WSOP main event Day 4 recap: McKeehan leads

July 12, 2015

Day 4 of the 2015 World Series of Poker main event meant the end of the line for 424 players and their dreams of winning the $7.6 million prize for first place. But as those poor souls hit the payout desk to get their cash, another group of players emerged at the top of the chip counts, including two players who’ve already won WSOP bracelets this summer.

Joe McKeehan finished Day 4 with 3,122,000 and the overall chip lead. Right behind him is Upeshka De Silva with 3,067,000. Two weeks ago, De Silva beat a 1,655-player field to win the first bracelet of the summer, and now he’s making a deep run in the biggest tournament of the year for a shot at a second. Something he sort of predicted.

“Before I started this summer, we got a house, and I was telling all my friends ‘I’m winning two bracelets’ and they’re like, ‘You should probably win one before you say that,’ and I said, ‘No, two.' So, we’ll see,” said De Silva.

Erasmus Morfe is third, but it’s the name right behind him that has been near the top of the chip counts in multiple events this summer, including the two that he won. Brian Hastings, with wins in a $10,000 and a $1,500 event already, finished with 2,464,000.

That might be the nuts and bolts reality of what happened, but it undersells some of the dramatic confrontations along the way as some of the biggest names in poker were sent packing -- including one 14-time bracelet winner.

There was a 45-minute span in the middle of the day that will most likely make up the bulk of one broadcast when episodes begin to air on ESPN in August. First, Phil Laak was eliminated by Christian Harder, and then the real fireworks began on the ESPN main stage when Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu tangled.

Hellmuth raised to 20,000, Lance Harris called before Negreanu three-bet to 56,000. Hellmuth responded by moving all-in for 295,000 total; Harris folded and Negreanu called. Hellmuth turned over Qs-Qh and was racing against the Ac-Kc of Negreanu. The Ks-9h-3s flop put Negreanu ahead and he stayed ahead after the Jc turn and 5c river to eliminate Hellmuth in 417th for $21,786.

Negreanu took to Twitter as soon as the hand was done and gave props to the 14-time bracelet winner.

This marks Hellmuth’s 115th WSOP cash, with eight of them coming in the main event. It caps off another successful summer for Hellmuth in which he cashed six times, made two final tables and, most importantly for Hellmuth, won his 14th bracelet.

“It’s a success. Any year you win a bracelet, and it’s not over yet, I’m playing the WSOP National Championship in North Carolina and then I’m going to play [WSOP] Europe," said Hellmuth. “I just felt like I played near my absolute best and had I run at my best, I might have won four bracelets or something crazy. It felt like the cards weren’t there, that’s all.”

Hellmuth’s tournament was over, but that doesn’t mean he went home to drown his sorrows. Hellmuth stuck around to sweat and coach long-time friend Mark Kroon, who was one of the bigger stacks at varying points of the day. Kroon has cashed twice in the main event, but this marks his best outing yet.

"It's unbelievable -- a lot of people don't get second and third chances. Last time I was in this position, I imploded my chips on Day 3. And to have somebody like Phil Hellmuth in my corner, it's fantastic," said Kroon. "He came down after busting today. He just texted me and said, 'Hey ho, you want me to come down and give you some advice?' He's here sweating me, and I mean, who gets that? He's the best poker player in the world, and here he is hanging out, and he actually helped me with a couple of tough situations today."

Negreanu spent the entire day at the ESPN feature table and managed to finish with 1,335,000, up from the 444,000 he started the day with.

Small Blinds: Only one former main event champ is still alive. Jim Bechtel, who beat out 220 players to win the 1993 title, bagged up 1,125,000 in chips. ... There are five women left in the tournament: Kelly Minkin (1,289,000), Susie Zhao (846,000), Sara Hall (725,000) Diana Svensk (580,000) and Lily Newhouse (440,000). ... William Wachter, a 94-year-old from Mahopac, New York, started the day off with the “shuffle up and deal” honors but was eliminated in 524th place, earning $19,500. He became the oldest player to ever cash in the main event.