button in SafariJon Turner Leads Final Six in Day 2 of $1,500 Razz
High Card: 20,000
Completion: 50,000
Limits: 50,000-100,000
Another Razztastic day on the felt inside Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas saw 104 players return in hopes of making a deep run in Event #40: $1,500 Razz. Following ten hour-long levels, Jon Turner emerged as the chip leader after bagging up 4,335,000.
Turner is a poker veteran with 19 World Series of Poker final table appearances in the live arena. Often considered "one of the best without a bracelet," Turner boasts over $4.5 million in live-tournament earnings and even more online under the moniker 'PearlJammed."
Sitting more than a million chip below is Turner's next-closest competitor Dennis Weiss, who managed to end with 3,005,000. The three-time bracelet winner is fresh off of a victory in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em event and surely looking to carry his momentum to a second bracelet win of the series.
Final Six Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Bets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Turner | United States | 4,335,000 | 36 |
| 2 | Dennis Weiss | Germany | 3,005,000 | 25 |
| 3 | Sebastian Pauli | Germany | 1,565,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Adam Owen | United Kingdom | 1,455,000 | 12 |
| 5 | Stephen Hubbard | United States | 1,370,000 | 11 |
| 6 | Oscar Johansson | Sweden | 1,220,000 | 10 |
Day 2 Action
It took just over a level to eliminate enough players to get to the money bubble. Among those to leave empty-handed were Eric Baldwin, Terry Fleischer, Chris Hunichen, Mark Rubbathan, and Brandon Shack-Harris.
Just as the clock was paused for hand-for-hand play, two eliminations took place, ending the bubble period almost as soon as it began. However, since Mike Krescanko Jr and Troy Evans were eliminated at separate tables, they split up a min-cash to effectively refund their initial buy-in.
The pace of eliminations remained rapid as players attempted to double up, only to find themselves settling for a min-cash. Daniel James, Bernd Gleissner, Brian Yoon, Brad Ruben, and Andrew Barber all found themselves on the rail shortly after the bubble burst. Naoya Kihara also joined them, falling to Matt Vengrin just after the first pay jump to continue his excellent series so far.
By the second break, Hubbard, Turner, and Weiss were among the chip leaders, while Poker Hall of Famer Brian Rast lost steam. The seven-time bracelet winner was sent to the rail after committing his final chips into the middle only to run into the wheel of Rafael Flose.
Owen then went on a hot streak that saw his stack soar past a million, while other notables such as Matt Grapenthien (21st), Frank Brannan (20th), Robert Mizrachi (19th), and Ariel Mantel (17th) were eliminated to set up the final two tables.
With hardly a lull in the action, just 11 players remained by the final break of the day, with Owen, Weiss, and Turner maintaining their dominant chip leads. Weiss and Turner solidified their positions by eliminating Donny Rubinstein (11th) and Flose (10th), respectively, to reach the final table with nearly two full levels still to go.
With only two big bets, it didn't take long for Vladas Tamasauskas to commit his stack into the middle against Hubbard. Unfortunately for Tamasauskas, he drew to a ten while Hubbard made a nine to become the first player to bow out of the final table.
Following him shortly out the door was Tobias Leknes, who held the second shortest stack entering the final table. Leknes was eliminated after failing to make his nine-seven draw against Paul Richardson, who made an eight.
It was about this time when Turner made his ascent into the chip lead, first by winning a big pot to leave Richardson short, and then by eliminating him in a massive five-way pot with eight-seven. Turner never looked back and ended the day with approximately a third of the chips in play.
Everyone remaining has already secured a $21,850 share of the $688,972 prize pool, but the real goal is the $135,564 top payout and coveted gold bracelet awaiting the champion.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $135,564 |
| 2 | $90,354 |
| 3 | $61,393 |
| 4 | $42,589 |
| 5 | $30,177 |
| 6 | $21,850 |
Players will return tomorrow at 1 p.m. local time and play down to a winner. Action will resume on Level 26, which features 60,000/120,000 betting limits.
With the finish line now in sight, the final six players are set to razzle and dazzle until only one is left standing with all the chips. For all the latest updates, be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews.