The first level of Day 6 of the Main Event is in the books. Play began today with the final 68 players trying to accumulate enough chips to reach the November Nine. After two hours of play, 12 of them have already been eliminated, and will have to wait for another year to reach that goal.
The chip leader heading into break is Yevgeniy Timoshenko, who vaulted to the top of the leaderboard when his full house beat a smaller full house. He has since extended his lead, becoming the first player in the tournament to hold more than ten million in chips, at the time over three million ahead of his nearest challenger.
Tyler Cornell was the first player eliminated today. His pocket jacks ran into Michiel Brummelhuis’s pocket queens. Brummelhuis ended up turning a set, and Cornell busted in 68th place for $102,102. Eleven more players followed him to the rail before the first break.
Steve Gee, the only player remaining from the 2012 Main Event final table, got off to a fast start by winning four of the first nine hands at his table. The only remaining former Main Event champion is Carlos Mortensen, who has held steady so far today and currently has about 2.3 million in chips.
Players will return to their tables in 20 minutes. Stay tuned for updated chip counts and live updates when play resumes.
Brendan O'Neal raised to 125,000 from under the gun, and Christ Lindh called in the big blind. The flop came , Lindh checked, and O'Neal bet 135,000. Lindh called, and the fell on the turn. Lindh bet out 225,000, and O'Neal moved all in. Lindh called, showing for two pair. O'Neal showed , and he'd need help, but he had a lot of outs. The river was the , not enough help to O'Neal, and he was eliminated in 57th place. He earns $123,597 for his efforts.
Jackie Glazier raised to 115,000 from middle position, and Jorn Walthaus three-bet it to 330,000 from the small blind. Glazier called quickly. Walthaus bet 305,000 on the flop, and Glazier raised it to 710,000. Walthaus pushed all in, and Glazier let her hand go.
Matthew Reed opened to 100,000 from middle position, and Keanu Tabali called in the cutoff. Jorn Walthaus popped it to 330,000 from the big blind. Reed decided on a four-bet to 600,000, only to see Tabali jam it all in for 2,740,000. Walthaus immediately shipped it as well for 3,650,000. Reed ducked out of the way.
Tabali:
Walthaus:
Things looked grim for Tabali, as Walthaus not only had a legitimate hand, but the best possible hand. The flop came down , no real help to Tabali. The turn was a , giving him a last gasp as another queen would see him survive and double. The river was paint, but it was a , and Tabali was finished.