DAY FIVE OVERDRIVE: WSOP MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP NOW DOWN TO 282
2012 WSOP MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP:  END OF DAY FOUR REPORT

Photo Caption:  If you want to know what the World Series of Poker is really all about for a great many participants – it’s not cards and chips.  It’s about playing for someone or something else, aside from prestige and prize money.  Richard Pyne, or more specifically Richard Pyne’s special t-shirt, says it all – “Good Luck, Daddy.”  The t-shirt shows Pyne’s two smiling children who are back in Turnersville, New Jersey cheering for their favorite poker player – their dad.  He's currently in the Top 100. -- Photo by Joe Giron



DAY FOUR:  END OF DAY HEADLINES

WSOP Main Event Championship -- 282 Players Remaining!
 
All Remaining Players Guaranteed $38,453 Payout
 
“Friday the 13th” Turns into Festival for the Top 666

Paul Volpe Ends Day Four as Chip Leader
 
Notable Day Four Eliminations Include Huck Seed, Antonio Esfandiari, Johnny Chan
 
All Past World Champions Now Gone – First-Time Winner Guaranteed

Nine Different Nations Represented by Players in Top Twenty

 
There are exactly 282 players still remaining in the 2012 WSOP Main Event Championship. OFFICIAL CHIP COUNTS are available on WSOP.com.  The current chip leader is Paul Volpe with 2,750,000. Here is a look at the top ten counts:
 
1. Paul Volpe - 2,750,000
2. Erik Hellman - 2,216,000
3. Dave D'Alesandro - 2,093,000
4. Kyle Bowker - 2,081,000
5. Eric Buchman - 2,076,000
6. Elisabeth Hille - 2,014,000
7. Andras Koroknai - 1,971,000
8. Amit Zulkowitz - 1,961,000
9. Eric Le Goff - 1,947,000
10. Nico Maag - 1,899,000
 
CHIP LEADER – PAUL VOLPE

Paul Volpe is a poker pro from West Chester, PA – which is just south of Philadelphia.  He has eight WSOP cashes on his resume, and about $114,000 in WSOP earnings.  Volpe currently enjoys an intimidating stack as the overwhelming chip leader of the Main Event.  He has 2,750,000 in chips, while his closest rival Erik Hellman stands at 2,216,000.  Only six players have more than 2 million in chips.  There are 58 players with 1 million in chips, or more. 

MAIN EVENT FIELD TRIMMED FROM 720 DOWN TO 282


By any measure, the Day Four tournament pace was fast and furious.  From the moment players reached the hand-for-hand stage (2 pm) to the end of the day (midnight) some ten hours later, the rate of bust outs exceeded what anyone could have expected, even with today’s hyper-aggressive playing style.  Consider that it took just one hand (not 14, as was the case back in 2008) to move across the bubble spot.  Then, about half of the remaining field was trimmed between 2 pm and midnight.  By day’s end, the field size was down to about 30 tables – far removed from opening day of the Main Event when nearly all of the 400 or so available poker tables were in action. 
 
NOTABLE PLAYERS REMAINING

David D'Alesandro ended Day Three as chip leader.  He is not quite in the top spot, but he is pretty close, finishing the day third in chips.  
 
The highest-ranked female is Elisabeth Hille (Bergen, Norway).  She is sixth in the counts.
 
2009 November Niner Eric Buchman ranks fifth.
 
Two-time gold bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst ranks 14th.
 
2010 November Niner Joseph Cheong ranks 21st.
 
Gold bracelet winner David “ODB” Baker ranks 27th.
 
David Kluchman ranks 42nd
 
Top poker pro Andrew Lichtenberger ranks 44th.
 
A.J. Jejelowo, who had the chip lead during Day Three, ranks 56th.
 
Gold bracelet winner Gavin Smith ranks 75th.
 
English two-time gold bracelet winner J.P. Kelly ranks 84th.
 
Gold bracelet winner John Phan ranks 89th.
 

THE UNITED NATIONS OF POKER

No question, the WSOP is an international spectacle.  Consider that players from 100 different nations participated in WSOP events this year.  The top twenty ranked players in the End of Day Four standings represent nine different nations – including Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Israel, France, Ireland, Canada, Malta, and the United States.  

 
NOTABLE POST-DINNER BREAK BUST OUTS

The final three hours after the dinner break in Friday night were terribly unkind to several notable players.  Among the late eliminations were:
 
Jackie Glazier, the Australian woman who finished second in a gold bracelet event two weeks ago – 284th place.
 
Eric Baldwin, a former gold bracelet winner – 287th place.
 
Ercan Olgun, making Turkey proud as one of the best showing by a Turkish poker player ever – 289th place.
 
Ben Alcober, who had the chip lead late on Day Three – 296th place.
 
Mark Demirdjian, who was near the top of the leaderboard for most of the first three days – 307th place.
 
Shaun Deeb, a top tournament pro who now has a place on the list of “best players never to have won a gold bracelet” – 319th place.
 
Maria Ho, an accomplished tournament pro who was the “last woman standing” in the 2007 WSOP Main Event – 322nd place.
 
Johnny Chan, the 1987 and 1988 World Champion and ten-time gold bracelet winner – 353rd place.
 
Chris Moorman, a top British poker pro with several past deep runs in WSOP events – 358th place.
 
Lee Childs, a top East Coast poker pro who final tabled the 2007 WSOP Main Event– 381st place.
 
Teddy Sheringham, the former English footballer – 388th place.
 
Phil Collins, one of last year’s “November Nine” – 393rd place.
 
Shawn Buchanan, a top Canadian pro with many deep WSOP runs – 404th place.
 
Terrence Chan, a Canadian pro who hit the ten-cashes mark in 2012 (second to Konstantin Puchkov, with 11 cashes this year) – 410th place.
 
Ali Eslami, a top Los Angeles poker pro with many deep runs in WSOP events the past few years – 420th place.
 
Gold bracelet winner Grant Hinkel – 428th place.
 

ALL WORLD CHAMPIONS NOW GONE

Johnny Chan was the last of the champions.  He went out at about 9 pm on Day Four – personifying an uncharacteristically early exit for all the past World Champions who participated in this year’s Main Event.  They are all gone now, which means a first-time champion is guaranteed.

 
PERRY GREEN SET TO PERFORM “SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL” PRIOR TO DAY FIVE

Three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Perry Green is the most senior player remaining in the Main Event.  At age 76, Green is still very much in contention for the championship.  Green is best remembered as the runner up to the late great Stu Ungar in the 1981 WSOP Main Event.  Green is making his deepest run since then, some 31 years later.  Hats off to Perry Green, who gets a well-deserved note of recognition as the Day Five “Shuffle Up and Deal” emcee for the entire room.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, MAJOR HEADLINES FROM THE DINNER BREAK UPDATE

DAY FOUR:  DINNER BREAK HEADLINES
 
They’re in the Money!  Money Bubble Breaks at 2 pm
 
Four Players Split 666th Place – Four Amazing Bust Outs
 
Friday the 13th Turns into a Very Lucky Day for the Top 666
 
Happy Meal:  Ben Greenberg Goes to Dinner as the Chip Leader
 
Notable Day Four Eliminations Include Huck Seed and Antonio Esfandia
 
Johnny Chan Last for Former Champions Still Alive  
 
Actor Kevin Pollak Makes the Money for First Time (Interview)



NEXT UPDATE:  SATURDAY – 1 AM (END OF DAY FIVE)

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-- by Nolan Dalla