WSOP Main Event: Benjamin Pollack Eliminated in 3rd Place

After coming into the final day of the World Series of Poker Main Event final table with the shortest stack, Benjamin Pollack was going to need to make some moves to get back into contention. Shortly after play resumed on PokerGO and ESPN, Pollack seemed to gain some traction but it was more one step forward, two steps back for the Frenchman, as opposed to any substantial forward progress.

Close to two hours after play began, Pollack was in a position to move forward in a big way. Pollack and the other short stack, Daniel Ott, got the chips in pre-flop, with Ott at risk with A♥Q♥. Pollack held 8♠8♥ and needed to win the flip to get heads up for the WSOP Main Event title.

The Q♠6♠5♥ flop gave Ott the advantage on the flip and after the 10♣ and 6♣ completed the board, Pollack was left with just over ten big blinds. Pollack battled back but after tripling his stack, he then doubled Ott again to fall back near ten big blinds. The Frenchman was then eliminated in a massive three-way all-in that could have ended the tournament. 

Pollack moved all-in for close to 15 big blinds from the button and after Daniel Ott re-shoved from the small blind, for close to 20 big blinds, Scott Blumstein nearly shot out of his chair in the big blind. Blumstein asked for a count and eventually called, sending the Brasilia Room into hysteria, as Blumstein had a chance to win the Main Event right then and there. 

Blumstein, the chip leader, held A♥Q♠ and was up against the K♣9♦ of Ott and the Q♣10♦ of Pollack. The board ran out K♦J♠3♦4♣6♠ and Ott scored the triple up, while Pollack was eliminated in 3rd place for $3,500,000. 

After Pollack was eliminated, Poker Central caught up to the bronze medalist.

“I’m going to be disappointed but in an hour, I’ll be like, ‘What the f***? That was the Main Event!?'” Pollack said, before explaining how this run felt from the inside. “For the whole tournament, I didn’t realize and think of the final table. I just played a tournament for seven days in a row, I’m not focused on this being the Main Event.”

“In a few days, I’ll look back and say, ‘That was the Main Event. That was insane, just insane.'” Pollack added, before saying that he was very happy with his podium finish. 

The WSOP Main Event final table will continue on PokerGO and ESPN, with Scott Blumstein taking a nearly 2:1 chip advantage into heads up play. $8,150,000 awaits the eventual winner and Poker Central will be here throughout the night to bring you all the action, with an end of night recap and an episode of the Poker Central Podcast following the conclusion of play.