American poker player Dan Sindelar entered Day 6 of the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event with over 5.2 million in chips, which was good enough for seventh place with 79 players remaining.

Sindelar is not a stranger to the live poker tournament circuits, amassing well over $300,000 prior to the Main Event according to the Hendon Mob. Sindelar’s biggest cash leading up to the 2014 World Series of Poker was winning the $1,080 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event at Canterbury Park Card Club in 2007 for over $105,000.

Getting deep in the Main Event is partly about your big hands holding when it counts. With the blinds at 12,000/24,000, Sindelar got into a massive pre-flop raising war with fellow American Soon Hwang. Hwang eventually had his entire stack of 925,000 in chips in the middle pre-flop holding Ah-Kc. Sindelar turned over Kh-Ks, making him about a 70% favorite in the hand. The board of 9h-6d-5d-4h-9c was of no help to Hwang, sending a huge pot Sindelar’s way and soaring his chip stack to a healthy 3.2 million in chips.

Later on Day 5, Sindelar was in a similar spot with the blinds at 20,000/40,000 against American poker player Lee Taylor. Another pre-flop battle took place, with Taylor holding Ac-Kc and eventually getting his entire two million chip stack all-in pre-flop.

Sindelar this time held As-Ah, making him a much bigger favorite than the hand earlier in the day against Hwang. Taylor had some hope, as a king hit the flop on a 2c-Kh-9h board; however, he failed to improve when the 2h hit on the turn and the Jh hit on the river, sending him to the rail in 86th place for over $72,000 while catapulting Sindelar’s stack to well over 100 big blinds at 5.45 million chips.