Friedman Eyes Back-to-Back Titles in $10k Dealer's Choice
Adam Friedman took down the $10k Dealer's Choice last year and the defending champion has been proving his qualities again since his return to the most versatile event on the WSOP schedule. A starting field of 122 has dwindled to final 11 contenders, and Friedman sits atop the leaderboard.
Winning the $312,417 first-place prize would be sweet in itself, and Friedman's motivation is surely emphasized by the possibility of a back-to-back victory which would undoubtedly cement his legacy as one of the best mixed game players on the planet.
It was a fine business day for the two-time bracelet winner. Friedman wasn't seen in any kind of danger, steadily cruising through the day in the middle of the pack. A rule of thumb in any competition is that a strong finish is what counts the most. Friedman perfected just that during the day and closed today's session with 1,289,000, which will be more than 30 big bets when the players come back on Sunday, June 16, at 2 p.m. local time.
A marquee moment for Friedman came on the final two tables. One of the best stud players in the world, Friedman capitalized not only on his skills but also on the setup in a hand against Chris Klodnicki. He coolered him with a full house over flush to stabilize himself among the largest stacks in the field.
The rest of the day seemed to be a cakewalk for Friedman who denied Michael McKenna (1,150,000) and Shaun Deeb (1,002,000) their respective claims for the pole position.
Matt Glantz took the chip lead in the early stages of Day 2 and he never saw his hopes come off track. Glantz remained pinned to the upper echelons of the leaderboard all the way through to bagging his chips. Glantz is in fourth place with 910,000.
The variety of potential winner stories copies the variety of games offered in the dealer's choice event. Seasoned bracelet winners such as Friedman, Deeb or Jeff Lisandro meet with those who wait for their first notches, such as Glantz, or Philip Sternheimer who entered straight into Day 2.
While the tournament is scheduled as a four-day event, the fast-paced tempo opens several scenarios. Sunday will tell whether a fourth day will be needed, but one thing is guaranteed: PokerNews will keep providing live updates until the winner is crowned so come back at 2 p.m. for more coverage of the most complex Championship event of the year.
flop and the 
turn saw Deeb lead out 25,000. Yockey called.
completed the board and that's where things heated up. Deeb fired 55,000 and Yockey pulled off a huge raise to 250,000. Deeb was visibly puzzled, and he immediately took the required chips aside from his stack. After over a minute, Deeb finally called.
turned into a bluff and Deeb rolled over 
for a flopped set.
, leading Schreiber's 
, his board ran out horribly and he mucked the rest of his hand in disgust as he busted in 13th place.
/ 
, giving Owen a set of kings. However, the river was the 
to give Friedman a ten-high straight with a low to eliminate Owen in 14th place.
/ 
for fives full of tens, besting Klodnicki's 
for a flush to win the pot.
flop. Zheng slid forward a tower of chips and McKenna raised to put him all in for about 150,000 total or so. Zheng called.
and Zheng's hand was mucked as soon as the rest of the board ran out 
. Zheng bricked his flopped nut low draw with 
