No player has ever won the tournament twice, so to have two former winners, including Hoyt Corkins who won it last year, that makes for an exciting finish at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Hostess Kimberly Lansing interviewed former winner Allen Carter about Hoyt and his goal of winning a second title:
“Hoyt’s very fun to play with because he’s such a gentleman, but he’s tough to play with. He’s got tremendous patience and plays really well. He likes to claim his pots and sticks with it until he convinces you it belongs to him.”
“You want to do well, but you make your calendar fit this event because you won. The Beau Rivage is a very nice place and the people here are very, very friendly, so you try to make it work. Last year, I felt pressure and didn’t really play very well. This year, I’m just trying to play my game, be me, and try to relax and have fun.”
“You want to do well, but you make your calendar fit this event because you won. The Beau Rivage is a very nice place and the people here are very, very friendly, so you try to make it work. Last year, I felt pressure and didn’t really play very well. This year, I’m just trying to play my game, be me, and try to relax and have fun.”
The final 19 will play down to the TV final table Wednesday at 1 pm CT with blinds at 3,000-6,000 with an ante of 1,000.
Chipstacks of remaining 19 players:
1. Ryan Hughes – 1,014,000
2. Alexander Kuzmin – 780,500
3. Shannon Shorr – 593,000
4. Allen Carter – 530,000
5. Otis Wright – 476,000
6. Bobby Keller – 432,000
7. Vitor Coelho – 338,000
8. Patrick Mahoney – 286,500
9. Dermot Blain – 283,500
10. Hilbert Shirey – 273,000
11. Hoyt Corkins – 258,000
12. B.J. McBrayer – 251,500
13. Robert Smith – 220,500
14. Leif Force – 182,500
15. Martin Zentner – 144,000
16. Jordan Smith – 133,000
17. Stuart Breakstone – 101,500
18. Chad Brown – 88,500
19. Mark Rose – 79,500
