2017 World Series of Poker Main Event: Scott Blumstein Runaway Leader With Three Remaining

Card Player’s 2017 WSOP coverage is sponsored by BetOnline Poker.

Only two more eliminations are needed before the 2017 World Series of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event champion is decided. From a field of 7,221 entries, there are now only three players remaining with a shot at the championship bracelet and the first-place prize of $8,150,000.

The runaway chip leader is Scott Blumstein with 226,450,000, or just under two-thirds of the chips in play. The 25-year-old poker pro from New Jersey came into the final table as the chip leader and has now ended each of the first two nights of play on top of the leaderboard. By the end of play on Saturday, July 21 there will be no more chip leader, only a champion.

Joining Blumstein in the final three are Pennsylvania-based Daniel Ott and France’s Benjamin Pollak. Ott, a 25-year-old poker pro, will return for the final day of the main event in second chip position with 88,375,000. Pollak, a 34-year-old poker pro, rounds out the field with 45,850,000.

Blumstein entered the second day of the final table with roughly half of the chips in play, and although he increased his stack by nearly 50 million, he only scored one knockout from the four eliminations that took place.

The first player to hit the rail was 42-year-old Damian Salas, the first player ever from Argentina to make the main event final table. Daniel Ott raised and Salas called from the big blind. The flop brought the A32 and Salas checked. Ott moved all-in and Salas called instantly with the A10 for top pair. Ott held the 44 and was drawing to a straight or a set. The turn brought the 6 and the river the 5 to give Ott the straight and send Salas to the rail in seventh place, earning $1,425,000.

Ott also scored the second knockout of the night. Action folded to Bryan Piccioli in the small blind and he moved all-in for less than ten big blinds. Ott snap-called with the KK. The board improved neither player and the 28-year-old poker pro was awarded $1,675,000 for his deep run.

Blumstein was still well out in the lead at that point, and he only cemented his advantage further when he scored the next knockout. Blumstein raised to 4.2 million from the button and 2009 WSOP main event third place finisher Antoine Saout called from the small blind.

The J76 hit the flop and Saout checked. Blumstein checked behind and the 4 hit the turn.

Saout check-called a 5.6 million bet from Saout and the J completed the board. Saout checked yet again and Blumstein moved all in. Saout, who sat with 26.1 million, thought it over for a while before electing to call for his tournament life with the KJ for trip jacks, only to have Blumstein show him the 53 for a turned straight.

With that Blumstein surpassed the 200,000,000 mark while Saout was sent to the rail in fifth place with $2,000,000 for his second main event final-table finish.

Play ended for the night following the elimination of fan-favorite John Hesp. The 64-year-old father of four and grandfather to seven held the chip lead at one point during the first day of the final table, but his top two pair ran into the top set of Blumstein to see him fall to one of the short stacks.

Hesp was able to find a double up when his AA held up against Pollak’s AK, but after that ray of hope he was never able to build any momentum and he soon found himself as the shortest stack.

His stack was ground down to just under 12 million by the time his final hand arose. It folded to Hesp and he moved all-in from the cutoff and Benjamin Pollak moved all-in from the small blind. Nobody else called and Hesp revealed the 97. Pollak was ahead with the AJ and remained in the lead after a K10644 runout. With that Hesp was sent to the rail in fourth place, earning $2,600,000 for his incredible run in the biggest poker tournament in the world.

With Hesp’s elimination the remaining players guaranteed themselves paydays of at least $3,500,000. The final three will return to the Rio at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday with an hour and a half remaining in Level 41 and blinds of 1,000,000-2,000,000 with an ante of 300,000.

Here is a look at the chip counts for the final three:

Here are the results from the final table so far:

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2017 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

If you can’t make it down to the WSOP at the Rio, you can still play with BetOnline Poker. Click the banner below for more information. Card Player readers are eligible for an initial deposit bonus offer of 100 percent up to $2,500. Enter code ‘NEWBOL’

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