Monday, July 13, 2015 1:05 AM Local Time
On Sunday, the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event continued with Day 5 action from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. A total of 237 players returned to the felt and by the end of the day just 69 remained. Leading the charge into Day 6 is Pierre Neuville who bagged up the chip leading stack of 7.105 million.
While Neuville leads the field, others are hot on his heels on the quest to take the largest stack possible into the November Nine. Coming in behind Neuville is David Stefanski who put 6.48 million in the bag. Stefanski earned a solid portion of those chips on the final hand of the night when he sent Danny Fuhs to the rail. Rounding out the top three is David Peters with 6.13 million.
Pierre Neuville leads the final 69 players
WSOP gold bracelet winner Max Steinberg also had a successful day. Steinberg began the day 46th in chips and was able to rocket up toward the top of the counts toward the latter half of the day. Steinberg won his bracelet back in 2012 when he rose to the top of a $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event for $440,238. Less than one year later, Steinberg finished runner-up to Jonathan Hitlon in the WSOP National Championship for $219,799. Steinberg will return with 4.285 million on Day 6.
Other notable faces returning for Day 6 include Andrew Moreno (5,320,000), three-time bracelet winner Brian Hastings (4,740,000), Anton Morgenstern (4,200,000), Daniel Negreanu (3,620,000), Justin Schwartz (3,495,000), Mark Kroon (3,250,000), Toby Lewis (2,645,000), Fedor Holz (1,975,000), and Blake Bohn (1,410,000).
The day began with 237 players returning to the felt to vie for their piece of poker immortality. The starting field remained stacked with familiar faces as players once again took their seats in the Amazon room. Each returning player was guaranteed a payday of at least $34,157, but all had their eyes locked on a spot among the prestigious November Nine and the $7,680,021 first-place prize.
Some of the players to fall early in the day include WSOP bracelet winner Tommy Hang (219th), seven-time bracelet winner Men Nguyen (211th), Vivek Rajkumar (197th), Ryan D'Angelo (188th), Dan O'Brien (186th), Nathan Bjerno (179th), Matthias De Meulder (164th), and 2011 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Elio Fox (163rd).
Former November Niner John Racener fell at the hands of start-of-day chip leader Joe McKeehen. Racener was all in and at risk before the flop for his last 394,000 in chips and was called by McKeehen's ace-king. An ace on the river spelled disaster for Racener and he was sent to the rail in 162nd place. McKeehen, on the other hand, survived the day and will be returning for Day 5 action. McKeehen retained his chip lead through the first two levels of play and was finally surpassed just before the dinner berak. The two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner will return for Day 5 with 3.66 million in chips.
Start-of-day chip leader Joe McKeehen
The final WSOP Main Event champion was also eliminated today, as 1993 world champion Jim Bechtel hit the rail in 121st place. Bechtel was sent packing when his king-jack was unable to improve against Tai Nugyen's ace-jack after a preflop all in. Bechtel collected $46,890 for his first WSOP cash since 2006.
1993 WSOP Main Event champion Jim Bechtel - 121st place
Other notables eliminated from play following Bechtel include two-time bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin (119th), Farzad Bonyadi (114th), Jake Cody (113th), and Brandon Adams (95th). Adams was eliminated from play when he found himself all in with pocket kings against Mario Sequeira's ace-king. Sequeira flopped an ace, turned another, and rivered quads to score the elimination.
Play will continue on Monday where the final 69 will return for Day 6. As always, be sure to return to WSOP.com for all of the latest from the tournament felt.
Monday, July 13, 2015 1:04 AM Local Time
Four players limp in and see a flop of . Action checks to Daniel Fuhs in the cutoff and he bets. Dave Stefanski check-calls out of the small blind and they are heads-up to the turn. Stefanski leads out for 275,000 and Fuhs calls. The river is the and Stefanski bets 440,000. Fuhs takes a moment and then moves all in.
Stefanski shoots out of his chair, puts his hands on his head, and asks the dealer to pull in the dead money. It is 855,000 more for Stefanski to call, who takes a couple minutes in the tank and then calls. Fuhs taps the table and Stefanski tables and Fuhs shows .
Stefanski takes the pot and shoots up the chip counts, while Fuhs is eliminated on the last hand of the day.
Dave Stefanski - 6,480,000 (162 bb)
Daniel Fuhs - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:58 AM Local Time
Alexander Turyansky opens for 160,000 and Kelly Minkin calls from the big blind. The flop is and Minkin check-calls a 65,000 bet from Turyansky.
The turn is the and again Minkin check-calls a bet, this time for 140,000. The dealer puts out the on the river and Minkin checks a third time. Turyansky bets 307,000 and Minkin instantly calls.
Turyansky reveals for queens and jacks and much to his dismay Minkin proudly reveals a better hand as she has for a set of nines.
Kelly Minkin - 2,145,000 (53 bb)
Alexander Turyansky - 1,195,000 (29 bb)
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:40 AM Local Time
Matt Jarvis opens with a raise to 85,000 in middle position. From the cutoff Neil Blumenfield three-bets to 200,000 and the action folds back around to Jarvis, who calls.
On the flop, Jarvis checks and Blumenfield bets 250,000. Jarvis check-raises to 635,000 and Blumenfield calls. The falls on the turn and both players check. The river is the and Jarvis bets 850,000. Blumenfield takes some time, but calls and Jarvis tables for a set of sixes to scoop the pot, which puts him up over the five million chip mark.
Matt Jarvis - 5,310,000 (133 bb)
Neil Blumenfield - 435,000 (11 bb)
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:38 AM Local Time
Brian Hastings raises, then Aditya Agarwal moves all in. Hastings calls with and he is racing with Agarwal's .
Hastings makes kings up on the board and Agarwal is eliminated.
Brian Hastings - 4,600,000 (115 bb)
Aditya Agarwal - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:36 AM Local Time
The clock is paused with ten minutes left in the level, and a card is drawn. It's a four, and each table will play that many hands before bagging and tagging to conclude Day 5.
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:35 AM Local Time
Alexander Turyansky raises from middle position, Bruce Peery calls behind him, Andrew Moreno calls out of the small blind, and NIcholas Abourisk calls from the big blind.
The quartet checks the flop, then the turn brings the . Moreno checks, Abourisk bets 185,000, and Turyansky and Peery both fold.
Moreno takes a minute, then check-raises all in, having Abourisk's remaining 885,000 or so easily covered. Abourisk takes more than a couple of minutes to mull over his decision before calling.
It is a terrible situation for Abourisk, as his for a flush is bested by Moreno's for the nut flush. The river is an inconsequential and Abourisk is eliminated.
Andrew Moreno - 4,900,000 (122 bb)
Nicholas Abourisk - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:32 AM Local Time
Upeshka De Silva opens with a raise to 80,000 from under the gun. Daniel Negreanu calls and it's heads up to the flop.
On the flop, De Silva bets 95,000 and Negreanu calls. The turn is the and De Silva bets 155,000. Negreanu calls to see the river and De Silva slows down this time and checks. Negreanu checks, as well, and flips to scoop the pot with a pair of aces. De Silva mucks his hand.
Daniel Negreanu - 3,705,000 (93 bb)
Upeshka De Silva - 1,915,000 (48 bb)
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:29 AM Local Time
Mozheng Guan opens to 90,000 in middle position, and Stephen Lichtenberger calls all in for his last 30,000. The rest of the table folds, and Lichtenberger is at risk.
Guan:
Lichtenberger:
The flop gives Lichtenberger two pair, but the turn takes the lead right back. Guan improves to Broadway, one card from the knockout. Lichtenberger can not fill up on the river, and he is eliminated.
Mozheng Guan - 5,700,000 (142 bb)
Stephen Lichtenberger - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:27 AM Local Time
Ghattas Kortas opens to 85,000 from under the gun and is called is one spot before Robert Mitchell squeezes to 325,000 off the button. Kortas in the only caller and both players check down the
board.
Mitchell:
for a pair of kings
Kortas:
for a pair of tens
Robert Mitchell - 1,980,000
Ghattas Kortas - 4,200,000
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:26 AM Local Time
Patrick Chan and Justin Bonomo are heads up on a flop. Chan bets 75,000 from under the gun and Bonomo raises to 275,000.
Chan calls and bets 190,000 on the turn. Bonomo calls Chan's bet and the river is the . Chan moves all in for 730,000.
Bonomo takes 30 seconds to decide to wait for another spot and folds, conceding the pot to Chan.
Patrick Chan - 1,720,000
Justin Bonomo - 1,340,000
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:22 AM Local Time
Amar Anand opens to 90,000 in early position, and Manuel Blaschke three-bets to 260,000 in the cutoff. Mozheng Guan four-bets to 500,000 in the big blind, and Anand folds. Blaschke moves all in for just less than 2 million total, and Guan calls to put him at risk.
Blaschke:
Guan:
The flop gives Guan a set of jacks and a big lead with two cards to come. The turn is the , and the river is the . Guan wins the pot with three jacks, and Blaschke is eliminated.
Mozheng Guan - 5,575,000 (139 bb)
Manuel Blaschke - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:21 AM Local Time
Alexander Turyansky raises from the cutoff and Kelly Minkin defends the big blind.
Both players check the flop, then the turn brings the . Minkin bets 105,000, Turyansky raises to 275,000, and Minkin calls.
The river pairs the board with the and both players check. Minkin shows for Broadway and takes the pot.
Kelly Minkin - 1,660,000 (41 bb)
Alexander Turyansky - 1,400,000 (35 bb)
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:16 AM Local Time
Yordan Mitrentsov opens for 90,000 and David Stefanski raises to 245,000. Mitrentsov four-bets to 500,000 and calls when Stefanski moves all in.
Stefanski has and Mitrentsov is the player at risk with .
The board runs out .
Stefanski's rail celebrates his double up while Mitrentsov hits the rail.
David Stefanski - 4,100,000 (102 bb)
Yordan Mitrentsov - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:15 AM Local Time
Thomas Paul opens to 100,000 in middle position, and Joshua Beckley three-bets to 265,000. Paul calls.
The flop comes , and both players check. The turn is the , and Paul leads for 275,000. Beckley calls, and the river is the . Paul bets 750,000, and Beckley instantly calls.
Paul shows winning the pot with a set of sevens.
Thomas Paul - 5,115,000 (127 bb)
Joshua Beckley - 1,290,000 (32 bb)
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:14 AM Local Time
Tai Nguyen, pictured below, moves all-in from early position for 530,000 and Justin Bonomo, who is next to act, calls. Matt Waxman, who is to Bonomo's immediate left, then re-shoves for just over 1,100,000.
The rest of the table folds to the blinds, where Erasmus Morfe, pictured above, moves all-in as well, having both all-in players covered, as well as Bonomo, who has just under 1,400,000 in front of him.
He eventually folds and the hands are exposed, with Waxman rolling his eyes as he tables only to see Morfe turn over . Nguyen holds and both shorter stacks are left with two outs to save their tournament lives.
There come from behind attempt gets even harder after the flop falls, but Waxman picks up some hope as the gives him an up and down straight draw on the turn.
Nguyen was drawing dead on the turn and the river provides Waxman with the same fate, as the confirms the double elimination for Morfe, who shoots away from the table to give himself a subdued fist pump before returning to his now top ten stack.
Waxman and Nguyen will take $79,668 for their runs here in the 2015 WSOP Main Event.
Erasmus Morfe - 4,400,000 (110 bb)
Justin Bonomo - 1,350,000 (33 bb)
Tai Nguyen - Eliminated
Matt Waxman - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:10 AM Local Time
Shay Zurr raises to 85,000 under-the-gun and Jonathan Tamayo moves all in from early position for his last 730,000. Action folds back to Zurr, who gets a count and then calls.
Tamayo shows and needs to find a nine against Zurr's . The board runs out and Tamayo is eliminated at the hands of Zurr. Tamayo makes just shy of $80,000 for his deep run.
Shay Zurr - 2,200,000 (55 bb)
Jonathan Tamayo - Eliminated
Monday, July 13, 2015 12:04 AM Local Time
Nicholas Augustino is all in and at risk and facing Tom Kearney.
Augustino:
Kearney:
Augustino retains the lead on the flop, and dances a little behind his chair. The turn changes everything, however, as it is the and it is Kearney's rail celebrating now.
"Aahhhhh," says Augustino who then asks the dealer for a "four ball."
The river is the though and Augustino is eliminated.
Thomas Kearney - 3,850,000 (96 bb)
Nicholas Augustino - Eliminated
Sunday, July 12, 2015 11:59 PM Local Time
Action folds to Zvi Stern who shoves all-in and Carl DiVeglia III calls.
Zvi Stern:
Carl DiVeglia III:
The board runs out to eliminate DiVeglia III in 82nd place.
Zvi Stern - 4,245,000
Carl DiVeglia III - Eliminated
Sunday, July 12, 2015 11:58 PM Local Time
Action folds to Thomas Cannuli, who raises to 110,000 from middle position. Andrew Rudnick is on the button and three-bets all in for an additional 455,000. Cannuli thinks a bit, then calls.
Cannuli is out front with and Rudnick trails with .
The flop comes , giving some opportunity for a chop. When the double pairsthe board on the turn, it looks to be a chopped pot, though Rudnick picks up a flush draw.
The river is the though, and both improve to aces up, but Cannuli's jack-kicker plays to send Rudnick to the rail.
Thomas Cannuli - 4,600,000 (115 bb)
Andrew Rudnick - Eliminated