The penultimate day of Event #72: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship has come to a close at the 2017 World Series of Poker with Perry Friedman leading the final seven players heading into Day 3.
Saturday begin with 29 players all eyeing the coveted WSOP gold bracelet in one of the smallest tournaments of the series. Play began at a furious pace as a multitude of players headed to the rail prior to the first break. However the next two hours of play would yield just two eliminations before a long bubble followed, which would also include the extension of the level before Ryan Miller became the tournament bubble boy when opponent Shaun Deeb made a flush on sixth street to render Miller drawing dead after all the money went in on fifth street.
With the remaining 14 players in the money and guaranteed a $14,667 payday, Shirley Rosario (14th), Todd Brunson, (13th), and Dan Zack (12th) all were eliminated in a matter of minutes as Chris Ferguson took the chip lead from Perry Friedman, who had held it for the majority of the day. The eliminations of Jason Mercier (11th) and Randy Ohel (10th) set up the unofficial final table before Harry Thomas was eliminated in 9th when he was unable to improve against Friedman's pair of jacks on fourth street as the players headed on their final break of the evening.
Once play resumed, David Benyamine fell in 8th place when Friedman's aces-up was the best hand at the completion of each player's boards. Chips bounced around between the final seven for the majority of the final level, and Friedman eventually bagged the overwhelming chip lead with 1,737,000.
Second in the standings is Chris Ferguson, who will be looking to use a strong result here to cement his position in the Player of the Year standings. Also still in contention include multiple bracelet winners John Monnette and Shaun Deeb, as well as Mike Wattel, Bryce Yockey, and Sean Mirrasouli. Here is how the final seven players will line up on Sunday:
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Bets
1
Sean Mirrasouli
United States
580,000
19
2
Bryce Yockey
United States
392,000
13
3
Chris Ferguson
United States
853,000
28
4
--empty--
--
--
--
5
Shaun Deeb
United States
39,000
1
6
Perry Friedman
United States
1,737,000
58
7
Mike Wattel
United States
511,000
17
8
John Monnette
United States
289,000
10
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be back on the floor on Sunday for Day 3 of Event #72: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship from 2 p.m. (PDT) to provide all the live updates as we play down to the next 2017 WSOP gold bracelet winner. Be sure to join us on Sunday for all the exclusive 2017 WSOP coverage from both this event, and the last few remaining on the schedule including the Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT!
David Benyamine completed, and Harry Thomas raised. Perry Friedman called, as did Benyamine.
On fourth street, Friedman took advantage of the double bet, and Benyamine folded. Thomas raised all in for roughly his last 25,000, and Friedman called. Each player's board ran out as follows:
Benyamine: / - fold
Thomas: / /
Friedman: / /
With Friedman making a pair of jacks on fourth, his hand held, and Thomas was eliminated in 9th place for a $19,954 payday.
Chris Ferguson had the bring-in, and Randy Ohel completed to 10,000. With the action back on Ferguson, he raised to 20,000, and Ohel committed his final 24,000. Ferguson called.
Ohel: / /
Ferguson: / /
Ohel took the lead on fourth street with a pair of sevens, but Ferguson caught a third deuce on sixth. When Ohel was unable to improve on seventh, he was eliminated in 10th place for a $19,954 payday.
On fourth street, Jason Mercier took advantage of the double bet and made it 20,000 to go. Chris Ferguson called, and when Mercier bet fifth, Ferguson raised to 40,000. Mercier called, then check-called on sixth street.
Mercier: / /
Ferguson: / /
On seventh, Mercier bet his final 4,000, and Ferguson called and tabled his for a flush.
"Did you already have kings up?" asked Mercier.
Ferguson responded with a no as he collected the pot and moved to 880,000 in chips, and Mercier headed to the rail in 11th place for a $16,829 payday.
Jason Mercier had the bring-in, and Perry Friedman called. Chris Ferguson completed, and both Mercier and Friedman called.
On fourth street, Ferguson bet, and both opponents called. Fifth street saw another Ferguson bet. Mercier folded, and Friedman called. On sixth, Friedman checked, and Ferguson bet. Friedman called, and each player's board read as follows heading into seventh street:
Mercier: / - fold
Friedman: / /
Ferguson: / /
On seventh, Friedman again check-called a Ferguson bet and tabled his for sevens up. Ferguson mucked.
Perry Friedman called the bring-in, and Chris Ferguson completed to 10,000. Friedman called, then called a bet of 10,000 on fourth street. Both players made open pairs on fifth, and when Ferguson bet his, Friedman folded.
Dan Zack bet out 20,000 on fifth street, and Shaun Deeb raised to 40,000. Mike Wattel called, and Zack called all in for his last 32,000 total. On sixth, Deeb bet 20,000, and Wattel called.
Zack: / /
Deeb: / /
Wattel: /
On seventh, Wattel bet, and Deeb folded.
Wattel tabled his for a flush, and Zack was eliminated in 12th place for a $16,829 payday.
Todd Brunson has just been eliminated by Chris Ferguson.
Speaking to Ferguson, he detailed the run-out of cards as Brunson was all in before sixth street.
Brunson: / /
Ferguson: / /
On seventh, Ferguson found the and saw his hand remain as a pair of aces, and when Brunson was unable to improve on his split tens, he was eliminated in 13th place.
Catching the action on fifth street with Shirley Rosario all in for her last 69,000 total, she was looked up by Harry Thomas as each player's board read as follows:
Rosario: /
Thomas: /
On sixth, Rosario found the and Thomas the , and they each received their seventh card face-down.
Thomas revealed the to have aces up, and when Rosario tabled her for a lesser two pair, she was eliminated in 14th place for a $14,667 payday.
/ 
/ 
/ 
for kings-up as Friedman tabled his 
for aces-up.
in the hole.
and bid farewell in 8th place for a $24,419 payday as Friedman scooped the pot and moved to 1.7 million in chips.
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