Harkin Snatches the Lead After Day 2 of Event #12: $1,500 Dealer's Choice 6-Handed; 15 Remain
Jeremy Harkin emerged as the chip leader ahead of the final day of the $1,500 Dealer's Choice event which will see the last 15 players battle it out for the $129,882 first-place prize and the bracelet.
Harkin was seen handling a very promising stack throughout the day, but ultimately it was one particular hand that catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard. It happened 10-minutes before the close of play.
Harkin was sitting on a stacked table that also featured Mike Leah, John Hennigan and Chris Klodnicki. Harkin joined the three mixed game superstars in a pot of PLO and raised Klodnicki's bet after the flop to reduce the contest to heads-up.
Klodnicki then shoved all-in on the turn and Harkin snapped him off with the nuts, an eight-high straight. Klodnicki had flopped a set of fours and the river was a giant sweat for a 500,000-chip pot with Harkin's tournament life on the line. Harkin avoided a paired board and took a massive bite out of his neighbor's stack and will be bringing 502,500 in chips into the final day.
Klodnicki himself stormed through the day and looked to be chasing the overnight lead, but the unfortunate collision sent him to the bottom half of the chip counts.
The final day will also feature Chris Vitch and George Trigeorgis, two players who had to enter the Dealer's Choice event very late as they were busy battling for a bracelet on the final table of the Mixed Triple Draw on Monday.
Final day seat draw and chip counts:
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 424 | 1 | Frankie O'Dell | United States | 373,000 |
| 424 | 2 | Chris Vitch | United States | 143,500 |
| 424 | 3 | -- empty -- | -- | -- |
| 424 | 4 | Curtis Phelps | United States | 14,500 |
| 424 | 5 | Scott Abrams | United States | 207,500 |
| 424 | 6 | Anthony Arvidson | United States | 88,000 |
| 425 | 1 | John Hennigan | United States | 169,000 |
| 425 | 2 | -- empty -- | -- | -- |
| 425 | 3 | Jeff Lisandro | Australia | 137,000 |
| 425 | 4 | Chris Klodnicki | United States | 136,000 |
| 425 | 5 | Jeremy Harkin | United States | 502,500 |
| 425 | 6 | Mike Leah | Canada | 227,000 |
| 426 | 1 | James Woods | United States | 170,500 |
| 426 | 2 | -- empty -- | -- | -- |
| 426 | 3 | George Trigeorgis | United States | 313,000 |
| 426 | 4 | Jimmy Fricke | United States | 118,500 |
| 426 | 5 | Chris Bolek | United States | 122,500 |
| 426 | 6 | Brayden Gazlay | United States | 323,500 |
Note: Table 424 is playing Stud Hi-Lo Regular, Table 425 is playing Badugi, Table 426 is playing Badeucey
Day 2 brought a fast-paced game flow as the field got halved in the first four levels of the day, bringing the tournament to the money bubble. It took 13 hands to find the unfortunate casualty, which happened to be Jason Gooch. Gooch was down to peanuts and couldn't come back in a three-way pot, bricking the board and losing to Andrey Zhigalov who hit a pair of nines.
Some of those who made it further than Gooch but were forced to depart during the close of Day 2 play were Mike Ross (21st for $4,219), Layne Flack (25th for $3,503), Jake Schwartz (31st for $3,002), Mike Sexton (37th for $2,657), John Monnette (46th for $2,432), Manig Loeser (57th for $2,263), Martin Staszko (58th for $2,263), and Allen Kessler (60th for $2,263).
The remaining 15 players are guaranteed to take home at least $5,238 but their current focus is surely aimed at the six figures up top.
Wednesday, 6 June, will see the champion arise as the Dealer's Choice continues at 2pm PST. PokerNews will be on the ground once again to provide live updates, guiding you throughout the search for the winner of one of the most complex poker events in the world.