Event 33 - $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship - Live Updates

Phil Hellmuth started the heads-up battle down nearly 3-to-1 in chips, but he never got any closer than that.

Eric Rodawig knocked Hellmuth down to nearly 7-to-1 early, and Hellmuth was all in at least four times (usually on third street) as he struggled to stay alive. The bracelet was on the table, and Hellmuth wanted to claim it as #12.

THE FINAL HAND

Eventually, Hellmuth couldn't hang on any longer, and was all in again on third street:

Eric Rodawig: (A♥ 8♦) 3♣ 2♠ 2♣ 3♦ (K♦)
Phil Hellmuth: (J♣ 10♣) 9♥ 5♣ 4♥ 7♠ (J♥)

Rodawig made a pair of deuces on fifth street, and two pair (threes and twos) on sixth street. Hellmuth had nothing but jack high until sixth street, when he picked up a gutshot straight draw.

Rodawig celebrates his victory with a fist in the air.

 

Hellmuth needed an eight to survive, but finished with a meaningless pair of jacks.

Phil Hellmuth finishes as the runner-up for the second time this WSOP, watching up close as someone else puts on the bracelet that could've been his 12th. Hellmuth handled his defeat gracefully, shaking hands with and complimenting Rodawig.

Eric Rodawig wins Event #33 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship), earning $442,183 and the coveted gold bracelet.

Side note: If you think it's hyperbole to call the bracelet "coveted," you didn't see the look in Hellmuth's eyes. You could almost hear the words, "My precioussssss …"

For Rodawig, this is his third WSOP cash, his second WSOP final table, and his first WSOP bracelet.

Eric Rodawig was all smiles after his victory.

 

Congratulations to Eric Rodawig!

OFFICIAL FINAL TABLE RESULTS

1st Place: Eric Rodawig - $442,183
2nd Place: Phil Hellmuth - $273,233
3rd Place: John Racener - $171,122
4th Place: Ted Forrest - $123,904
5th Place: David Benyamine - $96,836
6th Place: Mikhail Savinov - $77,222
7th Place: Joe Tehan - $62,710
8th Place: Ali Eslami - $51,750

John Racener held on as long as he could, and seemed to be working on nine lives, but he eventually busted in third place.

That sets up a heads-up match between Eric Rodawig and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth was in a similar situation earlier this WSOP, heads-up against John Juanda in a non-hold'em event, but facing a big chip deficit.

Phil Hellmuth - 1,300,000 (6 big bets)
Eric Rodawig - 3,750,000 (18 big bets)

JOHN RACENER OUT IN 3RD PLACE

Rodawig still hasn't given up the chip lead today, even for a moment. Racener was short throughout the level, but kept surviving.

John Racener busted in third place.

 

Eventually, Racener lost a big pot to Rodawig with the betting going back and forth.

Eric Rodawig: (6♥ 3♥ 2♥) A♠ 9♠ 8♥ K♥
John Racener: (X-X) 3♣ 2♦ K♣ 3♦ (X)

Rodawig said he had an 8-6 low, apparently missing the heart flush he caught on seventh street until the dealer pointed it out. Racener mucked without showing, unable to beat either, and was crippled down to less than a single big bet.

In Racener's final hand, he was all in on third street against both Hellmuth and Rodawig:

Eric Rodawig: (X-X) 6♥ 3♠ J♦ 8♣ (X)
Phil Hellmuth: (Q♣ Q♥ 5♦) A♦ 2♣ 2♠ 8♥
John Racener: (7♦ 7♣ K♣) 10♣ 3♦ 2♦ 6♠

Hellmuth and Rodawig checked the side pot down to the end, when Hellmuth bet and Rodawig folded.

Hellmuth showed two pair, queens and deuces to win the pot -- Racener had a pair of sevens with no qualifying low.

John Racener was eliminated in third place, earning $171,122.

Hellmuth is heads-up for the second time this WSOP seeking bracelet #12.

 

WILL THIS END BEFORE 3:30 AM?

The no-more-than-10-levels-per-day rule is scheduled to kick in at the end of this level, which will be around 3:30 am. If they are still heads-up, they will stop play regardless of chip counts and come back tomorrow.

Once again, here are the heads-up chip counts:

Phil Hellmuth - 1,300,000 (6 big bets)
Eric Rodawig - 3,750,000 (18 big bets)

1st Place: $442,183
2nd Place: $273,233

3rd Place: John Racener - $171,122
4th Place: Ted Forrest - $123,904
5th Place: David Benyamine - $96,836
6th Place: Mikhail Savinov - $77,222
7th Place: Joe Tehan - $62,710
8th Place: Ali Eslami - $51,750

After losing three people in Level 25, nobody busted in Level 26. John Racener was all in against Phil Hellmuth twice and behind both times before checking his final card -- but Racener caught the cards he needed to stay alive.

It should also be pointed out that Eric Rodawig, who started the day as chipleader with 18 players left, has never given up that position. Whenever somebody gets close to him on the leaderboard, he just pulls further away.

RACENER'S ROLLER COASTER

Racener lost a pot to Hellmuth early, with sixes showing unable to beat Hellmuths three visible threes. Then Racener lost a pot to Rodawig. Racener had 2♦ A♣ K♠ Q♥ showing, but mucked when he saw Rodawig's two pair, eights and fours (no pair showing).

Racener then doubled up through Rodawig, all in on third street. Racener caught a pair of aces on fifth street, and two pair (aces and threes) on sixth street. Rodawig had nothing but a pair of sevens on fourth.

Hellmuth was one card away from heads-up play -- twice -- and watched it slip away.

 

A little while later, Racener was all in against Hellmuth on fourth street, with both players showing ace high. Hellmuth caught a pair of fours on fifth street as Racener caught a pair of threes, and then Hellmuth made an 8-6 low on sixth street looking to scoop.

Hellmuth's last card gave him two pair, eights and fours, putting Racener in a deeper hole, but Racener peeled off a 3 to make trip threes and split the pot.

But it would get worse for Hellmuth. (Or better for Racener).

A few minutes later, Racener was all in on fourth street against Hellmuth once again.

Phil Hellmuth: (9♥ 6♥) K♥ 9♦ 4♣ 10♥ (7♥)
John Racener: (A♣ A♥) 4♦ 4♠ 3♠ 6♦ (A♠)

Racener was in great shape on fourth street with two pair (aces and fours) against Hellmuth's pair of nines with three hearts. But Hellmuth picked up a fourth heart on sixth street, and peeled a fifth heart to make his flush on seventh.

Racener was facing elimination with three outs left in the deck (one of his outs was in Hellmuth's hand), and when he saw the ace, he proudly showed his full house as Hellmuth threw his hands in the air.

Racener doubled up, putting him close to Hellmuth in chips.

"You guys keep fighting over short stacks. I'll wait here with the chip lead."

 

OFFICIAL CHIP COUNTS

Here are the official chip counts from the table as the limits increase to 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante and a 20,000 bring-in:

Seat 3. Phil Hellmuth - 1,510,000 (9 big bets)
Seat 7. John Racener - 865,000 (5 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 2,675,000 (16 big bets)

1st Place: $442,183
2nd Place: $273,233
3rd Place: $171,122

4th Place: Ted Forrest - $123,904
5th Place: David Benyamine - $96,836
6th Place: Mikhail Savinov - $77,222
7th Place: Joe Tehan - $62,710
8th Place: Ali Eslami - $51,750

With the elimination of Mikhail Savinov in sixth place, David Benyamine in fifth, and Ted Forrest in fourth, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth is still alive with three players remaining.

MIKHAIL SAVINOV OUT IN 6TH PLACE

After a few smaller pots, and a few chopped pots, Mikhail Savinov was all in on fifth street against David Benyamine.

David Benyamine: (A♦ Q♣) 3♠ A♠ 9♣ 5♣ (Q♦)
Mikhail Savinov: (7♥ 7♠) 6♦ 4♠ 3♥ 6♠ (10♠)

Savinov had a pair of sevens with a 7-6 low draw, while Benyamine had a pair of aces. Savinov improved to two pair on sixth street, but Benyamine caught a higher two pair, aces and queens, on seventh.

Mikhail Savinov was eliminated in sixth place, earning $77,222.

DAVID BENYAMINE OUT IN 5TH PLACE

David Benyamine lost a pot against Ted Forrest, with a pair of nines showing against Forrest's pair of nines. That knocked Benyamine down to 3.5 big bets.

David Benyamine busted in 5th place.

 

Benyamine then played a pot against Phil Hellmuth, and Hellmuth bet seventh street, and Benyamine called all in.

Phil Hellmuth: (A♣ 8♦ 8♠) A♠ 9♥ K♣ 7♣
David Benyamine: (X-X) 10♠ 6♣ J♥ K♦ (X)

Hellmuth turned over his hole cards to reveal two pair, aces and eights, and Benyamine mucked without showing.

David Benyamine was eliminated in fifth place, earning $96,836.

TED FORREST OUT IN 4TH PLACE

Ted Forrest lost back-to-back pots against Eric Rodawig (who won with a pair of aces) and Phil Hellmuth (who scooped with a pair of sixes and an 8-6 low), leaving Forrest with a short stack.

In the last hand of the level, there was a three-way pot between Forrest, Hellmuth, and John Racener. Forrest was all in on sixth street, and Hellmuth and Racener both checked seventh.

Phil Hellmuth: (8♥ 4♥) 3♠ K♥ J♥ K♦ (Q♦)
John Racener: (A♣ 4♣) 7♣ Q♠ 2♥ K♣ (5♥)
Ted Forrest: (8♣ 4♦) 6♥ 3♦ Q♥ 7♦ (10♠)

Hellmuth had a pair of kings showing, which was good enough by itself to take the high side of the pot.

When Racener turned over his last card -- the 5♥ -- it gave him a 7-5 low, and Forrest winced. Forrest's 8-7 low was only second best. (Worst?)

At his 6th WSOP final table, John Racener is still looking for his 1st bracelet.

 

Ted Forrest was eliminated in fourth place.

UPDATED CHIP COUNTS

Here are the updated chip counts with the limits at 60,000-120,000, a 15,000 ante, and a 20,000 bring-in:

Seat 3. Phil Hellmuth - 1,000,000 (8 big bets)
Seat 7. John Racener - 1,150,000 (9 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 2,850,000 (23 big bets)

1st Place: $442,183
2nd Place: $273,233
3rd Place: $171,122

4th Place: Ted Forrest - $123,904
5th Place: David Benyamine - $96,836
6th Place: Mikhail Savinov - $77,222
7th Place: Joe Tehan - $62,710
8th Place: Ali Eslami - $51,750

As long as he's still in this event, Phil Hellmuth remains the big story. He is going for his 12th WSOP bracelet, and that overshadows everything else.

Hellmuth doubled up thru chipleader Eric Rodawig in the last hand before the break to put himself back in contention, effectively tied with Ted Forrest (going for his sixth WSOP bracelet) for second on the leaderboard.

Here are the official chip counts from the table with the limits at 50,000-100,000, a 10,000 ante, and a 20,000 bring-in.

Seat 3. Phil Hellmuth - 830,000 (8 big bets)
Seat 4. Ted Forrest - 840,000 (8 big bets)
Seat 5. Mikhail Savinov - 660,000 (6 big bets)
Seat 6. David Benyamine - 355,000 (3 big bets)
Seat 7. John Racener - 765,000 (7 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 1,590,000 (15 big bets)

7th Place: Joe Tehan - $62,710
8th Place: Ali Eslami - $51,750

Eric Rodawig has had the chip lead since the day began with 18 players.

 

ERIC RODAWIG NOT AS MUCH OF A CHIPLEADER AS HE USED TO BE

Eric Rodawig spent the last few levels accumulating chips, and this past level he gave some of them back.

Rodawig doubled up Ted Forrest, who was ll in on fourth street with a pair of fours. Rodawig had a scattered Q-10-6-5 with two hearts. Forrest caught two pair on fifth street (eights and fours), while Rodawig improved to a not-good-enough pair of tens.

That doubled up Forrest's short stack to nearly 300,000.

A little while later, both Hellmuth and Forrest were all in against Rodawig, and again, the short stacks came out on top.

Eric Rodawig: (6♥ 3♠) 6♠ 8♦ A♣ 9♦ (K♣)
Ted Forrest: (X-X) 6♦ Q♥ Q♠ 10♣ (X)
Phil Hellmuth: (A-7) 5♣ J♣ 3♠ 2♣ (10)

Hellmuth was all in on fifth street, and Forrest was all in on sixth. Hellmuth had a 7-5 low, Forrest had a pair of queens, and Rodawig had a pair of sixes with a draw to an 8-6 low.

Rodawig bricked with a king on seventh, and Forrest took the high side with a pair of queens, while Hellmuth took the low with his 7-5 low.

"What do I have to do to get in the updates?" - Mikhail Savinov

 

PHIL HELLMUTH DOUBLES THRU ERIC RODAWIG

In the last hand before the break, Hellmuth got it all in on sixth street against Rodawig:

Eric Rodawig: (5♠ 3♥) 5♥ 3♣ 3♠ 7♦ (X)
Phil Hellmuth: (4♠ 2♦) 7♠ 4♦ 2♥ 4♣ (X)

Rodawig had a full house, threes full of fives, but Hellmuth had a slightly higher full house, fours full of deuces. Rodawig could've busted Hellmuth with a five or a three on the river, but he missed, and Hellmuth doubled up.

EIGHT BIG BETS EACH

The blinds have just increased, and with the average stack having only eight big bets, it's unlikely that all six players will survive this level.

Stay tuned to see if Hellmuth can hang on to win his 12th WSOP bracelet.

The final table for the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo event is down to the final six players, as Ali Eslami (8th place) and Joe Tehan (7th place) make their exits.

For Eslami, this was his third final table of the 2011 WSOP, though he's had a hard time making it much deeper than that, finishing seventh, sixth, and now eighth.

This was Ali Eslami's third final table of the 2011 WSOP.

 

ALI ESLAMI OUT IN 8TH PLACE

Ali Eslami was the short stack at the dinner break, with barely more than a single big bet in his stack. Soon after they got back, Eslami got it all in on third street against Ted Forrest:

Ted Forrest: (A♦ 4♦) 4♠ A♥ 8♣ 2♣ (3♥)
Ali Eslami: (9♦ 4♣) 4♥ A♣ 7♠ 3♦ (7♥)

Eslami had a split pair of fours, but so did Forrest -- and Forrest picked up a pair of aces to go with it on fourth street. Eslami finished with sevens and fours, but it wasn't enough up.

Ali Eslami was eliminated in eighth place, earning $51,750. This is Eslami's fourth cash, giving him $109,440 so far this WSOP.

PHIL HELLMUTH SPIKES A LOW TO SURVIVE; TEHAN (CORRECTLY) LAYS DOWN A FULL HOUSE

A big three-way pot developed between Phil Hellmuth, Joe Tehan, and John Racener.

Tehan folds sevens full; Hellmuth spikes a low, Racener has kings full. Wow.

 

Joe Tehan: (7♣ 7♥) 3♦ 4♥ 7♦ 3♣
John Racener: (K♥ K♠) J♦ 4♠ K♣ J♠ (?)
Phil Hellmuth: (A♠ 7♠) 6♣ 10♠ 9♠ 2♣ (5♣)

On fifth street, Racener checked his pair of jacks, Tehan bet, Hellmuth raised, and Racener check-raised to make it three bets. Tehan called, and Hellmuth called all in.

On sixth street, Racener bet, and Tehan tanked for a while before he folded, showing his pocket sevens for a full house (sevens full of threes).

Tehan's read was correct as Racener opened up pocket kings for a higher full house (kings full of jacks). Hellmuth's only hope was to catch a non-pairing low card to give him a split pot -- and Hellmuth caught a five to stay alive.

Tehan, who is hardly a tight player, said it was the first time in his life that he ever folded a full house.

ERIC RODAWIG OWNS THIS TABLE

As "big" as that pot was, it paled in comparison to the chip stack of Eric Rodawig. Between Tehan, Racener, and Hellmuth, they had about 1.2 million in chips.

Rodawig had around 2 million in chips.

JOE TEHAN OUT IN 7TH PLACE

Tehan deserved something for correctly laying down a full house earlier, but the poker gods don't always believe in the word "fair."

In a slow-developing hand, Tehan got all his chips in the pot on sixth and seventh street against chipleader Rodawig.

Eric Rodawig: (J♦ 10♦ X) 9♥ 8♥ A♣ 7♠
Joe Tehan: (A-A-5) 4♦ 8♠ 4♣ Q♥

Rodawig caught a jack-high straight on sixth street, while Tehan was second-best with two pair, aces and fours.

Joe Tehan was eliminated in seventh place, earning $62,710.

Nobody has been able to stop Eric Rodawig, who has half the chips in play.

 

APPROXIMATE CHIP COUNTS

Here are the approximate chip counts with limits at 40,000-80,000, a 10,000 ante, and a 10,000 bring-in.

Seat 3. Phil Hellmuth - 200,000 (2.5 big bets)
Seat 4. Ted Forrest - 850,000 (10 big bets)
Seat 5. Mikhail Savinov - 305,000 (3.8 big bets)
Seat 6. David Benyamine - 770,000 (9 big bets)
Seat 7. John Racener - 400,000 (5 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 2,500,000 (31 big bets)

7th Place: Joe Tehan - $62,710
8th Place: Ali Eslami - $51,750

Phil Hellmuth makes his second final table of the 2011 WSOP, but he'll have to contend with the massive chip stack of Eric Rodawig and a tough lineup to capture his 12th WSOP bracelet.

Here are the official final table chip counts in Level 22 with limits at 25,000-50,000, a 5,000 ante, and a 7,000 bring-in:

Seat 1. Ali Eslami - 61,000 (1.2 big bets)
Seat 2. Joe Tehan - 422,000 (8 big bets)
Seat 3. Phil Hellmuth - 444,000 (8 big bets)
Seat 4. Ted Forrest - 794,000 (15 big bets)
Seat 5. Mikhail Savinov - 203,000 (4 big bets)
Seat 6. David Benyamine - 918,000 (18 big bets)
Seat 7. John Racener - 333,000 (6 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 1,855,000 (37 big bets)

The players are currently on a one-hour dinner break, and play will resume at 8:15 pm.

Antony Lellouche eliminated in 9th place.

 

ANTONY LELLOUCHE OUT IN 9TH PLACE

Short-stack Antony Lellouche got it all in on fifth street against chipleader Eric Rodawig and Ted Forrest. Forrest folded on fifth, so Lellouche only needed to best Rodawig in order to triple up.

Eric Rodawig: (A♠ 4♦) A♣ 9♥ 8♠ 8♥ (J♥)
Antony Lellouche: (3♠ 2♥) 6♦ K♠ K♥ 3♦ (5♥)

Lellouche had a pair of kings showing to Rodawig's split pair of aces showing, and both players hit two pair on sixth street. Lellouche bricked out, and Rodawig won the pot with his aces and eights.

Antony Lellouche was eliminated by the dead man's hand in ninth place, bubbling the official final table and earning $43,317.

BACK AFTER DINNER

Action will resume after dinner at 8:15 pm, and play will continue until they reach a winner or the end of Level 28, whichever comes first.

Phil Hellmuth is one player away from his second final table of the 2011 WSOP in $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo in his quest to win his 12th WSOP bracelet.

But he's still up against a tough lineup with the limits at 25,000-50,000, a 5,000 ante, and a 7,000 bring-in.

Seat 1. Ali Eslami - 160,000 (3 big bets)
Seat 2. Joe Tehan - 380,000 (7 big bets)
Seat 3. Phil Hellmuth - 525,000 (10 big bets)
Seat 4. Ted Forrest - 600,000 (12 big bets)
Seat 5. Mikhail Savinov - 215,000 (4 big bets)
Seat 6. David Benyamine - 760,000 (15 big bets)
Seat 7. John Racener - 280,000 (5 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 1,600,000 (32 big bets)
Seat 9. Antony Lellouche - 160,000 (3 big bets)

Felipe Ramos busted in 10th place.

 

FELIPE RAMOS OUT IN 10TH PLACE

Felipe Ramos got his chips all in on third street against the fashionably late Ted Forrest:

Ted Forrest: (A♥ 5♥) A♠ K♠ 9♣ Q♣ (K♣)
Felipe Ramos: (6♣ 6♠) A♦ J♣ 3♣ K♥ (?)

Ramos had a pair of sixes in the hole to Forrest's split pair of aces. Ramos never improved, and Forrest won the pot with two pair, aces and kings.

10th Place: Felipe Ramos - $43,317

THE FINAL NINE BEGIN TO BATTLE

With nine players remaining, they moved to the ESPN stage and redrew for seats at the featured table. Eric Rodawig still had a huge chip lead, nearly double anyone else, while Phil Hellmuth was fourth in chips.

On the ESPN stage, Rodawig increased his lead even further when his board looked like he was going for a low, but he made a diamond flush with only two diamonds showing against Mikhail Savinov who mucked with a pair of fives showing.

Antony Lellouche was the short stack when they moved to the stage, but he made a 5-high wheel straight to scoop a pot against David Benyamine and double up in chips.

That took the players to the chip counts you see at the top of this post. Stay tuned for further updates as they attempt to burst the final table bubble. (Only the final eight get official credit for a WSOP final table.)

Shortly before the break, both Phil Laak and short-stack Erik Seidel were eliminated by David Benyamine, in 12th and 13th places respectively.

BENYAMINE BUSTS ERIK SEIDEL & PHIL LAAK

Seidel and Laak were both all in on fourth street against Benyamine. Here were the final boards:

David Benyamine: (4♣ 4♠) 4♦ 8♣ 8♥ 9♣ (?)
Phil Laak: (Q♥ J♦) J♥ 5♦ K♠ Q♦ (2♣)
Erik Seidel: (6♣ 5♥) 6♦ 9♠ 7♠ 7♥ (2♦)

Erik Seidel's hot streak in 2011 doesn't pay off with a final table here.

 

All in on fourth street, Benyamind had rolled-up fours against Laak's split jacks and Seidel's split sixes. Benyamine filled up on fifth street (fours full of eights), and nobody caught up or made a low.

As the shorter stack, Erik Seidel was eliminated in 13th place, while Phil Laak earned an extra $4,801 by finishing 12th.

CHRISTOPHER GEORGE OUT IN 11TH PLACE

Christopher George got it all in on fifth street against chipleader Eric Rodawig:

Eric Rodawig: (A♥ Q♣) A♣ 7♦ 10♠ J♦ (2♥)
Christopher George: (A♦ 5♣) 4♥ 4♠ K♠ 6♣ (9♥)

Rodawig had a split pair of aces to George's pair of fours, but neither improved any further. Rodawig won the pot with his pair of aces to send Christopher George home in 11th place.

CHIPLEADER ERIC RODAWIG

Even before the elimination of George, Eric Rodawig had a massive chip lead, so it's another case where the rich get richer. Rodawig has more than twice as many chips as anybody else.

Here are updated chip counts with the limits at 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante:

Seat 1. Phil Hellmuth - 550,000 (13 big bets)
Seat 2. Mikhail Savinov - 400,000 (10 big bets)
Seat 3. Joe Tehan - 385,000 (9 big bets)
Seat 4.
Seat 5. David Benyamine - 700,000 (17 big bets)
Seat 6.
Seat 7.
Seat 8. Ali Eslami - 420,000 (10 big bets)

Seat 1. Ted Forrest - 375,000 (9 big bets)
Seat 2.
Seat 3.
Seat 4. Antony Lellouche - 240,000 (6 big bets)
Seat 5.
Seat 6. John Racener - 335,000 (8 big bets)
Seat 7. Felipe Ramos - 90,000 (2 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 1,510,000 (37 big bets)

11th Place: Christopher George - $36,858
12th Place: Phil Laak - $36,858
13th Place: Erik Seidel - $32,057

Jon Turner and Justin Smith were both very short, and busted very quickly, in 18th and 17th places, respectively. Only 16 get paid, so Smith was the unfortunate bubble boy.

IN THE MONEY

The final 16 players, guaranteed at least $27,888, redrew for seats at the final two tables and continued playing. Short-stacked Chris Tryba was the first to bust inside the money.

Tryba was all in on fifth street with a pair of kings showing, but it didn't hold up against John Racener (who took the low with an 8-6) and Felipe Ramos (who took the high with two pair, aces and eights).

FANS CHEER FOR CYNDY VIOLETTE MORE THAN ERIK SEIDEL

Cyndy Violette started the day with just two big bets, but managed to double up through Phil Laak when he missed his low straight draw and she scooped the pot with split aces that caught two pair on sixth street.

Fan-favorite Violette gets more cheers than fan-favorite Seidel.

 

When she doubled up, the crowd on the rail cheered, and Cyndy raised her arms in victory. Erik Seidel asked the crowd, "Why don't I get a reaction like that?"

One fan said, "You've already won too much this year."

When Violette stacked her chips, she was up over 100,000, but she couldn't keep the momentum going.

Violette lost a big pot to David Benyamine when he made a seven-high straight and she paid it off with a pair of aces that just never improved.

CYNDY VIOLETTE OUT IN 15TH PLACE

A few minutes later, Voiolette was all in against both Benyamine and Seidel. Seidel was nearly all in himself by the end of the hand.

Violette had a pair of jacks showing, but never improved further and mucked her hand as she was eliminated in 15th place.

Seidel turned over an eight-high diamond flush with a 7-6 low, and it looked like he was going to scoop the pot. Benyamine had a pair of queens showing, and an ace in the hole to give him two pair, aces and queens.

But Benyamine was so caught up in checking Violette's and Seidel's hands, that he had forgotten to check his own last card. So Benyamine just flipped it up -- and it was the Q♥ to give him a full house, queens full of aces.

Benyamine was shocked and pleased that he got to split the pot with Seidel, and apologized for the unintentional slowroll.

Ted Forrest's chip bag survived the money bubble without him.

 

TED FORREST HAD BETTER THINGS TO DO?

It's not unusual to see pros show up several hours late on Day 1, or even a few minutes late on Day 2. But an hour late on Day 3?

Action started today shortly after 3:00 pm, but Ted Forrest didn't show up until 3:56 pm, with just 8 1/2 minutes left in the level.

There was no explanation given, but by the time he showed up, Forrest's chip stack had already survived the money bubble and moved up the pay scale to guarantee at least 14th place.

Bill Chen is annoyed he can't even beat a guy who shows up an hour late.

 

BILL CHEN OUT IN 14TH

Bill Chen showed up on time, but it did him no good against the late-arriving Forrest.

Chen was all in on sixth street with Q♦ 4♠ 2♣ 2♠ (with Q♠ 7♣ in the hole) against Forrest's A♦ 4♣ 8♠ 5♦ (with 7♠ 6♣ in the hole).

Forrest had an eight-high straight for the high and the low, while Chen had two pair, queens and deuces, and needed to fill up to stay alive.

Forrest caught the Q♥, which Chen wanted, while Chen bricked by picking up the 5♥. Forrest won the pot, and Bill Chen was eliminated in 14th place.

UPDATED CHIP COUNTS

With 13 players left, the limits are now 15,000-30,000 with a 3,000 ante. Here are the approximate chip counts as they continue playing toward the final table on the ESPN stage:

Seat 1. Phil Hellmuth - 365,000 (12 big bets)
Seat 2. Mikhail Savinov - 380,000 (12 big bets)
Seat 3. Joe Tehan - 460,000 (15 big bets)
Seat 4. Erik Seidel - 48,000 (1.6 big bets)
Seat 5. David Benyamine - 585,000 (19 big bets)
Seat 6.
Seat 7. Phil Laak - 195,000 (6 big bets)
Seat 8. Ali Eslami - 395,000 (13 big bets)

Seat 1. Ted Forrest - 230,000 (7 big bets)
Seat 2.
Seat 3.
Seat 4. Antony Lellouche - 320,000 (10 big bets)
Seat 5. Christopher George - 350,000 (11 big bets)
Seat 6. John Racener - 425,000 (14 big bets)
Seat 7. Felipe Ramos - 275,000 (9 big bets)
Seat 8. Eric Rodawig - 940,000 (31 big bets)

14th Place: Bill Chen - $32,057
15th Place: Cyndy Violette - $27,888
16th Place: Chris Tryba - $27,888
17th Place: Justin Smith - $0
18th Place: Jon Turner - $0

Phil Hellmuth headlines an incredible lineup with 18 players remaining in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Championship.

As most of you know, Hellmuth is pursuing his 12th WSOP bracelet, hoping to increase his career lead in that category and win his first non-hold'em bracelet in the process.

Hellmuth will have to overcome David Benyamine, Ali Eslami, Ted Forrest, Erik Seidel, and many others to add this bracelet to his collection.

Here are the official chip counts as the limits begin the day at 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante:

Eric Rodawig - 695,000 (28 big bets)
David Benyamine - 448,000 (18 big bets)
Mikhail Savinov - 431,000 (17 big bets)
Ali Eslami - 415,000 (17 big bets)
Antony Lellouche - 373,000 (15 big bets)
Joe Tehan - 372,000 (15 big bets)
Phil Hellmuth - 332,000 (13 big bets)
Felipe Ramos - 331,000 (13 big bets)
John Racener - 321,000 (13 big bets)
Ted Forrest - 280,000 (11 big bets)
Phil Laak - 193,000 (8 big bets)
Erik Seidel - 126,000 (5 big bets)
Bill Chen - 113,000 (4 big bets)
Justin Smith - 86,000 (3 big bets)
Christopher George - 86,000 (3 big bets)
Chris Tryba - 75,000 (3 big bets)
Cyndy Violette - 53,000 (2 big bets)
Jon Turner - 44,000 (1.8 big bets)

Stay tuned to PokerListings.com for updates throughout the day as Hellmuth goes for history.