Event 50 - $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha - Live Updates

With the stack sizes starting to look increasingly small compared to the blinds, it was only a small matter of time till the bracelet was decided - and so it has been.

Here's how the final eliminations went down.

Super Ted Grounded (4th)

Kevin Boudreau put paid to Ted Martin's shot at the bracelet. THe pair got it in preflop - Martin with A♦ J♠ K♣ 6♣ and Boudreau with A♠ Q♠ 5♠ K♥. Chance Kornuth came along for the ride but wasn't a fan of the T♠ 6♠ 2♣ flop and folded when Boudreau liked it enought to bet pot.

Surprisingly, Martin's pair of sixes was nominally in the lead against Boudreau's flush draw but when the 9♠ hit the turn, the rail went wild and we were one more player down, Martin busted in 4th spot for $165,825.

Misses Smith (3rd)

A sall stacked Danny Smith went for broke with a hopeful Omaha hand - A♣ Q♠ J♦ 8♥ -and realistically he was in reasonable shape versus Boudreau's A♥ K♠ 7♠ 3♠.

However when the board peeled out with a king and a three, Boudreau's kings-up hand was best by the river and Smith bows out in 3rd with $226,923 his reward for a deep run.

So heads-up, it was Kevin Boudreau and Chance Kornuth - the two comabatants whose respective rails had been at war earlier.

It didn't take long for the contest to be decided. Here's how it went down.

Chance Kornuth Wins The Bracelet!

With stacks as shallow as they were it wouldn't take long for the pair to get their stacks in the middle and so it proved, Chance going for broke with Q♣ 9♦ 8♥ 6♥ on a J♦ 8♣ 2♥ board.

Boudreau actually had the edge in what was a big pot, his K♣ K♥ A♠ 4♠ a statistical favorite but when Chance's second pair turned into trips on the 8 turn, Kornuth needed a king to bail him out.

No king came!

The rail burst into life, a huge roar building in the Rio as Kornuth's supporters realised their man had pinged a bracelet!

$313,792 for Boudreau and a very respectable second place, but $508,090 and the shiny WSOP bracelet goes to the aptly-named Chance Kornuth - who has defeated a highly capable field of Omaha players to seal his place in history!

Our congratulations go out to Kornuth. Thanks for following our coverage and be sure to hit up PokerListings shortly for our full recap of the day.

For now though, good night and good luck to all!

There has been a lot of excitement at the final table, but we can't say it has been due to the action on the felt.  Players went on a 20 minute break, and when they came back blinds were up to 30,000/60,000. 

Back and Forth

The action at the table has been back and forth.  At one point Boudreau doubled from Kornuth, then Kornuth got it back, and in the latest bout Boudreau doubled back again.

Boudreau raised under the gun, Kornuth fired back a reraise, and all Boudreau's chips made it in the middle.

Boudreau: A♣ T♥ Q♦ Q♣

Kornuth: A♠ J♠ K♦ 8♠

Boudreau's hand was able to hold up, and he was able to double to about 2 million in chips.  Kornuth still maintains the chip lead with 3 million. 

What's All The Commotion About?

A bit of a tiff has broken out between Chance Kornuth and Kevin Boudreau.  At some point, Kevin Boudreau started giving Kornuth a hard time at the table.  The word "fish" was used more than once, and this enticed Kornuth's supporters to chime in.

After a few slighted comments from the crowd, Boudreau started getting upset.

"Hey Dan, can you get them to stop needling me?" said Boudreau to the floor.  The back and forth got so bad that Boudreau was warned that if he didn't calm down he would get a penalty. 

To make matters worse, the crowd was starting to get involved and the floor had to call security to split the groups up.  Now, no one is allowed to sit in the middle section of the stands.  Kornuth supporters are on one side of the stands, while the Boudreau supporters are on the other side. 

Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

We are in to level 25 where blinds have become 20,000/40,000.  There were five players left at the start of the level.  There are some pretty strong players here, so it is anyone's guess as to who the winner will be.

All That Excitement For A Chop

Scott Mandel raised, and when Chance Kornuth potted he went all in.  Kornuth made a snappy call.

Mandel: A♣ A♦ 5♦ T♣

Kornuth: A♠ A♥ T♥ 3♦

They both had aces very similar hands.  Mandel turned to his entourage and said, "I'm double suited though!"

The board came out 8♣ 7♥ 7♠ K♠ 8♦ which gave both players two pair with a king kicker.

Scott Mandel Eliminated in 5^th Place

Chance Kornuth and Scott Mandel were at it again in a heads up hand.  The flop came K♥ J♠ 3♣ and both players checked.  When the 8♦ came on the turn Kornuth checked again, but Mandel had other plans and bet 100,000. 

Kornuth checked to see how much Mandel had behind before potting.  Mandel obliged by shipping in the rest of his chips.

Kornuth: 8♠ 8♣ 6♣ 4♠

Mandel: 3♠ 3♦ 9♦ 5♠

Both players had sets, but Kornuth was on the winning end. 

"I have to hit a one outer," said Mandel to his friends.

"You've done it before," they called back.

However, this wouldn't be the time he would hit it.  A 7♣ came on the river and Mandel was sent packing in 5h place for $122,455.

Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Level 25 is in the works with 6 players remaining.  Blinds have gone up to 20,000/40,000, and the average stack is 1,380,000 which is less than 35 bets.  At this point, the chip lead and change hands very quickly.

Gardener Seasoned Out

Chance Kornuth made it 80,000 to go, and when it folded around to Julian Gardner in the big blind he made the call.

The flop was 9♥ J♣ 6♣ and Gardner checked.  Kornuth sized up Gardner's chips before betting 85,000.  Gardner wasn't going to be bullied around, so he went all in.  With a swift call from Kornuth, the cards were turned up.

Gardner: 7♥ 4♠ 6♠ 8♠

Kornuth: K♦ 9♠ J♦ 7♣

Kornuth was looking pretty with two pair and a flush draw.  Gardner was wrapped up with a straight draw, but would have to dodge some outs even if he got there. 

The K♣ on the turn had Gardner drawing dead, and the insignificant T♦ came on the river.

Gardner would finish in 6^th place for $91,387.  Meanwhile, Kornuth gave his friends a few high fives to celebrate the elimination.

Kornuth, The Relentless Chip Leader

Chance Kornuth raised to 80,000 preflop, and was called by Danny Smith.  The flop delivered K♦ 6♦ T♠.  Both players checked. 

The turn was the 7♦ to which Smith checked again.  Kornuth fired 160,000 into the pot, and Smith quickly folded.

Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Blinds are now at 12,000/24,000, and there were 9 players remaining at the start of the hour.  The crowd favorite is obviously Robert Mizrachi, but Kevin Boudreau has a bit of a fanfare behind him as well.

Jose "Nacho" Barbero Gone In 9^th

Danny Smith raised to 65,000, and Robert Mizrachi flatted from behind.  Jose Barbero was on the button and found his spot to move all in for 256,000.  Smith immediately called, and Mizrachi got out of the way to let the two battle it out.

Barbero: A♣ K♦ J♥ 8♦

Smith: A♣ A♠ Q♣ 8♣

The board came A♣ 8♥ 6♥ 4♣ 6♣.  Smith was sitting pretty with aces full, and Barbero was shown the door in an impressive 9^th place finish.

Mizrachi Clan Defeated

Robert Mizrachi had a strong group of supporters in the stands, but they wouldn't be sticking around for long. 

There were a few limpers to the 3♦ 7♦ J♠ flop.  It checked around to Scott Mandel who potted for 120,000.  When it folded to Mizrachi, he raised to 480,000.  Scott announced all in to put Mizrachi at a decision for all of his chips, and he made the call.

Mizrachi: A♦ #c J♦ T♦

Mandel: J♣ 7♠ 4♠ 4♣

Mizrachi was behind the flopped two pair of Mandel, but he had a lot of outs to work with.  The turn was the K♣ to add straight outs to Mizrachi's hand.  However, the river was the 5♥ which was one of the few cards that didn't help his hand.

Robert Mizrachi goes out in 8^th and will take home $52,471.

Liu's Aces No Good

Chance Kornuth raised to 60,000, and Eric Liu potted.  Kornuth made the call.  Liu was sitting at a fairly short stack and was looking for a spot to double up. 

When the A♥ T♠ 7♥ came on the flop Kornuth took it upon himself to move Liu all in.  Liu couldn't get his chips in fast enough.

Liu: A♠ A♣ Q♦ 2♠

Kornuth: Q♥ J♣ T♦ 2♥

Liu had top set, but he was at risk from Kornuth's straight and flush draws.  As it turned out the K♠ came on the turn to give Kornuth the straight.  The river bricked for Liu and he was sent packing in 7^th place for $68,902. 

There Will Be No Bracelet For The Mizrachi's Tonight

 

Top 10 Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Players are back from dinner break and have come back to ten handed play.  The blinds are at 12,000/24,000. 

First Action

If the first hand coming back from dinner break is any indication on the things to come, then this is going to be an explosive final table. 

There were a few limpers to a flop of 3♣ 5♣ 9♥.  When it checked to Danny Smith, he bet 125,000.  Ran Azor made the call when it folded back around to him. 

The 5♠ came on the turn and Azor fired out 120,000.  Smith raised 560,000 leaving himself with only 20,000 behind.  Azor was at a decision for all of his chips.  He eventually folded his hand to fight again. 

Azor Takes A Chance

It was heads up between Scott Mandel in the small blind and Ran Azor in the big blind.  On a 3♠ T♣ K♥ 5♠ board, Azor bet 98,000, and Mandel made it 275,000.  If Azor was going to keep playing this pot he would be all in.

Azor did decide to raise all in for just a little bit more than Mandel's bet.  Mandel made a quick call.

Azor: K♠ Q♣ 7♣ 6♠

Mandel: A♥ A♣ Q♦ 4♠

Azor was behind and would need a spade to stay alive.  However, it was the 8♣ that came on the river which wasn't good enough to give Azor a pass.  He becomes our 10^th place finisher taking home $31,448.

Break At The Final Nine

The final nine players have been established.  The clock has been stopped so that chip counts can be taken and players can situate themselves for final table play. 

The blinds got steep this round as players are paying 10,000/20,000. With 12 players left, it was uncertain if the dinner break was going to be pushed back a level or two.

Indecision

Players had previously decided that they would play until they reached the final ten.  However, when it got closer to the next break Jose Nacho Barbero said that he wanted to go on a dinner break at the completion of this level.  The floor agreed that would be the best plan of action.

Robert Mizrachi would have rather played it down to the final ten and have extra time for the dinner break.  As it turned out, they decided to just play until the end of the level before going on a dinner break.

D'Angelo Outted

On an A♥ 8♠ J♥ Q♠ board, Scott Mandel potted for 210,000 leaving himself with only 25,000 behind.  D'Angelo thought for a long while since the decision was for most of his chips.  He finally moved all in having Mandel covered by only 3,000.

Mandel: Q♣ T♥ 8♦ 7♥

D'Angelo: K♠ K♥ Q♥ J♦

Mandel had two pair, and D'Angelo was behind with a pair of kings.  The river bricked and Mandel took the pot.

D'Angelo was out the very next hand going all in for 3,000.  Mandel finished the job and sent D'Angelo to the rail.

Mark Eddleman Gone In 11^th

Mark Eddleman potted from under the gun and only had 27,00 left.  Robert Mizrachi made the call and the flop came J♥ 7♦ 5♦.  Mizrachi immediately put Eddleman all in, and he called. 

Eddleman: A♠ K♣ 8♦ 2♦

Mizrachi: T♥ 9♣ 8♣ 6♠

The turn came the Q♥, and the river was the 9♥ to give Mizrachi the straight to bust Eddleman out in 11^th place.

Down To Ten Before Dinner

All the dinner break squabble was for nothing because we made it down to ten players before the end of the level.  Players are now on a one hour dinner break and they will return at 8:40 to play out the final table. 

Eddleman Taken Down In 11th Place

 

Top 10 Chip Count

Players have slowed down a bit with the final table approaching.  On top of that, the players asked to take a short break, so play was halted for another 5 minutes.

Aljenabi Ships It

Ali Aljenabi has had a bit of trouble getting anything going.  He was sitting at a meager stack and ended up shipping it preflop against Ryan D'Angelo.

Aljenabi: Q♥ J♠ T♠ 7♥

D'Angelo: K♦ K♥ T♣ 8♠

The board came out T♥ T♦ 2♦ A♦ 6♦.  D'Angelo was able to take the pot down with trip tens with a slightly better kicker than Alienabi's. 

Other Eliminations

Niall Charlton was eliminated in 14^th place with Kevin Boudreau taking his chips and adding them to his stack. 

David Iammarino was also eliminated by Scott Mandel when he was able to flop a flush against Iammarino.  He finishes in 13^th place taking home $24,711.

Dinner Break Schedule

Players have decided that they would like to take a dinner break when they have reached the final ten players.  It was originally scheduled to be at the end of this break, but now it will be pushed back or forward according to when the final ten is reached.

Top 10 Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Players went on a 20 minute break at the completion of the level.  When they came back, there were 14 players remaining.  The floor has announced that there will be a redraw at ten players.  Blinds have gone up, and they are now 8,000/16,000

Mercier Cracked

Our favorite Poker Stars Pro has been eliminated from the field.  Eric Liu raised to 36,000 under the gun, and Mercier made it 132,000 to go.  Liu made the call.

The flop came out K♠ 3♠ 7♥.  Liu check called Mercier's all in putting Mercier at risk.

Liu: J♠ T♣ 7♦ 8♠

Mercier: A♣ A♥ T♦ T♠

Mercier was ahead on the flop with his aces, but Liu had middle pair and a flush draw.  When the Q♠ came on the turn it was over and Liu was able to stack all of Mercier's chips. 

Mercier Eliminated in 16^th place and will take home $19,479.

Smokeless Cigarette

Ran Azor folded his hand and then reached into his bag to grab a cigarette.  He then enthusiastically started blowing smoke rings into the air while the other players were in a hand.  We finally figured out that he was smoking a fake cigarette complete with the nicotine and smoke; minus the smell.

At first the floor guy didn't seem to know what to do.  Is it allowed or not allowed?  However, after Azor continued to blow the stenchless smoke into the air it was apparent that it would be a distraction.  The floor finally asked him to put it away. 

Top 10 Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Just as expected, this has been an explosive round.  Chips have been flying, seats are dying, and players are left crying. 

Blinds have gone up to 6,000/12,000.  The average stack is a little over 405,000. 

Spindler Spun Out

Mark Eddleman limped, and and Benny Spindler potted from the button to 54,000.  When it folded back to Eddleman, he asked how much Spindler had behind.  Seeing that Spindler was short with only 43,000 behind, Eddlman just flatted. 

The flop came out K♣ Q♣ 5♣.  Eddleman potted and put Spindler moved all in for the rest of his chips.  Eddleman announced he had a flush.  Spindler folded his hand looking quite dejected at the performance. 

Redraw

After losing Ross Boatman, Josh Tieman, and Ayaz Mahmood, play was down to the final 18.  Players took a few minutes to situate themselves after a two table redraw was done.

There might be a conspiracy blooming, as the two tables seem very lop-sided.  Table #345 has all the big stacks with the shortest stack being around 400,000.  However, table #344 has all the short stacks with the biggest stack being around 350,000.  It should be interesting to see how this pans out. 

Beevers Out In 18^th Place

Mark Eddleman raised in early position to 47,000.  Joe Beevers took a few minutes and then moved all in behind.  Eddleman made the call to put Beevers at risk.

Beevers: K♠ K♣ Q♠ J♣

Eddleman: A♠ A♣ J♥ 6♥

The board came out 7♠ 2♥ 3♥ A♥ J♦.  Eddleman picked up the flush on the turn which was enough to boot Beevers out of the tournament.  He will pick up $19,479 for 18^th place money.

Mizrachi Keeps His Spot On The Leader Board

 

Top 10 Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Cards are in the air at Day 3 of the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. With 28 players left, it looks like we will play down to the winner of this event today.  The blinds will start off today at 5,000/10,000.  Since the blinds are getting steep, we may see some quick eliminations coming up.

Liu Takes A Big One

The action started when Robert Mizrachi raised to 28,000.  David Iammarino made the call, and Eric Liu rerasied to 122,000.  It folded back around to David Iammarino on the button, and he made the call. 

The flop came out Q♥ A♣ J♠.  Liu potted all in.  After seeing that Liu had Iammarino covered, it didn't take him long to fold his hand. 

Liu was at the brink of being eliminated yesterday, but he soars to 465,000 in chips to begin today.

Double Elimination Round

Yadin Shemmer raised to 37k from under the gun.  Ran Azor called, and then Justin Smith potted all in from the small blind.  Ross Boatman thought about sticking the rest of his chips in, but ended up making the fold. 

Shemmer had Smith covered, and he stuck his remaining 130,000 into the pot as well.  Azor made the call at the chance to eliminate both Shemmer and Smith.

Shemmer: K♠ K♦ Q♦ J♠

Smith: Q♠ Q♥ 7♥ 8♠

Azor: T♠  T♦ 4♥ 4♠

The board came out 8♣ 9♦ 5♣ 3♣ 2♦ to give Azor the win with a set of fours.  Both Shemmer and Smith were eliminated.

Boudreau Takes A Dive

Kevin Boudreau has been playing a very aggressive and volatile style the last two days.  He was at the top of our leader board for part of Day 2, and then he plummeted down below average.  At the end of Day 2, he ended up getting it all back.

On a 6♦ 5♣ 4♣ board, Boudreau was heads up with Benny Spindler.  There was a 18,000 bet placed by Spindler, and Boudreau made it 120,000.  Spindler took a few moments to think about it before potting all in.  Boudreau made a quick call.

Boudreau: A♣ K♣ J♥ 2♥

Spindler: 8♦ 7♣ 5♦ 6♠

The turn was the T♠ and the river was the A♠.  Splindler's flopped straight held up and was good enough to double up his 360,000 stack. 

Spindler Takes A Chunk Out Of Boudreau

 

Top 10 Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

The $5k PLO event is moments away from the restart, and we are anticipating a great run-in to the bracelet.

The remaining field is plum-full of talent with Robert Mizrachi topping the chip counts, but the likes of PokerListings blogger Jason Mercier, Hendon mobsters Joe Beevers and Ross Boatman and Cardrunners instructor Eric Liu are only a few big pots behind him.

31 players remain and they will be back in moments to contend the title and face-off for the bracelet.

Keep those eyes glued to PokerListings as we bring all the intrigue from the felt to you in the comfort of your homes.