WSOP Day 39: Two More Bracelets on the Eve of the Main Event
Two more World Series of Poker bracelets were handed out Saturday on Day 39 of the 2015 WSOP and the eve of the first of three starting flights for the Main Event. Plus, the final three events on the schedule all got closer to giving away massive bundles of cash and even more bracelets.
Check out all the news that's fit to print in the PokerNews WSOP recap below.
Duong Takes Delayed Bracelet in Bounty
Long a popular tournament format online and in casinos everywhere, the WSOP added a bounty tournament with Event #62: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Bounty. Friday night, Jack Duong looked all set to win his first bracelet, except he couldn't finish off heads-up opponent Vitezslav Pesta.
The two returned on Saturday at 1 p.m. with Duong holding a monstrous lead of 15.38 million to 965,000. Blinds moved to 60,000/120,000/15,000, and as expected, it wasn't long before Pesta found himself all in. He was able to double with the Q♣7♣ against J♦9♦ to at least Duong a mild sweat, but just 14 hands later, it was all over as Pesta picked up two jacks preflop and but Duong woke up with kings. An A♣8♠K♠A♦Q♦ board later, Duong had his first bracelet and $333,351 in prize money.
The inaugural bounty tournament drew a healthy 2,178, with each knockout worth $500. Duong said he finished with 12 bounties, counting his own.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Duong | South Plainfield, NJ | $333,351 |
| 2 | Vitezslav Pesta | Alamance, Czech Republic | $206,734 |
| 3 | Adam Johnson | Norwood, MA | $146,067 |
| 4 | Scott Sisler | Novi, MI | $105,024 |
| 5 | Paul Warren | Northridge, CA | $76,514 |
| 6 | Ronald Sullivan | Bradenton, FL | $56,483 |
| 7 | Vojtech Ruzicka | Liberec, Czech Republic | $42,228 |
| 8 | John Myung | Dunn Loring, VA | $31,971 |
| 9 | Peter Murphy | Silverbridge, Ireland | $24,511 |
Anthony Spinella Becomes First Online Event Bracelet Winner
In fitting fashion, former online tournament star Anthony “casedismised” Spinella won Event #64: $1,000 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold'em for $197,743 and his first bracelet. Spinella had a decent live resume with more than $650,000 in cashes coming into the tournament but was best known for banking more than $4.5 million online under the moniker “holdplz.”
That final table convened at noon and was over in just a few hours as the speedy structure and shallow stacks – levels were only 40 minutes and the average stack was less than 25 big blinds – encourage players to mix it up. Spinella's online background means he's comfortable operating at such stack depths and was ready to make the proper adjustments.
In a way, Spinella's bracelet coming in the online event means his poker career has come full circle. As a top online tournament grinder, Black Friday changed his life in a big way. He called finding a place to live outside the states “chaotic and difficult” but has now settled in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for the time being, where he lives from September through February, when he's not following the World Poker Tour.
“It's obviously way more exciting to play and finish live,” he said. “I wanted my first bracelet to be a live event, but I'll take what I can get.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Spinella | New York, NY | $197,743 |
| 2 | Hunter Cichy | Coon Rapids, MN | $116,066 |
| 3 | Craig Varnell | Fort Collins, CO | $73,079 |
| 4 | Andrew Rose | Las Vegas, NV | $55,884 |
| 5 | David Tuthill | St. Petersburg, FL | $47,286 |
| 6 | Ryan Franklin | Jacksonville, FL | $33,530 |
Porter Leads $10K Dealers Choice Final 12
The 2015 WSOP Event #67: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship played down to just 12 remaining and into the money Saturday.
At the start of the day's eleventh level the money bubble burst and play was halted. Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Rep Porter grabbed the overnight lead with a little breathing room over four-time WSOP bracelet winner Jeff Madsen, who is looking for his second win this summer.
Below is how the final 12 will look when play resumes at 2 p.m. Sunday with everyone guaranteed $21,908 and a WSOP bracelet and $318,792 awaiting the winner.
| Place | Player | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rep Porter | 558,500 |
| 2 | Jeff Madsen | 455,500 |
| 3 | Jussi Nevanlinna | 398,500 |
| 4 | David Benyamine | 379,000 |
| 5 | Jens Lakemeier | 325,000 |
| 6 | Adam Friedman | 285,500 |
| 7 | Quinn Do | 223,500 |
| 8 | Ray Dehkharghani | 182,000 |
| 9 | Stuart Rutter | 137,500 |
| 10 | David Chiu | 127,000 |
| 11 | Paul Volpe | 70,500 |
| 12 | Jake Abdalla | 47,500 |
Down to Three in the $1,500 Stud 8
The 2015 WSOP Event #65: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better played down to just three players remaining before play was halted for the night. Canadian Daniel Idema (540,000) is still in with a shot at his second WSOP bracelet of the year and fourth overall, although he will be the shortest stack when play resumes Sunday at 2 p.m. local time.
Christopher Vitch (1,940,000) holds the chip lead with Gerald Ringe (1,625,000) currently second. All three players are guaranteed at least $70,322 for third while the runner-up will earn $111,860 and the winner takes home $180,943 and a WSOP bracelet.
Down to 61 In The Lucky Sevens
The 2015 WSOP Event #66: $777 Lucky Sevens No-Limit Hold'em saw some 618 players return for Day 2 Saturday from a starting field of 4,422. The 468-player money bubble burst early and after ten levels of play just 61 players remained in the hunt for a WSOP bracelet and $487,784 first-place prize.
WSOP bracelet winner Rocco Palumbo (1,137,000) bagged the chip lead with and Robert Toye (1,133,000) closely in tow. Three-time WSOP bracelet winner Matt Matros (699,000), World Poker Tour Season VIII Player of the Year Faraz Jaka (659,000), and 2015 WSOP bracelet winner Kevin MacPhee (259,000) are still in the thick of it.
Play will resume at 2 p.m. local time Sunday with plans to play ten more levels or crown a champion.
Sunday will also see the start of the 2015 WSOP Main Event with the first of three starting flights beginning at 12 p.m. local time.
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