The televised final table has been set for the 2016 World Poker Tour (WPT) Choctaw Main Event as the field was narrowed from 40 to just six on Monday. Bastian Fischer leads the sextet with 8.780 million chips.
It looks to be a good battle on Tuesday, with three players holding healthy chip stacks. After Fischer is Craig Varnell with 7.495 million chips and then James Mackey with 6.315 million. After those three, there is a gap before the bottom half of the final table: Jack Duong has 3.750 million chips, Benjamin Zamani has 3.300 million, and Matthew Smith has 2.330 million. Those three men certainly have a shot, but with blinds at 60,000/120,000 with a 20,000 ante, they will have to make some moves in a hurry. Even the chip leaders don’t have a ton of room to maneuver.
Smith, the shortest stack, came close to not even making the televised final table (if the fact that he is the short stack wasn’t evidence enough). Fewer than 20 hands before Olivier Busquet was eliminated in seventh place, Smith was all-in for his tournament life. He had moved all-in with pocket Tens for 1.710 million chips and was called by Zamani, who had A-K. The race was on. Fortunately for him, Smith flopped a set and turned a full house to double-up and eventually advance to the final day of action.
The overall chip leader, Bastian Fischer, has amassed more than half a million dollars in live tournament earnings, not counting the minimum $134,720 he is now guaranteed for making it this far at WPT Choctaw. He has never won a major live tournament, but he has had success in them, cashing at the World Series of Poker 15 times, including four times this summer. His tournament resume, as listed at TheHendonMob.com, is actually quite interesting. Fischer has been fairly prolific in live tournaments, but none of his cashes hit six figures. Thus, he has a long list of smaller cashes that have added up to half a million bucks.
Fischer’s biggest cash is $71,310, earned for finishing fourth in the 2015 Wynn Summer Classic Championship Event.
As mentioned earlier, Busquet, arguably the biggest name remaining after Day 2, was knocked out on the television final table bubble. He had moved all-in pre-flop with Jacks and was called by Craig Varnell. While Busquet did river a set, that river Ten was a diamond, putting four diamonds on the board and giving Varnell the unlikely flush.
Also eliminated Monday was Randi Lister. Lister was the chip leader entering the day and was making a bid to become the first woman to win an open World Poker Tour Main Event. She finished in 19th place.
The final table will begin at 4:00pm Central as the six remaining players fight for the $681,758 first prize.
2016 World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event – Final Table Chip Counts
1. Bastian Fischer – 8,780,000
2. Craig Varnell – 7,495,000
3. James Mackey – 6,315,000
4. Jack Duong – 3,750,000
5. Benjamin Zamani – 3,300,000
6. Matthew Smith – 2,330,000
