Event #46: $50,000 Poker Players' Championship
Day 5 Started
Event #46: $50,000 Poker Players' Championship
Day 5 Started
What started with 102 players in the 2014 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players' Championship is now down to the unofficial final table of eight. Today those players will return to the Rio All-Suite Casino in Las Vegas to play down to a winner, who will walk away with $1,517,767, a gold bracelet, and have their name inscribed on the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.
The man best positioned to make a run at the top prize is 2014 WSOP bracelet winner and Player of the Year contender Brandon Shack-Harris, who begins the day with 4,101,000 chips. Another player to keep an eye on is Melissa Burr, who became the first woman to ever cash in this event.
Joining Shack-Harris and Burr on Day 5 will be Frank Kassela, Abe Mosseri, Allen Kessler, Jesse Martin, Chun Lei "samrostan" Zhou, and John Hennigan. This is Hennigan’s third straight cash in the Poker Players’ Championship, and his second consecutive final table. The only other player at the final table with a previous cash in this event is Mosseri, who finished 11th in 2010 for $129,957.
Officially, Mosseri is only guaranteed $165,435 with seven players remaining, but it is rumored that he has already locked up $600,000 in side bets by reaching the final table. If he wins, he could earn an additional $300,000 on top of the $1,517,767 first-place prize.
Shack-Harris, who already has first, second, and third-place finishes at the 2014 WSOP, is nipping at George Danzer’s heels in the Player of the Year race, Martin is looked to capture his second gold bracelet in as many years, and Kessler and Zhou are both looking to win their first and only.
Who will walk away as the 2014 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players' Champion? All we know for sure is that it will be one of these eight players:
Unofficial Final Table
Seat | Player | Country | Chips | WSOP Bracelets | Career Earnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Frank Kassela | USA | 2,507,000 | 2 | $2,425,393 |
2 | John Hennigan | USA | 1,878,000 | 2 | $4,750,934 |
3 | Allen Kessler | USA | 439,000 | 0 | $2,830,973 |
4 | Abe Mosseri | USA | 3,485,000 | 1 | $1,149,000 |
5 | Chun Lei Zhou | Macau | 1,389,000 | 0 | $199,137 |
6 | Melissa Burr | USA | 661,000 | 0 | $151,368 |
7 | Brandon Shack-Harris | USA | 4,101,000 | 1 | $611,679 |
8 | Jesse Martin | USA | 840,000 | 1 | $1,396,180 |
The surviving eight players will return at 2 p.m., which is just over an hour from now. Be sure to return to PokerNews for exclusive live updates from this and every event at the 2014 WSOP.
Level: 21
Triple Draw 2-7 Hold’em - Omaha/8B - 30,000 60,000 60,000-120,000
Razz – Stud - Stud/8B 15,000 20,000 60,000 60,000-120,000 No-Limit Hold’em – PLO (No Ante) 7,000 ante: 15,000-30,000 blinds
Stud 8
Brandon Shack-Harris brought it in with the and then called when Abe Mosseri completed with the . Both players then checked fourth street before Shack-Harris check-called bets on fifth through seventh streets.
Shack-Harris: /
Mosseri: /
Shack-Harris snap-called on seventh with just kings. He was right, as Mosseri only held ace-high.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Brandon Shack-Harris
|
4,581,000 | 480,000 |
Abe Mosseri
|
3,005,000 | -480,000 |
Stud 8
Frank Kassela: / /
Abe Mosseri: / /
Kassela brought it in, Mosseri completed, and Kassela made the call. Mosseri check-called a bet on fourth street, both players knuckled on fifth, and Mosseri led out on sixth. Kassela called.
Kassela called one last bet on seventh street, then mucked when Mosseri showed for two pair.
Allen Kessler: / /
Mosseri: / /
On the very next hand, Kessler brought it in and Mosseri completed. Kessler called, both players checked on fourth street, and Kessler check-called bets on fifth, sixth, and seventh.
The bet from Mosseri on seventh put Kessler all in, and he begrudgingly committed the remainder of his stack. Mosseri showed for a straight, and Kessler showed , claiming he bricked his flush draw.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Abe Mosseri
|
4,040,000 | 1,035,000 |
Frank Kassela
|
1,820,000 | -687,000 |
Allen Kessler | Busted |
Stud 8
Abe Mosseri completed with the only to have Chun Lei Zhou raise to 120,000 with the . Melissa Burr, who was showing the , then made it 180,000 to go, both her opponents called, and three players went to fourth street. Mosseri led out for 60,000, both his opponents called, and he checked fifth.
Zhou bet 120,000, both Burr and Mosseri called, and Mosseri led out once again on sixth. Two calls were made and Mosseri fired 120,000 one final time on seventh. Zhou made a quick call and Burr, who only had 31,000 behind, opted to fold.
"Aces," Mosseri said.
"Only aces?" Zhou asked.
Mosseri: /
Zhou: /
Burr: / / — fold
Zhou tabled two pair, and that proved good enough to scoop the large pot.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Abe Mosseri
|
3,400,000 | -640,000 |
Chun Lei Zhou | 2,800,000 | 1,411,000 |
Melissa Burr | 31,000 | -630,000 |
Stud 8
Jesse Martin brought it in with the , John Hennigan completed with the , and Melissa Burr moved all in for 31,000. The action folded back to Hennigan, who called.
Hennigan: / /
Burr: / /
Burr started off with four hearts, but it didn't matter when Hennigan made quads by fifth street. Burr, the first woman to cash and make the final table of the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship received a big round of applause as she exited the Mothership, and she'll earn $165,435 for her efforts.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
John Hennigan
|
1,940,000 | 62,000 |
Melissa Burr | Busted |
Stud 8
John Hennigan: / /
Brandon Shack-Harris: / /
Hennigan brought it in, then called when Shack-Harris completed. Hennigan called a bet from Shack-Harris on fourth street, then led out on fifth, sixth, and seventh when he had a better board. Shack-Harris made quick calls on the first two streets, then tank-called on seventh.
"Nice call," Hennigan told him, revealing . "I made a low."
Shack-Harris turned over for just a pair of queens - to the surprise of Hennigan - and the two chopped the pot.
There were no significant happenings during the seven hands of 2-7 triple draw, and the remaining six players are now cruising in the Cadillac of poker: no-limit hold'em.
No-Limit Hold'em
Jesse Martin opened to 70,000 from under-the-gun and was met by a three-bet to 275,000 by John Hennigan in the cutoff. The button and blinds all folded, and Martin announced that he was all in for 720,000. Hennigan snap-called.
Hennigan:
Martin:
Both players held "Big Slick", so unless the board four-flushed, it was destined to be a chopped pot. That's just what happened after the board ran out a clean .
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
John Hennigan
|
2,020,000 | |
Jesse Martin
|
720,000 |