Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship Dia 7 | 2019 World Series of Poker

2019-07-12 20:18 UTC-7

Christopher Barton Eliminated in 14th Place ($500,000)

poolshir

Nível 34 : 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante

Secondary Table Hand #20: Milos Skrbic raised to 1,000,000 from under the gun and Christopher Barton shoved on the button for 6,050,000. The blinds folded quickly and Skrbic snap-called.

Christopher Barton:
Milos Skrbic:

The flop came which didn't change things.

The turn was the which meant only another ace or king could save Barton's tournament life.

The river completed the board with the which wasn't what Barton was looking for as he was eliminated in 14th place for $500,000.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Milos Skrbic	65,800,000 6,800,000	6,800,000
Christopher Barton	Eliminado

Tags: Christopher Barton Milos Skrbic

2019-07-12 20:20 UTC-7

Main Feature: Gates Doubles Through Ensan

[user139916]

Nível 34 : 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante

Hand #18: Garry Gates raised to 1,200,000 from the hijack, Hossein Ensan three-bet to 3,750,000 from the small blind, Gates four-bet to 10,000,000, Ensan five-bet to a covering amount and Gates called all in for 23,500,000.

Gates:
Ensan:

Gates faced a similar situation yesterday, although he was on the other side of the race with ace-king and needed to catch to survive.

The flop was , keeping Gates in the lead with his pair of kings.

The turn was the , leaving Ensan with just three outs to take an overwhelming chip lead.

The river was the , safe for Gates to double through Ensan and move into fourth place on the leaderboard.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Hossein Ensan	108,600,000 -21,100,000	-21,100,000

Timothy Su	88,500,000

Garry Gates	48,100,000 22,400,000	22,400,000
Robert Heidorn	19,000,000 -1,200,000	-1,200,000
Henry Lu	16,400,000 -1,000,000	-1,000,000
[Removed:140]	14,600,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Michael Niwinski	13,000,000

Tags: Garry Gates Hossein Ensan

2019-07-12 21:23 UTC-7

Secondary Feature Hands #33-37: Sammartino Has Two Pair

poolshir

Nível 35 : 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

Hand #33: Zhen Cai raised to 1,300,000 from the button and Milos Skrbic defended his big blind. The flop came , Skrbic check-raised the 700,000 continuation-bet of Cai to 2,600,000 who folded.

Hand #34: Dario Sammartino raised to 1,400,000 from the button and that was enough to pick up the blinds and ante.

Hand #35: Sammartino raised to 1,300,000 from the cutoff and both Kevin Maahs and Nick Marchington called in the blinds. The flop came , Maahs and Marchington checked, Sammartino continued with a bet of 1,800,000 which only Maahs called. The turn brought them the , Maahs check-called the 4,800,000 bet of Sammartino. The river completed the board with the for them both to check through. Maahs tabled but was beat by the of Sammartino who turned two pair.

Hand #36: Sammartino raised to 1,300,000 from the hijack and Alex Livingston called in the big blind. The flop came , they both checked to see the come on the turn. They checked again for the to complete the board on the river. Livingston bet 1,600,000 and which was enough to make Sammartino give up on this hand.

Hand #37: Marchington raised to 1,200,000 from the button and Cai defended his big blind. The flop came , both players checked for the to pair the board up on the turn. Cai bet 1,300,000 and Marchington called. The river completed the board with the , Cai bet 4,700,000 for Marchington to fold.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Milos Skrbic	72,900,000 -800,000	-800,000
Dario Sammartino	49,600,000 7,900,000	7,900,000
Zhen Cai	29,100,000 -700,000	-700,000
Kevin Maahs	26,400,000 -9,100,000	-9,100,000
Alex Livingston	18,300,000 -900,000	-900,000

Nick Marchington	10,500,000 -5,300,000	-5,300,000

Tags: Alex Livingston Dario Sammartino Kevin Maahs Milos Skrbic Nick Marchington Zhen Cai

2019-07-12 21:58 UTC-7

Freerolling 2020 Main Event

Nível 35 : 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

https://www.pokernews.com/video/888poker-qualifier-mihai-manole-wins-last-longer-package-12085.htm

Tags: Mihai Manole

2019-07-12 22:09 UTC-7

Hossein Ensan Looks to Add a WSOP Main Event Bracelet to His Decorated Resume

Nível 35 : 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

Born in Iran, 55 year old Hossein Ensan moved to Germany at the age of 25 and has been crushing the poker scene since 2013, although he started playing when he was just 18 years old.

Ensan started out with mixed game variants when he was a kid, eventually honing his hold'em skills and going on a tear in Europe. "I love poker," smiled Ensan. He has accumulated over $2.6 million in earnings and earned a World Series of Poker Circuit ring in 2017 in Rozvadov in Event #11: €1,650 No Limit Hold'em Main Event for €184,812.

He finished in third place in the 2014 European Poker Tour (EPT) € 5,300 Main Event in Barcelona for €652,667. Since Ensan came just short of winning his first EPT title in that year, he decided to give it another shot in 2015 in the €5,300 EPT Prague Main Event and took the whole thing down for €754,510, making it his biggest career score.

Now, Ensan is on poker's biggest stage and looks to add a WSOP bracelet to his decorated resume.

When asked if he is nervous, Ensan told PokerNews: "I am experienced since 2002 in hold'em. Experience is more important than books. Poker is from skill, luck, good run and strategy. So, this is the point."

Winning the entire Main Event generally comes with added pressure of being an ambassador, and Ensan is certainly capable of this. The current chip leader mingling with everyone and enjoying the short breaks is a bit of a rare sight these days.

Ensan also mentioned that winning the Main Event would be validation for the hard work he has put in this last year. "This confirms my game, and I know I can play poker. This is nice!" exclaimed Ensan.

How He Got Here

Day	End-of-Day Chip Count	Rank
1c	180,000	137/3,647
2c	209,000	531/1,793
3	336,000	603/1,084
4	3,250,000	14/354
5	7,100,000	24/106
6	34,500,000	2/35

Key Hand

A huge hand on Day 7 went down against Nick Marchington to bring Ensan over 100 million in chips. During Level 34: 250,000-500,000 with a 500,000 big blind ante, Ensan raised to 1 million from the cutoff and Marchington defended his big blind.

The flop came and Marchington checked. Ensan continued with the aggression and bet 1 million again. Marchington check-raised to 4 million and Ensan thought about it before tossing in a call. The turn was the and Marchington led out for 9.5 million. Ensan decided to call, swelling the pot to almost 30 million in chips.

The dealer completed the board with the and Marchington decided to fire out a bet of 25 million this time. Ensan wasted no time and snap-called, tabling for aces up. Marchington mucked, but the live stream revealed he had for bottom pair.

"I have history with him (Marchington)," explained Ensan. "I played two days with him, so I know how he plays - with pressure and aggressive. He just called and no three-bet. If he three-bet, maybe I fold before the flop. Eights, maybe. But fives, I have a five blocker. I am deep and I have two pair," explained Ensan.

His gut was right, and the call put him squarely out front of the pack with the final table getting closer.

What to Watch For

Based on his intuition in the key hand above, Ensan's experience is going to be what allows him to rise to the top in this event. Between his deep EPT runs for close to a million dollars, and the amount of years he has been on the felt, it's likely Ensan will be calm and focused while playing for $10 million.

Breaking down hands is another skill of Ensan's, as he was able to correctly call against Marchington's three streets of aggression to take a massive lead on Day 7. Reading his opponents and figuring out why they are betting in certain spots will be critical skills that Ensan will put to use as he tries to navigate his way to a victory in the 2019 WSOP Main Event.

Tags: Hossein Ensan Nick Marchington WSOP Main Event

2019-07-12 22:42 UTC-7

Zhen Cai Playing with the Support of 2018 Main Event Runner-Up Tony Miles

Nível 35 : 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

Born December 1, 1983, 35-year-old Zhen Cai is a professional poker player from Lake Worth, Florida. Primarily a pot-limit Omaha cash game player, Cai is following in the footsteps of his good friend Tony Miles, who last year made a deep run in the 2018 WSOP Main Event ultimately finishing in second place.

“Good advice and just reassurance that everything is going to be fine,” Cai said of having his friend of eight years on the rail. “He’s someone else I can talk strategy with, not just basic strategy or poker strategy, but everything he had to go through last year.”

Miles has been on the rail for days sweating the action and plans to be there every step of the way.

“He’s a really good guy. One of my first coaches and mentors in poker,” said Miles. “It feels nice to be on the other side and share some wisdom, strength and hope. Just be there supporting him the way he was for me last year.”

In addition to Miles, Cai is supported by his wife, Jessica, who flew in late on Day 7, as well as his parents, sister, and other friends. And while he can’t be on the gaming floor, he’s also got the support of his 4-year-old son Chance, with whom he squared off against in a Father’s Day heads-up match.

Prior to his deep run in the Main Event, Cai had $101,151 in career WSOP cashes. In 2011, he won a $565 No-Limit Hold’em Event at the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s New Orleans for $33,753 and a ring. Other career highlights include winning the 2018 Lucky Hearts Open $2,200 PLO for $46,900 and finishing 28th in the 2015 WPT Borgata Winter Open for $12,980.

“Players are definitely getting way tougher right now,” said Cai, who attended the University of Florida where he studied advertising and psychology. “There’s a lot of things you have to think about at this stage. For the most part I’m just trying to play my best.”

How He Got Here

Day	End-of-Day Chip Count	Rank
1c	39,500	2,881/3,664
2c	152,400	867/1,793
3	1,058,000	54/1,286
4	3,200,000	16/354
5	6,945,000	25/106
6	18,275,000	12/35

Key Hands

Cai was responsible for the elimination of perhaps the most famous player in the 2019 WSOP Main Event – former NFL star Richard Seymour. It happened on Day 5 when, in Level 25 (30,000/60,000/60,000), Seymour jammed the button for 725,000 and Cai called from the small blind.

Anuj Agarwal was in the big and tanked for two minutes before three-betting all in for approximately 2 million, which Cai snap-called. Seymour had shoved with king-four offsuit, Agarwal came over the top with ace-three suited, and Cai had them both beat with two red ladies.

Seymour actually took the lead on a king-high flop, but a queen on the turn locked it up for Cai, who more than doubled to 6.2 million.

Arguably the biggest hand for Zhen came on Day 6 in Level 29 (80,000/160,000/160,000) when Andy Hwang opened for 320,000 from the hijack and Cai shoved the button for 4.075 million. Thomas Parkes called from the big blind, Hwang got out of the way, and Cai found himself way behind with ace-five offsuit against pocket tens. Fortunately for Zhen, he received a reprieve when the flop delivered him two pair.

From that point on Cai steadily built his stack as the final table gets ever closer.

What to Watch For

Don’t let his lack of tournament results fool you as Zhen is a force to be reckoned with at the poker table, especially given his PLO cash game experience. That’s a game full of variance and big swings. Anyone who can deal with those likely has a great deal of patience, resolve, and a proclivity to persevere.

Zhen has shown a willingness to go full steam ahead in likely coinflip situations – such as when he called Preben Stokkan’s three-bet shove with pocket tens, which held against Big Slick – and also knows how to shift gears and trap when necessary, like he did when he dispatched Duey Duong in 19th place.

As for the type of player Zhen is, perhaps Miles has the best read.

“He’s a very good live player,” he said. “He's a sound theoretical player. He’s going to be able to exploit players based on live reads, betting patterns, things that are not going to come naturally to everyone.”

Tags: Tony Miles WSOP Main Event Zhen Cai

2019-07-12 23:19 UTC-7

"I Have to Have Two Faces" - Dario Sammartino

Nível 36 : 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

https://www.pokernews.com/video/dario-sammartino-this-is-the-best-tournament-you-can-play-12086.htm

Tags: Dario Sammartino

2019-07-12 23:54 UTC-7

Dario Sammartino Fades the Flu, Sets Sights on the Final Table

Nível 36 : 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Dario Sammartino is the most decorated, and arguably the most talented, remaining player in the WSOP Main Event. The native of Naples, Italy has an impressive resume that includes over eight million in live tournament earnings and dozens of cashes on the high-roller circuit. Now, as this year's WSOP Main Event final table approaches, his sights are set on the ten-million-dollar first prize and a gold bracelet.

Competing at the highest level can be exhausting. In 2018, as he began to play less poker, there was speculation on whether Sammartino, like Fedor Holz and Doug Polk, was "retiring" from the game.

"I'm not retired," he told PokerNews. "I just don't play poker full-time. Before it was my first priority but now it's not really important."

During the last year, Sammartino made an effort to spend more time with friends and family. He went skydiving in Australia. He started a new business called “Rent, Sell, Cars” in which he and a friend rent out their flashy Ferraris. Even as he's done an admirable job of branching out and achieving more balance, Sammartino hasn't entirely abandoned his poker goals.

"I still want to win a bracelet," he said.

Sammartino enjoyed oodles of success at this year's WSOP, cashing seven times and reaching two final tables: a third-place finish in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship and a ninth-place finish in the 50K Players Championship. He also faced some adversity during the early stages of the Main Event.

"I was so sick," he told PokerNews. "It was really bad for three or four days. I had to take a lot of medicine. It was really tough."

Despite a nagging illness, Sammartino got off to a good start on Day 1C, bagging 121,000 chips. He gained momentum over the next few days until a rough Day 5 left him short-stacked and 105th out of 106 remaining players. But the savvy Italian rounder didn't quit. He enjoyed a flurry of double-ups: against Corey Burbick, then against Antonio Esfandiari, and then against Sam Greenwood. By the end of Day 6, he had added nineteen million chips to his stack.

How He Got Here

Day	End-of-Day Chip Count	Rank
1c	121,000	647/3,664
2c	522,700	33/1,793
3	552,000	337/1,286
4	2,302,000	63/354
5	860,000	105/106
6	19,850,000	9/35

Key Hand

Sammartino leveraged a short stack at the beginning of Day 6 into a healthy stack by the end. A pivotal hand that made his run possible was against an especially tough opponent—Big One for One Drop champ Antonio Esfandiari.

The hand happened during Level 27, with the blinds at 50,000-100,000. Holding the and about three million chips, Sammartino raised to 220,000 and Esfandiari three-bet in the hijack to 530,000. Sammartino called. After seeing the flop, Sammartino check-called a bet of 435,000 and binked a card that he was looking for—the —on the turn.

Holding the nut straight, Sammartino check-called all in for 1,320,000 and saw that he had Esfandiari's drawing to a chop. Suddenly Sammartino had over six million in chips and the necessary momentum to propel him to the brink of the final table. The hand also showed that Sammartino is capable of taking unpredictable lines with a wide range of hands.

"I change my play a lot," he said. "I change based on the table, the stack, the player. A lot of things help me decide how to play. I don't have one basic strategy, and that is good. I change all the time and play my opponents differently. I hope it makes it hard for people to know how to play against me."

What to Watch For

Given his stellar track record and a healthy stack, Sammartino is in excellent position to go the distance. The illness that plagued him at the beginning of the tournament is already a distant memory.

"This is completely different from other tournaments," he said of the Main Event. "It's the best tournament you can play."

Tags: Dario Sammartino WSOP Main Event

2019-07-13 00:02 UTC-7

Michael Niwinski Eliminated in 12th Place ($600,000)

[user139916]

Nível 36 : 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Main Feature Hand #95: Henry Lu raised to 1,800,000 from the button, Michael Niwsinski three-bet all in for 18,200,000 from the small blind and Lu tanked for a bit before he called, having Niwinski barely covered.

Lu:
Niwinski:

The flop came down , vaulting Lu to a massive lead with sevens full of tens.

The turn officially locked up the hand for Lu, rendering the river moot and ending Niwinski's 2019 Main Event in 12th place.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Henry Lu	38,400,000 19,800,000	19,800,000
Michael Niwinski	Eliminado

Tags: Henry Lu Michael Niwinski

2019-07-13 00:12 UTC-7

Milos Skrbic is at Home in the Main Event with One Goal

Nível 36 : 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Milos Skrbic recently broke out in the poker tournament scene, but he's far from a newcomer to the game. After playing high-stakes cash for five years, the 31-year-old poker pro from Serbia who now resides in San Diego got interested in trying his hand in the tournament variant, bursting onto the scene in 2018 racking up $1,450,295 in cashes, according to Hendon Mob.

Skrbic is in good company of illustrious players who studied for another career before switching their major to poker. Before he took up the game 10 years ago, Skrbic studied to be a veterinarian back in his home country of Serbia. After one year, he shifted gears and decided to study computer science in the U.S. but eventually went all in with poker.

His journey in the Main Event so far has been a smooth one as he has padded his stack, staying near the top of the counts in the days leading up to the final table. A quick look through the live reporting blog paints a story of Skrbic winning pot after pot, many with no showdown — a quiet and calculated assassin climbing the ranks.

"I've definitely had some good hands. I made some great value bets on rivers and I also made some good calls, so I'm playing pretty good. Everything is going very smooth."

"I'm very relaxed. I think that's my big advantage."

Skrbic has been in some big-equity tournament spots that have prepared him well for the moment he's found himself in, approaching the final table of poker's crown jewel. Last year, he finished 958th in the WSOP Main Event. Then, he took sixth place in the $10k Bellagio Cup, and followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the €10k WSOP Europe Rozvadov Main Event won by Jack Sinclair.

"Well I was supposed to win that tournament, I ran pretty bad. I had like 45 percent of the chips five-handed and ran pretty bad...In the spot where I was, I expect to win a lot of times."

While he got good experience in the Main Events, he feels he got even more out of the experience of finishing runner-up to Dylan Linde in the $10,000 WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic in late 2018 that earned him seven figures.

"That was my second big one, so I just got used to all these things, so I don't feel any pressure or anything [in this one]. I'm very relaxed. I think that's my big advantage. And I also feel like home in Vegas and I have a lot of friends here and I'm just completely natural so that's helping me a lot."

How He Got Here

Day	End-of-Day Chip Count	Rank
1a	72,200	493/962
2ab	368,900	85/1,087
3	624,000	274/1,286
4	2,466,000	54/354
5	10,715,000	7/106
6	31,450,000	4/35

Key Hands

On Day 7, Skrbic has been putting the pressure on his opponents, chipping up throughout the day with few showdowns. All day it seems he's been winning pots preflop with three-bets and four-bets, or taking it down with bets or raises on the flop and turn. He's also won some critical pots making river calls with the best hand.

The one that really got him rolling though he says, was a hand he played with start-of-day chip leader Nick Marchington. Skrbic opened from the hijack with blinds at 150k/300k with a 300k big blind ante and called when Marchington put in the three-bet from the small blind.

On the flop, Marchington led for 1.8 million and Skrbic raised to 4.55 million. He got a call and the hit the turn. After a check from Marchington, Skrbic moved in for around 25 million which prompted a fold, putting Skrbic up over 39 million.

"I picked up some more outs on the turn and went all in when I showed the eight of hearts, so that was like huge - that was like a breaking point for today."

He also mentioned a significant hand on Day 4 where he overbet shoved two-times pot on the river for value and got called by worse, holding king-jack versus king-ten. "That was kind of the moment when my tournament went in a good direction."

What to Watch For

While others may be feeling the pressure of the huge money jumps and the lights and cameras, Skrbic is perfectly comfortable, a fact he'll be looking to continue using to his advantage with the most important poker days of his life ahead of him. With many friends here in town, Skrbic will have plenty of support on his rail, but he doesn't want them to go out of their way until he's down to the final three.

"I told everyone to come only for three-handed, so we have celebration."

Asked if he feels he can get some redemption for his close calls by winning this one, Skrbic was emphatic: "That's the only thing that interests me. Yeah so, I need to win. I'll be very disappointed if I don't. Five Diamond was my 30th birthday so I was sad that I didn't win but it wasn't the end of the world. Winning this one is like my only goal that I have; it's the tournament that every poker player wants to win above everything."

So what would it mean to Skrbic to win the Main?

"Everything."

Tags: Milos Skrbic WSOP Main Event