Bronshtein Leads Final 20; Rodawig Seeks Second Title in Three Years
What started with 130 players here on Day 2—the remnants of a 210-player field—is now down to the final 20. The man best positioned to capture the World Series of Poker gold bracelet and accompanying $266,503 first-place prize is none other than Yuval Bronshtein, who finished as the chip leader with 433,000. With that said, players like Eric Rodawig (323,000) and David "Bakes" Baker (226,000) are looking to claim the Event #13: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better title for themselves.
Actually, Rodawig is seeking to capture the title for a second time. Two years ago he won Event #33: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship by defeating Phil Hellmuth in heads-up play. Not only did he deny the great Hellmuth his then 12th bracelet, he also took down his first piece of gold and the accompanying $442,183 prize.
Rodawig did not return to defend his title in 2012 due to a friend's wedding, and this marks the first time he's played a Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournament since 2011. If he could capture the title again, it'd be a truly remarkable feat. As the second biggest stack remaining he's got a legitimate shot of making that happen.
Day 2 began with a flurry of eliminations including those of Mike Noori, Hellmuth, Artie Cobb, Mike Sexton, Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu and the defending champ, Adam Friedman.
With 25 players remaining, the money bubble was in effect, and it didn't take long to burst. Here's the hand that burst it.
Naseem Salem: 
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Eric Rodawig: / 
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Salem completed, Rodawig raised, and Salem called. Rodawig bet-called on fourth, then the action was fast and furious on fifth and sixth, but in the end Salem was all in with two pair queens and eights. Rodawig hit an ace on seventh, so his hand was 
, and Salem bricked on his full house draw, exiting on the stone bubble.
Over the course of the next hour or so four more players hit the rail including Sam Feinberg (24th), Tom Schneider (23rd), Eugene Katchalov (22nd) and Francis Mariani (21st), each taking home $9,583.
While many notable fell, there are still quite a few still in contention including Gavin Smith (204,500), Mike "The Mouth" Matusow (156,000), Joe Tehan (145,000), Timothy Finne (137,000), Mike Leah (120,000), Eli Elezra (88,000), Tony Cousineau (59,000) and Brian Hastings (55,500).
The third and final day will kick off at 2 p.m. PDT on Friday. Join us then as we look to crown the Event #13: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better champion!
For now, we'll leave you with Kristy Arnett who has the highlights from across the Rio today: