Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:47 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 378
| Brandon Steven | 950,000 | -50,000  |
| Brian Appelbaum | 890,000 | 340,000  |
| Alexander Roumeliotis | 810,000 | -74,000 |
| Kyle Julius | 690,000 | -270,000 |
| Nathan Goldstein | 660,000 | 55,000 |
| Igor Dubinskyy | 625,000 | 220,000 |
| Patrick Sacrispeyre | 370,000 | 155,000 |
| Tommy Chen | 370,000 | 70,000 |
| Marc Mclaughlin | 305,000 | 150,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:46 AM Local Time
Calling the Clock (To Run Faster)
"Come on clock… run f***in' faster!"
So said Shawn Sheikhan just now as he walked around near his table after having folded a hand. "I hear you," said Hassan Mechammil from the neighboring table, who had also stood up from his chair. "I'm tired," added Mechammil.
The clock right now is showing about 40 minutes to go in this last level of the night, with the number of players remaining presently sitting at 253.
Sheikhan and Mechammil likely aren't the only ones feeling fatigue at the end of a fourth long and intense day of poker, but with the stakes rising the further the tournament goes, the ability to concentrate and withstand tiredness becomes ever more important.
| Hassan Mechammil | 320,000 | -220,000 |
| Shawn Sheikhan | 310,000 | 60,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:46 AM Local Time
Chip Counts From The Secondary Feature Table
Action has been slow and steady here at the secondary feature table. Pots are being taken down with mostly preflop action and players aren't taking many flops. Here's what the chips are looking like for this table at the moment:
| Annette Obrestad | 1,296,000 | -28,000 |
| Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 1,144,000 | 53,000 |
| Alexander Livingston | 919,000 | -51,000 |
| Vimy Ha | 904,000 | 214,000 |
| Javier Montano | 655,000 | 126,000 |
| Jean-Yves Malherbe | 423,000 | -92,000 |
| Christopher Anderson | 419,000 | 244,000 |
| Ivan Mamuzic | 335,000 | 65,000 |
| Felix Kurmayr | 170,000 | -262,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:41 AM Local Time
Fasolis Takes From Mann
Jason Mann opened to 30,000 in middle position, Alessandro Fasolis three-bet to 84,000 out of the big blind, and Mann quickly called. Both players checked on a flop of , and Fasolis checked again when the turned. Mann fired out 128,000, Fasolis called, and the two checked again when the completed the board.
Fasolis showed for ace-high, winning the pot.
| Jason Mann | 1,670,000 | -230,000 |
| Alessandro Fasolis | 1,020,000 | 230,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:40 AM Local Time
Don't Miss Out On the WSOP.com $100K Freeroll and Online Championships
It's almost time to play legal, real-money online poker in Nevada on WSOP.com. To celebrate, a mega cash tournament has been organized, and you're invited!
Starting October 25, 2013 and running through November 2, 2013, the WSOP.com Online Championships will take place. A whopping $500,000 in added prize money will be available, including a special $100,000 Freeroll to kick off the series.
The $100,000 Freeroll will be available only to those who register and verify their WSOP.com account by August 31, 2013, and it will take place October 25 at 7 p.m. Las Vegas time.
To find out more about the $100,000 Freeroll and the WSOP.com Online Championships, head over to the WSOP's website.
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:39 AM Local Time
Emond Adds More
A hand that began as a multi-way pot with a raise and couple of callers cleared out to become heads-up between Marc Emond and Ara Melikian thanks to a three-bet by Emond out of the blinds.
The flop came , and Emond continued for 215,000. Melikian thought for a while, then called the bet.
Both players then checked the turn and , with lots of deliberation along the way. Emond then tabled , and Melikian mucked.
| Marc Emond | 1,940,000 | 585,000 |
| Ara Melikian | 810,000 | -486,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:36 AM Local Time
Robert Over Two Million
Rob Sterken opened from early position to 27,000 only to have Vincent Robert three-bet to 72,000 from the hi-jack.
The action folded back to Sterken, and he made the call to see a flop fall before checking over to Robert.
Taking a moment to calculate his bet size, Robert eventually dropped in 80,000 and Sterken quickly mucked.
| Vincent Robert | 2,025,000 | 655,000 |
| Rob Sterken | 605,000 | 150,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:34 AM Local Time
Biscuits for Bardah On Broadway
Action folded to Ronnie Bardah in the small blind, and he raised to 29,000 against Kevin Allen's big blind. Allen called, and the flop came down . Bardah led with a bet of 23,000, and Allen called.
On the turn, the fell. Bardah slid forward a bet of 64,000, and Allen made another call. Then, the completed the board on the river. Bardah fired 145,000, which was just about half of what Allen had left. Allen tanked for a bit, then made the call.
Bardah showed the for a Broadway straight, and Allen mucked his hand. We overheard Allen mention two pair, but his exact words were unclear, and Bardah was pushed the pot. Allen was left with 193,000.
On the next hand, the player in the cutoff seat opened to 27,000. Bardah then three-bet to 56,000 on the button and won the pot.
After those two hands, Bardah now sits with 975,000 in chips.
"One million biscuits!" yelled Bardah after the hand. "Biscuits baby!"
| Ronnie Bardah | 980,000 | 470,000 |
| Kevin Allen | 193,000 | -707,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:34 AM Local Time
Denis Finds a Double
We arrived at the table, just as Estelle Denis committed the last of her chips into the middle. She was called by Christopher Kinane, as both players then tabled their cards.
Denis:
Kinane:
The board ran out to see Denis' ace high flush take down the pot. She now moves up to 650,000 in chips.
| Christopher Kinane | 1,300,000 | 0 |
| Estelle Denis | 650,000 | 0 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:33 AM Local Time
Three-Way All In at Table 447; Gandhi Eliminated
Richard Robinson raised to 25,000 from under the gun, and action folded over to Nikunj Gandhi on the button. He reshoved for 150,000, and Rep Porter quickly responded by moving all in from the small blind, having both players easily covered. Robinson announced a call for 387,000, and three players were playing for a big pot with five cards to come.
Gandhi:
Porter:
Robinson:
Robinson was in excellent position against two underpairs, and his queens held up through the board. Gandhi was eliminated, and Porter dipped to 1.23 million.
| Rep Porter | 1,230,000 | 530,000 |
| Richard Robinson | 940,000 | 340,000 |
| Nikunj Gandhi | 0 | -410,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:31 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts from Table 474
| Brett Richey | 1,735,000 | 860,000 |
| Christopher Kinane | 1,300,000 | -800,000 |
| John Crisostomo | 799,000 | -121,000 |
| Estelle Denis | 650,000 | 210,000 |
| Scott Freeman | 500,000 | -200,000 |
| Anthony Wise | 411,000 | 23,000 |
| Matthew Reed | 314,000 | -26,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:31 AM Local Time
Pollock Holds Against Scaife
Josh Pollock and John Scaife got all in on a flop of .
Pollock:
Scaife:
Pollock's overpair was in the lead, but he had plenty of outs to fade: any king, heart or queen would improve Scaife's hand. The turn brought a , closing out Scaife's straight outs. The river was the , improving Pollock to a full house and leaving Scaife with about 10 big blinds.
| Josh Pollock | 1,060,000 | 555,000 |
| John Scaife | 130,000 | -384,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:24 AM Local Time
267th - 287th Place
These players earned $37,019 for their Main Event finish. Keep an eye on the payouts tab for exact-place finishes.
Among the recent eliminations was 2008 Main Event runner-up Ivan Demidov.
| Jacob Bazeley | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Baer | 0 | -407,000 |
| Magnus Martin | 0 | -277,500 |
| Kenneth Raskin | 0 | -292,500 |
| Matt Stout | 0 | 0 |
| Samuel Taylor | 0 | -625,000 |
| Court Harrington | 0 | -585,000 |
| Quan Do Nguyen | 0 | -290,000 |
| Eric Hershler | 0 | -152,000 |
| Nicholas Immekus | 0 | 0 |
| Santiago Nadal | 0 | 0 |
| Ravi Raghavan | 0 | -505,000 |
| Sergei Stazhkov | 0 | 0 |
| Ivan Demidov | 0 | 0 |
| Russell Rosenblum | 0 | -190,000 |
| Larry Wright | 0 | -470,000 |
| Sterling Savill | 0 | 0 |
| Martin Mathis | 0 | 0 |
| Raj Vohra | 0 | -585,000 |
| Adam Friedman | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen Bellamy | 0 | 0 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:20 AM Local Time
You've Failed, Your Highness, I am a Jedi
After three-betting preflop, and check-calling a bet on the flop, Rachid "SkaiWalkurrr" Ben Cherif checked again on the turn of a board. Jamil Ogunmakinwa fired out 100,000 into a pot of well over 200,000, and Ben Cherif moved all in for 472,000.
Ogunmakinwa tanked for well over five minutes, then finally called, showing . Ben Cherif tabled .
Only a spade could save Ben Cherif, and the fell on the river, doubling the Dutchman to 1.2 million chips. Ogunmakinwa was crippled down to just 96,000.
| Rachid Ben Cherif | 1,200,000 | 185,000 |
| Jamil Ogunmakinwa | 96,000 | -224,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:18 AM Local Time
Timoshenko Takes a Tiny One From Malherbe
Jean-Yves Malherbe opened with a raise to 20,000 from the cutoff. Timoshenko was his only taker from the big blind.
The flop came down and Timoshenko check called a bet of 20,000 from Malherbe. The turn was the and both players slowed down with a check. The river was the and Timoshenko opted to lead with a bet of 28,000. After a taking moment to think, Malherbe dropped in the call. Timoshenko showed for a pair of nines and that was good to take down the hand as Malherbe mucked.
| Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 1,091,000 | 76,000 |
| Jean-Yves Malherbe | 515,000 | -343,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:17 AM Local Time
More For Ramage
Anthony Forsyth-Forrest opened to 25,000 in middle position. Nick Schwarmann called from the hijack, Grayson Ramage called from the big blind, and the flop came down .
Action checked to Schwarmann who bet 34,000. Only Ramage tagged along to see the turn, which both players checked. The river completed the board and Ramage bet 78,000. Schwarmann gave it some thought and ultimately called.
Ramage tabled for a pair of queens, Schwarmann mucked, and Ramage collected the pot.
| Grayson Ramage | 2,349,000 | 63,000 |
| Anthony Forsyth-Forrest | 829,000 | -61,000 |
| Nick Schwarmann | 485,000 | -160,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:16 AM Local Time
Dion Shoves On Mann
Catching the action with Yann Dion making it 45,000 from the button, Jason Mann bumped it up to 213,000. Dion went into the tank for two minutes before making the call as the dealer dropped a flop.
Mann took his time before placing out a bet of 317,000 to put the action on Dion. Dion spent nearly ten minutes deliberating about his decision before announcing he was all in for 1,051,00 as it was now Mann's turn to enter the think-tank.
Roughly a further four minutes would pass before Mann slid his cards to the muck while slipping to 1,900,000 as Dion climbs to 1,830,000 in chips.
| Jason Mann | 1,900,000 | -590,000 |
| Yann Dion | 1,830,000 | 530,000 |
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:14 AM Local Time
Interview: Nightclub Owner Ami Alibay Eyes Main Event Final Table
Ami Alibay has been among the leaders for much of Day 4 in the World Series of Poker Main Event. The nightclub and restaurant owner from Montreal is currently sitting in the top 10 in chips with 1.7 million.
Alibay might be an amateur, but he already has made two cashes this summer, including an eighth-place result in Event #4: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed. He also has high-roller experience after playing $111,111 buy-in tournament for the One Drop Foundation. He contributed 1% to the foundation and got to play against some of the world's toughest competitors, but ultimately fell short of the money. Now, he has a chance to make waves in poker's most prestigious event.
We spoke with Alibay about playing poker as a hobby and facing some of the best players in the world in the Main Event.
PokerNews: You played in the $111,111 buy-in One Drop event. How does that event compare to the Main Event?
Alibay: The $100K had the best players in the world. It was the toughest tournament that I have ever played. I also played the $25K buy-in tournament at the Bellagio and I think that had the same range of players. But in the $100K I really got outplayed so many times. In the Main Event everyone has a dream so you can have maybe three to five amateur players on the table. In the first couple of days my table draws were so good because I didn't have anyone to push me around. Actually, I had Vanessa Selbst on my table in the first day. I was trying to avoid her but knew I had to play hands against her because if you hit a hand you can maximize your value.
How did the first two days compare to Day 3 and now Day 4?
People are getting tighter. Especially when the money bubble was near, the play was really tight on my table. You didn't see any major hands at all. It's now getting really serious. It's the Super Bowl of poker so rightfully so.
You have only 10 cashes listed on Hendon Mob Database. What is your poker story?
I started to play poker at René Angélil's charity poker tournament a few years ago. He inspired me to play poker. I came to Las Vegas once to play in the World Poker Tournament with him and I really liked the competition. I'm not 20 years old anymore so I can't play football or hockey like before, but in poker age doesn't matter. I like to compete so poker was good. Through the years I have improved. I was really bad when I first started playing but I think I am in a good position now to have a good run.
Is poker just a hobby then, or would you like to turn it into a profession?
No, poker will never be a profession for me. I own two nightclubs and one fine-dining restaurant in Montreal. I will keep poker as a hobby. I don't wait for the money to come in to pay my bills and eat so poker is just fun for me. Even if I bust in the Main Event, it has been a lot of fun.
Can you talk about your experience with the Main Event over the last two years and this year?
The last two years was so terrible. I was chasing draws like crazy and playing the Main Event like a cash game. I learned a lot since then. I watched poker on ESPN and learned a lot from what the commentators had to say. Tony Dunst helped with his comments. There were a lot of hands played on the WPT that were aired on television and that helped me a lot. There were a lot of situations that I could have played differently and I learned through listening to Dunst. He made me think of how to play hands differently.
You are on the feature table with Greg Mueller and Carlos Mortensen. Are you familiar with some of the big names in the poker industry?
I met Greg just yesterday and I just met Carlos today. Before this, I didn't know who either player was but now I am aware and respect them as players. Actually, Carlos had 35,000 in chips. I played a hand against him and he doubled up because he cracked me on the river. I think that helped a lot because now he has about one million now. I guess you have to be lucky to still be playing this late into the tournament.
Has there been any kind of intimidation playing against some of the pros?
I've played with Antonio Esfandiari and Vanessa Rousso. People might be surprised but Selbst was one of the toughest players I've ever played. I was really impressed by the way she played on Day 1. She is dangerous. A truly great player and I hope people know that.
What were your expectations before the Main Event, and have they changed?
To win a bracelet; isn't that everyone's expectations? Let me tell you a story. I came to Las Vegas early in the summer and played Event #4 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed). We were 10-handed and maybe two people away from the final table. I was second in chips and Joe Cada was the chip leader. My friend, Charles Sylvestre won the bracelet in Event #3 ($1,000 N-Limit Hold'em Re-Entry) so I was called to go take a picture. I left the table for just four hands, took the picture and went back to my table. When I sat down, I doubled up the short-stack on the very first hand. Then doubled him again soon after before he knocked me out. I bubbled the final table in 8th place. After that I said there was no way I will lose the Main Event. Of course I can't control the cards but I am doing my best to make it to the final table.
Saturday, July 13, 2013 12:14 AM Local Time
Updated Counts from Table 452
| Clyde Tjauw Foe | 1,420,000 | -100,000 |
| Marc Emond | 1,355,000 | 85,000 |
| Ara Melikian | 1,296,000 | 196,000 |
| Kevin Williams | 973,000 | -167,000 |
| Ramzi Jelassi | 850,000 | -351,000 |
| Robin Ylitalo | 710,000 | 375,000 |
| Jens Knossalla | 424,000 | -140,000 |
| Max Ovseyevitz | 275,000 | 201,500 |
| Shawn Sheikhan | 250,000 | -47,000 |