Friday, July 8, 2016 1:16 AM Local Time
Doug Polk
The $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em event returned on Day 2 with 130 teams remaining from a starting field of 863. After 10 levels and change, only nine teams remain in the hunt to claim the first-place prize of $153,358, and WSOP gold bracelets in this unique tournament.
On top of the chip counts entering the final table is the team of Ryan Fee and bracelet-winner Doug Polk, with more than 28% of the chips in play after beginning the day 84th in chips. Fee played up until the dinner break and steadily chipped up, giving Polk a solid stack to play with after dinner. Polk stayed the course for a while, but in Level 19 he took off with a crucial double up, followed by four of the next five eliminations to bag the sizable chiplead.
Polk plans on playing in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop event tomorrow, so expect Fee to play most, if not all, of the final table.
While no other team is exactly hot on the chipleaders' heels, the rest of the final table is a highly-skilled bunch. Two-time bracelet-winner John Gale and TJ Shulman are second in chips, while Mohsin Charania and Marvin Rettenmaier command the third biggest stack and look to finally break through on the WSOP stage.
2016 WSOP double-bracelet winner Benny Glaser is still in the mix as well. Although, he didn't partake in the Day 2 action, leaving the heavy lifting to teammate Bart Lybaert, who recorded his 10th cash of the summer with this event.
Here is how the entire final table stacks up:
Seat 1: Bart Lybaert / Adam Owen / Benny Glaser / Owais Ahmed - 293,000 (29 bb)
Seat 2: Niel Mittelman / Adam Greenberg / Gabriel Paul - 425,000 (42 bb)
Seat 3: Marco Caruso / Mike Padula / Daniel Urban - 475,000 (47 bb)
Seat 4: Jonathan Little / Larry Little / Rita Little - 113,000 (11 bb)
Seat 5: Reuben Peters / Robert Altman - 209,000 (20 bb)
Seat 6: James Dempsey / Chris Godfrey - 447,000 (44 bb)
Seat 7: Doug Polk / Ryan Fee - 1,243,000 (124 bb)
Seat 8: John Gale / TJ Shulman - 606,000 (60 bb)
Seat 9: Mohsin Charania / Marvin Rettenmaier - 505,000 (50 bb)
The final table begins at noon on Friday, so be sure to follow along as we provide hand-for-hand coverage of all the action here at WSOP.com.
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:55 AM Local Time
With nine official finalists remaining, play is officially in the books for today. The finalists return Friday at noon, to play for a gold bracelet, and $153,358. A full recap will follow shortly.
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:51 AM Local Time
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:50 AM Local Time
Shortly after the players redraw for seats at the unofficial final table, Doug Polk raises to 23,000 from middle position. John Myung three-bet shoves from the small blind for 138,000.
"This would be a very liberal call," says Polk. "People might laugh."
After about 90 seconds total, Polk calls.
Myung:
Polk:
The board comes down , giving Polk a queen-high straight to eliminate Myung's team.
Polk / Fee - 1,243,000 (124 bb)
Myung / Chong - Eliminated in 10th Place ($8,340)
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:37 AM Local Time
Igor Yaroshevsky moves all in from the cutoff, for something like 110,000. James Dempsey ships too, from the button, for around 300,000. Both blinds give up.
Yaroshevsky:
Dempsey:
The board runs out , and Dempsey makes the stone cold nuts, eliminating Team Russia in 11th place.
Dempsey / Godfrey - 440,000 (44 bb)
Yaroshevsky / Bartagov - Eliminated in 11th place ($8,340)
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:35 AM Local Time
Doug Polk raises to 18,000 from under the gun, James Dempsey three-bets to 69,000 from the small blind, and Polk calls.
The flop is and Dempsey bets 58,000. Polk raises a covering amount, sending Dempsey (with 323,000 behind) into the tank for about four minutes before he folds.
Polk shows as he collects the pot.
Polk / Fee - 1,070,000 (107 bb)
Dempsey / Godfrey - 323,000 (32 bb)
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:29 AM Local Time
Level: 20
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 1,000
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:20 AM Local Time
The action is folded around to small blind Doug Polk, who limps in for 8,000. Eugene Todd checks his option.
On a flop of , Polk bets 8,000. Todd calls.
The turn is the , and Polk bets out 22,000. Todd announces a raise for a total of 82,000.
Polk takes his time, and then announces a reraise. He puts in enough to make Todd decide for his tournament life, around 200,000, and Todd calls.
Polk: , for a full house
Todd: , for three of a kind
Polk fades Todd's outs on the river of , and he scores three eliminations in a row.
Polk / Fee - 900,000 (112 bb)
Todd / Bolotin -
Eliminated in 12th place ($8,340)Friday, July 8, 2016 12:15 AM Local Time
Alec Smith moves all in from under the gun, for 36,000. Next to him, Senovio Ramirez ships too, he does that for 152,000. The action is folded to big blind Doug Polk, who has both covered, and he thinks for a while, and eventually calls.
Smith:
Ramirez:
Polk:
The flop of doesn't hit anyone, but Polk fills up to a full house on the turn , making both players drawing dead. The river is just for the books, and Polk eliminates both Team Smith and Team Charalumbus, catapulting to the chiplead.
Since Team Smith started the hand with less stack than Team Charalumbus, they finish 14th, while Team Charalumbus claims 13th place.
Polk / Fee - 675,000 (84 bb)
Smith / Smith - Eliminated in 14th place ($6,589)
Charalumbus / Ramirez / Pena / Zammoripa - Eliminated in 13th place ($6,589)
Friday, July 8, 2016 12:06 AM Local Time
Mohsin Charania opens to 20,000 from the cutoff, and Robert Altman shoves all in from the big blind, for 104,000. Charania calls.
Charania:
Altman:
The board runs out , and Altman doubles up to 219,000.
Peters / Altman - 219,000 (27 bb)
Charania / Rettenmaier - 500,000 (62 bb)
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:58 PM Local Time
Remi Bollengier opens to 16,000 from under the gun, Mike Padula three-bets to 50,000 from the hijack, and Alec Smith calls from the button. Bollengier four-bet shoves for 135,000, Padula five-bet shoves for 213,000, and Smith calls.
Bollengier:
Padula:
Smith:
The board comes down , safe for Padula to double through Smith and eliminate Bollengier's team.
Padula / Caruso / Urban - 580,000
Smith / Smith - 13,000
Halliez / Bollengier - Eliminated in 15th Place ($6,589)
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:50 PM Local Time
Dimitri Halliez raises to 17,000 from under the gun, Doug Polk calls from the button, and Senovio Ramirez calls from the big blind.
The flop is and Ramirez checks to Halliez who bets 32,000. Only Polk calls.
The turn is the and Halliez checks. Polk bets 62,000, Halliez check-raises to effectively 172,000 and Polk calls all in with for a seven-high straight. Halliez shows pocket jacks and is drawing dead. The river is a meaningless .
Polk / Fee - 471,000
Halliez / Bollengier - 136,000
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:42 PM Local Time
The action folds to small blind Jonathan Little, who raises enough to make Taylor Black, who's in the big blind, decide for his tournament life. Black has around 35,000 left, and he eventually calls.
Little:
Black:
The flop is , making the turn and river [j] inconsequential.
Little / Little / Little - 240,000 (30 bb)
Daoud / Black - Eliminated in 16th place ($5,289)
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:38 PM Local Time
Doug Polk opens to 18,000 in middle position, and Bart Lybaert, who has the button, moves all in for 117,000. The blinds get out of the way, but Polk calls.
Lybaert:
Polk:
Lybaert secures his double through a board of , leaving Polk with around 190,000 behind.
Owen / Ahmed / Glaser / Lybaert - 254,000 (31 bb)
Polk / Fee - 190,000 (23 bb)
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:33 PM Local Time
Table 440
Seat 1: --empty--
Seat 2: Eugene Todd / Alex Bolotin - 257,000 (32 bb)
Seat 3: Moshin Charania / Marvin Rettenmaier - 624,000 (78 bb)
Seat 4: Jonathan Little / Larry Little / Rita Little - 79,000 (10 bb)
Seat 5: Taylor Black / Steven Daoud - 150,000 (19 bb)
Seat 6: Niel Mittelman / Adam Greenberg / Gabriel Paul - 264,000 (23 bb)
Seat 7: Reuben Peters / Robert Altman - 129,000 (16 bb)
Seat 8: John Gale / TJ Shulman - 419,000 (52 bb)
Seat 9: John Myung / Evelyn Chong - 328,000 (41 bb)
Table 450
Seat 1: Marco Caruso / Mike Padula / Daniel Urban - 232,000 (29 bb)
Seat 2: Doug Polk / Ryan Fee - 244,000 (30 bb)
Seat 3: Ed Smith / Alec Smith - 265,000 (33 bb)
Seat 4: Peter Charalambus / Senovio Ramirez / Jorge Luis Pena / Leo Samuel Zammoripa - 168,000 (21 bb)
Seat 5: Bart Lybaert / Adam Owen / Benny Glaser / Owais Ahmed - 123,000 (15 bb)
Seat 6: Dimitri Halliez / Remi Bollengier - 446,000 (56 bb)
Seat 7: Igor Yaroshevsky / Petr Bartagov - 130,000 (16 bb)
Seat 8: --empty--
Seat 9: James Dempsey / Chris Godfrey - 470,000 (59 bb)
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:21 PM Local Time
Level: 19
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 1,000
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:13 PM Local Time
The players are in the midst of a 15-minute break.
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:13 PM Local Time
Jan-Eric Schwippert raises all in for 33,000 from early position and James Dempsey calls from the next seat over with , leading Schwippert's .
The flop is , giving Schwippert flush and straight draws.
The turn and river complete the board, no help to Schwippert, locking up the pot for Dempsey.
Dempsey / Godfrey - 482,000
Schwippert / Wuenschel - Eliminated in 17th Place ($5,289)
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:10 PM Local Time
Jan-Eric Schwippert raises to 14,000 from the cutoff and Mike Padula three-bet shoves for 112,000 from the small blind. Schwippert mulls it over for a bit before he calls.
Schwippert:
Padula:
The board comes down , safe for Padula to score the double.
Padula / Urban / Caruso - 234,000
Schwippert / Wuenschel - 35,000
Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:01 PM Local Time
Dimitri Halliez opens from the cutoff, and Naoya Kihara defends his big blind. On a flop of , Kihara check-raises all in, and he is quickly called by Halliez.
Kihara:
Halliez:
The turn and river are no help for Kihara, who is eliminated.
Halliez / Bollengier - 325,000 (54 bb)
Murakami / Kihara / Sakurada - Eliminated in 18th place ($5,289)