Legends of Poker Live Updates

A short stacked Matt Keikoan has busted in seventh place when his 7-4 off couldn't get there against Zach Clark's big slick.

Tomorrow's final six is set and you are welcome to join us Thursday at 4 p.m. PST for all the action live from The Bicycle Casino as we crown the next World Poker Tour Legends of Poker Champion.

Until then, you can always check out our exclusive interview with chip leader Amit Makhija right here . Plus, our signature daily recap should be posted up here before long.

Here's our best guess at the chip counts heading into the TV final table:

Layne Flack is out courtesy of John "The Razor" Phan and his amazing ability to suck out huge.

Phan made it $110k to go pre-flop before Flack re-raised it up to $360,000 total. Phan contemplated the call for quite some time before asking the dealer for the all-in chip. After some discussion as to whether just asking for the chip is announcing a player's intention to shove in, Phan did just that tossing it in.

Flack made the quick call felting A♥ A♦ and Phan was way behind with 7♥ 7♣ although he had Layne covered.

Flack sat stoically in his chair as the 7♠ 6♣ 4♦ flop fell giving The Razor a set and the lead, but he stood up when the turn brought the 7♠ and his aces were officially cracked by quads. The Q♣ river meant little and Layne Flack was sent packing in 8th ($105,620) narrowly missing the final six.

Phan now looks like a lock to make the TV final table with close to $2 million in chips and we are down to just seven players.

Zach Clark and Trong Nguyen played an interesting hand where pocket queens proved to be non-factor.

In the hand Clark bet $110,000 from the cutoff and Trong Nguyen moved all-in from the big blind. Clark thought for a minute and then called. The cards:

Nguyen: Q♥ Q♠

Clark: Q♣ Q♦

There were no surprises from the board as it came J♠ T♠ 6♦ J♦ 9♦ and Nguyen and Clark have to settle for a chop.

That's how things have been going for the last couple of hours.

With a seat at the final table very much on the line play has slowed immensely with very few flops being seen in the last half hour. With five players very close to $1 million chips there are no short-stacks and every play is calculated.

With two eliminations still remaining before the end of the day everyone is wondering who will blink first.

The short-stacks refuse to go out without a fight here at the "final" table. The latest comeback occurred when Paul Smith doubled through Matt Keikoan.

In the hand Smith bet $90,000 from the button and Keikoan called from the big blind. The flop came T♦ 9♣ 2♥ and Keikoan checked but Smith bet $110,000. Keikoan moved all-in and Smith insta-called with 2♦ 2♠ for a set of deuces.

Keikoan flipped over Q♠ J♥ for the open ended straight draw and would need some help to bust Smith.

There was no help as the board finished Q♥ and then 5♦. Smith won the pot and is back up to more than $1.5 million.

John Phan has just doubled up to close to $1 million in chips giving him a little breathing room here in the final eight.

Phan raised to $80k, Matt Keikoan re-raised it to $280,000 and after a typical Phan-like tank he pushed in.

Keikoan called, but his A♣ Q♠ was in big trouble against Phan's A♦ A♠. The flop gave Keikoan a gutshot, but that never materialized and Phan managed to double.

Unfortunately for him, Ray Voskanian could no longer hold on to his dwindling stack and has gone out ninth.

Matt Keikoan made yet another $80k raise pre-flop and Voskanian called. Both checked  all the way down to the river as the A♣ K♦ J♦ 6♠ 9♦ was revealed and that's when the fireworks started.  Keikoan bet $200,000, Voskanian shoved, and Keikoan made the call showing 8♦ 7♦ and the diamond flush.

Voskanian's misplayed pocket tens ended his hopes at WPT glory in 9th. He'll cash $70,415.

Ray Voskanian was a short stack, but has no plans to leave Legends just yet. After Matt Keikoan raised it up from the cutoff to $80k Ray shoved his last $300k in the middle.

Keikoan made the call with just J♣ 8♠ and needed to hit one of two live cards to send Voskanian and his A♠ 3♣ to the rail. All those plans were dashed on the turn, however, when Voskanian found an ace and doubled up.

A couple of the big stacks just traded blows with Amit Makhija winning a big pot versus Kyle Wilson.

In the hand Wilson opened for $75,000 from the hi-jack and Makhija called from the button. The flop came 5♠ 4♥ 3♦ and both players checked. The turn came 8♠ and Wilson checked but Makhija threw $100,000 into the pot. Wilson thought for a minute but then called.

The river fell 4♣ and once again Wilson checked but this time Makhija came in for a big bet with $280,000

Wilson thought for several minutes before calling.

John Phan immediately said, "Good call" but was wrong as Makhija turned over 9♣ 9♥ and Wilson mucked.

Greg Mueller, who has been railing fellow Vancouverite Wilson for the last hour, asked what he had and Wilson said pocket sevens.

After the hand Makhija was up to $3 million while Wilson dropped closer to the $1 million mark.

We've finally made it to Level 21 and the nine remaining players are holding tight for a spot at that coveted final table.

Blinds are now $15,000/$30,000 with a $4,000 ante. Fight!

With play going hand for hand, things have certainly tightened up inside the ballroom at The Bike. But there are always exceptions to the rule.

One big hand just played out between Zach Clark and Layne Flack. Clark was seen firing into a queen high flop and making a $200k bet when the board paired on the turn with Flack following the whole way. The river looked rather inconsequential and after Clark sent another $400k in the middle Flack was forced to fold giving up on the massive pot. Clark is now up close to $2 million while Flack is struggling.

In the meantime, Denny Lee ran jacks into Trong Nguyen's kings and has been eliminated 10th cashing $42,250.

The players are redrawing for seats at the final table of nine. With just three more eliminations the TV final table will be set.

With Level 20 halfway complete the chip lead is still controlled by Amit Makhija who currently has $2.7 million. He does have some competition, however, as young Canadian pro Kyle Wilson has built up a chip fortress worth $2 million.

Meanwhile Raymond Voskanian is making somewhat of a comeback. Voskanian was down to $100,000 but thanks to some well-timed blind steals and shoves he's managed to battle his way back up to $300,000.

Here's a look at the remaining top 10 chip leaders courtesy of www.worldpokertour.com:

Sirous Baghchehsaraie has been eliminated to the delight of everyone who had to try and spell his name for the rest of the tournament. John Phan made a button raise to$55,000 and Sirous shoved for almost $800k from the small blind. Kyle Wilson then came over the top all in isolating Baghchehsaraie after a Phan fold.

Baghchehsaraie's A♦ K♦ was in a classic race against Wilson's pocket queens, but the board blanked and he was eliminated. Wilson is now the second player over the $2 million mark just a few hundred thousand behind Amit Makhija.

Lee Markholt and Jinyun Lin have both been eliminated courtesy of John Phan, who now looks primed to make the final six here at Legends.
Markholt decided to race for his remaining chips with A-K and Phan obliged holding pocket fives. Markholt managed to pair up that ace on the turn, but Phan rivered a two outer to make a set and send him home.

Lin’s fate final hand was a little less interesting. He got short when his flopped set of sevens was outdone on the river by Sirous Baghchehsaraie’s set of kings. A few hands later he got it in with pocket fives against John Phan’s ace-nine. Phan had the ace of hearts and when the board came all hearts Lin was sent packing.

John Phan is picking up some steam as we head to the final table and Takashi Shiono is his latest victim.

Phan made a bet of $50,000 pre-flop and Shiono moved all-in from the button. The players revealed their cards:

Phan: A♣ Q♠

Shiono: A♦ 2♠

The board came Q♣ T♦ 2♣ 9♣ J♣ and that was enough to relagate Shiono to the rail despite hitting his deuce on the flop.

Shiono will receive $35,205 for coming in 15th while Phan is up to $575,000 and looking dangerous.

Samuel Ngai is our latest casualty and his elimination came at the hands of a certain Layne Flack.

In the hand Flack had the button and bet $45,000 only to have Ngai move all-in from the small blind.

Flack makes the call and flips over A♣ J♦, which is ahead of Ngai's A♦ T♦. The board comes Q♣ 5♦ 3♥ 4♠ A♥ and Ngai busts.

Flack is now up to $1.33 million and is gunning for his second major final table of the year.

Layne Flack is in a good mood today and there are lots of reasons why. Although he's way behind chip leader Amit Makhija, Layne is getting hit by the deck and seems to be separating from the pack behind the leader.

PL.com caught the jovial flack raising pot after pot inside the ballroom at The Bike. When called Flack shows the best hand and when he's not he claims he had it.

His third raise in a row was met with some skepticism from the table, but they still let him slide.

"I had it," he said, flashing pocket aces. "When you raise three times in a row aren't you supposed to get called."

Marco Johnson raised to $120,000 from the small blind before a bigger stacked Trong Nguyen shoved from the big blind. Johnson made the call with A♥ 6♠ but was in a world of hurt against Nguyen’s A♠ A♦. The board brought the case ace and Marco was done.

With a few more eliminations happening quite quickly we are now down to just two tables remaining. Amit Makhija still leads and has twice as many chips as his nearest competitor Layne Flack.

The last woman standing at the 2007 WSOP Main Event was the last woman standing here at Legends, but Maria Ho is no longer standing anywhere.

She moved all in with king-queen running into Kyle Wilson's pocket nines. Wilson found a set on the flop and Maria found the door.

Allen Cunningham is out becoming Amit Makhija's latest victim.

Cunningham raised it up pre-flop and after Gary Najaryan called Makhija stepped all over him with a re-raise.

Cunningham shoved for almost $300k more and after Najaryan dumped Makhija made the call showing pocket jacks. Cunningham had two overs with K♣ Q♣ but never connected and will walk away with $21,215 for 24th while Makhija goes over the $2 million mark.

Amit Makhija is now on top after tussling with Ron Jenkins and coming out ahead.

The hand began with a middle position $36k raise which Jenkins called from the small blind. From the big blind Makhija re-raised to $100k and after the original raiser beat it, Jenkins made the call.

Jenkins then fired $120k into the J♠ 6♦ 5♥ flop, but Makhija had no intention of fading away, making it $ 260,000.

Jenkins made the call again bringing us to the 5♦ turn where he suddenly and decisively pushed all in. It would be the last move he would make here at Legends, besides walking out the door, as Makhija made the call with A♥ J♥ for top-top and was ahead against his 9♦ 7♦ combo draw.

The 9♣ was a serious brick for Jenkins handing Makhija the biggest pot of the tournament thus far, almost $1.7 million in chips and the lead. Jenkins grabs $21,125 for 25th.

One of the early leaders of this event, Adam Weinraub has finally met his maker. He shoved in with queens in the first few hands today, but got no action before his final hand began with a Matt Keikoan limp. Zach Clark hung around from the small blind Weinraub checked the big.

A J♣ 7♣ 4♠ flop was checked to Keikoan and he led out for $30k. Clark stepped aside, but Weinraub decided to push. Keikoan made the easy call with A♣ J♦ and was way ahead of Weinraub's no-pair no-draw K♠ 10♦. The turn brought another jack and we don't even think Weinraub knows what the river was.

He'll cash $21,215 for 26th.

Gary Najaryan, who took the lead here late in Day 3 but couldn't hold it, is back in contention again courtesy of a monster suck out.

Najaryan popped it up to $55k pre-flop only to see the larger stacked Kirk Conrad shove in. Najaryan made the call for his tournament life with J♣ J♥, but Conrad had him crushed with A♥ A♣.

Crushed until Najaryan flopped his two outer and stole the $800k pot.

A chance at a WPT final table hangs in the balance today as we begin the fourth day of the WPT Season 7 Legends of Poker.

Just 27 players remain in the hunt and a man named Paul Smith leads them all. Smith, who made 19th at the L.A. Poker Classic up the road in Commerce, California last season, sits on $946,000 in chips. He’s followed closely by online phenom Amit “amak316” Makhija ($842,000) and six-time WSOP bracalet winner Layne Flack ($807,000).

The next group behind includes last season’s WPT Reno champ Lee Markholt, 2008 WSOP bracelet winner Matt Keikoan, Canadian pro Kyle Wilson, and five-time WSOP bracelet winner Allen Cunningham.

There’s also a few big names with more than just a chip and a chair including John Phan, Marco Johnson and the lovely and talented Maria Ho.

Stick with PL.com throughout for live updatery at it’s finest as they play down to the final six, one of whom will be the next legend of poker. Legends Day 4 starts now!