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Ultramarathon runner and professional poker player from Ireland Dara O'Kearney is in the field.
O'Kearney cashed The Marathon event this series and was eliminated from the Seniors event earlier today when his pocket queens were beaten by quad eights.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
17,500 | 17,500 |
Ever since he started playing poker, he's been dreaming about playing at the World Series of Poker. Watching the videos and live reports, Vitezslav Cech was a true WSOP fanboy.
While many young kids hope to make it far in poker, not everyone meets their skills with luck to make their dream come true. While Cech tried to push his dream, his chances didn't look that big three years ago.
From Prague, Czech Republic, Cech was working in Starbucks, and played poker to seize a nice addition to his small salary from a daily job. Then he quit and decided to make a step further, pursue his poker career.
But he was unable to make his big breakthrough until last year. Back in May 2016, Cech scored a big prize in one of the 888poker major tournaments. That helped him gain traction. His confidence grew, the stress about having enough money to pay checks faded away. Suddenly, the doors were open for Cech.
The remaining part of 2016 was fantastic for Cech, who was riding his wave of success, increasing his bankroll. Money was no longer an issue, but there had been one other factor preventing Cech from playing at the WSOP: the Atlantic Ocean.
Cech isn't a frequent flyer, and he doesn't enjoy flying much. Scared of this type of transport, flying the endless hours from Prague to Las Vegas was a tough hurdle for him.
But, he's now here, after experiencing his first-ever long-haul flight. Cech is still a fanboy, but now also one of those who are trying to win a bracelet. As one would expect, he's wearing a WSOP cap today. "It's amazing to be playing poker here with such a crowd. You breathe the true poker atmosphere," Cech said.
He's in for The Giant, and he'll be in for many more as he's set to grind nearly the full summer in Las Vegas.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
17,000 | -3,000 |
The tournament clock is now showing 1,020 entries with registration and unlimited rebuys until the start of Level 9.
Level: 5
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 50
Fabrice Soulier is bust, Guo Dong has just sat down with a stack, and Ylon Schwartz got a lucky treble-up.
Schwartz was all in for his last 1,100 and picked up two callers. “How many times can I reenter?” he wanted to know.
A bet on the flop from one of them got it heads up. His opponent had king-queen and Schwartz jack-three. Both had hit a piece and, when the turn brought more outs, Schwartz said, “Here it comes!”
The river was another three to give Schwartz trips and postpone any need for a rebuy.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
|
3,400 | -12,600 |
|
Busted |
The tournament field is split between the Miranda and Pavilion Rooms. A quick walk through the Pavilion section offered a look at some players who are already known in the poker world.
Jamie Kerstetter and Alex Keating are playing on the same table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 |
The Giant may be primarily aimed at recreational players, setting an affordable buy-in and scheduling it to work around family and work commitments, but a number of professional players can see the value and the fun of playing this event.
Ylon Schwartz is in the field today, perhaps most famous for his fourth-place finish in the 2008 Main Event in 2008 for $ 3,794,974.
In a recent hand, Schwartz opened for 700 and picked up calls from the players in the blinds.
The flop of 
did not tempt Schwartz into a continuation bet. The turn card 
saw a 1,100 bet from the player on the small blind and that took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
16,000 | 16,000 |
Level: 4
Blinds: 150/300
Ante: 25
Some tables are quiet and some have a class joker who keeps the others entertained, talking away as the poker game proceeds.
Table 644 has Raymond Speck who the table agrees is a funny guy and they all seem to be having a fun time.
In a recent hand, three players saw a flop of 
and Speck and his neighbor Sam Kim called a bet. Speck was excited that a big pot was breaking out.
The turn card was the and a bet of 3,200 got a call from Speck again joking, “I’ve got enough big blinds to call.”
Kim, though, had other ideas and moved all in for over 20,000. That got a fold from the original aggressor and some jokey admonishment from Speck, who did eventually muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
38,000 | 38,000 |
|
18,500 | 18,500 |
The term "cooler" is often featured in many poker stories when players meet with their mates away from the tables. Over the first few weeks of the 2017 World Series of Poker, there surely have already been hundreds and thousands of coolers to report on. But not many could compete with the one that has just emerged on Table 611.
With the board reading 
, three players put their money in. If a full house is considered a very strong hand, this time it wasn't the case.
Two players turned over their boats, but they had to surrender their stacks to Kiambu Fisher. "I can't believe I'm second in this hand," said one of his victims whose 
was no good. Well, another player turned over 
only to find out he was third in this hand.
Fisher had flopped the goods with 
and got his straight flush paid like not many players before him.
Brian Johnson, who wasn't involved in the James Bond type of hand, joked: "Take my name, I'm the story."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
60,000 | 60,000 |
|
19,500 | 19,500 |
