Event #23: $2,500 Seven-Card Stud
Day 2 Completed
Day 2 Completed
Live Highlights
2010 Player of the Year Frank Kassela Leads the Final 10
After 10 more levels of play in Event #23: $2,500 Seven Card Stud, only 10 players remain in contention for the gold bracelet and the $145,520 first-place prize. Leading the way is 2010 World Series of Poker Player of the Year Frank Kassela. Kassela bagged 331,500 chips, and his closest competitors are David Chiu (295,000), and Matthew Ashton (277,500). Ashton is having a terrific 2013 WSOP, finishing third in Event #5 and runner-up in Event #13.
A total of 106 players returned for Day 2 action, and only 32 would make the money. Plenty of notables busted before the money bubble arrive, including Allen Kessler, George Danzer, Perry Friedman, Cyndy Violette, Roland Israelashvili, Chad Brown, John Monnette, and Greg Raymer. Brown started his bustout hand with split jacks, and improved to kings-up on sixth street, but Chiu had wired aces, and made a better two pair on sixth. Chiu’s hand held up on seventh, and Brown hit the rail.
The bubble burst in Level 14, where Terrence Hastoo was all-in for just the ante. He started with three to a flush, but Kenn Wittock had split kings and held. Once the players were in the money, they started hitting the rail in rapid succession. Among the min-cashers were Andrey Zaichenko, Marco Traniello, Andrew Kelsall, Joseph Cappello, Calvin Anderson, Konstantin Puchkov, and Daniel Negreanu.
At the three-table redraw, Scott Seiver and Chiu started to climb up the charts. Seiver made a timely spade flush against Jesse Martin, while Chiu knocked out Ashly Butler. Kassela's ascent to the top of the counts began in Level 17 against Gary Benson, and continued in Level 18 against The Grinder. While those three were growing their stacks, others busted, including Mike Sexton (13th), 2008 Stud World Champion Eric Brooks (14th), and Andre Akkari (17th).
With the elimination of Brooks, Freddie Ellis was the last Stud World Champion standing. The 2009 champ will be looking for bracelet number two on Friday, but has a long road ahead of him with only 26,000 chips.
Here's the seat draw:
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 446 | 1 | --empty-- | -- |
| 446 | 2 | Gary Benson | 213,500 |
| 446 | 3 | --empty-- | -- |
| 446 | 4 | Helmut Koch | 157,500 |
| 446 | 5 | --empty-- | -- |
| 446 | 6 | Michael Mizrachi | 128,000 |
| 446 | 7 | Adam Friedman | 74,500 |
| 446 | 8 | Frank Kassela | 331,500 |
| 447 | 1 | --empty-- | -- |
| 447 | 2 | --empty-- | -- |
| 447 | 3 | Matthew Ashton | 277,500 |
| 447 | 4 | --empty-- | -- |
| 447 | 5 | Scott Seiver | 237,500 |
| 447 | 6 | Jesse Martin | 84,000 |
| 447 | 7 | Freddie Ellis | 26,000 |
| 448 | 8 | David Chiu | 295,000 |
The 10 survivors will return on Friday at 2 p.m. local time to battle it out for a bracelet. Be sure to check back then for all of your exclusive live updates straight from the tournament floor. For now, we'll leave you with Lynn Gilmartin who has all the highlights from around the Rio.
End-of-Day Chip Counts
|
|
331,500 | 16,500 | ||
|
|
295,000 | -45,000 | ||
|
|
277,500 | 62,500 | ||
|
|
237,500 | 15,500 | ||
|
|
213,500 | -46,500 | ||
|
|
157,500 | 47,500 | ||
|
|
128,000 | 55,000 | ||
|
|
84,000 | 54,000 | ||
|
|
74,500 | -80,500 | ||
|
|
26,000 | -62,000 |
Ashton Gets His Fill
Matthew Ashton: 
/ 
/
Scott Seiver: / 
/
Ashton check-called a bet on fourth street, then led out on fifth, sixth, and seventh. Seiver called all three bets, then mucked when Ashton showed 
for sixes full of deuces.
"I had outs," Seiver said, shaking his head.
|
|
|
222,000 | -28,000 | ||
|
|
|
215,000 | 35,000 |
Rocco Bucci Eliminated in 11th Place ($8,713)
Rocco Bucci completed only to have Matthew Ashton raise to 10,000. Bucci made the call before leading out on fourth and fifth streets. On fifth however, Ashton raised only to have Bucci three-bet virtually all-in; leaving himself just 1,500. Ashton called and the cards were tabled.
Bucci: 
/ 
Ashton: 
/ 
With Bucci trailing, the 
on sixth changed little as Ashton caught the 
before the 
came on seventh leaving Bucci drawing to just one out. Unfortunately for Bucci, the 
would complete his board and he would be out the door in 11th place.
|
|
|
180,000 | -5,000 | ||
|
|
Busted |
Kassela Over 300K
Gary Benson: / 
(FOLD)
Michael Mizrachi: / 
/
Frank Kasella: / 
/
All three players checked on fourth street, and on fifth Kassela bet out. Benson called, Mizrachi raised, Kassela re-raised, and only Mizrachi called.
Kassela tossed out a bet on sixth, Mizrachi called, and the two checked on seventh. Kassela showed 
for tens and sevens, and Mizrachi showed 
before mucking.
|
|
|
315,000 | 50,000 | ||
|
|
|
73,000 | -77,000 |
Some of the Big Stacks
|
|
|
340,000 | -30,000 | ||
|
|
|
265,000 | 60,000 | ||
|
|
|
260,000 | 50,000 |
Kenn Wittock Eliminated in 12th Place ($8,713)
Kenn Wittock: / 
/
Michael Mizrachi: / 
/
Mizrachi fired out a bet on fourth, and Wittock pushed out enough to call, released the stack, then pulled it back asking how much the bet was. The floor ruled this motion as a call, and the chips remained in the pot.
Mizrachi bet dark heading into seventh, and Wittock tanked for a bit before slamming the call forward. The Grinder showed 
for kings-up, and Wittock mucked.
Gary Benson: / 
/
Wittock: / 
/
Wittock's remaining 3,000 chips went in the next hand on fourth street against Benson. Wittock showed , giving him straight draw against Benson's for kings, but Wittock bricked out on fifth and sixth. Benson didn't improve on seventh when he showed the 
, and Wittock needed to make two pair or a straight to survive.
He turned over the 
, however, and was eliminated.
|
|
|
210,000 | 6,500 | ||
|
|
Busted |
Chiu Flirting with 400K
Jesse Martin: / 
/
Freddie Ellis: / /
David Chiu: / 
/
We reached the table on sixth street, where Chiu led out with his pair of queens. Both Martin and Ellis called. Chiu opted to check on seventh, Martin tossed out a bet, and Ellis folded. Chiu reached for chips, thought for a bit, then tossed them in.
"Kings-up," he said as they splashed onto the felt.
"Good," Martin said, looking at his hand one more time before mucking it.
Chiu collected the pot, and now sits with 370,000 chips.
|
|
|
370,000 | 145,000 | ||
|
|
|
88,000 | -2,000 | ||
|
|
|
30,000 | -68,000 |
Mike Sexton Eliminated in 13th Place ($6,990)
Mike Sexton was all in for his last few thousand against Helmut Koch as both player's boards ran out as follows.
Sexton: /
Koch: 
/
Koch caught the on seventh to improve to two pair while Sexton could only find the as he was knocked to the rail in 13th place.
|
|
|
110,000 | -40,000 | ||
|
|
Busted |