The 2016 WSOP Global Casino Championship is now down to the final six players. They’re led by Said El-Yousfi (pictured above right), a Moroccan who qualified for this tournament at the WSOP International Circuit stop in Marrakech.
The six remaining players will return tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for Day 3. They’ll determine the next WSOP bracelet winner beneath the lights on the television stage, as the final day will be filmed by ESPN for broadcast later this year (broadcast dates TBA).
Here is the lineup for the televised final table.
Seat 1 – Cody Pack – 509,000
Seat 2 – Yasin Ahmady – 236,000
Seat 3 – Said El-Yousfi – 1,351,000
Seat 4 – Joe Kuether – 458,000
Seat 5 – Josh Turner – 906,000
Seat 6 – Sean Small – 265,000
Cody Pack was an at-large qualifier. He was one of the Circuit’s most impressive performers this past season. He topped the year-long leaderboard, winning three rings along the way. Pack enters the final table third in chips.
Cody Pack
Josh Turner was an automatic qualifier (Casino Champion at Horseshoe Council Bluffs). He had a monster day yesterday and started Day 2 with a huge chip lead. He held onto the lead throughout most of the day, but was eventually overtaken just as the players combined to the unofficial final table.
Sean Small was at-large qualifier. Like Pack, he had a big year on the Circuit, winning one ring and cashing 11 times.
Yasin Ahmady was an automatic qualifier. He was the Casino Champion at Foxwoods, where all of his career WSOP cashes have come. He enters the final table as the short stack with 236,000.
Joe Kuether is the only remaining player who paid his buy-in. He was eligible due to his results in the WSOP POY standings the past two years.
Said El-Yousfi is also an automatic qualifier. He was Casino Champion in Marrakech. El-Yousfi is the lone remaining representative of the WSOP International Circuit, and his success may be a sign of things to come as the International Circuit expands to new venues in the upcoming season.
The day began with a small boost to the field size and prize pool. Late registration was open until the start of Day 2, and two players took advantage of that to buy in today: five-time bracelet winner Jason Mercier, and Brian Green. Mercier was eliminated early in the day, but Green made it all the way to the final table, eventually finishing in eight place ($36,054).
Day 2 got off to a fast start. It began with 50 players (48 who advanced from Day 1, plus the two who bought in this morning). By the first break, the field had been cut down to 31. By the following break, it was down to 23.
After that, the pace slowed considerably. With about 30 minutes to go before dinner break, Barry Hutter was eliminated, leaving just 20 players. Since 19 made the money, they started hand-for-hand play. The bubble lasted until after dinner. Eventually, David Cossio was eliminated on the bubble, and the 19 remaining players were all guaranteed a payout of at least $16,280.
It was an accomplished group who made it that far. Doug “Rico” Carli finished in 17th place ($16,280). Carli is the all-time leader in cashes on the WSOP Circuit. He has 107, and his closest competitor has 69. Other in-the-money finishers include Jon Turner (18th place), Nipun Java (16th place), Justin Zaki (13th place), Jesse Martin (12th place), and Alex Rocha (7th place). Click here for a full list of results.
Click here for live updates from Day 2.