Mike Gorodinsky had to top a field of 374 last year to win the $216,988 first-place prize and gold bracelet. Whoever wins this year will have to overcome an even bigger field.
Only three levels in and last year's number has been surpassed, as the tournament clock says the field currently stands at 403 players. Late registration is still open, so that number is sure to get bigger.
George Danzer and Gregor Derkowski are waiting for their table to open and have registered for the event. Thomas Butzhammer got in about half an hour ago. He was drawing to the nut low and wheel on a turn, but the river destroyed that plan and he folded to two bets. The other two players involved in the hand chopped the pot with versus .
We caught the action on fourth street when Alexander Dovzhenko bet 150, Roland Israelashvili folded, and Kristy Green called. Green proceeded to call bets from Dovzhenko on both fifth and sixth. The two checked seventh.
Israelashvili: (x-x) / fold
Dovzhenko: /
Green: /
Green squeezed out her last card and revealed only a pair of threes and no low. Dovzhenko then rolled over trip fives to claim the pot.
Despite losing that hand, Green is still off to a good start here in Event #25, already up to double the starting stack.
Allen Kessler raised and then called the bets on each street of a board. His opponent mucked after the river call and Kessler asked if he had to show the hand in order to collect the pot. A floorperson was called and confirmed the rule according to WSOP, and Kessler was forced to turn over .
We also collected some chip counts from the tables nearby:
Ben Yu returned for Day 3 of the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship earlier today but was sent to the rail. He then jumped into this event and is on a table with Lupe Soto and Michel Abecassis. He made three-bets into third street and was called by four opponents, yet that was reduced to one after fifth street when Yu kept single-betting. Both players turned over their cards:
Whenever a player late-registers for a tournament, they run the risk of being seated alongside other late registrants. Many of the game's best often late reg, including Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth, and every once in awhile it results in a stacked final table.
Case in point: Jim Ferrel. The elder statesman at Table 413 - who has two WSOP cashes for $39,605 - finds himself up against some stiff competition. Check it out: