2014 World Series of Poker Day 8: Dimmig a Millionaire, Parker Wins Third Bracelet

June 04, 2014

After a day with no bracelets won, Tuesday saw three events reach their conclusions at the 2014 World Series of Poker, highlighted by the big win by New Yorker Jonathan Dimmig (pictured at right) in Event #8: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em that featured a thrill ride of a final table. Dimmig’s win was worth $1,319,587, the biggest first prize won thus far at the 2014 WSOP and one of the largest that will be awarded all summer

Also earning bracelets yesterday were Jeffrey Smith of California, winner of Event #9: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em, and Maryland’s Brock Parker who earned his third career bracelet in the Event #10: $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Championship.

With three other events in action yesterday as well, it was a busy Day 8 at the WSOP. Here’s a rundown of yesterday’s highlights:

Event #8: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em

Just nine remained from the 7,977 entries who entered this year’s installment of the “Millionaire Maker,” the only ones left to chase the dream shared by all who entered of landing the $1,319,587 first prize. And with a final table full of wild swings, lead changes, and dramatic hands, Event #8 concluded in appropriately exciting fashion.

Maurice Hawkins started yesterday with a short stack but high hopes, sharing some of his pre-final table thoughts beforehand with PokerNews. But after running pocket queens into Stephen Graner’s pocket kings, his run ended with a ninth-place exit.

Graner, meanwhile, had hopes as well yesterday, bolstered by his having started the day with a huge chip lead, sitting with well over twice the stack of his nearest challenger, James Duke, and about a third of the chips in play. Alas for Graner, he’d lose significant chips early then ultimately called off his stack on the river in a hand versus Dimmig with a lesser straight to finish in sixth.

Duke would emerge as the chip leader as play wound down and Andrew Teng fell in fourth to Dimmig in a hand that saw Teng open-push just over 20 big blinds from the small blind with Q♣9♣ and get called by Dimmig who had him barely covered and held 2♣2♠. The Q♥J♦4♥ flop paired Teng, but the 2♦ fell on fourth street to give Dimmig an unbeatable set and send Teng out in fourth.

Dimmig would catch Duke and then knock him out in third, then won a big all-in on the first hand of heads-up to double versus Coburn and grab the lead, and five hands after that would take the last of Coburn’s chips and the bracelet.

Event #8 Final Table Results

Event #9: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em

Just 12 were left from a starting field of 1,940 to return to yesterday’s final day of play in Event #9, with Jeffrey Smith managing to outlast all including a gritty heads-up competitor in Danny Nguyen to earn the victory and $323,125 first prize.

Smith and Nguyen’s duel punctuated an exciting day of poker that began with the knockouts of Vinny Pahuja (12th), Dylan Linde (11th), and Cornel Medes (10th) — each earning $18,472 — to set up the final table.

Chris Hunichen would later fall in sixth, exactly matching his finish in last year’s “Millionaire Maker.” Nguyen then later eliminated start-of-day chip leader Frank Patti in third, to set up what would become an epic-length heads-up battle.

Smith and Nguyen would fight for three hours and 155 hands with the lead changing hands several times along the way. Finally Smith was able to knock out his opponent after his A♦9♥ held against Nguyen’s Q♥6♥ to win the bracelet.

Event #9 Final Table Results

Event #10: $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi-Low Championship

There were 18 left from the starting field of 178 in Event #10, and early action on the tourney’s final day saw bracelet holders Perry Friedman (18th, $23,742), Jeff Lisandro (17th, $23,742), Andrew Brown (14th, $28,176), and Eli Elezra (10th, $33,949) among the players coming up shy of the final table.

That left three more former WSOP winners to take part in the final table, with Dan Kelly (9th) going out quickly while Richard Ashby and Brock Parker battled onward toward a heads-up duel. Melissa Burr (8th) and Shirley Rosario (4th) also went deep in this one as the last women to be eliminated from the event.

Parker had a slight chip lead to start heads-up play with Ashby, but the latter quickly seized the advantage and had close to a 2-to-1 edge for a time before Parker battled back, then ultimately denied Ashby a second career bracelet to claim the win.

Parker won his first two bracelets within the space of a single week back in 2010, and now joins Vanessa Selbst and others as a three-time WSOP bracelet winner. This marks Parker’s second final table this year as well after having finished fifth in Event #7: $1,500 Seven-Card Razz, and thus he becomes an formidable contender early on in the WSOP Player of the Year race.

Event #10 Final Table Results

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Event #11: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em

While bracelets were being won elsewhere in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Tuesday, Day 2 of Event #11: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em saw a returning group of 134 play down to 10 players, with Mike Sowers enjoying the current chip lead with Event #5: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball Championship runner-up Justin Bonomo and Taylor Paur nearby occupying the next two spots in the counts.

Among the notables going deep but coming up short of today’s final day of play in Event #11 were Corey Burbick (13th, $17,139), Hans Bosman (18th, $17,139), Jason Wheeler (19th, $13,390), and Amnon Filippi ($13,390).

A first prize of $449,980 awaits the winner in this one. Here’s a look at the overnight chip stacks of the final 10:

Event #11 Chip Counts After Day 2

Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em

Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em got started yesterday with 557 entrants taking part, up from 535 in this event one year ago. That group created a total prize pool of $751,950 to be divided among the top 63 finishers, with the winner scheduled to receive a handsome $169,225 payday.

They got close but didn’t quite reach the money last night, finishing with 69 players remaining with David Martirosyan ending with a leading stack just barely ahead of Matthew Damadeo. Others bagging lots of chips last night were Joseph Cheong, Ryan D’Angelo, Jesse Yaginuma, and Darryll Fish.

Event #12 Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 1

Event #13: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship

Finally the Event #13: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship got started as well late yesterday afternoon with the tournament drawing 87 entries — exactly the number who played the same event in 2013 — thus building a prize pool of $817,000. Only the final 14 will get paid in this one, with $253,524 up top for the winner.

By night’s end 36 players remained with two-time bracelet winner Jennifer Harman leading the way with a host of familiar names still spread all up and down the counts.

Event #13 Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 1

On Tap

Today just four events will be in action, highlighted by the finale of Event #11: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em. Events #12 and #13 continue with Day 2s, while one new event, Event #14: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Low begins.

Here’s the full schedule for Wednesday:

• 12:00 p.m. — Event #14: $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi-Low (1 of 3)
• 1:00 p.m. — Event #11: $1,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em (Day 3 of 3)
• 1:00 p.m. — Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em (Day 2 of 3)
• 1:00 p.m. — Event #13: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (2 of 3)

Video of the Day

Poker Hall of Famer Barry Greenstein is among the many well known pros still alive in Event #13: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship. Greenstein has a long history of playing the WSOP, including winning three bracelets. Yesterday Greenstein shared the story of his very first WSOP experience with PokerNews. Take a look:

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• Tags

  WSOP Jonathan Dimmig Jeffrey Smith Brock Parker Stephen Graner James Duke Jeff Coburn Jennifer Harman Mike Sowers Richard Ashby Justin Bonomo David Martirosyan Barry Greenstein

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  Barry GreensteinMike SowersJustin BonomoBrock ParkerRichard AshbyJonathan Dimmig