Through The Lens of Drew - A Heroine Falls and A Hero Calls

Remko Rinkema • Jul 10, 2018

A Photo Update Midway Through Day 6 of the WSOP Main Event

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Drew Amato has been covering the World Series of Poker since 2014. This year he’s covered the U.S. Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl for Poker Central. Daily during the Main Event, Amato will share his favorite images from the World Series of Poker. Enjoy this recurring piece as, in his own words, Amato describes the biggest moments in the game.

The sixth day of the WSOP Main Event started with 109 players and as of right now just 44 remain. Among those, 2009 Main Event champion Joe Cada, the game’s latest hero in Jeff Trudeau but no more women as Kelly Minkin was sent home in 50th place. Here’s a recap of the action up until this point. Play resumes on PokerGO shortly, so tune in to not miss a minute of the action.

Few players have been under pressure that the Main Event spotlight brings. With ESPN cameras, hoards of media, and spectators watching your every move it can easily become overbearing for anyone. One player in particular that is familiar with it all is 2009 Main Event Champion Joe Cada. For the first time in what seems to be about 3 days, Cada has managed to chip up and sits with an average stack. Easily one of the most dangerous players still in the field, we will see if Cada can pull off the unthinkable and go for a second Main Event title, post poker boom. — Few players have been under pressure that the Main Event spotlight brings. With ESPN cameras, hoards of media, and spectators watching your every move it can easily become overbearing for anyone. One player in particular that is familiar with it all is 2009 Main Event Champion Joe Cada. For the first time in what seems to be about three days, Cada has managed to chip up and sits with an average stack. Easily one of the most dangerous players still in the field, we will see if Cada can pull off the unthinkable and go for a second Main Event title, post poker boom.

Making Day 6 of the WSOP Main Event is a dream for any poker player. When you make it into Day 6 it's hard not to get caught up in the dream of making the final table. For Chris Da-Silva the dream seemed well within reason as he brought a fresh stack of 5,600,000 into Day 6, which was way above average. Unfortunately for Da-Silva he quickly became an example of how brutal this game can be. Da-Silva ran ace-king into aces, not once, but twice in the first level of play. The unfortunate series of events sent Da-Silva to the rail in 99th place. — Making Day 6 of the WSOP Main Event is a dream for any poker player. When you make it into Day 6 it’s hard not to get caught up in the dream of making the final table. For Chris Da-Silva the dream seemed well within reason as he brought a fresh stack of 5,600,000 into Day 6, which was way above average. Unfortunately for Da-Silva he quickly became an example of how brutal this game can be. Da-Silva ran ace-king into aces, not once, but twice in the first level of play. The unfortunate series of events sent Da-Silva to the rail in 99th place.

I always find it so fascinating to watch how players react to the pressure of the ESPN cameras this deep in the tournament. While some players tend to crumble under the bright lights, others tend to shine and that is exactly what is going on with Jeff Trudeau. Trudeau just sent a message to the rest of the field that he is not here to play around. In what has been the craziest hand of the day Laurynas Levinskas moved all in on a king-high board for 3,300,000 on the river. Trudeau tanked for a few minutes before hero-calling with ace-jack for just ace high. Levinskas tabled 78 of diamonds for a missed straight draw and Trudeau scooped a monster pot.

The stack of Jeff Trudeau after making a spectacular call to send yet another player to the rail.

It was a fun and wild ride, but the last woman standing in the 2018 Main Event has been eliminated. Kelly Minkin came into the day hovering around 20bb, and never seems to gain any traction. On her final hand she got into a button vs small blind confrontation, putting the last of it in holding ace-ten against the ace-king of Frederik Jensen. Minkin failed to improve and was eliminated in 50th place. Despite the elimination, Minkin was all smiles as she walked out of the Rio one last time, followed by her closest fan, her father. — It was a fun and wild ride, but the last woman standing in the 2018 Main Event has been eliminated. Kelly Minkin came into the day hovering around 20bb, and never gained any traction. On her final hand, Minkin got into a button versus small blind confrontation, putting the last of it in holding ace-ten against the ace-king of Frederik Jensen. Minkin failed to improve and was eliminated in 50th place. Despite the elimination, Minkin was all smiles as she walked out of the Rio one last time, followed by her closest fan, her father.

Kelly Minkin exiting the Amazon Room with her father after busting the Main Event.

Leading into the dinner break here on Day 6 is Aram Zobian. The young pro from Cranston, RI has already locked up over $180,000 which has already surpassed his total career earnings of $110,000. While inexperienced on the big stage, Zobian has played like a seasoned veteran, chipping up throughout the day. It will be interesting to see if the moment gets to Zobian, or if he can carry his momentum to the final 9. — Leading into the dinner break here on Day 6 is Aram Zobian. The young pro from Cranston, RI has already locked up over $180,000, surpassing his total career earnings of $110,000. While inexperienced on the big stage, Zobian has played like a seasoned veteran, chipping up throughout the day. It will be interesting to see if the moment gets to Zobian, or if he can carry his momentum to the final 9.

Enjoyed this photoblog? You’ll also enjoy “Super High Roller Bowl Highlights”, “Poker’s Annual Gold Rush” and “Doyle’s Final Ride” in the series “Through the Lens of Drew” by clicking the links. Follow Drew Amato on Instagram. The 2018 World Series of Poker streams live on PokerGO now. Don’t miss a minute of the action by subscribing to PokerGO.

Joe Cada, Jeffrey Trudeau, Aram Zobian, 2018 WSOP Main Event, Kelly Minkin, Drew Amato, Frederik Brink, Chris Da Silva