Artem Metalidi - looking for his first World Series of Poker bracelet
Aaaand just like that – another action-packed day of six-handed No Limit Hold’em is in the books. Out of the original 141 who began Day 2 in hopes of landing a World Series of Poker gold bracelet – only 18 will return for a third and final Day 3. Artem Metalidi will come into tomorrow as chip leader with a monstrous 1,523,000 stack. Behind him is the only other player to break a milly during Day 2, Luis Rodriguez, who bagged up 1,005,000.
As is always true in poker, where there are winners, there must be losers. Among those who didn’t survive into Day 3 include Jason Mercier, David Benyamine, Dan O’Brien, Galen Hall, Liv Boeree, Will Failla, Brad Booth and Gavin Smith. William Reynolds also fell by the wayside, but in notably brutal fashion as he was outdone by one of No Limit Hold’em’s prominent cooler situations.
As noted, our remaining players will be chasing after Artem Metalidi, who found himself with a massive chip late into Day 2 after winning a couple of key pots. There is still plenty of notable talent still in contention, however, including bracelet winner and 2008 November Niner Scott Montgomery, World Poker Tour champion and bracelet-winner Eugene Katchalov, online tournament phenom Andrew Lichtenberger and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier – whose live tournament earnings exceed $8,400,000.
Here are the final chip counts going into tomorrow:
Player
Chip Count
Artem Metalidi
1,523,000
Luis Rodriguez Cruz
1,005,000
Foster Hays
679,000
Joseph Urgo
572,000
Damien Lhommeau
511,000
Bertrand Grospellier
487,000
Freddy Deeb
425,000
Taylor Paur
424,000
Simon Charette
405,000
Eddie Blumenthal
395,000
Craig Bergeron
375,000
Scott Montgomery
288,000
Thiago Nishijima
272,000
Andrew Lichtenberger
246,000
Alexander Nudin
245,000
Toan Trinh
224,000
Ryan Fair
199,000
Eugene Katchalov
84,000
Join us here tomorrow at 1:00 PM local time as our final 18 combatants return to battle down to an eventual champion. Until then, we wish you a good night!
Artem Metalidi has his shades on whilst he quietly fingers away at his iPad. Just inches away from his body rests a perfect sandcastle stack containing 1.4 million chips. Yes…that was not a typo… he has 1.4 million chips. So how the hell did he manage to accrue such a chip stack?
Well in the not too distant past there was a chip leader called Scott Horowitz and he occupied the two seat at the Metalidi table. Horowitz went a little bit crazy in a hand with Metalidi that went a little bit like this:
Metalidi found in the hijack and he raised to 12,000. Horowitz was seated on the button and he three-bet to 32,000 holding . Metalidi - with all the confidence that aces gives you - popped it back up to 67,000 and Horowitz called. The flop was (two spades), Metalidi bet 75,000 and Horowitz moved all-in for around 250,000 and Metalidi called.
That left a vacant spot at the table and it was taken by the confident looking Scott Montgomery. He really did have a swagger about him that now just looks like an ice cold stare of anger and disbelief. That stare is borne out of the fact that he has just shipped the majority of his stack to Metalidi baby flush over baby flush. We didn't catch the action but the board was showing , Montgomery had made a big bet on the river for a couple of hundred thousand holding a high flush and the pot was won by Metalidi holding a high flush.
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Gavin Smith is out after a blind battle gone wrong
When Gavin Smith is eliminated from a tournament you notice. We asked around the table and Ryan Fair told us that the action was Donkey on Donkey - small blind versus big blind. Smith held and Fair and the better hand held up.
Then Fair immediately got embroiled in a pot with Damien Lhommeau. Lhommeau raised to 13,000 in the small blind and it got an immediate reaction from Fair.
"Oi…you limp Gavin's and raise mine? I see how you're gonna play," Said Fair before making the call.
The action checked through to the turn on a board of and Lhommeau bet 15,500; a bet which Fair called. The was checked through and Lhommeau won the hand holding .
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Eugene Katchalov moving into contention
Intrepid reporter OHairDJ has just told you about the deathly quiet on the Will The Thrill table. Well that table has just broke, but not before Eugene Katchalov decided to leap into action and take a few players out of the equation.
Katchalov told us that Tom Franklin moved all-in for 56,000, Katchalov called on the button, Will Failla moved all-in from the small blind and Katchalov called.
Katchalov
Failla
Franklin
Board: .
Failla must have been thinking it was Christmas and then Christmas again until the ten turned up on the river. Katchalov eliminated both Failla and Franklin and now has 330,000 chips.
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Jason Senti - the former November Niner is out
Jason Senti has had a torrid turn of events since the dinner break. He lost the majority of his stack when he ran his pocket kings into the ace-queen of Eddie Blumenthal earlier, and he has just been eliminated against the very same man.
Matt Berkey raised to 8,000 in the hijack seat and Jason Senti moved all-in from the cutoff for a little over 60,000. Blumenthal then shoved from the button and Berkey folded leaving the pair to have another private dance.
Blumenthal
Senti
Board:
Blumenthal doing the damage, once again with ace-queen. Jason Senti moves onto the next event.
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Our WSOP champion is still in the hunt for a 2nd bracelet
World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Tom Franklin has just doubled up through Ryan Fair. All of the action occurred pre flop with Franklin holding and Fair holding . The board ran out . Franklin had 71,800 chips to the horror of Fair who thought he much less!
When the chips were bagged and tagged last night the top two names on the team sheet were Jeff Manza and Aaron Jones. If proof was ever needed about the fragility of stacks in poker then the story of those two says it all. We reported earlier how Andrew Lichtenberger eliminated Jones and now we are here to tell you that Manza has followed him into the sultry sun.
Whenever we have a loser there is always a winner and his name is Daniel Witcher. Witcher took all of Manza's chips in two consecutive pots. The first was versus for a 70k pot and then he finished off the job with versus for his remaining few chips.
The Aaron 'aejones' Jones story has ended. We didn't see his bust out but Andrew Lichtenberger told us that he was responsible for the death of Jones. Apparently the end came in a four-bet pot with Jones holding a pair of kings and Lichtenberger holding a pair of eights in a three way all-in that also involved an opponent with ace-king suited. The eight on the flop was responsible for the Jones death knell and Lichtenberger moved up to 255,000.
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Jeff Manza forced to lay down to the seven-bet
Jeff Manza and Artem Metalidi have just played a game of cat and mouse that ended up costing one of them a lot of chips.
Joseph Urgo raised to 5,000 in the cut-off and Metalidi three-bet to 15,000 in the small blind. Jeff Manza was seated in the big blind and he four-bet to 32,400. Urgo folded and it was back to the Ukranian for a decision and it was a big one as both players had tournament winning stack sizes. Metalidi reached into his stack and made a five-bet to 32,400. Manza was next and he didn't mess about.
"67,300," he said before placing the exact amount across the line.
Metalidi started smiling to himself. He thought about his decision for a good few minutes before asking Manza if he had kings or aces, a comment that was not met with any reaction. A few minutes more passed by when someone asked for the clock. The floor person was called and the count began.
"5…4…3…2…ALL-IN!," Shouted Metalidi.
Manza just rocked back in his chair and started laughing.
"I can't believe you have waited for nine-minutes before doing that," said Manza.
Manza eventually folded his hand and told the table he had ace-queen. Metalidi didn't show his cards but hauled in the chip lead.
Good afternoon and welcome to the second day of the Ferrari of poker. We are of course talking about Event #23 $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed. With only 141 players left and 108 players guaranteed at least $5,019 we expect to hit the money within the first few hours.
One person who is used to reaching the money at this years World Series of Poker (WSOP) is Jeff Manza. The chip leader, with 275,000 chips, has a 50% cash-record, so far this year, and looks set to increase those percentages in this tournament.
Manza has a good 100,000 chips more than Aaron Jones. Jones was the chip leader for most of the afternoon showing how he excels in this format. The poker coach and genius will be a real danger in this tournament. Other players to keep a beady eye on include Kyle Julius, Kyle Weir, Roberto Romanello, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, David Benyamine and Eugene Katchalov.
The action moves into the Amazon room today where we commence play at 13:00 PM. The plan will be to play ten sixty-minute levels, with twenty-minute break every second level and a sixty-minute dinner break after the sixth level.
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(two spades), Metalidi bet 75,000 and Horowitz moved all-in for around 250,000 and Metalidi called.
, Montgomery had made a big bet on the river for a couple of hundred thousand holding a 
high flush and the pot was won by Metalidi holding a 
high flush.
and Fair 
and Lhommeau bet 15,500; a bet which Fair called. The 
was checked through and Lhommeau won the hand holding 
.
. The board ran out 
