Foxwoods Poker Classic - Live Updates

Vadim Trincher has just won the 2009 Foxwoods Poker Classic and $731,079 in prize money! 

The climactic hand occurred just after Trincher and Amnon Filippi had returned from a break, with both players seeing a flop come J♠ 5♠ 5♦.

Trincher checked to Filippi, who moved all-in for his last million or so. 

Trincher took a minute or two, but he ultimately made the call, turning up 7♠ 6♠ for the flush draw against Filippi's J-4.

Filippi needed to dodge spades to stay alive, but the turn was the 8♠ to give Trincher the made flush. 

Behind in the hand, Filippi thus needed to fill up with a jack or five on the river to prolong the heads-up battle, but the river was the K♠ and Trincher took the pot and the tournament!

For the win, Trincher banks not only the prize money but his first WPT bracelet and an entry into the $25,000 WPT Championship in a few weeks.

Filippi earns $409.405 for his runner up finish.

Amnon Filippi raises to 140,000 and Vadim Trincher makes it 400,000 to go.

Filippi makes the call and the flop comes K♥ 6♣ 2♦. Trincher checks to Filippi, who checks behind, and the turn is the 6♠.

Now Trincher bets out 400,000 and Filippi again matches the wager. The river is the 7♣ and Trincher fires 600,000 into the middle.

Filippi flats again, only to muck when Trincher turns up K♦ J♥ for kings-up to take down the pot.

Trincher now has a 6:1 advantage over Filippi.

On the first hand of heads-up play, Vadim Trincher raises to 150,000 and Amnon Filippi re-raises to 400,000.

Trincher thinks for a bit before he makes the call and the flop comes T♠ 8♥ 2♣. Filippi checks to Trincher, who bets 300,000 and is called.

The turn is the A♦ and both players check. The river is the Q♦ and Filippi checks again to Trincher, who bets 700,000.

Filippi folds and Trincher takes the pot - and the chip lead.

Heads-up play is underway between Amnon Filippi and Vadim Trincher. No dancing First Nations-types, just one foxy lady for the money presentation and Filippi telling the crowd it's all singles between those hundos anyway.

Whatever though, the end game is on here at Foxwoods with Filippi in the lead. Gogogo!

Leonard Cortellino raises to 150k on the button and Amnon Filippi makes the call in the big blind.

The flop comes A♥ Q♦ 6♠ and Filippi checks to Cortellino, who bets 150,000. Filippi makes the call and the turn is the 8♦.

Filippi checks again and Cortellino bets 200,000. Filippi raises to 550,000 and this sends Cortellino into the tank.

It takes a minute, but Cortellino ultimately moves all-in and Filippi insta-calls, turning up 8♥ 6♥ for the turned two pair against Cortellino's A♠ 7♠ for top pair.

Cortellino needs a queen, ace or seven to stay alive, but the river is the K♦ and Filippi takes the pot, busting Cortellino in the process.

Cortellino takes $214,449 for his third-place finish and Filippi takes the chip lead into the heads-up match with nemesis Vadim Trincher.

It was bound to happen, and it finally did. In a battle of the short-stacks, Amnon Filippi and Matt Casterella got into a preflop all-in confrontation that began with Casterella raising to 160k and Vadim Trincher re-raising to 375k.

Filippi moved all-in over the top for 1,190,000 and Casterella made a fairly quick call for the entirety of his stack.

Trincher tanked for a few minutes but ultimately folded, setting the stage for a race between Filippi's 7♣ 7♦ and Casterella's A♦ K♣.

Casterella's crew stood and cheered for that ace or king, one-time, but the board comes 9♦ 8♦ 2♠ 3♥ 2♣ and the sevens hold, giving Filippi the pot and busting Casterella in fourth place.

For his time, Casterella will take $138,905.

The hand means Filippi will have eclipsed his previous-best fourth-place finish at his fourth WPT final table and means his chances of tying John Phan's 1,400 POY points are still intact.

Matt Casterella was down to scratch after doubling up Vadim Trincher.

He was on like 380k and in dire need of a miracle to avoid busting fourth, but dude has played shipping magnate over the last few rounds, open-shoving roughly 50% of the hands he's seen and picking up the blinds and antes each time.

That aggression, combined with an Amnon Filippi swong, means that Casterella (800k) and Filippi (990k) are now each other's worst enemy when it comes to avoiding that fourth-place payout.

Danger! Intrigue! The World Poker Tour!

Well, that didn't last long.

Shortly after doubling through Vadim Trincher to take over the chip lead, Matt Casterella has given those chips back.

Casterella limp-called from the small blind after Trincher raised to 150,000 in the big and the two saw a flop come T♥ 4♣ 2♠.

Casterella checked to Trincher, who bet 250,000, only to see his rival raise to 750,000.

Trincher didn't take long to move all-in over the top for 1,815,000 total.

"You want me to call?" Casterella asked as he mulled the situation. Ultimately, he did just that, matching the wager and turning up T♠ 8♦ for top pair.

Trincher, however, has Q♦ Q♣ for the overpair.

The board finishes out 2♣ 6♣ and the queens hold. Trincher doubles up to reclaim the chip lead while Casterella is straight crippled on the play.

Matt Casterella raises to 125,000 from the small blind and Vadim Trincher asks him for a count in the big.

The answer is 1.25 milli in straight cash and after a bit of thought, Trincher makes it 725,000 to go. Alex Perelberg is gone so there will be no more flat-calling; it's a push or fold situation for tha boy.

Casterella moves all-in and Trincher calls. We've got a race - Casterella's got A♠ K♣ and Trincher has T♣ T♠.

The flop comes K♦ J♥ 9♠ and Casterella flops the best hand, though Trincher has a gutshot draw.

The turn is the 6♦ and the river the 3♠ and Casterella takes the pot to double up and knock Trincher down below the 2 million mark.

Vadim Trincher limps from the small blind and Amnon Filippi checks his option in the big.

The flop comes A♥ J♥ 9♥ and Trincher check-calls a 75,000 bet from Filippi. The turn is the 7♦ and this time, Trincher takes the lead, making it 125,000 to go.

Filippi makes the call and the river is the 8♣. Both players check and Trincher shows J-8 for two pair, but Filippi has A-8 for the better two pair and takes the pot.

We've just played the 100th hand at this final table and action remains four-handed, meaning we've lost one soul in the first hundred hands of play.

Vadim Trincher is chipleader, though he has been seemingly unable to either gain or lose chips thus far, despite having played his normal active style of play.

Amnon Filippi is the short stack. The New Yorker made a million-chip all-in shove preflop before the last TV break, but though Lenny Cortellino gave the matter some thought, no call was eventually forthcoming.

Filippi has never finished better than fourth at a WPT final table and will need to chip up if he's going to eclipse that mark here at Foxwoods.

And we just had another chopped pot, a cheap disappointment that resulted from Matt Casterella and Trincher both having a jack on an A-10-2-Q-K board.

All-in on the river, a brief moment of excitement and then the inevitable letdown. 

In this update, we're going to tell you about a chopped pot.

Vadim Trincher raised to 100,000 and Amnon Filippi made the call on the button.

The flop came T♦ 9♠ 6♦ and both players checked. 

The turn was the 6♣ and Trincher bet out 130,000. Filippi flat-called and the river was the T♠, sending the crowd into the usual paroxysms of awe/joy/rage/whatever.

So Trincher bet out 500,000 and Filippi instantly moved all-in. Trincher made the call, and turned up pocket sixes for quads. The boy was out of the tournament!  and yeah, they both had tens. Bo-ring.

Matt Casterella limps-in from the small blind and Vadim Trincher raises to 120,000 from the big blind.

Casterella makes the call and the flop comes 7♠ 7♥ 4♥. Both players check.

The turn is the 5♦ and Casterella checks to Trincher, who bets 110,000. Casterella raises to 310,000 and Trincher folds. 

The boy takes the pot.

Lenny Cortellino raises to 80,000 from the small blind and Matt Casterella makes the call in the big blind.

The flop comes 5♥ 3♦ 2♦ and Cortellino bets 105,000. Casterella makes the call.

The turn is the 8♥ and Cortellino checks. Casterella bets 225,000 and Cortellino calls.

The river is the 8♦ and Cortellino checks again. Casterella bets 500,000 and Cortellino makes the call. Casterlla shows two diamonds and takes the pot with a queen-high diamond flush.

Amnon Filippi raises to 80,000 and Matt Casterella calls in the big blind.

The flop comes K♦ J♥ 8♦ and Casterella checks to Filippi, who bets out 120,000.

Casterella raises to 320,000 and Filippi makes the call. The turn is the 2♣ and Casterella moves all-in for 1.3 million.

Filippi thinks for a few minutes before he folds and Casterella takes the pot. He shows the J♦ as he does so.

Vadim Trincher limps-in from the small blind and Amnon Filippi checks his option in the big blind.

The flop comes J♣ 5♣ 2♠ and both players check.

The turn is the 3♦ and Trincher bets out 55,000. Filippi makes the call and the river is the 3♣.

Trincher checks to Filippi, who bets 125,000.

Trincher raises to 425,000 and Filippi calls. Trincher shows J♦ 3♥ and Filippi flashes a three as he mucks.

Trincher takes the pot with a full house.

Amnon Filippi raises to 80,000 in the cut-off and Alex Perelberg moves all-in over the top for 95,000 more from the big blind.

Filippi makes the call, turning up K♥ 8♠. Perelberg is behind with T♠ 7♠.

The flop comes Q♠ J♠ 9♦ and Perelberg flops a flush draw and inside-straight draw.

The turn is the 4♣, however, and the river the Q♣ and Filippi takes the pot.

Perelberg is eliminated in fifth place and earns $106,007 in prize money.

Alex Perelberg open-shoves all-in for 137,000 from under the gun and Matt Castarella makes the call in the big blind, turning up 4♣ 4♦ to Perelberg's A♦ 3♦.

The flop comes Q♦ 6♠ 5♦ and Perelberg picks up a flush draw. 

The turn is the 9♣ and the river is the K♦ and Perelberg wins the pot with an ace-high flush. He doubles through Castarella.

Amnon Filippi raises to 80,000 from under the gun and Vadim Trincher calls in the big blind. The flop comes 7♦ 7♠ 5♥ and Trincher bets 100,000.

Filippi calls and the turn is the T♦. Trincher checks to Filippi, who bets 175,000. 

Trincher raises to 500,000 and Filippi folds. Trincher takes the pot.

Matt Castarella raises to 60,000 in the small blind and Alex Perelberg re-raises to 160,000 in the big blind.

Castarella moves all-in and Perelberg calls for the remainder of his chips. 

Castarella has A♣ J♦ and Perelberg A♦ T♣. 

The flop comes Q♣ J♥ 3♣ and Castarella pairs his jack.

The turn is the 7♣. The river card is the K♥ and Perelberg wins the hand with a Broadway Straight. He doubles through Castarella.

Alex Perelberg raises to 60,000 on the button and Amnon Filippi makes the call in the big blind. The flop comes A♦ A♠ T♠ and Filippi bets out.

Perelberg moves all-in for 83k in total and Filippi calls, turning up 9♣ 7♥ against Perelberg's A♥ 3♦. 

The board finishes out 5♣ K♦ and Perelberg doubles through Filippi.

It's the final table of the Foxwoods Poker Classic. Poker pro Amnon Filippi joins four other rivals to contest for a World Poker Tour title this evening in Connecticut.

Chip leader is Vadim Trincher, who eliminated two players to conclude play yesterday and enters the final table with a million chip head-start on his nearest rival, who happens to be Filippi.

Players are just being introduced and the cards will be in the air shortly.