Lightning is putting on a show in the skies over northwest Las Vegas. A storm is moving down highway 95 from Indian Springs, and the black-purple clouds are shot through with blue streaks. It’s better than any laser show in Sin City, and those with the time to watch are standing outside watching the storm roll in.
Meanwhile, a little more than a hundred players remain in the WSOP Main Event, handcuffed by their chip stacks to the Amazon Room tables. Every one of the people left in the event is guaranteed more than $52,000. At this point, they’re barely thinking about that cash. They are looking to chip up and make it to Sunday’s Day 6.
Among those players are Team PokerStars Pros Jan Heitmann, Marcel Luske, and Vanessa Selbst. They are the last PokerStars representatives left in the field, and all three are in good position to be Day 6 players. Heitmann recently doubled up to three million after winning a race against Eric Buchman. Meanwhile, Selbst has recovered from her earlier cold spell is back up to 2.7 million. Luske continues to grind and is sitting right around a million chips, about 500,000 back from average.
If you’re a longtime PokerStars player or big poker fan, you probably know all three players. But if you’re coming here after reading their names in the overnight news, you might not know the players backgrounds. As all three of them could easily be returning with us tomorrow, this seems like a good time to introduce them to those of you who might not have heard of them before.
Jan Heitmann (Germany)
Jan Heitmann is PokerStars’ Renaissance man. A magician, pianist, and fierce poker pro, the man from Munich is already guaranteed his second-biggest live tournament cash.
Lifetime earnings: $488,141
Lifetime WSOP earnings: $38,459
WSOP bracelets: 0
Deepest Main Event finish: 585th (2008)
2012 WSOP earnings:$0
***
Vanessa Selbst (USA)
Vanessa Selbst is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner who just scored her second title this summer at the WSOP. A Yale Law School graduate, Selbst has become one of poker’s winningest players in less than seven years.
Lifetime earnings: $5,375,182
Lifetime WSOP earnings: $1,117,304
Deepest Main Event finish: 476thth (2010)
WSOP bracelets: 2
2012 WSOP earnings: $446,605
(Event #2, $1,500 NHLE, 4/2,101– $161,345)
(Event #12, $10,000 NHLE HU, 9/152 — $20,674)
(Event #46, $2,500 NLHE, 24/1,607– $20,327)
(Event #52, $2,500 10-Game, 1/421 — $244,259)
Marcel Luske (Holland)
Marcel Luske was famous in Europe long before he came to the WSOP. Two deep Main Event runs in 2003 and 2004 propelled The Flying Dutchman to worldwide fame. He continues to be one of Europe’s most beloved players.
Lifetime earnings: $3,954,017
Lifetime WSOP earnings: $1,189,382
WSOP bracelets: 0
Deepest Main Event finish: 10th (2004)
2012 WSOP earnings:$11,851
(Event #29, $1,000 Seniors NLHE– 40/4128 — $2,415)
