Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship Dia 7 | 2017 World Series of Poker

2017-07-17 21:58 UTC-7

Karen Sarkisyan Eliminated in 14th Place ($450,000)

[user139916]

Nível 35 : 250,000/500,000, 75,000 ante

Secondary Table Hand #155: Karen Sarkisyan raised all in for 6,350,000 from the small blind and Jack Sinclair called from the big blind.

Sarkisyan:
Sinclair:

The flop came down , giving Sarkisyan the lead with a pair of queens. The fell on the turn, giving Sinclair a flush draw, and the river was the to give Sinclair a winning flush.

Sarkisyan was eliminated in 14th Place for $450,000.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Jack Sinclair	58,150,000 6,800,000	6,800,000

Karen Sarkisyan	Eliminado

Tags: Jack Sinclair Karen Sarkisyan

2017-07-17 19:20 UTC-7

Valentin Messina Eliminated in 15th Place ($450,000)

Nível 35 : 250,000/500,000, 75,000 ante

Feature Table Hand #114: Ben Lamb raised to 1,100,000 from middle position, and Valentin Messina moved all in for 3,200,000 from the big blind. Lamb quickly called.

Messina was at risk and well behind with , up against Lamb's .

The flop came and Lamb remained ahead, but Messina picked up some outs to make a straight. The turn was the and the river was the , providing no help to Messina.

Messina was eliminated in 15th place, taking home $450,000 for his deep run.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Ben Lamb	27,725,000 3,200,000	3,200,000

Valentin Messina	Eliminado

Tags: Ben Lamb Valentin Messina

2017-07-17 19:08 UTC-7

Player Spotlight: Benjamin Pollak

Nível 35 : 250,000/500,000, 75,000 ante

Benjamin Pollak’s previous best finish in the WSOP Main Event was 27th place in 2013 for $285,488. Pollak is a French tournament pro who will exceed $3 million in lifetime tournament earnings and possibly much, much more by the time this event comes to a conclusion on Saturday.

Pollak started today with about 8 million in chips, and within the first few levels, he worked his stack up to his current count of 32 million. He had a similar run on Day 5 when he started with 240,000 and 12 big blinds. Within the first two hours, he ran it up to 4 million.

“I came into Day 5 with 12 big blinds and built it to 4 million in two hours. It was the biggest rush I’ve had in the last 10 years. I got a lot of value hands and got paid most of the time.”

Pollak managed to knock out the Day 6 chip leader, Christian Pham, shortly before the second break of the day.

“It was a crazy hand. We played a lot together yesterday, and I knew he could call with a lot of hands. So I shoved. He was very loose; he called me with ace-three of hearts. So he only had seven outs against me for a huge pot.”

With 15 players left, Pollak’s spot at the final table is not guaranteed, and he acknowledged how uncertain the future can be in a poker tournament. He is now one of three French players remaining in the final 15. He went to the same engineering school as his recently eliminated countryman, Alexandre Reard.

Pollak worked for about three months as an engineer before deciding he would give poker a try. He gave himself a year and a half to succeed in poker, and so far, the rest is history. Depending on how the next few days go, Pollak could be in store for something even more historic — becoming the first French WSOP Main Event Champion.

Tags: Benjamin Pollak

2017-07-17 18:45 UTC-7

John Hesp’s Legend Grows

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Nível 35 : 250,000/500,000, 75,000 ante

The legend of John Hesp continues to grow: the gentlemanly British accent, the crazy attire, the fearlessness against some of poker’s best, the amateur turning into a poker buzzsaw. Hesp has become the talk of the series and plenty in the poker world have taken note.

At a time when many are hoping to bring the fun back to poker, Hesp certainly fits the bill. The 64-year-old has earned fans around the world with social media abuzz about his massive run. The love has come pouring in for him on Twitter:

Liv Boree: “Utterly in love with John Hesp.”

Max Silver: “Best of luck to John Hesp in the main! Playing some sweet, sweet poker.”

Poker fan Zachary Hagenbush believes Hesp’s run is some kind of karmic magic: “I'm convinced John Hesp's presence is the universe trying to make up for Will Kassouf last year.”

For his part, Hesp is taking his newfound fame in stride. Text messages have been blowing up his phone from people he doesn’t even know as his everyman, nice-guy story resonates with fans.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s indescribable,” he says. “I tried to get some sleep last night and my phone’s going ping-ping-ping as get messages coming from all over the world – China, Russia, South America. I’m thinking, ‘Who are these people wanting to get connected with me from all over the world.’ Something’s happened .. it just looks as though I’ve become an international poker celebrity in the span of 48 hours. How did that happen? I’m just a simple guy that’s come to achieve my wish on my bucket list and I’m here.”

Earlier in the day, Hesp’s stack dipped a bit, but he has bounced back some in the afternoon.

“My directional antenna went askew,” he says. “I overplayed jacks quite badly … and I lost a lot of chips.”

Throughout the tournament, Hesp has often shown his hands when raking a pot. Does he plan to continue the practice?

“I don’t know,” he said. “It depends on how I feel. But really I’ve just got to keep calm, stay with it, and hopefully make the final table. That would be a dream come true.”

A friend joined him in Vegas for the trip and to play in the WSOP, but busted on Day 3. On his own, Hesp’s rail has grown since his story was broken by PokerNews – including the Uber driver he’s used since Day 1. A family man, Hesp’s wife is on standby if that indeed happens.

“She’s ready to push the button on a flight if I make the final nine,” he said. “Otherwise, I said don’t bother. If I get busted out today there’s no point.”

Tags: John Hesp

2017-07-17 18:20 UTC-7

Alexandre Reard Eliminated in 16th Place ($340,000)

Nível 34 : 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante

Feature Table Hand #96: Alexandre Reard raised all in for 5,450,000 from under the gun and Ben Lamb reraised to 8,100,000 from the small blind. Scott Stewart folded his big blind and the two remaining players tabled their cards.

Lamb:
Reard:

Lamb was in a commanding position to eliminate Reard. The board ran out and Reard was not able to catch a queen to stay alive. He was eliminated in 16th place and Lamb chipped up to over 24,000,000

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Ben Lamb	24,025,000 4,525,000	4,525,000

Alexandre Reard	Eliminado

Tags: Alexandre Reard Ben Lamb Scott Stewart

2017-07-17 17:40 UTC-7

Michael Krasienko Eliminated in 17th Place ($340,000)

zedmaster84

Nível 34 : 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante

Secondary Table Hand #109: Jack Sinclair made it 1,000,000 to go from under the gun and Michael Krasienko three-bet to 3,100,000 in the hijack. Sinclair four-bet to 7,000,000 and picked up a call by Krasienko to create a pot of 15,000,000.

On the flop, Sinclair continued for 5,000,000 and Krasienko moved all in for 22,475,000 in total. Sinclair called to create the biggest pot of the tournament so far.

Krasienko:
Sinclair:

Krasienko's rail was shouting for a queen, but their favorite was drawing dead as soon as the appeared on the turn, making the river a mere formality. Pot-limit Omaha specialist Krasienko receives $340,000 for his 17th-place finish, while Sinclair took over the lead with 16 players remaining.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Jack Sinclair	68,150,000 28,925,000	28,925,000

Michael Krasienko	Eliminado

Tags: Jack Sinclair Michael Krasienko

2017-07-17 17:32 UTC-7

Richard Gryko Eliminated in 18th Place ($340,000)

[user217945]

Nível 34 : 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante

Secondary Table Hand #106: Antoine Saout opened with a raise to 1,025,000 from under the gun. Action folded around to Richard Gryko who jammed all in from the hijack seat for 7,825,000. Action folded back to Saout who thought for a bit before he plopped in a stack to call.

Saout:
Gryko:

The flop came down , which was no help to Gryko. The was no help either. He needed to catch a king or a queen to catch up, but neither came as the river was the , giving Saout a winning set of tens. For his 18th-place finish, Gryko will take home $340,000.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Antoine Saout	25,920,000 8,270,000	8,270,000
Richard Gryko	Eliminado

Tags: Antoine Saout Richard Gryko

2017-07-17 17:17 UTC-7

Ben Lamb: Main Event Regular

[user153906]

Nível 34 : 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante

For Ben Lamb, cashing and running deep in the Main Event is not something new. The 2011 WSOP Player of the Year has secured his fourth cash in the event and hoping this one is the on that brings the bracelet.

Lamb got his feet wet In 2007, Lamb finishing 156th in a field of 6,358 for $58,570. In 2009, he added another breakthrough, finishing 14th for $633,022. The pinnacle of his Main Event finishes came in 2011, when he finished third for $4,021,138. Now among the chip leaders on Day 7, he’s looking for a second shot at the final table.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” he says. “It’s always fun being deep in this tournament. It’s the most pressure, stressful, and emotional form of poker I’ve ever played. Things are going well for me.”

While he now lives in Las Vegas and plays professionally, Lamb grew up playing in the thriving Oklahoma poker scene. A native of Tulsa, the 32-year-old attended Jenks High School and says academics always came easy and didn’t have to study until college.

Although he played billiards and golf with friends while in high school, the poker boom was also well under way. Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 rags-to-riches WSOP win helped spark his interest in the game, and he and his friends in high school joined in on the action. His card-playing continued during his one semester at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

As his winnings increased, his interest in continuing college waned and he ditched his school books for the life of a poker rounder.
“I was making decent money while in college and decided to take a year off and give myself a shot at poker,” he says. “I’ve never looked back.”

Lamb is not the first poker shark from Tulsa. Bobby Baldwin became Main Event champion in 1978 and won four WSOP bracelets before becoming a successful casino industry executive. Lamb is hoping he can move that Tulsa total to two.

Tags: Ben Lamb

2017-07-17 17:00 UTC-7

Secondary Table Hands #90-92: Hesp's Jacks Are No Good, Piccioli Doubles

[user217945]

Nível 34 : 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante

Hand #90: Michael Krasienko opened to 1,000,000 on the button and action folded John Hesp in the big blind who reraised, making it 2,000,000. Michael Krasienko four-bet, making it 4,500,000, and Hesp called, bringing the two men to a flop.

Both players checked the flop to see the on the turn. Hesp led out for 3 million and was called.

On the river, Hesp bet 4 million and Krasienko called.

"I guess you got me," Hesp said, showing .

He was right. Krasienko showed and that was good for him to take down the big pot.

Hand #91: Jack Sinclair raised to 1 million from under the gun and he was called by Bryan Piccioli from the cutoff seat. Everyone else folded and the two headed to a flop.

The flop came and Sinclair bet 800,000. Piccioli called. On the turn, Sinclair led out again, this time betting 2,200,000. Piccioli called again.

On the river Sinclair moved all in. Piccioli snap-called. Sinclair showed for just queen high. Piccioli jumped from his chair and clapped, revealing for a rivered flush and earning him a double.

Hand #92: Action folded to the small blind where Karen Sarkisyan limped in and Sinclair checked his option. They checked to a turn of where Sarkisyan bet 600,000 and Sinclair called.

The river was the and both players checked. Sarkisyan showed while Sinclair held and his two pair was good to take down the pot.

Jogador	Fichas	Oscilação
Jack Sinclair	33,620,000 -8,630,000	-8,630,000

Michael Krasienko	32,670,000 11,100,000	11,100,000
John Hesp	29,870,000 -12,130,000	-12,130,000
Bryan Piccioli	22,100,000 9,980,000	9,980,000

Tags: Bryan Piccioli Jack Sinclair John Hesp Karen Sarkisyan Michael Krasienko

2017-07-17 16:45 UTC-7

Valentin Messina's Zen Journey; Online to the Main Event

[user153906]

Nível 34 : 200,000/400,000, 50,000 ante

Valentin Messina is an online poker professional and poker coach from France who has had plenty of success crossing over into live tournament poker. A household name on the French poker scene, Messina is making waves in the North American poker world for the first time here in the Main Event.

Messina’s first recorded tournament result listed is a first-place finish in the €1,000 France Poker Tour Season 5 Grand Final for $189,146. By far the greatest live cash of Messina’s career came in March of 2015 when he took second in the €5,300 EPT Malta for a payday of $665,268. That finish brought Messina’s live earnings over $1,000,000 and sent him up the rankings on France’s all-time money list. He is currently 43rd on that list. Messina will have to get through some fellow French pros on that list to win the Main Event. Antoine Saout, Benjamin Pollak, and Alexandre Reard are all still in the field with only 18 players remaining.

Messina has played the Main Event seven times, but this will be his first time cashing in it. While he has played other bracelet events in years passed, this year Messina came with one focus: to play (and win) the Main Event. The fact that he qualified for the tournament in a $750 online qualifier made it that much easier. Before this run, he had nine WSOP cashes beginning in 2013 for a total of $74,848. With $340,000 already locked up in the Main Event, Messina will be adding significantly to his WSOP earnings with this run.

We got a chance to talk to Messina’s longtime girlfriend Johanna Bremont on the rail. What has the experience been like for them, as Messina goes deeper in the tournament?

“For us, it’s incredible. I have a lot of stress. He is okay. He’s zen and cool, but me, very very stressed for him, for us.”

Bremont said that Messina has remained relaxed throughout the Main Event, relying on his ten years of experience playing live, and they are both enjoying the experience very much.

“He wants to win. He wants the final table, so he fights for this.” She added, “He will be very disappointed if he makes mistakes, so he’s very focused.”

His journey through this Main Event has appeared quite smooth leading up to Day 7 as he managed to finish in the top ten percent of the field in four of the first six days of the tournament. He played Day 1b and finished with 159,900, good for 157th overall of the 5,519 that advanced. He more than doubled his stack on Day 2ab, finishing 92nd out of 2,572. He nearly doubled his stack again on Day 3 to 679,000, good for 125th of 1,084.

Messina’s Day 4 was a big one as he multiplied his stack by more than four, going from 679,000 to 2,979,000. He finished that day tenth in chips out of 297. He added around 2 million more chips to his stack on Day 5 to finish 30th out of 85, and he had a well-above average Day 6 when he went from around five million to more than 28 million chips by the end of the day, putting him second behind Christian Pham in the counts coming into Day 7.

Plans for the winnings? While they’re not counting the money yet with so much more play left, Messina and Bremont have hopes of buying a house, perhaps in Mexico, and investing in real estate around the world with some of the winnings.

“For the moment, we live in Malta, but we want to move, so maybe it’s the moment.”

Tags: Valentin Messina