2011 WSOP Main Event Day 1D Level 3 Update

Rapper Nelly is one of the players still in the running for more than $8 million

With minutes to go before the dinner break, the WSOP staff let the field know some very good news: One of the runners in this 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event field is taking home $8,711,956. There is a lot more big news besides the payday though, including what records were set, how many people are getting paid, and who got chips during Level 3 (blinds 150/300) action. While players head out to dinner until approximately 8:25 pm PT, you can catch up on the action:

WSOP Announces Official Numbers

At the conclusion of the second break of Day 1D, registration for the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event was officially closed. It took a little while to fully crunch the numbers, but 10 minutes before the dinner break, Tournament Director Jack Effel announced all of the details.

There were 6,865 players who registered this year, the third largest field in the history of the WSOP Main Event, generating an overall prize pool of $64,531,000. There will be 693 fortunate players who will make the money, and each will receive just over $19,000 for making it that far.

For making the November Nine, a player will be guaranteed over $700,000, with the top eight finishers each guaranteed a seven-figure win.

Winning the WSOP Main Event in 2011 will be worth $8,711,956, the fourth largest winner’s share in the history of the Main Event.

Nelly Shoves

The rapper Nelly has been a presence at the World Series of Poker for years and 2011 is no exception. He is in the Day 1D field seated at a table with Nick Binger and he is not afraid to put chips in the pot. With around 4,000 chips in the middle and the board reading A85, Nelly checked from middle position, the player in the cutoff bet 2,000, and the player on the button called.

Nelly wasted no time check-raising all-in for an additional 19,025, but the cutoff took his time before making a decision. After a minute or two of thought, he folded. Then it was the player on the button’s turn to think, as he went in the tank for more than a minute. He got a count of Nelly’s stack, thought a while longer, then folded.

The table implored Nelly to turn over his hand for the looming ESPN cameras and he obliged, showing AK.

“When nobody snap-called, I felt a s***load better about it,” he told the table. After the hand, Nelly was back up to the starting stack of 30,000.

Ben Mintz Destroys the Competition

He used to play online as The Destroyer. Now that he can’t do that anymore, New Orleans native Ben Mintz has just decided to destroy the Day 1D field instead. Mintz has been winning pot after pot, knocking out opponents seemingly at will and chipped up to over 150,000 before the end of Level 3.
Mintz was in a blind vs. blind confrontation with the board reading 433K when he bet the turn out of the small blind and his opponent in the big blind called. The river brought the 9 and Mintz bet 8,000—enough to put his opponent all-in. The other player thought for a minute or so, then called with AA. Mintz turned over K3 for a full house to bust the player, rake the pot, and cement his status as the unofficial chip leader with 155,000.

Tilly Makes Her Exit

Down to her final 3,375 chips, Jennifer Tilly shoved with A2 after it folded to her on the button. The player in the small blind called with 77. The KQ3 flop brought no help to Tilly, nor did the 8 turn or 6 river. On her way out of the tournament area, she stopped by to speak to boyfriend Phil Laak to tell him that it is up to him now.

Nate Silver Does Some Poker Calculus

Nate Silver is better known for his political blog Fivethirtyeight and fondness for sabremetrics, but the New York Times contributor is a poker enthusiast as well and taking his second stab at the Main Event today.

Silver is seated at a table with a number of recognizable faces, including WPT Season VIII LA Poker Classic champ Andras Koroknai, Thomas Fuller, Andrew Lee, and Carol Ventura, wife of Caio Pimenta who made a splash in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event earlier this year.

Despite the tough line-up, Silver seems to be chipping up nicely. Recently he tangled in a hand where Ventura opened from under the gun, a player in middle position called, and Silver called from the cutoff.

The flop came down 864 and action checked to Silver, who bet 1,325. Ventura folded, while the player in the cutoff called. The turn brought the 7 and Silver’s opponent checked. Silver bet 3,200 and the other player called. The river paired the board with the 7 and both players checked.

After a few seconds of both players waiting to see each other’s holdings, Silver turned over A4 for two pair, fours and sevens. That was good enough to take the pot and he chipped up to 44,500.

Madsen Gets Paid Off with Quads

If you follow Jeff Madsen on Twitter you know that 2011 hasn’t exactly been an amazing WSOP for him. With only two small cashes to his credit, Madsen is looking for a deep run in the Main Event to save his summer. He might be on his way, especially if people continue to pay him off when he’s holding the nuts.

With 18,000 already in the pot and the board showing 665Q2, a player in middle position checked to Madsen. The 2006 WSOP Player of the Year bet 11,200, causing his opponent to tank. After two minutes contemplating her decision, she threw in a call only to see Madsen turn over 66 for flopped quads. After the hand one of the other players at the table asked him “Jesus, could you run any better?”. Madsen is now sitting behind a 76,000 stack.

Demidov Doubles

2008 WSOP Main Event runner-up Ivan Demidov was moved into the orange section of the Amazon Room late in Level 2, and he had a precipitous drop in the two hours of play since he got there, getting all the way down to about 8,000. He had a bit of a reprieve, however, as he managed to find one of the few stacks shorter than his own at this stage in the tournament.

On the hand in question, Demidov opened to 1,050 from early position, and his opponent went all-in for 5,525. The action folded around to Demidov who called with AK, and it was a coin flip as his opponent showed TT. The board ran out A98AK, giving Demidov a full house and the pot. He was up to 13,300 after the hand.

Violette Eliminated

There has never been a female WSOP Main Event champion, and one of the strongest female contenders is already out. On a board of T52 with 2,000 in the pot, Cyndy Violette and her opponent both checked. The turn was the K, prompting a check from Violette and bet of 600 from her opponent. Violette check-raised to 1,600 and the other player called.

The river was the Q, and Violette went all-in for her last 4,600. She was immediately called by her opponent, who showed AJ for the rivered nut straight, and Violette could do nothing but flip up 22 for a flopped set, which was now second best, and head home.

Violette joined a list of Level 3 bustouts that include Bertrand Grospellier, Jay Rosenkrantz, Abe Mosseri, Alex Kostritsyn, Tom Marchese, and Melanie Weisner.

From the Seriously? Category

It’s been the norm for years now for poker players to find all kinds of different sponsorship deals. The obvious one was always online poker rooms but as the November Nine concept has grown, players have found unique ways to capitalize on their fame. Former November Niner Ylon Schwartz might just win the prize for the most original ever. Schwartz has one patch on the front of his shirt and another on his sleeve for Batter Blaster. A quick Google search shows that this is for a ready-to-cook pancake and waffle mix in an aerosol can. Don’t believe us? Check out www.BatterBlaster.com.

By The Numbers

3 This is the third largest WSOP Main Event in its 42-year history.  Only the 2006 field with 8,773 runners and last year’s field of 7,319 eclipse it.

2,809 Number of runners in the Day 1D field.  According to the WSOP’s Seth Palansky, that ties the single-day record for attendance set during the 2009 Main Event.

75,672 Total number of participants in this year’s World Series of Poker.

Notable Chip Counts

Ben Mintz – 150,000
Anthony Miller – 132,800
Yervand Boyadjian – 126,800
Jeff Frerichs – 125,625
Sean LaFort – 104,500
Justin Filtz – 103,000
Jamie Kerstetter – 91,925
Joe Tehan – 70,025
Phil Laak – 63,600
Men Nguyen – 63,600