Allen Kessler, the min-cash extraordinaire, is potentially hours away from, after all these years, winning his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet.
"The Chainsaw" called his shot in April, predicting he'd finally get off the schneid this summer and capture a coveted gold bracelet.
Kessler first cashed at the WSOP in 2001, a 16th-place finish for $5,710 in $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split, a tournament won by Poker Hall of Famer Scotty Nguyen. Since then, he's been a mainstay at the Series, racking up cashes left and right. But, on Sunday, he just might get over the hump and finish one of these tournaments as the last player standing.
2-7 Razz
Ariel Mantel: Ax6x3x/7x2x7xKx
Brian Tate: Kx9x4x/8xAx9xJx
Ariel Mantel completed, Brian Tate raised, Mantel responded with a three-bet, and Tate called.
Mantel then bet fourth street, with Tate calling. Mantel paired on fifth street, but he still bet once Tate had checked. Tate called to sixth street, where he led out with a bet when Mantel caught a king.
Mantel called to seventh street, where he called another bet by Tate.
"King-jack," Tate announced. Mantel gathered his cards to toss them towards the muck, but he decided to spread them on the table to make sure he was not winning the hand.
This move won him the pot, as he had made a king-seven low to rake in the sizable pot. Mantel apologized to Tate as he was awarded the chips, but Tate took no offense and play continued.
Pot-Limit 2-7 Triple Draw
Dylan Weisman bet 2,700 from the button after the first draw and James Obst called under the gun, as did Christopher Vitch in the cutoff.
Obst and Vitch drew one, while Weisman stood pat. Weisman then bet 13,200, and both opponents again called.
All three players stood pat on the last draw, and action checked to Weisman who moved all in for 39,400. Obst tanked for several minutes before folding, while Vitch also took a minute and tossed his cards into the muck.
Chip counts as shown on the WSOP LIVE app.
Level: 4
Limit Flop/Draw: 600-1,200, 1,200-2,400 Limits
Stud Games: 300 Ante, 300 Bring-In, 1,200 Completion, 1,200-2,400 Limits
Pot-Limit & No-Limit: 600/900 Ante, 300-600 Blinds
20 years after that hand on High Stakes Poker, Daniel Negreanu is still getting coolered by Gus Hansen, and this time at the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
Playing Day 1 of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship, the two poker legends faced off with monsters that saw Hansen rake in a pot against Negreanu with a better full house.
However, unlike that iconic encounter from Season 2 of High Stakes Poker in 2006 (in which the turn card that day gave Hansen quads over Negreanu's boat), on this occasion, Kid Poker had clearly learned his lesson from two decades ago, losing only a small pot instead of going broke after telling the Dane, "Jeez, I'm sorry I didn't raise you!" after the hands were tabled.
Players are going on the first 15-minute break of the day.
A-5 Triple Draw
The action was picked up during the first draw. Allan Le drew two cards from the small blind, Nacho Barbero took three in the big blind, James Obst changed two cards under the gun, and Dylan Weisman tossed one card on the button.
It then checked to Weisman, who bet. All three opponents called and drew two cards on the second draw, with Weisman standing pat behind. It was again checked to Weisman, who tossed in another bet.
This time, only Le called. After some thought, he remained pat. Weisman stood pat behind, but he folded his hand when Le led out with a bet after the draw.
"You know it's a good game when you play ace-to-five, you have three aces in your hand, and there are four players in the pot," Barbero stated as the pot was shipped Le's way.
Big O
Daniel Tafur, Olli Kokko, and Yueqi Zhu went to a flop of 3♦9♣2♦ when Kokko bet 6,000 from the big blind. Zhu raised to 26,500 in the cutoff, and Tafur called all in for 19,000. Kokko also called.
The turn was the A♠ and Kokko moved all in for 9,000. "What the heck? How is there one ace left?" Zhu said as he shot out of his seat. He eventually called, having both players covered.
Tafur showed K♠5♦4♥3♣3♠ for a set and wheel, but Kokko had turned a higher set with A♣A♦Q♥10♣7♦. Zhu had A♥9♦7♠4♣4♦, and was left paying off both opponents once the 9♠ fell on the river. Kokko took the high with a full house, while Tafur took the low.
"I should've scooped it," Tafur said.
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