Friends Rail Poker Player Fighting ALS in WSOP Main Event
Andy Talbot, a long-time poker fan battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), entered Day 1d of the 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Sunday. He wasn't alone as his home game friends surprised him by showing up to watch him compete. They wound up watching him make it to Day 2 and onward to today's Day 3.
Talbot, 57, is a former general aviation pilot who would fly from his home in Northern Nevada to compete in a home game in San Jose, California, hosted by his friend Mark Atherton, who is also in attendance at the WSOP.
In March 2020, his fiance Melanie Enman told PokerNews, Andy began slurring his speech, which was concerning to his friends and family. It wasn't until June 2021, however, before he was officially diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. There is currently no cure for ALS, but that didn't stop Talbot from living out a dream of playing in poker's most prestigious annual tournament.
Click here to read Talbot's full story.
| Joueur | Jetons | Progression |
|---|---|---|
|
550,000
-43,000
|
-43,000 |
to see the river 
.
for the diamond flush and was awarded the pot.
, Daniel Barry was in the small blind and ended up getting his remaining stack of 135,000 in against an opponent in early position.
spiked the river, causing the table to roar.
on the board, Michael Lavin bet 35,000 from middle position into his lone opponent in the cutoff. The cutoff called without much hesitation and turned over 
for aces and queens to take the pot and continue his Day 3 hot streak.
and Wigg led out with a bet of 57,000 from the big blind. Campelo called from just a couple of seats over and the 
landed on the turn.
on the river. Wigg checked this time and Campelo shipped all in for 164,500. Wigg asked for a count and spent a couple of minutes in the tank before making the call. Campelo turned over 
for trip jacks and Wigg pushed his cards into the muck.
. One opponent moved all-in for about 67,000 and Cai called, while the other player in the hand got out of the way. 
peeled off on the river, continuing the run-good for one of the biggest stacks in the tournament.
