Mikita Badziakouski completed his small blind with and Christian Rudolph opted to check the big blind while he held .
The flop came for Badziakouski to flop bottom pair. Badziakouski checked, Rudolph did the same to see the come on the turn. Badziakouski was still ahead and bet 500,000. Rudolph had the gutshot to the straight and raised to 1,000,000 but the dealer announced all-in. Rudolph was quick to correct the dealer and Badziakouski smiled before making the call.
The river completed the board with the for Badziakouski to improve to two pair. Badziakouski checked again and Rudolph quickly did the same to see the pot awarded to Badziakouski.
Matthias Eibinger limped the small blind and Benjamin Pollak checked in the big blind. Eibinger bet the flop for 500,000 and picked up a call. The turn was checked and Eibinger check-folded to a bet on the turn.
One hand later it was Pollak that limped the small blind and Dominik Nitsche checked his option from the big blind. The flop was checked by Pollak, Nitsche bet 800,000 and Pollak tossed in the call. After the turn, Pollak check-called another bet of 2,000,000 and the on the river was checked through.
Pollak showed and Nitsche mucked.
The next hand, Pollak raised to 1,000,000 and Nitsche jammed for around 12,000,000, no call followed.
Benjamin Pollak has been grinding one of the shorter stacks ever since the final two tables were formed. He found one double up when he picked up aces and he was looking for another one. Pollak opened to 1,000,000 from under the gun and Matthias Eibinger shoved all in from the big blind. Pollak thought for a moment and then called off his stack of 7,700,000.
Benjamin Pollak:
Matthias Eibinger:
The flop came and Pollak still held a dominating lead with his ace-high. The on the turn left Eibinger drawing dead to the on the river as Pollak doubled his way back into contention.
Christian Rudolph raised from the cutoff and Jean-Noel Thorel called in the big blind.
The flop came , Thorel check-called the 1,000,000 continuation-bet of Rudolph.
The turn was the , Thorel now check-shoved on the 2,000,000 continuation-bet of Rudolph for 8,375,000 and Rudolph called.
Jean-Noel Thorel:
Christian Rudolph:
Rudolph had turned the full house, Thorel needed the queen to split the pot but the river was the for Thorel to be eliminated in 11th place for €59,176.
Matthias Eibinger min-raised to 1,000,000 on the button and Dominik Nitsche defended his big blind. On a flop of , Nitsche checked and Eibinger tossed in a continuation bet of 925,000. Nitsche opted for a check-raise to 2,800,000 and Eibinger was having none of it, he moved all in to force an instant fold from Nitsche.
He's not there just yet. But it would take something miraculous to deny Shaun Deeb the WSOP Player of the Year title.
Mathematically these things are never certain. But with only two other players in the current top ten travelling to Rozvadov for the WSOP Europe - the closest of whom being Anthony Zinno almost 2,500 points behind - it's fair to say that it's going to take something extraordinary to deny Deeb the title.
With over $6m in lifetime earnings, $4.2m which has come at the WSOP, Deeb says that he always thought he had a chance of making it every year that he's played the WSOP.
“When you look at the last six to eight years and the people that have won, three or four are my closest friends and most of my buddies are near the top of the leaderboard year on year. It’s a small group of players that have a good shot every year. Most of us play together, we’ve dealt with each other day in day out, so it’s just fun to finally join them. It’s still not going to sink in until I see the picture.”
Shaun Deeb
Deeb doesn’t strike you as a player motivated by an oversized banner on the wall of the Rio, but the more you talk to him about the Player of the Year race you realise that it’s the culmination of a career spent honing his skills at mixed game tournaments.
“The banner is important,” reiterates Deeb. “I was given a threat by Frank Kassela. Basically, when I was second or third he said that no matter where I finished, he was going to get a banner with my eventual place on it. And if I didn’t win he was going to put it up at his house all summer.
“And Frank doesn’t do anything small! So when he says he’s going to buy a banner, I imagine one that would cover his entire house. And if I didn’t win he’d have gotten this banner and every day when I got home [Deeb stays at Kassela’s house] I’d have seen this ginormous banner with ‘Shaun Deeb – WSOP POY Third Place’ written on it.”
Having played every WSOP since he turned 21 – he’s 32 now – is 2018 Deeb’s most successful summer?
“Yes and no,” he says. “This year it’s my first year where I’ve played zero hands of cash. After a week or two I just decided I wanted to put up a really good tournament year so I did. People who try to juggle both get no sleep, they’re exhausted, they skip tournaments you want to play and cash games you definitely shouldn’t miss. So it’s important to focus on one or the other because it’s a struggle to do both and you just end up hurting your equity a lot.”
And the consequence of no cash? Deeb’s most successful summer, at least when it comes to tournaments.
“I’ve had summers where I’ve won more money playing Open-Faced Chinese and winning the One Drop satellite, but two bracelets are more than I’ve won in any other year, and they were two really good ones as well so I enjoyed it.
“I mean they’re two events that I have a very low edge in – if any – but things fell my way. Just having a very good table draw and coming across fortuitous situations throughout the whole tournament.
“And they were huge payouts - $800,000 and $1.4m – so I know I’m very lucky to win events that pay so much and yet have a smaller field size.”
Ben Yu - Shaun Deeb
There are many instances of players and Players of the Year winning multiple tournaments in one year, so does Deeb think that a second is on the cards if a player wins a first.
“It depends on whether you’re a fish or a top guy,” says Deeb. “Once you win one, you’re going to want to play more events and there were definitely some spots where people were like ‘Oh shit, this guy just won $1.4m. He’s not going to care; he’s going to bluff me and call me and whatever’. So I got away with some spots because of that.
“But people who knew me from before know that I’m going to be playing similar to that no matter what. I’m not old and washed up; I mean I am, but not as bad as some may think.”
Are there any regrets from a successful summer?
“There’s always a sour point for a mixed game player and that’s the $50,000 Players Championship. I got 10th in an insanely tough field. But the year before I final-tabled and finished sixth. It’s just the event you want to do well in as a mixed game player – it’s our Main Event! Looking back on the summer and how I wish it could have gone better, it’s that event.”
Shaun Deeb
The race involved several big names that are consistently competing for the WSOP Player of the Year title and Deeb says that although it was a lot of fun keeping tabs on one another’s performances, he’s glad to have all but won it.
“So often in tournaments, people are disappointed because they’re losing. But obviously, the people going for Player of the Year had a very profitable summer, having won a bunch of high buy-in tournaments. We’re all upbeat and happy and well aware that it’s a statistical anomaly.
“I know we’ll all look back and remember fondly on this year. I’ve had friends win it in the past and I’ve seen their banners for winning Player of the Year and laughed because back then I played most of the events and I played better than them.
Dominik Nitsche raised on the button to 800,000 and Manig Loeser defended the big blind. On the flop, Loeser checked and called a bet of 700,000. The fell on the turn and Loeser checked once more, then folded when facing a second barrel of 1,500,000 by Nitsche.
Loeser raised his next button and was called by Matthias Eibinger in the big blind. On a flop of , Eibinger checked and called a bet of 900,000. The turn and the river were both checked through and Eibinger tabled the as winning hand.
and Christian Rudolph opted to check the big blind while he held 
.
for Badziakouski to flop bottom pair. Badziakouski checked, Rudolph did the same to see the 
come on the turn. Badziakouski was still ahead and bet 500,000. Rudolph had the gutshot to the straight and raised to 1,000,000 but the dealer announced all-in. Rudolph was quick to correct the dealer and Badziakouski smiled before making the call.
for Badziakouski to improve to two pair. Badziakouski checked again and Rudolph quickly did the same to see the pot awarded to Badziakouski.
flop for 500,000 and picked up a call. The 
turn was checked and Eibinger check-folded to a bet on the 
turn.
flop was checked by Pollak, Nitsche bet 800,000 and Pollak tossed in the call. After the 
turn, Pollak check-called another bet of 2,000,000 and the 
on the river was checked through.
and Nitsche mucked.
, Thorel check-called the 1,000,000 continuation-bet of Rudolph.
, Thorel now check-shoved on the 2,000,000 continuation-bet of Rudolph for 8,375,000 and Rudolph called.
flop, Loeser checked and called a bet of 700,000. The 
, Eibinger checked and called a bet of 900,000. The 
as winning hand.