2013 World Series of Poker Day 10: Mike Matusow Wins Fourth WSOP Bracelet
Many in the poker industry had written off Mike Matusow as a threat to win a poker tournament in recent years. But Matusow had words for those doubters after he won his fourth World Series of Poker bracelet early Saturday morning: "F*** the haters!"
Matusow bested a field of 210 to win Event #13: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better for $266,503. "The Mouth" defeated Matthew Ashton heads-up and broke into an emotional outburst while several of his supporters began celebrating his achievement. Matusow, who won the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in January, has officially returned to stardom after going nearly three years without a tournament win.
Also in contention for a bracelet on Day 10 of the WSOP was Allen Cunningham, but he ultimately fell short of his sixth bracelet. Cunningham lost heads-up toLev Rofman, who claimed his first bracelet in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em event.
Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em
It looked as though Allen Cunningham was a lock to win his sixth World Series of Poker bracelet Friday evening, but an incredible rush of cards for Lev Rofman left Cunningham as the runner-up in Event #12. Rofman completely dominated the heads-up match against Cunningham and went on to claim his first WSOP bracelet and $166,136.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lev Rofman | $166,136 |
| 2 | Allen Cunningham | $102,819 |
| 3 | Jaspal Brar | $68,332 |
| 4 | Kenneth Shelton | $50,709 |
| 5 | Anthony Harb | $38,055 |
| 6 | Eric Crain | $28,839 |
| 7 | Nicolas Halvorson | $22,050 |
| 8 | Timothy Reilly | $16,994 |
| 9 | Jean-Nicolas Fortin | $13,195 |
Day 2 began with nine of the original 535 players in Event #12, and Eric Crain was leading the way with 620,000 in chips. It was Crain's second straight final table this week, and for the second consecutive time he was unable to claim his first WSOP title.
After the eliminations of Jean-Nicolas Fortin (ninth place), Tim Reilly (eighth place), and Nicolas Halvorson (seventh place), Crain's run ended in sixth. After running into Anthony Harb's pocket aces twice, Crain found himself on a short stack and was eliminated by Allen Cunningham.
Harb then ran into Rofman's aces to depart in fifth place, and that was followed by Kenneth Shelton's elimination in fourth place. Cunningham sent Jaspal Brar packing in third place, and he entered heads-up play with a 2-to-1 lead over Rofman.
But Cunningham will have to wait at least a few more days to add another bracelet to his impressive résumé. Cunningham had two chances to eliminate Rofman but doubled his opponent both times to relinquish the chip lead. Then, on the final hand, Rofman evaded a big draw to secure the title and stun the rail at the ESPN stage in the Amazon Room.
Event #13: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better
Mike Matusow joined some poker legends in the history books early Saturday by winning the $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better event. He entered the four-time bracelet winner club, a group that includes Puggy Pearson, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, and Huck Seed, among others.
Matusow outlasted a very tough final table that included Mike Leah, David "Bakes" Baker, Yuval Bronshtein, Gavin Smith, Vladimir Shchemelev, and Matthew Ashton, whom Matusow beat heads-up. Matusow's cheers could be heard through the Rio after he secured the victory.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Matusow | $266,503 |
| 2 | Matthew Ashton | $164,700 |
| 3 | Mike Leah | $108,412 |
| 4 | David “Bakes” Baker | $79,078 |
| 5 | Yuval Bronshtein | $58,835 |
| 6 | Tony Cousineau | $44,543 |
| 7 | Gavin Smith | $34,268 |
| 8 | Vladimir Shchemelev | $26,757 |
For an extensive look at the final day of play, check out Chad Holloway's recap in the live reporting blog.
Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Day 2 of Event #14 began with 206 players hitting the felt, and after 10 levels, only 14 remained. Hiren "Sunny" Patel will enter the final day with the chip lead, but a slew of pros will be chasing him when play resumes Saturday.
Patel, seeking his first WSOP bracelet, barely leads WSOP Circuit grinder Jonathan Taylor entering Day 3. They will be joined by Russell Crane, Blake Bohn, Hunter Frey, and Chris Hunichen, who is coming off his final table in the $1,500 Millionaire Maker.
Chip Counts After Day 2
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiren Patel | 1,510,000 |
| 2 | Jonathan Taylor | 1,222,000 |
| 3 | Russell Crane | 767,000 |
| 4 | Dan Gannon | 648,000 |
| 5 | Blake Bohn | 641,000 |
| 6 | Hunter Frey | 600,000 |
| 7 | Jed Hoffman | 533,000 |
| 8 | Chris Hunichen | 517,000 |
| 9 | Patrick Kubat | 417,000 |
| 10 | Tuan Vu | 339,000 |
| 11 | Morgan Machina | 277,000 |
| 12 | Daniel Paska | 251,000 |
| 13 | Benjamin Dobson | 244,000 |
| 14 | Joseph Pergola | 228,000 |
As the night wore on, Erick Lindgren was the biggest name alive with three tables remaining, but he was eliminated in 19th place ($13,260) when he got his last chips all in against Jonathan Taylor. Poker pro Owen Crowe lasted a little longer but was working with a short stack most of the night after he ran into a cooler hand against Hunter Frey. Crowe was later eliminated in 16th place ($16,379) when he shoved into Hiren Patel in the big blind.
Patel will use those chips as ammo when play resumes at 1 p.m. Saturday. PokerNews will bring you all of the highlights as the event plays down to a champion.
The $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. began Friday afternoon with 862 players trying to accomplish what Ylon Schwartz did in 2012. At the end of 10 levels, Jon Seaman was leading the 177 players who survived the day. Seaman bagged 62,600 in chips; 400 more than four-time bracelet winner David Chiu.
Chiu barely missed out on his fifth WSOP bracelet last year in this event, finishing second to Schwartz for $164,960. He's have another go it on Saturday when play resumes at 1 p.m. PST in the Amazon Room. Other notables advancing with big stacks include Jesse Sylvia (51,200), Andy Bloch (47,900), Jonathan Aguiar (39,000), Matt Waxman (38,100), David Bach (27,700) and Dan Kelly (23,200).
Stay tuned to PokerNews.com for live coverage of Event #15 as the remaining 177 players attempt to reach a final table.
Event #16: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em
One of the most anticipated events on the 2013 WSOP schedule began Friday evening in the Amazon Room. The $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em event kicked off with 162 players vying for the prestigious heads-up title and $331,190.
After three rounds of high-level heads-up action, 32 players advanced to the second day. Among the notables who are still in contention include Phil Hellmuth, Sam Trickett,Jason Mercier, Phil Galfond, Melanie Weisner, Justin Bonomo and Michael Mizrachi. Here's a look at the draw for Saturday:
Round of 32
| Player | vs. | Player |
|---|---|---|
| AP Phahurat | - | Melanie Weisner |
| Fabrizio Gonzalez | - | Randy Lew |
| Phil Galfond | - | John Parker |
| Ben Sulsky | - | Michael Mizrachi |
| Micah Raskin | - | Craig Bergeron |
| Ali Eslami | - | Don Nguyen |
| Bryan Pellegrino | - | Markus Gonsalves |
| Keith Block | - | Sean Winter |
| Justin Smith | - | Alexander Venovski |
| Ankush Mandavia | - | Mark Radoja |
| Thiago Nishijima | - | Phil Hellmuth |
| Marc-Andre Ladouceur | - | Sam Trickett |
| Russel Rosenblum | - | Joel Micka |
| Sam Stein | - | Davidi Kitai |
| Warwick Mirzikinian | - | Keven Stammen |
| Justin Bonomo | - | Jason Mercier |
Play will resume at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and players who win their first match will reach the money. We'll have updates throughout the day, so stay tuned to PokerNews.com.
On Tap
On Saturday, Day 11 of the 2013 World Series of Poker will feature four events. A winner is scheduled to be crowned in Event #14: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em, while Event #15: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. is expected to reach a final table. Day 2 of Event #16: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em will see 32 players play a few more rounds closer to the prestigious championship, and the only new event on the schedule will be Event #17: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Video of the Day
Lev Rofman is a local cash-game player who decided to give WSOP Event #12 ($1,500 Pot-limit Hold'em) a shot. He defeated five-time bracelet winner Allen Cunningham for the top prize of $166,000. Kristy Arnett caught up with Rofman after his victory.
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