Dan Heimiller Leads Final Six in $1,500 Seven Card Stud
Low Card: 15,000
Completion: 50,000
Limits: 50,000-100,000
Only 69 of the original 377 entrants returned to the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas for Day 2 of Event #6: $1,500 Seven Card Stud in hopes of surviving the money bubble and claiming a piece of the $500,467 prize pool.
With a total of 57 players making the money, it took less than an hour to bust the money bubble, guaranteeing everyone left a min-cash worth $3,041. The pace of play was unexpectedly fast, and by the time the last card was dealt, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Dan Heimiller found himself leading the remaining six players after bagging up 2,885,000.
His next closest competitor is Finnish native Jyri Merivirta, who ended as the only other player to breach the two-million chip mark with 2,555,000. Sitting a distant third is three-time bracelet winner David Bach with 1,440,000.
Final Table Seating and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Heimiller | United States | 2,885,000 | 24 |
| 2 | Jyri Merivirta | Finland | 2,555,000 | 21 |
| 4 | Tyler Phillips | United States | 1,330,000 | 11 |
| 6 | Mengqi Chen | China | 770,000 | 6 |
| 8 | Kristan Lord | United States | 465,000 | 4 |
| 9 | David Bach | United States | 1,440,000 | 12 |
The final six players will return on Saturday, May 31, at 1 p.m. to battle on the felt until a champion is crowned. So far, each player has locked up a guaranteed payday of $16,842, but everyone will surely be aiming for the bracelet and $106,840 first-place prize.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $106,840 |
| 2 | $70,568 |
| 3 | $47,660 |
| 4 | $32,921 |
| 5 | $23,271 |
| 6 | $16,842 |
Action of the Day
Despite a looming money bubble, players were not shy about getting their chips into the middle, which led to the money bubble being burst within the first hour of play. Bruce Paquette ended up being the bubble boy, just as the final round of hands were being played prior to hand-for-hand play.
With no slip in the action, WSOP veteran Allen Kessler was among the first to be eliminated following the money bubble to score his first cash of the series. Other players to squeeze into the money for a min-cash include Dave Stann, Frankie O'Dell, Brian Rast, and Dzmitry Urbanovich.
Shortly after, Heimiller caught a bit of a heater and vaulted up the chip ranks along with Japan's own Ryutaro Suzuki, who entered the three-table redraw second in chips.
The eliminations kept coming in strong, and by the time dinner break rolled around, just 17 players remained, with Heimiller maintaining a lead over the field.
Heimiller was briefly challenged for the chip lead, however, when Merivirta won a massive pot after catching two pair in a four-way pot.
Meanwhile, other notables found themselves short and busted, including Michael Noori (16th - $4,108), Max Pescatori (14th - $4,864) and Suzuki (12th - $4,864), who was unable to gain any momentum following the break.
The final table was reached just before the final break of the night, and the last two hours of play saw Heimiller regain the chip lead by repeatedly making the best hand at showdown and without eliminating a single player.
The last elimination of the night belonged to Tyler Phillips, who ended Sam Jaramillo's run after getting rolled-up jacks.
Final table action will resume on Level 26, which features limits of 60,000/120,000. Levels will continue to last 60 minutes each, and all breaks will be contingent on players and tournament staff.
The first stud event of the WSOP is in its final stretch, so be sure to stick with PokerNews as we bring you all the action until just one player is left standing!