WSOP Main Event Day 3: Great Day for Moreira de Melo, Minkin and Kourdourli

On Day 3 of World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event the entire field – the remaining players from Day 2AB and Day 2C – were combined for the first time. When the day began 1,792 excited players took their seats, but when the dust had settled only 661 were left. The money bubble burst after the dinner break, and the remaining 1,000 players were all guaranteed a min-cash of $15,000.

ELIMINATION TIME
Unfortunately some of the more prominent female players busted before the money. On the first level of the day, we lost a bunch of great players, including New Zealand’s Tatjana Zizic, TV host and poker player Laura Billings, bracelet winner Cyndy Violette, Women in Poker Hall of Famer JJ Liu and this year’s Ladies Event Champion Jacquelyn Scott.

Poker pro Melanie Weisner, who entered the day as a short stack, was eliminated when she ran her pocket jacks into Louise Francoeur’s pair of queens:

Fwiw, I busted to another red headed woman! And everyone knows that redheads are witches. PCrOTdmpRr

— Melanie Weisner July 10, 2015

While Weisner was sent to the rail, Francoeur chipped up nicely to 207,000. Danielle “dmoongirl” Andersen had 134,100 to start the day, but she could not get anything going and was eliminated before the real fun began:

Out. Nightmare day. Couldn't have gone worse. Numb. Thanks for support all. Gl everyone.

— Danielle Andersen July 10, 2015

On the second level of the day it was over for novelist, journalist and poker player Rachel Kranz, and soon after Pokerstars Mind Sport Ambassador Jen Shahade was sent home:

"Did you play in the Main Event?" "Yes, I just busted." "Oh, don't feel bad- I heard there were a lot of great players in it!"

— Jennifer Shahade July 10, 2015

After the bubble burst Barbara Sargent was eliminated in 846th place, and bracelet winner Marsha Wolak in 780th after being all in for her tournament life on more than one occasion. Soon after Karen Thielen (753rd), Nancy Eckels (733rd), Kristina Holst (698th), and Jeannette Levitt (673rd) took the route to the payout desk to collect the min-cash of $15,000.

ON TO DAY 4
On the opposite end of the scale Kelly Minkin had a great day. The WPT Lucky Hearts finalist entered the day with 76,200 in chips, and she kept building her stack through the day to bag 437,500 going into Day 4.

Also Team PokerStars Sportstar Fatima Moreira de Melo must feel pleased with her run. The Olympic Gold winner came into the day with 160,400, and when the night was all over, she has accumulated 453,500.

While Russian player Lika Gerasimova didn’t make it to the next round, her fellow countryman Irina Batorevich survived the day with 580,500 in chips. Not everyone was pleased with the outcome as Batorevich slow rolled aces in a hand vs pocket kings to eliminate her opponent just around 100 spots away from the money.

Chip leader among the ladies, French poker pro Nesrine Kourdourli finished the day with 649,000 in chips. Kourdourli, who has more than $300k in live tournament earnings according to the Hendon Mob, is looking surpass her biggest win: a 4th place finish in WPT Amneville for $153,230.

Other ladies who survived the day include Yueqi Wang (51,500), Jennifer Powers (106,500), Angie Gelinas (145,500), Cathy Schenone (151,500), Susie Zhao (213,500), Louise Francoeur (273,500), Sara Hall (352,000), Lily Newhouse (352,000) and Diana Svensk (355,500).

PokerWomenNews wish all the remaining women in the field good luck on Day 4.

Photo: Fatima Moreira de Melo, PokerStars