Gaelle Baumann Leads The Way Into Day 3 In The WSOP Main Event
Baumann's huge stack was the only one to break past the half-million barrier, although second placed Mark Demirdjian's 499,900 came as close as one possibly could without joining her in the 500k club.
The 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event is definitely in full swing aftr Days 2a and 2b were both completed earlier today, the surviving players from those days making up half of the field of Day 3 that kicks off on Thursday. Leading the way, at least until Day 2c is completed, is Gaelle Baumann on 505,800.
Baumann's huge stack was the only one to break past the half-million barrier, although second placed Mark Demirdjian's 499,900 came as close as one possibly could without joining her in the 500k club. Baumann is relatviely unknown in terms of world poker but that could be all set to change if she keeps up her current form as she is on course for a deep run in poker's biggest tournament.
The blonde-haired Winamax pro recently cashed in the €10,000 European Poker Tour Main Event for €15,000 and already has two cashes at this year's WSOP. The first came in Event #46, the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em event where she finished 123rd from a field of 1,607 then she finished 15th from 936 runners in the Ladies Championship. Can she make it a hat-trick of in the money finishes in what we believe to be her first trip to the WSOP.
Baumann and the aforementioned Demirdjian are joined at the very top of the chip counts by a certain Shaun Deeb and now that he has a large stack in front of him (460,900) just keep your eye out for his name because the young American is relentless in his aggression once he has room to manoeuvre; and he certainly has that.
Other notables in the top 10 counts include sixth placed Taylor Paur, an online phenom who has over $3,500,000 in online tournament cashes and was ranked first in the world as recently as March. Paur will start Day 3 with 391,600 chips. Matt Woodward is another player who is more than capable of a deep run in this tournament, especially as he will sit down behind a pile of chips worth 381,000 on Day 3. Also in the top 10, tenth in fact, is Vanessa Selbst who is fresh from winning her second bracelet. Like Deeb, Selbst is an absolute beast once she has chips in front of her and it would take a brave man to bet against Selbst cruising through Thursday's Day 3.
One man who was flying high but lost more than half of his stack on the very last hand of the Day was Terry Grimes. Grimes won a large pot when his pocket kings beat the queens of Mike "The Mouth" Matusow to send the latter to the rail but then made a crazy play on the last hand of the night to see his stack decimated. According to the PokerNews Live Reporting team the action folded to Grimes on the button and he said "Let's get this over with" before moving all-in for well over 200,000 chips. The small blind folded but Kevin Davis was sat in the big blind with a pair of red aces and obviously made the call. An embarrassed Grimes showed a strong hand in ace-king but he was in a world of pain against the best hand in Hold'em. The board ran out Qc-5c-Ac-Jd-7d and David saw his stack swell to 394,800. Grimes is proof you should play your A-game at all times, even the last hand of the night!
Day 3 gets under way at 12:00 Las Vegas time (20:00UK) and will continue until five 120-minute levels have been completed. Those who make it through unscathed with join up with the survivors from Days 2a and 2b and for the first time in the tournament all the starting fields will be merged together. Things have just started to get serious.
Prices quoted in copy are correct at time of publication but liable to change.
