NBA Player Paul Pierce Playing Like a Pro at the WSOP 2014; Aussies Tony Hachem and Paul Bennet Still Alive in Main Event

Thanks to solid play—and some luck—Paul Pierce of the Brooklyn Nets is still alive in the 2014 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event with a chance to cash in, finally, after years of getting busted out early in the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

The performance is, so far, respectable to say the least but “The Truth” needs to sustain his run in the poker felt to reach the “in the money” (ITM) round—or 693rd place in this high-stakes, prestigious tournament.

To compare in basketball terms, this stage of the WSOP main event is entering the fourth quarter with the score tied. And Pierce was just sent back in by his coach back to the ballgame.

How did Pierce get into this position and play for the money?

According to the live reporting from pokernews.com, the NBA champion has survived the first two days (Day 1 and 2) in a field that has produced 6,683 runners and a total prize pool of over $62,000,000.

As of this writing over 1,000 are left in contention for the WSOP main event bracelet and title—inarguably the most esteemed award in the world of poker.

The 10-time NBA All-Star along with the other contenders is aiming for the $10 million first-place purse—and if they can’t get there, they can settle for the minimum $18,406 for the last ITM finisher.

The chip leaders at this point of the tournament are Isaac Baron, Raul Mestre, Steve Tripp, Tom Roupe and Timur Margulin. Others survivors include popular poker pros like Phil Ivey, Brian Townsend and Faraz Jaka among many others.

Representing Australia and still alive in the tourney are Tony Hachem and Paul Bennett.

At 36-years-old, Pierce, from a franchise player and superstar with the Boston Celtics has become a role player with the Nets in his primary sport. With this performance in the WSOP maybe it’s time to shift fulltime to poker.