Jeff Foster, the forward-center for the Indiana Pacers, is playing in this event, but he's a little short -- not in stature, but in chip count. He currently has 2,500 in chips.
One of poker's highest honors for class and integrity is the "Brian Saltus Award." The previous winners include Robert Williamson III; Maureen Feduniak, who's playing in this event; Barry Greenstein, and Linda Johnson.
Mike Sexton, currently among our chip leaders, has presented this award in the past aboard the Party Poker Million cruise each year.
The award is named for an impassioned player who won the inaugural WSOP Tournament of Champions, defeating T.J. Cloutier, "Miami" John Cernuto, and Scotty Nguyen to do so. Brian Saltus then gave a speech about life, poker, and his own terminal cancer. He died a few months later and Sexton created the award in his honor.
Daniel Negreanu
A player in seat 9 with the bring-in has and Daniel Negreanu with completes. Eli Elezra with calls. The bring-in folds.
Fourth street is for Negreanu and for Elezra. Elezra bets and Negreanu calls.
Fifth street is for Negreanu and for Elezra. Elezra bets and Negreanu calls.
Sixth street is much the same: for Negreanu and for Elezra with a bet and call.
On seventh street, the actions are the same and Negreanu tables for a pair of queens with ace kicker. It's good enough and he takes it. He's up to 18,300 and Elezra has 13,800.
In a three-way pot, Bill Chen bets every street and is called the whole way by Layne Flack and almost the whole way by Chris Ferguson, who drops out on fifth street.
Bill Chen:
Layne Flack:
Chen tables 9-Q-J for the king-high straight. Chen's up to 21,000.
Phil Ivey
On fifth street, Ivey caps the betting at 3,200 and both Benyamine and another opponent call. On sixth street, Ivey bets and both call. Same on seventh.
Ivey:
Benyamine:
Opponent:
Ivey shows J-2 for a full house, Benyamine has A-10 for top two pair and is out, and the other opponent mucks. Ivey's now in the chip lead with 31,000.
First in chips is Jerrod Ankenman and eighth in chips is Bill Chen -- the co-authors of The Mathematics of Poker. Perhaps we should all run out and buy some math books.
Bill Edler has and carries three opponents nearly the whole way by betting and calling, losing one on sixth street. He tables Q-Q-2 for the boat and is up to 19,500.