Day 2 of Event #61: $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Championship from the 2014 World Series of Poker has come to a close. The field returned with 58 players from the original 122, but that has since been whittled down to the final nine. Leading the pack is Todd Brunson with 980,000 in chips, and the gold bracelet winner will be joined by a packed final group on Thursday.
Second in chips behind Brunson is Steve Landfish, and then 13-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth sits in third. Matt Grapenthien, Ben Yu, James Obst, Jesse Martin, Henry Orenstein, and Henrik Hecklen round out the pack.
Hellmuth's quest for number 14 will surely be the talk of the town on the final day of action, but the run that Orenstein is making is one for the ages. The 90-year-old creator of the hole-card camera holds a very significant place in poker history, and he'll be returning to chase his second piece of WSOP hardware after winning one in seven-card stud back in 1996. Orenstein is also a Holocaust survivor and the holder of about 100 patents.
Martin, who sits seventh in chips, will also be looking for his second gold bracelet after winning one last year, and he'll be eclipsing the $2 million cash mark after his run is complete.
Yu, who sits right in the middle of the pack in fifth place with 247,000 in chips, is making his seventh cash of the summer, while Obst, the Australian young gun, is putting up another solid performance in his first time at the Series.
Action is scheduled to resume on Thursday at 2 p.m. local time in Las Vegas, and this is surely a final table you won't want to miss. That said, we'll see you right back here in less than 11 hours for the conclusion of the 61st gold bracelet event of the summer.
Shortly after doubling back up to give himself another chance we just lost Richard Ashby. Ashby brought it in on third and the action folded to Henry Orenstein who made the call.
On fourth street Orenstein's board was high and he bet, Ashby called. On fifth street Orenstein bet again and Ashby moved all in for an additional 4,000 chips. Orenstein called.
"What do you got?" Orenstein asked Ashby.
"Nothing," Ashby sighed.
"He's got a straight draw, Henry," Jesse Martin helped out.
Orenstein: / /
Ashby: / /
"He's got a full house," a players said when sixth street was dealt and Orenstein locked up the hand. Ashby was knocked out and there will now be a redraw for the final table.
Karl Tretter completed and James Obst raised. Tretter moved all in and Obst called to create an all-in showdown.
Tretter: / /
Obst: / /
Tretter was knocked out by Obst's pair of tens and we're now down to 10 players. When we lose one more the final nine will be redrawn for a final table.
Ben Yu just knocked out Russian pro Nikolay Losev. Yu explained to us he started with rolled up queens and Losev held . Neither player improved their hand and that means Losev hit the rail in 12th place.
Yu was briefly up to over 400,000 but he lost a pot to Jesse Martin to put him on 380,000 with 11 players remaining.
Barry Greenstein called a bet on fourth street made by Matt Grapenthien and on fifth it was Greenstein himself who lead out. With this bet for 11,000 Greenstein was all in and Grapenthien called.
Greenstein: / /
Grapenthien: / /
Grapenthien's pair of nines won the pot and Greenstein was knocked out.
"Miami" John Cernuto was all in on third street with the against Karl Tretter's . Cernuto's board ran out , , , and to give him a pair of eights. Tretter's board, however, ran out , , , and to give him two pair, kings and threes.
Cernuto was eliminated as Tretter moved to over 200,000 in chips.
Right when two big pots were written up we lost Shirley Rosario in 15th place under unknown action. Rosario made the money with little chips and unfortunately for her she did not manage to spin it up.
Earlier this summer Rosario finished fourth in the $10,000 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo tournament, and this marked her second Championship event cash. In that event Rosario cashed for $146,522, her biggest cash to date.
On third street Steve Landfish had the bring in and Phil Hellmuth raised. Henry Orenstein raised, Jesse Martin three-bet and Landfish folded. Both Hellmuth and Orenstein called after which fourth was checked.
On fifth street Orenstein checked, Martin bet and both Hellmuth and Orenstein called. Sixth street gave Hellmuth a pair showing and he bet, Orenstein and Martin called. On seventh street Hellmuth bet, Orenstein folded and Martin raised.
"Call," Hellmuth said immediately.
Hellmuth: / /
Orenstein: / /
Martin: / /
"Flush," Martin said.
"Flush ace-queen," Hellmuth responded as he showed .
"Flush ace-king," Martin replied, as he tabled for a better flush.
Hellmuth was visibly upset, but remained calm throughout the process of losing this huge pot.
"I knew you were going to raise light," Hellmuth sighed. "Wow. What a game," he later added.
Cummings was all in on fourth street for 2,500 with the best hand, a pair of queens. Ashby had a pair of fives on fourth, but the boards ran out in his favor to give Ashby the win with trip fives.
"Oh my gosh!" yelled out Cummings after the hand, slapping her hand down on the rail of the table. "What the hell!"
Cummings muttered a few other things under her breath about Ashby running her down after not starting with a pair, and then left to collect her payout.
"I guess you won't be getting the invite to the barbecue for her Fourth of July party," joked Steve Landfish to Ashby, who smiled as he finished collecting the pot.
showing and Jesse Martin called with the 
up. On fourth street Yu caught the 
and Martin folded right when Yu bet.
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/ 
/ 
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. Neither player improved their hand and that means Losev hit the rail in 12th place.
/ 
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. Cernuto's board ran out 
, 
, and 
, 
to give him two pair, kings and threes.
for a better flush.
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/ 