Final Table Reached at 2017 WSOP Main Event

The $10k WSOP Main Event attracted a total field of 7,221 players to create a prize pool worth almost $68 million, making it the third biggest in the tournament’s 48-year history. Day 7 then saw 27 competitors subsequently return to the Rio and play down to a final table of nine, all of whom are now on a two-day break before resuming their quest for the title starting July 20th.
Losers
Amongst the players falling short of a final table appearance on Day 7 was start of the day chip leader Christian Pham who bowed out in 19th, with other notables also seeing their Main Event hopes dashed for another year being Marcel “The Flying Dutchman” Luske in 23rd and Jake Bazely in 25th. All three pros received the $263,532 prize reserved for all players finishing in a 19th to 27th position.
Michael Ruane, who finished last year’s Main Event in 4th for $2.5 million, also almost made it two year’s in a row, but was ultimately eliminated as the bubble boy holding A-6 to Damian Salas’ J-J. Despite his disappointment, Ruane still earned an impressive $825,001 for his incredible performance throughout the tournament.
Winners
Heading the final table is US player Scott Blumstein on a 97,250,000 stack, followed by the UK’s John Hesp (85.7m), and France’s Benjamin Pollak. Commenting on the excitement of having made the cut, Blumstein stated:
“I feel amazing, I can’t believe its real. I have a great group of guys and we’re going to get to work to prepare for Thursday. This is one of the biggest moments of my life. And I’m super excited.”
Meanwhile, Bryan Piccioli, who finished the 2016 Main Event in 84th for $67,855, is the 4th largest stack at this year’s final table, with Dan Ott in 5th (26.475m) and Argentina’s Damian Salas in 6th (22.175m). In 8th place is another UK player, Jack Sinclair, with 20.2 million in chips, while in 7th and 9th places respectively are two former November Niners in the guise of France’s Antoine Saout, and the USA’s Ben Lamb.
Backgrounds
Ben Lamb has won more than any other player at the final table with $7,207,830 in live earnings, including winning a WSOP bracelet in 2011, the year he received the WSOP POY award. Antoine Saout is the next highest earner with $5,551,412 in career winnings, while his fellow countryman Benjamin Pollak has also managed to notch up an impressive $2,967,782 since his first live cash a decade ago.
At the other end of the scale, the UK’s John Hesp, the oldest player at the table aged 64, has a mere $2,207 to his name, although each of the players are already guaranteed a minimum of $1 million for making it through the comptition thus far. Hesp is also by far the most flamboyant dresser, and has been sporting a mutli-colored shirt and Panama-style hat at the final table. Commenting upon his eccentric wadrobe, Hesp said:
“This shirt and this jacket and two other shirts, which are back in the hotel being laundered as we speak, were loaned to me by a good friend who lives back home in Bridlington. I commented on how much I liked his shirts the last time we were here in Vegas and he offered to loan them to me for the trip this time. They so far have brought me very good luck.”
As for the table leader Scott Blumstein, who has $312,142 in live earnings, and a further $147,046 online, he says that he originally took up poker after Chris Moneymaker won the Main Event back in 2003. He’s now hoping to follow in his inspiration’s footsteps and become this year’s champion, although he will first have to navigate himself through this year’s tough final table.
Final Table:
1: Scott Blumstein (US) 97,250,000 122bb
2: John Hesp (UK) 85,700,000 107bb
3: Benjamin Pollak (Fr) 35,175,000 44bb
4: Bryan Piccioli (US) 33,800,000 42bb
5: Dan Ott (US) 26,475,000 33bb
6: Damian Salas (Arg) 22,175,000 28bb
7: Antoine Saout (Fr) 21,750,000 27bb
8: Jack Sinclair (UK) 20,200,000 25bb
9: Ben Lamb (US) 18,050,000 23bb