It took all of an hour for 12-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth (pictured) to spring to life at the One Drop final table. With an $18 million top prize on the line and a board showing 9-5-3-10-K, David Einhorn, who doubled up several moments ago through Antonio Esfandiari, bet 1.5 million. Hellmuth bumped the price of poker to 7.0 million, leading Einhorn to tank.Coverage on WSOP.com detailed, "Einhorn stood up and tanked, requesting a count on the raise, which was broken down to exactly what was announced, seven million. Hellmuth sat in his patented pose, hands cupped over his mouth, hat tightly snug on his head, and didn't flinch. After a minute or more longer, Einhorn folded and Hellmuth raked in the pot."
When the cards were shown, Hellmuth held Q-J for a rivered straight, while Einhorn had K-Q, making top pair on the river, but still lagging behind significantly. Olivier livb112 Busquet, providing commentary on ESPN2, told viewers that the river was "really unfortunate" for Einhorn. The pot was worth nearly 11 million.
As we said, a 15-minute delay is in effect. It's likely that several players at the eight-handed final table have scouts watching at home, leading Busquet to surmise, "I think the pros will have the advantage" on information obtained from the live stream and 15-minute delayed broadcast.
Busquet also critiqued Sam Trickett's (pictured) game, telling ESPN2 viewers, "Someone like Sam Trickett is really going to put you to the test in a lot of spots and make it really awkward and tough for you to play." As pros like Trickett, who is currently the chip leader, gain additional information from the live broadcast, the disparity between the four pros and four businessmen at the final table could grow larger.In case you're at home wondering what happens at the One Drop final table during commercial breaks, Kevin kevmath Mathers Tweeted, "In case you were wondering, play is halting during ESPN commercial breaks and will stop between 4 and 5pm PT before switching over to ESPN."
Esfandiari had been dealt pocket nines or better 22% of the time through the first 75 minutes of play. Esfandiari held 28% of the chips in play at the first break. $28 million of the $42 million prize pool (67%) is allocated for first and second place, meaning the payout structure is quite top-heavy.
You can tell us who you're rooting for in this PocketFives thread or let us know by posting a comment here.
