Jeff Cabanillas denies Phil Helmuth 10th WSOP bracelet
Every once in a while a sports event achieves “you shoulda been there” status. When a television broadcast, an online article, or any other type of retelling can’t replace the experience of physically witnessing the action firsthand.
The final table of the $5,000 no-limit hold’em tournament achieved “you shoulda been there” status.
On a day when the Rio’s Amazon Room played host to four separate WSOP events, the attention and buzz that surrounded the $5,000 no-limit table reached a pinnacle that may be topped only in 20 days — when players sit down to participate in the Main Event.
$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Final Table
The biggest news coming into day 3 revolved around ESPN’s decision not to have a full production crew cover the action. The nine remaining players, each engaging personalities, coupled with Phil Hellmuth’s quest for a tenth bracelet, made for a dream final table, but only one cameraman was on hand to capture the highlights.With a WSOP bracelet and an $818,546 first place prize on the line, the chip counts coming into the final table were as follows:
1. Quoc Al “Vinnie” Vinh – $784,000 (Seat 1)
2. Phil Hellmuth Jr. – $$461,000 (Seat 9)
3. Marcel Luske – $458,000 (Seat 4)
4. Isabelle Mercier – $301,000 (Seat 2)
5. Jeff Cabanillas – $275,000 (Seat 5)
6. Douglas Carli – $273,000 (Seat 6)
7. Eugene Todd – $240,000 (Seat 3)
8. Thomas Schreiber – $200,000 (Seat 
9. Dan Smith – $117,000 (Seat 7)
