The penultimate day of the 2024 World Collection of Poker has come and concluded on the Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. Whereas a number of gold bracelet occasions occurred, many of the consideration was on undoubtedly the record-breaking 2024 WSOP Primary Occasion. Out of a area of 10,112 distinctive entries, solely 9 gamers from six completely different international locations took their seat within the mothership, every of them supported by a boisterous rail.
When the mud had settled, solely three of them remained. The 2 large stacks heading into the day, Jordan Griff and Niklas Astedt, retained their prime spot whereas Jonathan Tamayo went from seventh in chips to just about even atop the leaderboard. One yr in the past, it took 164 fingers to whittle the ultimate 9 contenders to a winner. That is nonetheless attainable in tomorrow’s grand finale, albeit not possible as 161 fingers have already been accomplished to succeed in the ultimate three within the record-breaking contest.
Astedt did the lion’s share all through the day and notched up 4 eliminations en path to a stack of 223,000,000 whereas Tamayo (197,000,000) and Griff (187,000,000) each dispatched one opponent every. Solely eight large blinds separate them, although, most onlookers will give the position of favorite to Swedish on-line poker legend Astedt, who is thought for his moniker of “Lena900”. Tamayo’s rail included 2015 WSOP Primary Occasion champion Joe McKeehen and four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche.
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The Ultimate Three within the 2024 WSOP Primary Occasion
“I believe I performed effectively, yeah. I haven’t got too many regrets. I have never seen the fingers, all of them, however I believe I performed effectively. It is a large stage to remain composed, to attempt to make the perfect resolution seems simple but when I get most of them proper I’m completely happy,” chip chief Astedt instructed PokerGO within the interview after the conclusion of Day 9 and jokingly referred to this occasion as a “soccer sport” and “nothing like taking part in on-line”.
For the Swede, it was simply one other day on the workplace on the grandest stage attainable. “I imply, now it is solely three guys left and all the cash’s up prime, so it is fairly easy,” Astedt talked about and added that his preparation for the conclusion will not be any particular. “Similar ordinary. Not a lot. Attempt to sleep so long as attainable. Eat a banana. Come over right here.”
Whereas he earned a number of double-ups and gained sizeable pots as soon as he was propelled to a much bigger stack, one of many defining moments of Tamayo’s remaining desk was the double by way of Astedt with broadway towards a set.
“It made me wish to leap on prime of the wall, however I do know I am not athletic sufficient.”
Upon reaching the ultimate three, Tamayo says he is discovering it onerous to imagine it is actual life.
“Most individuals by no means make it,” he instructed PokerNews. “Most individuals by no means make it to the highest hundred. And certain as heck nearly no person makes it to the ultimate three. You simply need to play and wherever you find yourself, you find yourself. And it’s what it’s.”
And does Tamayo suppose he has a combating likelihood three-handed tomorrow?
“I’ve chips, so I do have a combating likelihood.”
Griff’s rail was stuffed with family and friends, all supporting the start-of-day chip chief.
“It is wonderful. It is the best factor ever for me. WE are all simply collectively. These are people who find themselves all completely different elements of my life, coming collectively as one and sharing on this second. It is actually unbelievable. And I simply really feel so wonderful to be right here with them.
Does Griff suppose he has what it takes to take down the Primary Occasion?
“I’ll try to get as a lot sleep as attainable. I’ll attempt to make it occur.”
Motion of the Ultimate Day
As has been the case all through the previous few years, the rails of every participant had been very vocal and rowdy because the flagship match of the summer season headed in the direction of the climax. Round 50 minutes had been left within the first stage when the motion resumed and it was a cagey affair from the get-go. Desk brief stack Andres Gonzalez doubled towards chip chief Griff and there can be no additional all-in showdown till the primary break whereas Astedt slowly gained momentum.
The second stage of the day introduced instantaneous motion when chip chief Griff flopped a set of fours and rivered a full home to decimate the stack of Brian Kim. Within the very subsequent hand, he discovered one other small pocket pair and took on Malo Latinois. It was a basic flip that led to dramatic trend when Latinois’ ace-king suited hit the flip just for Griff’s pocket treys to spiked a two-outer on the flip.
“Effectively, I used to be tremendous completely happy to have the prospect to play to this remaining desk. I simply needed to take and one after the other and attempt to play my greatest poker. and. Yeah, see what occurs. And likewise, one in all my important objective was to benefit from the second. I imply, that is one in all a form. And distinctive moments. So I simply attempt to be within the second, get pleasure from it. so long as I can. It was not very lengthy, however, I imply, nonetheless, I am going to take that. And I’ll possibly by no means be on this remaining desk once more.,” the younger Frenchman mentioned in his interview after the curler coaster coin flip.
Joe Serock had dropped into the center of the pack after which three-bet jammed with ace-jack out of the large blind. Griff folded however Astedt referred to as together with his slow-played queens within the small blind. Just one jack appeared and Serock turned the second casualty of the ultimate desk. The very subsequent hand, Gonzalez doubled as soon as extra with kings towards the queens of Kim.
Astedt climbed into the lead with seven gamers remaining and pulled additional forward when catching Kim with the fingers within the cookie jar. Kim five-bet jammed out of the small blind with king-six suited and Astedt seemed him up with pocket tens. A ten on the flop left Kim on skinny ice and he missed working golf equipment to bow out subsequent.
Tamayo doubled as soon as extra with ace-nine towards Griff, who had him dominated this time and the underside 4 stacks had been abruptly inside six large blinds on the second break of the day. Boris Angelov doubled off Astedt and Tamayo earned one other double quickly after with flopped broadway to double towards Astedt’s set of tens to shift the momentum.
The Swede jumped again into the motive force’s seat with journeys sixes towards Griff and from there on, it turned a survival contest for the brief stacks during which Tamayo chipped up considerably to hitch Astedt and Griff atop the leaderboard.
Gonzalez first doubled by way of Astedt with jacks versus treys however he couldn’t achieve this once more a few fingers later. This time, the Swede took the flip with ace-queen and spiked an ace on the flop to knock out the Spaniard. Solely six fingers later, Angelov’s sixes had been outflopped by Tamayo’s king-six had been all the way down to the ultimate 4 already.
Sagle was the far shortest stack and his destiny was sealed with the now dreadful pocket jacks as soon as extra. Astedt referred to as his shove with ace-try suited, flopped a trey however bought there with working playing cards to a wheel as an alternative to unleash wild celebrations from the massive Swedish rail. The Canadian left the stage with a smile, whereas the Scandinavians chanted “Lena, Lena, Lena” over and over whereas the yellow-shirted hen armada of Sagle headed out of the Horseshoe Occasion Heart.
The ultimate three will return at 2 p.m. Native time on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, to play all the way down to a winner. There are 17:40 minutes remaining in stage 42 with blinds of 1,500,000/3,000,000 and an enormous blind ante of three,000,000.
With not less than $4 million locked up and seven-figure pay jumps on the horizon, the ultimate trio is separated by a mere eight large blinds to doubtlessly flip the conclusion right into a tense and prolonged affair.
Ultimate Desk Outcomes and Remaining Payouts
As ordinary, the ultimate day will probably be broadcasted on the PokerGO platform and all PokerNews updates for the ultimate day will probably be printed on a delay to not spoil any of the motion.
