Duhamel takes chip lead by eliminating Affleck, 13 players left

Canadian Jonathan Duhamel of Boucherville, Quebec, has taken a massive lead in the World Series of Poker’s Main Event.

Duhamel eliminated Matt Affleck, 23, of Mill Creek, Wash., to take down a pot worth about 42 million in chips. Before the hand, Affleck was in 5th place with 19.4 million in chips. Duhamel was in 2nd place.

Affleck had a pair of aces to Duhamel’s pair of jacks when the board came up 10-9-7 on the flop, a queen on the turn and an 8 on the river gave Duhamel his straight. The players had went all in on the turn.

Affleck was eliminated in 15th place and he earned $500,165.

Duhamel now has the chip lead with 51 million. Matthew Jarvis of Surrey, British Columbia, is second with 32 million in chips.

A few hands later, Hasan Habib of Downey, Calif., was eliminated in 14th place. He also earned $500,165.

Thirteen players remain in play at the $10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em World Championship event at the Rio.

Players were vying to become part of the Main Event’s final table of nine. They will return to the Rio on Nov. 6 to play for a top prize of more than $8.9 million. Some 7,319 players began play in the Main Event on July 5.