Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship
Day 6 Completed
2017 World Series of Poker
Event #73: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em MAIN EVENT - World Championship
Day: 6
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 World Series of Poker
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$67,877,400
Entries
7,221
Level
43
Blinds
1,500,000 / 3,000,000
Ante
500,000
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
If Christian Pham's poker career got turned into a movie, it would probably get panned for being too much of a fairy tale, too hard to believe.
His first incredibly improbable moment came into 2015, when he claims to have accidentally registered for $1,500 2-7 Single Draw at the World Series of Poker when he meant to register for $1,500 Limit Hold'em. All he did was defeat a field of 219 and win a bracelet, overcoming the likes of Mike Leah, Robert Mizrachi and Huck Seed late.
Fast-forward to the 2017 WSOP, and Pham fired in a $575 Main Event qualifier, winning a seat. On Day 5, with his tournament life on the line after bluffing all in on a four-straight board with one pair against a set, Pham needed a six and a six only to chop and survive or it was curtains.
He found the six-ball to avoid joining the payout line. Two days later, he's the leader of the final 27 players left after Day 6, with a career-best $263,532 locked up and 31,440,000 in the big. That will represent more than 100 big blinds when play resumes for Day 7.
A breathless Pham, sans the bucket hat he can be so often seen wearing at tournaments in and around his native Minnesota, could barely contain his excitement.
"It’s the hope of every poker player, we go to the final table, or we go the top 27, 18 something like that," he said. "And now, my dream come true. I’m very happy about that."
The key moment for Pham on Day 6 came in a three-bet pot against Superman costume-clad Jonathan Dwek, who accidentally reraised the minimum and wound up running a wheel with ace-eight. Unfortunately for the Canadian, Pham's bottom pair on the flop became a backdoor steel wheel, and Dwek was unable to find the fold button on the river when Pham shoved on him.
"Oh my God straight flush, that’s amazing," Pham said as he recalled the hand, adding that he made another straight flush shortly after. "Two straight flush today! That’s amazing! Oh my God, that’s incredible."
Immediately behind Pham in the counts are Valentin Messina (28,590,000), Jack Sinclair (27,535,000) and Ben Lamb (25,685,000).
Lamb, of course, finished third in the 2011 Main Event, banking $4 million. His tournament results have been relatively scarce since then, with appearances in $25K high roller tournaments here in Las Vegas accounting for the bulk of his action.
True to the feelings of a man who fires away in $25Ks and has been here before, Lamb isn't satisfied by getting to the final 27 and has his sights set much higher.
“I don’t care about the final table," he said. "I want to win the whole damn thing. I’m going to go home and watch Game of Thrones and then watch a little tape of today.
"It’s the most fun you can have to be deep in this poker tournament. I’m really excited to be here and the past will help me. But some of these guys have been here before too – multiple times."
One man in particular has made deep runs in the WSOP Main Event practically a yearly ritual at this point. Antoine Saout's own November Nine appearance predates Lamb's, as he made the final table back in 2009, also finishing third. Last year, Saout narrowly missed another final table with a 25th-place finish.
Saout had a fantastic summer in 2016 with three six-figure scores in Las Vegas, but admitted it has been a different story in 2017 as he came into the Main Event down and needed a big run to climb out of the hole he'd dug for himself.
Now, the Frenchman has navigated to the three-table redraw of the Main Event once again in something of a summer saver. He's in the middle of the pack with a stack of 9,945,000, but it's a count he's quite happy with as he struggled to gain much traction on Day 6.
"Today was a tough day," he said. "I fought. I was down to 4.6 million, but I finished at my peak at 10 million, so that's good."
Saout is far from the only Frenchman having a fantastic finish to the WSOP. Second-place Messina also hails from France, as do Benjamin Pollak (8,870,000) and Alexandre Reard (8,580,000). The four posed for pictures after bagging and had groups of fans waving French flags cheering them on throughout the day.
Saout accurately recalled that two of his countrymen also made the final 27 in 2009. Ludovic Lacay would finish 16th and Francois Balmigere 25th.
"It's very exciting," Saout said of the French contingent's surge. "We all have some chips. It's going to be a big day tomorrow. I hope we can make it two, three or even four [at the final table]."
The last 27 drew for their new seats after the eliminations of Joshua Horton in 28th when he made an inferior flush against Jack Sinclair. They'll come back to those seats at noon with 78 minutes left in Level 32 (120,000/240,000/40,000), and PokerNews will be providing hand-for-hand updates as the final three tables play down to the biggest final table in poker.
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Counttry | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | John Hesp | United Kingdom | 20,880,000 | 87 |
| 1 | 2 | Robin Hegele | Germany | 11,150,000 | 46 |
| 1 | 3 | Scott Stewart | United States | 6,230,000 | 26 |
| 1 | 4 | Damian Salas | Argentina | 7,800,000 | 33 |
| 1 | 5 | Michael Ruane | United States | 9,340,000 | 39 |
| 1 | 6 | Jack Sinclair | United Kingdom | 27,535,000 | 115 |
| 1 | 7 | Bryan Piccioli | United States | 14,500,000 | 60 |
| 1 | 8 | Jonas Mackoff | Canada | 12,050,000 | 50 |
| 1 | 9 | Randy Pisane | United States | 18,370,000 | 77 |
| 2 | 1 | Richard Dubini | Argentina | 14,975,000 | 62 |
| 2 | 2 | Antoine Saout | France | 9,945,000 | 41 |
| 2 | 3 | Valentin Messina | France | 28,590,000 | 119 |
| 2 | 4 | Pedro Oliveira | Portugal | 22,540,000 | 94 |
| 2 | 5 | Florian Lohnert | Germany | 5,360,000 | 22 |
| 2 | 6 | Alexandre Reard | France | 8,580,000 | 36 |
| 2 | 7 | David Guay | Canada | 7,400,000 | 31 |
| 2 | 8 | Richard Gryko | United Kingdom | 13,760,000 | 57 |
| 2 | 9 | Scott Blumstein | United States | 18,125,000 | 76 |
| 3 | 1 | Michael Sklenicka | Czech Republic | 2,230,000 | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Jake Bazeley | United States | 3,915,000 | 16 |
| 3 | 3 | Christian Pham | United States | 31,440,000 | 131 |
| 3 | 4 | Michael Krasienko | United States | 11,430,000 | 48 |
| 3 | 5 | Benjamin Pollak | France | 8,870,000 | 37 |
| 3 | 6 | Dan Ott | United States | 7,815,000 | 33 |
| 3 | 7 | Marcel Luske | Netherlands | 2,990,000 | 12 |
| 3 | 8 | Karen Sarkisyan | Russia | 8,105,000 | 34 |
| 3 | 9 | Ben Lamb | United States | 25,685,000 | 107 |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Country | WSOP Cashes | WSOP Bracelets | Career Earnings | GPI Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Lamb | United States | 14 | 1 | $7,207,830 | 16,828 |
| Antoine Saout | France | 13 | 0 | $5,551,412 | 341 |
| Marcel Luske | Nedtherlands | 33 | 0 | $4,463,573 | 2,788 |
| Jake Bazeley | United States | 46 | 0 | $3,475,384 | 92 |
| Benjamin Pollak | France | 16 | 0 | $2,967,781 | 116 |
| Michael Ruane | United States | 5 | 0 | $2,611,965 | 18,473 |
| Bryan Piccioli | United States | 30 | 1 | $1,909,374 | 471 |
| Karen Sarkisyan | Russia | 22 | 0 | $1,256,126 | 1,253 |
| Valentin Messina | France | 9 | 0 | $1,132,858 | 5,281 |
| Richard Gryko | United Kingdom | 8 | 1 | $1,045,425 | 26,822 |
| Richard Dubini | Argentina | 8 | 0 | $1,008,319 | 356 |
| Alexandre Reard | France | 7 | 0 | $981,162 | 402 |
| Damian Salas | Argentina | 14 | 0 | $919,525 | 494 |
| Jonas Mackoff | Canada | 26 | 0 | $704,862 | 15,832 |
| Scott Stewart | United States | 29 | 0 | $606,604 | 389 |
| Christian Pham | United States | 9 | 1 | $563,439 | 6,339 |
| Pedro Oliveira | Portugal | 6 | 0 | $338,682 | 23 |
| Scott Blumstein | United States | 3 | 0 | $312,142 | 1,682 |
| Michael Krasienko | United States | 6 | 0 | $173,488 | 1,507 |
| David Guay | Canada | 1 | 0 | $128,766 | 6,713 |
| Robin Hegele | Germany | 1 | 0 | $48,229 | 2,140 |
| Michael Sklenicka | Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | $34,488 | 7,752 |
| Florian Lohnert | Germany | 0 | 0 | $23,293 | 197,921 |
| Jack Sinclair | United Kingdom | 2 | 0 | $13,500 | 14,761 |
| Randy Pisane | United States | 0 | 0 | $6,999 | 215,673 |
| Dan Ott | United States | 2 | 0 | $3,656 | 64,460 |
| John Hesp | United Kingdom | 0 | 0 | $2,208 | 21,184 |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
31,440,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
||
|
28,590,000
-405,000
|
-405,000 |
|
27,535,000
-155,000
|
-155,000 |
|
||
|
25,685,000 | |
|
||
|
22,540,000 | |
|
20,880,000 | |
|
18,370,000 | |
|
18,125,000
3,225,000
|
3,225,000 |
|
||
|
14,975,000
1,485,000
|
1,485,000 |
|
||
|
14,500,000 | |
|
|
||
|
13,760,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
||
|
12,050,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
11,430,000
-1,890,000
|
-1,890,000 |
|
11,150,000
1,215,000
|
1,215,000 |
|
||
|
9,945,000
1,345,000
|
1,345,000 |
|
9,340,000
-880,000
|
-880,000 |
|
8,870,000
240,000
|
240,000 |
|
8,580,000
520,000
|
520,000 |
|
||
|
8,105,000 | |
|
7,815,000 | |
|
7,800,000 | |
|
||
|
7,400,000 | |
|
|
||
|
6,230,000
-1,675,000
|
-1,675,000 |
|
5,360,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
3,915,000 | |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Just 27 players remain, and all of them have 6 days of poker behind them. Some were big stacks all throughout, others had a rollercoaster of a tournament. Here's are the End of Day chip counts for all of the 27 remaining players, including their position to the field.
| Player | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Pham | 131.300 | 505/5.519 | 141.800 | 1011/2.572 | 348.000 | 379/1.084 | 511.000 | 245/297 | 2.800.000 | 56/85 | 31.440.000 | 1/27 | |
| Valentin Messina | 159.900 | 157/5.519 | 350.100 | 92/2.572 | 679.000 | 125/1.084 | 2.979.000 | 10/297 | 4.995.000 | 30/85 | 28.590.000 | 2/27 | |
| Jack Sinclair | 149.500 | 207/5.519 | 242.900 | 355/2.572 | 463.000 | 267/1.084 | 1.457.000 | 95/297 | 2.225.000 | 69/85 | 27.535.000 | 3/27 | |
| Ben Lamb | 77.200 | 1781/5.519 | 327.800 | 123/2.572 | 1.016.000 | 32/1.084 | 2.746.000 | 14/297 | 4.725.000 | 32/85 | 25.685.000 | 4/27 | |
| Pedro Oliveira | 68.500 | 2176/5.519 | 159.700 | 854/2.572 | 781.000 | 91/1.084 | 1.292.000 | 114/297 | 3.135.000 | 51/85 | 22.540.000 | 5/27 | |
| John Hesp | 62.600 | 2487/5.519 | 312.100 | 152/2.572 | 613.000 | 166/1.084 | 1.394.000 | 106/297 | 4.060.000 | 40/85 | 20.880.000 | 6/27 | |
| Randy Pisane | 72.800 | 1965/5.519 | 233.300 | 395/2.572 | 614.000 | 165/1.084 | 2.955.000 | 12/297 | 8.105.000 | 9/85 | 18.370.000 | 7/27 | |
| Scott Blumstein | 86.200 | 1402/5.519 | 375.100 | 62/2.572 | 1.340.000 | 8/1.084 | 2.016.000 | 44/297 | 6.845.000 | 14/85 | 18.125.000 | 8/27 | |
| Richard Dubini | 254.400 | 2/5.519 | 185.100 | 669/2.572 | 389.000 | 331/1.084 | 1.125.000 | 130/297 | 5.190.000 | 29/85 | 14.975.000 | 9/27 | |
| Bryan Piccioli | 145.100 | 233/5.519 | 173.600 | 752/2.572 | 286.000 | 477/1.084 | 1.994.000 | 47/297 | 5.400.000 | 25/85 | 14.500.000 | 10/27 | |
| Richard Gryko | 129.900 | 375/5.519 | 564.800 | 4/2.572 | 819.000 | 77/1.084 | 3.559.000 | 5/297 | 5.835.000 | 21/85 | 13.760.000 | 11/27 | |
| Jonas Mackoff | 30.600 | 4441/5.519 | 160.000 | 852/2.572 | 389.000 | 332/1.084 | 3.076.000 | 8/297 | 1.590.000 | 78/85 | 12.050.000 | 12/27 | |
| Michael Krasienko | 165.900 | 127/5.519 | 561.300 | 5/2.572 | 1.246.000 | 12/1.084 | 1.896.000 | 53/297 | 5.710.000 | 22/85 | 11.430.000 | 13/27 | |
| Robin Hegele | 87.700 | 1341/5.519 | 392.600 | 53/2.572 | 367.000 | 358/1.084 | 2.550.000 | 20/297 | 9.990.000 | 1/85 | 11.150.000 | 14/27 | |
| Antoine Saout | 107.300 | 752/5.519 | 341.400 | 107/2.572 | 1.529.000 | 3/1.084 | 2.318.000 | 30/297 | 8.260.000 | 8/85 | 9.945.000 | 15/27 | |
| Michael Ruane | 64.400 | 2379/5.519 | 94.400 | 1576/2.572 | 721.000 | 107/1.084 | 1.564.000 | 82/297 | 3.450.000 | 47/85 | 9.340.000 | 16/27 | |
| Benjamin Pollak | 91.900 | 1194/5.519 | 157.900 | 871/2.572 | 497.000 | 235/1.084 | 218.000 | 291/297 | 5.690.000 | 23/85 | 8.870.000 | 17/27 | |
| Alexandre Reard | 38.500 | 3978/5.519 | 125.000 | 1203/2.572 | 533.000 | 212/1.084 | 1.000.000 | 148/297 | 6.100.000 | 19/85 | 8.580.000 | 18/27 | |
| Karen Sarkisyan | 16.400 | 5161/5.519 | 140.600 | 1023/2.572 | 149.000 | 756/1.084 | 1.170.000 | 126/297 | 8.270.000 | 7/85 | 8.105.000 | 19/27 | |
| Dan Ott | 160.900 | 148/5.519 | 244.000 | 349/2.572 | DNR | DNR/1.084 | 2.196.000 | 35/297 | 8.320.000 | 6/85 | 7.815.000 | 20/27 | |
| Damian Salas | 71.300 | 2036/5.519 | 301.000 | 176/2.572 | 1.028.000 | 31/1.084 | 4.678.000 | 1/297 | 8.400.000 | 5/85 | 7.800.000 | 21/27 | |
| David Guay | 80.000 | 1674/5.519 | 60.000 | 2057/2.572 | 260.000 | 520/1.084 | 2.440.000 | 24/297 | 3.300.000 | 50/85 | 7.400.000 | 22/27 | |
| Scott Stewart | 193.700 | 50/5.519 | 446.800 | 26/2.572 | 72.000 | 953/1.084 | 1.929.000 | 50/297 | 7.270.000 | 12/85 | 6.230.000 | 23/27 | |
| Florian Lohnert | 53.975 | 3019/5.519 | 50.500 | 2198/2.572 | 265.000 | 510/1.084 | 1.350.000 | 110/297 | 6.300.000 | 18/85 | 5.360.000 | 24/27 | |
| Jake Bazeley | 100.900 | 906/5.519 | 123.300 | 1219/2.572 | 485.000 | 244/1.084 | 1.225.000 | 119/297 | 2.805.000 | 55/85 | 3.915.000 | 25/27 | |
| Marcel Luske | 80.500 | 1644/5.519 | 149.100 | 948/2.572 | 282.000 | 481/1.084 | 1.159.000 | 127/297 | 2.290.000 | 66/85 | 2.990.000 | 26/27 | |
| Michael Sklenicka | 164.700 | 134/5.519 | 540.600 | 10/2.572 | 1.139.000 | 18/1.084 | 1.600.000 | 75/297 | 5.360.000 | 27/85 | 2.230.000 | /27/27 |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Jack Sinclair raised to 575,000 on the button. Joshua Horton was in the big blind and defended.
The flop was 
, and Horton led for what appeared to be 900,000. Sinclair called, and the turn was the 
. Horton got his remaining chips into the middle, which appeared to be about 6,015,000, and Sinclair called.
Jack Sinclair: 
Joshua Horton: 
Horton would have to hit a two-out straight flush if he was going to survive, but the river was the 
.
Horton was eliminated in 28th place, ending the day's play at the three-table redraw.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
27,690,000
7,990,000
|
7,990,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Jonas Mackoff raised to 525,000 from the cutoff, and Michael Sklenicka called in the big blind.
Both players checked the 
flop, and the 
fell on the turn. Sklenicka bet 800,000, and Mackoff called before the 
river completed the board. Sklenicka checked, and Mackoff bet 1,500,000, which the Czech called.
Mackoff rolled over 
for queens and nines, while Sklenicka open-mucked 
for top pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,050,000
2,050,000
|
2,050,000 |
|
2,230,000
-3,220,000
|
-3,220,000 |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Dan Ott raised to 550,000 from middle position, John Hesp three-bet to 1,200,000 from the small blind, and Ott called.
The flop came down 
, and Hesp bet 1,500,000. Ott called, and the turn was the . Hesp bet 2,000,000, and Ott called. The river completed the board, and Hesp bet 2,000,000 again. Ott called.
Hesp tabled for top two pair, Ott mucked, and Hesp collected the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
21,920,000
6,575,000
|
6,575,000 |
|
|
7,550,000
-6,740,000
|
-6,740,000 |
Level 31
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Michael Krasienko raised to 600,000 under the gun, Joshua Horton called in the cutoff, and Richard Gryko called in the big blind. The flop came 
, and Gryko checked. Krasienko continued for 1,000,000, and both of his opponents folded.
Krasienko dragged the pot, continuing to chip up after being one of the shortest stacks just a little while ago.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,320,000
1,440,000
|
1,440,000 |