WSOP 2021: Poker announcer Jeff Platt makes deep Double Stack run

Haley Hintze
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Posted on: October 26, 2021 2:06 pm EDT

Every year at the World Series of Poker, there are few people from the industry side of the poker world who log big finishes in WSOP events. With the final table looming in Event #43, $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em, it’s currently Jeff Platt’s turn.

Platt, who’s most noted in poker for his continuing work with WSOP broadcast partner PokerGO, enters Day 4 of the Double Stack in ninth place out of 17 remaining players. He’s been a part of this event’s story all along as well, having led the entire remaining field at Day 3’s start.

Should Platt make it to the official nine-player final, it would be his first such final table in a live WSOP bracelet event. Platt achieved his first WSOP final table earlier this year when he finished seventh in a WSOP Online tourney. Transferring that success from online to live isn’t something that always comes easy. Platt’s doing just fine, though. With $19,391 already locked in and a juicy $446,983 payday awaiting the winner, he’s working toward a career-best finish.

Nor can Platt be dismissed as a poker newbie. He plays more often than most people on the industry side of poker. Since 2008, Platt’s amassed over $300,000 in live tournament winnings, according to The Hendon Mob. This is also Platt’s third cash of the live 2021 WSOP.

Tough Day 4 battle ahead

There are two goals awaiting Platt in the Double Stack’s Day 4 session. The first, of course, is to make that final table, which itself is worth $46,430. Whether the event will pause when five players remain and then shuffle into PokerGO’s live-streamed schedule of WSOP events for Wednesday, may well depend on whether Platt himself makes that final five. That would give PokerGo the added hook, in having one of its own on-air personalities seated at a final table instead.

Getting there won’t be easy. As Day 4 action begins, three of the top four spots among Event 43’s final 17 players are held by prior WSOP bracelet winners. The U.S.’s Michael Wang leads the way with a 24.3 million chip stack that’s roughly three times Platt’s total. South Korea’s Sejin Park and the U.S.’s Jonathan Dokley hold down third and fourth spots, respectively.

Platt holds a considerable PokerGO “home field” advantage. He’s unlikely to be awed by the trappings of the PokerGO broadcast “Mothership” or its adjoining tables, where all WSOP finals take place. Yet he’ll also have a large and enthusiastic rail. His fans were even treated to play-by-play coverage of sorts on Day 3, when his friend Ben Ludlow (@bloodlow) spent the day live-tweeting most of Platt’s big hands. Ludlow promises more of the same on Day 4, depending on accessibility:

Platt himself focused on his play for much of the day, Tweeting only at the dinner break and before and after Day 3 action in its entirety. He closed the night with just a brief comment:

Action in Event 43, $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em, resumes at 12 pm (noon). You can find updates at WSOP, PokerNews, and of course Ben Ludlow’s Twitter account.

Featured image source: Haley Hintze