The agents were running around frantically, desperately competing with each other in an attempt to 'patch up' a future November Niner. We were down to the last few tables, and each and every one of the remaining players could smell success just inches away. This was their opportunity for stardom, riches, and the most exciting few months of their lives, and nobody wanted to blow it.
Redmond Lee had taken the live route, building up his bankroll in the cash games before chopping up a satellite. He plays on a handful of sites, including Sky Poker, but for the last few days he'd been bearing the colours of PokerStars. In all, he seemed unfazed by the possibilities that lay ahead, taking everything in his stride as his girlfriend watched anxiously from the rail. But, in truth, this could be a day that potentially set aside the millionaires from the 'almosts'. As 80 gathered in one corner of the Amazon Room for the penultimate day of the summer, tensions were riding high and every decision would be a stressful one. On Day 7, a lot was at stake.
In the dying seconds of Day 6, Redmond had snuck his way up to 2,200,000 almost inexplicably, evading the gaze of the bloggers and somehow increasing his stack two-fold at precisely the right moment. When I caught up with him near the start of the day, he revealed the gory details with an elated smile: "This guy limped," he regaled with a raised eyebrow, "so I decided to limp as well from the button with A-3 of diamonds. The small blind called and big blind checked. The flop was 6-4-2 with two diamonds and the big blind led out for 100,000. The limper raised to 300,000 and I pushed all in. The big blind folded, but the limper called with 6-4 for two pair. I hit my hand and doubled through."
Today, Redmond had opted to keep his hands clean, avoid the big pots like the plague and just look for spots in which to take a pot down uncontested. At one point, he did drop down to 1,700,000, calling a raise of 125,000 in the small blind, checking down a 3d-9h-8s-Qc board before calling a bet of 350,000 from William Thorson who had come along for the ride in the big blind. Thorson showed 7h-5c, which was more than enough to take the pot.
However, the following level, Redmond finally found himself in one of those unavoidable all-in showdowns, his Qh-Qd coming up against the Ah-Kc of Gabe Costner after Costner had opened to 140,000 from under the gun, and Redmond moved all in for 1,950,000. With his tournament life hanging by a thread, Redmond managed to survive a 5h-6s-2d-9c-2h board to double up to just over four million in chips, which once again prevented him from being sucked into the danger zone.
For the next couple of levels, Redmond treaded water. Whilst the other tables were seeing more action than a Die Hard boxset, Redmond was just doing his utmost to keep his head above water, and for the most part was able to maintain a stack of around the 3,500,000 mark. He did experience one all-in, but it was a split pot, his As-Ks finding its way in against the Ah-Kh of Jakob Toestesen on a Kc-9h-7s flop. Neither player were able to make use of their respective backdoor flush draws so the pot was chopped up.
As midnight approached, the fall of Bryn Kenney brought play to a halt, and Redmond had made it into the final 27 of the 2010 WSOP Main Event, by no means comfortable in 20th place with 3,315,000, yet still in with a shot. Not everyone survived the day. Ireland's last man standing, James Fennell, finished in 48th for a highly admirable $168,556. Although he will undoubtedly be disappointed to have come so close, he can at least say he got it in ahead, his 8c-8d cruelly outdrawn by the 9s-7d of Theo Jorgensen on an ensuing 4s-7s-9h-As-Tc board.
Speaking of the Dane, Jorgensen was once chip leader, and one of the favourites to return to Vegas in November, but his sudden plight was perhaps a reflection of the unrelenting action that took place in the Amazon Room, players refusing to sit back and playing with a fearless attitude that has made the modern generation of players such a daunting prospect. Although it was John Racener who picked up the pieces with Ad-Qc improving against Ah-Kd all in on the flop of a 4c-6c-Ac-Qh-9h board, it was actually Cuong Nguyen who inflicted the most damage.
In what many will consider the pot of the tournament thus far, Brandon Steve raised to 225,000 from late position and received two callers in Jorgensen and Nguyen in the small and big blind. On the Kc-5h-9c flop, the action was checked around to Steve who led for 525,000. Jorgensen called, only for Nguyen to raise to 1,500,000. After Steve had folded, Jorgensen three-bet to 4,000,000, Nguyen pushed for 7,620,000 and Jorgensen made the call. On their backs, and Nguyen had his nose in front with Kh-Jc versus Ac-3c, and stayed in front on a Td turn and 3d river to win an epic pot worth 19,520,000, the biggest of the tournament. It was this hand that would ultimately lead to Jorgensen's demise, and allow Nguyen to finish the day second in chips 23,100,000.
Heading into the final day, it's Joseph Cheong who holds the chips lead with 24,490,000. Scott Clements is still there with 7,250,000, as is Michael Mizrachi on 6,300,000. Looking further down the list, William Thorson relenquished the chip lead to slip to 3,680,000, whilst Johnny Lodden is down to his last breaths with 1,560,000. But, as today's back and forth battle proved, anything can happen, and whilst Hasan Habib is the current short stack with 1,510,000, it's not implausible that he'll be chip leader by the end of the opening level. It's been one of those tournament, but for 18 players at least, the fun and frolics is about to come to an end.
Redmond Lee -- 3,315,000
48th James Fennell -- $168,556
111th JP Kelly -- $57,102
123rd Justin Tazelaar -- $57,102
147th Javed Abrahams -- $57,120
180th Jamie Brown -- $48,847
232nd Richard Ellis -- $48,847
239th Mark Teltscher -- $48,847
240th Praz Bansi -- $48,847
241st Neil McFayden -- $48,847
256th Jan Boye -- $41,967
267th Padraig Parkinson -- $41,967
281st John Kabbaj -- $41,967
285th Tomas MacNamara -- $41,967
332nd Susan Nordsen -- $36,463
370th Ben Blackmore -- $36,463
389th Mark Dalimore -- $31,647
422nd Richard Sinclair -- $31,647
501st Rory Rees Brennan -- $27,519
536th Roy Vandersluis -- $24,079
542nd Matthew Ireland -- $24,079
556th Darren Woods -- $24.079
572nd Simon Taylor -- $24,079
582nd George McKeever -- $24,079
591st Chris Bjorin -- $24,079
652nd Gregory Howard -- $21,327
656th Dan Carter -- $21,327
672nd Mel Judah -- $21,327
743rd Priyan de Mel -- $19,263
Previous WSOP Reports:
Employee of the Month
Fairytale Endings
Must Be Nice
Make Mine a Double
Blonde on Blonde
Summer of Sam
Chuft to Bits
Under the Radar
Taking Notice
BBP Braced for WSOP Main Event
WSOP Main Event - Day 1A
WSOP Main Event - Day 1B
WSOP Main Event - Day 1C
WSOP Main Event - Day 1D
WSOP Main Event - Day 2A
WSOP Main Event - Day 2B
WSOP Main Event - Day 3
WSOP Main Event - Day 4
WSOP Main Event - Day 5
WSOP Main Event - Day 6
Vegas Blog:
May 23: My Old School Teacher
May 31: Welcome to America; Let the Institutionalising Begin
June 1: Pleasure & Pain
June 5: 100% British Beef
June 9: Alphabetti Spaghetti & Giant Meatballs
June 13: Colour Me Up
June 14: The Crying Game
June 20: Last Gasps
June 25: Dancing With the Devil
June 30: The End of a Streak
July 6: Tournament of Famous People
July 10: Running on Empty
July 15: An Excuse to Party
July 16: For for Thought
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