Final Table Set at WSOP

For the players, Wednesday is a day of rest, thanks to the frantic pace of eliminations over the last few days. For Harrah’s and the ESPN crew, it is a welcomed extra day to setup the final table arena in the Amazon Room at the Rio. The final nine players were determined after 2:00am Wednesday morning and will battle Thursday for the richest prize in poker history.

Wednesday started with 27 players remaining, spread over three tables. The room had been rearranged to try to give both media and spectators the best access possible, with an aisle around and between the tables for media and bleachers spread on three sides for fans. It was a good idea, but fell a bit short. While, overall it was good for the media, spectators ended up too far away from the action, if they could get in at all. Security sometimes would only allow “family members” into the bleachers, while at other times letting anyone come on in. “Family members” is in quotes because there were plenty of people who just said their brother was playing and got in (poker groupies are great). Strangely, when there were two tables left, one of the Harrah’s staff in charge of media asked one photographer not to stand up in the front row of the bleachers. Odd, considering the front row of the bleachers was restricted to media only and to get a decent picture one must stand. It’s always fun when rules change mid-stream.

Eliminations once again were fast and furious as the “internetish” play continued, combined with shorter stacks trying to make a move. By the dinner break, the tournament was already down to two short-handed tables.

Both Phil Gordon and Mike Matusow came down to see the action and separately said almost the exact same thing:

“I had to come over to see if the internet reports were true. Are players really pushing all-in under-the-gun with a raggy Ace and a forty big blind stack?”

Yes, guys, it’s true. You are witnessing a World Series where almost no poker is actually being played.

Matusow, amazed at what he considered to be poor play said, “I’d pay $5 million for 4 million in chips.” He really wanted to get back into the game.

Hand(s) of the Day

The chip leader entering the second-to-last day, Jamie Gold, continued on his tremendous roll. Many onlookers started calling him a “luckbox,” and they may have been right in some regards, but Gold also played very good big stack poker. He played a lot of hands with iffy cards because he could afford to do so. This led him to sneaking up on people with hands they wouldn’t expect, as was the case in the following to hands.

The first was when he knocked out internet pro, Prahlad Friedman, in 20th place. Gold raised to $400,000 pre-flop with a lowly 7-8 off-suit and Friedman moved all-in for his last $1.7 million with A-3. Not the greatest hand with which to make a move like that, but Gold had played a lot of hands, so Friedman very well may have figured he was ahead. Because he had such a large stack, Gold was almost obligated to call, which he did. The crowd went absolutely bonkers when the flop came 4-5-6, giving Gold the nut flush and leaving Friedman praying for runner-runner 7-8 to chop the pot. No miracles occurred and Friedman was gone.

After the players were consolidated to two tables, Gold once again used his loose play and big stack to nail an opponent. This time, David Einhorn raised before the flop, and Gold, Allen Cunningham, and Luke Chung all called. After the Q-J-6 flop, Einhorn bet $1 million, Gold raised to $3 million, Einhorn moved all-in, and Gold called. Einhorn had a very nice hand, K-Q, for top pair, but Gold had something very unexpected. Q-6 for two pair. Einhorn, who had become a crowd favorite because was donating all of his winnings to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Research Foundation, was out in 18th place.

Quote of the Day

“If you can win ten races in a row, it really helps a lot.”

This was David Einhorn’s advice on how to make it deep in the Championship Event. Well said.

Einhorn, as discussed in yesterday’s tournament summary, was perhaps the most interesting competitor at the final three tables, and many were sad to see him go. In his press conference following his elimination, Einhorn was asked if he was nervous during the event, and said no, he actually wasn’t.

“I think playing for the cause helped me relax,” he replied. “People really cared when they lost. Play was very tight. I was just playing as a game.”

And the “Awwwww…..” moment of the day also goes to Einhorn. If you have seen pictures of him from the WSOP, you may have noticed he always wore a blue sweatshirt with painted handprints on it. He said it was a gift from his family for Father’s Day and the handprints were those of his children and wife. Said Einhorn, “In poker you need some good hands and I brought all of my hands with me.”

Player of the Day

The other crowd favorite was Leif Force, and not just because of his name. The scraggly haired and bearded Florida State student brought with him an “I’m just happy to be here” attitude. While that might not be exactly what champions are made of, it worked well enough to make him a millionaire, as he finished in 11th place.

Force said he cashed out a third of his poker bankroll to come play at the WSOP, but did not bring much extra spending money with him. A few days ago, he had his cell phone stolen from the table. He almost couldn’t afford to get a new one, as the store wanted a $100 deposit for the new phone and he only had about $140 left on him. When he made the final twelve in the Championship Event it was announced that every player remaining was now a millionaire, Force was visibly moved. His eyes red with the onset of tears, he broke out his new cell phone and made a call, most likely to a loved one to tell them the good news.

Nursing a short stack longer than anyone could possibly nurse one, Force tried to hang on to make the final table, rarely playing a pot, even when the “book” dictated that he should really be moving all-in with almost any two cards. It really looked like he was going to get blinded off when it was announced that at the other table, Michael Binger was all-in with pocket Queens against Dan Nassif’s pocket Kings. Force’s face lit up with the thought that he was going to make the final ten and move up in the money. When Tournament Director, Jack Efflel, announced that a Queen hit the flop, Force bowed his head in dismay, as if he had just lost the hand.

He continued to stick around and even won a couple pots, but eventually his stack got so small that his elimination was an inevitability. Jamie Gold finally ended Force’s run.

Entertainment of the Night

It was after 2:00am and the final ten players were still battling it out, trying to eliminate one more player to setup the final table. Most of the spectators had left and the other two tables had been dismantled and taken away. In a roped-off area where one of the tables had been, I was chatting with Scott Lazar, one of the final tablists from last year, ESPN columnist and producer, Andrew Feldman, and Feldman’s girlfriend. Lazar, among other things, has worked as a magician, and Feldman asked him how much he has performed lately. Lazar responded by saying he just recently took up magic again after a couple years off and if someone could scrounge up a deck of cards, he had a few good tricks for us. Fortunately, a deck of cards was found.

It was a strange scene. Scott Lazar in a dim area which formerly housed the second to last table of the WSOP, performed sleight of hand tricks for the three of us, plus Johnny Chan and a couple other fans. He had us all pick a card from the deck and in various astounding ways, made the cards appear and disappear before our eyes. He had Chan sign the one he picked and showed us repeatedly how he could make it pop to the top of the deck after burying it somewhere in the middle. For his finale, he once again put the Chan card (the Queen of diamonds) in the deck and made it appear, folded up, in his shoe. David Blaine, eat your heart out.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Jamie Gold -- 25,650,000
2. Allen Cunningham -- 17,770,000
3. Richard Lee -- 11,820,000
4. Erik Friberg -- 9,605,000
5. Paul Wasicka -- 7,970,000
6. Doug Kim -- 6,770,000
7. Rhett Butler -- 4,815,000
8. Michael Binger -- 3,140,000
9. Dan Nassif -- 2,600,000

The final table will begin at 2:00pm PDT at the Rio in Las Vegas. When it’s all over, one player will be $12 million richer (not that the others will walk away penniless).