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Good luck 2 the commentators saying that!lol
Excellent work FCHD.
Look forward to the November updats:)
Can't help thinking that some sort of "business" will be (covertly) agreed in advance.
The situation in the USA is MUCH different though, & even more so in the WSOP Main, because of the huge sums involved, & also the winnings of USA residents are taxed. Ignoring the tax situation, the huge sums involved mean some sort of Legal arrangement would be advisable.
The Tax thing results in some odd situations. When a Vegas MTT is chopped up 3 or 4 ways, it almost invariably gets arranged & agreed that the Brit (or non USA player) is credited with being the winner, & "officially" takes first prize, as the American players don't want to be shown as the Winner, as it will mean they pay more tax than if they are officially 4th or 5th.
Going back a few years, this very tax thing caused a right hoohah when Jamie Gold won the WSOP main. He had a partner/staker, & they had a mighty falling out over who paid the tax. I believe his winnings were "frozen" behind the Rio Cage for nearly a year, whilst it was resolved. It was all very messy indeed.
One very realistic scenario this year is the fact that there are 4 Europeans in the November Nine, of whom 3 live in London, & presumably therefore don't pay tax on poker winnings.
So, say, if it got Heads Up between an American Pro & a London-based player, it would be worth, literally, a 7 figure sum to "do Business" such that the London-based guy was credited with the win. It might be that it finishes with the USA guy winning it, the European guy 2nd, but they pre-agree a deal that the European chap takes the $10 Milly winners purse, then divvies it up after. There's no way the USA guy will fancy paying tax on 10 Milly.
On a related note, last year, in one of the Rio Daily Deepstacks, the last 4 or 5 players decided to chop it up. The Prize pool was several hundred thousand. Many Cardrooms, The Rio included, do not want anything to do with these deals. So the Top 4 or 5 decided to do business, & once it ended, they all had to go to the cage, collect their "official" prize money, then return & divvy it up between them. Except the official winner, having agreed a 5 way chop, then did a runner with the cash, & was never seen again.....
Incidentally, I've done these "chops" in G-Luton hundreds of times, & there has never been a spot of bother. The numbers were a tad smaller though.
1 Billy Pappaconstantinou (USA) 17.5m
2 Felix Stephensen (NOR) 32.8m
3 Jorryt van Hoof (NED) 38.4m
4 Mark Newhouse (USA) 26.0m
5 Andoni Larrabe (ESP) 22.5m
6 William Tonking (USA) 15.1m
7 Dan Sindelar (USA) 21.2m
8 Martin Jacobson (SWE) 14.9m
9 Bruno Politano (BRA) 12.1m
Stephensen, Larrabe & Jacobson are all listed as now living in London.
Larrabe is the youngest at 22, with Stephensen at 23 and all the others between 27-31 (van Hoof & Politano are 31)
There is 1h35m left of Level 35, with blinds at 200K & 400K an ante of 50K. Newhouse has the button
1st prize is $10m
2nd $5.1m, 3rd $3.8m, 4th $2.8m, 5th $2.1m, 6th $1.6m, 7th $1.2m, 8th $947K and 9th $730K
Cards go in the air at 4:30 local time, Monday 10th November which I believe is 11:30 UK Time.
van Hoof still big stack, Politano still the shorty (although Tonking was relegated to that point at one point)
First decent sized pot in hand 30 - Larrabe with AQ against Jacobson's KJ on a J-10-4 flop, Larrabe took the lead with the Ace on the turn. Jacobson check-called the flop and the turn, and we saw a river of a 2, no flush draws anywhere, went chec-check on the river to move the Spaniard up to 4th (with a net gain of 4m chips on that hand) nd drop Jacobson to the short stack.
Next hand Stephensen raised with pocket sixes folded through to Sindelar on the button who had nines. Flop of K-10-3, Stephensen bet 1.5m, Sindelar paused and then called. Turn 7, both checked, a second 10 on the river. Stephensen (in full hoody and shades mode) checked, Sindelar checked behind and picked up the pot.
Stephensen tries to bully the amateur Pappas with Q2 against Pappas's pocket 8s in a board reading 5-4-A-K. Pappas is having none of it and check-calls. Another Pappas check, Stephensen fires again (4m) putting Pappas to the test for a huge chunk of his stack and this time he gives it up. Just about the first bluff of the night, giving him a marginal chip lead
An all-American confrontation with Sindelar opening with 6-5 suited, called by Tonking with A-9 suited. Neither of their flushes come in as the board comes 3-2-6, Sindelar's bet is called and the Tonking goes in from as an Ace drops on the turn. Tonking leads 2.3m, Sindelar thinks a little and then folds.
van Hoof (K-10) on the button to 1m, Larrabe (9-8) calls from the Big Blind. Interesting flop of 10-J-9 rainbow. Larrabe checks, van Hoof bets 1.4m, quickly called. Turn is a King, giving van Hoof 2 pairs. Larrabe goes to his stack and cuts out a bet of 3.35m with 4 to a straight on the board, van Hoof calls. 7 on the river to give Larrabe the low end of the straight. He checks, van Hoof reps the Queen and goes all in which forces the Spaniard to snap fold the best hand
The break means it's easy for me to decide that that's it from me for a while, lightweight that I am I've got to grab a few z's before work in the morning.
Could've checked behind obviously but seems he knew he was behind and a decent/reputable river card to rep. Esfandiari cooing about the move in the commentary whilst Tonking was thinking.
Come on Cornish, sleep when you're dead
Politano followed him out the door in 8th
Sindelar went out in 7th.
So we're left with 6. Van Hoof & Tonking have huge stacks. Stephensen, Larrabe & Jacobson are more or less where tthey started the day, while Pappas has less than 10 BB
Signing off again, have to leave for work now!
Good work Gents, thank you.
"....Pappas raises with KK, gets raised by Larrabe with KQ suited which forces Pappas to call all in, a pot of 26m. The flop is Ace-Ace-Ace...."
Nice flop for Pappas.
5 remain, van Hoof has more chips than the other 4 combined......
van Hoof 107 milly
Pappas 29 milly
Tonking 24 milly
Jacobsen 20 milly
Stephenson 20 milly
Oh my, BIG change.......
van Hoof 78 milly
Jacobsen 50 milly
Stephenson 48 milly
Tonking 24 milly
Pappas - fumes
Four handed play last for 15 hands until the last American, Tonking, moved in for 20m (20BB) with pocket twos and was looked up by Stephensen from the small blind with pocket tens. Tonking gathered more outs on the flop (all clubs, 4-5-J) and the turn (6 to give him a gutshot) but missed them all and he went out 4th for over $2.8m
There was then some confusion about whether they would stop there or go on, in the end they were told to play to the end of the level, which saw Stephensen lose some chips to both the other players but as play ended for the day all 3 have a playable stack
van Hoof - 89.6m
Jacobson - 64.8m
Stephensen - 46.1m
So it's an Continental-Europe-but-living-in-London final three, who will play down to a winner and the $10m first prize tonight. They will start level 40 which is 600K/1.2m with a 200K ante at about 1:30 our time if I'm reading things correctly.
Do I stay up all night to watch???? up for work at 7.......
Anyway, a little of what I wrote, re-created
Day 9 - The Final Day.
Three Europeans, none of whom are table talkers, all dressed in black, all with beards, not the most TV-friendly of final tables.
A predictably quiet first few hands, coupled with ESPN graphic problems meant that we didn't see fireworks until a hand with Jacobson getting Aces and Stephensen having KJ with a King on the flop, calling on all three streets to see the Swede gain a large chunk of the Norwegian's chips and close in on van Hoof's chip lead
van Hoof 90m, Jacobson 86m, Stephensen down to 24m (20 BB)
Hand 262 with van Hoof having J9 on a board that gave him a full house, bet out for 2m, Jacobson dwelt and folded. van Hoof gets back close to nine figures again.
A couple of Stephensen bets on the flop saw him pick up antes, blinds and the pre-flop bets
van Hoof raises it 3x from the small blind with J6 suited, called by Jacobson with A9 suited. van Hoof bets after a 6-K-A rainbow board, Jacobson calls in position. Turn is an interesting card, another King which gives van Hoof a flush draw, van Hoof checks, Jacobson puts in a big bet (9m), van Hoof gives it up and this is enough for the top two stacks to swap over and the Swede is in the lead.
van Hoof raises from the button with J5off, Stephensen calls with 98 and flops top pair with a 3-4-9 flop. He checks, van Hoof checks behind to surprise the commentators. van Hoof then turns a worse pair with 5 of hearts. This time Stephensen leads out and is called. The river is a King, a third club and an overcard to everything. Stephensen's 9s are good and he shoves for his last 12.1m. van Hoof, with third pair, asks for a count trying to get a read and calls.
Stephensen's double up brings him right back into it with 48m, and van Hoof drops to the mid 60s. Jacobson looks on impassively with his 88m.
Jacobson 92m, Stephensen 59m, van Hoof 50m
Both van Hoof and Jacobson enter a pot with Queen-Eight off, flop is 2-10-9 giving them both a gutshot with no flush possibilities so we are guaranteed a chop if it goes to showdown. van Hoof leads for 2.5m, Jacobson gives it up.
van Hoof folds the button, Jacobson makes up from SB, Stephensen raises it 2.5x with 5-3 of hearts. Jacobson calls with A-3 off. Stephensen flops an up-and-down straight draw with 4-6-K rainbow and after a Jacobson check, bets 5m and the chip leader folds.
van Hoof wins a couple of small hands with not much resistance
After some small pre-flop action, Stephensen and van Hoof go to a board of 7-2-A all spades. van Hoof is the only one with a spade but it checks around and we see another Ace on the flop. Still neither has a pair and check-check again. A 10 gives van Hoof a pair at the end, and a small value bet leads to a snap fold. This beings van Hoof back to second in chips. Three small-ball hands in a row have seen him gain almost 10m chips.
Bigger action on the next hand. Jacobson raises the button, called by Stephensen, then van Hoof three-bets A-10 off to 9m. Jacobson (K9) folds, and Stephensen (A7 of hearts) does likewise.
Stephensen button raises with pocket 6s, van Hoof 3-bets with A8 off. Jacobson doesn't get involved and action returns to Stephensen (as Esfandiari predicted) shoves and that is enough to take it down. Stephensen up to 62m.
van Hoof raises from the button with K-10, Stephensen calls with Q-9. The flop comes the Norwegian's way with Q-9-2 (also giving van Hoof a gutshot). van Hoof leads for 3m, Stephensen check-raises for 8m and van Hoof lays it down.
Stephensen raises his button with 5-4 off, Jacobson 3-bets with the monster that is 8-7 off, gets the lay down.
Level 40 ends with a couple of quiet hands
Jacobson 96.4
Stephensen 68.1
van Hoof 36.0
First hand of the new level Jacobson raises on the button with Q3, called by van Hoof with KQ. Both miss a flop of 8-6-9, check-check. Turn is the action card of a Queen. van Hoof with the dominating hand goes for 4.8m worth of value, called. River is a third club but only the 2. Neither player has made the runner-runner flush, and action on the Dutchman and the bet is 12m. Jacobson calls and the stacks concertina
Again Jacobson picks up a dominating hand (KJ against Stephensen's K5) but this time he is out of position and after a check on the flop, Stephensen bets 5m, Jacobson raises to 14.2m and that gets the job done.
Stephensen limps from the SB with A-10. van Hoof, sensing weakness, raises with 6-4 to 4m which is predictably called. Q-9-8 on the board, Stephensen with a gutshot checks, as does van Hoof. van Hoof then gets a gutshot of his own after a 5 comes on the turn. Stephensen decides it's time to get some money in (5m) and the Dutchman folds.
A van Hoof raise from the button to 3.6m with A-5 of diamonds, Jacobson 3-bets with A-10. Easy for Stephensen to get out of the way, and then van Hoof goes all in which is quickly called. The Dutchman is dominated and at risk. The flop is 5-2-10 pairing both kickers. Turn is Queen of clubs. Two out for van Hoof on the river, which turns out to be.......another Queen and we're heads up. van Hoof takes $3.8m
A few chips go back and forth in some tentative early hands
Stephensen picks up pocket sixes, Jacobson J-10. The latter goes ahead on a 10-5-4 flop. A second 4 is the turn card which is checked both ways and then a King shows up. Stephensen goes for value with two pair, betting 8m which is quickly called and Jacobsen extends his lead.
Next hand, neither make a pair on the turn or the flop. Jacobson at least has a gut shot, bets out and takes it down. The rich is getting richer. He now has 83% of the chips in play.
Stephensen enters a pot with a dominating King (K9 /> K5), but Jacobson flops better (7-5-Q). He checks, Stephensen bets 4m which is called. An 8 on the turn gives Stephensen some more outs and he bets 8m which gets the fold.
Interesting board on a hand with both players holding spades - Stephensen Q8 and Jacobson 97. No spades on the flop both both flop a pair - 93Q. Stephensen with the better hand bets 4m and Jacobson calls. Flop is a Jack which also gives Stephensen a gutshot. This entices him to bet 8m and Jacobson's 3rd pair is not enough for him to continue
Jacobson's A4 dominates Stephensen's Q4 on a dry board of 2-7-9, bet call but check-check after a 5 turn. Second 7 on the river means the chip leader's Ace is good and he bets it for 8m. Stephensen counts out calling chips but eventually folds.
Now a decent pocket holding - Jacobson finds pocket nines. Stephensen takes his time and raises to 9m with Q8 off. Jacobson shoves over the top and those 9m chips slide over to the Swede. Six to one chip lead now, Jacobson < 20BB
Jacobson raising and getting folds regularly now. Stephensen just waiting for something to shove with.
Next hand Stephensen shoves again with AQ but in a repeat performance Jacobson has nothing and lets it go.
A9 suited for Stephensen, raise to 3.something million. Jacobson finds pocket 10s and shoves, Stephensen quickly calls all in. This could be the end... Flop is 3-9-10. Stephensen is down to 0.4%, and the turn of King of diamonds is it. We have our first Swedish ME winner.