After building up a big chip lead heading into the unofficial ten-handed final table, World Series of Poker bracelet winner Dan Heimiller took a few minutes to chat with PokerNews about his second deep run in the Seniors Championship.
PokerNews: Dan, you've been playing the game for more than two decades, competing against the toughest players on the circuit in open events all around the world. Describe the difference between the play you encounter in those tournaments and the game being played by your fellow seniors.
Dan Heimiller: They're standing right there, I don't want them to hear it...don't tell anybody. OK, they play their hands straightforward more often, and they tend to call, some players tend to call weak. So there's about two or three players out of every ten that they call a little weak, so you have to careful too because you can't bluff them so often as in other tournaments.
PokerNews: They don't necessarily know how to figure out what you're trying to represent?
They are more liable to believe that you're stealing, they're a little bit more paranoid than other players are. So you've got to be careful of that, and then they play their hands straightforward. Which means, if they have something they bet it, they tend not to check-raise as often.
PokerNews: As a member of poker's old school, would winning the Seniors Championship mean anything special to you, or is this just another stop along the circuit you've been travelling for nearly half your life?
Oh that would be huge, because if I hit this one that would be the most money I've ever won in any tournament. And also, it's very difficult to get through 4,400 players, and although 20 percent or 30 percent are a little weak, there's at least 50 percent of the field that are really sharp. They've been playing a long time.
Dan Heimiller opened for 150,000 on the button. Wise folded the small blind and, after a moment spent contemplating, Michael Frederick moved all in from the big blind.
Heimiller had everyone covered at the table and quickly made the call.
Frederick
Heimiller
Off to the races.
The dealer put out . Frederick was left looking for one of the last two remaining threes in the deck but they stayed put and he was out after a great run.
The official final table of nine was set to go.
The action folded to Kevin Detienne on the button and he limped for 40,000. Dan Heimiller folded the small blind and Dennis Phillips checked his option in the big blind. The flop saw Phillips bet 75,000 and Detienne moved all in for 295,000. It was no snap call but Phillips made the call, tabling .
Detienne had a huge draw with but missed completely to improve on the turn and the river. The start-of-the-day chip leader thus bubbles the unofficial final table and we are now moving to the ESPN feature stage. Once one more player hits the rail, the official final table is set and will also provide a live stream on a 30 minute delay.
On the first table we saw Ronald Maas raise to 110,000 and Doc Barry three-bet to 310,000, but Maas took down the pot with a four-bet shove to 870,000. At the very same time, Robert Cramer moved all in on the secondary table for what looked like 450,000 . One seat over, Dan Heimiller decided to call and the blinds behind him got out of the way.
Cramer:
Heimiller:
The flop was a disaster for Cramer as he needed running aces to stay alive. Heimiller completed a full house on the turn and the meaningless fell on the river.
Richard Munro didn't have that many chips left when he got the remainder of his stack in with for what looked like 190,000 chips. David Smith looked him up with and the board ran out to eliminate Munro in 15th place.
After the previous bad beat, Robert Cutshall was down to only 75,000 chips and moved all in from the small blind. Donald Maas made the call and turned over , he had two live cards versus . The flop gave Cutshall hope for a comeback with two pair and the turn was the usual sweat with the added flush draw for his opponent.
It wasn't meant to be for Cutshall when the dealer fanned the river as Maas made trips and sent him to the rail in 16th place.
Stephen Wood raised to 81,000 and the action folded to Dan Heimiller in the small blind, who opted for the call. Dennis Phillips folded his big blind and both went to see the flop. Heimiller checked, Wood moved all in and got an instant call.
Wood:
Heimiller:
The turn gave Heimiller the full house and Wood trips, a meaningless river saw Wood out in 18th place for $24,961.
![[user253757]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Frederick was left looking for one of the last two remaining threes in the deck but they stayed put and he was out after a great run.
.
but missed completely to improve on the 
turn and the 
river. The start-of-the-day chip leader thus bubbles the unofficial final table and we are now moving to the ESPN feature stage. Once one more player hits the rail, the official final table is set and will also provide a live stream on a 30 minute delay.
.
flop was a disaster for Cramer as he needed running aces to stay alive. Heimiller completed a full house on the 
.
. Heimiller now checked and Torelli moved all in.
blanked out and the lucky turn card sent Torelli from the tournament.
for what looked like 190,000 chips. David Smith looked him up with 
to eliminate Munro in 15th place.
, he had two live cards versus 
river as Maas made trips and sent him to the rail in 16th place.
river saw Wood out in 18th place for $24,961.