A Bonus for Bellande
With the elimination of Jean-Robert Bellande in 78th place, he takes home $94,942. His impressive WSOP Main Event run has earned him a bit more than that, however, thanks to a side bet between Bellande and Justin "BoostedJ" Smith.
As we reported on PokerNews earlier this year, Bellande and Smith made a bet for an undisclosed amount over who would earn the most at this year's WSOP. Word was Bellande got 2:1 on his money that his tourney winnings would exceed that of Smith.
A quick check of the stats shows Smith cashed five times at this summer's WSOP for a total of $101,714. A nice Series, for sure.
Bellande, meanwhile, had two cashes prior to the Main Event for a total of $25,848. That means his Main Event finish carries him past Smith in overall winnings -- to $120,790 -- thus ensuring Bellande wins the bet.
Don't know how much of a bonus Bellande is getting for winning his bet with Smith. Whatever it is, the former "Survivor" star definitely benefited from surviving this far.