Kenny Hallaert sits just outside of the top 10 after Day 3 of the 2017 WSOP Main Event

Quan Zhou picked the wrong time to bluff late Thursday night at the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event, a decision that made 1,084 other players happy. Zhou was eliminated on the stone bubble of the Main Event just after midnight, sending the remaining players into a celebratory frenzy and Day 4.

Just one big blind separates the top two stacks. Patrick Lavecchi sits on top with 1,552,000 while Pawel Brzeski sits second with 1,546,000. Former November Niner Antoine Saout bagged up the third biggest stack with 1,529,000. This marks the third time in his career that Saout has cashed in the Main Event. He finished fifth in 2009 and 25th last year.

He’s one of ten former November Niners to make it into the money this year. Kenny Hallaert sits just outside of the top 10, while Ben Lamb, Tom Cannuli, Michel Ruane, Eoghan O’Dea, Jake Balsiger, Fernando Pons, Joe Cada and Chino Rheem are also on to Day 4.

November Niners aren’t the only familiar faces still chasing the $8.15 million score though. David Kitai, Charlie Carrel, Dominik Nitsche, Jared Jaffee, David Peters, Tony Gregg, Timothy Adams, Marvin Rettenmaier, Connor Drinan, Matt Glantz and Felipe Ramos all managed to make it into the money with a top 400 stack.

The top-ranked online poker player in New Jersey, David ‘dehhhhh’ Coleman, also managed to advance. Coleman finished Day 3 with 242,000.

Maybe the most emotional scene after the bubble burst came as Steve Pavlichek, the last remaining player of the five that were willed a seat in the Main Event by Tom O’Meara, embraced his other four friends and O’Meara’s parents on the rail. Pavlichek begins Day 4 with just 34,000.

Steve Pavlichek is embraced by Keren Jackson, John Nichol, Jerry Hanes and Miltos Tzinourtas after making the money.

There were a handful of former World Champs that failed to make it through Day 3 including Johnny Chan, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem and Tom McEvoy.

They were joined on the rail by Joseph Cheong, Adrian Mateos, Doug Polk and Jason Mercier.

Action resumes at 11 AM PT.

Top 10 Chip Counts

  1. Patrick Lavecchia – 1,552,000
  2. Pawel Brzeski – 1,546,000
  3. Antoine Saout – 1,529,000
  4. Jeremiah Fitzpatrick – 1,523,000
  5. Derek Bowers – 1,376,000
  6. Mickey Craft -1,345,000
  7. Edward Nassif – 1,345,000
  8. Scott Blumstein – 1,340,000
  9. Artan Dedusha – 1,288,000
  10. Greg Dyer – 1,276,000