Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:58 AM Local Time
Wednesday's Main Event action consisted of two separate flights of players divided into two different areas of the Rio Convention Center. The 470 Day 1A survivors fit snugly inside the Amazon Room, while the 1,154 survivors from Day 1B were spread throughout the Pavilion and Brasilia Rooms.
Hamid Feiz brought the big stack of 182,675 back into action today, but his lead was quickly erased by the chase pack. When the first break arrived, Charles Sylvestre was out in front of the field with 236,000 chips. By the second second break, he’d worked that up to 275,000, still holding the overall chip lead. Sylvestre's early success tailed off a bit, but he still ended Day 2 with an above-average stack of 142,300.
Joe Lu began his ascension up the leaderboard during the third level of the day. Lu won a huge pot with a flopped straight, then beat Kenny Hallaert in another sizable confrontation to surge past 400,000 chips. He went to dinner with 418,300, miles ahead of his nearest challengers, and coasted to the finish with 387,400 at night's end.
Amar Anand (pictured) seized control of Day 2 almost immediately after the dinner break. Anand edged his way into the chip lead by winning a flip with ace-queen, then extended his advantage with an aggressive final two levels. He was the first player to cross the 500,000-chip mark, and he's still the only player to crest 600,000. Anand finished the day with 603,500 chips, the biggest stack in the room.
The gap between Anand and his nearest pursuers is more than 100,000 chips -- almost an average stack for the remaining field. Luther Tran made his presence known during the last level of the night when he and David Harris played a big, strange hand with pocket kings against pocket aces. Tran flopped a set, though, then turned a full house to drag the monster pot and put his name among the chip leaders. He finished the day with 479,700 chips, good for third place overall. Calvin Lee emerged from the pack to claim the second spot right at the end of play, bagging up 500,700 chips.
Here are the top five chip stacks from today's session:
Amar Anand - 603,500
Calvin Lee - 500,700
Luther Tran - 479,700
Charles Chattha - 423,300
Alan Mastic - 400,000
Will Molson (370,300), Danny Fuhs (368,800) Brian Hastings (367,300), Pierre Neuville (357,600), Jake Cody (340,100), Anton Morgenstern (305,000) and Fedor Holz (303,900) also survived with well above-average stacks.
Not everyone was fortunate enough to bag up heaps of chips heading into Day 3 of the Main Event, though. Chris Moneymaker took an early exit when he lost a flip with ace-king against Daniel Colman's pocket queens. Jorryt van Hoof and his king-queen couldn't beat Talal Shakerchi's ace-jack during his final hand, and the 2014 November Niner was sent to the rail midway through the evening. Amit Makhija got his money in even better than those two, holding pocket queens against Vivek Rajkumar's ace-ten. Two more aces flopped, though, and Makhija joined the list of eliminations. Barry Shulman, Jeremy Ausmus, Andy Black, Jason Mercier, Brian Rast, Phil Galfond, Matt Salsberg, Jennifer Tilly, James Woods, and WSOP.com Online Event Champion Anthony "casedismissed" Spinella also had their Main Event lives cut short over the course of the five-level day.
By the time the bags came out, about 650 of the 1,624 starters advanced. They'll have a day off tomorrow to prepare for what could be a long and prosperous road to the final table.
Thursday is Day 2C, and it will be much larger than today’s combined fields. More than 2,700 players who survived Day 1C will return at noon to play these same five levels. The huge, staggered field of 6,420 total players will finally be combined into one session beginning with Friday’s Day 3.
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:49 AM Local Time
In the last hand of the night Fatima Moreira de Melo, in the big blind, bets 4,400 on a board with around 11,000 in the pot. A player in early position calls, and Greg Raymer raises to 11,000. Moreira de Melo calls, and so does the third player.
Moreira de Melo bets then 25,700 on the river. The third player in the hand folds, but Raymer calls. Moreira de Melo shows and wins against Raymer's .
Fatima Moreira de Melo - 160,400
Greg Raymer - 59,400
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:42 AM Local Time
Shawn Cunix raises to 6,500 from middle position. Action folds around to Blake Bohn, who calls from under the gun.
The flop falls . Cunix bets 7,000. Bohn throws out 12,000. Cunix says: "Are you min-raising me?" Bohn apologises and throws out an extra 2,000, making it 14,000. Cunix tanks then folds.
Blake Bohn - 169,000
Shawn Cunix - 161,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:37 AM Local Time
A player opens in middle position and Randy Lew three-bets the button to 7,500. Mitch Schock is in the small blind and puts in a four-bet to 16,600.
The initial raiser folds and action is back on Lew, who goes deep into the tank, counting and recounting his stack a few times before quietly announcing himself "all-in".
The total is for just over 40,000 and the dealer gets midway through counting Lew's stack before Schock verbalizes "call", while pushing in his stack.
He has Lew covered but will need to hit to score the knockout, as Schock holds to Lew's .
Schock does, as the board runs out with Lew's kings getting rundown by a rivered broadway straight.
Lew is eliminated with just a few hands remaining in this Day 2 session.
Mitch Schock - 125,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:35 AM Local Time
With 75,000 in the middle and the board reading , Fedor Holz is all in for his final 82,000.
His opponent tanks for a few minutes, and then slams calling chips in the middle.
Holz turns over , much to the dismay of his opponent who has .
Fedor Holz - 239,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:34 AM Local Time
Martin Potts - a famed poker commentator back in Germany - told of his unfortunate demise a short while ago:
He said he sat on 26,000 in the big blind and called after Jason Mann min-raised. Both checked a (rainbow) flop and Potts led out for 3,100 on the turn. He was called, then shoved on after he bet 5,100 on the river. He called with king-jack and was shown ace-jack to bust.
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:29 AM Local Time
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:26 AM Local Time
Action folds around to David Bach in middle position. He opens with a raise to 2,800. The player in the cutoff calls. The player on the button puts in a reraise to 10,000 total. Both the blinds fold, and action is back on Bach. Bach thinks about it, then eventually decides to move all in for 31,900 total. The cutoff folds, and the button snap-calls with a covering stack and puts Bach at risk.
"You weren't supposed to call that fast," Bach says before seeing his opponent's hand.
Bach:
Opponent:
The board runs out , and it's safe for Bach. He earns a double up plus a little more from the blinds and antes.
David Bach - 67,400
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:26 AM Local Time
Matt Salsberg shoves all in with 8,500 (According to Gary Hasson, Kelly had previously opened). The big blind goes all in with 23,000. Kevin Kelley calls.
Salsberg tables . The big blind turns over and Kelley flips over .
The board comes .
Kelley wins the pot with a straight, Salsberg and the big blind are eliminated.
The eliminated players shake hands with their tablemates. The big blind approaches Kelley, and as he shakes his hand, he says: "Nice hand man, good luck!"
Kevin Kelley - 202,000
Matt Salsberg - Eliminated
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:26 AM Local Time
With approximately 9,000 in the pot and the flop showing , Chris Moorman bets 3,500 and gets calls from his two opponents. The turn is the and Moorman check-calls a 6,000 bet from Brian Deleon, with the third person in the hand folding.
The river is the and both players check. Moorman shows for eights and sixes and Deleon mucks his hand.
Chris Moorman - 145,000
Brian Deleon - 82,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:23 AM Local Time
Phil Galfond is all in preflop against Nicholas Katz. Galfond is short-stacked and behind with against the of Katz.
The board runs out . The flop gives both players their pair, and the turn gives them both two pair, but the hand that started behind, finishes behind and Galfond is eliminated.
Every player at the table says farewell to Galfond and most of them get up from their chairs just to shake his hand. Galfond has a smile on his face and, even though he busted, he seems to have had a wonderful time with his table on Day 2 of the Main Event.
Nicholas Katz - 42,000
Phil Galfond - Eliminated
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:21 AM Local Time
Brian Hastings raises to 3,000 from early position, and the player ons his left calls. The hijack comes along and so does Nick Grippo on the button. Hastings and his neighbor both check. The hijack bets 6,000 on the flop, Grippo folds, Hastings and his neighbor both call. The three players check the flop and turn. Hastings shows and the other two both muck their cards.
Brian Hastings - 337,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:20 AM Local Time
An early position player opens for 2,500 and Edgard Cabacas three-bets to 7,000 on his immediate left. The button calls and action folds back to the initial raiser, who makes it 23,000.
Cabacas calls and the button jams his last 60,000 in the middle. Cabacas calls and has against the of the button.
Cabacas flops a king and is able to fade all other trouble to send his opponent to the rail.
Edgard Cabacas - 145,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:15 AM Local Time
Adam Bilzerian has been eliminated by Dan Hicks, who replayed the hand.
"I opened for 3,000 with queens and he raised to 8,500, and I called. The flop came queen-high and I check-called a bet from him. We both checked the flop and on the river I bet 15,000 and he moved all in and I snap-called. He had aces."
Dan Hicks - 170,000
Adam Bilzerian - Eliminated
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:15 AM Local Time
Talal Shakerchi lost a few chips not too long ago when his kings fell victim to an opponent's suited connetcters but he was soon back on the horse.
The flop is
and Shakerchi in the big blind check-calls a bet of 4,000. The turn is the
and both players check. The river is the
and a bet of 10,500 from Shakerchi is called. He turns over
for the nuts and his opponent nods and mucks.
Talal Shakerchi - 124,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:15 AM Local Time
John Lasso raises to 3,000. Palma three-bets to 7,900. Lasso goes over the top and makes it 16,000. Palma calls and the flop comes . Lasso starts it off for 18,000. Palma calls.
The turn comes . Both players check. The river brings . Lasso bets 38,000. Palma tanks and throws the chips in the middle. Lasso shows for jacks full. Palma mucks his hand, and Lasso takes it down.
John Lasso - 280,500
Nick Palma - 112,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:14 AM Local Time
A player opens to 3,000 in early position and another player calls in the hijack before former World Series of Poker Main Event November Niner, Michael Esposito, three-bets the button to 12,500.
The initial raiser folds and the player in the hijack calls to see the flop.
The board brings checks from both players and the brings a lead bet of 10,000 from the hijack.
Esposito quickly makes it 21,000 and, after some thought and a question about the possibility of pocket tens, the hijack folds, conceding the pot to Esposito.
After starting this Day 2 session as the short stack, the 2012 seventh place Main Event finisher is now working just under the century mark, with 20 minutes remaining in the night.
Michael Esposito - 90,000
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:14 AM Local Time
A player raises from first position and is called by Tom Yates in the next seat and the big blind.
The flop comes and the aggressor continues for 6,000. Yates in the only player to call and both go on to check the turn and river down. Yates opens for ace high which is good as his opponent mucks.
Yates, hails from the UK and won his way here online, starting in a 1c ($0.01) satellite. It will be some story if he goes deep and he has every chance.
Tom Yates - 130,000.
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:05 AM Local Time
Gary Hasson has one opponent on a with 19,000 in the pot. Hasson's opponent has around 24,000 behind, Hasson covers him. Hasson shoves all-in on the turn. His opponent tanks for a minute or so, but doesn't take the risk for his tournament life yet and folds.
Gary Hasson - 89,400
Thursday, July 9, 2015 12:04 AM Local Time
Nick Palma raises it to 2,500. Zeph Baer calls. The flop comes . Both players check. The turn brings the . Check, check. completes the board. Palma bets 4,500. Baer calls and shows . His aces are good and Palma mucks his hand.
Zeph Baer - 110,000
Nick Palma - 176,000