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Live: $25,000 WPT World Championship
Upcoming: $100,000 WPT Super High Roller
| Earnings | $4,666,683 |
| Cashes | 13 |
| Final Tables | 5 |
| Titles | 2 |
| Tournaments Played | 79 |
Est. Current Chipcount
Est. Average Chipcount
15,200,000
Current Chipleader
-
Day 1
194,875
Day 2
428,200
Day 3
171,700
Day 4
1,168,000
Day 5
3,124,000
Day 6
2,560,000
Day 7
3rd
Level 14: 2,500-5,000, 500 ante
Michael Mizrachi (left) raises from early position to 13,500, and David Sands (right) tanks for more than a minute before he moves all in from late position for about 30,000.
Mizrachi calls with K
K
, and Sands faces elimination with A6
.
The board comes Q43
43, and Mizrachi wins the pot with two pair, kings and fours, to eliminate David Sands from the tournament.
Michael Mizrachi - 290,000 (58 BBs)
David Sands - Eliminated
With the elimination of David Sands, there are 10 players left in the field who can catch Will Failla in the WPT Player of the Year race. Joe Serock is still the biggest threat, needing a 15th-place or higher finish, while the other nine contenders need a final table finish to have a chance.
Level 14: 2,500-5,000, 500 ante
By BJ Nemeth
Note: For the official seating and chip counts, click here.
The WPT Champions Cup has the name of every WPT winner engraved on it, one name away from completing a full decade.
Registration closed about halfway thru Day 3, with a final field size of 152 players. The top 18 will finish in the money, earning at least $40,266. First prize is worth $1,196,858.
Guillaume Darcourt began the day third in chips with 356,600, and after five levels, finished the day third in chips with 641,000. Darcourt won the WPT Bucharest title back in Season VIII.
Keeping with his own tradition, Phil Hellmuth (left) showed up late, registering on Day 3. But the strategy didn't work well this time, as he played his first hand to the flop (pictured above) and lost nearly 20% of his stack to Randy Dorfman (not pictured).
Hellmuth was looking toward a comeback when he got it all in with K-K after a 5-4-3 flop, hoping to double up thru Hafiz Khan who had Q-Q. If his kings held up, Hellmuth would have an above-average stack, but a queen on the turn ended his tournament about an hour after he sat down.
Jason Mercier was another late arrival on Day 3, though he was eliminated when he got it all in with JJ against Viacheslav Igin's AK -- a king on the flop ended Mercier's WPT season. Mercier is widely considered one of the top players in the game, though he is still looking for his first WPT Final Table.
Shortly after registration closed, Lamar "Wil" Wilkinson (pictured) got it all in for a huge pot against Ubaid Habib with the board showing 6328 on the turn. Habib had JJ, but Wilkinson had QQ. The queens held up for Wilkinson to eliminate Habib and catapult into the chip lead with 560,000.
David Sands (right) studies WPT Grand Prix de Paris champion Matthew Waxman (left) after a preflop four-bet from Waxman. Sands would eventually fold, and Waxman took this pot. Both players survived the day, though they are both well below average in chips, with 33 big blinds for Waxman and 17 big blinds for Sands.
Antonio Esfandiari was one of the final three players to register, but he had a much better day than most, finishing fourth in chips with 630,100. Esfandiari has had a lot of recent success here at Bellagio, winning the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic last season, and finishing sixth in that same event earlier this season.
WPT Player of the Year points leader Will Failla (seated, center) entertains Heather Sue Mercer (right) as they both sweat the action late on Day 3. Mercer is following the progress of her father, Robert Mercer, who is seated at the table behind Failla. Failla is sweating the 12 players who still have a chance to catch him in the Player of the Year race.
Joe Serock is closest to Failla in the POY race, and can catch him by finishing 15th or higher. The other 11 contenders will need to reach the final table to catch up to Failla, as you can see below.
15th Place or better: Joe Serock
5th Place or better: Moon Kim, David Sands, Matthew Waxman
4th Place or better: Byron Kaverman, Noah Schwartz
3rd Place or better: Mohamed Ali Houssam, Tony Ruberto
1st Place: Antonio Esfandiari, Matt Juttelstad, Miha Travnik, Rinat Bogdanov
Robert Mercer survived to Day 4 with a roughly average chip stack of 301,600. His daughter, Heather Sue Mercer, made a deep run in the WPT World Championship two years ago, but was on the wrong end of one of the most memorable bad beats in WPT history.
In that hand two years ago, Faraz Jaka five-bet all in preflop with 93, and Heather Sue Mercer quickly called with A-A. But the board came 983510 to give Jaka two pair, catapulting him to the chip lead and eliminating Mercer three spots away from the money. Heather Sue is hoping her father has better luck than she had.
Joe Serock (center) was relatively short-stacked, but he won a few big pots late in the day, moving all in on the river here against Michael Mizrachi (foreground, left), and then doubling up thru Brock Parker a short while later after a flop of 542 -- Serock's AA held up against Parker's 33 (open-ended straight draw).
Serock finished the day 17th in chips with 400,800. As pointed out earlier, he needs to finish 15th or higher to catch Will Failla in the Player of the Year race, so it looks like it'll be an interesting sweat for Failla on Day 4.
Nick Schulman moved up the leaderboard when he won a pot worth more than 500,000 against Michael Mizrachi in the final minutes of the day. The final board showed 752109 -- Mizrachi check-raised the flop, bet the turn, and check-raised the river. Schulman tanked for about a minute before calling with QQ, and Mizrachi mucked. Schulman finished the day second in chips with 768,000.
Curt Kohlberg went on a strong run late on Day 3 to take a big chip lead, busting several players on his way to 918,300 in chips. Kohlberg has three WPT Final Tables under his belt, and his best result was a runner-up finish at last season's WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown, where he won $586,109.
There are 44 players remaining, and the top 18 will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $40,266. First prize is worth $1,196,858.
Here is a look at the top of the leaderboard:
1. Curt Kohlberg - 918,300 (183 BBs)
2. Nick Schulman - 768,000 (153 BBs)
3. Guillaume Darcourt - 641,000 (128 BBs)
4. Antonio Esfandiari - 630,100 (126 BBs)
5. Rinat Bogdanov - 624,100 (124 BBs)
Day 4 begins Tuesday at 12:00 noon PT, and action will continue for another five 90-minute levels as the field approaches the money bubble. Stay tuned to WPT.com for continuing live coverage.
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
The board reads 752 when Michael Mizrachi checks from the small blind and Nick Schulman bets 18,000 from the cutoff. Joe Elpayaa is on the button and calls.
Mizrachi check-raises, making it 38,000 to play. Schulman thinks a bit, then calls. Elpayaa folds. The turn is the 10 and Mizrachi bets 45,000. Schulman calls.
The river is the 9 and Mizrachi checks. Schulman bets 72,000, then Mizrachi check-raises to 145,000 total. Schulman sits back in his seat, scratches his head and thinks a good minute before calling.
Mizrachi doesn't turn over his hand, then Schulman shows QQ for an overpair of queens. Mizrachi checks his cards, then mucks, giving Schulman the sizeable pot.
Nick Schulman - 830,000
Michael Mizrachi - 175,000
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
Michael Mizrachi is in the hijack and Hafiz Khan is on the button when the two get it all-in for Khan's 191,100 chips on a flop of J99. Khan holds QQ for two pair, queens and nines. Mizrachi is drawing with A10 for the nut flush draw.
The 9 on the turn improves Khan to a full house and renders Mizrachi's flush draw meaningless.
"That's a good card for me," Mizrahi deadpans. Mizrachi is not dead yet though, as an ace or the case nine will give him the best hand.
The river is neither, instead coming 4 and Khan takes the massive pot to double up.
Hafiz Khan - 530,000
Michael Mizrachi - 380,000
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
With the final board showing A847Q and about 125,000 already in the pot, Joe Serock has moved all in from middle position for about 110,000. Michael Mizrachi tanks for a while under the gun before he folds, and Serock takes the pot.
Joe Serock - 235,000
Michael Mizrachi - 300,000
Serock is a key player in the WPT Player of the Year race. Will Failla is the current leader, but he has already been eliminated. Serock is second on the POY leaderboard, and he will pass Failla in the POY race with a 15th-place or higher finish.
Level 9: 800-1,600, 200 ante
At the start of play today, eight of the top 15 players on the leaderboard are members of the WPT Champions Club :
1. Michael Mizrachi - 428,200
2. Rinat Bogdanov - 381,000
3. Guillaume Darcourt (pictured above) - 356,600
6. Tony Ruberto - 309,100
10. Matt Juttelstad - 274,000
12. John Hennigan - 265,500
13. David Chiu - 264,300
15. Mohamed Ali Houssam - 256,500
Of that group, four earned their titles earlier this season (Bodanov, Ruberto, Juttelstad, and Houssam), trying to join Tuan Le as the only players in history to win the WPT World Championship after winning a WPT title earlier that season. Tuan Le accomplished that feat all the way back in Season III.
Level 9: 800-1,600, 200 ante
By BJ Nemeth
There was a partial solar eclipse visible in Las Vegas on Sunday, and the peak of it coincided with the last level of Day 2 of the WPT World Championship. People in Northern Nevada were able to see an annular solar eclipse, in which the moon is in front of the sun, but smaller, so there is a ring of sunlight visible around it.
Steve O'Dwyer was the chipleader at the start of Day 2 with 231,750 in chips. O'Dwyer held strong and finished the day seventh in chips with 301,900.
In an unusual hand, Daniel Buzgon (left) faced off against Vanessa Rousso (right) over a board of Q109A10. Rousso check-raised the turn, and then bet out on the river enough to put Buzgon all in. Buzgon tanked for about five minutes before calling with A10 -- a full house, tens full of aces.
Rousso was stunned, and mucked her cards as another player said it was the longest tank he had ever seen with such a strong hand. Buzgon apologized to the table, and said, "It's either a slowroll, or I'm out."
Twenty Season X WPT winners earned entry into this event along with their titles, and 18 of them entered on Day 1. The two holdouts were Matthew Waxman (pictured) and Dave Shallow, who both joined the field early on Day 2.
Seated next to Tyler Smith (right), Noah Schwartz was sporting a new look -- he wasn't wearing his signature glasses. He had them on Day 1, but had laser eye surgery before Day 2 began. Get used to the new look of Noah Schwartz.
Scott Seiver (standing) and David Williams (seated) were the last two players to win the WPT World Championship, with Seiver taking the title last season, and Williams winning it back in Season VIII. The two other former WPT World Champions in the field are David Chiu (season VI) and Martin de Knijff (Season II).
Vanessa Selbst had a great run at the last WPT event here at Bellagio, the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Selbst finished third in that event to win $338,351. Unfortunately, that will be the highlight of Selbst's season on the WPT, as she was eliminated here on Day 2.
David "Bakes" Baker (center) moves all in over a river bet against reigning WPT World Champion Scott Seiver (left) on a board of K10549. Seiver tanked for about two minutes before forfeiting the pot to Baker.
Poker reporter Tim Fiorvanti watches the partial solar eclipse from the Bellagio, as the sun slowly sets behind the Palms and Rio casinos over Red Rock Canyon. The eclipse wasn't visible with the naked eye, so Fiorvanti is wearing special glasses designed for observing the sun.
Daniel Negreanu (standing) four-bet all in preflop with AK against Lance Steinberg (seated, center) and Guillaume Darcourt (not pictured). The flop came QJ2, and Steinberg and Darcourt quickly got it all in. Before they showed their cards, Negreanu said, "Both of these guys got sets, but I'm still alive!"
Sure enough, Darcourt had JJ for middle set, and Steinberg turned over QQ for top set. Negreanu's A-K flopped a gutshot straight draw, and he needed a ten to stay alive.
The ten never came, and Steinberg won the pot to double up thru Darcourt and eliminate Negreanu from the tournament.
Rinat Bogdanov earned his entry into the WPT World Championship by winning the WPT Venice Grand Prix back in February. Bogdanov had an excellent Day 2, finishing second in chips with 381,000. Bogdanov will attempt to become the first player in seven years to win a WPT World Championship after winning a WPT title earlier that season -- Tuan Le did it back in Season III.
Allen Kessler (left) looks on as Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi (right) takes the chip lead late in the day. Mizrachi, who already has two WPT titles to his credit, finished at the top of the leaderboard with 428,200.
The field size has grown to 135 players, and there are 95 still in action. Registration remains open until the middle of Day 3, but here are the current chipleaders:
1. Michael Mizrachi - 428,200
2. Rinat Bogdanov - 381,000
3. Guillaume Darcourt - 356,600
4. David Steicke - 345,500
5. Isaac Haxton - 313,500
6. Tony Ruberto - 309,100
7. Steve O'Dwyer - 301,900
8. Ubaid Habib - 288,100
9. John Esposito - 284,200
10. Matt Juttelstad - 274,000
Day 3 begins at 12:00 noon PT, and registration remains open until the beginning of Level 12 -- about 5:00 pm PT. The field will revert to a more standard schedule of five 90-minute levels, and you can continue to get live coverage right here at WPT.com
Level 8: 600-1,200, 200 ante
A pass through the room indicates that WPT Champions Club member Michael Mizrachi seems to be the chip leader at the moment with right around 400,000, but he isn't the only player starting to pull away from the pack as Day 2 winds down.
Season X WPT Venice Grand Prix Rinat Bogdanov is not too far behind him with 385,000 and Bay 101 Shooting Star runner-up Ubaid Habib is near the top of the counts as well with 340,000.
Level 7: 500-1,000, 100 ante
Season X Foxwoods World Poker Finals Champ Daniel Santoro raises to 2,500 from middle position, Allen Kessler calls behind him, and Michael Mizrachi calls as well. Season X Bay 101 Shooting Star runner-up Ubaid Habib is in the big blind and reraises to 12,500. Santoro and Kessler both fold, but Mizrachi calls.
The flop comes J54 and Habib checks. Mizrachi bets 13,000 and Habib thinks a bit before calling. The turn is the 7 and Habib quickly calls.
The river pairs the board with the J and Habib moves all-in for 49,500.
"Its so obvious," Mizrachi tells the table as he folds his hand.
Ubaid Habib - 160,000
Michael Mizrachi - 155,000
Level 4: 200-400, 50 ante
Season X WPT Vienna Champ Morten Christensen raises to 1,000, then Michael Mizrachi reraises to 2,600 behind him. Isaac Baron is in the big blind and reraises to 8,400. Christensen folds and Mizrachi calls.
The flop comes 1083 and Baron bets 8,500. Mizrachi calls. The turn is the 2 and Baron bets 17,000. Mizrachi calls again. The river is the J and Baron slows down and checks. Mizrachi bets 48,000, which is enough to put Baron all-in for his remaining 46,575.
Baron thinks for several minutes. He stares at the board and says, "The jack? That really hit you?" Mizrachi doesn't say much. Baron thinks a while longer then asks, "Will you show if I fold?"
"You won't want to see them," Mizrachi tells Baron.
Baron thinks a while longer, then pump fakes his cards into the muck to try to get a reaction out of Mizrachi. He doesn't fold though and one of the other players at the table calls the clock.
A floor person comes over and gives Baron a one minute countdown. As the clock winds down, Mizrachi comments that Baron is making his heart race. As the floor person counts down the final ten seconds, Mizrachi pulls his t-shirt over his face.
Baron sits silently as the clock expires and his hand is declared dead. Mizrachi shows him 24 for just a pair of deuces and Baron squirms and lets out a long sigh at having folded what is presumably the best hand.
After being down to 10,000 chips early in the day, Mizrachi has more than rallied back and is now sitting well above starting stack.
Michael Mizrachi - 155,000
Isaac Baron - 46,500
