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WPT World Championship, Day 3 Recap
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 J
J
against Viacheslav Igin's A
K -- 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 J
J, 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.
09:58 AM, 05/22/12
Day 4: Official Seating & Chip Counts
Level 14: 2,500-5,000, 500 ante
TABLE 41
1. Nicolas Fraioli - 501,600 (100 BBs)
2. Mikhail Lakhitov - 315,600 (63 BBs)
3. Hoyt Corkins - 148,100 (29 BBs)
4. Zach Clark - 278,000 (55 BBs)
5. Trevor Pope - 350,000 (70 BBs)
6. Lance Steinberg - 211,000 (42 BBs)
7. Rinat Bogdanov - 624,100 (124 BBs)
8. Marvin Rettenmaier - 474,400 (94 BBs)
9. Jonathan Little - 495,700 (99 BBs)
TABLE 42
1. Guillaume Darcourt - 641,000 (128 BBs)
2. Curt Kohlberg - 918,300 (183 BBs)
3. Tom McCormick - 208,900 (41 BBs)
4. Sam Trickett - 97,000 (19 BBs)
5. Philippe Ktorza - 110,400 (22 BBs)
6. Noah Schwartz - 169,000 (33 BBs)
7. Moon Kim - 388,500 (77 BBs)
8. Viacheslav Igin - 567,000 (113 BBs)
9. John Esposito - 423,400 (84 BBs)
TABLE 43
1. Antonio Esfandiari - 630,100 (126 BBs)
2. Tony Gargano - 128,100 (25 BBs)
3. Matthew Waxman - 165,400 (33 BBs)
4. David Chiu - 236,700 (47 BBs)
5. Michael Mizrachi - 171,700 (34 BBs)
6. David Steicke - 589,700 (117 BBs)
7. Russel Rosenblum - 289,500 (57 BBs)
8. David Sands - 87,100 (17 BBs)
9. Keith Lehr - 107,000 (21 BBs)
TABLE 44
1. Steve O'Dwyer - 358,600 (71 BBs)
2. Hafiz Khan - 488,400 (97 BBs)
3. Farzad Bonyadi - 519,900 (103 BBs)
4. J.P. Kelly - 122,200 (24 BBs)
5. Barry Shulman - 376,000 (75 BBs)
6. Mohamed Ali Houssam - 141,400 (28 BBs)
7. Tony Ruberto - 581,400 (116 BBs)
8. Byron Kaverman - 227,000 (45 BBs)
9. Josh Arieh - 472,400 (94 BBs)
TABLE 45
1. Matt Juttelstad - 225,400 (45 BBs)
2. Robert Mercer - 301,600 (60 BBs)
3. Ron Coury - 81,400 (16 BBs)
4. Wil Wilkinson - 398,400 (79 BBs)
5. Joe Elpayaa - 411,200 (82 BBs)
6. Joe Serock - 400,800 (80 BBs)
7. Miha Travnik - 104,500 (20 BBs)
8. Nick Schulman - 768,000 (153 BBs)
9.
06:38 AM, 05/22/12
Day 3 Ends With 44 Players
Level 14: 2,500-5,000, 500 ante
Day 3 comes to an end with 44 players, and all of the numbers on the chip counts page are accurate. Here's 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 - 632,100 (126 BBs)
5. Rinat Bogdanov - 624,100 (124 BBs)
Stay tuned to WPT.com for a seating list and a photo recap, both of which will be posted by morning.
09:19 PM, 05/21/12
Brock Parker Eliminated By Nicolas Fraioli
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
Brock Parker is eliminated in the final minutes of the day when his AK is no match for Nicolas Fraioli's 88 on a Q935J board.
Nicolas Fraioli - 435,000
Brock Parker - eliminated
08:51 PM, 05/21/12
Joe Serock Doubles Thru Brock Parker
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
After a flop of 542, Joe Serock is all in with AA (overpair, gutshot straight draw) against Brock Parker's 33 (open-ended straight draw).
The turn is the 8, the river is the 10, and Serock wins the pot with his pocket aces to double up.
Joe Serock - 335,000
Brock Parker - 59,000
08:47 PM, 05/21/12
Nick Schulman Wins a Big Pot Off Michael Mizrachi
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
08:46 PM, 05/21/12
John Hennigan Eliminated By Moon Kim
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
Rinat Bogdanov raises to 10,500 from middle position and Moon Kim calls on the button. John Hennigan is in the small blind and moves all-in for an additional 88,000. Bogdanov folds and Kim calls.
Kim turns over QQ and Hennigan will need some help, as he holds J10.
The 963 flop is no help to Hennigan, though he does pick up a pair with the 10 on the turn. The river is the 9 though and Kim's queens hold to eliminate Hennigan and take the pot.
Moon Kim - 345,000
John Hennigan - eliminated
08:42 PM, 05/21/12
Isaac Haxton Eliminated by Chipleader Curt Kohlberg
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
Tony Ruberto raises from middle position to 10,000, Curt Kohlberg calls from middle position, and Isaac Haxton reraises from the small blind to 36,000. Ruberto folds, and Kohlberg moves all in.
Haxton calls all in for about 185,000 with 8-8, and Kohlberg turns over A-5 suited. Haxton needs his hand to hold to stay alive.
The board comes K-Q-10-7-J, and Kohlberg wins the pot with an ace-high straight to eliminate Isaac Haxton from the tournament.
Curt Kohlberg - 890,000
Isaac Haxton - Eliminated
Kohlberg has a big chip lead with about 15 minutes left in the day.
08:28 PM, 05/21/12
Justin Young Eliminated By Joe Elpayaa
Level 13: 2,000-4,000, 400 ante
Justin Young and Joe Elpayaa get it all-in preflop with Young holding A-K to Elpayaa's pocket tens. The tens hold and Young is eliminated late in Day 3 action.
Joe Elpayaa - 385,000
Justin Young - eliminated
08:23 PM, 05/21/12
Hafiz Khan Doubles Thru Michael Mizrachi
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
08:21 PM, 05/21/12
