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By the end of day three of the World Poker Tour’s World Championship, there were just fifty-four players left in contention. That was a far cry from the 214 that started the day. Still, in that diminutive number, there are more than a few storylines developing en route to the final table.
The chip leader is the one and only Phil Hellmuth. Owner of ten World Series of Poker bracelets, Phil has yet to have won a World Poker Tour, which might be a contributing factor to his statement today that winning the championship would be bigger than winning a bracelet. Of course, the $4 million first prize was probably an influence also.
Also near the top of the standings is Thomas Wahlroos. The third place finisher in Paris last year, Wahlroos has been seeking a breakthrough performance to help his profile in North America match the one he has in his native Finland. There, if he gets a speeding ticket, it gets reported in the newspapers.
Wahlroos’ large stack can be mostly attributed to one amazing hand that came in the second-to-last level of play on the day. Wahlroos got all-in on the pre-flop with Kd-Ks, as did an unidentified opponent with 6h-6s. Mark Gregorich had both covered and played on the strength of Kh-Kc.
The flop came 10h-6d-2d, giving the unidentified player a massive lead. With no kings left in the deck, neither Wahlroos nor Gregorich could hit a better set, leaving two ways out; running tens would give Wahlroos and Gregorich the chop; running diamonds would give Thomas the hand.
The turn was Jd, causing the crowd to groan, in turn causing a rush of media to the table in time to see Ad on the river. Thomas had hit his 5% shot and took down the pot. It more than tripled him up, and he’s now in the seven-figures with momentum going into tomorrow.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
