Christian Pham Leads Final 27 Players in Main Event

The World Series of Poker $10,000 World Championship Main Event returned 85 players to Day 6 with all of them guaranteed $72,514. A long day in the Brasilia Room, over five levels to reach the final three tables of 27 remaining players. Topping the leader board is Christian Pham after finishing the day with 31.5 million.

Ben Lamb spent most of the day on the Feature Stage, finished fourth in chips with 27.6 million, and he said, “I don’t care about the final table,” Lamb said. “I want to win the whole damn thing.”

“I started barely above average, got up to 7.5 million and then changed tables. I ran it up from there,” Lamb said. “I did bluff off a little bit to my friend John , but that’s ok. I’m going to go home and watch Game of Thrones and then watch a little of tape today.”

Ben Lamb is playing for $8.5 million but wants to catch the Game of Thrones premier first. (Photo: PokerPhotoArchive.com)
“I think back to it – it’s the most fun you can have to be deep in this poker tournament. I’m really excited to be here and the past will help me,” said Lamb. “But some of these guys have been there before too – multiple times.”

Michael Ruane and Antoine Saout are both looking for their second trip to the Final Table. Saout finished in third place in 2009 and Ruane took fourth place.

John Hesp, Scott Blumstein and Bryan Piccioli finished as top ten stacks. Jonas Mackoff, Benjamin Pollak and Damian Salas returned middle of the pack. Marcel Luske, Jake Bazeley and David Guay return with the shorter stacks in the field.

Eliminations were rapid at the start of the day with the pace slowing as the payouts climbed. Brandon Meyers (42nd), Dario Sammartino (43rd), Max Silver (45th), Mike Linster (47th), Conor Drinan (56th), Kenny Hallaert (64th), Ian Johns (73rd) and Martin Finger (80th) were all eliminated during the action.

The all-important Day 7 kicks off at 11 am PT with the field scheduled to play down to the Final Table of nine players, no matter how long it takes. The broadcast begins exclusively at 11:30 am – 4 pm PT on PokerGO, then ESPN2 picks up the action from 4pm – 6 pm PT. The late-night action continues exclusively on PokerGO from 7:45 pm – until the end of play.

Christian Pham stunned the poker world two years ago when he registered for a $1,500 No Limit Deuce-to-Seven by mistake. He was dealt five cards, had the rules explained to him and he ended up shipping the whole thing.

Pham enjoying himself at the table with a significant payout coming his way. (Photo: PokerPhotoArchive.com)
Pham is back at the WSOP again and has another just as unlikely story. He went bust and was close to going absolutely broke but he got in a $575 qualifier to win his seat into the Main Event. “Without the qualifier, I don’t think I would play the Main Event,” he said. “I played so many games and it didn’t happen for me.”

Jonathan Dwek garnered tons of attention from playing a few days of the Main Event wearing a Superman costume. He’s playing the tournament for the ninth time and secured his first cash playing his way to Day 6.

Jake Bazeley cut his teeth grinding the WSOP Circuit all over the country. The Cincinnati-based pro has been to the final table before in Vegas, but this year he’s looking to take it down.

Jake Bazeley is one of several players to make quads at a feature table this Series. (Photo: PokerPhotoArchive.com)
David Guay is making his first deep run in the Main Event, but he’s been to the Feature Table in Brasilia already this summer when he finished runner-up in the $1,000 Tag Team Event with Pablo Mariz. A week later Mariz won his bracelet in the Millionaire Maker, now its Guay’s turn to win seven-figures in a WSOP event.

Jack Sinclair has just three tournament cashes to his credit, but his experience goes long beyond his public record. Sinclair talks hands with Anton Morgenstern and Philipp Gruissem and is making a deep run in his first Main Event.

Daniel Ott decided before the summer started that he would take his shot in the Main Event this year. Along the way he cashed the $1,000 Tag Team event with his brother, which he said, “shouldn’t even count.”

John Hesp was the oldest player remaining in the Main Event at 64-years-old. His first goal was to cash, then to finish in the final 500 and now he sees a final table run within reach.

John Hesp has worn the same flamboyant jacket each day of the Main Event. (Photo: PokerPhotoArchive.com)
Max Silver won his first WSOP bracelet this Series in the $3,000 Limit Hold’em Six Max event for $172,645 and cashed five times. He topped his summer off with a 45th place finish in the Main Event after he made a deep run in 2016 to 33rd place.