The last former champion alive within the 2016 WSOP main event was 2004 winner Greg Raymer, who sat with a standard stack with fewer than 160 left on Saturday.

For Raymer, who might need made the overall table again in 2005 had it not been for a brutal hand against Aaron Kanter, the title of last champ standing means nothing. Johnny Chan, the 1987 and 1988 winner, hit the rail in 180th place on day 5, which was good for a $42,285 payday.

“I was reading [a media report] this morning and it mentioned how he and that i were fighting to be the last champ standing,” Raymer said. "No, we were fighting to be the following champ standing. That’s the truth. I don’t receives a commission extra for being the last champ left. I’m seeking to win the $8 million.”

Raymer won $5 million in 2004, and his 25th-place finish in 2005, which was the last time he cashed generally event previous to this year, was good for $304,000.

“Fossil Man” is already fascinated about how great it might be for his second bracelet to be within the tournament that put him at the poker map right when the poker boom was beginning. However, the 52-year-old North Carolinian knows really well that you just can’t get too far prior to yourself normally event, otherwise you might blow up.

“There’s still up to now to go,” Raymer said. “In most of the tournaments I’ve won during the last several years, the starting fields weren’t much bigger than [160 players]. So, even if that is great and all, I still have like 331 million chips to go.”

When Raymer won the principle event the sector size was a record 2,576, greater than triple the choice of players the year before when Chris Moneymaker altered the process poker history. The principle event field size reached a peak of 8,773 in 2006, but it surely has remained steady over the last decade. This year’s field size of 6,737 was the biggest in five years.

Raymer said that the experience of being deep before allows him to play his A-game from time to time when other players may well be feeling the pressure of the lights and cameras, in addition to the huge money jumps. He also knows you'll dominate by almost going back-to-back after which not profit the development in over a decade.

“I think my edge is that, even if there are great players still within the field, a lot of them haven’t been on this situation before,” Raymer said. “It brings up more emotions, and it’s the sentiments that cause you to exhibit tells so you are easier to read. Emotion causes you to make mistakes that you just wouldn’t normally make.”

With such a lot of players and a good portion of the sphere being amateurs, the primary event is normally described as a minefield, but, consistent with Raymer, that characterization applies to any tournament with a large field in this day and age. The variation is that the primary event has such a lot money at the line and the psychological toll that comes from a foul beat or a fatal mistake is lots to deal with.

“Because it’s the primary event you are feeling it much more when a type of mines blows up to your face,” Raymer said of navigating thru a seven-day poker tournament.

Because it's been see you later since his last deep run, Raymer said the memory of falling short in 2005 isn’t on his mind. The time has healed that disappointment, and now it’s about taking advantage of this chance. You'll be able to never anticipate a deep run happening again.

“I don’t think anybody tournament can redeem anything,” Raymer said. “You just play your best. It’s really hard to pass judgement on someone’s skill level according to tournament results, to be honest. If someone has massively good results then they need to no less than be really good, however it doesn’t mean they're the most productive. Someone will have mediocre results for a time period and that doesn’t mean they aren’t a fair player either.”

His remarkable runs in 2004 and 2005 were the fabricated from great play, but Raymer did enjoy big stacks within the tournament in both years, and he used his chips and table image to search out some spots where an opponent would disintegrate and basically gift him all their chips. He looked as if it would have an uncanny ability to spark a blowup from an opponent. This year, way to not having a top stack, he’s needed to adjust his play. But it’s also a distinct era of poker.

“I certainly still have [people playing back at me], but I’m unsure I AM GETTING it much more than other folks now,” Raymer said. “It happened more prior to now because in 2004 and 2005 I USED TO BE some of the big stacks. I USED TO BE appropriately playing numerous hands. Also, the skill level of opponents back then was lower, so it was more correct to play more hands. Because people play better now, you most likely shouldn’t be playing a large number of extra hands even though you have got a large stack. The truth that I USED TO BE in those spots for a few years meant I USED TO BE in position to catch blowups.”

According to Raymer, tanking ordinarily event, especially in its later stages, is healthier and worse than it was over a decade ago. That’s in a different way the sport has evolved.

“For the massive decisions, it was worse back then,” Raymer said. “You were more likely to have someone desirous about one decision for 10 or QUARTER-HOUR if no person called a clock. Today, despite the fact that it’s for all of your chips this deep generally event, someone goes to name the clock by the point five minutes goes by. They aren’t going to present you 10 or 15. But if it involves just the routine preflop decisions, it’s worse today. That’s really the largest concern I have, you probably have someone taking 20 to 30 seconds for each preflop decision.”

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]