Here are the official chip counts for the World Series of Poker Championship Final Table, which is scheduled to start Friday at 4:00 pm:
1. Aaron Kanter - $10,700,000 (seat 6)
2. Tex Barch - $9,330,000 (seat 3)
3. Andrew Black - $8,140,000 (seat 2)
4. Mike Matusow - $7,410,000 (seat 5)
5. Steve Dannenmann - $5,460,000 (seat 8)
6. Joseph Hachem - $5,420,000 (seat 1)
7. Daniel Bergsdorf - $5,270,000 (seat 4)
8. Scott Lazar - $3,370,000 (seat 9)
9. Brad Kondracki - $1,180,000 (seat 7)
All nine players are guaranteed at least one million dollars, with the last man standing winning a record $7.5 million.
Fri Jul 15 03:09:00 -0700 2005
Schedule Change: Final Table Will Start at 4:00 pm
Assistant Tournament Director Jack Effel announces that the final table will not start at the originally scheduled time, but will be delayed two hours due to the late finish, starting at 4:00 pm.
Fri Jul 15 03:07:00 -0700 2005
Tomorrow's final table of nine players is set, and all nine of them are guaranteed to win at least a million dollars. We will get their official chip counts as quickly as possible.
Fri Jul 15 03:06:00 -0700 2005
Ayhan Alsancak Eliminated in 10th Place ($600,000)
Hand 53 - Ayhan Alsancak has the button in seat 4, Kanter raises to $400,000 from under the gun, and Alsancak calls. The flop comes 7h-3h-3c, Kanter bets $600,000, and Alsancak thinks a bit before raising all in. Kanter calls immediately. Alsancak shows pocket queens (Qh-Qc), while Kanter has Ah-10h (overcard, flush draw). Alsancak is in the lead, and Kanter needs to catch an ace, a heart, running threes, or running tens to win. The turn card is the 10s, and Kanter will win with a ten, an ace, or a heart (13 outs).
The river card is the 8h, and the crowd explodes into a cheer because the night is over. Ayhan Alsancak is eliminated in tenth place, earning $600,000.
[For the record, Matusow's big blind was raised, and he looked at his cards, and he folded. But somebody had called ahead of him, so perhaps that gives him an escape clause from his promise of reraising from his blind when raised.]
Fri Jul 15 03:00:00 -0700 2005
Hand 52 - Tex Barch has the button in seat 3, Matusow raises to $260,000, winning the blinds and antes. He then says, "I'm gonna bust somebody at $200,000 a pop!" And then, "If anybody raises my blind, I'm reraising. I'm not even gonna look."
Fri Jul 15 02:59:00 -0700 2005
Hand 51 - Andrew Black has the button in seat 2, Matusow raises to $260,000, winning the blinds and antes. He then says, "Every hand until you tight asses loosen up." He says something else, and then Andrew Black looks like he's going to call the Floor on him. Just as the crowd starts "Oohing," he starts laughing, showing that he's joking.
Fri Jul 15 02:56:00 -0700 2005
Hand 50 - Joseph Hachem has the button in seat 1, Bergsdorf raises to $350,000, and Kanter calls. The flop comes Ks-10h-2h, Bergsdorf checks, Kanter bets $500,000, and Bergsdorf folds. Kanter takes the pot.
Matusow said that Bergsdorf beat him to the preflop raise.
Fri Jul 15 02:55:00 -0700 2005
Hand 49 - Scott Lazar has the button in seat 10, Matusow raises to $240,000, and Black tosses his chips out on the table to call. The flop comes 9s-9h-8c, Black checks, Matusow bets $400,000, and Black folds. Matusow shows a single card as he collects the pot -- an eight.
"I think I'm gonna raise every hand until someone goes broke. Somebody's gotta bust, so I might as well bust them." He continues saying some funny things, but it's hard to keep up.
He caps it with "I'm gonna start raising every hand from now on. This is just bullsh**!" ... "There are too many tired people in the audience."
Fri Jul 15 02:51:00 -0700 2005
Hand 48 - Steve Dannenmann has the button in seat 9, Alsancak raises to $320,000, and Hachem calls. The flop comes 8s-7d-3c, and both players check. The turn card is the 9d, Hachem bets $500,000, and Alsancak folds. Hachem takes the pot.
Fri Jul 15 02:49:00 -0700 2005
Hand 47 - Brad Kondracki has the button in seat 8, Matusow raises to $260,000, and Lazar calls. The flop comes Qh-8h-8d, Lazar checks, Matusow bets $350,000, and Lazar calls. The turn card is the 7c, and both players check. The river card is the Ah, Lazar checks, Matusow bets $600,000, and Lazar calls. Lazar shows A-8 (two pair) to win the pot.
