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2017 48th Annual World Series of Poker The Official WSOP Live Updates

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 to Thursday, June 29, 2017

Event #53: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed

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  • Buy-in: $3,000
  • Prizepool: $691,200
  • Entries: 256
  • Remaining: 0

EVENT UPDATES

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Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:47 PM Local Time
Max Silver Wins Event #53: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed for $172,645

Max Silver

Max Silver took down Event #53: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed for $172,645 after a dominating performance at the final table.

Coming back to the six-handed final table as the chip leader, Silver took just under nine hours to see his competitors off and walk away as the newest recipient of a WSOP gold bracelet.

Although Silver has several other large scores, including a UKIPT title from seven years ago, this has to rank as the most significant score of his career so far.

Silver started off how he intended to go on, eliminating David Olson in seventh place with Big Slick.

With the official final table underway it took a while before the next elimination. Georgios Kapalas fell in sixth place ($22,952) when his hero-call with queen-high was picked off by Mickey Craft's pair of kings.

The lone female at the final table, Lena Wang lasted a while short-stacked before Silver picked her off. Wang finished in fifth place ($32,345).

Eventual winner Silver stretched his lead to around two million before the next elimination, when Craft knocked out another player — this time, it was Ayman Qutami in fourth place ($46,871). Qutami held ace-five, but Craft's queen-eight had made a pair, and Qutami couldn't find an ace on the river.

Three-handed, Silver had more than half the chips in play, and it was apparent that both Craft and Geowei Zhang were aware of the pay jump between third and second. Eventually, and despite a couple of doubles, Craft fell to Zhang in a three-way all in for third place ($69,789), and the heads-up battle was set.

Heads Up

Coming into heads-up, Silver still held a commanding chip lead, and despite a straight flush for Zhang at one point, the American wasn't able to put more than a dent in Silver's stack. In the end, Silver spiked one of his six outs to deny Zhang a chance to get back into the match.

Zhang took home $106,694 for second place, but Silver took home $172,645 for his efforts, along with his very first WSOP gold bracelet.

PositionNameCountryPayout
1Max SilverUnited Kingdom$172,645
2Geowei ZhangUnited States$106,694
3Mickey CraftUnited States$69,789
4Ayman QutamiUnited States$46,871
5Lena WangUnited States$32,345
6Georgios KapalasGreece$22,952

Reflecting on his win shortly after having his photo taken, Silver said he was "so happy" to win a bracelet.

"I can't really describe it," he began. "It's always been a dream for me to win a bracelet. I've come third, sixth, ninth...whatever. It's nice to get the win. I haven't had a big win in a while.

"I did what felt right at all times, and it seemed to work out. I don't claim to be a limit expert by any means, but I played reasonably well and I'm pretty proud of it."

Silver went wire to wire to win his first WSOP gold bracelet and nearly $180k in prize money, but he said that the chip lead didn't really play as big a part as people might expect.

"Really it's just playing the cards each hand, not playing the chips," he said. "But, for sure, it helps!"

Silver added, "It's poker and you get what you get. I was optimistic but this is far higher than anything I could have hoped for!"

The first person to hear about Silver's win? His wife, whom he telephoned from beside the final table.

"She was so happy. She's currently six months pregnant, so she was crying — extra emotions! — but, to be fair to her, she would probably be crying anyway.

"I'm going to see her in about 12 hours. I'm flying to New York, she's flying to New York, and we're going to meet in the middle!"

Silver finished his interview with a veiled warning to his fellow competitors: "I'll be back in five days."

Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:38 PM Local Time
Guowei Zhang Eliminated In 2nd Place ($106,694)

Guowei Zhang - 2nd Place

Hand #235: Guowei Zhang limped and called a raise from Max Silver.

The flop was    . Silver bet, then called a raise from Zhang. The turn card was the  , and a check from Silver saw Zhang move all in. Silver was at a loss for a moment or two, but a glance at the pot seemed to convince him to call.

Guowei Zhang:   
Max Silver:   

The river was the  . Silver hit a better pair to eliminate Zhang, and the two shook hands as cheers rang out from the rail.

Max Silver3,840,000465,000
Guowei Zhang0-390,000
Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:30 PM Local Time
Hands #231-234: Max Silver Grinding Guowei Zhang Down

Max Silver

Hand #231: Guowei Zhang raised, and Max Silver called. The flop was    , and Silver check-folded.

Hand #232: Silver raised, and Zhang called. The flop was    , and a bet from Silver took the pot.

Hand #233: Zhang limped, then called a raise from Silver. The flop was    , and Silver bet. Zhang called, but on the   turn, he folded to a big bet from Silver. Silver showed him   ,

Hand #234: Silver folded, and Zhang got a walk.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:22 PM Local Time
Hands #226-230: Max Silver Leaning

Hand #226: Max Silver raised, and Guowei Zhang folded.

Hand #227: Zhang limped, and Silver checked. The flop was    , and Silver checked. Zhang bet, and Silver folded.

Hand #228: Silver raised, and Zhang called. The flop came    , and Zhang check-raised Silver. Silver called. The turn was the  , and Zhang bet. Silver folded.

Hand #229: Zhang limped, and Silver checked his option. The flop was    , and Silver bet. Zhang folded.

Hand #230: Silver raised, and Zhang folded.

Max Silver3,375,000510,000
Guowei Zhang390,000-510,000
Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:15 PM Local Time
Hands #221-225: Chopped Pot

Hand #221: Guowei Zhang limped, and Max Silver raised. Zhang called.

Silver check-raised Zhang's bet on the     flop, and Zhang called. Silver bet the   turn, and Zhang called. Both players checked the   river.

"Ten?" asked Silver, showing   . It was good.

Max Silver offered Guowei Zhang some water. Zhang declined.

Hand #222: Silver raised, and Zhang called. Zhang check-called a bet on the     flop. He check-called another bet on the   turn. The river was the  , and Zhang check-folded.

Hand #223: Zhang raised, and Silver called.

On the     flop, Silver check-raised his opponent, only for Zhang to re-raise. Silver called. The turn was the  . Silver bet, and Zhang raised and was all in. Silver called.

Silver:   
Zhang:   

Both players had turned a straight, and the river was the  .

Hand #224: Silver raised and took down the pot.

Hand #225: Silver received a walk.

Gorilla Gaming
Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:14 PM Local Time
Hands #216-220: Back and Forth as Silver Retains Big Lead

Hand #216: Max Silver raised, and Guowei Zhang called. They got to the turn of the      board, where Zhang check-called a bet. The river was the  , and a bet fom Silver took the pot.

Hand #217: Silver got a walk.

Hand #218: Silver raised, and Zhang folded.

Hand #219: Zhang limped, and Silver checked. They got to the turn of the board reading     , where Zhang took the pot with a bet.

Hand #220: Silver raised, and Zhang called. The flop was    , and Zhang check-called a bet. The   turn was checked, and on the   river, a bet from Zhang took the pot.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:02 PM Local Time
Hands #210-215: Straight Flush for Guowei Zhang

Guowei Zhang

Hand #210: Max Silver raised, and Guowei Zhang called. Zhang check-called a bet on the     flop, then check-folded on the   turn.

Hand #211: Silver received a walk.

Hand #212: Silver raised, and Zhang called. Zhang check-folded on the     flop.

Hand #213: Zhang limped, and Silver raised. Zhang called. Silver bet the     flop, and Zhang called. Both players checked the   turn. Silver bet the   river. Zhang raised, and Silver called.

Zhang showed    for a straight flush. Silver showed the   for a straight before mucking.

Hand #214: Zhang received a walk.

Hand #215: Zhang limped, Silver raised, and Zhang called. Silver bet the     flop, and Zhang folded.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:59 PM Local Time
Hands #206-209: Heads-Up Play Begins

Heads Up

Hand #206: Max Silver raised, and Guowei Zhang called.

The flop came    , and Zhang checked. Silver bet, and Zhang called. The turn was the  , and both players checked. The river was the  , and both players checked again.

Zhang showed    for a full house and won the hand.

Hand #207: Zhang limped, and Silver checked. The flop came    , and Silver checked. Zhang bet, and Silver called. Both players checked the   turn and   river, and Silver won the hand with   .

Hand #208: Silver raised, and Zhang called. The flop came    , and Zhang bet. Silver called. The turn was the  , and Zhang check-called a bet from Silver. The river was the  , and Zhang check-called another bet. Silver showed    and won the hand.

Hand #209: Zhang raised, and Silver folded.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:43 PM Local Time
Heads-Up Chip Counts
Max Silver2,865,000165,000
Guowei Zhang900,0000
Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:43 PM Local Time
Mickey Craft Eliminated in 3rd Place ($69,789)

Mickey Craft

Hand #205: Guowei Zhang raised from the button. Max Silver three-bet from the small blind, and Mickey Craft four-bet all in for 120,000. Both Zhang and Silver called.

The remaining two active players checked down the       board, and all cards were exposed.

Zhang:   
Craft:   
Silver:   

Zhang's king-high was marginally better than Craft's, meaning the latter was eliminated in third place. He took home $69,789 for his efforts.

Play is now heads-up, with both Guowei Zhang and Max Silver taking a short break.

Mickey Craft0-20,000
Playtika - Jason Alexander
Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:42 PM Local Time
Hands #201-204: Craft Clings On

Hand #201: Max Silver got a walk.

Hand #202: Guowei Zhang and Max Silver called, and Mickey Craft was all in for his last chips. It was checked down to the river of the       board, where Silver had   , Zhang had   , and Craft won with   

Hand #203: Craft was in the small blind, and he raised. Zhang had nothing to call him with and folded.

Hand #204: Silver got a walk.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:36 PM Local Time
Hands #196-200: Mickey Craft Hanging on By a Thread

Hand #196: Mickey Craft got a walk.

Hand #197: Craft raised, and everyone folded.

Hand #198: Max Silver got a walk.

Hand #199: Silver raised, and Craft called. The flop came    , and Silver bet. Craft raised, and Silver called. The turn was the  , and both players checked. The river was the  , and Silver bet. Craft called, and Silver showed a straight with   .

Hand #200: Craft was all in for less than the small blind, and Silver raised with   . Guowei Zhang folded, and Craft showed   .

The board ran out for a chop, coming       and leaving Craft with 20,000 on the button.

Mickey Craft20,000-220,000
Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:30 PM Local Time
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Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:29 PM Local Time
Hands #191-195: Mickey Craft in the Danger Zone

Hand #191: Mickey Craft raised from the small blind, and Guowei Zhang defended his big blind. The flop came    , and Craft bet. Zhang called. Craft check-raised the   turn, and Zhang called. Craft check-folded the   river.

Hand #192: Craft raised on the button and took down the blinds and antes.

Hand #193: Max Silver raised from the small blind, and Zhang folded.

Hand #194: Silver raised from the button. Craft three-bet from the small blind, and Silver called.

The flop came    . Craft bet, and Silver called. The turn was the  , and Craft check-folded to a bet from Silver. Silver showed   .

Hand #195: Craft raised from the small blind, and Zhang folded.

Max Silver2,700,000300,000
Guowei Zhang900,000360,000
Mickey Craft240,000-660,000
Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:28 PM Local Time
Hands #186-190: Silver Running Hot

Hand #186: Mickey Craft raised, and Max Silver called in the big blind. They got to the river of a board reading      , where Silver bet, and Craft called. Silver won with   , and Craft's fours were no good.

Hand #187: Silver raised and took the pot.

Hand #188: Silver raised, and Guowei Zhang called in the big blind. The flop was    , where Zhang check-called a bet. The   turn was checked around. The river was the  , and Zhang reluctantly check-folded.

Hand #189: Zhang limped, and Silver checked. The flop was    , and Silver folded to a bet.

Hand #190: Silver raised, and Croft three-bet. Silver called. It was checked all the way down on a final board of      , and ace-high was no good for Craft, as Silver tabled   .

Gorilla Gaming
Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:19 PM Local Time
Hands #180-185: Three-Handed Play Continues

Hand #180: Guowei Zhang limped, and Max Silver checked his option. The flop was    , and Zhang bet. Silver folded.

Hand #181: Silver got a walk.

Hand #182: Mickey Craft got a walk.

Hand #183: Craft raised, and both Zhang and Silver called. The flop was    . Zhang bet, Silver folded, and Craft called. The turn was the  , and Zhang bet. Craft called, and the river was the  . Zhang bet again, and Craft called. Zhang won with   .

Hand #184: Silver raised, and Craft three-bet. Silver called. The flop came    , and Silver check-folded to Craft's bet.

Hand #186: Silver raised, and Craft and Silver called. The flop was    , and the action checked to Zhang. He bet, and his opponents folded.

Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:15 PM Local Time
Hands #176-179: Silver Stretches his Chip Lead

Hand #176: Max Silver raised from the button, and Mickey Craft called in the small blind. Craft check-called a bet on the     flop but check-folded on the   turn.

Hand #177: Craft raised from the button, and Silver defended his big blind. The flop came    , and Silver check-folded to a bet from Craft.

Hand 178: Guowei Zhang raised from the button. Silver three-bet from the small blind, and Zhang called. Silver bet the     flop, and Zhang folded.

Hand #179: Silver raised from the button, and Zhang called in the big blind. Zhang check-called bets from Silver on the     flop and   turn but check-folded on the   river.

Max Silver2,400,0000
Mickey Craft900,0000
Guowei Zhang540,0000
Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:12 PM Local Time
Hands #171-175: Silver Ramps Up the Aggression

Max Silver

Hand #171: Mickey Craft raised and took the pot.

Hand #172: Guowei Zhang raised from the button and got two calls.

The flop was    , and a bet from Zhang saw Silver check-raise. Just Zhang called. The turn was the  , and Zhang check-called. The river was the  , and Zhang check-called again.

"You're good." Silver said and showed   . Zhang showed    to win the pot.

Hand #173: Zhang got a walk in the big blind.

Hand #174: Craft raised, Zhang called, and Silver three-bet. Both players called, and the flop was    . A bet from Silver got two calls again. The turn was the  , and a bet again from Silver took the pot this time.

Hand #175: Silver raised, and Craft called. The flop was    , and a bet from Silver won the pot. He said, "If I had the Royal, I'd show it."

Thursday, June 29, 2017 7:03 PM Local Time
Hand #166-170: Mickey Craft Pips Max Silver

Hand #166: Max Silver raised, and Mickey Craft called. The flop came    , and Silver bet. Craft folded.

Hand #167: Silver raised, and Guowei Zhang called. The flop came    , and Zhang checked. Silver bet, and Zhang called. The turn was the  , and both players checked. They both checked the   on the river, and Zhang won the hand with   .

Hand #168: Craft raised, and Zhang three-bet from the small blind. Craft called. The flop came    , and Zhang bet. Craft folded.

Hand #169: Craft got a walk.

Hand #170: Silver raised, and Craft called. The flop came    , and Craft checked. Silver raised, and Craft called. The turn was the  , Craft bet, and Silver called. The river was the  , and Craft bet again. Silver called, and Craft won the hand with   .

Thursday, June 29, 2017 6:56 PM Local Time
Hands #161-165: Guowei Zhang Getting Shorter

Guowei Zhang

Hand #161: Mickey Craft raised from the small blind, and Guowei Zhang folded in the big blind.

Hand #162: Craft raised from the button. Guowei Zhang called in the small blind before Max Silver three-bet from the big blind. Both remaining players called.

The flop came    . Zhang checked to Silver, who bet. Craft called, and Zhang folded. Silver bet the   turn, and Craft called. Silver bet the   river, and Craft called.

Silver showed    for a full house and took down the pot.

Hand #163: Silver raised the small blind, and Craft called in the big blind. Craft folded to a bet on the     flop.

Hand #164: Silver raised from the button and took down the blinds and antes.

Hand #165: Craft raised from the buton. Zhang three-bet from the small blind, and Craft called. The flop came    . Zhang bet, and Craft called. Zhang check-called a bet on the   turn, and the river was the  . Zhang check-folded to a bet from Craft.

Max Silver2,300,000750,000
Mickey Craft1,100,000-300,000
Guowei Zhang480,000-235,000
Gorilla Gaming
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