Nick Yunis Holds Extensive Lead of Final 11 in Seminole Coconut Creek Main Event
The World Series of Poker Circuit saw the second day of the $1,700 Main Event at Seminole Coconut Creek come to an end on Sunday night after a day that consisted of ten levels of play. Just 121 runners returned for Day 2 and when the last chance saloon had closed for business it was Nick Yunis who finished atop the chip counts.
Yunis started the day off strong with a full house that eliminated Lisa Toleno during the first round of play and that one hand turned was just the start. Once the first break arrived it was Yunis who was sitting atop the leaderboard and he managed to carry that early momentum into an extensive chip lead to end the night. The Santiago, Chile native has over $1.4 million in live career earnings with approximately a quarter of a million coming in the WSOP. Yunis will be chasing his first Circuit ring on Monday and is the favorite to start the day, coming in with 4,970,000.
Neal Corcoran is coming into the final day second on the leader board with 3,285,000 in chips. Corcoran had a back-and-forth day until a particular hand unraveled where Corcoran shoved on the river with a straight. Larry Hirschfield called with his rivered pair of kings and Corcoran secured a double. Once the tournament whittled down to two tables it was obvious that Corcoran had the label of table captain as he slowly but surely built up a stack, taking down pots on a constant basis.
Another player to look for during the last day of play is Forest Hills, New York native Steven Sarmiento, who has had an extraordinary year. Sarmiento has tournament cashes dating back to 2011, totaling over $650,000 and of those cashes, almost $400,000 has come this year. Sarmiento has three six-figure cashes since January and might be adding a fourth tomorrow.
Main Event Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | David Nathaniel | 595,000 | 15 |
| 1 | 3 | Daniel Couzens | 665,000 | 17 |
| 1 | 4 | Bradley Mercer | 660,000 | 17 |
| 1 | 5 | Thomas Alcorn | 1,775,000 | 44 |
| 1 | 8 | Neal Corcoran | 3,285,000 | 82 |
| 1 | 9 | Thomas Macey | 850,000 | 21 |
| 2 | 2 | Russell Sullivan | 2,255,000 | 56 |
| 2 | 4 | Matthew Yorra | 635,000 | 16 |
| 2 | 5 | Dominique Mosley | 1,550,000 | 39 |
| 2 | 6 | Steven Sarmiento | 1,295,000 | 32 |
| 2 | 7 | Nick Yunis | 4,970,000 | 124 |
Day 2 Action
The day started just 28 away from the money and while it might have been close to players making some dollars back, all stuck to their guns and played the aggressive style that was set in front of them. A downpour of eliminations ensued shortly after the start and it was not long until the bubble popped during the second level of the day that all players were then guaranteed at least $2,728 for their efforts.
Just moments after the bubble burst it seemed almost as a tidal wave came crashing down on the field, wiping out almost every short stacks that were there. Corcoran and Yunis were that tidal wave as they picked off multiple pots during these rounds en route to their end-of-day lead. But not everyone could be as lucky as them with multiple well-known players taking an exit, including Allen Kessler, Neil Blumenfield, Ian O'Hara, Bryce McVay, and Robbie Beck.
Shortly after the dinner break, the three-table redraw saw a new leader in Thomas Alcorn after dropping a shell shock on David Moses. Alcorn and Moses found themselves in a rather large pot with three clubs on a paired board. All the chips went in the middle and Moses tabled pocket nines for a full house. Alcorn turned over eight-five of clubs for a rivered straight flush, sending Moses out the door on an unlikely river card.
It did not take long for 27 to drop down to the final 18 and during that span of that time, it was Yunis who found the most success after he sent home three players en route to the final two-table redraw. Once the final two tables were set, it was Yunis and Corcoran that took full advantage of opponents waiting for a pay jump. Both stuck to their aggressive styles during the latter stages of the night and now both are in a prime position to secure memorable cashes along with a WSOP Circuit ring.
The final 11 will return at noon on Monday, and play will start on Level 26 with blinds of 20,000/40,000 and a 40,000 big blind ante. The levels will remain 60 minutes in length with a 10-minute break after every two levels of play and a 60-minute dinner break at the end of Level 31. The tournament will not stop until a winner is crowned, taking home the $188,158 first-place prize, along with a shiny new WSOP circuit ring and an automatic seat into the GCC.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be bringing all of the coverage for the remainder of this tournament, so stay tuned as the action unfolds!