As expected, the Day Four action at the 2012 World Series of Poker would prove to be a day of celebration…at least for most of the 720 players who returned to the felt on Friday to contest for the title.
With the payouts starting at 666 players, 54 souls would go home empty handed and with only the memories of having gotten close to having a WSOP Championship Event cash on their poker resume. At the start of play on Friday, Dave D’Alesandro was atop the leaderboard with his 1.1 million in chips, with three other men – Sean Rice, Jacob Balsiger and Leo Wolpert – joining him in the million chip club.
The floor staff for the WSOP bustled around the Amazon Room at the Rio as the players began leaving almost as quickly as they had arrived on Friday. Within two hours of the start of play yesterday, the bubble had been reached. Everyone settled in for what was thought was going to be a long grind, but the money bubble popped very quickly and in spectacular fashion.
On the first deal of hand-for-hand play, four players were eliminated from the Championship Event. Steve Rosen shoved with pocket Kings but ran into pocket Aces; Roberto Riva’s pocket fives were crushed by his opponent’s pocket Kings; Dane Lomas suffered the cruelest indignity in having his pocket Aces cracked by an opponent’s A-K on a K-K-7 flop; and David Kelley saw his pocket Queens bested by Christina Lindley’s pocket Aces.
After all the commotion died down from the quadruple popping of the bubble, tournament director Jack Effel brought the four men to the Main Stage of the Amazon Room. As they regretted their unfortunate luck, Effel informed them that they would split the 666th place money ($19,227, or just over $4800 each) and would be participants in a special four handed Sit and Go (time TBA). The winner of that SNG will be further rewarded with a seat to next year’s Championship Event.
Following the ceremonies for the official popping of the money bubble, the floodgates opened and players started cashing out from the $62 million prize pool. In his first tournament, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo would make the minimum money for his efforts and he was joined by a host of popular pros. Jason Mercier, Marvin Rettenmaier, Liv Boeree, J. C. Tran, Tuan Le, Brock Parker and Ronnie Bardah were just a few of those who could at least show a profit from their $10,000 buy in.
While the payout desk was busy, those at the top of the leaderboard began to position themselves for a run to today’s Day Five action. Attempting to make back to back Championship Event final tables, Sam Holden made a move in the late afternoon, while Vanessa Selbst (who has had an outstanding 2012 WSOP) kept her name among the upper echelons of the table. As the tournament worked into the evening hours, other players would stake their claims to moving on to Day Five in excellent shape.
Paul Volpe has been hovering around the top of the 2012 WSOP Championship Event leaderboard seemingly since the start of the event and Day Four would be his “moving day.” After starting Friday’s play with 820K in chips (good for the tenth place slot), Volpe would more than double that stack by the early evening hours. He would ride that chip stack through the night’s play and will head to today’s Day Five action as the overall chip leader in the tournament.
1. Paul Volpe, 2.725 million
2. Erik Hellman, 2.216 million
3. Dave D’Alesandro, 2.093 million (Day Three chip leader)
4. Kyle Bowker, 2.081 million
5. Eric Buchman, 2.076 million
6. Elisabeth Hille, 2.074 million
7. Andras Koroknai, 1.971 million
8. Amit Zulkowitz, 1.961 million
9. Eric Legoff, 1.947 million
10. Nicco Maag, 1.899 million
While Volpe, Hellman and D’Alesandro have been fixtures at the top of the leaderboard, it is the fifth place player who might bear watching. A 2010 WSOP bracelet winner, many may forget that Buchman was a member of the 2009 “November Nine,” battling to finish fourth that year in the tournament won by Joe Cada. With the experience of having gone through the rigors of a deep drive in the Championship Event previously, Buchman will have plenty of game to bring to the felt on Saturday.
There are a host of players hovering under the Top Ten that could also have an impact on today’s action. Wolpert isn’t in the Top Ten anymore, but he’s poised to strike in eleventh place with his 1.835 million in chips. Add in Selbst (15th, 1.678 million), Erik Cajelais (16th, 1.6 million), Day 1C chip leader Randy Haddox (18th, 1.542 million), 2012 WSOP bracelet winner Timothy Adams (22nd, 1.475 million), former “November Niner” Joseph Cheong (23rd, 1.441 million), Day Two chip leader Gaelle Baumann (24th, 1.438 million), David “ODB” Baker (27th, 1.381 million), Tristan Clemencon (34th, 1.332 million), Andy Lichtenberger (45th, 1.150 million) and Nghi Van Tran (48th, 1.141 million) and it is easy to see that there’s still a lot of poker to be played before any great celebrations can begin.
282 players will be coming back to the Amazon Room today at noon and will play through five more two hour levels before calling it a night. It is thought that the field may be worked down to double digits through today’s Day Five, something that would be suggested for all involved. Sunday’s Day Six will play another five levels before Monday’s Day Seven wraps up this year’s WSOP (at least for the moment) by playing down to the final nine contenders for the 2012 World Series of Poker Championship Event’s final table that will play in late October.