Three Remain in the WSOP Main Event: Pius Heinz Leads the Way
6,865 players entered the biggest tournament of the year back in July, and now just Pius Heinz, Ben Lamb, and Martin Staszko still have the opportunity to become the 2011 WSOP Main Event Champion. Find out what happened at the final table.
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| Pius Heinz Photo Courtesy of PokerNews |
The Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas was packed with fans all day on Sunday. All of them wanted to be there to watch 9 individuals play on the largest stage in the poker world- the WSOP Main Event final table.
German Pius Heinz had 107,800,000 chips for the lead at the end of the day, but on Tuesday he'll have to deal with two formidable opponents in Ben Lamb and Martin Staszko. Lamb has 55,400,000 chips, and Staszko has 42,700,000. All three will be unsatisfied with anything less than the $8,715,638 first-place prize, the WSOP bracelet, and the title of World Champion. Blinds are 600,000/1,200,000 with a 200,000 ante.
Milestone Moments
Here are a few of the most memorable highlights from the 10.5 hours of play that took place on Sunday:
• Anton Makiievskyi's Bustout Hand - After a slow start to the day and Sam Holden busting in a standard hand, Anton Makiievskyi moved all-in from the small blind with 
. Pius Heinz called from the big blind with 
. The board ran 
, giving Heinz just 2 outs to catch up, and the turn 
was one of those outs. Makiievskyi left the tournament very upset- the cards made a coinflip feel like a punch in the stomach.
• Collins and Lamb Double Up - The middle section of the day was largely defined by Phil Collins' 
beating Ben Lamb's 
by rivering a diamond flush, and Lamb bouncing back by doubling through Eoghan O'Dea before the dinner break. Lamb was the victim of a bad beat in the hand vs. Collins, but was the beneficiary of one vs. O'Dea: Lamb's 
managed to river a pair vs. O'Dea's . This left O'Dea crippled, and he busted a few hands later.
• Matt Giannetti's Nightmares will Feature Ben Lamb - After Phil Collins busted to Pius Heinz in a standard situation, the highlight of the action was probably Matt Giannetti getting his chips in against Ben Lamb in unavoidable spots and losing to him. Twice. First, with 
to Lamb's 
- Lamb made a flush. Second, Giannetti shoved his short stack with 
and Lamb woke up with 
in the big blind. Lamb flopped quads to knock Giannetti out.
It should also be noted that Pius Heinz basically dominated the table, although that took place over the entire day rather than at a specific moment.
Play will resume on Tuesday in Las Vegas at 18:00 local time, which is 03:00 CET on Wednesday in Europe.
LIVE TICKER - WSOP 2011 November Nine
2011 WSOP Main Event Day 9
Final Table, Day 1 |
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| Place | Name | Chips/Prize | ||
| 1st | Pius Heinz | 107,800,000 | ||
| 2nd | Ben Lamb | 55,400,000 | ||
| 3rd | Martin Staszko | 42,700,000 | ||
| ... | ||||
| 4th | Matt Giannetti | $3,012,700 | ||
| 5th | Phil Collins | $2,269,599 | ||
| 6th | Eoghan O'Dea | $1,720,831 | ||
| 7th | Bob Bounahra | $1,314,097 | ||
| 8th | Anton Makiievskyi | $1,010,015 | ||
| 9th | Sam Holden | $782,115 | ||
| Blinds: 600,000/1,200,000/200,000 | Players: 3 (6,865) | Prize pool: $64,531,000 |
||||
Check out some pictures from the Main Event final table:
Fans packed the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio Casino to watch the final table.
Sam Holden was the unfortunate first player to bust, but at least he got to talk to Kara Scott.
Anton Makiievskyi's bustout hand was an emotional rollercoaster for the young player.
Bob Bounahra was gracious and kept his spirits upon busting.
Eoghan O'Dea was visibly disappointed as he left the mainstage chipless.
Phil Collins took his beat fairly well, perhaps because he had already been the beneficiary of a suckout earlier.
The chart of chip progression
Matt Giannetti could hardly believe his bad luck.
Martin Staszko will return on Tuesday with the shortest stack, 42,700,000 chips.
2011 WSOP Player of the Year Ben Lamb sits in 2nd place with 55,400,000 chips.
Pius Heinz was dominant at the final table and will enter 3-handed play with a massive 107,800,000 chips.
The champion's bracelet awaits one of the three remaining players.
Photographs Courtesy of PokerNews
by Matt Kaufman
