Former Main Event Champ Bechtel Eliminated Before the Dinner Break

Monika Kostanjevec

Level 9 : Blinds 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Action was picked up on the J?4?7? flop, where the 1993 WSOP Main Event winner Jim Bechtel was already all in. No less than three players had already called for all of his chips, making for a main pot of over 40,000 chips. According to the players, Max Kingstone, who was in the small blind, bet out for 7,000 on the flop, and the players in the big blind and middle position both called.

The turn 4? was checked around.

The river was the A?. Kingstone now made a bet of 30,000, forcing his other two opponents to fold. Kingstone and Bechtel then turned over their cards:

Jim Bechtel: 10?8?
Max Kingstone; 5?5?

Bechtel failed to make anything good with his suited one-gapper, and pocket fives were enough to eliminate the former champ.