2018 WSOP Main Event: Miles, Cynn and Dyer Remain

On the penultimate day of this year’s WSOP Main Event, six players from an original starting field of 7,874 returned to the action, and by the end of seven hours of play just Tony Miles (photo), John Cynn and Michael Dyer remained. The players are now on an overnight break, and are expected to resume their final push at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, when play will continue until an ultimate champion has been crowned.

Aram Zobian Out with Dominated Hand

Aram Zobian started Day 9 on just 16.7m (17bbs), making him the shortest stack at the final table. The 23 year-old Rhode Island native then managed to tread water until being dealt 8d-6d on the small blind and shoving preflop after everyone else had folded to him. Chip leader Michael Dyer, who at this stage was sitting on a massive 163.8m stack, made the 17.35m call from the big blind, and flipped over Ah-8c, meaning Zobian needed help with his dominated hand.

It was not to be, though, and after the dealer laid out a Qd-Kc-2h-7h-10h board, Zobian bowed out in 6th place. The $1.8 million he received for his deep run now constitutes all but $110,444 of his career winnings since first cashing back in 2016.

Joe Cada Loses Race

The 2009 WSOP Main Event champion Joe Cada dominated the headlines at this year’s final table, with the 30 year-old looking to join a small elite group of players to capture more than one Main Event title. Cada had his work cut out for him, however, as he started Day 9 as the second shortest stack at the table with 29.2m (29bbs) in chips.

Cada then managed to build a 47.8m stack by the time he looked down to see a pair of tens in front of him, after which he raised to 2.2m from under the gun. Tony Miles, on the button, bumped up the bet to 6.9 million, at which point Cada moved all-in for his entire stack. Miles made the call holding A-K, in the process creating a huge pot of 85m, and the players were off the the races.

A loud cheer came from Miles’ rail after a K-8-9 flop fell, and while a Q on the turn gave Cada straight possibilities, a 9 on the river put paid to the Michigan man’s incredible run, and sent him crashing out in 5th place for $2.15 million.

“I didn’t think that he would be shoving that wide,” explained Miles after the hand. “I thought that he would be flatting a lot of stronger hands just because of some things that I was taking into consideration. We are playing for a lot of money and there’s a lot of pressure, so I just wanted to take my time and get the decision right.”

Cada now boasts a total of $12,929,041 in career earnings, $10.7 million of which has come from his two remarkable WSOP Main Event cashes.

Nicolas Manion Defeated by Cowboys

Nicolas Manion, another Michigan resident, started the final table as the chip leader following a dramatic all-in three-way pot in which his pocket rockets defeated the pocket kings of his two opponents. On Day 9, Manion then started off in second position at the table on a 72.2m (72bbs) stack, but near the end of the day had been reduced to just 24m chips when the deciding hand occurred.

John Cynn raised to 3.8m from the button, leading to an all-in shove from Manion. Cynn instantly called, and once more Manion found himself confronting pocket kings, except this time his holding was a more limited A-10. The board subsequently fell 6-Q-3-2-6 to bounce Manion from the final table, albeit with a $2.825 million payday to ease his pain.

Manion had just three tournament cashes worth $16,739 going into the final table, preferring to play $1/$2 cash games back in the Wolverine State, instead. Manion, 35, will now be remembered as the player who took out two sets of pocket kings with his aces, before one of the cowboys came back to even the score.

Final Three Players

Tony Miles: 238,900,000 (149bbs)
John Cynn: 128,700,000 (80bbs)
Michael Dyer: 26,200,000 (16bbs)

Tony Miles and Michael Dyer had had just $54,333 and $95,020 in tournament winning going into the final table. Meanwhile, John Cynn, currently has $944,786 to his name, of which $650,000 comes via his 11th place finish at the 2016 Main Event.

Nevertheless, all players are guaranteed at least $3,750,000 for making it thus far, with a second place finish worth $5,000,000, and an $8,800,000 prize, and poker glory, awaiting the 2018 WSOP Main Event champion.