109 Players Chasing Poker's Ultimate Prize in the 2018 WSOP Main Event
While the storm outside may be over, the action inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will be nothing short of thunderous as Day 6 of the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event commences at 11 a.m. Due to last night's impromptu ending, caused by the power outing, 109 players will return to play the 1 hour and 23 minutes left in Level 26 that got cut short.
For 108 of them, capturing poker's ultimate achievement along with the $8,800,000 first place prize would be a dream coming true. One remaining player already knows what's it like to live that dream, as 2009 champion Joe Cada (2,965,000) is still in the hunt to become the first multiple Main Event winner since the late Stu Ungar in 1997. On Day 5, Cada reminded everyone who he was and the 2009 champ be one to watch when cards go back in the air.
Cada has quite a hill to climb if he's to etch himself even more in poker's history. Chipleader Michael Dyer has distanced himself with 12,180,000 in chips, making him the only player to start over the 10M mark. Late on Day 5, Dyer was all in in a massive confrontation against Cliff Josephy. Dyer, holding ace-king, spiked a fortuitous ace on the river against Josephy's pocket kings to rocket himself up the leaderboard.
Following Dyer are three-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon (8,395,000), Jeff Trudeau (8,305,000), Hari Bercovici (7,650,000) and Belgian MTT specialist Bart Lybaert (7,530,000). There's still plenty of dangerous contenders left in the field, as the likes of Barry Hutter (5,695,000), Eric Froehlich (5,365,000), Ivan Luca (4,580,000), Shaun Deeb (2,610,000) and James Obst (1,730,000) will also take a seat of Day 6.
Another story brewing is the back-to-back deep run of Frenchmen Benjamin Pollak (5,715,000). Last year, Pollak finished in 3rd place, and with an already heavily padded stack the Frenchman is looking to become the first back-to-back final tablist since Mark Newhouse, something Michael Ruane just missed out on last year. Kelly Minkin is the sole remaining female left in the field and with 1,205,000 in chips, "The Illest" will have to spin it up from one of the shortest stacks in the room.
Follow along with these stories as the 2018 WSOP Main Event continues to develop with coverage right here on PokerNews. Cards are back in the air at 11 a.m. with 1 hour and 23 minutes remaining in Level 26 (30,000/60,000/10,000). Levels are once again 120 minutes each with a 20-minute break after each level.
Plan for today is to play down until 27 players are remaining. A 60-minute meal break scheduled around 7:30 p.m. Below's level plan is subject to change, as last-minute decisions can be made throughout the day.
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 83 minutes | 30,000 | 60,000 | 10,000 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 27 | 120 minutes | 40,000 | 80,000 | 10,000 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 28 | 120 minutes | 50,000 | 100,000 | 15,000 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 29 | 120 minutes | 60,000 | 120,000 | 20,000 |
| 60-minute break (around 7:30 p.m. | ||||
| 30 | 120 minutes | 80,000 | 160,000 | 20,000 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 31 | 120 minutes | 100,000 | 200,000 | 30,000 |
| 20-minute break | ||||
| 32 | TBD | 120,000 | 240,000 | 40,000 |
| Break when 27 players remain |
The streaming schedule for today has revised hours and is as follows:
PokerGO – 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
ESPN – 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
PokerGO – 8 p.m. - end