Picking up the action on a board of 6♠2♣9♥5♠3♠ and already more than 40,000 in the middle, Gaelle Baumann bet 34,000 from the hijack, a bet representing most of her remaining stack.
Soule Salmani on the button tanked for several minutes before the clock was called. Salmani allowed the clock to run for a few seconds before he folded as Baumann nearly doubled up without a showdown.
Three ways to the 6♣3♣2♠5♠ turn, Ludovic Heude bet 2,500 in the small blind and Barny Boatman was the only caller from the big blind. Heude bet again the Q♠ river for 3,200 and Boatman called to get shown the Q♦9♥ for a rivered pair of queens. Boatman had that beat with the J♦4♦ for a straight to win the pot.
One of the players in the field today is poker legend Tom McEvoy, who won the WSOP Main Event all the way back in 1983, conquering a final table that included the late Doyle Brunson who finished third. McEvoy was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2013.
At the time of writing, he's sitting with 88,000 in chips in his quest to win the Main Event a second time — which would be an incredible forty years after the first one. But did you know that McEvoy did something else? He was instrumental in turning the World Series of Poker into a smoke-free environment.
The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been a record affair drawing tens of thousands of players. Now, imagine those players were allowed to smoke at the table? That used to be the case at the WSOP, but thanks to the efforts of McEvoy and associates Casey Kastle and Paul Ladanyi, that all changed.
Not only did the WSOP at Binion’s Horseshoe become smoke-free – the second-hand smoke there was often called the “Horseshoe Crud” – but for the most part, the entire poker tournament industry did.
That was thanks to the “Non-Smoking Tournament Petition,” which McEvoy and company circulated in 2001 and ultimately collected 522 signatures, including from some of the biggest names of the game.
All the chips went in the middle on a flop 3♣5♦K♠, between Aviv Meiri, who check-shoved for his remaining stack of less than 30,000 after a bet of 50,000 from Patrick Loughman.
Aviv Meiri: K♦Q♦
Patrick Loughman: A♦K♣
Meiri was in terrible shape for his tournament life and didn't find any miracle on the 4♣ turn and 6♥ river to make his way to the exit.
Dan Wilson opened to 1,800 from under the gun and Farhad Jamasi called on the button. Jack Sinclair then three-bet to 9,000 in the big blind and Wilson was the only caller.
On the A♦K♣9♠ flop, Sinclair's bet of 3,000 was called and that led them to the 6♥ turn. Sinclair checked and reluctantly called Wilson's bet of 5,500. That brought them to the 8♣ river on which Sinclair checked. Wilson made it 14,000 to go and Sinclair tanked for two and a half minutes before calling.
"Nuts," Wilson declared and rolled over the A♥A♣ for a set of aces.
"You could have gotten his whole stack preflop," Alex Keating added in table chat.
Players are now on their first 20-minute break of the day in Day 2abc of the Main Event. Play will resume with blinds at 500/1,000 with 1,000 big blind ante. The action was fast and furious in the first level of the day and some highlights are down below.
