Welcome back to our ongoing coverage of the 2014 World Series of Poker. What began as 42 is now just nine, as late last night the field combined to the unofficial final table. Rick Salomon leads the charge with 23.575 million, but he's joined by some of poker's elite who are sure to challenge his lead on the way to the championship.
While an unofficial final table of nine return, not every returning player is guaranteed money. Only the official final table of eight is guaranteed money, meaning the players were forced to sleep on what is certainly a very intense $1,306,607 bubble. After losing one player today, the official final table will be set and each player's new quest will be to earn the title and over $15 million in first-place prize money.
Salomon sits at the top of the chip counts, but German professional Tobias Reinkemeier is right on his heels with 22.825 million. Rounding out the four are Daniel Colman with a stack of 22.625 million and none other than "KidPoker" himself, Daniel Negreanu, with 20.7 million. From there, there is a distinctive gap in the chip distribution with Cary Katz sporting the next largest stack of 9.125 million.
Both Paul Newey and Scott Seiver doubled up late last night to keep their dreams of cashing this event alive and well. Seiver bagged up 8.25 million and will have his work cut out for him today. Newey, on the other hand, is the player who will have the largest sweat as he bagged just 4.05 million for the shortest stack and what will be just around eight big blinds.
Play begins at 3 p.m. local time and PokerNews will be on site to provide hand-for-hand coverage from the ESPN feature table stage. Stay tuned!
Tom Hall open-shipped all in for 7.7 million from the hijack. After about one minute, Negreanu reraised all in from the button. The blinds folded and the hands were turned over.
Hall:
Negreanu:
The flop came down , pairing Negreanu's ace and giving him the lead in the hand. The fell on the turn, eliciting applause from Negreanu's rail. The finished the board and Tom Hall was eliminated on the bubble. Each remaining player is guaranteed at least $1,306,607 in prize money as the official final table is set!
Hand #1: Scott Seiver completed from the small blind, Cary Katz checked in the big blind, and the flop fell . Seiver led out for 600,000 and won the pot.
Hand #2: Seiver raised to 1.2 million on the button, winning the blinds and antes.
Hand #3: Christoph Vogelsang received a walk.
Hand #4: Rick Salomon raised to 1.4 million on the button, Daniel Colman defended his big blind, and the flop fell . Both players checked. The turn was the , and Salomon won with a bet of 1.5 million.
Hand #5: Daniel Negreanu raised from under the gun, Paul Newey moved all in for 3.3 million on his direct left, and Negreanu called.
Negreanu:
Newey:
Newey had the best hand, and he doubled through as the board came .
Hand #6: Rick Salomon raised to 1.4 million from the hijack and picked up the blinds and antes.
Hand #7: Dan Colman raised to 1.2 million from the cutoff and found a call from Paul Newey in the big blind. The flop came down and Newey checked to the raiser. Colman knocked the table back and the board paired with the on the turn. Both players checked again and the put two pair on the board on the river. Both players checked one last time.
Colman showed for ace-high and was awarded the pot.
Hand #8: Tobias Reinkemeier raised to 1.2 million from the cutoff and Paul Newey shipped all in from the small blind for 6.675 million. Action folded back to Reinkemeier and he called.
Reinkemeier:
Newey:
The flop came down , keeping Newey's nines in the lead. The dealer produced the on the turn, meaning Newey needed to fade an ace or a king on the river.
Fifth street was the , ensuring Newey would score the double up.
Tobias Reinkemeier (Day 2) - Incorrectly folds aces after several minutes
Hand #13: Scott Seiver raised to 1.2 million from the hijack, Tobias Reinkemeier defended his big blind, and the flop fell . Reinkemeier checked, Seiver bet 1.5 million and Reinkemeier called.
The turn was the . Reinkemeier checked and Seiver moved all in for 6.825 million.
The German tanked for the better part of three minutes before standing up out of his chair, then sitting down once again. Reinkemeier hung his head over the back of the chair - he's sitting in it backwards - and cocked his head as he stared down Seiver.
The two exchanged light words, then both chuckled. The tank continued for a few more minutes. Reinkemeier did his best to get anything he could out of Seiver, but he didn't budge.
Finally, the clock was called, and 55 seconds later Reinkemeier folded, saying he had aces.
"There's NO way you had aces!" Seiver objected.
Reinkemeier pulled his cards back and indeed revealed two aces - we believe they were the - and mucked them once again.
Hand #14: Christoph Vogelsang raised to 1.2 million from the cutoff and Daniel Negreanu called from the big blind. The flop came down and Negreanu led out for one million. Vogelsang let it go and Negreanu took down the pot.
Hand #15: Vogelsang moved all in from the hijack for his last eight million and Daniel Colman called from the next seat over. The rest of the table folded and the hands were turned on their backs.
Vogelsang:
Colman:
The flop came down giving Colman an open-ended straight draw, prompting a chorus of "ooh's" from the rail. The paired the board on the turn and the two were left with the sweat going to the river.
The dealer produced the on the river, allowing Vogelsang's ace-queen to hold as the best hand.
Hand #17: Daniel Negreanu opened to 1.6 million from the cutoff and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #18: Tobias Reinkemeier limped from early position and it folded around to Rick Salomon in the small blind. He completed and Christoph Vogelsang checked his big blind.
The trio took a flop of and it checked over to Reinkemeier. He fired 800,000 and Salomon came over the top with a check-raise to 2.1 million. Vogelsang called the raise and action was back on Reinkemeier. He let go of his hand, leaving the blinds heads up to the turn.
The hit the felt on fourth street and action was on Salomon. Salomon cut out a bet of 2.6 million and Vogelsang flatted once again. The completed the board and Salomon led for five million. Vogelsang shoved all in over the top for 11.65 million and Solomon instantly called.
Salomon showed for trip sevens but was ultimately bested by Vogelsang's for a flopped full house. Vogelsang scored the huge double up and edged out Daniel Negreanu for the current chip lead by less than one small blind.
Hand #23: Daniel Negreanu opened his button to 1.6 million and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #24: Paul Newey had the button and moved all in for his last 1.075 million. Scott Seiver called from the small blind and Rick Salomon came along from the big blind.
The flop came and Seiver checked. Salomon fired out a bet and Seiver folded, allowing the hands to be turned over.
Salomon:
Newey:
Newey held the best hand on the flop with ace-jack high while Salomon looked for a heart or a four to take the lead. There was no sweat, as the rolled off on the turn and gave Salomon the nut flush. The finished the board and Newey became the seventh place finisher.
Hand #30: Christoph Vogelsang opened to 1.6 million from under the gun and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #31: Daniel Colman raised to 1.6 million from under the gun and won the blinds and antes.
Hand #32: Colman received a walk in the big blind. He showed .
Hand #33: Rick Salomon moved all in from the cutoff for 11.3 million. Vogelsang folded his button and the blinds followed suit, allowing Salomon to take down the pot.
Hand #34: Colman popped it up to 1.6 million from the button and Tobias Reinkemeier shoved all in for 15.475 million effective. It folded back to Colman and he called for his tournament life.
Colman:
Reinkemeier:
The flop came down , keeping Colman out in front with his pocket aces. Reinkemeier found no help on the turn () or the river () and Colman was able to score the double up.
, pairing Negreanu's ace and giving him the lead in the hand. The 
fell on the turn, eliciting applause from Negreanu's rail. The 
finished the board and Tom Hall was eliminated on the bubble. Each remaining player is guaranteed at least $1,306,607 in prize money as the official final table is set!
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Seiver led out for 600,000 and won the pot.
. Both players checked. The turn was the 
.
on the turn. Both players checked again and the 
put two pair on the board on the river. Both players checked one last time.
on the turn, meaning Newey needed to fade an ace or a king on the river.
, ensuring Newey would score the double up.
, giving Katz some backdoor straight draws, but the 
eliminated all of them.
completed the board.
and Negreanu led out for one million. Vogelsang let it go and Negreanu took down the pot.
for trip sevens but was ultimately bested by Vogelsang's 
finished the board and Newey became the seventh place finisher.
) and Colman was able to score the double up.