Hello everyone, and.
Welcome to a new episode Oh the Poker Go Podcast. My name is Donnie Peters, his name is Tim Duckworth.
And it is here the.
Moment we have all been waiting for. I have no idea how many days it's been. It feels like it's been forty eight days. No, but I'm talking about I'm talking about like since the main events started, how many days it's been. I think it's been twelve days total, But if you count the day ones as one day, the day two's is two days as another single day.
I think it's been eight days. I don't know.
Thousands of bust outs, almost ten thousand bust outs. Huh, what what's wrong with you? There's been crazy hands. Yes, there has been massive shout out, massive, massive swings in chip counts, one of which involved Michael the Grinder is Rocky, and we'll talk about that. But the story is the WSP Main Event final table is set. It is locked in.
Nine players remain. They came from a field of nine thousand and seven, one hundred and thirty five and they're all chasing that one dream and ten million dollars up top. We got big names, we got some underdogs.
In the mix.
We got some breakout stars. There's international flare that's going on at this final table. You know, it's there, really is a bit of everything right. And of course, finally, finally the rock has no just kidding Leo Margets. For the first time in thirty years, we have a woman at the WSP Main Event final table. Let's go layout.
Even Majets means rock in French.
Well that's even better, that's even better. Let's go, Leyo bebeh. So we got that. We're gonna hit on it all. This is poker's biggest stage, of course, that be main Event. We've been talking about it four days. It's the chance of a lifetime. Nine of these players are about to etch their name in poker history, and then one of them, one of them gets the title of world champion. Ten million dollars is coming that player's way as well. We're gonna break it all down on this podcast. We're going
to talk on the storylines. We're going to talk about you know who these players are, kind of run through the bio of each of the final nine. We'll tell you guys about the chip cowns, how they all stack up. We'll even recap a little bit on how they got there. Today, they played down from twenty four to nine. It is two forty five am on Monday, July fourteen, so it's been quite a long day. They did start an hour later, but still it went pretty long into the early morning
of Monday. But before we jump in, as always, quick reminder for you guys out there, whether you're listening or watching, like subscribe, rate review to the Poker Grow podcast. Wherever you're tuning in, please it does really help us grow. That's Spotify, that's Apple, that's YouTube, that's elsewhere. Wherever you're getting us in your ears or you're watching us on your screens, please do help us grow. Just hit the button, subscribe,
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Okay.
And then if you love online at poker, but you don't want to spend a dime playing it, that hunding over to play pokergro dot com. It's free to play. It is super easy to jump into. And yeah, it actually feels like real poker, real authentic poker. We're talking real players, We got real hands. There's real fun. There are real ring games, there are real tournaments, there are real sitting goes. It is real, real real play poker, grow dot com. It's all there. Can also downloaded to
your iOS or your Android device. So fire it up today, take your seat, and we will see you at the tables. All right, let's meet the final nine again. They came from a field of nine, seven hundred and thirty five, third largest main event field in history. Sitting atop the counts, We're gonna we're gonna go in order, right, We're gonna start with the chip leader. I want to give him his dues. And then of course we're gonna touch on the Leo marget story. We gotta touch on Michael Lagrind
and is Rocky et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So first up, we got John Wasnack, a fifty year old father of four from Washington State, big Seattle sports fan. He had some Seattle sports had on today?
Was it was it Mariners? Pretty shit? Pretty sure? It was Manus? All right?
Well, it had the colors of the Seattle Kraken, but it was like it was the Mariners, ass I think, so, I'm not exactly sure That's why I was kind of like, I didn't know which one it was, Docky.
We had lots of pitches of these guys.
He works as an investment consultant. He started playing poker way back in nineteen eighty three, the year that I was born with his family. Breakout year in twenty twenty five with one hundred and forty three thousand dollars in live tournament earnings. He's very active in his local community. He sits on youth sports boards. He says poker is just a fun hobby of his and if he wins, he's gonna plan on taking his family on a cruise. I mean he could already take him on a cruise.
He already winning a million dollars. Everyone left is getting a million dollars. So you can go on a cruise. You can seal around the freaking world. So John, he he was down to I think around somewhere between like ten and fifteen big lines throughout the day today, but he was able to run it back up when he
got to the final table of ten. He was bunched in a group that had you know, they were kind of jocking for the chip lead, but then the final hand is what gave Wasnock the chip leader, or you know, secured him the chip lead. He took out Padrone. It was a raise from Wosnock with a couple of eights min rays. But Djokovic calls in position with Ace King, which is understandable because you're playing ten handed. The guy's raising under the gun. There's this there's this really short
stack of padrone. He folds over to Padron on the button and he goes all in for I think like eight big blind. Yeah, twelve million east six off, which is an incredible punt.
Is it really a punt?
Oh my god, are you serious? It's an outrageous punt. Like I don't even act like it's not. This is an outrageous punt.
I'm just and it was.
So it seems so out of character for him because he played He played pretty snug, pretty solid all day. I know he I believe the story was he only had around like fourteen or fifteen thousand dollars or something like that and live tournamentnings coming out here. He came out here to play the Gladiators and I think the mini main event, but then his wife convinced him, no, you're out there already he might as well play the
main and look, he's in the final ten. He didn't seem like a world beater as a player, but that's fine. He certainly held his own. He was very much in the mix again, he played very solid and then it was just like all of a sudden, he just spassed out with this a six.
I don't know.
It just must have been a combination of a few things in my opinion. One, it was two thirty am. He's probably dead ass tired. He's been playing for eight days, like I get it right, So there's that factor that that comes into it. Also, he had dwindled down to these like eight big blinds or so, and he's probably like, can I get a hand?
Can I get a hand? Can I get a hand?
And we've all been there as poker players, and then finally, like you see a hand that is not that good, but it looks better because you haven't seen anything. You're looking around the table. Everyone's got a boatloader, chips, you got the pressure of the crowd, the lights, the cameras, everything, and you make a mistake.
So it happens, right, But.
Are you saying that a six is a punt just because with ten hand in WSP main event, or like we could be at the south point Ninali in a silly punt.
No, it's a punt in that situation, there's a two and fifty k page jump. You can't you can't like No, I'm saying ignoring this, trying to ignore the main event side of things. The guy opening under the gun. Think about how Badjokovic approach the hand he has ace king, He's just flatting to raise from under the gun. Because an under the gun range ten handed is like astronomically tight. It has to be astronomically tight. It just has to be, especially with a two hundred and fifty k page up
on the line. It has to be very tight. And it's not like Waznak was getting crazily out of line. I know he had a lot of chips, but he was not stepping out of line at all. So you have that, so then the guy flats right, and then so you're for sure gonna get called by one, if not two, of these guys because you just don't have enough chips.
You have a big lines.
So a six off it just doesn't play well against really anything, even in the hands that like you're ahead, let's say King Queen suited. I mean that you're not like a slam dunk ahead, you're flipping. It's just not that good of a spot. So yeah, I mean he should have folded and waited for a better spot. I just you know, again, I think it was probably just a combination of many things. You know, probably didn't see a good hand for a while, was getting short on chips,
felt a little bit of pressure. It was tired, you know, playing long days, tired. All that's for of stuff I mean should happen.
I mean he was also, you know, significantly short competitor the next biggest ac jobman man Janie basically has double his stuff.
That's what I mean.
Like you're looking around the table, You're like, shit, I gotta make something happen, like you know what's going on. So anyway, he ends up getting called in bowl spots, Wasna called and then Dadjokovic called, which maybe an argument to be made the Padjokovic could have back jammed, but still decided to play it slow. Wassnock and Madjokovic end up checking it down. It comes jack five, five, nine jack, and then the Eights win for Wasnock, and that's that
we lose a pardrone in tenth place. He takes on seven hundred and fifty k. Everyone locks up a million dollars and Wasnock locked up the chip Lee.
Was you're the chip leader going into the World Series of Poker Main Event final table.
Tell me what it is like to hear that.
I don't know what to say. It's been a hell of a run. I was down to ten bigs about three hours ago. I think just kind of kept grinding, played a short stack got I mean, it's been a rollercoaster, been up and down, but I've been fortunate. I mean, we've had good cards. I've played well, play well, run well. It's what you got to do.
How special is this moment? Considering your family was able to make the trip, is here supporting you.
A lot, makes a lot more special for sure.
Got a good group and hopefully some more people coming down to watch on Tuesday.
Any sense yet of how much pressure you will feel come this final table?
You know, I kind of feel like I'm free rolling.
I haven't felt overwhelmed by anything. I feel comfortable, you know, just play my game.
That also locked up the first woman to make the Soup Main Event final table since nineteen ninety five when Barbara en Wright did it. Leo Margetts the Spanish Poker Pro the Spanish Poker Hall of Famer, which I did not know there was a Spanish Hall of Fame, but I guess she is in it. She's also a Devices Bracelet winner. She won the Closer back at the she was at the Reo. I don't know which year was, but she she won it at the Rio in twenty twenty one, so the last year at the Rio. She's
a Winnimax ambassador. She first kind of like broke on the scene years ago when she was the last woman standing in the WSP main event. I believe that was two thousand and nine. She made the final three tables, ended up finishing in twenty seventh place there. Nowadays, she is the host of what is called the Wild Project podcast. She also coaches through Mento Poker. She's got a background in management communications. She turned pro after she had some
early success. She believes poker helps people improve decision making in life through logic and emotional control. So Leo Marguet's absolutely crushing it. I mean I remember back on day one, I'm pretty sure she bluffed a guy off two pairs.
He had ace ten.
I'm pretty sure that that was what he had, and it was an outrageous fold. It was a crazy bluff by her, and she could have I can't remember if she could have been out or it would have been severely crippled. Either way, if she gets called there, she's not going on this run, it changes everything. She ends up going on this run in absolutely positively chaotic hand today is great.
It was great. The entire poker world was just like like could not contain themselves.
Yeah, she gets it all in against I don't remember who it was against, Corddara Carrera, Yeah him, I think so. She has Jack's, he has ace king. They get it all in for what is like a sixty million chip pot. She does cover her opponent, yes, but I think she would have, Yeah, she would have. She would have crushed. She would have had, you know, a couple of big blinds after that, and the flop comes ace high, but
it has two clubs. She has the jack clubs. It comes club club and when that club hit on the river, the deuce of clubs, I mean it erupted in here, It erupted over there it erupted in Paris, like it was.
That was the moment when that happened. I mean I knew. I was like, she's making it.
Yeah, I said, fold to the phone and say, well, but she's making it like she's she's locked in. She had I think she had seventy million ships after that hand winning that pot, And that was the moment that changed history forever. It was simply freaking iconic, it really was. And you know she she's celebrating with the rail. I mean everyone in here knew what that moment meant. It was like, oh my gosh, it's actually gonna happen. But when that Ace hit Man was we all were like, again,
this is gonna get effed up again. I mean that was the feel because we've been so close so many times and then it just always comes crumbling down for whatever reason. And again we were like, of course in as and let flow, of course. But then the poker gods just came right in and they said, no, mother efforts, let's go club Club boom. We're giving it to Lao Margettes. So let's freaking go Leo Margettes. You are the first woman in the modern era to make the world series
of poker main events. What does that mean to you?
It's so angry that, I mean, I've been I don't know right now. Is really is a dream and you know they are. I'm so glad I'm turning with them. I mean it means so much. It's like how lucky I am to live this.
Tell me what the moment was like when you were with everybody on the rail, when that club arrives on the river.
That is I think the most incredible moment of my life.
All right. So that was Jeff talking to Leo Margaret.
I don't know if you heard Jeff there, but he said, she's the first woman in the modern era to make the WSP main event. Yeah, the first ever to play the main event, to make the main event. Like, she made it, She make the final table, she had, she just made the she just made the main event.
Is that a Is that a duck up for Jeff? Flat sounds like it is. I mean, that's that's a complete up. I don't know what that is.
We need to you know, this is only the biggest things, you know what you know he needs to happen, you know it needs to happen. The next Will Kasoof interview has to go to Jeff plattter sorry like it. Just like Natalie she she's now bumped off the rookies tire. Jeff is back into the rookie like, you know, you gotta like this. He gets emoted.
This is in twenty twenty eight when he's allowed back in.
Yeah, when Will Cassou is allowed back in, Jeff Flatt will do the first interview. That's what that's what needs to happen. Okay, because of that mess up, but you know it was in the moment.
I get it.
Not that big of a deal, but uh yeah, So congratulations to Leo Marguet's absolutely incredible story there for her to go on this run and become the first woman in thirty years. Again, that's since nineteen ninety five when Barbara Enright did it and when won that. What place did she finish in nineteen ninety five?
Who what was it? Dan Harrington? Yeah? I think she was fifth or six? Yeah? I want to stay fifth.
I want to go fifth too, looking out real quick, yes, you should finishing fifth place after her pocket eights were out drawn by.
A suit of the sixth thrtying Lucy Goosey back in nineteen ninety five. I mean, god knows how that hand play. Yeah, we need to find that hand history, maybe some pub go dot com. Sorry, fifth place, fifth place?
Yeah?
What did she get for fifth place? Do you know?
It's probably she probably like forty k back then something ridiculous.
Doesn't have the payouts on that bit.
I was looking out, kid, you just sort it, can I I don't like this WSV website.
Yeah, it's ridiculous. One hundred and forty. Oh wow, okay, all right. Next up we got Michael the Grinder, Miss Rocky. Now this this guy, I mean, I can't even explain to you.
This guy.
Well, early on in the day, was it like the it was like the first hand or something. I turned on the broadcast. He's just ripping like nineteen big blinds from under the gun with ace. Jack of course gets called by better. He's down to like three big blinds. I think it was like three point two big linds. He ends up spinning it all the way back up. He's like he's top what is he in chips?
Top three?
I don't like It's just the whole thing is just out of control. He just plays second in chips. He plays wild hands. He's just out there, he's doing his thing. He certainly has his own style. He's got a big rail behind him.
Of course, interesting right now, so I'm going to say.
Yeah, very interesting rail. We heard he's been doing some party and you know, pretty much every single night partying.
ND now we got invited, me and Jeff got invited to go to the grind this party with Jard Blessnik.
I can't even I mean I heard, I heard allegedly that he was partying till like nine thirty am.
Yep, on these days, I mean, just an absolute beast of a human.
You know, maybe how we talked about your run and then you were doing everything the same every day.
We were poking every day. This is every day. Yeah, this is it, same thing, every day. Bag party, bag party.
Get here, nine thirty, go to sleep, nine thirty, maybe arrived, you know, ten minutes.
It's unbelievable. This guy.
Of course, he won his fourth PPC title earlier this summer. Now he's let it be main event, final table. He's got more than nineteen million dollars in earnings ahead of this events. I mean, the grinder needs no freaking introduction. This is they They chant his real chance hall of Fame. I mean, you just they should honestly just put him in the Hall of fame.
The thing that a lot of people have said on social you know, Grinder wins the PBC, wins the main event, this is the greatest achievement in WSB history. He should automatically win Player of the Year. We've seen some tweeters's like, well you need five cashes. We've discussed how many cashes Grinder has. He has a lot, He'll like eleven or something. Yeah, and this is his twelfth cash. The guy that tweeted that I'm gonna call you out, Mike Norri, has significantly less cashes than Grinder.
I made sure he was aware of that.
But if he does win this, he will not be able to win Player of the Year unless he gets in another twenty does a little bit of multi table.
Well he's he's wild, you never know.
But yeah, this will put him to I believe, second place if he wins this, and obviously everyone around him, Sean Dee, Benny Glasser, Philsernheim, and they're all playing other events, so even that second place may not stay.
I just can't even comprehend and not only this, summer, but like the career grind her has head. I honestly can just can just not comprehend it at all. It's just it's wild shit, man, It's just is absolutely wild shit. And I kind of just feel like he's gonna win. I mean, I just I just do you know, It's just it feels like it's his time. He's got all the momentum. He looks like he's playing as free as humanly possible, not a care in the goddamn world about things.
So you know, yeah, he's got his rail behind him. He's I mean, at one point today when he went did you see when he went all in with Queen's and he like he like moved all in and stood up and like put both of his hands in the air like well, his opponents still had that. It was shades of Best Shack back in the day that hand with Brett Ritchie and Phil Helmy. Like he's like like like putting his hands up in the air, like he's conquered the world, yet his opponents haven't even like called
or done anything yet. It was just I mean, the whole and then he's like laying on He's laying on the floor out there at one point because like he's all in, Like the whole thing was just freaking wild man. It was just absolutely wild again. He was down to just over three big blinds when he lost that pot super early, and he spun it all the way back up. Just like I said, it's a beast of a human. You know, it's an incredible poker player. He's doing his thing out there. He also he's he does not back
down against anyone. He'll get in there with like very interesting hands that like a lot of people wouldn't play. He'll make big calls, big reads. He'll talk to you, he'll try and you know, talk you into a bloff, or he'll try and talk to you to get a read so he can make a big call. He's just
it's simply incredible theater to watch him. And I'm so happy he made the final table because the Grinder Show continues on for at least one more day, and that's gonna be tremendous entertainment when it happens and afterwards, Like with Leo Marget's, Jeff Platt caught up with Grinder while he was counting his chips right at the table afterwards, So let's hear that right now.
All right, he's sacking up his chips. He had a lot more than he had at one point in the day. I'm going to let him count it out. He's almost done. At one point, Michael ms Rocky was down to less than two million of chips. This is one of the more remarkable comebacks that we have seen in main event history.
How'd you do it, buddy? I don't know. I just waited for the right spots.
I never gave up. I just I just, you know, I just it was unbelievable. I mean, you got to get lucky at that point, but I got luck. You had an ace under the gun. I mean, just situations, running flushes of both of them.
You know.
I was only all in probably like this tournament made for my life probably three or four times, and that was it.
So that was pretty remarkable. Together.
You told us if you got a big stack it would be trouble for your opponent. How much trouble would be for them come this final table day.
But they're in a lot of trouble.
We've heard the grinder chain that's throughout well, well, this rail b like for the final table. The World Series of Poker main.
Event A lot louder than this. It's gonna we're.
Taking over, buddy, and it's gonna be all of us.
Multi time.
All right.
That was Jeff with grinder. Next up we got Braxton Dunaway aka be Done, who looked like he was gonna run away with this thing. I think he was up to around one hundred and twenty million in chips at one point today ended up finishing with I Believe ninety one. He is the winner of the twenty twenty three WSP Monster Stack. He won that for one million, one hundred and sixty thousand. He's got more than one point five million in live tournamentaries. He's a part time poke, but
he's not a full time player. He works in the oil and gas industry. He does UH sales and crane operations. He's a former scratch golfer. He looks like a golferes.
He remind you of Jake Daniels a little bit.
The look and then now you're throw in the golf the Texas you know the fact that he's from Texas.
I just get it very I mean a little bit.
See if Jack Daniels a name, he I mean, he just he looks exactly like what I just described somebody who works in oil and gas and is a scratch golfer. I mean, that's that's exactly what he looks like to me. Plays a little poker on the side, all good. He says that he relies heavily on live reads, and he advises that others stay present and have fun. He's a regular at Kojack's Poker Club in Midland, Texas. Believe they had some virtual rails watch parties and stuff going on
down there, so I'm sure they're getting routy. Maybe they're coming out, who knows they got. There's a day off for all these players, so likely going to get the rails a little bit roudier as they get some family and friends out here. A big sports fanatic is Braxton Dunaway. Believe he's a fan of the Oklahoma Sooners if I'm correct, and also some high school football, which you would expect being from Texas. But Braction's on a way been playing
extremely well. I think he's another like he's he's a little bit more like fine tuned than Grinder is. But they both kind of play like a very like live poker exploit type of style, right, They're not. I don't think they're like super theory guys. Yeah, so I like that there's a bit of a rawness to them, right, I mean Grinder is one thousand percent raw.
I mean then that.
Guy's just he's a gorilla, Like it's just what he is. I know Jesse Lonis is the gorilla, but I think Grinder is the real girl, the real gorillayeah. So yeah, but Braxton's on away. He's got some game, he's got some skills, He's got some different tricks up his sleeve. He's also very fun to watch. It go ahead real.
Quick on Braxton Way. He came up to me a few days ago and he was like, he that guy that wizz those like jackets. Are like yeah, yeah, he asked me. He's like, you know, can I borrow one of those? If I make the final table. I'm like, yeah, I mean it's hot up there, but you can borrow one if you want. He's okay, yeah, so if I make it, I go when you make it, ok when you make it, you can borrow one. He goes, Okay,
when I make it. This was like day six, and then he started telling us a story about he was in an uber ride back to He's like Airbnb or hotel. He see, I was in the uber ride the guy, you know, the guy was asking me about pokers, like you just play poker? Because yeah, how you doing? You know, Brax was had a lot of chips. He's like, yeah, I'm doing okay. I'm doing okay because yeah, I used to play poker too. Right, you're an uber driver in Vegas. That's most likely why one time played poker.
Right.
Then he goes the uber driver goes, yeah, I have a bracelet, and Brax was like trying to figure out who it is. He goes yeah, he goes, yeah, my name's Toto Total Leonidis. Oh my, and then he was telling Leonita, so yeah, he was telling Then he told Braxon a story about how he tried to get steaked by phil Ivey. He tried to ask him for some money. Phil just gave him like a flag and like kind of shoot him off, like I don't want anything to do with you.
Just take the money and go sounds like we should be asking phil Ivey for steaking if he's just gonna throw us flags, tell us the good.
I mean, there's no risks. You should just literally ask everyone. They might give you something.
But very true.
Yeah, he's he's a super nice guy, souping down to super Humble. I interviewed him when he won. He's month stack. We've been chatting on brakes and stuff during during this, you know, the last few days, and yeah, really really nice.
Uh gentleman, he is.
If you had to borrow money today, Yeah, how much money you think you could borrow?
I'm not talking like I can ask anyone in the world. Yeah, yeah, sure, what's a fall? Like I just make up a lie. You can make up whatever you want. I don't know. I think I could get at least a millie. Yeah.
I was thinking like the same, Like he's the five hundred k, Like I could like go, I feel like I could go around here and like get it easily.
Yeah. Yeah, Like we know. I think we got good I think make a good SOB story. Yeah.
I don't even think you need a stop store. I think we got good enough reputations that we could make. I think have reputations outstanding. Yeah, that's what I mean. Like, you know, like if we could just start which is just our walking around just you know, and then we'll go to go to Mexico have funny me we put it.
On black bro put it on my black.
Okay, when we loaded on a number at least no black just I just need to get the two mil, I get the mail back, I get that meal to play.
Come on, craziness, you might have how any sathpoint not ley buyings I get with a million dollars?
Kenny Hollard back at the final table once again. Twenty sixteen ws Bemanim and he got six plays for one point four to six million dollars. He's got almost six million in total earnings ahead of this event. He's going to add another million to that at least. He is a Poker Stars Live Events advisor, longtime tournament director across Europe. He's got well over one hundreds of p cashes he's created.
He's the creator of the SPACEFCB Google sheet or Google doc, which tracks all the It was a it was a whole giant schedule laid out, but all like in one place, of all the tournaments in Las Vegas. I know some others have kind of spawned off of that, but spacey FCB was the og one as far as I'm concerned. He's a passionate foodie, a traveler, cyclist, and he's he's back.
He had, he had a lot more tips. He was a chip leader the past two days, I believe, and then today yeah, and I mean he's kind of fallen back, but you know, still extremely healthy, you know, not the chip lead, but Kenny's been absolutely freaking crushing it. And I'm sure you know, like someone like him of course, like Grinder as well, having done this dance before, that has to be so big like that, that experience, you know what to expect, you know what to go it
into it. You know it's going to be like you know, iking it too. Like Tom Brady and the Patriots, they used to always talk about how they know what the super Bowl is going to be like because it's just so different, you know, like the game is much longer, halftime is a little bit longer, like the pregame is longer, all this sort of stuff.
Right, you have all these other extra things.
In addition to just the game. It's not just a regular game. So you know, maybe under those bright lights with all the hooplah, the cameras, the production, all this sort of stuff that happens with the final table and some of these other players not having experienced, you know, that level of spectacle, but Kenny Hollard has, Michael Mczrocky has and I believe they were both at the Final Table when it was at the Rio and the pent and Teller Theater, which was even more crazy, right because
you're up on the stage in front of everyone. There's that huge wall of fans that are everyone's got a section. I mean, the whole thing was just bananas here. Yes, the crowd is like right on top of you and very loud and boisterous and whatever, but it's still smaller amount of people. It's not as much as it was over at the pent Andellar Theater. And I missed the Pental Theater for this thing. I really really do. Luka Padjokovic thirty seven year old doctor, interesting Serbian doctor, but
he lives in Vienna. He's got more than seven hundred k and earning's ahead of this one, so more than doubling it by making this final table. He Final Table doubas AP Europe main event. Well last year I got eighth for one hundred and thirty four thousand dollars. He began playing poker in high school. Daily routines including meditation, the gym stretching as as I think I would expect
from a doctor, a man of health. He expects strong support from his poker crew that are flying in for the final table, so they are sounds like they are on their way. He did have a loud crew already. I wonder if that's all of them, If there are more there are, there are reinforcements coming. But he, I believe, had one of the larger rails.
It was him. Grinders was very loud.
Leo Margetts's was loud, but like not like chanting loud. Djokovic's were chanting. Ms Rockies were chanting.
Okay.
Then we got Adam Hendrix, the iceman, thirty two year old poker pro originally from Alaska. Where does he live now? Does he live here or does believe well? Because all of his bio stuff kept saying that he lives in Virginia, and I was like, I thought he did.
He moves here. Yeah, yeah, that's what I thought too.
More than eight million dollars in career tournament arnings, five career PGT wins. He's a regular in the studio, so for those of us PGT heads, you know, he's he's kind of the hometown here.
He may have the most experience under this this kind
of setting the bright lights is what I mean. I'm not talking about obviously playing for you know, ten million dollars, but you know, even compared to Grinder, who's made obviously a lot of final tables here at the World Series of Poker, Adam Henry spent a lot of time in the studio playing a lot of high rollers, you know, and obviously not just the shar but around the world where he is on these final tables and these feature tables, and he's really been you know that those lights they're
not easy to battle under right, because they're in your face. It's hot if you've got to make decisions while also you know, dealing with those kind of elements. So he may have that advantage over even you know, slightly over Grinder and Kenny.
He traveled around when he was younger, lived in Scotland to Egypt, Alaska, all to his due to his father working in the oil industry. He was a belief, a former software engineer who then left that to become a poker pro.
I believe that's how it went.
He's again, he's been in the studio for all of our events, whether it's hold him or PLO doesn't play the mixed game stuff, but plays all the other stuff.
He's in there for every single series.
Grinding also travels the circuit pretty regularly wpts and whatnot. So Adam Hendricks is, you know, he's like the well known pro. I mean, obviously Grinder's the well known pro, but Grinder kind of transcends just being like a well known pro. You know, he's like the big star, Whereas you know, Adam Hendricks is just that experienced pro. And I would not be surprised in the slightest if he's able to come back. He's kind of on the shorter
side of chips. If he's able to come back and win this thing, I would be very curious to see, because he did recently take the Triton.
I believe like he went over and played.
Yeah, So like, depending on what sort of score he gets here, is he become a regular and tritoned? Does he plays super high roll you know that sort of stuff? Do we see Like if he wins ten million dollars, do you think he plays super high roleable? I mean, he's played with a lot of those guys. It's not like he's likeam his element.
You know, I spent a lot of time with that him outside of obviously of this setting. You know, we play basketball together and soccer and some other sports, and I think he's pretty level headed, pretty humble guy. I don't see him dropping three hundred K in an event like that on a regular basis. Now, if an event has the value he sees that, you know, maybe the Trent And Invitational Paradise is a good spot to take a shot due to the field, then I would see
him definitely doing that. But I think this this breed of pros coming up, like the crew that rolls with Hendrix are pretty smart and pretty value driven when it comes to picking their you know, picking their spots because you know what you're going to see Adam Hendrix in a twenty five K, You're probably also going to see him an eight.
Hundred dollars buying tournament at the win.
So a lot of these guys are like that, and I don't see him gone crazy and dusting off you know, all.
This money day.
Young Lee began playing poker in twenty twenty one, so he's like he's the rookie. He's, as far as I'm concerned, does have one hundred and forty eight K in live tournament aarings ahead of this one five five figure scores. His best result was at the ws AP he cashed in a twenty twenty five three K no limit events so earlier this summer. He has three career disopy cashes, making his fourth. It says that he's planning to donate
winnings to improve poker in South Korea. Now, I don't know if that's like all the winnings, some of the winnings, but still an honorable cause there. He's the new kid on the block. I don't know much about him, you know, other than kind of what his bio says. You know, he's obviously seems like he's been playing pretty solid. I don't recall really seeing him too involved in the streams. I've watched a lot of the coverage for the past couple of days. I don't think he's been, you know,
totally active. But that's kind of good when you can kind of just fly under the radar.
This is me table.
He's definitely you know, we don't really like to root specifically for players, you know, being on the media side, I feel like we always tend to root for storylines or we root for the industry as a whole, and he kind of fits that that industry one. You know, we talked about what is the best result for poker to grow, to grow the game, it's it's probably a woman winning, you know, is it someone from Japan or South Korea or you know, back in the day we
were sharing for like South Americans, et cetera. So you know, that's the storyline that kind of follows him, especially if he's going to reinvest potentially some or all of this ten million dollars into the poker ecosystem in South Korea. You know, we you've talked often about the Japanese players this series are just kind of taking over. Well, you know, what does this lead to the you know, what's the
ripple effects? Say twenty twenty eight, twenty twenty nine, are we going to see a whole wave of you know, South Korean players flooding the WSP and kind of taking over and.
Then rounding out the table. We have Jared Minguiney, a poker player from West Virginia. He has around one million in earnings, five WSP circuit rings. That's pretty good. He does reside in Lake Tahoe. Adrenaline junkie loves snowboarding, surfing, and dirt biking. He was trying to qualify for the Olympics, I believe for snowboarding, but then an injury derailed that. After the injury, which I believe ended his career as it pertained to professional sports and snowboarding, he turned into poker.
He got seriously into poker, and now here he is on poker's the vegest stage. He wants to honor his late brother's memory through his poker success. He likes staying focused, present and hungry at the table, and his routine includes fresh air and mental clarity. So that is rounding out the found taine. But you got the chip counts, Yeah, in like in order. Obviously John Wasnaki is the chip leader.
Believe he has one hundred and eight million. Why don't you give it to us from number one to number nine?
Yeah, as you mentioned, John does have a only player with over one hundred million, one hundred and eight million, one hundred That is good for a total of sixty eight big blinds.
They're going to be playing still eight hundred thousand, one point six million.
Yeah, about another hour, I think.
Then basically got Michael Mizrahi Braxten done away pretty closely grouped. Ninety three million for the Grinder, ninety one point nine for Braxton. That's basically fifty eight and fifty seven big blinds. Little drop here, Kenny Hallett eighty million, five hundred thousands, fifty bigs. And then this is where we really sink down. We got Leo Marjett's she's in fifth place fifty three point four, Luka Bojovik fifty one million, Adam Hendrix seventh
plays forty eight million. So those three client, you know, tightly group and then we're looking at Da Hung Lei th four point nine and Jadmin Jeanie twenty three point six. So I would expect to see, you know, those those middle stacks Leo, Luca and Ada and Adam really just kind of waiting out looking at that ice, him trying to lighter up a few spots while you know, John and especially Grinder and especially Braxton probably going to try
and pressure everyone else. The problem here for Braxton is his position is he see at the table, Remember he's see three. He got John and Grinder on his immediate left, so he's raising into the bigger stacks he's going to have a really tough spot, you know, to try and chip up. He may have to kind of stick around and play a little little bit more snug.
I think we're going to see a big part early between Braxton Dunoy and Michael mcsrocky.
That's what I think we're gonna say. Really, Okay, I don't think.
Those guys give a shit. Grinder definitely doesn't. Braxton though it's a big moment, there's a big spot for him. He may but hey, this ten million dollars up top. I understand, I understand, h but I don't know.
I feel like I feel like the those who are going to tangle and it's gonna be a big clash, and that's what we're gonna see that, Like, that's gonna be kind of the early like story from this final table.
So I think, you know, I think we may see Adam Hendrix go one of two ways. I think he may say, hey, I'm better, I'm the best player here. I'm going to take the spots with I think it's the spot or do we see him, you know, I sit around.
I think he's gonna go. Really, I think he sits back. Adam Hendricks yeah.
And then if you're Jared mn Jeanie, you got fifteen bigs, you showed a stack, you got a million dollars in the pocket. That's a lot of ski passes up in like Tahoe. You know, you may just say whatever. I'm kind of free willing. Now, maybe I'll find the A six off suit and just get it in. Maybe, but I don't think he's going to do that with the ACE six off suit. Okay, So we had twenty four
players that came back. We lost Richard Fritez first, Sebastian Schultz after him in twenty third, Stephan Nemtz in twenty second, Thomas Schwartzburg in twenty first, Schwarzburg twenty first. This year thirtieth, last year amazing. Twenty first. This year was three hundred and sixty K. Thirtieth, last year was three hundred K. So incredible back to back runs for Tomas Schwarzburg. Chris Dombrowski twentieth place, Diego Palons nineteenth, Muhammed Parati eighteenth, Daniel
Ecan probably butchered that last name. I'm sorry, Daniel seventeenth, Serjio Veloso sixteenth, Latar Guero the Plo God fifteenth, Reuben Carrera fourteenth, Maxim Pisarenko thirteenth, Joe Ozamauk twelfth, the legendary Tony Greg eleventh, and then Joey Pedrone. We already talked about him tenth, not Josh, by the way, Joey. Yeah, Tony Greg did well, obviously, the legendary player. Doesn't play poker as often as he once did, but looks like
he hasn't lost a single step. Comes out here, finishes eleventh, collects seven hundred and fifteen thousand dollars. What else on the on the main event?
What else you want to talk about? What else you got?
Like?
What are your what are your thoughts? What are your takes? What's your I don't know, tell me something.
I think this is the best fountain we've had in a long, long time. And what I mean by that it's got It's got kind of everything we always want. We've got five countries represented. Okay, Tack, well, I'm not there and that's what I wanted.
Well shout that. Yeah, I would have wanted that too. But let's let's be real. We have a woman.
It's been as you mentioned, this is the storyline. It's been way too long. That box is ticked. We have not just a notable name, we have multiple notable names. We obviously got Grinder, you know, seven time Bracele.
Winner Grinder, Grinder Grinder, Adam Hendrix another notable name.
Obviously you don't need more wristbands for Grinder's reel.
Yeah they're not.
Yeah, we can talk about that too. Kenny Hallett been there before, you know, obviously a big name in Europe. He's been around poker a long time. We've got who's the lugger that finished second? Come on the ivy, Come on.
Now, you made me blank on it. Everyone out there is yelling everyone Richard for sure. Okay, but we have John, John warn Moon, Dovin Moon. I'm not saying John Wisnock is terrible poker, but I'm saying we have the older gentleman that kind of doesn't belong.
He's got chips. What do you mean he doesn't belong?
No, I'm saying we're looking at these We got big names. You know what, You're right, that's McCarthy out there. Come on, man, you're right. But like we got that storyline, we got the South Korean you know, we want that that that country that where we can have poker boom and we have a bit of everything. We've got the sad this you know, a little bit of a sad story with Jared and he and his brother. We have this final title does everything. It's it's beautiful.
Yeah, I mean it is a really good found table. I think probably slotting in Tony Greg, you know, probably would have made it a little bit better. But either way, it does have a bit of everything. I think just getting Miss Rocky and Margetts there is enough to make this really really really compelling and draw in people that are kind of on the fringe of poker.
You know.
Miss Rocky just has those you know, he'll bring in the people that are talking about the nostalgia strings, you know, who are thinking of like the old stars of the game because Miss Rocky, you know, during the Poker Room was one of the biggest stars, if not the biggest for a time. And then obviously, you know, we talked about it every single year, like is a woman going to make it?
Is a woman going to make it? Is a woman going to make it?
Well, finally we have it, So let's see what that ultimately does for the game. I can only imagine that it does positive things. So we'll see how those things play out. I think the best result, like entertainment wise, headlines, pr whatever is probably miss Rocky versus Marget's heads up. But you know, there's obviously a lot of storylines, and I'm just excited to watch it all play out. I'm also I was very much enjoying the coverage today without
look soof. I thought it was great, really enjoyed Jeff and Brent souf at this table. Oh my god, it would have been great. Now No, I'm happy it's I'm happy he's he's gone. Jeff and Brent were great. Nick and Ali were incredible. Still thinking Nick is just gonna punch Ali at some point. Can't wait for that to happen. What's the plan for the uh streaming for this sort of stuff?
All right, guys taking a day off, so going to do some interviews? Why go do some interviews?
Playing guys? I thought this was a game of endurance. Give him some sleep, but playing for ten million dollars.
Tuesday July fifteenth, three pm Pacific, six pm easton final table begins.
I'm good dot com?
Now is there a plan for like stop at three stop at four or is it kind of just see.
How it's a very see how it goes. But I would say some where around that three or four players will stop. Will kind of be how quick it gets down to three? Looking at these chip stacks, I think it smells like we're going to get down to three and then they'll come back the next day, same time, same place, try and conclude that final table, play down to the winner. So it's kind of the streaming plans. Now, if you're in town, well, come on, there's two big
screens with the live feeding off today. Yeah, there was chairs as a bar here. The atmosphere is awesome. If you want to go into the stage, though, you've got no chance. These players and they get eight wristbands. Now you said, Luka Pujoviks bringing a whole plane from Serbia.
I mean that's what it's Okay, he's got eight. He's only like eight people back. That's gonna be.
Pretty I don't I don't understand why it's only you.
Know, why they say, okay, I'm going to let me do some master requid. It's ridiculous.
Each person needs to be allowed like thirty, there's seventy two seats up there. Why are there only seventy two seats?
Again? Bring me back to the Pentinellar theater. You need to be aild a big sage. Seventy two seats? Can we do this? Isn't there a theater divided by nine? Is seventy two? Nine players? Is heat? Yeah? There you go? Yah? But isn't there a theater here? Did you believe theater? Yeah?
Yeah, that's actually pretty nice there. Yeah, we could do it. There should maybe the set? Should we carry the set over?
Right?
Yeah? Piece by piece will do it right now? No, but I mean it just seems like, you.
Know, that's the main reason, right, they have a set. We can't just relocate it overnight.
Now.
The difference with Penn and Teller is what four months, wait, three months wait or something, Right, we can dismountle the set and move it. So that's just a different time, different way of production.
And you know, I just feel, yeah, I just I just don't like how people on these rails get shut out.
The way the way you could actually do it is you build two sets. You have this set, then you build a final table set. That's the best way to do it.
Yeah, I mean I think you could just allow more people in there.
It is five hazard and I guess we'll get from million fine, millions and millions of dollars.
So that's why it's their rules, not ours.
I understand you at me. Yes, we would let we'd let the flub gates open, let everybody in there. Bot when we don't have to pay those fines coming out of ass salary.
Everyone's guaranteed one million dollars. The next two pay jumps are worth a quarter of a million dollars each, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars one point two five million for eighth, one point five million for seventh. Then the pay jumps start to get a little bit larger. You go up to one point nine million, so a pay
jump of four hundred k from seventh to sixth. From sixth to fifth you jump five hundred k, and then from fifth to fourth you jump six hundred k. And you get up to three million dollars for fourth place, and it's three million for fourth, it's four million for third, it's six million per second, and then of course first place ten million dollars. The wspre Maion Event final table is set. Layo mar Getz, the first woman in thirty
years to make it. Michael Msrocky is trying to do the absolutely positively unthinkable and win this damn thing after all he's done in his career. Tuesday on Poker. You guys can watch it live. It's gonna be I mean, I'm gonna be glued to it. I'm gonna be here, yes, but I'm also gonna be glued to it yea. I mean, you know, I'm gonna be doing both the same things. I just love watching the broadcast. Well, you know, while I'm here, I don't want to miss a single thing
that those guys say. We got Nick Wright joining the booth, which is gonna be tremendous, So I'm very much looking forward to that. And uh yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun. As always, Tim and I will be breaking it down every single day, so be sure to stay tuned.
We're not done here yet.
We got to wrap up the rest of everything that's going on here at the twenty twenty five World Series of Poker.
So what do we got? Seven events today?
Oh?
My seven more? It's so many three winners. Let's go through the winners real quickly.
So many three thousand mid stakes Championship that was won by Ian O'Hara. First bracelet took home one point one point eight nine million dollars. Joshua Boulton. He won the Poker Hall of Fame Bounty three hundred eleven k. Ray Yutado Suzuki claimed he's second bracelet a toss event, first
ever toss event. That's horse get rid of the hold him I do a seven triple draw two hundred and seventy three k. He beat Toby Lewis heads up previous November November previous WSP Final tableist of course enough colose enough the Lucky Sevens is down to eight players and in the Hunt by the Bracelet. Patrick pads Landon he's won of shot stacks, but he's still in the hunt.
Big Blinds fourteen Big blinds from pad.
Nicola Brashi chip leader seventy three point eight PGT winner Alan schen He is second in chips. So they are playing for the massive seven seven seven, seven hundred and seventy seven dollars first prize price. Three other events to go, the ten K six Max Championship. Jacob Eagle leads. They got five hundred and forty six entrance. There's only twenty
seven left, nine hundred and eighty. See this is where you want a round up, nine hundred and eighty six thousand, three hundred and thirty seven dollars the first bump that up to a nice clean millie. Some players still in the hunt Leonard mau, Eric Wasserson, Isaac Kempton, Mike Watson, Daniel n'grano, Sam several.
Twenty seven. Okay, yeah, moving on.
Eight hundred do deep sec day one today whatever were We weren't touching that til tomorrow. But they had twenty eight hundred players three k pels Sorry, that's the eight hundred deepsack, the one that I said we should play, and then you're like, no chance in hell.
They made the money though today I believe I think they should have.
Yes, yeah, yeah, four hundred and twenty yeah uh and the final event three k pelo six Max Josh Ledeen's Lead's that. That's also day one day in one thousand and eighty eight players down to one ninety eight, so a lot of stuff going on. Didn't really feel like
that because this room was fairly empty. But on the day off Monday, July fourteenth, we're gonna have two more events beginning, we're gonna have the fifteen hundred closer Day one A, we're gonna have the twenty five k horse high Roller, and then after that there's just two more events five k to them and hold them one K Turbo the most importantly WSP main event, Finyl Table.
I mean, that's really the only thing that matters. I know it's not, but it's the it's the priority. Of course, it's in the top of our minds. Again, I can't freaking wait for this one to play out.
You got a.
Prediction, early prediction on who you think is gonna win. It's hard to go past grinder, Bet.
I mean I feel the same way. I mean, he just looks like he's feeling it. Yeah, absolutely feeling it.
I really need to know if if I can get told that he was at the place that he was going to night until nine thirty am, then he's gonna win. But if he backs out early, he goes home, goes to bed.
And like six, tries to switch it up, tries to like, don't come back to normal. Know you wanted to just be starting.
He's doing espresso Mountaine's at the bar right here. He needs to keep doing that. If he keeps doing that, he's going to win. If he tries to be all like normal, no chance, he's dead. He's dead in fourth.
Yeah, I think I I think I kind of feel the same way, to be honest, you know, he just needs to keep whatever the hell is working, Just just keep doing the doing Rinder. Seems like that's what's clicking, that's what's got you done. I feel like it's going to be a hard time for anyone to be Grinder. But of course, you know, kind of anything can happen in this thing. We know how good some of these
other players are even just getting to this point. I think everyone is a very capable player, and I wouldn't be surprised if.
Any of them won.
That said, it just to me, it just feels like Grinder is playing the most free and we obviously know how good he is when he's in that sort of state of mind, you know, and that builds into things like making big calls, reading opponents, talking them into things like whatever. So I don't know, I feel like he's
going to be a handful. That said, you know, there could be some sort of like i'll say, blow up, not in this like maybe more of like a mistake, a bad play, a punt or whatever like, that's certainly something that Grinder could fall into, right. I'm also interested to see how Leo Marguetz comes out of the gate. I'm I can't imagine you don't feel the pressure of being the first woman in thirty years to make the main of n fil table. I'm talking about like today,
as you're playing down and you're getting so close. I mean, everyone's human, like, so I'm sure you have to feel that at some point right now, does that pressure continue into the final table? You know, well one if it even was there, or you know, does she feel pressure at the final table thinking like, Okay, I can't just make it, I need to like perform, Like how much of that how much of a let.
Down would be if she busted first? I don't think there is any she made it. No, I've been waiting for her to get there.
I understand, But I'm not saying it's It's necessarily not what we think. It's it's how she feels. I think she is hoping, like I think she's just wanting to get to fifth. She wants to tie it tie. So then if you say that, then that means that she might feel pressure.
You saying, I think she does feel pressure. I don't think she should feel pressure. I think she's made it, and that is the achievement we've been waiting for since nineteen ninety five. And I don't think she's going to lose any respect or anything from anybody that you know, if she I say, flame out, but not really, but she busts in ninth. I don't think the storyline is like lay on my jets, missus opportunity. It's going to be,
you know, the storyline is still the same. She made the final table first time since Barbara, and right, you can't take that away from her, No, I.
Agree with you.
I'm just trying to, you know, think about how she might feel going into it and if that would affect her play at all. You know, I already mentioned I think Braction Dunaway and Michael mis Rocky are gonna probably clash early. I just feel like their styles, Like, I don't feel like these guys are ones to back down
from one another. I mean, they played a pretty crazy hand today with they both had King four and they were not in the blinds, So I mean, like, I just don't think these two are one to back down. They're gonna play as they see fit. They're gonna get aggressive, they're going to put the pressure on, and you know, it's kind of like a game of Chicken between those two.
So I'm looking forward to that somewhat early.
Like I wouldn't be surprised if they just play some sort of like fifty million ship pot kind of like right out of the gate, while you know, Jared mcguinea is over there sitting like, yeah, guys, just get grown nuts please, you know, because I could maybe collected turn fifty Kate pay jump. I think Adam Hendricks is just gonna really pick his spots. Like I think he obviously understands the moment, he understands the pay jumped. He's well experienced,
he's well eclipped for this sort of thing. Like you know, I don't think there's any sort of reason for Adam Hendricks to take any unnecessary risks. I think he's gonna I think he's gonna try and maneuver, is how I would say. I have no idea what to expect from the chip leader, you know, just because we don't know him, and I know he rose to the Chip lead, but he didn't seem like he was like overly aggressive throughout. So I think I think Wa Wasnack is just gonna
be pretty solid. I would expect Kenny to be solid as well. So so yeah, I mean, I'm just I'm looking forward to it all. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun. But my big thing is I think we see a clash early between Braxton Dunaway and michaelms Rocky. That's my kind of big prediction that I'm sticking with.
But you got any community cards?
Do not?
Did you meet a Ryan who's a teacher from California? I mean probably, well, I believe I met him today and shout out to him playing the closer.
Do you get a hat?
No?
But he didn't ask for one, So I didn't give him.
Off an ask because I think I don't think people think that we were out. So I'm like, hey, do you want a hot Oh?
I thought you're out. Yeah, I'll take one. You know, I don't ask. Well, he can always come and get one. That's it. You're good. We're fighting tomorrow. We're going to take the day off.
Hell no, we're not taking the day off. Plus there's nine thousand other events going on we'll have somebody to talk about.
I think we should wrap up the World.
Series maybe, but the World Series is no over, so I don't know what else are we gonna do it. I don't know we can talk about all the other events, all right, So so it's good, all right, Well this episode is done. I'll tell you guys that much.
We need to go home. He's him Duckworth.
I'm Donnie Peters, and we will talk to you guys next time, don't you.
Jay expands
A