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Joe McKeehan - USA - 63.1m (160BB)
The 24 year old has been the big stack for several levels now, and has been using it to his advantage, raising almost every hand to put pressure on the short stacks. He was 2nd in the inaugural Monster Stack which netted him over $800K, and has almost $2million in tournament earnings. His percentage chip stack and lead over his nearest challenger is the biggest in recent ME history.
Zvi Stern - ISR - 29.8m (74BB)
36 year old Israeli with one previous WSOP cash, $5505 in 2008. That and a $44K score at the PCA High Roller in January are his only results Hendon Mob have recorded. He is the first Israeli to FT since Amir Lehavot in 2013, and is a habitual very slow player, some would say staller. He was the main reason why his table was playing 10 or more hands a level less than the other tables on Day 7 which eventually saw "Hand for Hand" brought in unscheduled with 11 left.
Neil Blumenfield - USA - 22.0m (55BB)
He would have been the oldest ever November Niner (at 61) if it were not for Neuville (see below). Before this event his biggest ever live score was $38K, a statistic that has been obliterated. Cashed in the Main back in 2011, and the Seniors Event this year.
Pierre Neuville - BEL - 21.075m (52BB)
If Blumenfield would have been the record holder at 61, he has nothing on Neuville who is 72. A former board games designer, when his company was taken over by Hasbro and he was appointed a vice-president or similar, his contract prohibited him doing any gambling. After retirement he first came to prominence at the 2008 PCA, finishing 18th in their Main for $48K. He has been a regular 10K tournament player since, reportedly satelliting into 23 consecutive EPT main events. The closest he has come to a bracelet was as a runner-up last year, and he is the first Belgian to reach the Novemnber 9. If he finishes in the Top 3 he will overtake Davidi Kitai as the all-time top Belgian money winner. His achievements since retirement earned him a Lifetime Achievement award at the recent European Poker Awards.
Max Steinberg - USA - 20.2m (50bb)
Tikay will like this gentleman, he often turns up for poker tournaments dressed in a suit and tie. He is 27 and was reportedly a big cheese online before Black Friday. He has almost $2m in live winnings (before this event), including 5 six figure wins, headed by $440K when he won his bracelet in 2012 in a $1000 NLH tournament. That makes him the only previous bracelet winner still alive. He is no longer a full-time pro, he makes his money playing "Daily Fantasy Sports", and won his seat in the WSOP playing fantasy basketball through WSOP sponsor Draft Kings.
Thomas Cannuli - USA - 12.25m (30bb)
The youngest of the Nine at 23, he is more of a regular cash game player (mainly at Borgata) than a tournament expert, he only had $52K of reported earnings before this event, none of which had been picked up since a run in last year's ME where he finished 691st for $18K (he had one of the biggest stacks on Day 2 of that event)
Joshua Beckley - USA - 11.8m (27bb)
Only been cashing in live MTTs for under a year, he's been in Vegas practically the whole Series, and this is his 5th cash. None of those cashes have reached 5 figures, now he is guaranteed a payout in 7 figures. He has numerous wins in East Coast events over the last year, scores of $98K, $55K & $33K all have been recorded at Parx in Pennsylvania
Patrick Chan - USA - 6.225m (15bb)
Prior to the ME, Chan had cashed in one WSOP event in 2012, one in 2013, one in 2014 (Millionaire Maker, 12th for $100K) and one in 2015 (Colossus). 26 years old from Brooklyn, he's been a live player for 5 or 6 years now, split between cash and MTTs
Federico Butterini - ITA - 6.2m (15bb)
The second European on the FT, 25 year old Butterini will make at least 10 times more from this MTT than all his previous live cashes put together. That includes 2 previous cashes at this years WSOP headed by $45K for 20th in the Monster Stack. He is a typically extrovered Italian, and if he does manage a double-up at the FT his celebrations will be worthing waiting for. The last Italian to make the FT was Filippo Candio, 4th back in 2010.
Play will resume with some time left in Level 35 (200K/400K with a 50K ante) but will soon rise to 250K/500K making Chan & Butterini's positions somewhat precarious.
That's it for me until November!
articles that you have produced a great balanced mix of facts and humour many thanks for keeping us bang up to date.
FAIL
Blame Mr Ambo. Seems fair.
Just a quick PS, what a wonderful job Barny did with this.
I have written to him & suggested/offered a little "thank you" from Sky Poker. No idea if he will accept it, but if he does, I'll let you all know when it is, & we can rail the great man.
I have been away over the weekend and have only just caught up on last night's action, making some notes during play (apologies for any errors made)
Playing down to 6 for the first day of a drawn-out 3 day FT.
The first exit was the quickest in WSOP FT History, on just hand 2 big chip leader Joe McKeehen shoved with A4 off, 2nd shortest stack Patrick Chan in the SB called with KQoff and with nothing higher than a ten on the board Chan departed in 9th.
Veteran Belgian Pierre Neuville made a fantastic (results-based anyway) fold two hands later after raising with pocket 10s, Neil Blumenfield 3-bet with Aces, and Neuville laid the tens down.
Blumenfield had 3-bet light in hand 3, did the same with Aces in hand 4 (as above) and then in hand 5 did the same again with pocket Queens (this time on tbe button), coming over the top of Max Steinberg's Ace-10 and again Blumenfield failed to get a call.
After that, it quietened down for a white.
Hand 20, Blumenfield lost a chunk with 8h2h against Stern's 9c2c, board of 3h 4h 9s 5s 2d which eventually was checked back on the river, the pot was over 12m to lift Stern into 2nd place.
Butteroni hadn't played a hand by this point, and was down to half his starting stack. He shoved with Q9 of clubs which got through (suprisingly Neuville folded A8 suite)
Hand 29 was a big one, McKeehen raised with A8, Blumenfield 3-bet with AK, McKeehen 4-bet, and Blumenfield went over the top again with a shove that got through to gain 7m of the big stack.
Blumenfield was in action again in the next hand, raising with AQ suited. To his left, button-holding Zvi Stern 3-bet to 3.15m with KJ suited. In the small blind though, Neuville made it 7.75m with the Aces. Beckley quickly folded from the BB, and then in turn so did the two original aggressors.
To this point, just over 2 hours in, Cannuli had done very little, as had Beckley and Steinberg, and Butteroni had played just the one hand.
After a break, Neuville gets Queens, and is looked up by the previously quiet Canulli with K9 of hearts. A friendly flop of A10x with 2 hearts and a turn of 4h gives Canulli the nuts and leaves Neuville drawing dead. The river is the worst card for the Belgian, a K giving him Broadway. Cannuli goes for value with a bet of 3.2m (just over half pot) which was called to move Canulli off the immediate danger list with a stack of 30BB (but still lying 7th)
McKeehen then raised from the button with AK, and Butteroni finally wakes up with a hand, but it is a dominated AJ. A shove by the Italian is of course quickly called. Flop of 6-10-3 is of no help. The turn of a 9 likewise. Butteroni's final card was a 7 and he was a goner.
Cooler alert (of sorts) for the top two stacks - Stern raises with AJ, McKeehen calls with A8. Flop is QAA giving them both trip aces. McKeehen checks, Stern bets 1.4m, called. Turn is an insignificant 3. Check-bet-call again. River is a King. For the third time it goes check-bet-call and "everyone loves a chopped pot"
Cooler alert again (next hand) Blumenfield's been quiet for a while, but opens under the gun for 1.2m with fours. Neuville is happy to see a flop with AK. Flop is QK4, so it's bottom set for Blumenfield and top pair top kicker for Neuville. Blumenfield bets and is called. Turn is another Q giving the American the FH, but it goes check-check. River is a 3, Blumenfield bets 4million which is called moving him to 2nd and leaves the 72-year old as the short stack.
Stern v McKeehen, Stern with AK hearts, McKeehen pocket eights. His lead disappears on the flop when the Israeli flops top two, but McKeehen folds to a bet.
Hand 50, Cannuli raises with KQ off, Blumenfield calls with a dominated KJ. Stern waits for what seems like ages before 3-betting with pocket Jacks. Cannuli hasn't enough chips to do much (and can't really shove) so folds and Blumenfield follows suit. Stern back into 2nd.
Next hand Cannuli picks up AJ, and this time he shoves his last 12 or so BB, and picks up the dead money in the pot.
McKeehen's chip lead hasn't even been remotely threatened. He starts the real action in the next hand with pocket 5s. Stern cuts out raising chips and makes it 3.35m wth AK and McKeehan calls, set hunting. The board runs out badly for him, K86 giving Stern TPTK and a bet takes the pot down
Stern has increased his stack by over half in the last dozen or so hands.
Josh Beckley is still there, hadn't noticed him for an hour, so when he 3-bets Blumenfeld his raise is respected and the younger man picks up a small pot.
Neuville's stacks is looking more and more vulnerable, he is down to well under 10BB
Stern raises wth J9, McKeehen picks up the Aces but his raise size scares off everyone else and he doesn't get the value from the rockets.
Stern and McKeehen clash again on hand 54, Stern with A3 and McKeehen with K10 of clubs. Both are happy with a flop of 7A5 2 clubs, but the chip leader has a dream turn of Qc. Stern checks and McKeehen bets 3.2m. Stern (with top pair but drawing dead) has been aggressive but rarely out of line, makes a very good fold to maintain his 2nd place overall.
McK bets with K7off, Blumenfield 3-bets to 3.5m with A9off. Stern in the SB takes his usual hour and a half and folds (Esfandiari noticed on the broadcast he takes longer folding than when he bets) and McKeehan takes a lot less time to fold.
66 hands in, McKeehan still has a massive lead, with 2.5x the stack of his nearest challenger and is playing well and running well.
Cannuli finds AJ again, this time suited. The result is the same as last time, his shove is met by a series of folds.
Another break, then on the first hand back Blumenfield raises with two red Queens, his bet goes unopposed and he picks up the blinds and antes.
Beckley raises with K8 of diamonds, Cannuli shoves from the SB (guess what hand he has - of course it is AJ) and after a count, McKeehen folds from the BB, Beckley rapidly following suit.
With Neuville in the BB (and a quarter of his stack already in the middle), McKeehen raises to 2x. Neuville ages while Stern pauses and folds and then shoves with AJ clubs, McKeehen calls for the remainder wth a dominated J6 of hearts. Flop - Q 10 3 with only one heart, Turn a second queen but a second heart too. McKeehen as 12 outs, and he hits one of them with the 10h being the river. Johnny Moss's record as the oldest WSOP ME winner will remain intact. Neuville not as lucky as Cannuli with the AJ all-in...
9. Patrick Chan ($1,001,020)
8. Federico Butteroni ($1,097,056)
7. Pierre Neuville ($1,203,293)
So we're left with
1. Joseph McKeehan (USA) 91.4m
2. Zvi Stern (ISR) 32.4m
3. Neil Blumenfield (USA) 31.5m
4. Max Steinberg (USA) 16m
5. Josh Beckley (USA) 10.9m
6. Thomas Cannuli (USA) 10.4m
6. Thomas Cannuli ($1,426,283)
5. Zvi Stern ($1,911,423)
4. Max Steinberg ($2,615,361)
So that leaves us with 3.
Joe McKeehan has been chip leader for all of the FT, and he now has approximately two thirds of all the chips in play (128m). Veteran Neil Blumenfield has about 40m while Josh Beckley is the short stack of the 3 with a little under 24m.
The winner will collect the rather ostentatious bracelet, become the World Champion and pick up the small matter of $7,683,346. Second will take home $4,470,896 while the first player knocked out tonight will have earned $3,398,298.
Cards will be shuffled up and dealt from 6pm local time (which I believe is 2am here) with coverage on BT Sport/ESPN from 2:30 (30 minute delayed coverage of course) and repeated at 8:00pm (schedule allows for 3 hours so may need to be edited if the play goes on longer than that) on the same channel.
McKeehen with over 100m, Beckley & Blumenfield in the 30-something million and Steinberg the short stack at about 14m
Blinds are 400K/800K with a 100K ante, so 1.6m a round, giving Steinberg an M-number of under 10
Nice words from Norman there about the need for more European players in the Poker Hall of Fame, while recognising Harman and Juanda's qualities.
137 hands in, McKeehen just seems to be dominating. Using his big stack to grind down each of his opponents. Nothing big but just constant small/medium pots. And he's hitting cards when he is in pots.
Steinberg goes all in with A8 of diamonds over the top of a Beckley raise, it gets through.
Levels up - 500K/1m with an ante of 150K
McKeehen makes a min-raise, graphics originally show AA but actual hand is AQ. Steinberg thinks a while and shoves over the top. Unfortunately for him he has AJ. McKeehan of course calls. Flop is 975, no flushes. Turn is an 8 giving Max 4 more outs for a win and 4 more for a chop, but the river is a 3 and Steinberg goes out in 4th. McKeehan's 4th KO of the 6 so far.
Steinberg says in his exit interview that he got into the ME for a $27 satellite - turning it over $2.6m
So that ended Day 2 of the FT, and we come back with 3 players left for the dénoument.
McKeehen 128m, Blumenfield 40m, Beckley 24m. All guaranteed at least $3.5m.
Beckley gets a nice flop early, with QJ and Blumenfield holding A3, flop comes 10-9-K. Beckley tries checking the nuts both on the flop and the turn and on a paired K on the river tries bettng 3.5m but Blumenfield correctly lays his hand down.
Blumenfield loses a chunk trying to get lairy on the river. He has Q8 and McKeehan has K10, board is 3-6-10-7-5. McKeehan sees through it and calls to move him to 144m of the 192m chips in play, and drop Blumenfield to the short stack at about 20m.
Beckley raises 2.2x with A10, McKeehan 3-bets with 10-8 which is enough to drive out Blumenfield, and, eventually, Beckley. The rich get richer
McKeehen still trying to play mostly small ball, the other two are both relatively short and there is over a million bucks pay jump from 3rd to 2nd and neither of the others can afford a mis-step now.
Blumenfield rivers a back-door flush while McKeehan makes top pair on the river, McKeehan bets, Blumenfield raises (about 20% of his stack) and again McKeehan makes the correct read.
Norman has just said that in the first two nights of the FT, there wasn't a single post-flop raise!
I miss one hand while relocating from one room to another, but it looks like it was a chunky raise from Blumenfield, Beckley shoved over the top and the amateur had to give it up at quite a high cost (proportionally) to his stack.
Beckley makes the first inroads to McKeehan's stack, trip 6s get paid off after McKeehan can't make the correct read on the river bet.
McKeehan raises, the other two fold. McKeehan raises, the other two fold. Repeat ad infintum. Blumenfield down to 12BB
Big hand - Beckley raises with A7, McKeehan 3-bets to 5m with Queens. Bad timing for Blumenfield as he goes for it with pocket 2s and of course McKeehen calls. A flop is an relevant 7-4-10 two hearts but both players have a heart. Turn is a second four, changes nothing. Blumenfield needs a black 2, but finds the King of spades and his run is over. We are heads up between two players who live about an hour apart and are both regulars at Parx in Pennsylvania.
The 61-year old Blumenfield wins $3.3m dollars
Heads up play begins (as they bring out the $7.7m million first prize in cash) with McKeehan on 155m (81%) and Beckley on 37m (19%)
McKeehan is still getting hands left right and centre. AK on the first hands heads up, and the flop contains both an Ace and a King.
Nice words regarding Devilfish from both Norman and Antonio
Bet from McKeehen with 7-5, 3-bet from Beckley with K-4, 4-bet from McKeehen, to 10m. Beckley cannot continue and more chips flow to McKeehen.
Again McKeehen runs good, his J8 suited goes in behind of Beckley's Q7 with the board coming JJ6. McKeehan checks, Beckley bets into him and McKeehan flat calls. Turn is a 3, Beckley now drawing dead. McKeehan checks for the second time, Beckley fires a second bullet of 3.5m and McKeehen calls to let Beckley hang himself further. 9c is a third club on the river, and of course McKeehen checks again. Beckley goes for another 4.7 and there is a snap call. Beckley down to 20m or so, a 8.5:1 chip lead.
McKeehen raises with QJ, Beckley shoves with KQ and McKeehan's instinct is good again and he folds.
McKeehen picks up AK for what seems the millionth time, this time merely (!) hitting the King on the flop, and a single bet takes it down.
12th hands of heads-up, All in from Beckley with 4s, McKeehan snap calls with A-10. Beckley 53% favourite, but not for long as there is a 10 on the flop. Beckley down to 2 outs and a 10-1 underdog. Turn (5d) makes it a 19-1 underdog. River........ Jack of clubs and McKeehan completes the job. Never headed once at the FT. In fact, his FT low point (at the very start) was higher than any other player's high point in chips.
The 8th consecutive year that the WSOP ME has been won by a 20-something.
1. Joe McKeehan $7,683,346
2. Josh Beckley $4,470,896
3. Neil Blumenfield $3,398,298
4. Max Steinberg $2,615,361
5. Zvi Stern $1,911,423
6. Thomas Cannuli $1,426,283
7. Pierre Neuville $1,203,293
8. Federico Butteroni $1,097,056
9. Patrick Chan $1,001,020
Event 1 - €2,200 Six Handed No Limit Hold'em, 197 players won by Makarios Avramidis
Event 2 - €550 The Oktoberfest No Limit 2144 players Hold'em won by Dietrich Fast
Event 3 - €3,250 Eight Handed Pot Limit Omaha 161 players won by Richard Gryko
Event 4 - €1,650 Monster Stack No Limit Hold'em 580 players won by Ryan Hefter
Event 5 - €2,200 Mixed Event 113 players won by Alex Komaromi
Event 6 - €3,250 No Limit Hold'em 256 players won by Pavlos Xanthopolous
Event 7 - €550 Pot Limit Omaha 503 players won by BARNY BOATMAN!!!!!!
Event 8 - €1,100 Turbo No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry 546 players won by Georgios Sotiropoulos
Event 9 - €10,450 No Limit Hold'em Main Event 313 players won by Kevin MacPhee
Event 10 - €25,600 High Roller No Limit Hold'em 64 players won by Jonathan Duhamel.
In addition to Barny winning his second bracelet, John Gale almost managed his third, being the defeated heads-up player in Event 2.
After these tournments, Mike Gorodinsky was confirmed as the 2015 WSOP Player of the Year.
That's it from me on this thread now, see y'all for a new WSOP 2016 thread next summer...
Special thanks to Tikay for forwarding all the media stuff from Seth and the guys at WSOP HQ.
A huge thank you to Barny, aka FCHD, our friend from Cornwall, for this thread, which has been splendid throughout.
Reporting on the WSOP, due to it's sheer size, can end up as just a wall of names & numbers, but Barny has a lovely touch, & added just the right amount of feel, balance & humour.
It became a compelling daily read, be hard to find many better WSOP Update threads anywhere on the net as good as this one.
Well done Barny, & thank you.