WPT World Championship, Day 6 Recap
Level 25: 30,000-60,000, 5,000 ante
By BJ Nemeth
With nine players returning to action on Day 6, Moon Kim (pictured) was the last remaining contender for WPT Player of the Year. Joe Serock had the points lead, but Kim could tie him with a fourth-place finish, and pass him to win the title outright with a third-or-better finish.
You may not know it from their expressions, but Marvin Rettenmaier (center) actually won this pot, and Hafiz Khan (left) lost it. Khan five-bet all in preflop with A
K
, and Rettenmaier called with J
J
. The board came 9
8
7
3
6
, and the jacks held up for Rettenmaier, eliminating Khan in ninth place.
Trevor Pope (right) was down below 20 big blinds when he three-bet all in with K
Q
, and Marvin Rettenmaier (foreground, left) called with A
J
. The board came K
8
3
5
J
, and Pope paired his king on the flop and rivered a spade flush to double up in chips.
Six hands later, Wil Wilkinson (standing, center) moved all in for 13 big blinds with A
6
, but ran into the Q
Q
of Michael Mizrachi (right). The board came K
Q
3
6
3
, and Mizrachi won the pot with an unnecessary full house, queens full of threes. Wilkinson was eliminated in eighth place.
The final seven players, in seat order: (1) Michael Mizrachi, (2) Marvin Rettenmaier, (3) Steve O'Dwyer, (4) Nick Schulman, (5) Moon Kim, (6) Trevor Pope, (7) Philippe Ktorza.
In the final hand of the day, Moon Kim (standing, center left) raised, Michael Mizrachi (foreground, right) called, and Marvin Rettenmaier (foreground left) reraised. Kim quickly moved all in, and Mizrachi tanked for a while before he folded.
Rettenmaier called with 9
9
, and it was a race against Kim's A
Q
.
The board came J
7
3
4
6
, and Rettenmaier won the pot to increase his chip lead, while Moon Kim was the unfortunate seventh-place finisher, bubbling the TV final table.
With Kim's elimination, Joe Serock officially became the WPT Season X Player of the Year.
Philippe Ktorza will begin Saturday's WPT Final Table sixth in chips with 895,000 (15 big blinds).
Trevor Pope will begin Saturday's WPT Final Table fifth in chips with 1,480,000 (25 big blinds).
WPT Champions Club member Nick Schulman will begin Saturday's WPT Final Table fourth in chips with 1,555,000 (26 big blinds).
Steve O'Dwyer will begin Saturday's WPT Final Table third in chips with 2,035,000 (34 big blinds).
WPT Champions Club member Michael Mizrachi already has two WPT titles under his belt, and he will begin Saturday's WPT Final Table second in chips with 2,560,000 (43 big blinds).
Marvin Rettenmaier will begin Saturday's WPT Final Table as the massive chipleader with 6,715,000 (112 big blinds). Rettenmaier has 44% of all the chips in play.
The WPT Final Table begins Saturday at 4:00 pm PT, and you can watch it on the WPT Live Stream with a 30-minute delay showing holecards and providing analysis from Tony Dunst and Dan O'Brien. Of course, live hand-for-hand coverage will also be provided here in the WPT Live Updates.
Here are the official seating and chip counts, along with the final table prizepool:
Seat 1. Michael Mizrachi - 2,560,000 (43 BBs)
Seat 2. Marvin Rettenmaier - 6,715,000 (112 BBs)
Seat 3. Steve O'Dwyer - 2,035,000 (34 BBs)
Seat 4. Nick Schulman - 1,555,000 (26 BBs)
Seat 5. Trevor Pope - 1,480,000 (25 BBs)
Seat 6. Philippe Ktorza - 895,000 (15 BBs)
1st: $1,196,858
2nd: $805,310
3rd: $424,618
4th: $256,235
5th: $192,176
6th: $155,571
Sorted In:
Featured Blog, Moon Kim, Hafiz Khan, Wil Wilkinson, Michael Mizrachi, Marvin Rettenmaier, Steve ODwyer, Nick Schulman, Trevor Pope, Philippe Ktorza, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
02:28 PM, 05/25/12
Hand #69: Wil Wilkinson Eliminated in 8th Place ($82,361)
Level 24: 25,000-50,000, 5,000 ante
Hand #69 - Wil Wilkinson (standing, center left) moves all-in from middle position for 650,000 and Michael Mizrachi (right) calls from the cutoff. Wilkinson turns over A
6
and he will need some help against Mizrachi's Q
Q
.
The K
Q
3
flop gives Mizrachi middle set and leaves Wilkinson drawing pretty slim. The turn is the 6
and Wilkinson is left drawing dead. The river is an inconsequential 3
and Wilkinson is eliminated.
The players are now one elimination away from the televised final table and the end of Day 6 play.
Michael Mizrachi - 3,630,000 (73 BBs)
Wil Wilkinson - eliminated in 8th place ($82,361)
Sorted In:
Michael Mizrachi, Wil Wilkinson, Featured Blog, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
12:55 PM, 05/24/12
WPT World Championship, Day 5 Recap
Level 24: 25,000-50,000, 5,000 ante
By BJ Nemeth
Day 5 began with 19 players, but only 18 would finish in the money. It took about 20 minutes for the bubble to burst, and the unfortunate player was Josh Arieh (standing, center), who got it all in preflop with A
J
against the K
K
of Marvin Rettenmaier (left).
The final 18 players redrew for seats at the final two tables. The chipleader at this point was Hafiz Khan with 2.1 million, while POY contender Joe Serock was one of the short stacks with only 12 big blinds. Serock would need to outlast three more players to catch Will Failla in the WPT Player of the Year race.
Guillaume Darcourt (standing, right) smiles even as he is eliminated in 18th place by Wil Wilkinson (standing, left). With the board showing A
10
7
8
on the turn, Darcourt raised all in with 9
7
(pair and a straight draw) against Wilkinson's 8
8
(set of eights). Darcourt missed his straight draw and was out of the tournament.
With 17 players remaining, Joe Serock needed to outlast two more to pass Will Failla in the WPT Player of the Year race. But with only 15 big blinds in his chip stack, he couldn't afford to wait, and he moved all in preflop with A
10
. Trevor Pope (foreground, right) called from the button with 9
9
.
The board came A
5
3
4
K
, and Serock (standing, background center) pumped his fist as he won the hand to double up in chips. Serock was still in the hunt for the WPT Player of the Year title.
WPT Venice Grand Prix champion Rinat Bogdanov (center right) threw up his hands as he was eliminated in 16th place in a three-way all-in situation against Matt Juttelstad and Ron Coury.
Coury was the short stack with 6
6
, Juttelstad was the big stack with A
A
, and Bogdanov was stuck in the middle with 10
10
. There was a 6 on the turn to give Coury the triple up, while Juttelstad won the side pot to eliminate Bogdanov.
With Rinat Bogdanov's elimination in 16th place, Joe Serock was guaranteed 15th or higher place, and passed Will Failla for the points lead in the WPT Player of the Year race. But it wasn't over yet, because both Moon Kim and Matt Juttelstad could catch Serock if they went deep enough.
Barry Shulman (pictured) was eliminated in 15th place when he moved all in with 9
9
and ran into Trevor Pope's 10
10
.
Short stack Ron Coury (left) moves all in after a flop against big stack Trevor Pope (right). Pope would fold, giving Coury another small pot to stay alive.
After eliminating John Esposito in 12th place, Hafiz Khan (pictured) was the massive chipleader with more than 4 million.
Trevor Pope didn't have as many chips as Hafiz Khan, but he was still among the big stacks with more than 2 million.
Ron Coury (standing, center) was eliminated in 11th place when he got it all in with Q
8
against the 10
10
of Moon Kim (right) and never improved.
With Ron Coury's elimination in 11th place, the final 10 players combined to a single table. In seat order: (1) Wil Wilkinson, (2) Michael Mizrachi, (3) Hafiz Khan, (4) Marvin Rettenmaier, (5) Steve O'Dwyer, (6) Nick Schulman, (7) Moon Kim, (8) Trevor Pope, (9) Joe Serock, and (10) Philippe Ktorza.
In the first hand at the 10-handed table, Nick Schulman (left) check-raised all in on the turn with the board showing A
9
7
8
. Trevor Pope (right) tanked for more than a minute before he folded.
Hand #11: After a flop of Q
6
4
, Michael Mizrachi (center) check-raised all in with A
Q
(pair of queens), and Hafiz Khan (standing, right) called with J
J
. It was a battle of big stacks, and whoever won this pot would be the chipleader.
Mizrachi turned another queen to win the pot with trip queens, taking the chip lead from Hafiz Khan.
In Hand #23, Nick Schulman (center) and Moon Kim (right) were in a battle of the blinds and saw a flop of A
10
4
. Schulman checked, Kim bet 120,000, Schulman check-raised to 260,000, and Kim moved all in. Schulman folded, and Kim showed one card -- the A
(top pair) -- as he collected the pot.
In Hand #44, Michael Mizrachi (foreground, right) moved all in after a flop of J
3
3
, and Nick Schulman (center) quickly called with K
K
. Mizrachi was caught bluffing with A
Q
, and didn't improve. Schulman doubled up, and stacked his chips while Mizrachi discussed the hand with Hafiz Khan (left).
In Hand #47, Joe Serock (standing, background center) could only scratch his head after being eliminated in 10th place by chipleader Marvin Rettenmaier (right). Serock moved all in for 18 big blinds with 9
9
, and Rettenmaier called with A
K
. Serock put on his backpack and began to walk away, fully expecting to lose the race.
The flop came Q
7
7
, and Serock slowed, perhaps showing some optimism. But the turn card was the K
, putting Rettenmaier way out in front, and the Q
on the river was enough to eliminate Serock.
Serock leads the WPT Player of the Year race, but it isn' t locked up yet. Moon Kim can tie Serock with a fourth-place finish, and clinch the POY title with a third-or-higher finish.
In the last hand of the night (Hand #52), Nick Schulman (standing, left) and Hafiz Khan (foreground, right) battled over a board of J
8
5
7
4
. Schulman check-called the flop, bet the turn, and then checked the river. Khan moved all in at that point, and Schulman tanked for a few minutes before he folded.
Khan showed Q
9
for queen high (a missed double-gutshot straight draw) as he collected the pot, getting away with a big bluff in the last hand of the day.
There are nine players remaining, but only the top 18 will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $40,266. First prize is worth $1,196,858.
Here are the official seating and chip counts for Day 6:
Seat 1. Wil Wilkinson - 705,000 (14 BBs)
Seat 2. Michael Mizrachi - 3,124,000 (62 BBs)
Seat 3. Hafiz Khan - 1,641,000 (32 BBs)
Seat 4. Marvin Rettenmaier - 3,757,000 (75 BBs)
Seat 5. Steve O'Dwyer - 1,643,000 (32 BBs)
Seat 6. Nick Schulman - 1,350,000 (27 BBs)
Seat 7. Moon Kim - 1,139,000 (22 BBs)
Seat 8. Trevor Pope - 800,000 (16 BBs)
Seat 9. Philippe Ktorza - 977,000 (19 BBs)
Day 6 begins Thursday at 12:00 noon PT, when these players will battle for the six seats at Saturday's televised WPT Final Table. Return to WPT.com for complete hand-for-hand coverage the entire way.
Sorted In:
Featured Blog, Josh Arieh, Marvin Rettenmaier, Guillaume Darcourt, Wil Wilkinson, Joe Serock, Trevor Pope, Rinat Bogdanov, Barry Shulman, Ron Coury, Hafiz Khan, Steve ODwyer, Michael Mizrachi, Nick Schulman, Moon Kim, Philippe Ktorza, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
04:21 AM, 05/24/12
Day 6: Official Seating & Chip Counts
Level 24: 25,000-50,000, 5,000 ante
Day 5 comes to an end with nine players, and they will return tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:00 noon PT to play down to the final six for Saturday's televised WPT Final Table.
(Friday will be an off-day, as the WPT set will be used for the final table of the WPT Super High Roller.)
Here are the official chip counts and seating assignments:
Seat 1. Wil Wilkinson - 705,000 (14 BBs)
Seat 2. Michael Mizrachi - 3,124,000 (62 BBs)
Seat 3. Hafiz Khan - 1,641,000 (32 BBs)
Seat 4. Marvin Rettenmaier - 3,757,000 (75 BBs)
Seat 5. Steve O'Dwyer - 1,643,000 (32 BBs)
Seat 6. Nick Schulman - 1,350,000 (27 BBs)
Seat 7. Moon Kim - 1,139,000 (22 BBs)
Seat 8. Trevor Pope - 800,000 (16 BBs)
Seat 9. Philippe Ktorza - 977,000 (19 BBs)
Sorted In:
Featured Blog, Wil Wilkinson, Michael Mizrachi, Hafiz Khan, Marvin Rettenmaier, Steve ODwyer, Nick Schulman, Moon Kim, Trevor Pope, Philippe Ktorza, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
09:26 PM, 05/23/12
Nick Schulman vs. Wil WIlkinson
Level 21: 12,000-24,000, 3,000 ante
Nick Schulman raises to 55,000 from middle position and Wil Wilkinson calls on the button. The flop comes 10
9
2
and Schulman bets 70,000. Wilkinson calls.
The turn brings the Q
. Schulman bets 126,000 and Wilkinson calls. the river is the 8
and Schulman bets 295,000. Wilkinson gives it some thought before folding and Schulman takes the pot.
Nick Schulman - 1,520,000 (63 BBs)
Wil Wilkinson - 1,010,000 (42 BBs)
Sorted In:
Nick Schulman, Wil Wilkinson, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
04:09 PM, 05/23/12
Guillaume Darcourt Eliminated in 18th Place ($40,266)
Level 19: 8,000-16,000, 2,000 ante
Photo: Guillaume Darcourt (standing, right) can only smile as he is eliminated by Wil Wilkinson (standing, left).
Wil Wilkinson raises from early position to 38,000, and Guillaume Darcourt calls from middle position. The flop comes A
10
7
, Wilkinson bets 55,000, and Darcourt calls.
The turn card is the 8
, Wilkinson bets 80,000, and Darcourt thinks for a bit before moving all in. Wilkinson quickly calls with 8
8
for a set of eights, and Darcourt turns over 9
7
for a pair with an open-ended straight draw.
The river card is the 3
, and Wilkinson wins the pot with his set of eights to eliminate Guillaume Darcourt in 18th place.
Wil Wilkinson - 1,700,000 (106 BBs)
Guillaume Darcourt - Out in 18th Place ($40,266)
Sorted In:
Wil Wilkinson, Guillaume Darcourt, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
01:01 PM, 05/23/12
WPT World Championship, Day 4 Recap
Level 19: 8,000-16,000, 2,000 ante
By BJ Nemeth
Barry Shulman started Day 4 with a roughly average chip stack, and actually lost chips to end Day 5 with 353,000 -- about half the average stack. But still alive in the tournament, Shulman has plenty of reasons to smile -- including a photo with the Royal Flush Girls (left to right) Tugba Ercan, Jeannie Duffy, Brittany Bell, and Ivy Teves.
The WPT Player of the Year race is really heating up. There were 12 contenders still in the field on Day 4, trying to catch POY points leader Will Failla. Four contenders survived to Day 5, though two of them need a victory here, and one needs at least fifth place.
The biggest thread to Failla's hold on Player of the Year is Joe Serock (pictured), who had the chip lead for a little while in the middle of the day. With 19 players remaining, Serock only needs to reach 15th place to pass Failla for POY. It's going to be a tense day for Failla, who can only wait for others to determine his fate.
Here are the four contenders for WPT Player of the Year, and how high they need to finish to catch Will Failla:
15th Place or better: Joe Serock
5th Place or better: Moon Kim
1st Place: Matt Juttelstad, Rinat Bogdanov
Curt Kohlberg (right) entered the day as chipleader, but lost some pots early to fall back into the pack. Kohlberg was eliminated late in the day in 24th place. Guillaume Darcourt (left) has been among the chipleaders for a couple of days, but had a rougher time on Day 4, finishing below average in chips but still alive as he seeks his second WPT title.
Antonio Esfandiari chats with Royal Flush Girl Jeannie Duffy between hands on Day 4. Esfandiari was one of the last players to register, but turned his late start around to start the day fourth in chips.
David Sands (right) was one of the contenders for WPT Player of the Year who was eliminated on Day 4. Sands was on a short stack when he moved all in with A
6
-- and ran into the K
K
of two-time WPT winner Michael Mizrachi (left).
Matthew Waxman (left) was another contender for WPT Player of the Year, having won the WPT Grand Prix de Paris last September. But Waxman's day ended when he got it all in with A
K
against the Q
Q
of Michael Mizrachi (right). Waxman lost the race, and Mizrachi cleared another POY contender from the field.
At this rate, Failla might have to award Mizrachi an assist if he holds on to win WPT Player of the Year.
WPT Bay 101 champion and POY contender Moon Kim (left) battles over a preflop pot against John Esposito (right). Esposito would win this reraising war to take the pot.
POY contender Joe Serock (right) was put to the test by Wil Wilkinson (left) after a flop of 9
8
2
. Wilkinson check-raised all in with a larger stack, and Serock tanked for a while before folding.
There was a battle of the short stacks as Hoyt Corkins (standing, left) moved all in, and Josh Arieh (right) moved all in over the top with a slightly larger stack. Nicolas Fraioli (not pictured) folded J
6
face up in the big blind to let the short stacks battle.
Corkins turned over 7
5
, and he'd need to improve to survive against Arieh's K
Q
. If they hadn't been all in before the flop, there would have been fireworks after the flop of A
9
8
-- both players flopped flushes., though Arieh's was higher.
Someone pointed out that Corkins still had one out to a gutshot straight-flush, but Arieh reminded him that Fraioli already folded the 6
. Even if Corkins caught a runner-runner straight-flush with J
10
, Arieh would have a Royal Flush.
Corkins was eliminated as Josh Arieh built himself a small cushion with about 24 big blinds in his stack.
Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi already has two WPT titles under his belt, but is looking to become only the second player in history to win three WPT titles. (Gus Hansen is the only player with three titles.)
Nicolas Fraioli gives an interview to the WPT cameras after his elimination in 23rd place. Fraioli was eliminated by Hafiz Khan, who had recently taken the chip lead.
Noah Schwartz (left) has had some deep runs on the World Poker Tour lately, but is still searching for his first WPT title. With 22 players left, Schwartz moved his short stack all in with K
9
, but ran into the A
A
of WPT Bay 101 champion Moon Kim (foreground, right).
Schwartz was eliminated a few spots out of the money, while Kim was up among the chipleaders with more than 1.1 million in chips.
Marvin Rettenmaier (known as "Mad Marvin") signed a big endorsement deal shortly before the WPT World Championship, and it's working for him so far, as he finished the day second in chips with more than 1.8 million.
With 21 players remaining, there was a three-way all in between players who had all won multiple WPT titles -- Antonio Esfandiari, Jonathan Little, and Michael Mizrachi (seated, center).
Esfandiari was the short stack with about 170,000, Little had about 400,000, and Mizrachi had about 600,000. Here were their cards:
Michael Mizrachi: Q-J
Jonathan Little: A-K
Antonio Esfandiari: K-J
Little was the favorite to win a big pot, but a queen on the turn changed everything as the worst hand won for Mizrachi, eliminating Esfandiari in 21st place and Little in 20th place. With 19 players remaining, the field began hand-for-hand play on the money bubble.
Hafiz Khan finished Day 4 with a chipleading stack of 1,966,000. Khan is a regular on the poker circuit, with more than $2.3 million in earnings. He's still looking for his first WPT Final Table, but that may change here.
There are 19 players remaining, but only the top 18 will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $40,266. First prize is worth $1,196,858.
Here are the official seating and chip counts for Day 5:
TABLE 41
1.
2. Ron Coury - 135,000 (8 BBs)
3.
4. Tom McCormick - 186,000 (11 BBs)
5. Barry Shulman - 353,000 (22 BBs)
6. Nick Schulman - 1,315,000 (82 BBs)
7. Rinat Bogdanov - 278,000 (17 BBs)
8. Guillaume Darcourt - 571,000 (35 BBs)
9. Hafiz Khan - 1,966,000 (122 BBs)
TABLE 43
1. Farzad Bonyadi - 182,000 (11 BBs)
2. Moon Kim - 1,194,000 (74 BBs)
3.
4. Marvin Rettenmaier - 1,870,000 (116 BBs)
5. Josh Arieh - 127,000 (7 BBs)
6. Philippe Ktorza - 86,000 (5 BBs)
7. Joe Serock - 244,000 (15 BBs)
8.
9.
TABLE 45
1.
2. John Esposito - 1,080,000 (67 BBs)
3. Matt Juttelstad - 935,000 (58 BBs)
4. Wil Wilkinson - 1,197,000 (74 BBs)
5. Michael Mizrachi - 1,168,000 (73 BBs)
6.
7. Steve O'Dwyer - 1,079,000 (67 BBs)
8. Trevor Pope - 1,300,000 (81 BBs)
9.
Day 5 begins Wednesday at 12:00 noon PT, and action will continue for another five 90-minute levels, or until the field is down to six players, whichever comes first. Stay tuned to WPT.com for continuing live coverage.
Sorted In:
Featured Blog, Royal Flush Girls, Tugba Ercan, Jeannie Duffy, Brittany Bell, Ivy Teves, Barry Shulman, Joe Serock, Guillaume Darcourt, Curt Kohlberg, Antonio Esfandiari, David Sands, Michael Mizrachi, Matthew Waxman, Moon Kim, John Esposito Jr, Wil Wilkinson, Hoyt Corkins, Josh Arieh, Nicolas Fraioli, Noah Schwartz, Marvin Rettenmaier, Jonathan Little, Hafiz Khan, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
10:57 AM, 05/23/12
Michael Mizrachi vs. Wil Wilkinson
Level 18: 6,000-12,000, 2,000 ante
Wil Wilkinson opens for 27,000 from under the gun, Michael Mizrachi reraises to 67,000 from middle position and Wilkinson calls.
The flop is A
4
2
, and both players check.
The turn is the 7
, Wilkinson bets 80,000, Mizrachi raises to 220,000 and Wilkinson folds.
Michael Mizrachi - 1,353,000
Wil Wilkinson - 1,200,000
Sorted In:
Michael Mizrachi, Wil Wilkinson, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
08:33 PM, 05/22/12
Wil Wilkinson vs. Trevor Pope
Level 18: 6,000-12,000, 2,000 ante
Wil Wilkinson raises under the gun to 27,000, and Trevor Pope calls from the cutoff. The flop comes A
4
3
, Wilkinson checks, Pope bets 32,000, and Wilkinson calls. The turn card pairs the board with the 4
, Wilkinson checks, Pope bets 65,000, and Wilkinson calls.
The river card is the 5
, Wilkinson checks, and Pope tanks for more than a minute before he checks behind. Wilkinson shows A
Q
to win the pot with two pair, aces and fours, and Pope mucks.
Wil Wilkinson - 1,400,000 (116 BBs)
Trevor Pope - 810,000 (67 BBs)
Sorted In:
Wil Wilkinson, Trevor Pope, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
07:54 PM, 05/22/12
Steve O'Dwyer vs. Wil Wilkinson
Level 17: 5,000-10,000, 1,000 ante
After a flop of A
K
6
, Wil Wilkinson (left) bets 35,000 from late position, and Steve O'Dwyer (right) calls from the button. The turn card is the 8
, Wilkinson bets 45,000, and O'Dwyer calls.
The river card is the 3
, Wilkinson thinks for a bit before he bets 60,000, and O'Dwyer quickly raises to 200,000. Wilkinson folds, and O'Dwyer shows one card -- the 10
-- as he collects the pot.
Steve O'Dwyer - 1,255,000 (125 BBs)
Wil Wilkinson - 925,000 (92 BBs)
Sorted In:
Steve ODwyer, Wil Wilkinson, Bellagio, WPT World Championship, Season X
06:21 PM, 05/22/12