The sixth day of competiton of the 2012 WSOP Main Event concluded early Monday morning with 27 players still alive chasing the dream of poker immortality.
All the players who bagged chips after six days of action are guaranteed at least $294,601 on their $10,000 investment, with the champion set to walk away with $8.5 million. However, the money may be secondary to surviving the next 18 eliminations and attaining the prestige that accompanies a finish at the final table.
Marc-Andre Ladouceur is the chip leader with 15.8 million and is no stranger to finishing deep in the Main Event, as he landed in 63rd place in 2011. The Frenchman has his eye on being one of the final nine players in October and a shot at the most coveted title in poker.
It means a lot,
Ladouceur told ESPN of making the final table. I’m very happy to start the day in that position and the goal is still to win.
Currently in second place with 12.79 million in chips is 22-year-old Daniel Strelitz, who made a small fortune playing online poker while a freshman in college, which prompted him to leave school and devote his attention to poker full-time. Strelitz started Day 6 with 1.98 million in chips and began dominating other players when his pocket Kings held up versus Wilfried Haerig’s big slick. Though lacking in experience, Strelitz has a buddy who can give him a few tips on going even deeper in the tournament.
I’m good friends with Pius Heinz,
Strelitz said. We lived together last summer. We live together this summer.
Only 211 women entered this year’s Main Event, a slim 3.2 percent of the 6,598 total players. Just two remain–Gaelle Baumann and Elisabeth Hille. Baumann led the tournament following Day 2AB and now resides in 20th place with 5,530,000 in chips, almost 2 million below the chip average of 7.3 million. Hille will begin Day 7 in fifth place with 9.77 million after a successful six-bet all-in versus Jean Malherbe. Both are vying to become the second woman ever to make the Main Event final table. Vanessa Selbst was hoping to be among the woman finalists, but had to settle for 73rd place when her Q-7 flopped a pair of 7’s but lost to a straight on the river to Greg Merson, who sits in 12th place with 7,435,000.
This year’s Main Event final table will consist of players who have never been there before. Sam Holden was attempting to make the final nine in consecutive seasons, but was eliminated when his pocket 5’s failed to make a set against the pocket 8’s of his opponent.
Day 7 on Monday will reduce the field to the final nine players. Play will be halted for roughly three months until reconvening for final table action in October. Monday will begin with 60,000/120,000 blinds and a 15,000 ante. Here are the chip totals for the remaining 27 players.
- Marc Ladouceur 15,875,000
- Daniel Strelitz 12,790,000
- Robert Salaburu 10,915,000
- Russell Thomas 9,985,000
- Elisabeth Hille 9,770,000
- Yuval Bronshtein 9,735,000
- Jamie Robbins 8,750,000
- Robert Corcione 8,745,000
- Cylus Watson 8,500,000
- Jeremy Ausmus 8,300,000
- Scott Abrams 8,080,000
- Greg Merson 7,435,000
- Jesse Sylvia 7,385,000
- Jacob Balsiger 7,330,000
- Michael Esposito 7,045,000
- Percy Mahatan 6,750,000
- Jan Heitmann 6,390,000
- Danny Wong 6,360,000
- David Balkin 6,330,000
- Gaelle Baumann 5,530,000
- Roland Israelashvili 5,525,000
- Steven Gee 4,830,000
- Robert Buckenmayer 4,410,000
- Andras Koroknai 3,125,000
- Wilfried Haerig 2,665,000
- Paul Volpe 2,650,000
- Nicco Maag 1,300,000
