would continue.
, and although he was ahead, Kunichoff's live cards put him at risk of elimination.
kept Baughman out in front with top pair, but Kunichoff had picked up a open-ended straight draw, and the 
completed his hand.
, changing nothing, and the native of Houston, Texas notched yet another knockout as he rolls through this Seniors Championship.
, and the board ran out 
.
flop, and then Kroon bet 5,400 on the turn. Aronesty folded and Kroon raked in the pot.
. The all-in player held 
, and the board ran out 
. Shimada scored a bustout, and the number of players left continued to drop.
