2022 World Series of Poker

Four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Adam Friedman will lead the final eight players into Sunday’s final table of Event #22: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, and he’ll be doing it with a wide margin.

Friedman finished the day with a massive stack of 2,385,000 chips, which is over a million more than his closest competitor, Jean Gaspard, who was the only other player to finish with over a million (1,231,000).

Yuval Bronshtein finished the day with the third-biggest stack of 837,000, but after that, it’s a battle of survival with no one over 400,000.

However, those in that range still have plenty of talent and ability to run up a short stack, notably, ten-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey, who had to do just that a couple of times to make it to the final table.

Also in the mix is Ben Diebold (375,000), who succeeded three-time champion Friedman in the $10,000 Dealer’s Choice Championship.

Final Table Chip Counts

The Day’s Action

Sunday’s final tablists will be shooting for the top prize of $248,254 and the prestigious WSOP bracelet, but the money bubble was burst shortly after dinner by Brandon Cantu’s elimination, with the day’s in-the-money eliminations receiving at least $16,170.

They included David Prager (15th - $16,170), Brian Lieberman (14th - $16,170), John Monnette (13th - $17,686), Randy Ohel ($12th – 17,686), Cary Katz (11th - $20,213), Thomas Taylor (10th - $20,213), and Kevin Gerhart (9th - $23,536), who fell just before the end of the night.

With late entries, a total of 96 runners ended up taking part in the event with such notables as Day 1 chipleader Bertrand Grospellier, Todd Brunson, Dario Sammartino, and Poker Hall of Famer Jack McClelland among those missing out on the money.

The players will now head to the Bally’s Event Center on Sunday to complete their quest for Seven Card Stud glory. Play will resume at 2 p.m. local time with level 18, with all levels 90-minutes in length until a champion is crowned in the shadow of the mothership.

PokerNews will be there to bring you all the action, so keep it right here for everything you need to know from the 53rd World Series of Poker from its new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas.

Play has ended for the day with just 8 players remaining and Adam Friedman holding a commanding chip lead.

The players will come back at 2 p.m. to the Bally's Event Center to play for the bracelet and the $248,254 top prize.

Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.

Kevin Gerhart: /
Ben Diebold: /
Jean Gaspard: / folded seventh street

Kevin Gerhart was all in on third street. Ben Diebold and Jean Gaspard checked until sixth street where Diebold bet and Gaspard called. Gerhart bet again on seventh which folded out Gaspard.

Gerhart said he had not looked at his down cards yet during the hand but got bad news as Diebold tabled for trip fives which bested Gerhart's two pair and he was eliminated to bring the field to the official final table of eight players.

Yuval Bronshtein: /
Phil Ivey: /
Ben Diebold: / - folded seventh street

After Phil Ivey completed and Ben Diebold called, Yuval Bronshtein defended his bring-in on third street.

Ivey then checked fourth street and called a bet from Diebold, as did Bronshtein.

The action was checked through on fifth street, but on sixth it was Ivey betting, and receiving calls from both his opponents.

On seventh street, Ivey bet again and Diebold called, but then Bronshtein raised.

Ivey called, but Diebold tossed his hand into the muck.

Bronshtein showed a wheel for the winner and Ivey tossed his cards away.

While he's not as short as he recently was, Ivey still lost a significant part of his stack in this hand.

Adam Friedman: / folded fifth street
Yuval Bronshtein: / folded fifth street
Marco Johnson: / folded fifth street
Phil Ivey: /
Yueqi Zhu: /

On fifth street, Phil Ivey bet enough to go all in which folded out three players while Yueqi Zhu called. Ivey ended up with the best hand as the cards were passed out and turned over quickly as he gathered a key pot.

Phil Ivey: /
Yueqi Zhu: /

The next hand, Ivey took more from Zhu after he bet on sixth and seventh street and had the winner with trip eights, while Zhu flashed a king, to boost him even further up and knock Zhu down.

Jean Gaspard: /
Phil Ivey: /

In a three-way limped pot on fourth street, Jean Gaspard bet showing king-jack high and was called by Phil Ivey. Yuval Bronshtein, who was originally the bring-in, folded.

Gaspard then bet fifth, sixth and seventh street, with Ivey calling down, including on seventh after some thought, leaving himself with just 18,000 chips.

Gaspard showed a jack-high straight and Ivey mucked his cards.

After one impressive comeback earlier in the night, Ivey will need an even bigger one if he's to survive to Day 3.

Adam Friedman: /
Kevin Gerhart: /
Jean Gaspard: / folded seventh street street

On seventh street, Adam Friedman bet and was called by Kevin Gerhart while Jean Gaspard folded. Friedman tabled the winner with trip kings and Gerhart mucked in disgust as the table joked about Friedman's inability to lose a hand at the moment.

Adam Friedman: /
Ben Diebold: /

The next hand, Friedman was at it again as action was picked up on fifth street as Friedman bet and Ben Diebold called.

Friedman bet again on sixth and seventh and was called both times by Diebold. Friedman tabled the for queens up, which bested Diebold who threw his hands up in dismay as Friedman took down another pot and the lighthearted atmosphere dissipated a bit as the table started to get wary of just how large Friedman's stack was getting.

Adam Friedman: /
Kevin Gerhart: /
Yuval Bronshtein: / - folded fifth street
James Paluszek: / - folded fourth street

After James Paluszek folded on fourth street and Yuval Bronshtein folded on fifth following bets from Adam Friedman, the chip leader was left heads-up with Kevin Gerhart who continued through the big bet rounds, check-calling on fifth, then calling on sixth when Friedman made an open pair of fives.

On seventh, Friedman bet dark, and Gerhart went briefly into the tank before deciding on a call.

Friedman showed another five in the hole for winning trip fives to extending his chip stack over the two million mark.