Event 41 - $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout - Live Updates

Peter Traply has taken down the Shootout bracelet following an epic contest.

Here's how people!

Traply Takes it Down!

Peter Traply has finally won what was an incredibly long, drawn-out affair and the exit hand was a bit of a cooler.

With two such aggressive players, keen to three-bet each other regularly, neither were going to be able to get away from a big ace, so when Lichtenberger found A♦ J♥ and Traply A♠ K♦, the chips just flew into the middle!

Traply had a clear advantage, though you didn't need to see the cards to know that. His effusive rail bellowing out their approval were evidence enough that the Hungarian was in good shape.

The board ran out A♣ 5♥ 3♣ Q♠ Q♥ to give Traply the winning hand and Lichtenberger was busted in 2nd spot for $215,403.

Meanwhile Traply collects Hungary's first bracelet and an impressive $348,728 in prize money. He and his fans will be singing and cheering long into the night!

Join us shortly for winner's shots and a full interview but for now we send out congratulations to Peter Traply, champion of the $5k Shootout!

Following the huge flip that Peter Traply won, he had roughly a 7.25 million to 250k chip lead - equating to almost a 30-1 chip lead.

He couldn't lose from here surely?

Well, he hasn't lost but a sizzling succession of double-throughs have brought Andrew Lichtenberger storming right back into contention and turned this battle back into a contest!

Here's how that happened

Make Mine a Double!

Lichtenberger insta-doubled back up, his K♥ 7♣ four-flushing on the river to beat Traply's 6♦ 5♠, which had flopped a single pair.

Traply shook his head, but knuckled down ready to take another shot at the American's shortstack.

The Double-Double!

Traply just pushed pre-flop when he found pocket nines and with Lichtenberger's shortstack, scorchmarks were left on the felt as he called so fast when he looked down at A♣ Q♠.

A million chip race was on, and once again Lichtenberger left it late to move into the lead, the board running out J♣ T♥ 5♣ T♠ K♣.

Amazingly Lichtenberger had made broadway by 5th, meaning he was up to over a million. 

Frustrated at having been rivered again, Traply picked a handful of chips up, scrunched his face and threw them into his pile!

#img: andrew-lichtenberger_31957.jpg:left: I saw he had deuces and I ji**ed in my pants! #

Ok, Seriously Guys...Can We...?

Yes, one more double-up for Lichtenberger!

This hand was strange in some ways, he limped from the small blind and Traply just shoved from the big blind.

Lichtenberg leaned back, crossed his fingers, prayed to whatever gods he has faith in...and called!

Pocket threes for Lichtenberg, he must have been expecting a race. 

BUT, the disgusted expression that crossed Traply's face said it all as he tabled deuces!

The flop was dealt out and Lichtenberg made a set, but still had to sweat a flush draw on the river. It never came and now he was up to over 3 million chips and getting close to level with Traply!

Amazing comeback!

The players are quite deep now, though as we have seen it is more than possible for both of them to get it in so hold tight as this white-knuckle, adrenaline ride of a heads-up continues!

Just two combatants remain now, and it is no surprise that the short-stacked Maxim Lykov was the man to succumb.

Here's how we went from three to two.

Lykov is Struck Off(3rd)

Maxim Lykov was sent to the curb thanks to Andrew Lichtenberger.

He found ace-ten in the small blind and three-handed was happy to shove his stack all-in. Unfortunately for him Andrew Lichtenberger was lying in wait in the wings, holding pocket jacks and once an ace-less board had peeled off, Lykov's day was done.

He picks up a very healthy $143,063 for his 3rd place finish.

Heads-Up For Glory!

That hand left online sensation Peter Traply battling against Andrew Lichtenberger for the bracelet. Traply gave notice of his ability recently by reaching the EPT Grand Final final table, eventually busting 8th for just over $200k.

American Andrew Lichtenberger also has a good pedigree, having had a deep run in this year's Five Star WPT, as well as having picked up three cashes already this World Series.

Lichtenberger Crippled!

With two such aggressive players duking it out heads-up, this was unlikely to be a protracted contest and indeed that seems to be the case as already the pair have played out a huge and possibly bracelet-defining pot.

Lichtenberger re-raised a Traply 100k raise to 330k.

#img: andrew-lichtenberger_32008.jpg:left: Painful turn card. #

Traply now put in a small four-bet to 775k, only for Lichtenberg to take a few moments before moving all-in!

Traply called, showing down pocket sixes to Lichtenberger's A♦ Q♦!

It was a crucial race with nearly all the chips in the tournament in the pot.

Lichtenberger must have overjoyed to see the flop come out A♥ 9♥ 8♣. He'd hit his ace and was moments away from collecting the bracelet.

Then the poker gods intervened...

The 6♠ spiked on the turn to give Traply an unbeatable set and his fans went absolutely crazy, yelling and screaming at their man!

The river came and went and Traply was an overwhelming chip leader with a 25-1 chip advantage, surely moments away from the bracelet. 

The players are now three-handed for the bracelet, but have been on a break for much of the last hour.

Since the resumption we haven't seen too many showdowns, most pots taken down by pre-flop raises. Short-stack Maxim Lykov has seen his stock reduced even further whilst 2nd-placed Hungarian Peter Traply has inched closer to chip leader Andrew Lichtenberger.

Out of the little action we've seen since the resumption, here's the pick.

Traply Makes Them Scream!

Now Nasr has been sent to the rail, it's Peter Traply's fans who are probably the most vocal and one of the few contested pots since the break was over was met with yet more hollering and whooping as crowd-favorite Traply took it down.

It opened with Traply raising it up from the big blind, following a limp from Andrew Lichtenberger in the small.

Lichtenberger made the call for 95k, checking the K♦ 6♠ 5♣ board.

Traply bet out 133k and Lichtenberger again called.

The turned K♣ appeared to be a blank, but when Lichtenberger checked and Traply bet out again, he laid it down this time and the rail cheered their man as he swept up the pot.

Pay The Man His Money! 

A quick reminder of the payouts as we approach the denouement to this dramatic tournament.

The Lay of the Land

Here's how things are standing as we play to the bracelet - thanks to worldseriesofpoker.com for the counts.

The atmosphere remains charged here as the supporters holler and chant at their boys, who are contrastingly unmoved at the felt.

The early stages have been the Nasr El Nasr and Peter Traply show as the two former EPT final tablists showcase their three-betting skills and levels of aggression. Then the two-way traffic was halted in a series of dramatic hands.

Read on for more details.

Peter Lays the Trap-ly

Traply pops it up from the button and is called by Maxim Lykov in the big blind.

The flop fell 9♠ 7♦ 4♦ and both players checked behind.

The turn 6♠ drew a 100k bet from Traply, which Lykov calls.

#img: peter-traply_30826.jpg:left: EPT Grand Finalist Peter Traply still in contention. #

The river 8♠ prompted Lykov to bet out 135k and Traply now bowed his head, deep in thought. His boisterous fans on the rail chewed their nails but needn't have worried as Traply was presumably just debating whether to raise or not as he called and flipped up 5♣ 4♥ for the straight, cautiously played because of the potential spade flush out there.

Lykov meanwhile showed he was on a flush draw, but the diamond draw, his bet a desperate stab at the pot, having whiffed the turn and river with his K♦ 3♦.

Nasr Launches into Space!

Nasr El Nasr really has been laying the aggression on thick over the last hour, this hand a great example of the manner in which he has been playing.

He limped in to see a flop of K♠ J♠ T♣, leading out for 25k. Maxim Lykov now decided to put an end to Nasr's relentless aggression, popping it up to 75k.

However, a good lag knows when he is being toyed with and Nasr now reached deep into his stack, re-raising another 175k!

Lykov could do little but shrug and fold as yet another pot went to the German who was starting to dominate this tournament.

#img: nasr-el-nasr_27335.jpg:right: Well, that flop sure sucked! #

Nasr Rockets Explodes!

Then this dramatic hand happened!

Andrew Lichtenberger raised to 60k from UTG and once again Nasr sprang into action, re-popping to 175k on the button.

Lichtenberger was in no mood to lay down, pushing all-in, only for Nasr to make a snap-call...with pocket rockets!

A sheepish Lichtenberger could only table T♦ 9♦ in return -leading the German supporters on the rail to cheer noisily as they prepared for their man to deliver the first elimination.

Nasr however must have cringed as the board fell almost as badly as it possibly could, coming 9♥ 7♦ 6♦ giving Lichtenberger top pair, a gutshot and a flush draw!

He's picked up myriad outs to crack Nasr's aces and when the T♣ came on the turn and the river bricked to complete the outdraw, Nasr was in trouble, his supporters were silenced and an ecstatic Lichtenberger was sweeping up a huge pot!

Nasr's Space Race Ended (5th)

It was all over for Nasr shortly afterward. His fall from grace has been dramatic and as he went for a quick double-through with pocket threes, he ran smack into Peter Traply's pocket eights.

No improvement and the unlucky German sees his day done in 5th, collecting $82,697 for his performance. 

It's all gone, Wong (4th)

No sooner had Nasr had his marching orders than we were three-handed!

Danny Wong has had a pretty unsuccessful day so far, seeing his chip stack dip well below its starting point.

#img: andrew-lichtenberger_31957.jpg:left: Aces-cracker, aces-smacker! #

Unperturbed by this, he raised it up to 72k on the button and Andrew Lichtenberger flat-called.

The flop fell T♦ 2♠ 2♣, Wong led for 220k and Lichtenberger again flat-called.

Come the 7♣ turn, Wong shipped it all-in, only for Lichtenberger to make a snap-call with a sneakily played pair of aces!

Wong could only showdown A♦ T♣ for top pair and when the river wasn't a ten, he was out, eliminated in 4th spot, collecting $105,609.

What a dramatic level! The players are on a 20 minute break but cllick through to our chip counts to see how the leaderboard will stack up on their return (counts courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com.)

The $5k NLHE Shootout is underway and the somewhat unusual finale to this event sees just five players face off for the bracelet.

Those five have shown excellence however in this event, all having conquered two tables full of some of the best players in the world.

Today promises to be an exciting day of poker given the combined talents on show, and the atmosphere will be improved by the presence of large and boisterous swathes of fans perched on the rail.

Already big pots have been greeted with whoops and cheers suggesting that there will be an incredible atmosphere here as the event approaches its conclusion.

Thus far we havent seen too many pots of huge significance play-out but it is just a matter of time until the real fireworks start.

Here is the line-up contesting the bracelet along with their current chip stacks.