Today, Taylor Paur is sitting down at his second final table, after placing sixth in Event #11: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Six Handed. With fourteen World Series of Poker cashes and one bracelet, Paur is playing well, getting results and is on track for another big summer. We caught up with Paur as players went on break to see how his tables were going and how he feels to be at another final table.
PokerNews: This is your second final table this summer. Do you feel like a second bracelet’s coming?
Taylor Paur: I have no idea. These shootouts are tough and ten-handed, now nine-handed, anything can happen. It’s a lot about getting cards at this point and running good.
How were your tables coming into today?
My first table had a lot of really good players. I ended up beating Tony Gregg heads-up. He is - if not the best in the world - he is certainly one of the best in the world. I was just fortunate to run good against him and run good at that table overall.
Yesterday was pretty tough, I had Sylvain Loosli at my table who played pretty tough and he probably deserved to win. I just ran better than him and I was lucky to win. I’ll take it, though.
So does catching cards and beating such great players give you some confidence coming into today?
Of course, it always makes you feel good to beat the best.
How does your shootout strategy differ from a traditional freeze out?
I wouldn’t say I have a set strategy. I prefer shootouts in six-max, I just play and it feels more natural to me. Whereas full-ring - which is where we are now - is not as much as a strength for me.
How do you feel about your table today?
There are really good players. My friend Kory Kilpatrick, who’s a boss and obviously Phil Galfond, who have won just a little money at poker. And there are other good players, too. It’s a tough table.
The 2014 World Series of Poker is well underway at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, but that's not the only place you can get your WSOP fix. From June 1-15, grinders in Nevada will be able to participate in the WSOP.com Online Championship Series.
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Hand #88: Phil Galfond raised to 17,000 from middle position, winning the blinds and antes.
Hand #89: Dylan Linde raised to 17,000 from under the gun, Michael Stonehill called out of the big blind, and the two took a flop of . Stonehill checked, Linde tossed out 21,000, and Stonehill folded.
Hand #90: Jack Duong raised to 18,000 from the hijack, Linde called out of the big blind, and the dealer fanned . Both players checked. The turn was the , Linde led out for 18,000, and Duong folded.
Hand #91: Kory Kilpatrick won the pot with a preflop raise.
Hand #92: Eric Wasserson completed from the small blind, Galfond checked, and both players checked on a flop of . The turn was the , Wasserson checked, and Galfond won the pot with a bet of 10,000.
Hand #93: Taylor Paur raised to 16,000 from under the gun, Chris Bell defended his big blind, and the flop fell . Both players checked. The turn was the , the two checked again, and the completed the board. Paur took it down with a bet.
Hand #94: Kilpatrick raised to 20,000 from under the gun, Bell called out of the small blind, and the dealer fanned . Bell checked, Kilpatrick continued for 24,000, and Bell called. The turn was the , Bell checked again, and Kilpatrick bet another 58,000. Bell folded.
Hand #95: Eric Wasserson raised to 17,000 from the hijack seat, Kory Kilpatrick called in the big blind and the flop was . Kilpatrick checked, Wasserson fired out 16,000 and Kilpatrick called. The turn was the , Kilpatrick knuckled again and Wasserson checked behind. The completed the board, Kilpatrick checked a third and final time and Wasserson fired 40,000.
Kilpatrick tank-called and Wasserson won the pot with .
Hand #96: Phil Galfond raised to 17,000 from middle position, winning the blinds and antes.
Hand #97: Chris Bell raised to 20,000 in middle position and no one called.
Hand #98: Galfond raised to 17,000 in early position and found no callers.
Hand #99: Jack Duong raised to 20,000 from the cutoff, Dyland Linde defended his big blind, and the flop fell . Both players checked. The turn was the , Linde led out for 37,000, and Duong called. The completed the board, both players checked, and Linde took the pot with for a pair of tens.
We've now played 99 hands with only one elimination.
Hand #100: Jack Duong raised to 19,000, Michael Stonehill called on the button, Dylan Linde called out of the small blind and Eric Wasserson defended his big blind. The quartet took a flop of , everyone checked and the turn was the . The action checked to Duong, he bet 30,000 and everyone else folded.
Hand #101: Taylor Paur raised to 16,000 from early position, Duong called from two spots to his left and the flop fell . Paur continued for 15,000, Duong called and the turn was the . Paur fired out another 38,000 and Duong called. The completed the board, Paur checked for the first time and Duong took the opportunity to bet 79,000. Paur snap-folded.
Week three is underway at the 2014 World Series of Poker, and the crew is back to talk about the Venetian and Sheldon Adelson, some of the new bracelet winners, and more. The 2012 Main Event champion, Greg Merson, then joins the program to talk about his series thus far and play a game of Multiple Bracelet Winner vs. World Cup Footballer against Jason Somerville.
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