Monday, July 17, 2017 9:44 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #126-130: Stewart Gets Some Liquid Refreshment
Hand #126: Action folded around to small blind Scott Stewart, fresh off of losing that big pot, and he thought briefly before releasing his hand, giving Dan Ott a walk in the big blind. After folding his hand, Stewart went over to his rail, grabbed a beer, and chugged it, much to the delight of his friends.
Hand #127: Scott Blumstein raised to 1,100,000 in the hijack, and Richard Dubini called in the big blind. The flop came down , and Dubini checked over to Blumstein, who did the same. The hit the turn, and Dubini checked again. Blumstein checked again, as well, and the hit the river. Dubini checked for a third time, and Blumstein fired 1,100,000. Dubini folded, and Blumstein scooped the pot.
Hand #128: Dan Ott raised it up to 1,100,000 on the button, and Dubini folded his small blind. Ruane tanked for a while in the big blind before reraising to 3,600,000. Ott immediately folded, and Ruane took in the pot.
Hand #129: Scott Stewart moved all in for his final 7,150,000, and everyone else quickly got out of the way.
Hand #130: Action folded all the around to Damian Salas in the small blind, and he thought for a bit before electing to give Blumstein a walk.
Scott Blumstein | 38,500,000 | 2,350,000 |
Damian Salas | 27,525,000 | -1,050,000 |
Ben Lamb | 25,925,000 | -300,000 |
Dan Ott | 22,300,000 | -950,000 |
Richard Dubini | 17,400,000 | -1,725,000 |
Michael Ruane | 15,625,000 | 1,325,000 |
Scott Stewart | 8,275,000 | 975,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 9:34 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #121-125: Ruane Doubles Through Stewart
Hand #121: Damian Salas raised to 1,100,000 from under the gun and Scott Stewart called from the cutoff. Dan Ott was on the button and three-bet to 3,100,000. The blinds folded and so did both Salas and Stewart.
Hand #122: Michael Ruane raised to 1,750,000 from the small blind and Salas defended his big blind. The flop came and Ruane bet 1,800,000. Salas called. The turn was the . Ruane checked and Salas checked behind. The river was the and after tanking for two minutes, Ruane checked again. Salas bet 2,500,000 and Ruane folded.
Hand #123: Action folded around to Salas in the small blind and he decided to call. Scott Blumstein was in the big blind and raised to 1,700,000. Salas folded.
Hand #124: Action folded to Salas on the button and he limped in. Blumstein called from the small blind and Ben Lamb checked his option in the big blind. The flop came . All three players checked to the on the turn. Blumstein led out for 1,000,000 and both Lamb and Salas mucked.
Hand #125: Ruane moved all in for 6,800,000 from the hijack and Stewart quickly called from the big blind.
Ruane was at risk and behind with , up against Stewart's .
The flop came and Ruane took the lead with a pair of tens.
The turn was the and Ruane made two pair, also giving Stewart a gut-shot straight draw.
The river was the and Ruane's hopes of making the Main Event final table in back-to-back years remains alive.
Scott Blumstein | 36,150,000 | 2,100,000 |
Damian Salas | 28,575,000 | 1,525,000 |
Ben Lamb | 26,225,000 | -1,200,000 |
Dan Ott | 23,250,000 | 3,100,000 |
Richard Dubini | 19,125,000 | -625,000 |
Michael Ruane | 14,300,000 | 3,075,000 |
Scott Stewart | 7,300,000 | -8,600,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 9:33 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Hands #147-151: Two Three-Bets For Saout, Piccioli Three-Bet Shoves
Hand #147: Antoine Sout raised to 1,200,000 from the button. John Hesp three-bet to 3,000,000 from the small blind, and Sarkisyan folded his big blind. Saout called the remainder.
The flop was , and Hesp bet 4,000,000. Saout called, and the turn was the . Hesp bet 4,000,000 once again, and this time, Saout tanked for about two minutes before releasing his hand. Hesp's rail let out a loud cheer as their man raked in the pot.
Hand #148: From under the gun, Pedro Oliveria raised to 1,300,000. Jack Sinclair called from the big blind.
The flop was , and Sinclair checked over to Oliveira, who bet 1,400,000. Sinclair check-raised, making it 4,000,000 to go. Oliveira dropped into the tank. He thought for a couple of minutes, then folded, and Sinclair took down the pot.
Hand #149: Benjamin Pollak opened from under the gun to 1,200,000. Antoine Saout three-bet to 3,300,000 from the cutoff. Pollak folded, and Saout took down the pot.
Hand #150: Bryan Piccioli raised, making it 1,200,000 as the first player to act. Saout put in another three-bet, this time making it 3,300,000 to play. Action folded back to Piccioli, who folded, and that earned Saout the pot.
Hand #151: John Hesp opened up with a raise to 1,500,000. Bryan Piccioli thought for a bit before moving all in for 8,925,000, Hesp eventually folded, and that earned Piccioli the pot.
Jack Sinclair | 67,450,000 | 2,850,000 |
John Hesp | 45,850,000 | 6,150,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 28,100,000 | -2,325,000 |
Pedro Oliveira | 24,075,000 | -3,825,000 |
Antoine Saout | 20,500,000 | -2,425,000 |
Bryan Piccioli | 11,200,000 | 700,000 |
Karen Sarkisyan | 7,850,000 | -1,125,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 9:13 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #116-120: Salas & Dubini Win with Four-Bets
Hand #116: Ben Lamb raised to 1,100,000 from under the gun and the action was folded all the way around, sending Lamb the first pot after the dinner break.
Hand #117: Richard Dubini raised to 1,050,000 from the hijack and couldn't get any action as he picked up the blinds and antes.
Hand #118: Dubini opened to 1,050,000 again from middle position and Lamb three-bet to 3,175,000 from the small blind. Scott Stewart let his hand go in the big blind and Dubini did the same after thinking for a couple moments.
Hand #119: Damian Salas raised to 1,025,000 from the hijack and Lamb put in a three-bet to 2,700,000 on the button. The blinds folded and Salas made a large four-bet to 7,800,000. Lamb laid his hand down and Salas picked up a pot.
Hand #120: Stewart raised to 1,000,000 on the button and Dan Ott re-raised to 2,900,000 from the small blind. Dubini was in the big blind and four-bet to 8,000,000, getting Stewart to quickly muck his cards. The action was back on Ott and he also folded, sending the pot to Dubini.
Scott Blumstein | 34,050,000 | -1,125,000 |
Ben Lamb | 27,425,000 | -225,000 |
Damian Salas | 27,050,000 | 3,350,000 |
Dan Ott | 20,150,000 | -3,775,000 |
Richard Dubini | 19,750,000 | 4,275,000 |
Scott Stewart | 15,900,000 | -2,125,000 |
Michael Ruane | 11,225,000 | -375,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 9:12 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Hands #142-146: Two For Sinclair
Hand #142: Jack Sinclair raised to 1,500,000 from the small blind, Pedro Oliveira defended his big blind, and the flop came down . Sinclair made a continuation bet, Oliveira folded, and Sinclair won the pot.
Hand #143: John Hesp raised to 1,500,000 from middle position and received no action.
Hand #144: Sinclair raised to 1,200,000 from the cutoff and took down the pot.
Hand #145: Oliveira raised to 1,300,000 from the cutoff and collected the blinds and antes.
Hand #146: Oliveira raised to 1,300,000 from the hijack, and the rest of the table folded.
Jack Sinclair | 64,600,000 | 2,925,000 |
John Hesp | 39,700,000 | 400,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 30,425,000 | -1,125,000 |
Pedro Oliveira | 27,900,000 | 426,000 |
Antoine Saout | 22,925,000 | -1,125,000 |
Bryan Piccioli | 10,500,000 | -1,120,000 |
Karen Sarkisyan | 8,975,000 | -375,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 9:05 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Hands #139-141: Piccioli and Hesp Trade Pots
Hand #139: Bryan Piccioli raised to 1,200,000 from the button, and John Hesp called in the big blind. The flop fell , and both players checked. After the turn, Hesp bet 1,500,000, and Piccioli raised to 4,200,000. Hesp gave it some consideration and folded to let Piccioli claim the first pot after the dinner break on the secondary table.
Hand #140: Antoine Saout raised to 1,200,000 from the button, and Karen Sarkisyan defended his big blind. The flop came , and Sarkisyan checked. Saout continued for 1,075,000, and Sarkisyan's check-raise to 4,300,000 won the pot.
Hand #141: Piccioli raised to 1,200,000 from the hijack, and Hesp called from the button. After the flop, Piccioli continued for 1,650,000, and Hesp raised to 3,500,000. That was good enough to claim the pot, and Hesp recovered his previous losses.
Jack Sinclair | 61,675,000 | -725,000 |
John Hesp | 39,300,000 | 950,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 31,550,000 | -225,000 |
Pedro Oliveira | 27,474,000 | -226,000 |
Antoine Saout | 24,050,000 | -2,750,000 |
Bryan Piccioli | 11,620,000 | 395,000 |
Karen Sarkisyan | 9,350,000 | 2,575,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 8:52 PM Local Time
Play Resumes
The cards are back in the air. There is one hour left in the level.
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:32 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Chip Counts at Dinner Break
Play resumes at 8:50 p.m.
Jack Sinclair | 62,400,000 | -1,000,000 |
John Hesp | 38,350,000 | 0 |
Benjamin Pollak | 31,775,000 | 0 |
Pedro Oliveira | 27,700,000 | 0 |
Antoine Saout | 26,800,000 | 1,000,000 |
Bryan Piccioli | 11,225,000 | 0 |
Karen Sarkisyan | 6,775,000 | 0 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:26 PM Local Time
Feature Table Counts on the Dinner Break
The remaining players in the Main Event are on a 90-minute dinner break. Here is a look at how the players on the Feature Table stack up:
Scott Blumstein | 35,175,000 | 0 |
Ben Lamb | 27,650,000 | -75,000 |
Dan Ott | 23,925,000 | -75,000 |
Damian Salas | 23,700,000 | -1,700,000 |
Scott Stewart | 18,025,000 | 0 |
Richard Dubini | 15,475,000 | -75,000 |
Michael Ruane | 11,600,000 | -75,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:25 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Hands #136-138: Sinclair Bets on a Four-Flush Board
Hand #136: Damian Salas raised to 1,050,000 from under the gun, and Benjamin Pollak called from the big blind. The flop was , and Pollak checked. Salas checked behind. They checked again on the turn to see the on the river. There, Pollak bet 1,400,000, and Salas folded.
Hand #137: Jack Sinclair opened with a raise to 1,200,000 from the cutoff. Bryan Piccioli called from the big blind.
The flop came down . Piccioli checked to Sinclair, who bet 1,400,000. Piccioli called. The turn was the , and Piccioli checked to Sinclair, who checked behind. The river was the , and Piccioli checked again. Sinclair bet 4,500,000. Piccioli folded, and Sinclair took down the pot.
Hand #138: Pedro Oliveira raised to 1,250,000 from the cutoff. Benjamin Pollak three-bet to 3,150,000 from the button. Oliveira folded, allowing Pollak to take the pot.
Jack Sinclair | 63,400,000 | 3,150,000 |
John Hesp | 38,350,000 | -225,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 31,775,000 | 3,950,000 |
Pedro Oliveira | 27,700,000 | -1,725,000 |
Antoine Saout | 25,800,000 | -725,000 |
Bryan Piccioli | 11,225,000 | -3,075,000 |
Karen Sarkisyan | 6,775,000 | -225,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:24 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #115: Stewart Doubles Through Blumstein
Hand #115: Damian Salas was just moved to the table, and he was the single big blind. Scott Blumstein raised to 1,100,000 from under the gun, and two seats over, Scott Stewart moved all in for his final 8,575,000. Blumstein asked for a count, then called.
Stewart:
Blumstein:
The flop came down , keeping Stewart out in front. The came on the river, meaning only the nine of hearts would work for Blumstein now. The river brought the , and Stewart doubled up on the last hand before dinner.
Scott Blumstein | 35,175,000 | -8,575,000 |
Scott Stewart | 18,025,000 | 9,450,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:20 PM Local Time
Valentin Messina Eliminated in 15th Place ($450,000)
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.
Ben Lamb | 27,725,000 | 3,200,000 |
Valentin Messina | 0 | -3,800,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:17 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #111-113: Ott Check-Raises Dubini
Hand #111: Ben Lamb raised to 1,100,000 on the button, and Dan Ott defended his big blind. The flop came , and Ott checked. Lamb bet 1,100,000, and Ott called. The turn was the , and both players checked to the on the river. Ott bet 2,500,000, and Lamb mucked.
Hand #112: Action folded around to Ott in the small blind, and he completed. Richard Dubini was in the big blind and raised to 1,500,000. Ott called. The flop came , and Ott checked, as did Dubini. The turn was the . Ott checked again, and Dubini bet 1,600,000 this time. Ott paused for a moment and check-raised to 5,900,000. Dubini mucked.
Hand #113: Ben Lamb raised to 1,100,000 from under the gun, and Michael Ruane called from the big blind. The flop came . Ruane checked, and Lamb bet 850,000. Ruane mucked.
Scott Blumstein | 43,750,000 | 1,575,000 |
Ben Lamb | 24,525,000 | -1,725,000 |
Dan Ott | 24,000,000 | 6,300,000 |
Richard Dubini | 15,550,000 | -3,650,000 |
Michael Ruane | 11,675,000 | -1,650,000 |
Scott Stewart | 8,575,000 | -550,000 |
Valentin Messina | 3,800,000 | 300,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:14 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Hands #130-135: Sinclair's Lead Gets Smaller
Hand#130: John Hesp raised to 1,200,000 from early position, Jack Sinclair called from the hijack, and the flop came down . Hesp check-called 1,000,000 from Sinclair, the turn was the , and both players checked. The river was the . Hesp bet 4,000,000 and Sinclair folded.
Hand #131: Damian Salas raised to 1,300,000 from the button and received no action.
Hand #132: Pedro Oliveira raised to 1,200,000 from middle position, Salas called from the cutoff, and they were heads up. The flop came down and Oliveira bet 1,550,000. Salas called and the fell on the turn. Both players checked, the river completed the board, and both checked again.
Salas tabled and it was good enough to win the pot.
Hand #133: Benjamin Pollak raised to 1,200,000 from middle position and won the blinds and antes.
Hand #134: Antoine Saout raised to 1,300,000 from the cutoff and Sinclair called from the big blind.
They checked to the turn of a board where Sinclair bet 1,500,000. Saout called, the river completed the board, and both players checked.
Saout showed for jacks and nines, Sinclair mucked, and Saout won the pot.
Hand #135: Sinclair raised to 1,500,000 from the small blind and Oliveira called in the big. The flop came down and Sinclair bet 1,200,000. Oliveira called, and the turn fell. Sinclair checked, Oliveira bet, and Sinclair folded.
Monday, July 17, 2017 7:08 PM Local Time
Player Spotlight: Benjamin Pollak
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.
Monday, July 17, 2017 6:58 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #106-110: Short Stacks Chipping Up
Hand #106: Ben Lamb raised to 1,100,000 from the hijack position and Michael Ruane called from the big blind. The flop came and Ruane checked it over to Lamb, who bet 725,000. Ruane decided to give up on the hand and Lamb took down the pot.
Hand #107: Dan Ott raised to 1,175,000 from the cutoff and Ruane shoved all-in for 7,825,000 from the small blind. Valentin Messina sent his cards to the muck from the big blind and Ott thought for a moment before doing the same.
Hand #108: Scott Stewart raised to 1,100,000 from early position and did not get any action, picking up the blinds and antes.
Hand #109: Stewart raised to 1,000,000 from under the gun and the action was folded around to Ben Lamb in the big blind. Lamb thought for a moment but also decided to fold his hand, sending the pot towards Stewart again.
Hand #110: Ott raised to 1,125,000 from under the gun and Richard Dubini called directly to his left. Ruane jammed all-in for 9,800,000 from the hijack and the action was folded back around to Ott. Ott tossed his cards in the muck and Dubini followed suit as Ruane scooped the pot.
Scott Blumstein | 42,175,000 | -1,125,000 |
Ben Lamb | 26,250,000 | 750,000 |
Richard Dubini | 19,200,000 | -1,750,000 |
Dan Ott | 17,700,000 | -2,675,000 |
Michael Ruane | 13,325,000 | 4,250,000 |
Scott Stewart | 9,125,000 | 1,675,000 |
Valentin Messina | 3,500,000 | -1,125,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 6:54 PM Local Time
Secondary Table Hands #125-129: Top Set for Hesp, Four-Bet by Oliveira
Hand #125: Damian Salas raised to 1,200,000 from the hijack and scooped the blinds and antes.
Hand #126: Karen Sarkisyan limped in from the small blind and Jack Sinclair raised to 1,700,000, forcing a fold from Sarkisyan.
Hand #127: John Hesp in the cutoff raised to 1,200,000 and Sinclair called in the small blind, while Pedro Oliveira did so from the big blind. The three-way flop of was checked through and the appeared on the turn. Sinclair bet 1,800,000 and Oliveira called before Hesp raised it up to 4,000,000.
Sinclair called and Oliveira let go, which then brought the on the river. Hesp showed for top set and Sinclair mucked the , receiving some "wows" on the table.
Hand #128: Sinclair made it 1,100,000 to go from the button and scooped the blinds and antes.
Hand #129: Hesp raised to 1,100,000 and Karen Sarkisyan three-bet to 2,950,000 from one seat over in the hijack. Oliveira four-bet to 8,000,000 on the button. Hesp gave it some thought and folded, as did Sarkisyan, and Oliveira picked up a decent pot without showdown.
Jack Sinclair | 71,400,000 | -3,120,000 |
John Hesp | 33,220,000 | 7,070,000 |
Pedro Oliveira | 29,320,000 | 1,770,000 |
Benjamin Pollak | 26,920,000 | -1,050,000 |
Antoine Saout | 24,075,000 | -375,000 |
Damian Salas | 20,650,000 | 480,000 |
Bryan Piccioli | 15,500,000 | -370,000 |
Karen Sarkisyan | 8,200,000 | -4,320,000 |
Monday, July 17, 2017 6:50 PM Local Time
888 Update: Main Event Day 7
Monday, July 17, 2017 6:45 PM Local Time
John Hesp’s Legend Grows
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."
Monday, July 17, 2017 6:44 PM Local Time
Feature Table Hands #101-105: Richard Dubini Ramps Up the Aggression
Hand #101: Action folded around to Michael Ruane on the button and he raised to 1.2 million. The blinds sent their cards in and Ruane took down the pot.
Hand #102: Richard Dubini raised it up to 1.05 million in the hijack, and Scott Blumstein three-bet it to 3.4 million in the small blind. Ben Lamb folded his big blind and it was back to Dubini. He four-bet shoved all in for his final 12 million and Blumstein thought for about 90 seconds before folding, giving the pot to Dubini.
Hand #103: Richard Dubini raised to 1.05 million for the second hand in a row and it folded around to Scott Stewart in the big blind. He thought for a while before folding, and Dubini took it down.
Hand #104: Dubini raised for the third hand in a row, this time to 1.1 million from under the gun. Scott Blumstein reraised to 2.7 million in the cutoff, and the blinds got out of the way to get the action back to Dubini. He called after a couple of minutes in the tank, and the flop came down . Dubini tapped the felt, and Blumstein did likewise. The hit the turn, and it went check-check again. The completed the board, and they checked one more time. Dubini tabled for the overpair, and Blumstein mucked his hand.
Hand #105: Action folded around to Scott Stewart and he shoved all in from the button. The blinds folded and Stewart took the pot.
Scott Blumstein | 43,300,000 | -6,975,000 |
Ben Lamb | 25,500,000 | -1,125,000 |
Richard Dubini | 20,950,000 | 8,800,000 |
Dan Ott | 20,375,000 | -1,125,000 |
Michael Ruane | 9,075,000 | 900,000 |
Scott Stewart | 7,450,000 | 150,000 |
Valentin Messina | 4,625,000 | -625,000 |