Chan Out, Mizachi on the Rise at WSOP Main Event

The shocking elimination of Johnny Chan punctuated Day Six of the World Series of Poker’s Main Event, which resulted in the field being cut to just 78 heading into Friday’s Day Seven. All remaining players are guaranteed to win at least $94,942. It took nine hours of play to cut the field from 205 down to 78.

Chan’s day ended relatively early, especially considering that he found himself in the top 10 of the chip counts heading into Day Six. Unfortunately, Chan found himself dealt pocket kings against Robert Pisano’s pocket aces, which led to a major confrontation that predictably went Pisano’s way. An hour later, Chan was eliminated in 156^th place when he ran into aces again, this time with pocket jacks.

But that elimination didn’t spell the end of the big names fighting for the $8.94 million first prize. The new chip leader is professional poker player Theo Jorgensen, from Copenhagen, Denmark. Jorgensen has approximately 9.3 million chips, almost two million more than the next closest player. Jorgensen is better known in Europe, where he has made two EPT final tables. His career tournament earnings are nearly $1.5 million.

However, it’s that second place player who is earning the most buzz on the tournament floor at the moment. With over 7.5 million chips, Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi is right on Jorgensen’s tail, and is the most recognizable name still in the hunt. Mizrachi also has something else to play for: if he can win the Main Event, he’ll tie Frank Kassela for this year’s WSOP Player of the Year award.

While not as dramatic as Chan’s ouster, several other notable players were eliminated on Day Six. Breeze Zuckerman, the final woman in the field, was eliminated in 121^st place. Robert Mizrachi – at one point, the Mizrachi brother with the most imposing stack – bowed out soon after in 116^th place. Other notables saying goodbye included Jesper Hougaard (106^th) and Tomer Berda (120^th).

There are now just two days of play remaining until the “November Nine” is reached. Today, the tournament will play down to 27 players, and on Saturday, the final nine will be determined. Currently, the average stack size is just over 2.8 million chips; the first level on Friday will feature blinds of 25,000-50,000, with a 5,000 ante.