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Finally — finally! — the primary episodes of the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event are beginning to appear on ESPN. The primary two arrived this week, with the network picking up the action on late on Day 4.

This week's hands began after the dinner break when just 357 remained from the 6,737 players who started the event, with episodes covering the last couple of levels of the night until just 251 remained.

Two former Main Event champions had feature table time, with 2004 winner Greg Raymer and 2013 champ Ryan Riess both nursing short stacks. (Riess would exit in 271st for $36,708, while Raymer made it through to Day 5.) Several all-ins and busts were shown from outer tables, and we caught glimpses of eventual November Niners Cliff Josephy, Kenny Hallaert, and Griffin Benger.

At one point throughout the first episode Christopher Frank impressed with a large preflop fold of . It was a three-way hand through which Frank had opened, Robert Allain three-bet shoved a brief stack, then Maxim Sorokin just called the shove from the blinds. Frank then reraised, and when Sorokin reraised back Frank thought a little bit before letting his hand go.

Allain had , but as Frank had suspected Sorokin turned over (and would win the hand to knock out Allain in 291st for $32,130).

"That's gonna be on TV, right?" asked Frank afterwards, who pumped his fists and grinned slightly afterwards, having been correct when creating a tough decision.

Speaking of tough decisions — and the pressure being on television — we're selecting a few the more intriguing hands from this week's shows and putting the verdict to you ways you might play them. The primary came right at first of the first actual episode, while the second one kicked off the latter hour.

Hand #1

It's the feature table, and with 357 players left the common stack is 943,000. They've begun Level 20, with the blinds at 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Ryan Tococ is first to behave under the gun. He has 721,000 to start out the hand, and after looking down at he raises to 35,000. It folds to Shaun Deeb in middle position who has nearly 1.5 million to start out the hand, and Deeb three-bets to 102,000.

Everyone else folds — including Raymer who lets go of pocket sevens from the small blind — and Tosoc calls Deeb's reraise. Pot 246,000.

The flop comes . Tosoc checks, and Deeb bets 73,000. Tosoc calls.

The turn then brings the . "Lon, for the reason that dawn of time a deuce at the turn doesn't change anything, anywhere, anytime, anyhow," says Norman Chad to his partner Lon McEachern, noting the deuce being an apparent blank.

Tosoc again checks, and when Deeb fires another bet of 173,000, Tosoc calls again together with his overpair. The pot is as much as 738,000.

The river brings the , putting two pair on board and prompting a repetition from Chad of his observation that a deuce at the river could also be unlikely to have changed anything. Tosoc checks another time, and this time Deeb pushes all in.

"Oh, man," says Tosoc with a smile. "I wish this wasn't televised. I'll look so bad if I'm wrong."

He has 371,000 left, meaning Deeb has put him to a test for his remaining chips. Eventually Deeb calls the clock, though with editing it isn’t obvious how long Tosoc has tanked.

Ultimately Tosoc decided to call, and nodded when Deeb showed him .

"Nothing you'll do," said Deeb. "IT IS THE perfect run-off... I'VE all of the missed draws." They discussed the hand somewhat further afterwards before Tosoc departed in 357th place ($28,356).

Hand #2

Another tough decision came originally of the second one hour, a three-way hand that still involved Deeb, James Obst (who had the chip lead for far of the latter a part of Day 4), and Valentin Vornicu.

Valentin Vornicu

We'll play along side Vornicu on this hand.

With about 280 players left, the common stack is solely under 1.2 million. With the blinds as much as 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante, Vornicu — with 1.67 million to start out the hand — chooses to limp in from late position with .

With 1.547 million within the small ignorant of begin Deeb calls, and Obst — the leader with 3.771 million — checks his option from the large blind.

"My favorite blinds," jokes Vornicu, regarding the 2 challenging competitors he's up against, albeit with position.

The flop brings Vornicu top two pair while also providing a potential made straight, a straight draw, and/or a flush draw for his opponents. Deeb leads with a chance of 36,000, and both Obst and Vornicu call.

The turn then brings the — an amazing card for Vornicu because it gives him an entire house. Deeb fires 102,000 this time, and when Obst calls the pot is as much as 399,000.

Both of his opponents appear to have caught something, but unless there is a straight flush sitting within the blinds Vornicu has best.

While Chad in his commentary suggested a choice would earn Vornicu more value at the river, he chose to boost to 382,000. That chased Deeb, but Obst stuck around with a call.

The river brought the , and after Obst checked, Vornicu had another decision to make. There has been 1.061 million within the middle. Vornicu had 1.22 million behind, while Obst had 3.33 million.

Unless we somehow fear that straight flush, this becomes a bet-sizing question. So we'll ask...

Vornicu chose to bet 925,000, prompting a grin from his opponent.

"Will this one make TV, you reckon?" said Obst. Eventually he did call, turning over for a flush, and Vornicu earned a large boost to his stack. (Incidentally, Deeb folded at the turn.)

Some intriguing decisions, made all of the more so with the pressure of being televised. What did you select? And what would you may have done with Obst's hand following Vornicu's big river bet?

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