News
MAX STEINBERG RETAKES THE LEAD HEADED INTO DAY 4 DINNER BREAK
Jul 12 2013 08:55 PM EST
It has only been six hours, but Day 4 of the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event is proving to be a memorable one.
The biggest news of the day so far was Doyle Brunson's elimination, which came about an hour before the dinner break. Brunson was playing at the ESPN feature table all afternoon, but was never able to generate much momentum following what had been three days of absolute magic. When Brunson stood from the table, so did everyone else, showing reverence and respect for the man who was there when Texas Hold'em began, more than half a century ago. First the players rose to their feet, followed by hundreds of spectators. And as the tide of emotion rose throughout the room, everyone stopped for just a moment to ashow the man what he has meant to this game.
When play began at noon today, there were 666 players vying for 648 paydays. In the span of 90 minutes, the field burst the bubble, guaranteeing the remaining players a minimum payday of $19,106. By the conclusion of three levels of the five that will be completed on this day, half of them had been eliminated. We're all the way down to 332 players, and falling fast.
Longtime poker veteran Farzad Bonyadi finished in the dreaded bubble spot – just one away from making the money. With 649 players remaining , Bonyadi faced a tough decision. He had more than enough chips to coast to a $19,106 payout – the guaranteed minimum for cashing. Instead, Bonyadi decided to gamble, shoving his last 200,000 in chips into the pot holding a pair of jacks only to run into another player's straight.
Fortunately for three-time gold bracelet winner Bonyadi, there was a silver lining to his cloud of disappointment. WSOP.com stepped up and awarded Bonyadi a complimentary $10,000 entry into next year's WSOP. Hence, he officially becomes the first entry into the 2014 WSOP Main Event.
Defending World Champion Greg Merson (Laurel, MD) continues to roll with confidence. He's in good shape right now, ranked in the top 100. Merson is currently making the best run for a reigning champion since Peter Eastgate won in 2008, and then finished in the top 100 the following year.
Two players, Ronnie Bardah and Christian Harder, tied the record for most consecutive Main Event cashes, which currently stands at four (no player has ever cashed five years in a row). The consecutive cashes record is now held by those previously mentioned in addition to Robert Turner (1991-1994), Bo Sehlstedt (2004-2007), Theodore Park (2005-2008), Christopher Overgard (2007-2010) and Diogo Borges (2008-2011), and Chris Bjorin (2008-2011).
The day didn't go nearly as well for some of poker's biggest names. Eight-time gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel hit the rail about 90 minutes after hitting the money. Other WSOP title holders who made an unwanted exit during the afternoon and early evening included – Humberto Brenes, Steve Zolotow, Blair Rodman, Grant Hinkle, Michael Mizrachi, Jake Cody, and others.
As of the 7 pm dinner break, the chip lead once again belongs to bracelet winner Max Steinberg., followed closely by Jason Cohen
Here is a look at the unofficial top ten counts from the dinner break:
1. Max Steinberg - 1,795,000
2. Jason Cohen - 1,785,000
3. Jonathan Lane -1,732,000
4. Keanu Tabali - 1,600,000
5. Kevin Williams - 1,520,000
The biggest news of the day so far was Doyle Brunson's elimination, which came about an hour before the dinner break. Brunson was playing at the ESPN feature table all afternoon, but was never able to generate much momentum following what had been three days of absolute magic. When Brunson stood from the table, so did everyone else, showing reverence and respect for the man who was there when Texas Hold'em began, more than half a century ago. First the players rose to their feet, followed by hundreds of spectators. And as the tide of emotion rose throughout the room, everyone stopped for just a moment to ashow the man what he has meant to this game.
When play began at noon today, there were 666 players vying for 648 paydays. In the span of 90 minutes, the field burst the bubble, guaranteeing the remaining players a minimum payday of $19,106. By the conclusion of three levels of the five that will be completed on this day, half of them had been eliminated. We're all the way down to 332 players, and falling fast.
Longtime poker veteran Farzad Bonyadi finished in the dreaded bubble spot – just one away from making the money. With 649 players remaining , Bonyadi faced a tough decision. He had more than enough chips to coast to a $19,106 payout – the guaranteed minimum for cashing. Instead, Bonyadi decided to gamble, shoving his last 200,000 in chips into the pot holding a pair of jacks only to run into another player's straight.
Fortunately for three-time gold bracelet winner Bonyadi, there was a silver lining to his cloud of disappointment. WSOP.com stepped up and awarded Bonyadi a complimentary $10,000 entry into next year's WSOP. Hence, he officially becomes the first entry into the 2014 WSOP Main Event.
Defending World Champion Greg Merson (Laurel, MD) continues to roll with confidence. He's in good shape right now, ranked in the top 100. Merson is currently making the best run for a reigning champion since Peter Eastgate won in 2008, and then finished in the top 100 the following year.
Two players, Ronnie Bardah and Christian Harder, tied the record for most consecutive Main Event cashes, which currently stands at four (no player has ever cashed five years in a row). The consecutive cashes record is now held by those previously mentioned in addition to Robert Turner (1991-1994), Bo Sehlstedt (2004-2007), Theodore Park (2005-2008), Christopher Overgard (2007-2010) and Diogo Borges (2008-2011), and Chris Bjorin (2008-2011).
The day didn't go nearly as well for some of poker's biggest names. Eight-time gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel hit the rail about 90 minutes after hitting the money. Other WSOP title holders who made an unwanted exit during the afternoon and early evening included – Humberto Brenes, Steve Zolotow, Blair Rodman, Grant Hinkle, Michael Mizrachi, Jake Cody, and others.
As of the 7 pm dinner break, the chip lead once again belongs to bracelet winner Max Steinberg., followed closely by Jason Cohen
Here is a look at the unofficial top ten counts from the dinner break:
2. Jason Cohen - 1,785,000
3. Jonathan Lane -1,732,000
4. Keanu Tabali - 1,600,000
5. Kevin Williams - 1,520,000
6. Sami Rustom - 1,500,000
7. Seaver Kyaw - 1,481,000
8. Vladimir Geshkenbein - 1,430,000
9. Jay Farber - 1,417,000
10. Dick van Luijk - 1,407,000
8. Vladimir Geshkenbein - 1,430,000
9. Jay Farber - 1,417,000
10. Dick van Luijk - 1,407,000
