Hand #6: Jonas Mackoff raised to 525,000 from under the gun and Robin Hegele called from middle position. Bryan Piccioli also called from the big blind and the flop came . Piccioli checked to Mackoff who bet 650,000 and both Hegele and Piccioli quickly mucked their hands.
Hand #7: The action was folded to Jack Sinclair on the button who raised to 575,000 and Mackoff called from the big blind. The flop came and Mackoff checked to Sinclair who bet 600,000. Mackoff made the call and the fell on the turn. Mackoff led out for 950,000 and Sinclair called to see the complete the board. Mackoff bet 2,200,000 and Sinclair quickly called. Mackoff tabled and Sinclair showed to chop up the pot.
Hand #8: Scott Stewart raised to 480,000 from middle position and Randy Pisane was the only caller from the big blind. The flop came and Pisane checked to Stewart who bet 400,000. Pisane laid his hand down and Stewart picked up the pot.
Hand #9: Robin Hegele opened with a raise to 600,000 from under-the-gun and Damian Salas three-bet to 1,750,000 from middle position. The action was folded back around to Hegele who also tosses his cards away.
Hand #10: Bryan Piccioli raised to 600,000 from the hijack and he picked up the blinds and antes.
Hand #6: Karen Sarkisyan raised to 580,000 from under the gun, Christian Pham called from the hijack, Dan Ott three-bet to 2,000,000 from the small blind, Sarkisyan folded, and Pham called.
The flop came down and Ott bet 1,600,000. Pham called, the turn was the , Ott bet 2,400,000, and Pham asked for a count of Ott's remaining chips (about 3,440,000 behind). After about 2-3 minutes, Pham called.
The river was the and both players checked.
Ott tabled for queens and eights, Pham mucked, and Ott collected the pot.
Hand #7: Michael Krasienko raised to 600,000 from the hijack, Dan Ott three-bet to 1,600,000 from the button, and Krasienko folded.
Hand #8: Michael Sklenicka raised all in for 1,790,000 from under the gun and action folded to Ben Lamb in the big blind, who looked at his cards one at a time.
"First one's good," said Lamb, who peeked at the second card and called.
Sklenicka:
Lamb:
The board came down , safe for Sklenicka to double up.
Hand #1: Richard Gryko opened in the cutoff for 525,000. Scott Blumstein was on his left and made it 1.3 million to go. Gryko stuck around and they checked down a board. Gryko opened but Blumstein had outdrawn him with .
Hand #2: Blumstein opened in the cutoff and took it with a 500,000 raise.
Hand #3: David Guay raised to 550,000 in middle position and Pedro Oliveira defended his big blind. Oliveira check-called 480,000 on the flop and the and both got checked through. Oliveira had for sevens, but Guay showed .
Hand #4: Oliveira raised to 575,000 in the small blind. Florian Lohnert defended his big blind but folded to a bet of 750,000 on the flop.
Hand #5: Gryko opened for 525,000 as the second to act and Alexandre Reard defended his big blind. He check-folded to 425,000 when flopped.
Hand #6: Richard Dubini raised to 525,000 in middle position. Valentin Messina put in a three-bet to 1,575,000 in the hijack, and that convinced Dubini and everyone else to fold.
Hand #1: Michael Ruane raised to 600,000, and John Hesp called from the small blind. Robin Hegele also called in the big blind, and the flop came down . The blinds checked to Ruane, who bet out 825,000. Hesp announced a raise, and put out two million. Hegele got out of the way, and it was back to Ruane. He tanked for a couple of minutes before folding, giving the first pot of the feature table to Hesp.
Hand #2: Action folded to Jonas Mackoff in the hijack, and he bumped it up to 525,000. Hesp was on the button, and he reraised to 1.2 million. The blinds got out of the way, and it was back to Mackoff. He made the call, and they went heads up to a flop of . Mackoff checked it to Hesp, who quickly bet out 1.2 million. Mackoff folded, and Hesp showed as he raked in his second pot in a row.
Hand #3: Randy Pisane raised it up to 550,000 from the hijack, and from the small blind, Scott Stewart reraised to 1.5 million. Damian Salas folded his big blind, and Pisane thought it over for a minute before sending his hand into the middle, giving Stewart the pot.
Hand #4: Jack Sinclair raised from under the gun to 575,000, and everyone else quickly folded, giving Sinclair the pot.
Hand #5: It folded around to Hegele in the hijack, and he raised to 575,000. Sinclair was the only caller from the big blind, and they went heads up to a flop of . Sinclair checked over to Hegele, who did the same. The hit the turn, and both players checked again. The completed the board, and Sinclair fired out 650,000. Hegele called, and Sinclair showed for the winning hand.
Hand #1: Karen Sarkisyan was in the cutoff and raised to 530,000 and took down the blinds.
Hand #2: Action folded to Dan Ott and he raised to 550,000 in middle position. Christian Pham was in the big blind and defended.
The flop was and both players checked. The turn was the and Pham checked. Ott bet 250,000 and Pham called.
The river was the and Pham led out this time for 1,375,000. Ott took a minute to think and raised to 2,800,000. Pham quickly mucked his cards.
Hand #3: Action folded to Marcel Luske in middle position and he raised to 800,000. Everyone folded and the "Flying Dutchman" took down his first pot played.
Hand #4: Dan Ott was under the gun and raised to 550,000. Action folded around to Benjamin Pollak in the big blind and he three-bet to about 1,780,000 and Ott released his hand.
Hand #5: Action folded to Ben Lamb in middle position and he raised to 540,000. Benjamin Pollak was in the small blind and three-bet. Lamb mucked his cards.
Webjoker
Marcel Luske is short, but eyeing his first Main Event final table after having come close before
At noon, the final 27 players of the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event return to the Brasilia Ballroom in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino to battle for a seat at the Final Table. In 2 hours from now, play gets back underway with 78 minutes left in Level 32 (120,000/240,000, with a 40,000-ante). Thefirst break is halfway through Level 33 (around 2:18 p.m.), the 90-minute dinner break is after level 35 (around 7:00 p.m.).
The World Series of Poker Main Event is where legends are made. From colorful characters in the game’s early days like Amarillo Slim Preston and Puggy Pearson, to recent sharpshooters like Martin Jacobson and Qui Nguyen, Main Event winners etch their names in history. Champions read like a roll call of the Poker Hall of Fame: Moss, Brunson, Ungar, Chan, Hellmuth, Nguyen. This is where greatness comes alive, and dreams become reality.
Certainly, the WSOP has changed dramatically from those storied days in Binion’s Horseshoe in historic downtown Las Vegas. The series has become the mecca of all things poker, the bracelet a symbol of one’s efforts and skill at the table. The birth of the hole card camera and internet poker have transformed poker into an international affair. More than 70 bracelets were awarded this summer at the WSOP, but one stands out.
The bracelet every poker player truly dreams of latching around his or her wrist will be won on Saturday. For 27 players returning to action on Monday, the seemingly impossible is close. They’ve battled through thousands of players with the final table in sight.
Those returning include some American and international stars, returning faces, and even an amateur in a crazy-looking jacket playing the best poker of his life. Just making the final table is a massive accomplishment. But make no mistake, when these players return to the Rio’s Brasilia room on Monday, history will be on their minds. With a bracelet and $8.15 million on the line, these rounders will need skill, stamina, and focus – and a little luck helps too.
This year’s Main Event became the third-largest in history with 7,221 players (only topped in 2006 and 2010) and a prize pool of $67,877,400. As play begins on Monday, Christian Pham leads the returning field with 31,440,000 in chips, followed by Valentin Messina (28,590,000), Jack Sinclair (27,535,000), Ben Lamb (25,685,000), and Pedro Oliveira (22,540,000).
Pham has more than $550,000 in tournament winnings including a bracelet in 2015. The crazy win is a bit of a poker legend now, which he recently spoke with PokerNews about. Believing he had signed up for a $1,500 no limit hold’em tournament, after being seated Pham realized he was instead in the $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball No-Limit.
“I signed up for the wrong tournament,” he said. “I had never played the game before – not even one time. I learned from the other people at the table and tried really hard. Fifteen hundred dollars is a lot of money so I had to learn quick.”
Pham bested a field of 219 players to win a gold bracelet and $81,314.
His road to Day 6 chip leader wasn’t easy, either. On Day 5, a fortunate river card kept him alive in the tournament. Early in the day he moved all-in with nothing more than bottom pair and a gutshot to a straight on the board. He got called by a set but was lucky enough to hit a six to chop the pot. Pham jumped from his seat celebrating, then returned saying, "That's so bad."
A friend of 2016 champion Qui Nguyen, Pham’s hoping to duplicate his success and be at the final table as the event plays into the weekend.
There are numerous other storylines to play out as the final 27 return to action on Monday. The Frenchman Valentin Messina, second in chips, has $1.13 million in tournament winnings and looking for the biggest score of his career. Englishman Jack Sinclair is also having the tournament of his life. With only $13,500 in lifetime winnings, he’s looking to make a big mark in the poker world. And while on a short stack, Marcel Luske also remains in the field and looking for another massive run. Luske finished 14th in 2003 ($65,000) and 10th in 2004 ($373,000). And while he’s come close several times, the Flying Dutchman is still seeking his first bracelet.
John Hesp
One of the biggest stories of the WSOP is John Hesp’s historic run through the Main Event. The 64-year-old Englishman drew the attention of many for his multi-colored, multi-patterned shirts and sports coat accessorized with a Panama-style hat. His card-playing skills also drew attention as well as he sliced through the field. A retired businessman, he owns a company that rents caravan vacation homes and now has a management team that looks after the company. A recreational poker player for 20 years, Hesp now plays about once a month (usually £10 rebuy tournaments) at his local casino – although he played a bit more in the months leading up the Main Event.
A father of four and grandfather of seven, he has only $2,207 in tournament winnings with all his final table appearances (and his only recorded win) at Napoleon’s Casino & Restaurant in Hull, U.K. Playing in the Main Event has been a goal for many years and this summer Hesp decided to make that dream a reality.
“I’ve never played a big competition like this, but it’s one of the things I’ve had on my bucket list for a while now,” he says. “I said to my wife about three months ago, ‘Would you mind if I went and played?’ and came with a pal of mine from Bridlington.”
His friend busted on Day 3 and returned to England, but Hesp continues to roll. PokerNews first ran his story on Day 5, and his legend has grown as has his chip stack. On Day 6, he was featured quite a bit in the broadcast coverage, and went on a heater late in the day to finish sixth in chips with 20,880,000.
Another major storyline is the emergence of Tulsa native Ben Lamb over the last few days. The 2011 November Niner (third for $4 million) and Player of the Year has been a force on Day 5 and 6, shooting up the leaderboard with big moves and aggression. Already the owner of one bracelet, no doubt he’s hoping for another shot to snag a Main Event bracelet to enhance his trophy case. Much has been made this summer about bringing the fun back to poker and it looks as if Lamb had his share on Sunday:
The WSOP underwent some changes this year with major investments in live coverage from ESPN and PokerGO, which led to the elimination of the November Nine. Play resumes on Monday at noon and will reach the final table. The “Summer Survivors” will then have two days off, returning on Thursday, July 20, to play to from nine to six players. On Friday, they will play down to the final three and play to a champion on Saturday. The final three days of action will be aired on ESPN beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Monday’s action will be live on PokerGO beginning at 12:30 p.m., then live on ESPN2 from 4-6 p.m., and returning to PokerGO afterward. PokerNews will have every hand, along with chip leaders, eliminations, and chip counts throughout the day. Whether watching the action live or checking in, follow all the live updates to get as close to the action as possible.
Here is a look at the payouts for the Main Event final table:
Position
Prize
1
$8,150,000
2
$4,700,000
3
$3,500,000
4
$2,600,000
5
$2,000,000
6
$1,675,000
7
$1,425,000
8
$1,200,000
9
$1,000,000
10
$825,001
11
$675,000
12 - 13
$535,000
14 - 15
$450,000
16 - 18
$340,000
19 - 27
$263,532
Christian Pham leads the final 27 players in the 2017 WSOP Main Event
Seat Draw Day 7 World Series of Poker Main Event
Table
Seat
Player
Counttry
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
1
John Hesp
United Kingdom
20,880,000
87
1
2
Robin Hegele
Germany
11,150,000
46
1
3
Scott Stewart
United States
6,230,000
26
1
4
Damian Salas
Argentina
7,800,000
33
1
5
Michael Ruane
United States
9,340,000
39
1
6
Jack Sinclair
United Kingdom
27,535,000
115
1
7
Bryan Piccioli
United States
14,500,000
60
1
8
Jonas Mackoff
Canada
12,050,000
50
1
9
Randy Pisane
United States
18,370,000
77
2
1
Richard Dubini
Argentina
14,975,000
62
2
2
Antoine Saout
France
9,945,000
41
2
3
Valentin Messina
France
28,590,000
119
2
4
Pedro Oliveira
Portugal
22,540,000
94
2
5
Florian Lohnert
Germany
5,360,000
22
2
6
Alexandre Reard
France
8,580,000
36
2
7
David Guay
Canada
7,400,000
31
2
8
Richard Gryko
United Kingdom
13,760,000
57
2
9
Scott Blumstein
United States
18,125,000
76
3
1
Michael Sklenicka
Czech Republic
2,230,000
9
3
2
Jake Bazeley
United States
3,915,000
16
3
3
Christian Pham
United States
31,440,000
131
3
4
Michael Krasienko
United States
11,430,000
48
3
5
Benjamin Pollak
France
8,870,000
37
3
6
Dan Ott
United States
7,815,000
33
3
7
Marcel Luske
Netherlands
2,990,000
12
3
8
Karen Sarkisyan
Russia
8,105,000
34
3
9
Ben Lamb
United States
25,685,000
107
Career Earnings and More Stats for the Final 27
Player
Country
WSOP Cashes
WSOP Bracelets
Career Earnings
GPI Ranking
Ben Lamb
United States
14
1
$7,207,830
16,828
Antoine Saout
France
13
0
$5,551,412
341
Marcel Luske
Nedtherlands
33
0
$4,463,573
2,788
Jake Bazeley
United States
46
0
$3,475,384
92
Benjamin Pollak
France
16
0
$2,967,781
116
Michael Ruane
United States
5
0
$2,611,965
18,473
Bryan Piccioli
United States
30
1
$1,909,374
471
Karen Sarkisyan
Russia
22
0
$1,256,126
1,253
Valentin Messina
France
9
0
$1,132,858
5,281
Richard Gryko
United Kingdom
8
1
$1,045,425
26,822
Richard Dubini
Argentina
8
0
$1,008,319
356
Alexandre Reard
France
7
0
$981,162
402
Damian Salas
Argentina
14
0
$919,525
494
Jonas Mackoff
Canada
26
0
$704,862
15,832
Scott Stewart
United States
29
0
$606,604
389
Christian Pham
United States
9
1
$563,439
6,339
Pedro Oliveira
Portugal
6
0
$338,682
23
Scott Blumstein
United States
3
0
$312,142
1,682
Michael Krasienko
United States
6
0
$173,488
1,507
David Guay
Canada
1
0
$128,766
6,713
Robin Hegele
Germany
1
0
$48,229
2,140
Michael Sklenicka
Czech Republic
0
0
$34,488
7,752
Florian Lohnert
Germany
0
0
$23,293
197,921
Jack Sinclair
United Kingdom
2
0
$13,500
14,761
Randy Pisane
United States
0
0
$6,999
215,673
Dan Ott
United States
2
0
$3,656
64,460
John Hesp
United Kingdom
0
0
$2,208
21,184
27 players remain, the final table only has 9 seats
Just 27 players remain, and all of them have 6 days of poker behind them. Some were big stacks all throughout, others had a rollercoaster of a tournament. Here's are the End of Day chip counts for all of the 27 remaining players, including their position to the field.
Player
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Christian Pham
131,300
505/5,519
141,800
1011/2,572
348,000
379/1,084
511,000
245/297
2.800,000
56/85
31,440.000
1/27
Valentin Messina
159,900
157/5,519
350,100
92/2,572
679,000
125/1,084
2.979,000
10/297
4,995,000
30/85
28,590,000
2/27
Jack Sinclair
149,500
207/5,519
242,900
355/2,572
463,000
267/1,084
1,457,000
95/297
2,225,000
69/85
27,535,000
3/27
Ben Lamb
77,200
1781/5,519
327.800
123/2,572
1,016,000
32/1,084
2,746,000
14/297
4,725,000
32/85
25,685,000
4/27
Pedro Oliveira
68.500
2176/5,519
159,700
854/2,572
781,000
91/1,084
1,292,000
114/297
3,135,000
51/85
22,540,000
5/27
John Hesp
62.600
2487/5,519
312,100
152/2,572
613.000
166/1,084
1,394,000
106/297
4,060,000
40/85
20,880,000
6/27
Randy Pisane
72.800
1965/5,519
233,300
395/2,572
614,000
165/1,084
2,955,000
12/297
8,105,000
9/85
18,370,000
7/27
Scott Blumstein
86,200
1402/5.519
375,100
62/2,572
1,340,000
8/1,084
2,016,000
44/297
6,845,000
14/85
18,125,000
8/27
Richard Dubini
254,400
2/5,519
185,100
669/2,572
389,000
331/1,084
1,125,000
130/297
5,190,000
29/85
14,975,000
9/27
Bryan Piccioli
145,100
233/5,519
173,600
752/2,572
286,000
477/1,084
1,994,000
47/297
5,400,000
25/85
14,500,000
10/27
Richard Gryko
129,900
375/5,519
564,800
4/2,572
819,000
77/1,084
3,559,000
5/297
5,835,000
21/85
13,760,000
11/27
Jonas Mackoff
30,600
4441/5,519
160,000
852/2,572
389,000
332/1,084
3,076,000
8/297
1,590,000
78/85
12,050,000
12/27
Michael Krasienko
165,900
127/5,519
561,300
5/2,572
1,246,000
12/1,084
1,896,000
53/297
5,710,000
22/85
11,430,000
13/27
Robin Hegele
87,700
1341/5,519
392,600
53/2,572
367,000
358/1,084
2,550,000
20/297
9,990.000
1/85
11,150,000
14/27
Antoine Saout
107,300
752/5,519
341,400
107/2,572
1,529,000
3/1,084
2,318,000
30/297
8,260.000
8/85
9,945,000
15/27
Michael Ruane
64,400
2379/5,519
94,400
1576/2,572
721,000
107/1,084
1,564,000
82/297
3,450,000
47/85
9,340,000
16/27
Benjamin Pollak
91,900
1194/5,519
157,900
871/2,572
497,000
235/1,084
218,000
291/297
5,690,000
23/85
8,870,000
17/27
Alexandre Reard
38,500
3978/5,519
125,000
1203/2,572
533,000
212/1,084
1,000,000
148/297
6,100,000
19/85
8,580,000
18/27
Karen Sarkisyan
16,400
5161/5,519
140,600
1023/2,572
149,000
756/1,084
1,170,000
126/297
8,270,000
7/85
8,105,000
19/27
Dan Ott
160,900
148/5,519
244,000
349/2,572
DNR
DNR/1,084
2,196,000
35/297
8,320,000
6/85
7.815.000
20/27
Damian Salas
71,300
2036/5,519
301,000
176/2,572
1,028,000
31/1,084
4,678,000
1/297
8,400,000
5/85
7,800,000
21/27
David Guay
80,000
1674/5,519
60,000
2057/2.572
260,000
520/1,084
2,440,000
24/297
3,300,000
50/85
7,400,000
22/27
Scott Stewart
193,700
50/5,519
446,800
26/2,572
72,000
953/1,084
1,929,000
50/297
7,270,000
12/85
6,230,000
23/27
Florian Lohnert
53,975
3019/5,519
50,500
2198/2,572
265,000
510/1,084
1,350,000
110/297
6,300,000
18/85
5.360.000
24/27
Jake Bazeley
100,900
906/5,519
123,300
1219/2,572
485,000
244/1,084
1,225,000
119/297
2,805,000
55/85
3,915,000
25/27
Marcel Luske
80,500
1644/5,519
149,100
948/2.572
282,000
481/1,084
1,159,000
127/297
2,290.000
66/85
2.990.000
26/27
Michael Sklenicka
164,700
134/5,519
540,600
10/2,572
1,139,000
18/1,084
1,600,000
75/297
5,360,000
27/85
2,230,000
27/27
2017 World Series of Poker Main Event Bracelet
Written by Sean Chaffin, in colloboration with Frank Op de Woerd and Adam Lamers.
. Piccioli checked to Mackoff who bet 650,000 and both Hegele and Piccioli quickly mucked their hands.
and Mackoff checked to Sinclair who bet 600,000. Mackoff made the call and the 
fell on the turn. Mackoff led out for 950,000 and Sinclair called to see the 
complete the board. Mackoff bet 2,200,000 and Sinclair quickly called. Mackoff tabled 
to chop up the pot.
and Pisane checked to Stewart who bet 400,000. Pisane laid his hand down and Stewart picked up the pot.
and Ott bet 1,600,000. Pham called, the turn was the 
, Ott bet 2,400,000, and Pham asked for a count of Ott's remaining chips (about 3,440,000 behind). After about 2-3 minutes, Pham called.
and both players checked. 
, safe for Sklenicka to double up.
board. Gryko opened 
but Blumstein had outdrawn him with 
.
both got checked through. Oliveira had 
.
flop.
and both players checked. The turn was the 
