Now that we're down to 10 finalists, the players have migrated their chips to the final table. However, we are being told that the tournament director has let the players go on a 60-minute dinner break. We did not officially finish level 24, but play will resume once everyone gets back.
Our 10 finalists have returned from dinner and taken their seats. Cards are back in the air!
![[user197301]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
With the Seniors Championship serving as the proverbial Main Event for many of today's competitors, the PokerNews team has been asked to send some messages to the readers at home.
Richard "Dick" Harwood told us that he has many people reading the updates back home in Granada Hills, California. The retired TV and movie director wanted his friends and family to know that he is thinking of them today, as he tries to capture a WSOP gold bracelet. He also wanted to say hello to to the “Wednesday Lunch Guys” and made sure we added “Hello Ragu!” Lastly, he just added that he wanted to give a shout out to the Don Porter Golf Group.
Craig Koch wanted to send his love to his family and let them know that “when and if my run ends, I will be calling you all as soon as possible.”
Charles Cohen wanted his friends back in New York to know that “I’ve had the greatest time here” and that this “whole experience is just a trip!”
James Jewell told us that he wants to “thank his friends and family for all of their support” and that despite his short stack, “he is not giving up!”
James Hess sends “a big shoutout to the Valley Crew” and added that he’s “diggin’ his family enjoying the moment!” Hess also wanted to make sure that his father, currently living in South Africa, knows that he has been in James' heart throughout the entire tournament, inspiring him to play his best in honor of "Dad."
Walter Browne wanted his supporters to know that "If I win the WSOP Seniors Championship, I'm going to play the Seniors World Championship and try to make history!"
For our remaining ten players, reaching this WSOP final table is the pinnacle of their poker playing lives. Every one of them wanted to make sure that the people they love back home know how much their support truly means.
Action began with James Hess raising to 72,000 from the hi-jack position and found one customer in Gregory Alston, who called from the button.
The flop came 
and Hess led out for 81,000. Alston responded by raising it o 217,000. Hess asked how much Alston had behind and decided to call.
The turn came the 
and both players checked. However, when the 
fell on the river, Hess checked and Alston bet 265,000. Hess wasted little time folding.
Brett Tannenbaum raised all-in two times in a row and nobody called, chipping him up to just under 500,000.
After Leo Whitt raised to 81,000 in late position, James Jewell instantly moved all-in for his last 441,000. The power play worked and Whitt mucked his cards.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
531,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
|
424,000
-91,000
|
-91,000 |
Players are taking a quick 10-minute break to color up the yellow chips worth 1,000 each.
Cards are back in the air.
Level: 25
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 5,000
So far, through the first twelve hands or so, the emerging strategy has been to simply push all-in before the flop. With a few extremely short stacks, and a few monster stacks on the table, most pots have been earned with an all-in declaration.
Chip leader Walter Browne has won a couple of pots this way, as has Brett Tannenbaum, who entered the final table with the smallest stack in play. He pushed all-in twice in a row to collect the blinds and antes, which at that time equaled $66,000 per hand.
While modern poker strategy emphasizes post-flop play, these seniors are resorting to the old school method of putting opponents to the test before the board cards muddle things up.
