Richey Knocks Out Defending Champion Greg Merson
Brett Richey raised to 40,000 from middle position, and Greg Merson moved all in next to act for 481,000. As soon as action got back to Richey he made the call, and the defending champ was in need of a lot of help.
Merson: 
Richey 
The flop brought plenty of action, coming down 
. Merson had managed to pair his deuce, but Richey also paired his kicker. The one diamond meant that Merson could catch runner-runner diamonds or also catch a runner-runner straight for a chop, but the 
on the turn got rid of those possibilities. Merson would need a deuce and a deuce only to keep his shot at back-to-back titles alive, but it wasn't meant to be, as the 
hit the river.
Merson shook hands with Richey before he grabed his bag, wished everyone luck, and headed out of the Mothership. Merson had the deepest run for a defending champion in the Main Event since 2009, where Peter Eastgate finished 78th in his title defense. His elimination means that we will have a new champion, and also means that Steve Gee is the last remaining member of last year's Octo-Nine.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,095,000 | 417,000 |
|
Busted |