Event 22, No-Limit Hold'em - Live Updates

PokerListings.com has scooped the winner!

James Mackey was heads-up against Stuart Fox and came out victorious.

Mackey forced Fox all-in with 10-2 versus Fox's K-4, and Fox called. The flop was nothing; Q-9-6 - but then - Mackey hit the luck and turned and rivered trip tens!

Mackey is the champion of Event 22! He takes home $730,740 for his win. Congratulations!

Here are the hands that lead up to Mackey's big win:

3rd Place Elimination: Michael Binger

Mackey had A-Q versus Binger's pocket tens. The flop gave Mackey a pair of aces - A-6-4, and the turn and river didn't change the situation - 6-7.

Binger goes home with $295,245.

4th Place Elimination: William McMahon

Mackey did it again, and took out McMahon with 10-7. William had A-6 and got all-in pre-flop. The board was 9-7-3-3-3, giving Mackey a full house, threes over sevens.

McMahon takes home $109,319.

5th Place Elimination: Karga Holt

Holt got all-in with Q-3 and was called by Michael Binger's pocket jacks. The board was A-10-9-A-9, and Binger took Holt out in 5th place. Holt will take home $140,091.

6th Place Elimination: Nick Schulman

Mackey called Schulman's all-in with A-10, and Schulman had A-5. The board was Q-7-3-2-3, and Mackey won with his higher kicker, and Schulman takes home $108,457.

The news it out - Tex Barch and Jan Soren have been eliminated! 

7th Place Elimination: Jan Sorenson

Jan was all-in with pocket rockets, and Michael Binger called with pocket tens.

The Flop was 10-8-4 - and Binger got his set of tens! The last two cards were the Q♣ 5♥, and Sorenson was eliminated in 7th place with $81,343. 

8th Place Elimination: Tex Barch

Tex has left the tournament, after getting all-in with A-10 versus Stuart Fox's A-J.

The board was J-10-9-2-4, and Fox's flopped jacks eliminated Barch in 8th place. Barch takes home $60,254. 

But in the real world in real time, it seems that it's down to 2 players - heads up baby! Stay tuned. 

The reliable security guards have informed PokerListings.com that only 3 players remain in the tournament!

It seems that what was a slow start has quickly become a busting affair; on the Rio TV screens, only one player has busted out - which means that in two hours, we lost four players!

The first "official" elimination is Michael Gracz, in ninth place. Here's how he got knocked out:

Bad Nines = Michael Gracz

He got all-in with pocket nines versus James Mackey's queens. The board was T♥ 6♠ 4♥ J♥ Q♦. Mackey's lady killers won the hand, knocking out Mr. Gracz who headed to the cash cage for his winnings - a good $43,684 for ninth place. 

So "officially" we still have eight in the game - stay tuned! 

According to the burly security guards outside the box, there are "five or six" players left inside. Jan Sorenson was seen leaving the tournament area to do an interview, so we suppose he is one of the 3 eliminated.

Confirmations to come.

Though the players have been playing for about an hour now, the flat-screened tv broadcast has just been turned on - which means, it's time for "live" updates!

Jan Sorenson Doubles Up Through Tex Barch

Sorenson got all-in with A-Q, and Barch had pocket kings! But Sorenson got lucky and hit an ace on the flop, with A♠ 4♣ J♥. The turn and river were duds but Barch lost half his stack despite making a good call. Sorenson doubles up.

Check back for more, as we will let you know what we see on tv, who we see leaving the box, and any bad-beats we overhear in the Rio hallways. Also stay tuned for some enticingly exciting shroud pics!

Yup, it's curtain time again! We're playing in the big bad box of poker. I mean, the "Bluff Sequestrian".

After last night's long ten-handed play, the final nine players of the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em event are back and ready to play for some big money. Michael Binger, Nick Schulman, and Michael Gracz are all in the field, and it will be an exciting table to watch.

Here are the final nine players, they're seating, and chip counts:

Seat 1 - William McMahon - $524,000
Seat 2 - Tex Barch - $709,000
Seat 3 - Michael Binger - $240,000
Seat 4 - Jan Sorensen - $349,000
Seat 5 - Stuart Fox - $718,000
Seat 6 - Michael Gracz - $534,000
Seat 7 - Karga Holt - $1,211,000
Seat 8 - James Mackey - $1,074,000
Seat 9 - Nick Schulman - $1,045,000