Paul Wasicka was today's mystery man. At the beginning of the day we didn't have his chip count and after some tables broke we weren't able to locate him anymore. Common sense taught us he had busted, but boy were we wrong!
The runner-up from the 2006 WSOP Main Event, who banked over six million dollars for being the last player to hold up before falling to Jamie Gold, has been on a tear today and just got pretty lucky in order to move himself up to a top chip position. "Wow", is what Wasicka just said after he busted a very frustrated player who rushed away from the table and almost knocked his chair into that of opposing table. This is how it all went down.
Paul Wasicka raised to 8,000 from the hijack and the player on the button decided to three-bet him to 16,500. After both blinds folded it was back on Wasicka who put his opponent all in for around 112,000 total. The player on the button had a very tough decision so it seemed, as he took well over five minutes before he apologizing to his table mates and making the call.
Paul Wasicka
Opponent
The flop brought out and Wasicka already seemed at peace with this big loss. The turn was the and that opened up some possibilities for the NBC Heads-Up winner who binked the river in style when he hit the . Wasicka is now one of the tournament chip leaders.
Alan Sass has been lying quietly below the radar today despite holding a monster stack. It's quite possibly because he's been at a table all day with the likes of Hellmuth, Hoyt Corkins, Vanessa Selbst, and John Juanda. Sass is an accomplished player though with numerous cashes and even a 2nd place finish in 2006 in a $5,000 Pot Limit Hold 'em event at the WSOP. Either way, Sass has been holding his own at the table and has amassed a large ammount of chips. We followed Sass for an orbit to see what it was like to be at the table of death.
Hand 1: Sass starts this orbit in the highjack. John Juanda raises to 7500 under the gun +1. Hoyt Corkins raises to 15,000 from under the gun + 2. Action folds around and John Juanda moves all in after tanking. Corkins calls. Juanda has . Hoyt has . The flop falls and Hoyt hits the rail. John Juanda moves to 180,000 in chips.
-500 chips for Sass
Hand 2: John Juanda raises to 7500 from under the gun. Sass folds and action folds around and John Juanda wins another pot.
-1000 chips for Sass
Hand 3: Action folds around to Sass who raises to 6,000. The cutoff reraises to 16,500. Sass asks how much the bet is, then folds.
-7500 for Sass.
Hand 4:Under the gun player raises to 6,500. Sass calls from under the gun +1. Vanessa Selbst 3bets from the cut off to 19,500. Under the gun player moves all in for around 100,000. Sass folds. Selbst snap calls. Vanessa has and the under the gun player has . The board runs out and Selbst scoops the pot. Pushing her over 400,000.
-14000 for Sass.
Hand 5:Action halts momentarily as the floor is called to color up Selbsts newly aquired chips. A new player moves in next to Sass. The player under the gun raises to 7,000. The new player in the big blind calls. The flop falls . Action goes check check. The turn is the . The big blind bets 18,000, and the under the gun player folds.
-14,500 for Sass.
Hand 6: Sass is in the big blind. Player under the gun + 1 raises to 7,000. Action folds to Sass who calls in the big blind. The flop falls . Action goes check, check. The turn falls the . Action goes check check. The river falls the . Sass checks and his oponnent best 10,500. Sass thinks momentarily before reraising to 32,500. His oponnent calls, and Sass shows for a rivered flush.
+37,500 for Sass.
Hand 7: The plater under the gun raises to 7,000. action folds to Sass in the small blind. Sass folds. The big blind also folds.
+37,000
Hand 8: Under the gun, Selbst raises to 6,000. Action folds to Sass on the button who calls. Both blinds fold. The flop falls . Action goes check check. The turn is the . Selbst bets 9,500. Sass calls. The river is the . Selbst bets 14,500. Sass folds.
+21,000 for Sass.
Hand 9: Sass is in the cutoff. Player under the gun +1 raises and action folds around.
+20,500 for Sass for the orbit. Sass currently has 347,500 chips.
Jason Harrell has been a shining example of the never say die attitude. In the very first level of Day 1 Harrell found himself all-in with pocket kings versus pocket aces. The resulting clash left him with just 150 chips and nothing but a prayer, but he knuckled down, fought back and has just earned himself $7,204.
His conqueror was the WSOP bracelet winner Leo Wolpert and it was a cooler with Wolpert's pocket aces dominating the ace-queen of Harrell. Wolpert is now up to 145,000.
"I'm all in!", Phil Hellmuth shouted at some of his friends on the rail. He had moved his chair back and was leaning over the table awaiting his fait. The 11-time WSOP bracelet winner had around 75,000 chips and his under-the-gun shove got called by French native Antoine Nowak. "You got ace-queen?", Hellmuth asked Nowak who didn't respond and turned over his cards.
Hellmuth:
Nowak:
The board ran out , and before Hellmuth could say anthing Nowak starting screaming, "OUI PAPA! OUI PAPA". Nowak blasted through the Amazon Room in a Fillipo Candio like fashion. Nowak was close to high fiving himself and anxiously started looking for his friend who was also still in the tournament to celebrate this great succes.
Across the room people starting mocking the overly exciting Frenchman who had just eliminated a very quiet Phil Hellmuth. "Good game guys", the 1989 Main Event champion said as he made his way to the payout desk.
For his finish, Hellmuth earned $7,204 and his 86th career WSOP cash.
Canadian Bradley Craig knows how to navigate his way through the choppy waters of a WSOP event. In 2010 he made the final table of the $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Triple Chance eventually finishing in 5th place for $121,451. Add a TV appearance in the Poker Million to his resume and you have a player who knows what he is doing.
We just joined Craig's table as he propelled himself into top spot for the first time in this competition. He had moved all-in on a flop of holding and his opponent had called holding . The turn and river added nothing to the hand and Craig moved up to 485,000 while his opponent headed to the cash desk.
We have just left Phil Hellmuth's table where he is chastising himself after a hand with Marco Palacios.
Hellmuth started the action with a raise to 7,500 in mid-position, Marco Palacios called in the hijack and the button also came along for the ride. The three players shared a flop of and Hellmuth made a continuation bet of 6,000. Palacios was next to act and he pushed a raise of 30,000 into the middle and the player on the button immediately put his hands on his head and stared at the ceiling in dismay. The fold eventually followed and then Hellmuth made the call leaving himself 45,000 behind.
Vanessa Selbst has just grabbed the chip lead after busting Ryan Snickles and she has to be thinking about that nice piece of jewelry that's up for grabs tomorrow night!
Ryan Snickles started off the action with a raise to 6,500 from the under the gun position and Alan Sass made the call. The action got folded to Selbst who threw in a three-bet to 19,500. Snickles had around 120,000 chips and he decided to go all-in. Sass folded his cards and Selbst snap-called. We got a big one!
Ryan Snickles
Vanessa Selbst
The board ran out giving Selbst another knock out and the tournament chip lead!
If you follow poker and the World Series of Poker, you know 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth is still in this event going for that 12th bracelet and he's already locked up his 86th WSOP cash, all while having a crown fall out in his mouth the other day that;s been causing him some pain. We recently were out on the floor to grab an orbit full of hands with Hellmuth, but he only played the first two hands and then folded the rest. Here are those first two.
On the first hand, Hellmuth began the action in the big blind. Under the gun, 2009 $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em bracelet winner Leo Wolpert raised to 6,000. Action folded around to the player on the button and he made the call. Play passed around to Hellmuth in the big blind and he reraised to 24,000. Wolpert folded and then the button gave it up as well. Hellmuth showed the and said, "Just nines. Felt they were good."
On the very next hand, Hellmuth started in the small blind. A player raised to 7,000 from middle position and Hellmuth made the call to see the flop come out. Hellmuth checked and his opponent bet 9,000. Hellmuth check-raised to 22,000, but his opponent fired right back with a reraise to 56,000. With around 115,0000 behind, Hellmuth folded.
"Round one to you, kid," said Hellmuth.
Hellmuth went on to fold the next seven hands to complete the orbit and currently sits on approximately 112,000 in chips.
and Wasicka already seemed at peace with this big loss. The turn was the 
and that opened up some possibilities for the NBC Heads-Up winner who binked the river in style when he hit the 
. Wasicka is now one of the tournament chip leaders.
. Hoyt has 
and the under the gun player has 
. The big blind bets 18,000, and the under the gun player folds.
. Action goes check check. The river falls the 
. Selbst bets 9,500. Sass calls. The river is the 
holding 
. The 
turn and 
and Hellmuth made a continuation bet of 6,000. Palacios was next to act and he pushed a raise of 30,000 into the middle and the player on the button immediately put his hands on his head and stared at the ceiling in dismay. The fold eventually followed and then Hellmuth made the call leaving himself 45,000 behind.
and said, "Just nines. Felt they were good."