Quatre sur cinq pour les Français. Bertrand Grospellier (367,900), Fabrice Soulier (280,000), Bruno Fitoussi (210 000) et Alexandre Luneau (187 000) ont franchi la première journée du tournoi de variantes à 50 000$ l'entrée, l'Event WSOP #61 Poker Players Championship qui se dispute en 6-Max.
Avec six niveaux de 100 minutes au programme de la journée d'ouverture et une structure ultra-profonde, six joueurs seulement ont sauté. Ils sont donc 87 à avoir emballé des jetons pour le Jour 2, moment où les inscriptions seront closes. Un tricolore fait partie de la charrette des bustos : David Benyamine.
Le Frenchie de Las Vegas a accompagné Ben Sulsky, Dan Cates, Dan Shak, Iraj Parvizi et Jared Bleznick dans le rail.
Avec 93 entrants pour le moment, contre 91 l'an passé, le tournoi se situe dans la moyenne des 3 dernières années au niveau de l'affluence et le vainqueur, le joueur le plus complet, repartira avec plus d'un million de dollars.
Vainqueur en 2013 pour 1,7 millions de dollars, Matthew Ashton s'est installé en tête en emballant 705 500 jetons. Le Britannique a bien rentabilisé ses 250 000 jetons de départ en éliminant notamment SUlsky lors du dernier niveau de la journée, en PLO. Aaron Katz s'installe en deuxième position avec 682 000 alors que le quadruple vainqueur WSOP Robert Mizrachi a ensaché 485 500 jetons pour compléter le podium.
Daniel Alaei, Marco Johnson, James Obst, Johnny Chan, Adam Owen, Isaac Haxton, Timofey Kuznetsov, Justin Bonomo, Daniel Negreanu et Dzmitry Urbanovich (qualifié sur un satellite live), Dan Smith, Paul Volpe et David Oppenheim ont plutôt bien démarré le tournoi qui regroupe les plus grandes stars du jeu, un tournoi à suivre en direct sur PokerNews dans la nuit de lundi à mardi...
Albert Daher raised to 3,000 from the cutoff, James Obst three-bet to 12,000 from the small blind, and Daher called. Obst checked on the flop, Daher bet 11,500, and Obst called.
On the turn, Obst check-called a 27,000 bet from Daher. The river completed the board with the and Obst checked a third time. Daher moved all in for slightly more than Obst's remaining stack of 77,700.
The razz champion spent minutes in the tank before making the call for his tournament life.
Daher:
Obst:
Daher's big bluff was unable to fold out Obst's second pair and left him behind with 16,500 in chips.
Matthew Ashton (who filled us in on the betting action) raised the pot from the button, Ben Sulsky three-bet from the small blind, and Ashton called.
The flop came down and Sulsky bet about half pot. Ashton raised the pot and Sulsky called all in for about 130,000.
Ashton:
Sulsky:
Sulsky was in the lead with top set against Ashton's wrap, but the turn fell to give Ashton an eight-high straight. Sulsky found no help from the river and was eliminated.
Once again a pass by Dan Shak's table, saw the poker aficionado lose an Omaha hand, getting shown a straight by his opponent.
While Justin Bonomo hurt Shak twice in Omaha/8, Shak's swan song was played in a PLO hand.
Bonomo raised to 3,200 from the hijack and Daniel Negreanu flatted in the next seat. Shak announced, "Pot," from the button, and the dealer informed him the bet was 14,600.
Mike Matusow cold-called from the small blind while the open-raiser Bonomo folded. Negreanu came along.
Three-way to the flop, Matusow checked to Negreanu who bet out 12,000. Shak moved all in for under 20,000, and Matusow left the hand, letting Negreanu go solo against Shak.
Dan Shak:
Daniel Negreanu:
"Wow, you have a straight already," Shak observed. He was calling for a four for a chop, and one would arrive in the on the turn. However, it did no service to Shak who spotted he was still trailing.
The river finished his painful hour as he lost his tournament life, losing to a straight again.
Negreanu raked in the pot to climb back over 200,000.
Jared Bleznick raised to 3,000 from the hijack. Jason Mercier called from the cutoff, and big blind Brett Richey joined the action, as well.
The flop was checked to Mercier, who bet 5,500. Richey folded, and Bleznick called.
Mercier bet another 16,800 on the turn, and Bleznick check-called again.
Bleznick checked in the dark, leaving the action to Mercier before the landed on the river. Mercier thought for a bit, and then reached to his stack for a final barrel. He made it 48,000. Bleznick didn't snap-call, but it didn't take him long to throw in the required chips.
Mercier turned up his for the flopped nut flush, which remained the nuts all the way through.
Bleznick showed his for a flopped flush and an open-ended straight flush draw, but his hand had been trailing the whole time.
On a flop, Mike Matusow (with 5,000 committed post-flop) was facing a raise to 13,000 from Ivo Donev (under the gun) and a call from Daniel Negreanu (button). Matusow called after a little while to see the turn, which was checked around. The river was the and action checked to Negreanu, who bet 32,000. Matusow called after about 90 seconds, and Donev folded.
"Do you have quads? asked Matusow.
Negreanu shook his head no.
Matusow tabled for fours full of decues, Negreanu mucked, and Matusow won the pot.
Dan Shak raised under the gun, and Mike Matusow called to his direct left.
Both players took two cards on the first draw. Shak bet, Matusow raised, and Shak called. On the second draw, both players drew one and checked the subsequent betting round. They exchanged another card on the final draw, after which Shak bet. Matusow took some time before flicking in a call.
Shak had his hand ready to muck face-down, but Matusow showed for a pair of deuces.
"Oh, he has a pair?" Shak asked. He then showed for the winner.
"I knew he was bluffing," grumbled Matusow after the hand.
"Yeah, I was," quipped Shak as he stacked up the chips.
Coming to the river of the , there was already more than 80,000 in the pot. Ben Sulsky was on the button, but there was yet another button lying in front of him — the one indicating an all in. Sulsky had his remaining chips stacked in front of him, making the count easily accessible from a distance. It was 93,600.
Sulsky's head was leaning on the rail with his headphones in his ears. Ashton was stretching his arms, trying to figure out what to do. He took a good amount of time before calling, but Sulsky didn't know about that for a few seconds as he'd been trying to escape into another world.
He moved his head up, finally learning of Ashton's call. Sulsky rolled over for the second nuts, ensured he was going to double up.
Ashton briefly showed his for a lower flush and shipped the required amount of chips Sulsky's way.
As relayed to us, Gus Hansen limped in for 800. Leon Tsoukernik made it 3,600, David Benyamine called, Harry Madoff raised to 16,400 from the blinds, Hansen folded, Tsoukernik called, and Benyamine called.
Madoff bet 25,000 on the flop, Tsoukernik folded, and Benyamine called. Madoff checked the turn to Benyamine, who bet 40,000. Madoff wasn't about to give up and called. On the river, Madoff checked, Benyamine shoved, and Madoff called it off to put himself at risk.
Benyamine:
Madoff:
Benyamine had missed every out to crack Madoff's aces and came up second-best. He was left with 40,000 after the hand, while Madoff soared to 470,000.
In the second half of the fourth level, the 2017 Poker Players Championship finally saw its first casualty. Daniel Cates was the first man to leave his seat.
It was a casual start to the crucial hand. More than 200 big blinds deep, Cates three-bet to 6,500 over Mark Gregorich's 2,100-chip raise from under the gun. Action returned to Gregorich, who fired back, four-betting to 22,100. Cates paused for a while and then pushed all of his chips toward the middle. It was around 170,000, and Gregorich had a simple decision, calling instantly.
Daniel Cates:
Mark Gregorich:
What looked to be a disaster for Cates could have turned into a huge bad beat story for Gregorich as the brought a massive sweat. The turn and river, however, left Cates' flush draw incomplete.
Gregorich had Cates well covered, but the high-stakes cash game legend remained seated for a few seconds, processing what had just happened.
Then, Cates stood up and walked away. Just like that, his chips were gone, as the Poker Players Championship ended right there for Cates.
flop, Daher bet 11,500, and Obst called.
turn, Obst check-called a 27,000 bet from Daher. The river completed the board with the 
and Obst checked a third time. Daher moved all in for slightly more than Obst's remaining stack of 77,700.
and Sulsky bet about half pot. Ashton raised the pot and Sulsky called all in for about 130,000.
turn fell to give Ashton an eight-high straight. Sulsky found no help from the 
flop, Matusow checked to Negreanu who bet out 12,000. Shak moved all in for under 20,000, and Matusow left the hand, letting Negreanu go solo against Shak.
on the turn. However, it did no service to Shak who spotted he was still trailing.
was checked to Mercier, who bet 5,500. Richey folded, and Bleznick called.
turn, and Bleznick check-called again.
landed on the river. Mercier thought for a bit, and then reached to his stack for a final barrel. He made it 48,000. Bleznick didn't snap-call, but it didn't take him long to throw in the required chips.
turn, which was checked around. The river was the 
for a pair of deuces.
river, Madoff checked, Benyamine shoved, and Madoff called it off to put himself at risk.
