He has played in the biggest cash games on the planet. He's bought into the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop. He's still calling himself Broke, but he most likely ain't.
Jean-Robert Bellande has manifested himself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of poker over the better part of a decade. He's no longer the Survivor Star that plays a bit of poker, he's a poker player who was once on Survivor.
But he doesn't have a bracelet. Yet.
Today, Jean-Robert Bellande is five eliminations away from that most coveted prize in poker; just five players between him and the shiny gold bracelet. And that in a six-handed no-limit hold'em event, a poker variant usually dominated by online players that have played the format over and over on the virtual felt.
Bellande starts out in front with 84 big blinds when play gets back underway. His closest competitor for the top spot brings 45 big blinds. Here's the final table line-up:
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Blair | United States | 1,310,000 | 22 |
| 2 | Andrew Graham | United States | 2,430,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Tay Nguyen | United States | 1,485,000 | 25 |
| 4 | Kacper Pyzara | Poland | 2,605,000 | 43 |
| 5 | Jean-Robert Bellande | United States | 5,050,000 | 84 |
| 6 | Dean Lyall | United Kingdom | 2,700,000 | 45 |
All six finalists are guaranteed a payday of $85,570 but it's the $616,302 first-place prize that everyone's eyeing.
| Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1st | $616,302 |
| 2nd | $380,595 |
| 3rd | $254,684 |
| 4th | $173,598 |
| 5th | $120,669 |
| 6th | $85,570 |
The action will resume at 2 p.m. today on the feature table inside the Brasilia Room. The blinds will kick off on level 28 at 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante. There will be a live stream available with a 30-minute delay on Twitch, you'll find it right here on PokerNews as soon as it gets underway.
Follow along with the PokerNews coverage today as we bring you the details of every single hand.