Event #68: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship

Day 3 of the 2015 World Series of Poker had a different feel than the first few days. There was a buzz in the air, a palpable excitement, as each of the 1,796 players who returned to the felt were within reach of making the money.

By dinner, 1,051 players remained, and the players reached the money bubble shortly after returning from dinner break. Tournament staff paused play with exactly 1,002 players remaining. This is the first time in the history of the WSOP Main Event there were this many players on the bubble. For the first time ever, this year the World Series guaranteed that the top 1,000 players would be paid, regardless of how many people entered the event.

The 1,002 players began hand-for-hand play. There were no eliminations on the first hand, but on the second there were two. Jonas Lauck busted out when his top pair ran into a straight. At another table, Roy Daoud got all in preflop with pocket    against   . Unfortunately for Daoud, the board ran out with two high pair, counterfeiting his fives, and his opponent won the hand with a seven kicker.

Roy Daoud was eliminated on the bubble, but receives a free entry into the 2016 Main Event

It has become traditional at the Main Event for the bubble boy to be awarded a seat into next year’s tournament. Lauck and Daoud engaged in a high-card contest to see which would receive the $10,000 entry as a consolation prize. Daoud drew the  , and Lauck got the  . Roy Daoud, this year’s official bubble boy, is in many ways an embodiment of the global nature of the World Series of Poker. He was born in Lebanon, raised in Canada, and now lives in Dubai. And he’ll be back in Vegas a year from now for the 2016 WSOP Main Event.

After the bubble burst, all 1,000 remaining players were guaranteed a payout of at least $15,000. Up to date results are available here.

At the beginning of the day, many players felt like making the money was within their reach. Now, at the end of Day 3, 661 players remain (just over 10% of the starting field), and players are just a few days away from potentially reaching the November Nine.

Amar Anand began and ended Day 3 with the chip lead

The chip leader heading into Day 4 will be Amar Anand, who now holds that honor for the second day in a row. Anand bagged 1,139,500. He’s followed by Joseph McKeehen (1,052,000), Brian Hastings (1,034,500), and Fedor Holz, who just barely missed the million chip-mark with 994,000.

There are also still five Main Event champions still alive, leaving open the possibility of a repeat winner. Jim Bechtel has the most chips of the group, coming back tomorrow with 575,000. Joe Hachem returns with 414,500, and they’re joined by Phil Hellmuth (170,500), Ryan Riess (143,500), and Jonathan Duhamel (53,000), who already has a seven-figure payout this summer after winning the $111,111 One Drop High Roller event.

Play resumes at noon on Saturday, as the 661 remaining players continuing their pursuit of the most prized trophy in poker, the WSOP Main Event bracelet, and the $7,680,021 first-place prize that comes with it.

A player in early position opens for 11,000 and Upeshka De Silva calls. George Danzer three-bets to 36,000 and the original raiser folds. De Silva calls and checks after the     flop. Danzer bets 28,000 and De Silva check-raises to 62,500.

Danzer tanks for five minutes before he folds.

Upeshka De Silva - 705,000
George Danzer - 159,000

Max Gruvaeus, who was down to only two chips when the money bubble burst, is all in for his remaining 31,000. Phil Hellmuth is his only caller.

Gruvaeus:   
Hellmuth:   

The board runs out       and Gruvaeus doubles through Hellmuth. This is the third time Hellmuth has doubled up Gruvaeus, according to Gruvaeus' rail. "Phil is his Bank Of America!" says one friend of Gruvaeus.

Max Gruvaeus -  72,500
Phil Hellmuth - 170,000

The board on the turn is     . Toby Lewis is in position and calls a bet from Matt Jarvis on the flop and now Jarvis bets again for 26,000.

Lewis calls and the river is the  . Both players check and Jarvis reveals his    for two pair. Lewis does one better and shows   .

Toby Lewis - 480,000
Matt Jarvis - 445,000

Jeff Gross commits his remaining chips in preflop with    and is up against his opponents   .

The board runs out       to see him unable to improve as he hits the rail late on Day 3.

Jeff Gross - Eliminated

Tyler Cornell raises to 9,000 from the cutoff and the big blind calls. The flop falls    .

Both players check, then the   lands on the turn and both players check again.

The river lands the   and a bet of 6,500 from Cornell takes it down.

Tyler Cornell - 260,000

Petr Bartagov raises from early position and Matt Guan three-bets from the small blind. Bartagov moves all in for 130,000 and Guan snap-calls.

It's a race for Bartagov's tournament life with his    up against Guan's   . The board runs out       and Bartagov lets out a loud yell with a fist pump on the river as he doubles up to stay alive.

Matt Guan - 725,000
Petr Bartagov - 268,500

The small blind limps and Amar Anand calls from the big blind. The two see a flop of     and the small blind checks to Anand, who moves all in.

The small blind calls with    and will have to dodge the outs of Anand   . The   on the turn gives Anand his flush and the pot.

Amar Anand - 1,178,000

A big pile of chips sits in the middle and Fraser MacIntyre is heads up with a player on the button. The board reads       and MacIntyre moves all in for 175,500 from the small blind. Their table is by the rail, so there's a bunch of spectators watching the button take several minutes before he calls.

MacIntyre opens    for a flopped top pair that backed into a straight. "Ah, sh%t!" shouts the button as he slams down his    that rivered two pair.

Fraser MacIntyre - 605,000