WSOPE chip leader won bracelet at WSOP
Matt Hawrilenko, from Boston, USA, is the current chip leader at the WSOP Europe championship event. Hawrilenko, who won more than $1 million for first place in Event #56 at this year’s WSOP ($5,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em) enjoys a slight chip lead as play now enters Day Four and players have finally reached the prize money (36 players still alive).
Hawrilenko is 27-years-old and is a graduate of Princeton University. He earned his degree in Public Policy Administration. Prior to becoming a poker pro, Hawrilenko was an options trader. He has made three final table appearances at this year’s WSOP.
Hawrilenko won is first gold bracelet on July 2nd and collected $1,003,218 for first place. He won the third-highest first place prize at this year’s WSOP. Only the $40,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event and the $50,000 buy-in HORSE event generated higher first place prizes. He became the 131st “WSOP Millionaire” in history, which is defined as players who have won in excess of $1 million in WSOP tournaments.
Two “November Nine” finalists – Antione Saout and James Ankenhead – remain in the top 36 and have reached the money. France’s Antione Saout is currently ranked 24th in chips. England’s James Ankenhead is ranked 30th in chips. Both players hope to at least match Russian Ivan Demidov’s impressive feat from last year. Demidov, the runner up in the 2008 WSOP Main Event also final tabled at WSOP Europe in 2008, finishing third.
How cool would it be for Doyle Brunson to win a record-tying 11th WSOP gold bracelet in London? Just about everybody on the poker planet is pulling for “Dolly,” except his opponents perhaps (and even a few of those would certainly make Doyle their favourite pick if they can’t win themselves). Doyle remains “the Man”.
English football star Teddy Sheringham is hoping to become a two-sport champion. The famous 43-year-old footballer, known primarily for formally playing for Manchester United and England’s World Cup football team, remains very much alive in the WSOP Europe championship. Sheringham, who resides in London, currently has 272,000 in chips, which is about average for this stage of the tournament.
Liz Lieu has been called “the best female poker player not to have won a WSOP gold bracelet.” While some may argue that distinction, there’s no disputing Lieu’s incredible table talent. She has played high stakes poker for many years and has performed quite well in major tournaments. Lieu, from Las Vegas, is the last remaining female player in this year’s WSOPE Main Event. If she wins, she would become the second female winner at WSOPE. The first year of the tournament, Annette Obrestad, from Norway, won the championship. Lieu has some serious catching up to do and must perform well on Day Four, which begins tomorrow. She currently ranks 26th out of 36 players who remain.
Notable players who did not survive day two included – John Juanda, Todd Brunson, Ben Roberts, Freddy Deeb, Jani Vilmunen, Joe Beevers, Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari, Annette Obrestad, Amnon Filippi, John Tabatabai, Philip Tom, Farzad Bonyadi, and others.
The WSOP Europe Main Event continues play at noon on Wednesday. Play on Day Four will last until the final table (nine players) is reached. World Series of Poker Europe championship event coverage and results will run daily through 2 October.
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