Poker Player Suffers Brutal Beat Deep in WSOP Main Event

It didn’t take long for Day 6 of the World Series of Poker Main Event to produce its first jaw-dropping hand.

Just a few minutes into Saturday’s action, one of the most brutal coolers of the tournament sent Go Kato to the rail in a hand that looked destined to end in a chop. Instead, Lauri Saaskilahti found the only possible way to win the pot, delivering a beat that would make anyone barf up their breakfast, lunch or dinner.

If this isn’t the sickest elimination of Day 6, it’ll take something special to top it.

“Why Do We Play This Game?”; Saaskilahti Stuns Kato

As reported by PokerNews’ David Salituro:

With the blinds at 30,000/60,000, Wesley Fei raised to 120,000 in middle position and Saaskilahti three-bet to 360,000 in the cutoff. Kato four-bet to 760,000 on the button and Fei folded, while Saaskilahti then moved all in. Kato called for 3,200,000.

Go Kato: A♦K♦
Lauri Saaskilahti: A♥K♥

“Boring,” Fei said as both players turned over the same hand and were poised to chop the pot. The flop, though, was anything but boring as Saaskilahti hit the nuts on J♥10♥9♥. The board ran out 10♠2♦, and Kato was sent to the rail.

“Why do we play this game? I don’t even like seeing that happen to other people,” Ali Ayub said.

“You should have fake tanked, 10 minutes,” Fei said to Kato, who took the beat in stride and still had a smile on his face as he made his exit.

Plan for Day 6 of the Main Event

Day 6 of the Main Event began with 174 player, all with their sights set on continuing their deep runs.

Leading the way is Zhao Liu with 10,150,000 chips, ahead of DJ Sharma (9,840,000) and Xingyu Liu (9,040,000).

Everyone still in the field has locked up at least $57,500, with the next pay jump to $65,000 coming once 161 players remain. The first six-figure payouts will be awarded when the field is reduced to the final 80.

Tournament officials plan to play five two-hour levels on Day 6, with a 20-minute break after each level and a dinner break scheduled midway through the day.

Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game.

Calum has written for various poker outlets but found his home at PokerNews, where he has contributed to various articles and live updates, providing insights and reporting on major poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP).