Top Ten WSOP Main Event Moments This Year: Part 2

We return with the second part of our countdown of the most memorable stories from the 2012 WSOP main event.

If you want to see numbers 10-6 in our countdown, check them out here.

5. Greg Merson snatches the POY lead

One story that can only get bigger this year is that of October Niner Greg Merson taking the lead from Phil Ivey in the player of the year race. He may not be a household name yet, but he has already won $1.1 million by taking down the $10,000 six max championship, and if he managed to pull off the double in the main event, he will become one of the greats of the game almost overnight.

Greg Merson

4. Pepper spray guy

We can laugh about it now because no real harm was done, but nobody was laughing at the time. Deep in the main event, a player was innocently playing around with a pen he found in the Rio parking lot when he, and the rest of his table, discovered it was actually a disguised pepper spray gun, when it went off. 

All of a sudden his table dispersed with people coughing and rubbing their eyes, and officials thought it could have been a terrorist attack. Thankfully nobody was hurt, and the action resumed soon enough.

3. God beats the Poker Gods

One of the most unlikely stories of the main event was that of Jarrett Nash, who was deep with a decent stack at the end of day 4, but chose not to play on day 5 for religious reasons. He was already well into the money, and only 274 places away from making the final table.

Nash is a non-denominational Christian, whose religion requires him to rest between sundown on Friday and Saturday. He eventually busted in 171st for $45.000 on day 5.

2. THAT ruling

Controversial hand rulings don't usually hang around for long in the public's memory after the event, but one left a lasting impression this year. Andras Koroknai mucked his hand after going all-in for his tournament life, not noticing there was a raise in front of him from Gaelle Baumann, who later said she had kings. Rather than being committed to the all-in, it was ruled he would just forfeit the initial 60,000 Baumann had raised.

The ruling itself may not have been the worst in history, but it is the impact of it later down the line that will be remembered. Koroknai actually went on to bust Baumann on the final table bubble. The poker community was hoping we would have a woman at the final table this year, and as a direct result of this ruling, we didn't.

Elisabeth Hille and Gaelle Baumann

1. Gaelle Baumann and Elisabeth Hill bubble the final table

Perhaps the most notable thing about the main event so far was the fact that a woman didn't make it to the final table. That is because this year there were two very bright hopes that at least one, possibly two, could. Galle Baumann of France and Elisabeth Hille of Norway both put on two very strong performances this year, but sadly they finished in 10th and 11th place respectively.

It will still go down as a tremendously good year for women in poker, and both ladies can be proud of their results. But, so far, the 2012 final table will be remembered for what it could have been.

By Barry Carter