Esfandiari, Greenwood Highlight Final 106 of 2019 WSOP Main Event

The mammoth $10-million first-place prize in the 2019 WSOP Main Event is starting to loom with 106 players left in the record-setting tournament.

There’s still plenty of work to be done with five more days left on the schedule but every player remaining has locked up at least $60,000 for their efforts in the tournament and the prestigious nine-player final table is on the distant horizon.

This year’s tournament hasn’t been kind to the biggest names in poker with Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth eliminated early, but there are still a number of good stories to follow.

Popular TV pro Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari still has chips in the tournament as does breakout poker star Alex Foxen and Canadian Sam Greenwood.

No one is even close to the runaway chip leader, however, as Boston’s Timothy Su amassed 19 million chips to end Day 5 of the tournament. Prior to this Main Event, Su’s biggest cash was a meager $1,080.

Here’s a look at the top 10 chip counts at the end of Day 5:

Seymour, Matusow, Brunson Eliminated

With over 200 players eliminated on Day 5 of the WSOP Main Event, there were many big names that hit the rail, including Mike Matusow, Cary Katz, Chance Kornuth and Todd Brunson.

One elimination of particular interest to mainstream media was former NFL defensive tackle Richard Seymour. Seymour, who played for the Patriots and Raiders, entered Day 5 as one of the biggest stacks but after making some big folds was running on fumes for the latter portion of the day.

In his final hand he attempted a blind steal with K-4 offsuit but got snapped off by a player with A-Q and that was the end of his tournament.

One of the 200-plus players to bust on Day 5 was Jill Bryant — the final female player in the tournament. Bryant made an impressive run in the Main Event (where female participation was up slightly this year) but finally hit the rail in 116th place, just missing out on Day 6. Bryant picked up $59,295 for her efforts.

Last year noted poker pro Kelly Minkin made it to 50th place before getting eliminated for a $156,265 payout. Minkin cashed again in this year’s tournament for $24,560.

Barbara Enright became the only female poker player to make the Main Event final table in 1995 when she finished fifth.

2005 World Champ Joe Hachem’s Son Still Alive

Is poker a family business?

It’s starting to look that way for 2005 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Hachem, whose son Daniel is making a deep run in the Main Event.

Daniel finished Day 5 with 6.7 million chips and the chance to eclipse his father Joe’s massive $7.5-million victory in 2005 by taking down the gargantuan $10-million prize in this year’s tournament.

Joe has a very special place in the poker industry as he helped kick-start the poker boom in Australia in the mid-2000s. He remains the most famous poker player in the country.

Daniel, who bears a striking resemblance to his father, must have learned a thing or two growing up with Joe as a father because he’s been rock-solid in the 2019 Main Event. Joe and Daniel could become the first father and son to win the Main Event.

That’s not even taking into account Joe’s brother Tony, who’s also had a successful poker career. Joe’s other son, Anthony, also plays poker occasionally.