Robert Mizrachi Atop Counts to End Day 2
After 10 levels of play here on Day 2, Robert Mizrachi has pole position in the race to claim the first-ever World Series of Poker dealer's choice bracelet here in Event #41: $1,500 Six-Handed Dealer's Choice. Mizrachi's lengthy résumé sports nearly $5 million in cashes, but he's seeking just his second bracelet. He bagged 390,500 to end the night.
Mizrachi won a key hand late in pot-limit Omaha. Brandon Cantu jammed his last 30,000 or so into a monster pot after 
flopped. Mizrachi called after another player folded, and he managed to run down Cantu's 
with 
, nailing a flush on the turn and fading Cantu's full-house outs on the river. Cantu had to settle for 11th, after what was a rather eventful tournament for him.
Plenty of other notables navigated a 95-player Day 2 field to find themselves among the final 10. Two-time bracelet winner Daniel Idema sits in third with 260,000, while fellow bracelet winner Bill Chen (185,000), former WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kassela (153,000), Marco Johnson (87,000), and Jen Harman (60,500) remain in contention. Additionally, Melissa Burr (55,500) seeks a third final table of the 2014 WSOP, as she already notched a fifth-place finish and an eighth-place finish in previous events. She'll have to overcome being the shortest remaining stack if she hopes to do so, though.
Jimmy Fricke, Brian Rast, Jesse Martin, Thayer Rasmussen, Calvin Anderson, Todd Brunson, Gavin Smith, Shawn Buchanan, and Maria Ho were among the players to get paid for their mixed-game prowess today, while John Monnette, Allen Cunningham, Mike Matusow, and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi fell short of the money.
Be sure to come back tomorrow at 2 p.m. to see which player will make history by claiming the first-ever dealer's choice bracelet.
While you wait, check out our very own Sarah Grant chatting with Bill Chen about a tournament issue that happened late in the day: