WSOP Update - Day 31

While Phil Hellmuth's successful pursuit of his 10th World Series of Poker gold bracelet is likely the single greatest moment of the preliminary events in 2006, the greatest achievement for the entire series is likely the performance of Jeff Madsen.

Madsen, already the owner of two WSOP bracelets this year, finished third in Event # 35, a $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo tournament after starting the day as the short stack. Madsen now has two third place finishes to go with his two bracelets this year.

David Williams nearly joined Madsen as the third person to win two gold bracelets this WSOP, finishing second in Event # 38, a $5,000 No Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw tournament. One more gold bracelet was awarded last night, and one more will be awarded today before the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event begins on Friday afternoon.

Event # 35 - $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo
While Madsen eventually came up short in his quest for his third bracelet of 2006, Patrick Poels succeeded in nailing down his second gold bracelet in as many years.

The winner of a $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo tournament last year, Poels outlasted 787 players to win a marathon three-day event. The tournament, originally scheduled for two days, was extended to three days when the tournament was thinned to the final table at about 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

Play resumed at 4 p.m. yesterday and it took nearly 12 hours to determine the winner. Poels held off Greg Dinkin, who was the chip leader heading into final table play. Dinkin collected $102,542 for his efforts, while Madsen won $65,971 for third.

Event # 36 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout
Victoriano Perches claimed his first WSOP bracelet in his first final table yesterday in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout.

Six players advanced to the final table by winning two single table tournaments over the previous two days. Perches claimed $157,338 for the win. Arnold Spee, a well-known player on the World Poker Tour, earned $78,679 with a second-place finish in his first WSOP final table appearance.

Event # 37 - $5,000 No Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw with Rebuys
David Williams was best known for finishing second to Greg Raymer in the 2004 Main Event coming into the 2006 WSOP. Now he will be remembered as one of the top stories of this year's series, claiming one bracelet and finishing just shy of his second last night.

Daniel Alaei, a consistent performer with eight WSOP cashes in the last two years, defeated an all-star cast to claim his first major tournament victory and $430,698. Williams, who won the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event earlier this month, won $256,091 for his second place finish.

The impressive final table included Allen Cunningham (6th), Raymer (5th), and Men "The Master" Nguyen (4th).

Event # 37 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em
The final preliminary event leading up to the beginning of Friday's Main Event is down to the final table and will conclude today, with play resuming at 2 p.m.

The final table includes a field of unknown players with a total of four WSOP cashes between them. Osman Kibar leads the field with $796,000 chips, while Nick Ronyecz is close behind with $789,000, while James Gorham is third with $717,000.

Jason Strasser, who sits in eighth chip position with $254,000 chips, has the best results in this year's WSOP among the field, cashing in two events this year.