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LAS VEGAS -- Hedge fund manager David Einhorn stood in third place on Monday at the World Series of Poker, but he's first in the minds of some needy people.
"I'm playing for charity," Einhorn said, as players' jaws dropped around him. "The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Anything I win goes to that. My grandfather had Parkinson's. I'm on the board of the charity, and Michael said if I make it to the final table, he'll fly out."
The $12 million grand prize would sure look good to the foundation. But Einhorn will have to overcome former Hollywood talent agent Jamie Gold. He continued to lead and knock off opponents on Monday, wiping out two players in the space of an hour. He had amassed a chip stack almost twice the size of Einhorn's. In second was Erik Friberg, a 23-year-old online poker pro from Sweden.
Gold, a 36-year-old Malibu, Calif., resident, nearly doubled his stack to 13 million in chips after about four hours of play Monday. Friberg was at 7.7 million, and New York's Einhorn had 6.9 million.
Popular Costa Rican pro Humberto Brenes busted out.
At the noon start, the 45 players left in the hunt for the grand prize after nine days of no-limit Texas Hold 'em were greeted with plastic bags full of their chips placed at their assigned seats at the Rio hotel-casino.
Gold's was so huge he said he spent the first hour "just stacking" them.
Gold got to work early, getting an opponent to call with a pocket pair of 10s to Gold's pocket aces.
"The only hand 10s can beat are nines or eights … or a bluff," Gold said. "It makes no sense to me. But what do I know?"
Quite a lot, said mentor ****** Chan, a pro who was Gold's client when the two tried to produce a television show.
"Little did I know he was picking my brain and asking poker questions," Chan said. "He's a smart guy and he learned a lot. After Jamie wins this big one, my mission is accomplished."
Later, Gold improved his stack again when he called an all-in bet from Rob Betts. Gold's two pair of aces and kings beat Betts' aces and jacks.
At the end of play about 5:20 p.m. there were just 27 players left in the world's largest poker tournament, whittled down from a record field of 8,773 that began play July 28.
Brenes, known as the "godfather of the Costa Rican players," had about 450,000 in chips when he attempted an all-in bet to steal the blinds with a mere five and eight of spades. But he ran into Ricki Nielsen, 23, of Copenhagen, who held pocket kings. Brenes came in 36th for a payday of $329,865.
"He was the last real star of the event," said Nielsen, who lost his entire stack on the next hand. "I didn't really even get to enjoy the moment, because next hand I'm busting out myself."
Einhorn, 37, jumped into second place after winning a three-way all-in pot for about 8 million in chips.
With the board showing a queen of spades and a five and nine of clubs, Einhorn held an ace and queen for the top pair. Rob Berryman was hoping to hit a flush with an eight and seven of clubs, while William Thorsson held just a king and jack.
The last two cards were both aces, giving Einhorn a full house and a great chance of making the final table of nine, which begins play Thursday.
"I'm playing for charity," Einhorn said, as players' jaws dropped around him. "The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Anything I win goes to that. My grandfather had Parkinson's. I'm on the board of the charity, and Michael said if I make it to the final table, he'll fly out."
The $12 million grand prize would sure look good to the foundation. But Einhorn will have to overcome former Hollywood talent agent Jamie Gold. He continued to lead and knock off opponents on Monday, wiping out two players in the space of an hour. He had amassed a chip stack almost twice the size of Einhorn's. In second was Erik Friberg, a 23-year-old online poker pro from Sweden.
Gold, a 36-year-old Malibu, Calif., resident, nearly doubled his stack to 13 million in chips after about four hours of play Monday. Friberg was at 7.7 million, and New York's Einhorn had 6.9 million.
Popular Costa Rican pro Humberto Brenes busted out.
At the noon start, the 45 players left in the hunt for the grand prize after nine days of no-limit Texas Hold 'em were greeted with plastic bags full of their chips placed at their assigned seats at the Rio hotel-casino.
Gold's was so huge he said he spent the first hour "just stacking" them.
Gold got to work early, getting an opponent to call with a pocket pair of 10s to Gold's pocket aces.
"The only hand 10s can beat are nines or eights … or a bluff," Gold said. "It makes no sense to me. But what do I know?"
Quite a lot, said mentor ****** Chan, a pro who was Gold's client when the two tried to produce a television show.
"Little did I know he was picking my brain and asking poker questions," Chan said. "He's a smart guy and he learned a lot. After Jamie wins this big one, my mission is accomplished."
Later, Gold improved his stack again when he called an all-in bet from Rob Betts. Gold's two pair of aces and kings beat Betts' aces and jacks.
At the end of play about 5:20 p.m. there were just 27 players left in the world's largest poker tournament, whittled down from a record field of 8,773 that began play July 28.
Brenes, known as the "godfather of the Costa Rican players," had about 450,000 in chips when he attempted an all-in bet to steal the blinds with a mere five and eight of spades. But he ran into Ricki Nielsen, 23, of Copenhagen, who held pocket kings. Brenes came in 36th for a payday of $329,865.
"He was the last real star of the event," said Nielsen, who lost his entire stack on the next hand. "I didn't really even get to enjoy the moment, because next hand I'm busting out myself."
Einhorn, 37, jumped into second place after winning a three-way all-in pot for about 8 million in chips.
With the board showing a queen of spades and a five and nine of clubs, Einhorn held an ace and queen for the top pair. Rob Berryman was hoping to hit a flush with an eight and seven of clubs, while William Thorsson held just a king and jack.
The last two cards were both aces, giving Einhorn a full house and a great chance of making the final table of nine, which begins play Thursday.
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