Event #70: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event World Championship
Day 3 Completed
2022 World Series of Poker
Event #70: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event World Championship
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Players Info - Day 3
2022 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$80,782,475
Entries
8,663
Entries
2,993
Players Left
1,299
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
The money bubble has burst on Day 3 of the 2022 World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event, and 1,299 contenders remain in the second-largest field in WSOP history. Out of 8,663 entrants, three hopefuls chopped the min-cash of $15,000 and ensured that a tiny fraction of the $80,782,475 prize money has already been awarded in the flagship event of the 2022 WSOP in its new home at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.
After the frantic bubble tension had subsided and all players bagged their chips for the night, Aaron Mermelstein emerged atop the leaderboard with a stack of 2,059,000. He appears to be the only one above two million, while Nick Howard (1,850,000) and Gabi Livshitz (1,835,000) follow not far behind.
"It's dope. [to be chipleader] I have been going out and partying and having fun. I am fortunate to be in this position and I am sticking with what I know best and not changing anything," Mermelstein mentioned at the night's end. He claimed a large portion of his tower of chips in the final stages when his king-nine flopped trips in a three-bet pot, and he ousted an opponent with pocket kings.
2022 WSOP Main Event Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Mermelstein | United States | 2,059,000 |
| 2 | Michael Rocco | United States | 1,866,000 |
| 3 | Gabi Livshitz | Israel | 1,835,000 |
| 4 | Brandon Lulo | United States | 1,679,000 |
| 5 | Leo Zamarripa | United States | 1,643,000 |
| 6 | Jake Abdalla | United States | 1,615,000 |
| 7 | Thi Xoa Nguyen | France | 1,600,000 |
| 8 | Jordyn Miller | United States | 1,580,000 |
| 9 | Mathieu His | France | 1,565,000 |
| 10 | Ian Armstrong | United Kingdom | 1,563,000 |
Another WSOP bracelet winner can be found among the big stacks at the completion of Day 3, and that happens to be Martin Zamani (1,483,000). Several other winners of live poker's most coveted hardware will bring healthy stacks into Day 4, such as Michael Moncek (1,244,000), and Ryan Torgersen (1,134,000).
Mitchell Halverson (1,044,000) also has a bracelet and will aim to finish even better than his 15th place finish in the 2021 WSOP Main Event. Back then, he tangled with Koray Aldemir and the defending champion is among several former WSOP Main Event winners to take a shot at another title in this prestigious tournament. He was right there in the Bally's Event Center when the bubble unfolded and cited "the excitement, especially for the players playing for the first time. A lot of people's goal is just to cash the Main Event."
While some things may have changed since his victory in Sin City, the German poker pro hasn't changed his game much besides taking part in more high-stakes mixed-game bracelet events during the ongoing series.
"Honestly, a lot of people ask me if I feel pressure. I feel less pressure. I'm relaxed. Yeah, I would have been sad if I bubbled, but I'm relaxed and just playing my game."
Among the former champs still in contention in addition to defending champion Koray Aldemir (537,000) are Damian Salas (405,000), John Cynn (343,000), Ryan Riess (243,000) and Greg Merson (168,000).
Many other notables were less fortunate and had to leave empty-handed. With the money bubble looming toward the end of Level 15, the hand-for-hand procedure kicked off four spots away from the money. Two rapid eliminations, including the one of Seyed Nabavi, brought the field down to the last 1,302 hopefuls. What unfolded after that was a round with five simultaneous called all-ins on different tables.
Three of those hoping to stay alive came up short of the goal as Robert Lipkin, Ognjen Sekularac and Tom McCormick all ran out of chips entirely. They chopped the $15,000 min-cash for $5,000 each and Lipkin was fortunate enough to win the blind flip for the WSOP $10,000 Main Event entry for next year. Kevin Campbell was the bubble boy in the 2021 WSOP Main Event and was among the Day 3 survivors with an above-average stack.
Many other big names were not as fortunate. Day 3 commenced with a field of 2,993 players and by the end of play, that number was cut down by more than half. Last year's runner-up George Holmes, for example, went on a roller coaster ride throughout the day and eventually bowed out with ace-eight suited versus ace-king, not far away from locking up a min-cash. The always entertaining Jimmy D'Ambrosio suffered the same fate in the same level as well, while Jesse Sylvia and Samantha Abernathy were coolered early on.
Despite the plethora of notables gone, the field of contenders for Day 4 still contains plenty of big names. They will all be back in action at noon local time in pursuit of the $10 million top prize in the most prestigious live poker event of the year during the 2022 WSOP at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.
The blinds will be 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante and five two-hour levels scheduled. As usual, the PokerNews live reporting team will be scouring the floor to provide as many key hands as possible for this grand spectacle.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,059,000
-241,000
|
-241,000 |
|
||
|
1,835,000
-65,000
|
-65,000 |
|
||
|
1,679,000
119,000
|
119,000 |
|
1,643,000
663,000
|
663,000 |
|
1,615,000
115,000
|
115,000 |
|
1,600,000
620,000
|
620,000 |
|
1,580,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
|
1,565,000
949,000
|
949,000 |
|
1,563,000
-37,000
|
-37,000 |
|
1,546,000
1,447,500
|
1,447,500 |
|
1,541,000
1,238,500
|
1,238,500 |
|
1,504,000
302,000
|
302,000 |
|
||
|
1,496,000
1,278,000
|
1,278,000 |
|
1,483,000
-77,000
|
-77,000 |
|
1,454,000
274,000
|
274,000 |
|
1,421,000
321,000
|
321,000 |
|
1,410,000
1,089,000
|
1,089,000 |
|
1,404,000
694,000
|
694,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,402,000
242,000
|
242,000 |
|
1,389,000
139,000
|
139,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,379,000
299,000
|
299,000 |
|
1,350,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
||
|
1,347,000
262,000
|
262,000 |
|
1,311,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
1,306,000
869,500
|
869,500 |
|
||
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
The last 1,299 players have bagged and tagged their chips for the night. They will be back at noon local time at the Bally's Casino and have locked up at least $15,000 for their efforts.
Assorted counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Right after the official bubble burst, the cards were tabled between Anthony Winney, at risk for 90,000 with 
in his hands, against Bart Bogard who held 
.
The board ran 
and Winney's kings held to make the crowd that amassed around the table to root for him exult.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,228,000
285,000
|
285,000 |
|
|
200,000
-155,000
|
-155,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Action for this hand, played shortly before the hand-for-hand portion of the evening, was joined with 23,000 in the pot and a flop of 
on the table. Robert Lipkin, in the hijack, moved nearly all in, keeping himself a single 1,000 chip behind. His opponent, in the cutoff, put in a raise to force Lipkin all in. After some time in the tank, he made the laydown, likely a wise one, as his opponent flashed 
.
Lipkin was still holding onto that chip by the time the tournament reached the hand-for-hand portion. Shortly after, Lipkin found himself in the big blind, forced to move all in before a card had been dealt. A middle position player put in a raise to 18,000 but received no callers, giving a heads-up showdown with Lipkin's tournament life at stake. Once the tournament director had given the go-ahead, the two tabled their hands.
Robert Lipkin: 
Opponent: 
Lipkin's elimination seemed inevitable until the 
appeared in the window on the 
flop, improving him to a pair. The turn and 
river helped nobody, and Lipkin secured the pot, increasing his stack from 1,000 to 3,000. Unfortunately for Lipkin, he was the small blind on the next hand and was once again forced to go all in before any cards hit the felt.
After a limp from middle position, the hijack raised 38,000 and received no callers, meaning Lipkin was once again in a heads-up showdown for his tournament life.
Robert Lipkin: 
Hijack: 
Lipkin was in poor shape and failed to improve on the 
runout, eliminating him from the tournament. Elsewhere in the field, there were two other eliminations and two double ups as the bubble officially burst.
*****
The second player eliminated was Ognjen Sekularac.
Action started on the flop with a board of 
. Ian Armstrong checked to Ognjen Sekularac, who bet 50,000 into the pot. Armstrong check-raised all in for about 420,000 effective. Sekularac made the call.
Ognjen Sekularac: 
Ian Armstrong: 
With the whole tournament rooting for a flush draw to come in, the turn brought the to leave Sekularac drawing to a full house to stay alive. The river was the to seal the deal and give Sekularac a split of the bubble.
*****
The last player to depart was Tom McCormick, who was forced all-in from the big blind for 8,000 and 3,000 as big blind ante, while Vladimir Geshkenbein had limped in from the small blind.
Tom McCormick: 
Vladimir Geshkenbein: 
The board ran out 
and Geshkenbein earned the chips and a signed book copy of McCormick, who has been handing them out for each elimination in the last few years at the WSOP.
Lipkin, Sekularac and McCormick will split the $15,000 min-cash and play a blind flip for the 2023 WSOP $10,000 Main Event seat shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000
1,428,500
|
1,428,500 |
|
1,200,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Jake Abdalla has "slid" into one of the top spots of the leaderboard, using his big stack to ramp up the aggression as we are two away from the money.
[7 from the money in the main, hoping to slide in with my 87% vpip strategy
— Jake Abdalla (@JLlama99)
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,500,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Martin Zamani shoved blind from the under the gun position and it folded to Joseph Lamkin who called all in for 324,000 to create the following showdown:
Joseph Lamkin:
Martin Zamani: 
Zamani had the surprise of finding pocket sevens in his hands but the board gave 
to improve Lamkin's hand into a full house and give him the needed double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,560,000
-170,000
|
-170,000 |
|
660,000
483,000
|
483,000 |