There’s never a good way to bust from the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. But there aren’t many ways more soul-crushing than with pocket aces deep on Day 7. Just ask Daniel Zadok.
At the time of publishing, 26 of the record-setting 10,112 players in the $10,000 buy-in world championship event remained. A minimum payout of $350,000 is in store for every player still kicking. Zadok, thanks to an unfortunate flop, is not one of them.
Who Says Pocket Jacks Never Win?
As seen on the PokerGO feature table, Zadok raised to 1,000,000 in early position with A♠A♦. Yegor Moroz three-bet to 2,800,000 from middle position with J♦J♣. Luis Vazquez then cold-called on the button with 9♥9♣.
Action back on Zadok, and he went for a four-bet raise to 10,000,000. Moroz, who had Zadok covered, moved all in, which forced Vazquez off the pot. Of course, Zadok wasn’t folding his pocket aces, so he made the call for just 2,200,000 more, and he was well out in front of jacks.
But the flop came 8♥3♥J♥, giving Moroz a set, and Zadok didn’t even have a heart for some extra outs. The turn was the 8♦, followed by the 4♣ on the river, creating a cruel bad beat at an inopportune time late on Day 7 of the 2024 WSOP Main Event.
Zadok was out in 27th place for $300,000, just missing a $50,000 pay jump, and finishing only 26 spots shy of the $10 million first place prize. If there’s any consolation for the recently eliminated Israeli player, he’d only cashed for $50,000 in live poker tournaments prior to the Main Event, according to The Hendon Mob.
Continued coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event will take place right here at PokerNews and on PokerGO. The tournament will play down to the final 18 players on Saturday night, or a full five 120-minute levels, whichever is longer.
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