For the first time, the WSOP Main Event played down to ten players instead of nine. It sparked a debate about calling the final table an “official” one with only nine players but not ten.
It matters because making the actual Main Event final table is a big deal – the biggest of deals. After much Twitter debate on the topic in the past 24 hours, it appears that most people agree that all ten players made the official final table.
Seven of them, however, did not make the second day of the final table. They busted – very slowly at first – from the tournament on Friday. Three players remain and will play for the win today.
It is one of the very biggest days in poker. And it’s exciting.
Event 70: $10K NLHE Main Event
The ten players gathered at the final table of the 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbGOApH05W4
Doyle Brunson announced, “Shuffle up and deal!” and play got underway on Friday afternoon. It took only seven hands for short-stacked Asher Conniff to move all-in with pocket tens. Michael Duek called with A-K suited and flopped quad kings. Conniff departed in tenth place.
Matija Dobric accumulated more than 100M chips. John Eames doubled through Duek, Philippe Souki doubled through Dobric and then Attenborough, and Attenborough doubled through Espen Jorstad and then Matthew Su. Aaron Duczak doubled through Su, and the latter did the same through Eames. Duek did it through Dobric.
It wasn’t until nearly 100 hands after the first elimination that Souki ousted Su in eighth place with kings over eights preflop.
But Souki was up next, all-in with aces against the Q-J suited of Dobric. But the A-T-8-K-4 board gave Dobric the straight and ousted Souki in eighth place.
Another ten hands in, Duczak tried his luck with 7-6 suited, but Duek had A-K and found an ace on the river for good measure. That left Duczak out in seventh place.
A bit later, Farnes shoved with pocket deuces on a 6-6-5 flop. Eames called with 9-8 of clubs with two clubs on the board. The flush didn’t get there, but two threes put two pair on the board and outdid Farnes’ holding. Farnes finished in sixth place.
Well into the night, Dobric shoved with pocket sixes for a classic race against the A-Q of Jorstad. The board delivered a queen on the flop, though, and the rest of the board changed nothing. Dobric busted in fifth place.
Play continued for a short while longer until Eames sought a double-up holding A-J. But he ran into the pocket kings of Jorstad, and though a jack came on the flop, the rest of the board did nothing but eliminate Eames in fourth place.
The action stopped with Jorstad in the lead. The three players will return today to play for $10M (first place), $6M (second place) and $4M (third place). There will be no losers.
Event 70: Day 8 of 9
$10K buy-in
NLHE World Championship Main Event
Total entries:
8,663
(8569 in 2019, 6650 in 2021)
Players remaining:
10
Total prize pool:
$80,782,475
Players paid:
1,300
Minimum payout:
$15,000
Winner payout:
$10,000,000
Final table counts:
#1
Espen Jorstad (Norway) 298M
#2
Adrian Attenborough (Australia) 149.8M
#3
Michael Duek (Argentina) 72.1M
4th place:
John Eames (UK) $3,000,000
5th place:
Matija Dobric (Croatia) $2,250,000
6th place:
Jeffrey Farnes (UA) $1,750,000
7th place:
Aaron Duczak (Canada) $1,350,000
8th place:
Philippe Souki (UK) $1,075,000
9th place:
Matthew Su (USA) $850,675
10th place:
Asher Conniff (USA) $675,000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y29TLAeDSc
Event 81: $5K NLHE Freezeout
The last day of this tournament started with ten players, Peter Turmezey with the chip lead. Short-stacked Valentin Oberhauser doubled but then busted in tenth to Turmezey. Cliff Josephy took out Caio Almeida in ninth, and Adam Hendrix took care of Michael Katz in eighth. After Josephy busted in seventh, Turmezey eliminated Francois Pirault in sixth.
Mo Arani began his come-up by ousting Toby Lewis in fifth place. Turmezey sent Hendrix out in fourth, but three-handed play was brutal to Turmezey, who exited in third. Arani had a significant lead over Johannes Straver at the start of heads-up, though Straver did attempt a comeback. Arani retook the lead, though, and busted Straver to win his first bracelet.
More than 150 players started the second day of this two-day, fast-structured event. The field thinned quickly, though, and players like Ebony Kenney, and Michael Kelly busted on the way to the official final table. Richard Alsup then kicked off the one-table action by ousting Donny Casho in ninth place. Artem Metalidi busted Frederick Brown, and Alsup did the same to Patrick Truong. Ari Engel eliminated Metalidi in sixth place.
Alsup doubled through Engel. As Gary Whitehead sent Ryan Jaworski packing, Alsup found another opportunity with Engel and busted the latter in third place. Whitehead had a two-to-one lead going into heads-up, but Alsup chipped up and doubled up into the lead. They both doubled, exchanging the lead, until Alsup got the best of his opponent and won his first bracelet.
Event 82: Day 2 of 2
$800 buy-in
NLHE 8-Handed Deepstack (1 RE)
Total entries:
2,812
(1921 in 2021)
Total prize pool:
$1,979,648
Players paid:
422
Minimum payout:
$1,282
Final table results:
1st place:
Richard Alsup (USA) $272,065
2nd place:
Gary Whitehead (UK) $168,093
3rd place:
Ari Engel (Canada) $126,233
4th place:
Marc Macdonnell (Ireland) $95,487
5th place:
Ryan Jaworski (USA) $72,759
6th place:
Artem Metalidi (Ukraine) $55,849
7th place:
Patrick Truong (USA) $43,188
8th place:
Frederich Brown (USA) $33,648
9th place:
Donny Casho (USA) $26,413
Event 83: $50K NLHE High Roller
The plan was to play to a final table, as there were 32 players at the start of play on Day 2. Not too long into the day, Brian Rast busted Dan Smith on the money bubble, so the final 17 were in the money. Play then moved along nicely as Koray Aldemir led the way to the payout cage, followed by Jonathan Little, Chris Hunichen, Francisco Benitez, Gregory Jensen, Henrik Hecklen, Seth Davies, and Justin Bonomo.
The final table of nine started with Lander Lijo in the chip lead and Joao Vieira in second but not close. Rast took out Alexandros Theologis in ninth, Sean Perry busted Stephen Chidwick in eighth, and Lijo ousted Fedor Holz in seventh and Perry in sixth. Vieira sent Rast for a payout in fifth place and Colpoys in fourth.
Vieira has the lead as they returned from dinner, but when Galen Hall doubled through Lijo, he did so to take the overall lead. Lijo doubled through Vieira and through Hall, and Lijo eventually busted Hall in third place. Lijo had the heads-up advantage at the start, but Vieira chipped up, doubled up, and ended up with the win. It was Vieira’s second career bracelet.
The second day of this last HORSE tournament thinned the field from 179 players to 22. Some of the last eliminations included Daniel Weinman, Michael Gagliano, and Owais Ahmed. David Bach leads the final day of action on Saturday.
Event 84: Day 2 of 3
$3K buy-in
HORSE
Total entries:
327
(301 in 2019, 282 in 2021)
Players remaining:
22
Total prize pool:
$873,090
Players paid:
50
Minimum payout:
$4,800
Winner payout:
$205,139
Top chip counts:
#1:
David Bach (USA) 1,094,000
#2:
Perry Friedman (USA) 985,000
#3:
Tomasz Gluxzko (Poland) 982,000
#4:
Roberto Marin (USA) 968,000
#5:
Mike Wattel (USA) 843,000
Event 85: $1,500 Closer
The first of two starting days of the last big tournament brought in nearly 1000 players with 75 surviving. There will be one more starting day of players before the field is set and prize pool is announced.
Event 85: Day 1A of 3
$1,500 buy-in
NLHE Closer (1 RE/flight)
Total entries:
929 (so far)
(2800 in 2019, 1903 in 2021)
Players remaining:
75
Total prize pool:
TBD
Players paid:
TBD
Minimum payout:
$2,405
Winner payout:
TBD
Top chip counts:
#1:
Ahmed Karrim (S.Africa) 1,695,000
#2:
Raghav Bansal (India) 1,600,000
#3:
Sean Ragozzini (Australia) 1,550,000
#4:
Garrett Johnstone (USA) 1,450,000
#5:
Tony Nieman (USA) 1,285,000
Event 86: $10K NLHE 6-Handed Championship
The first of two starting days of the last big tournament brought in nearly 1000 players with 75 surviving. There will be one more starting day of players before the field is set and prize pool is announced.
Event 86: Day 1 of 3
$10K buy-in
NLHE 6-Handed Championship
Total entries:
349
(272 in 2019, 329 in 2021)
Players remaining:
136
Total prize pool:
TBD
Players paid:
TBD
Minimum payout:
TBD
Winner payout:
TBD
Top chip counts:
#1:
Barry Woods (USA) 400,000
#2:
Ugur Secilmis (Turkey) 378,000
#3:
Masashi Oya (Japan) 357,000
#4:
Pierre Calamusa (France) 333,500
#5:
David Jackson (USA) 326,000
Today’s Poker Menu
Event 70 starts the final table of the WSOP Main Event.
Event 84 plays to and through the HORSE final table.
Event 85 plays the second and final starting day of the $1,500 NLHE Closer.
Event 86 continues the $10K NLHE 6-Handed Championship toward the final table.
Event 87 kicks off the $5K NLHE 8-Handed tournament.
