2016 World Series of Poker Daily Update: Mercier Vies for #3, Moore Supersizes His Seniors Win

June 22nd, 2016 | by Greg Shaun

The drama at the World Series of Poker 2016 continues. A few days ago, it appeared that the now-infamous side bet between Vanessa Selbst and Jason Mercier on whether or not he could take down three Series bracelets this summer had been put to bed. But subsequent Tweets posted on June 18 appear to contradict that, and now, we are more confused than ever.

Jason Mercier Vanessa Selbst WSOP 2016 prop bet

The world’s most confusing prop bet continues between Jason Mercier and Vanessa Selbst at this year’s World Series of Poker. (Image: pokernews.com)

Because it now looks like La Selbst could lose her shirt without having any chance of making enough to buy a new wardrobe should she win.

To get you up to speed in case you’ve missed the Prop Bet Soap Opera of the Century, Selbst bet Mercier, pre-Series and seemingly under the influence of liquid courage, $10,000 at 180-1 odds that he couldn’t win three bracelets this summer.

When Jason Mercier captured two bracelets in rapid succession, her Tweets seemed to indicate that the bet had been settled for an undisclosed amount. But subsequent Tweets from Selbst contradict that, as it now appears she has simply made some side bets on her side bet to hedge her original bet.

We don’t claim to be the world’s smartest prop bettors, but we can’t really figure out the advantage she has with any of this. But take a look at the Tweet series and decide for yourself.

High finance or finance while high? We’re more confused than ever by Vanessa Selbst’s thought process in the ongoing prop bet with Jason Mercier about whether or not he can win three WSOP bracelets this year. (Image: Twitter)

On Tuesday, Mercier was making another deep run, as he was one of the 16 players returning to action in Event #32: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low 8 of Better Championship.

Unfortunately for him (and no doubt much to the delight of Selbst) Mercier came up short, finishing in eighth place for $39,269. Still, the finish gave Mercier coveted Player of the Year points, which extended his lead to 1,195.98 points, well ahead of second place Ryan Laplante’s 933.28.

While the original plan was to play down to a winner from the 163-player field, a fourth day was added to the schedule, as play continued well into the morning hours. Among the three players still vying for the $407,194 prize are chip leader Benny Glaser (3.225 million), Doug Lorgeree (3.095 million), and Matt Glantz (1.85 million).

Glaser is less than a week removed from winning Event #26, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low 8 of Better for $244,103, meaning he could join Mercier and Ian Johns as two-time winners at the 2016 WSOP. Whether or not he can do it will be determined when play resumes at 2 pm PT on Wednesday.

James Moore Wins Tuesday’s Only Bracelet

Because a fourth day was needed in the event mentioned above, only one gold bracelet was awarded on Tuesday. It went to 65-year-old Pennsylvanian and doctor James Moore.

Moore came out on top of a 1,476-player field to win Event #31, the $1,000 Super Seniors for $230,626 first-place prize. This event is just in its second year, and is open only to those ages 65 and up.

“This is an unbelievable thrill for me,” Moore said to WSOP officials. “I had absolutely no expectations. It’s every poker player’s dream, and mine just came true.”

Others to make some money at this event were Charles Barker (2nd/$142,461), Steven Krupnick (3rd/$102,052), Charles Rinn (4th/$73,943), Eugene Spinner (5th/$54,197), Fred Berger (6th/$40,191), Arthur Loring (7th/$30,159), James Parrott (8th/$22,902), and Vern Soeldner (9th/$17,604).

Austria’s Koray Aldemir Leads Final 91 in Summer Solstice

It’ll take five days for Event #33, the $1,500 Summer Solstice, to reach a winner, and after Tuesday’s Day Two, just 91 of 1,840 players remain to fight it out for the $409,171 first-place prize. Hopefuls include chip leader Koray Aldemir (677,500), 888poker Pro Chris Moorman (411,500), EPT Grand Final champ Adrian Mateos (288,000), and former November Niner James Akenhead (218,000).

Nine Remain in $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball

What began with 358 players in Event #34, the $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit) is down to the final nine. Jameson Painter is the favorite to capture the $117,947 prize with his stack of 715,000, although players such as Alexsandr Vinskii (493,000), Guy Hareuveni (460,000), and Andrey Zaichenko (282,000) still stand in his way.

A winner will be determined when action resumes at 2pm PT on Wednesday.

Two Events Wrap Up Their Day One

Event #35, the $5,000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em, a tournament that drew 541 players, was whittled down to 197 players after 10 levels of play with former November Niner Sylvain Loosli and his stack of 230,000 leading the way.

Meanwhile, the other event to kick off on Tuesday, Event #36, the $2,500 Mixed Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better, saw 384 players play down to 125. Yen Wu finished the day with the biggest stack with 114,200.

Both of those events will continue with their respective Day Twos on Wednesday, each aiming to play through the money bubble.

Coming Up Today

Event #37, the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha and Event #38, the $3,000 Six-Handed Limit Hold’em will kick off at 11am and 3pm PT respectively on Wednesday. We’ll catch you up on all the action tomorrow, so be sure to check back in with us then.