It took less than an hour for Max Pescatori to dismantle Kyle Kloeckner in heads-up play and in the process claim his second WSOP bracelet. Although they entered heads-up with nearly even chip stacks Pescatori won a couple of big pots in quick succession to take back the chip lead and it was smooth sailing for the Italian Pirate from there.

In the final hand of the tournament Max Pescatori bet $70,000 from the button and Kloeckner made the call. The flop came K J 3 and Kloeckner checked but Pescatori bet out $110,000. Kloeckner called and the turn came 2. Pescatori thought for a minute and then bet the pot limit – which was $364,000.

Kloeckner tanked for several minutes, likely very aware of the fact his tournament life was on the line, and then decided to go all-in. Pescatori insta-called and the players flipped over their hands:

Pescatori: K-J-8-7

Kloeckner: J-10-10-3

“Is it a one-outer?” asked Pescatori implying that Kloeckner would need a miracle card in a hurry. Instead the river fell 2 and Pescatori leapt to his feet to celebrate his victory.

Pescatori wins the bracelet and $246,471 while Kloeckner settles for second place and $152,410. Congratulations to both players and everyone that played in Event 24!

Short-stack Greg Hurst was caught between two titans in Max Pescatori and Kyle Kloeckner. In the hand Kyle Kloeckner popped it up to $80,000 and Greg Hurst re-raised to make it a total of $175,000 to go. Kloeckner called and the dealer flopped Q J 9. Kloeckner immediately puts Hurst all-in and Hurst decides to throw his last chips into the pot. The players flipped over their cards:

Hurst: K 7

Kloeckner: A 7

The board finished with the 6 and finally the A which sealed Hurst's fate. He will receive $94,599 for his third place finish.

We are now heads-up between Pescatori and Kloeckner with the Italian Pirate holding a slight chip lead. 

The three remaining players have returned from their dinner break and everyone left has a decent shot at adding some sweet, sweet wrist candy to their poker collection.

Here’s a look at the chip counts, courtesy of www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

1. Kyle Kloeckner	$1.1 million
2. Max Pescatori	$690,000
3. Greg Hurst	$500,000

 

 

After waiting hours for the seventh elimination we have our fourth, fifth and sixth place bustouts less than an hour later. Kyle Hegeman, who has several WSOP cashes to his name, will not be getting his first WSOP bracelet in this event. Same goes for Chicago native Jonathan Depa. Finally, one of the most well-known names at the final table, Allen Cunningham, has also been eliminated.

Depa D-Listed (Sixth)

Jonathan Depa was extremely short-stacked while playing Hold’em and with approximately half his chips in the small blind he decided to go all-in. Max Pescatori called and showed K-J. All Depa could manage was 6-3.

The board came down Q-J-4-6-10 to give Depa his walking papers. He will receive $48,876 for coming in sixth place.

Hegeman Hacked (Fifth)

The Kyle Hegeman tangled with Kyle Kloeckner and ended up on the rail when all was done and said. In his final hand Hegeman bet $80,000 from the small blind and both Kyle Kloeckner and Max Pescatori called. The flop came J 5 4 and Hegeman opted to move all-in for his last $120,000.

Kloeckner called and Pescatori got out of the way. The players flipped over their cards:

Hegeman: A K J 9

Kloeckner: 6 3 9 8

The dealer turned the 7 to give Kloeckner a straight and the rest was history. Hegeman will receive $62,015 for making it to fifth place.

Cunningham Crushed (Fourth)

Persistent WSOP bracelet winner Allen Cunningham will not be adding another one today. Cunningham was crippled in a large pot against Max Pescatori where there was no showdown and then got all-in several hands later against Kyle Kloeckner.

Cunningham had J-9-7-2 while Kloeckner threw down A-A-10-3. The board came A 7 6 5 3 and that was enough to finish Cunningham's day. Cunningham will receive $76,205 for coming in fourth. 

Players are now on a 60 minute dinner break.

Well, well, after hours and hours of 7 handed play, finally something snapped and we have an elimination.

Read on for details.

Kloeck Lock!

Max It Up!

Kloeckner found himself relatively short with $200,000, but called Lennart Holtkamp's raise from the big blind.

The flop came Ah 8s 6s and Kloeckner liked what he saw betting out $75,000.

Lennart moved in on him and Kloeckner called for his tournament life.

Holtkamp flipped A-K-T-5 for jsut top pair whilst Kloeckner showed up with T T 9 7 for a gutshot straight flush draw and wrap.

Lots of outs for Kloeckner made him the favourite, although none were prettier than the 9 on the turn, locking up the pot for Kloeckner with a mighty straight flush!

This was perhaps the most exciting moment of the final table as he doubled up to $400,000, the audience gasping at the incredible hand.

'Kamp Out (7th)

Max Pescatori limps in in early position, seeing a flop with both blinds, Greg Hurst and Lennart Holtkamp.

The flop came K 2 8 and a check from Greg Hurst was followed by a $21,000 bet by Lennart.

Max called, but Greg passed.

The turn was the A. Holtkamp checked it and Pescatori led for $75,000. Lennart now check raised to $165,000 all-in!

Max instantly called, unsuprisingly as he had a set of Kings in K K 9 9.

Lennart could only table A J 5 6 for top pair and the nut flush draw.

Max needed to fade a spade to get paid, which he did, meaning we bade goodbye to Lennart, busted in 6th place, winning $38,365 for his troubles.

Here are the chip counts as the final proceeds 6 handed, Max Pescatori propelled into the chip lead.

The players are on another 20 minute break.

Here are the counts, courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com

Max Pescatori	$666,000
Kyle Kloeckner	$597,000
Jonathan Depa	$290,000
Allen Cunningham	$280,000
Greg Hurst	$255,000
Kyle Hegeman	$180,000

 

 

Play continues sedately, the rail watching patiently for the fireworks to begin, but so far, Allen Cunningham has kept himself afloat without dominating.

Kyle Kloeckner has been the primary aggressor, making the most preflop raises to take pots down.

You'll have noticed from the last update that Hegeman had become very short and here's the story of how that came to be.

Hegeman Hedged Out

Vying For The Lead

With Jonathan Depa raising up to $42,000, Kyle Hegeman re-shoved on him, for $150,000 feeling his tens were probably good versus his range, but he ran into the Queens of the shortstacked Holtkamp behind. Depa laid down whatever he had.

A Queen on the flop pretty much sealed his fate, and a cruel Ten on the river to give him a redundant set rubbed salt into the gaping wound in his stack.

Hege Funds

An exciting hand played out between the Italian Pirate Max Pescatori and Kyle Hegeman.

Shortish stacked now Hegeman banged in a raise to $42,000 off his just over $100,000 stack.

Pescatori called and the two players saw a flop of 6 7 K.

The Pirate announced a bet of $65,000 before Hegeman moved in for his last few remaining chips on top. Pescatori called...

A-K-J-5 for Pescatori gave him TPTK, but Hegeman was in the lead with K-Q-T-7 for top two pair.

An Ace on the turn was disastrous news for Hegeman and he was heading out of the competition without a Jack or Seven on the river but the dealer was feeling kind and slid out a seven to fill up Hegeman and leave the Pirate feeling like pulling his cutlass out and slicing some land lubbers into pieces.

It seems like no one is able to dominate at the moment, the stacks all concertina-ing together in size, meaning play remains cagey as we close in on the bracelet.

Here are the latest chip counts, courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com

Lennart Holtkamp	$450,000
Jonathan Depa	$405,000
Max Pescatori	$354,000
Greg Hurst	$290,000
Allen Cunningham	$350,000
Kyle Hegeman	$245,000
Kyle Kloeckner	$200,000

 

 

 

The players have been on a break for much of the last hour so there isn't too much to report in terms of action, although it was rumoured Allen Cunningham had a beef Cipriani sandwich. Saucy!

Here's one of the few hands of note we have seen since the restart.

Rum Card For The Pirate

Treasure Taken!  

Max Pescatori limped in from the small blind, and Jonathan Depa checked his option in the big blind.

The flop fell 8 K Q. Check, check.

On the turn, Pescatori bet out $20,000. Depa counted out the chips and called.

RIVER: 3.

Pescatori led for $35,000, only to find Depa making a small, enticing raise to $75,000. You could almost see the pirate wince but he called the excess $40,000 only to muck when Depa showed down Q-3 for a rivered two pair.

Here are the counts as we stand, courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com.

The race for the bracelet is on, and although the players are just jabbing at each other, sooner or later the rising blinds will mean we see some knockout punches.

Kyle Kloeckner	$486,000
Allen Cunningham	$424,000
Jonathan Depa	$348,000
Greg Hurst	$291,000
Lennart Holtkamp	$268,000
Max Pescatori	$159,000
Kyle Hegeman	$141,000

 

The last level has seen the play moving along at a somewhat sedentary pace.

In the Omaha section in particular the players are wary to get involved and are avoiding big pots like the plague.

Allen Cunningham has perhaps been the busiest player preflop, but his reputation seems to be keeping the other players from getting involved with him.

That is till this hand!

Pirate Pescatori Pounces

Omaha - Kyle Kloeckner popped it up to $25,000 preflop, picking up action from Allen Cunningham in the small blind and Max Pescatori in the big blind.

The flop fell K 6 3, prompting Cunningham to fire out $50,000. A short think from the pirate, before he announced "Raise Pot!"

Kyle fled like a pigeon from two crazy cats and we were back to Allen. He nochalently folded his cards, flipping up the A. "I don't think it's coming" he told the rail, implying he had the nut flush draw.

One up for the pirate.

Pirate Planks Out

Kyle Kloeckner has not been shy to raise preflop and he was at it again in the holdem, popping it up to $30,000. Greg Hurst re-raised all-in to $100,000 and Pescatori now FLAT CALLED from the big blind.

Kloeckner decided to fold so we were heads up, Hurst playing for his tournament life...

Max Pescatori : A K

Greg Hurst : J J

The board blanked out, Hurst winning the flip to more than double up. Amazingly, Kloeckner claimed to have folded Q-Q!

Here are the latest chip counts, courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com

Jonathan Depa	$455,000
Kyle Kloeckner	$445,000
Allen Cunningham	$410,000
Max Pescatori	$325,000
Greg Hurst	$275,000
Kyle Hegeman	$216,000
Lennart Holtkamp	$208,000

 

 

The final table has been populated by the remaining players, the dealer has been instructed to do his job and we are off!

With five bracelet-winning Allen Cunningham looking for his sixth piece of world series gold and Italian pirate Max Pescatori hoping to make the other players walk the plank, we should be in for an exciting conclusion to this unusual Omaha/ Holdem mixed event.

Here's the blistering opening action from the tables.

It's Allen Cunningham!!!

That's All For Jean-Paul(OUT - 9th)

UK player Jean-Paul Kelly is an early casualty of the final table.

Shortstacked with only six big blinds to his name, he shoved in over the top of Kyle Kloeckner's initial raise to $25,000 for his remaining $64,000 stack.

Kyle called the extra chips and was a slight favourite with his A T to JP's K J.

An Ace hit the flop to close the door on Kelly's tournament, meaning JP Kelly is OUT, eliminated in 9th spot, winning $22,599.

Ly Down

Minh Ly has been crippled at this early stage. After a series of pot bets preflop, Jonathan Depa and Ly tangled, with most of their collected chips in the pot.

Depa showed down A K, and Ly J J. The race was on!

A King flopped to give Depa the advantage and the rest of the board came and went without a Jack in sight.

This left Ly with a mere $4,000 chips and facing almost certain elimination.

A Minh-Out Later (OUT - 8th)

Ear-LY Bath!

Indeed just a few hands later, he got his chips in the middle with K-2, only to run into the dominating K-Q in the hands of Kyle Hegeman.

No improvement and we are down another player, Minh Ly is OUT, eliminated in 8th spot, winning $30,482.