Event #11: €10,350 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT
Day 4 Completed
2017 World Series of Poker Europe
Event #11: €10,350 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 World Series of Poker Europe
Buy-in
€10,350
Prize Pool
€5,025,500
Entries
529
Level
35
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
75,000
Maria Ho Leading Final 12; Kevin MacPhee's Back-to-Back Bid Still Alive
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Only 12 players remain in contention to become the ninth Main Event winner in the history of World Series of Poker Europe.
While strong contenders like Anthony Zinno, Kristen Bicknell, Rainer Kempe, Mike Leah, David Peters and 888poker Ambassador Parker Talbot hit the rail, the small field doesn't lack for good storylines heading into the penultimate day.
First, there's Maria Ho. She bagged the chip lead with 3,850,000 at the close of Day 4 play, which ended a bit early as the eliminations piled up to whittle the field down further than may have been expected.
As more and more observers in the poker world eagerly await and root for the success of women in the game, Ho has long been a player tabbed for a breakout bracelet win. She has plenty of accomplishments to point to — over $2 million in live cashes and a handful of final tables — but she hasn't yet obtained that first bracelet. It's almost become a yearly tradition for a number of PokerNews' own to predict her first win.
She's now in prime position to get it, and in a very prestigious event at that.
Ho's ascent up the chip counts came about in a bit of a roundabout fashion, as much of the talk early on was about a hand she chose to fold. After flopping middle set of tens on an all-heart flop in a massive, four-way three-bet pot, Ho elected to fold to preflop raiser Niall Farrell's overbet shove. As it turned out, he had a big combo draw, so that pot could have either propelled Ho to an even more massive lead or left her heading to payouts way back in 28th place.
Instead, it was a different pot that failed to get to showdown that boosted her to the top. She continuation-bet two-tone flop with two fives on the felt and saw a big check-raise from the small blind and a cold call from the big. Ho jammed over and induced two pained folds, then won mostly smaller pots to conclude the night.
Perhaps the biggest story coming into the day was the strong showing of Kevin MacPhee in his attempt to win a second consecutive WSOPE Main Event after having taken it down when Berlin hosted in 2015. MacPhee scored an elimination early on with pocket kings against pocket eights, but other than that just seemed to be grinding peacefully and keeping himself out of trouble.
He wound up putting 1,060,000 in the bag, putting him second-to-last on the leaderboard, but the two-time bracelet winner still has some room to maneuver as blinds get set to head to 20,000/40,000/5,000 with the 90-minute levels providing additional cushion.
Finally, Farrell himself sits second in the counts with 3,575,000. The Scotsman became the first from his homeland to win a bracelet when he shipped the €25K High Roller just a few days ago for a handsome payday of €745,287.
Farrell humbly noted himself to be in the top third or so of that super-strong field, but many will be rating him as highly as almost any contender in any event if he pulls off this unlikely double. With nearly 90 big blinds, he's well-positioned to do so.
All three of these stories and more will converge at noon on Thursday. Everyone will have an eye on the €1,115,207 top prize, but they'll first be playing down to a final table and then six final-day competitors. Tune in to PokerNews to find out who those six will be.
2017 WSOPE Main Event Day 5 Seat Assignments
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1 | Gianluca Speranza | Italy | 1,070,000 | 27 |
| 40 | 2 | Jack Salter | United Kingdom | 2,125,000 | 53 |
| 40 | 4 | Robert Bickley | United Kingdom | 2,885,000 | 72 |
| 40 | 6 | Luis Rodriguez | Spain | 2,020,000 | 51 |
| 40 | 7 | Andrei Boghean | Romania | 1,900,000 | 48 |
| 40 | 8 | Mathijs Jonkers | Netherlands | 1,850,000 | 46 |
| 41 | 2 | Marc MacDonnell | Ireland | 505,000 | 13 |
| 41 | 4 | Marti Roca De Torres | Spain | 3,260,000 | 82 |
| 41 | 5 | Kevin MacPhee | United States | 1,060,000 | 27 |
| 41 | 6 | Maria Ho | United States | 3,850,000 | 96 |
| 41 | 7 | Stepan Osinovski | Russia | 2,360,000 | 59 |
| 41 | 8 | Niall Farrell | United Kingdom | 3,575,000 | 89 |
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
The remaining 12 players bagged up and will return to the poker arena of the King's Casino at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday November 9th 2017. Below are their chip counts, a recap of today's action is to follow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,850,000 | |
 |
||
|
3,575,000 | -25,000 |
   |
||
|
3,260,000 | 85,000 |
|
2,885,000 | 85,000 |
 |
||
|
2,360,000 | 560,000 |
|
|
||
|
2,125,000 | -15,000 |
|
|
||
|
2,020,000 | 205,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,900,000 | 50,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,850,000 | -250,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,070,000 | -80,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,060,000 | -210,000 |
  |
||
|
505,000 | 50,000 |
|
|
||
Online Qualifier
Vlad Darie Eliminated in 13th Place (€46,594)
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Stepan Osinovski opened to 90,000 and Niall Farrell called on the button. Vlad Darie called from the big blind as well.
The flop came 
and the action checked to Farrell on the button. He be 150,000. Darie raised to 515,000 and Osinovski folded. Farrell went all in for more than Darie's remaining 900,000. Darie called with a straight, showing 
against the 
of Farrell.
Farrell was looking for the board to pair and when the 
came on the turn, Darie was one step closer to winning a huge pot, but the river was the 
and gave Farrell a full house. Darie was eliminated and Farrell stacked over 3.5-million chips.
Darie will take home €46,594 for his finish.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,600,000 | 900,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Small Pot for Speranza
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Gianluca Speranza raised to 60,000 in the cutoff and Robert Bickley as well as Luis Rodriguez called out of the blinds. The flop of 
was checked and Speranza bet the 
turn for 60,000, which only Bickley called. After the 
river, Rodriguez checked and folded as soon as Speranza cut out a bet of 255,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,800,000 | -175,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,815,000 | 45,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,150,000 | -140,000 |
|
|
||
Bickley Picks Off Boghean
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Andrei Boghean opened to 70,000 in the cutoff and Robert Bickley defended big blind. Both checked the 
flop and Bickley check-called 75,000 on the 
. He checked the 
as well, calling fairly quickly when Boghean bet 260,000.
Boghean turned over 
for an airball and Bickley took it with .
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,975,000 | 425,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,850,000 | -500,000 |
|
|
||
Jonkers Beats Boghean
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Mathijs Jonkers raised to 70,000 from the under-the-gun position and was called by Andrei Boghean in the big blind.
They both checked through the 
flop and the on the turn. The river completed the board with the . Boghean bet 55,000 and Jonkers called. Boghean showed 
for a pair of sixes but Jonkers had him beat with 
and took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,350,000 | -50,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,100,000 | 450,000 |
|
|
||
Rodriguez Gets The Fold
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Mathijs Jonkers raised to 70,000 from the hijack and was called by Robert Bickley and Luis Rodriguez in the blinds.
They all checked through the 
on the flop. The turn brought them the 
, Bickley checked, Rodriguez bet 120,000. Jonkers raised to 300,000, Bickley folded but then Rodriguez three-bet to 525,000. Jonkers stared at Rodriguez but decided to fold in the end.
The players were then told that they would continue playing this level no matter what. If the tournament hasn't reached 12 remaining players by then, the players would continue playing until there are twelve players left.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,770,000 | 470,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,650,000 | -400,000 |
|
|
||
Michal Mrakes Eliminated in 14th Place (€46,594)
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Jack Salter raised to 75,000 on the button and Michal Mrakes announced all in from the small blind. Robert Bickley in the big blind asked for a count and Mrakes was at risk for 465,000. Bickley four-bet to 950,000 and Salter quickly folded.
Michal Mrakes: 
Robert Bickley:
The flop of 
was no good for Mrakes and he was in need of running cards in order to avoid elimination. However, that hope disappeared on the 
turn, making the river a formality.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,550,000 | 650,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
MacDonnell Calls His Chop
Level 23
: 15,000/30,000, 5,000 ante
Marc MacDonnell defended his big blind from a raise to 75,000 by Maria Ho in the cutoff. He check-shipped for 355,000 after she bet 50,000 on a flop. Ho snap-called since she had 
for the straight.
"It's a chop," MacDonnell said calmly, throwing 
in the middle.
The turn gave him some more outs but he still insisted it was a chop. He was right: the 
hit the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
455,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
||