World Poker Finals - Live Updates

Nick Schulman raises to $350,000 from the button and Mike Vela re-raises to $1.7 million. Schulman gives the matter some thought before moving all-in. Vela quickly calls and Schulman asks, "Do you have a pair?" Vela answers in the negative and turns up A♦ Q♠ to Schulman's 5♥ 5♠. Vela turns to the crowd and tells his fans he only has to win one race for the title.

The crowd chants "MVP" as we await the flop, which is a monster for Vela, coming A♠ Q♥ J♠ and sending the crowd into hysterics. Schulman calls for a five or a king on the turn but sees the dealer bring the 7♣ instead.

The Takeover is down to two outs as we go to the river and the crowd is on its feet as the dealer turns the 8♠, sending Vela's fans into absolute hysterics, with one woman in particular shrieking as though her house were on fire instead of her favorite poker player having just won a World Poker Tour title. As the crowd screams its approval, Nick Schulman congratulates his rival, who is the Finalist of all World Poker Finalists, winner of $1,704,986 and champion of this event!

For second place, The Takeover earns $864,652, while Mike Vela earns a $25,000 buy-in to the WPT World Championship in April as well as a WPT chip set, some kind of trophy and the glory of an exclusive interview PokerListings.com in addition to the seven-figure first prize. Congratulations to both finalists!

We're down to heads-up play and one of the two remaining players will be walking away with $1.7 million.

Here's a look at the chip stacks as we go to heads-up.

Mike Vela - $13 million

Nick Schulman - $4.2 million 

As we await the money presentation and the resumption of heads-up play, PokerListings.com would like to dispel some rumors that have cropped up on forums as of late. Specifically, this :

Pokerlistings latest update says they're playing again, and doesn't mention the card marking. IMO total whitewash, pokerlistings and the WPT are in cahoots to cover everything up, Mike White and Mike Vela are actually AJ Green and Scott Tom, and the whole operation is being masterminded by some Native American gaming company based in Costa Rica in order to destroy the world of poker.

Or something.

Would like to know what's going on though. Presumably the tape change was done so that the previous action can be reviewed?

- is categorically false and cannot be proven (we hope). Moreover, anyone with contact information for 2+2 user lennie257 is urged to provide it to PokerListings.com. We can't talk specifics, but let's just say we could swing a "super" reward if the info is correct.*

In other news, the tape changes following the discovery of the marked cards were innocent and normal procedure for WPT final tables - that is, they had nothing to do with the marked cards.

What is true is that twice at this final table marked aces have been discovered and new setups requested. In addition, we've had reports from a number of other sources that during preliminary play in this event suspicions were aroused regarding the frequency of marked cards being found during play. Now that we're heads-up, it's kind of a moot point but still worth consideration and investigation in the aftermath of this event.

We'll keep looking into this and bring you whatever information we can find.

 

*Note: we cannot actually provide any reward for the outing of lennie257 or any other 2+2er.

Mike Vela raises to $450,000 from the button and the action folds to Nenad Medic in the big blind. Medic moves all-in for his last $2,930,000 and Vela makes a quick call. Medic turns up A♦ 7♦ to Vela's A♥ J♠. As the players mill about waiting for the TV cameras to be ready, general consensus appears to be that this is a race with Medic holding a slight advantage.

The flop comes K♥ 9♠ 8♥ and Vela maintains his apparently tenuous lead. The turn is the J♣ and Vela pairs his jack but gives Medic the gut-shot straight draw. The river card is the J♦ and Vela makes trips, sending the defending champion to the rail in third place for $486,367.

Play has now been paused as we await the arrival of a number of Native Americans dressed in "traditional" war paint and feathered headdresses to replace the traditional scantily clad women for the money presentation. Updates to follow.

The blinds are on their way up again as three-handed play continues. Mike Vela and Nick Schulman have alternated pots over the last 10 hands with Nenad Medic seemingly content to sit backand watch his counterparts battle it out. Meanwhile, Vela is taking a quick break to call his or somebody else's children and wish them goodnight.

Update: We're playing one hand with $50,000/$100,000 blinds as the tournament director mistakenly announced these are the current limits. They're actually supposed to be $60,000/$120,000 but since there was already action in the hand the players will get a single hand at the mid-limits before moving on up.

Nick Schulman is under the gun and he bets $225,000. Tom Dwan shoves all-in for $1.3 million and Mike Vela contemplates a call. After thinking for several minutes he asks for a count and then finally makes the call. Schulman gets out of the way and Vela shows K♠ J♥. Dwan flips over A♦ K♣ and is in great shape to double-up.

The board comes 10♦ 7♣ 3♥ 10♠ and... J♠. Vela spikes the jack to bust Dwan right out of the tournament.

Dwan finishes in fourth with $324,244 and is probably enjoying a slice of CPK this very moment!

WPT organizers have a new tape in the camera so we are good to go. Players are back at their seats and the cards are in the air. Good luck everybody!

It's time for another tape change break and PokerListings.com is terrified that the WPT hostess is going to sing again. We're going to go somewhere quiet but we'll be back in about 10 minutes once the terror is over.

Action folds to Nick Schulman, who raises to $240,000 from the small blind. Tom Dwan makes the call in the big blind and the flop comes J♠ 9♥ 4♣. The Takeover bets $425,000 and durrr flat-calls once again. The turn is the J♣ and Schulman again fires, this time making it $600,000 to continue.

Dwan thinks for a few minutes before making the call and the river is the 6♦. Once again, Dwan finds himself facing a bet from Schulman, this time to the tune of $840,000. Dwan tanks for a few minutes but eventually makes the call and the 2005 World Poker Finals champ shows K♠ 9♦ for jacks-up. durrr mucks his hand and Schulman rakes a huge pot.

Mike Vela bets $175,000 from the cut-off and the other Mike, Mike White, shoves all-in from the button for $340,000. Vela calls and flips over K♥ 10♣ while White shows 7♦ 6♦ and will need to improve.

The flop comes J♥ 4♠ 3♦ giving White a straight draw and a back door flush draw. The dealer turns T♦ which gives Vela a pair of tens but also brings White one card closer to his flush. The audience is on its feet and the river card comes 2♣. The crowd cheers loudly for both Mikes although White has been eliminated.

White was very entertaining and a source of great one-liners so he will be missed at this final table. At least he's getting $243,184 for coming in fifth.

Meanwhile, Tom Dwan has been talking about ordering pizza from the California Pizza Kitchen here in Foxwoods Casino. Pepperoni pizza, one time!

We've reached the end of the level and the blinds are moooving on up without benefit of a break. Meanwhile, players have noticed a crease in another ace and have requested another new setup, making the second time we've had to change decks due to marked cards. Odds on who's doing the marking?

Mike White raises to $240,000 and Nick Schulman flat-calls before Nenad Medic re-raises all-in for his last $1,715,000. Action folds back to White, who tanks for a few minutes before coming over the top all-in. Dwan folds and Medic turns over T♠ T♣ to White's A♣ K♦. PokerListings.com analyst Arthur Crowson says it's "a classic race" scenario and we're headed to the flop as both Medic's and White's fans stand and cheer.

The flop comes T♦ 6♠ 3♦, giving Medic a set to the roar of the pro-Canadian contingent. The turn is the J♥ and White picks up a gut-shot draw although Dwan and Schulman both claim to have folding queens. The river card is the K♠ and Medic dodges the two-outer to double through Mike White and stay alive. Medic rakes a massive pot as Durr begs him, "Teach me!"

After 10 excruciating minutes of tape change inaction during which WPT hostess Layla Kayleigh serenaded the audience with a caterwauling version of "That's Amore" (don't ask), we're back from break and the poker is back under way from the Grand Pequot Ballroom at Foxwoods.

There's 18 minutes left in the current level and here are the updated chip counts:

Seat 1	Nenad Medic	$1,700,000
Seat 2	Mike Vela	$4,300,000
Seat 3	Mark Weitzman	$0
Seat 4	Mike White	$4,100,000
Seat 5	Nick Schulman	$3,300,000
Seat 6	Tom Dwan	$3,700,000

 

The production crew has taken a 10-minute tape-change break. Action will resume shortly.

Tom "Durr" Dwan has asked for a new deck after it was discovered that every ace in the current deck is marked. A new setup has been produced and Dwan is now engaging in a soliloquy about the sketchiness of live poker. "You think online poker is less sketchy?" Nenad Medic asks the Internet icon while joining in the call for the new setup.

Update: As far as we can tell, the tape change that occurred almost immediately after this hand had nothing to do with the marked deck.

Slow Play

After the rush of action during the first five hands of the final table, action has slowed a bit over the last 10-15 hands, with Nick Schulman taking down a pot against Mike White with a $350,000 river bet and both Mikes also taking medium-sized pots without incident or showdown. The remainder of the hands have been raise-folds and raise-re-raise-fold.

Nenad Medic raises to $200,000 from the button and Mark Weitzman moves all-in for $635,000 from the big blind. Medic tanks before making the call with A♥ 5♥ to Weitzman's A♣ 3♥. The flop comes 9♥ 7♦ 2♦ and Medic maintains his advantage. The turn is the J♥ and the river the 2♥ and Medic makes the heart flush, sending Weitzman to the rail in sixth place for $189,142.

On the first hand of the night, Mike White raises from the button and Tom Dwan re-raises to $640,000 from the big blind. White makes the call and the flop comes 4♣ 4♠ 3♣. Dwan bets out $335,000 and White makes the call. The turn is the J♣ and Durr checks to White, who, trembling, checks behind. The river is the J♣ and both players check again. White turns up pocket nines and it's good to take the pot.

On the next hand, White raises from the cut-off and Durr raises to $750,000 from the small blind. Nenad Medic calls all-in for his last $545,000 from the big blind and White gets out of the way. Dwan turns up Q♥ Q♣ and has Medic over a barrel as the 2006 champ shows K♣ Q♠.

The flop comes 9♣ 3♦ 2♥ and Durr maintains his advantage. The turn card is the J♣ and Medic picks up a gut-shot straight draw. The river card is the K♦ and Medic rivers two kings to double through Durr and stay alive.

The cards are in the air from the final table and it don't stop until Layla Kayleigh's toasting the champion. Mike White is in the button and Nick Schulman and Tom Dwan are in the blinds to start. Let's get it on!

Here are the seating positions and chip counts as we prepare to get under way from Foxwoods:

Seat 1	Nenad Medic	$555,000
Seat 2	Mike Vela	$4,155,000
Seat 3	Mark Weitzman	$855,000
Seat 4	Mike White	$2,455,000
Seat 5	Nick Schulman	$4,395,000
Seat 6	Tom Dwan	$4,875,000

 

It's final-table time from the World Poker Tour's World Poker Finals in Foxwoods, Connecticut. Seven days ago, 575 players paid the $10,000 entry fee for a chance at greatness and this afternoon that number has been reduced to six who remain in contention for a $1.7 million first prize.

PokerListings.com is live from the WPT soundstage and we'll bring you comprehensive coverage of today's final table, including live updates, photography and much more. Action is set to commence within the next 10 minutes, so buckle up and keep your arms and legs within the vehicle; PokerListings.com is go from Foxwoods.