WSOP What To Watch For: Cheong Goes for Gold; Bari and Griffin Chase Second Bracelet
The last few times on the PokerNews What To Watch For, there's only been one event to highlight. In this edition, the World Series of Poker is a little bit busier and there will be two events aiming to crown a gold bracelet winner on Sunday. Those two events are Event 6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mixed-Max and Event 8: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better
Event 6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Mixed-Max
Cheong Eyeing WSOP Gold
Everyone remembers Joseph Cheong from making the 2010 WSOP November Nine. That was the year Jonathan Duhamel won the event, and he did so almost directly thanks to Cheong.
When play was three-handed between Cheong, Duhamel and John Racener, Cheong six-bet jammed with the A♠7♥ and Duhamel called with the Q♣Q♦ to create the largest pot in WSOP history. Duhamel's queens held up and he was able to take a massive chip lead into heads-up play against Racener, holding nearly 189 million in chips to Racener's 30.65 million.
That finish was the closest Cheong has ever come to a bracelet. Although he won over $4.1 million, one can only imagine how he feels given that he was right there tasting victory; Cheong's never made another WSOP final table and his best result is a 24th-place finish from 2010. He's down to the final four players in this event and you know he can taste it.
Event 8: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better
Bari and Griffin Chase Second Bracelet
Entering Day 3, Allen Bari sits second in chips and Gavin Griffin sits third. Both of them hold one WSOP gold bracelet and they have put themselves in great position to put number two in the trophy case. Last year, Bari won the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event. Griffin won the $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event in 2004.
Both Bari and Griffin are regulars on the tournament circuit and on the WSOP felt. After finishing up on Saturday night, just 20 players remain from the field of 967 in Event 8. With Bari winning his bracelet last year early on in the series, that winning feeling is a bit fresher in his mind than it is for Griffin, who won in 2004 and last made a WSOP final table in 2007.
Boyd Tries to Win Number Three
Not everyone may know that Dutch Boyd already has two WSOP gold bracelets to his name. He first won in 2006 in the $2,500 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event for $475,712. His second came in 2010 in the $2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event for $234,065. Outside of that, Boyd has four other WSOP final tables.
Boyd will be looking to go after his third WSOP bracelet on Day 3 of the same event where the aforementioned Bari and Griffin try and win number two. While the other two are at the top of the counts, Boyd sits 14th out of the final 20 and will have a steeper hill to climb.
As always, you can find PokerNews' coverage of the 2012 WSOP on our Live Reporting Pages. We look forward to having you follow along and stay tuned for plenty more from our What To Watch For series.
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