WSOP What to Watch For: David "Bakes" Baker, Chris Klodnicki Go for Gold in Event #9
In the June 5 edition of the PokerNews What To Watch For from the 2013 World Series of Poker, two more events are scheduled to play down to winners. Event #9: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout has a loaded final table that includes David "Bakes" Baker, Chris Klodnicki, Steven Silverman, Cliff Josephy and Tim West. Meanwhile, Event #10: $1,500 Limit Hold'em will begin with 19 players hoping to scoop their own WSOP hardware.
Event #9: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
On Tuesday, Event #7: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em boasted the toughest final table of the first week of the World Series of Poker. Event #9: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout is setting the bar high for the second week.
Bracelet winners David "Bakes Baker, Cliff Josephy and Max Steinberg will attempt to add more jewelry on Wednesday, but they'll have their work cut out for them against a group of hungry pros seeking their first. The final table will kick off at 1 p.m. inside the Amazon Room. Here's how the hard-hitting final table stacks up:
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Silverman | 428,000 |
| 2 | Simeon Naydenov | 427,000 |
| 3 | Tim West | 428,000 |
| 4 | Cliff Josephy | 419,000 |
| 5 | Alessandro Longobardi | 421,000 |
| 6 | Max Steinberg | 428,000 |
| 7 | Evan Silverstein | 427,000 |
| 8 | Ryan Hughes | 422,000 |
| 9 | David "Bakes" Baker | 428,000 |
| 10 | Chris Klodnicki | 429,000 |
*Chip counts are varied due to action in previous rounds
With the stacks virtually even going into the final day, it's not easy to pinpoint a favorite. But if we had to pick one, it's easy to single out Baker. The two-time bracelet winner is considered to be one of the best all-around players in the world and is coming off a sensational run at the PokerStars Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). While neither of his WSOP titles have come in no-limit hold'em (this is actually his first NLHE final table at the WSOP), that doesn't take away from his abilities in the variant. Baker has more than $3.7 in online tournament winnings, most of which have been earned playing hold'em.
Klodnicki is another player recognized for his mixed-game talents, but like Baker, he's no slouch in hold'em. Klodnicki has several titles in NLHE, including a victory in an Epic Poker League Main Event in 2011 for $800,000. He also made a deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, taking 12th for $591,000. Klodnicki has a WSOP Circuit ring to his credit, but he's still chasing his first bracelet.
The list of online superstars at this final table also includes Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy, Tim "TMay420" West, and Steven "Zugwat" Silverman. David "Doc" Sands told PokerNews this week that online players definitely have an advantage in the shootout format, so it's not surprising to see many of them in contention for the $300,000 top prize.
Event #10: $1,500 Limit Hold'em
In 2005, Eric Froehlich burst onto the poker scene when at 21 he became the youngest player to win a WSOP bracelet. He added another bracelet the following year, but has since come up empty in many attempts.
On Wednesday, Froehlich will have the chip lead entering the final day of the Event #10: $1,500 Limit Hold'em event. With 19 remaining, "E-Fro" has 319,000 chips, and owns a sizable lead over a handful of lesser-known players.
It looks like a dream situation for Froehlich, who Tweeted late Tuesday night that his "confidence is back to high." A victory would end his seven-year bracelet drought and add $191,000 to his bankroll.
Challenging Froehlich for the title on Wednesday will be notables Brent Wheeler, Alex Queen, and Jeff Shulman, who enters the final day with just 23,000. Keep it locked into PokerNews.com to find out who wins the $1,500 Limit Hold'em title.
As always, you can find PokerNews' coverage of the 2013 WSOP on our Live Reporting Pages. We look forward to having you follow along and stay tuned for plenty more from our What To Watch For series.
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today!
