As previously reported, the chip counts for the nine finalists in Event #23, $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em, have now been verified by WSOP staff. Join us for a 2pm PDT final in this event.
Mayhem here, as two of today's most aggressive players clash with just ten players remaining.
Andrew Jeffreys limps in the small blind, Blair Hinkle makes it 42,000, Jeffreys comes over the top for 200,000 total, Hinkle pushes all in for 260,000 more and Jeffreys calls.
Jeffreys =
Hinkle =
Flop =
Both players' eyes remain focused on the board.
Turn =
"Diamond, diamond," chants Jeffreys.
River =
Hinkle quietly celebrates with his team of railers, one of whom is James Mackey, as Jeffreys storms off for a cigarette and, I imagine, a moment or two alone to regain his composure.
Dirksen raises to 65,000, and Tayar goes all in behind him for a total of 246,000. Dirksen snorts, "Man, I'm done raising." Meanwhile, Jeffreys is standing up and apparently undergoing some real emotional turmoil. "Do you want a call?" he inquired, and was met with the standard shrug of the all-in. Eventually he folded -- afterwards he said he was holding A-10. Dirksen folded too, Tayar raked in the chips, and they continued.
A tense moment as Mark Brockington is all in preflop for 195,000 with against Dustin Dirksen's . Dirksen is a little worked up, talking to the deck as the dealer prepares to deal the board. "Come on, put a ten down there," he says. But the deck doesn't hear him.
Board: ("Diamond?" suggests Dirksen hopefully)
Brockington doubles up to 400,000, and they play on.
With just ten players remaining, Stephane Tayar has avoided that unwanted final table bubble by finding pocket kings and reraising Chris Bjorin's initial raise of 55,000 all in for 110,000.
Bjorin called with sevens, but quickly accepted defeat as a third king hit the flop.