Event 19 - $2,500 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em - Live Updates

The heads up battle between Joe Serock and Brock Parker was a vicious one. Parker pounded on Serock over and over again. It was clear that Parker was there to dominate. He wanted to win and he wanted to do so quickly. He pushed the action and took down pot after pot without a showdown.

The Penultimate Hand

Brock Parker made it 200,000 to go, something he did nearly every chance he could on the button, and Joe Serock called. The flop came down 6♥ K♦ 9♥.

Serock checked and Parker made it 325,000 to go. Serock check-raised it to 825,000 and Parker called. The turn was the 5♣ and both players checked. The river produced the Q♦. Serock checked one last time and Parker considered betting before he checked behind. Serock turned over 8♠ T♠ and Brock turned up K♦ 8♦.

A look of frustration washed over Serock's face as the pot was shipped to Parker. This pot sent Parker over the 2 million chip mark while Parker was knocked back to under 2 million.

And It's Ovarrr!

Joe Serock made it 200,000 preflop and Parker pushed forward two stacks of green chips which amounted to 1 million. Serock shoved all in and it was go time. Parker called and turned over pocket queens while Serock tabled his pocket tens.

Joe Se-Brocked!

Joe Serock will take home $341,783 for his runner up finish. It was his first WSOP final table and the win will nearly quadruple his cumulative lifetime earnings. He played well but that will be little consolation to someone who just an hour ago had a WSOP bracelet within arms reach.

Tonight's win is Brock Parker's second so far at this year's WSOP, and it only took him four days to do so.

More people have been in space than have won two bracelets within one WSOP, certainly an accomplishment to be proud of.

If Parker keeps this up there will be no touching him for WSOP Player of the Year, just another accolade to add to the pile.

The action continued during the last hour with one more elimination to report. Russel Crane came up a bit short when he busted out in third place. 

This leaves us with Brock Parker and Joe Serock. The two players are currently arranging their stacks on opposite ends of the table so they can have proper stare downs during hands. They're pretty even in chips so as of right now, it's anybody's game.

Russell Caned

Russell Crane started slowly, leaking chips during the last level.

First he played a hand where he made a feeble bluff attempt against Joe Serock and found he was beaten when he was called by just king-high.

This was followed up by several attempts to raise preflop only to later be forced to give up his hand. Then came the big one.

Joe Serock raised preflop from the small blind and Crane shoved all in. Serock made the call and turned up A♠ 9♥. Crane tabled J♣ T♥.

It was pretty much a coin flip with Serock holding a slight edge. The flop was a Serock-friendly 9♣ 5♦ 7♦. Serock's cheering section went wild, although maybe they didn't notice that Crane had picked up a gutshot.

The turn was the A♥.

"That seals it!" the announcer said. Close, but not quite.

The river was a meaningless 6♠. And just like that the Six Max Event is heads up.

Crane will be taking home $220,633 for third place.

The Six Max Event is back in action after an hour long dinner break. Joe Serock is at the top of the hill right now. It's been a slow day so far which hopefully means that they're due for a flurry of action.

And... Action!

It took about ten minutes from the resumption of play for the action we were expecting to start. Brock Parker raised from the button when it was folded to him.

Joe Serock made the call out of the small blind and Alex Wilson shoved after a bit of thought. Parker mucked and Serock went into the tank. After a minute or so the call was made.

Serock tabled A♦ J♥ while Wilson turned up K♥ Q♠. It was a great call by Serock but it was all in the dealer's hands now. 

He turned over a Q♥ 8♣ A♠ flop.

Both players had caught a piece but Serock was now well in the lead. The turn was a T♥ and the river an innocuous 2♠.

Wilson headed for the rail to collect his $104,323 fifth place money.

Dios Rios!

Perhaps the dinner break provided the fuel that the players needed to kick it into high gear.

Moments after Alex Wilson's elimination another huge pot brewed. It started again with Brock Parker making a raise from the button.

Joe Serock called from the small blind and Jesse Rios shoved from the big blind. So far the hand was a carbon copy of the Wilson elimination hand. This time, however, Brock Parker decided to make the call and Serock folded.

Rios turned over A♣ J♦ and Parker tabled A♥ Q♠.

The board was all blanks and just like that the $2,500 Six Max Event is three handed. Rios will take home a $148,661 payday for his efforts.

We're down to five at the final table of the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max event and Brock Parker has taken over the chip lead just days after winning the $2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-Max tourney.

Can "t soprano" continue his shorthanded dominance? And whatever happened to professional Joe Sebok impersonator Joe Serock? 

Here's what's good:

Newman Blue, Man (6th)

Clayton Newman open-shoved for his last 375,000 from the cutoff and Jesse Rios made the call on the button, turning up a pocket pair of tens to counter Newman's pocket deuces.

The board came Q♣ 5♦ 3♥ Q♠ K♦ and the tens held, giving Rios the pot and busting Newman in sixth place. 

Dominated!

He'll take home $76,123.

Rios Doubles

Joe Serock raised to 76k and Alex Wilson three-bet him to 175k. Jesse Rios four-bet all-in for about 550,000 and Serock folded out.

Wilson, however, made the call, turning up A♣ T♠ to find himself dominated by Rios' A♠ K♥.

The flop came 9♥ 8♦ 3♥ and the 7♠ on the turn made things interesting, but the river card was the K♣ and Rios doubled his stack to more than 1.1 million.

Serock Doubles

Serock just found himself all-in against Rios on a 5♥ 3♥ 2♥ flop holding T♥ T♠ to Rios' pocket fives.

Rios was a 64% favorite to send Serock packing, but the turn was the glorious T♣, giving Serock the better set and igniting the pro-Serock contingent in the crowd.

The river card was a brick and Serock doubled through to stay alive.

Play continues six-handed at the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max final table here in the Amazon Room, but former chipleader Joe Serock is seeing his dominant stack eroded in the face of Alex Wilson's relentless assault.

Serock now finds himself second in chips behind Wilson and is seeing less and less of his raises make it through without a three-bet. 

In other news...

Crane Lifts Stack

Russell Crane got all-in for 400,000 over the top of an 80k raise by Jesse Rios and saw Rios make the call with A♥ J♥ to his own Q♠ T♥.

Crane was behind heading to the flop and would need to improve to stay alive, and improve he did as the board came Q♥ T♠ 3♦ A♣ 4♦, all crazy-like, giving Crane two pair and doubling him through Rios.

Serock Doubles Newman

Dominator!

In one of many setbacks for the professional Joe Sebok impersonator, Serock raised preflop only to see Clayton Newman move all-in over the top for 305k. Serock made the call with A♠ 8♥ and found himself dominated by Newman's A♣ J♠.

The board came K♠ K♥ 5♦ A♥ 5♥ and Newman took the pot with aces-up, jack kicker, doubling up to over 600k and taking another bite out of Serock's stack.

Serock Lays It Down

Just a few minutes ago, Crane raised to 76k from late position and saw Serock make it 200,000 to go in the small blind.

Action folded back to Crane, who moved all-in over the top and saw Serock quickly muck.

We've played more than an hour at the final table of the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event and action has slowed compared to the supersonic speed with which the field reduced itself from 11 to six.

Professional Joe Sebok impersonator Joe Serock remains chipleader with about 2.5 million of the 8 million in play.

Here's how the last hour played out:

Newman Doubles

Clayton Newman open-shoved all-in for his last 210k and Brock Parker made the call, turning up pocket sixes to Newman's A♠ T♣.

The board ran A♥ 9♣ 8♣ Q♥ Q♣ and Newman's two aces took the pot, doubling him up to just 1/3rd the average.

(Nobody but Serock and Alex Wilson have above average stacks).

Serock Rolling!

Joe Serock raised to 60k from the small blind and Wilson defended in the big. The flop came 7♣ 7♥ 5♥ and Serock fired out 75k. Wilson flatted and the turn was the 9♥. Both players checked and the river was the T♥.

Dominant!

Now Serock fired out 200k and Wilson laid it down, conceding the pot.

A few hands later, Jesse Rio limped in the cut-off and Serock checked his option in the big blind. The flop came 9♣ 5♣ 2♠ and Serock bet out 35k. Rios made the call and the turn was the 3♠.

Both players checked and the river was the K♦, prompting Serock to fire 100k into the pot.

Rios made the call, but had to muck when Serock showed K-5 for two pair.

Wilson Chips Up

Wilson raised to 65k from under the gun and Serock made the call in the big blind. The flop came K♦ J♠ 5♦ and Serock check-called Wilson's 80,000 wager.

The turn was the 8♦. Serock bet out 180,000 and Wilson flatted. The river was the 6♣ and Serock fired 525k into the middle.

Wilson made a fearless call, tunring up A♦ K♥ for top pair while Serock could only show A-Q for ace-high.

The TV table is ready and the field has returned from break in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed tournament.

Cards are in the air from the final table and the play down to a champion resumes now!

The TV table is ready and the field has returned from break in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed tournament.

Cards are in the air from the final table and the play down to a champion resumes now!

We've reached our final table with ridiculous speed in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event and it's mostly due to professional Joe Sebok impersonator Joseph Serock.

Serock is now sitting on 3.4 million of the 8.01 million chips in play and eliminated both Brian Meinders and James Sudworth over the last hour of play.

The field is now breaking to set up the TV final table and action will resume in about a half-hour.

Here's how the last hour played out:

Kinkade Straightened (9th)

Jay Kinkade raised to 38,000 and saw Jesse Rios three-bet to 130k. Action folded back to Kinkade, who moved all-in and was insta-called by Rios, who tabled pocket kings to Kinkade's A-Q.

The board ran 10-7-2-8-6 and the kings held, giving Rios the pot and busting Kinkade in the nine spot for $39,376 of his own.

Meinders Business'd (8th)

This was the big one, the hand that gave Serock a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

Meinders keepers!

Brian Meinders had been among the chipleaders ever since he cracked Nasr El Nasr's aces with 7♥ 5♥ early on Day 2, but dude couldn't get away from trip jacks in a cooler hand that saw his Q-J finish second on an A♥ J♥ 7♠ 9♦ J♠ board with all of the money getting in on the river.

Serock held 10-8 for the turned nut straight and Meinders couldn't beat it. He's out in eighth and earns $54,777 while Serock looks poised to cash for much, much more.

Sudworth Rinsed (7th)

Joe Serock made a raise and Brit James Sudworth moved all-in over the top for about 135k. Serock made the call, turning up A♣ 5♣ and Sudworth was racing with a pair of black treys.

The flop came 9♥ 9♦ 8♦.

"No counterfeit please," Sudworth begged. The turn was the T♦, helping neither player. The river, however, was the A♦, giving Serock the pot and busting Sudworth in seventh for another $54,777 payout.

The field thus dispersed to prepare for the six-handed final table, which will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Welcome back to the 2009 World Series of Poker, where the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed tournament is playing down to a champion from the floors of the Amazon Room today.

Online phenom Brock "t soprano" Parker looks for his second WSOP bracelet in under a week, coming into Day 3 second in chips with eleven players left.

After an hour's worth of action we're down to nine finalists and we'll keep playing until only one man is left standing.

Here's how the first hour played out today:

Friesen Thawed (11th)

Brian Friesen raised to 40,000 and saw the action fold around to Alex Wilson, who moved all-in and saw Friesen quickly call off his stack with A♦ K♦ to Wilson's pocket nines.

We ain't talkin about the game.

The board came 9♦ 5♥ 3♠ 5♠ J♥ and Friesen was drawing dead on the turn, busto on the river, and out in eleventh place to take $28,297 from the prize pool.

Ivarsson Billups'd (10th)

Swedish baller Alex Ivarsson and professional Joe Sebok impersonator Joseph Serock saw a flop come  K♠ T♥ 4♠, whereupon Serock bet out 65,000 and Ivarsson moved all-in for about 600,000.

Serock made a quick call, turning up a pocket pair of aces, and Ivarsson was in foul trouble with K♥ J♥ for top pair with the backdoor flush draw.

The turn was the K♣ and Ivarsson made trips, but Serock hit a buzzer-beater with the A♠ on the river, giving him the boat and sending Ivarsson packing in 10th place.

Serock drags a 1.5 million pot while Ivarsson drags himself to the payout table to claim $39,386.