WSOP Atlantic City Circuit Main Event, Day 2: Alex Bolotin Heads Final
Of the 52 players that started the day in the WSOP Circuit
Main Event at Caesars Atlantic City, only nine remained by evening's end. When the chips were bagged, Alex Bolotin had surged to the top of the leader board, and Day 1 chip leader Chris Klodnicki held on to make the final table as well.
Some of the biggest names on hand started the day among the shortest stacks. Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy wasted no time getting his last few chips in the middle of the table. Josephy woke up with pocket tens on one of the first hands of Day 2, and moved all in preflop. He got action from Anthony Newman, who called with A-K for the coin toss. Nothing on the Q-8-6 flop helped Newman, but the king on the turn followed by the ace on the river ended Josephy's day before it even really began.
Beth Shak was another early elimination, also losing a coin flip for her exit. Shak moved all in with A♠10♠, and Ted Ely called with pocket eights. Shak picked up a ten in the window, but the flop also brought a set for Ely as it came down 10♥8♦7♦. No additional help came on the turn or river for Shak, and she was done. Among other notable eliminations was Bill Gazes, who busted just off the bubble.
With 52 players starting Day 2 and 27 spots paying out, it didn't take long to reach the money bubble. After Ryan "ryanbluff" Karp pushed into Matt Brady on a 4♠3♣2♣ board, Brady made the easy call with 4♥4♣ for top set. Karp's A♦K♦ needed a five for the wheel, but it never came and he was left with only 1,500 chips after the hand. After a 500 ante, his last 1,000 chip went into the middle on the next hand, but his Q-J never improved on a board of A♦4♥3♦10♦2♦. Adam Sanders and Michael Katz checked it down to the river where they both revealed small diamonds for the flush. Sanders' 8♦6♠ was enough to scoop the pot and send Karp home on the bubble.
The typical flood of post-bubble eliminations ensued, and after Adam Sanders busted in 19th place, the tournament was quickly down to two tables. Mike "Little Man" Sica became just the latest in a string of coin-flip eliminations when he busted in 15th place ($10,092) at the hands of Michael Michnik. Michnik raised preflop from the cutoff and Sica moved all in over the top from the button. Everyone got out of the way as the action folded back to Michnik, who made the call with Q♦Q♥. Sica tabled A♥K♣, and the race was on. The 7♦4♥2♣ flop was all clear for Michnik, and when the turn and river ran out J♦ and 4♠, his pocket pair held up and Sica was headed for the rail.
Soon after, raises and re-raises flew back and forth between David Fox and Frank Vizza, ending up with all the chips in the middle preflop. Vizza showed pocket sixes to Fox's A♦10♥, and when the board ran out 2♠7♣Q♥8♦5♦, Vizza's baby pair was enough to send Fox home in 13th place ($10,092). Vizza continued his run to the final table when he busted Tony Bueti in 12th place ($12,110). Again it was Vizza with the pocket pair, this time queens, against his opponent's overcards. Bueti's A♠K♠ couldn't connect with the board, and his tournament was done.
After Mike "GoLeafsGoEh" Leaf was eliminated in 11th place ($12,110), play consolidated to one table until the official final table of nine could be set. Casey "bigdogpck5s" Jarzabek would be the unfortunate final-table bubble boy, losing most of his chips in a huge confrontation with Alex Bolotin before busting in tenth place ($12,110). First, Jarzabek three-bet John Nixon preflop, only to find Alex Bolotin behind him moving all in over the top. Nixon got out of the way, but with A♣Q♥, Jarzabek wasn't going anywhere. He called and got the bad news as Bolotin tabled K♦K♠. Things went from bad to worse for Jarzabek as the flop of Q♠K♥8♠ gave Bolotin top set. Jarzabek picked up a few outs when the 10♥ hit the turn, but the 7♥ river was no help, and he was crippled.
Jarzabek got the last of his chips in on the very next hand, and again Bolotin was the opponent. History repeated itself as Jarzabek's K♠5♠ picked up a pair on the flop, but the K♥2♣3♣ board made bottom set for Bolotin's pocket deuces. Jarzabek added outs when the 5♥ hit the turn, but again he blanked on the river to bust just one spot off the final table.
Those two hands propelled Alex Bolotin to a significant chip lead going into the final table, as the remaining nine chip stacks looked like this at the end of Day 2:
Alex Bolotin - 893,000
Frank Vizza - 690,000
Matt Brady - 635,000
John Nixon - 496,000
David Zeitlin - 415,000
Chris Klodnicki - 342,000
Michael Michnik - 319,000
Samuel Chartier - 228,000
Jason Young - 213,000
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