Event 50 - $5,000 Triple Chance No-Limit Hold'em - Live Updates

France is on a hot streak this year. In all previous years combined, French players have won five WSOP bracelets. This year, they've won four more.

The latest French bracelet winner is Antonin Teisseire, and it seems like every French poker player in Las Vegas was here in the stands to support him, chanting and cheering him on to victory.

Teisseire was dominant during heads-up play, and it never looked like Darryl Ronconi had much of a chance. After it was 4-to-1 in chips, Ronconi bounced back a bit, but Teisseire quickly regained his dominating lead.

THE FINAL HAND

Darryl Ronconi moved all in preflop for about 12 big blinds, and Antonin Teisseire called with A♠ 8♥. Ronconi showed Q♠ 8♣, and he was dominated as he faced elimination.

The flop came Q♥ 10♠ 3♥, and Ronconi paired his kicker to take the lead, becoming a favorite to double up.

Teisseire throws up his arms in celebration after winning the final hand.

 

But the 2♥ on the turn gave Teisseire additional outs to a flush draw -- he needed an ace or any heart.

The river card was -- the 9♥.

Teisseire's railbirds went crazy, and he rushed over to the rail to celebrate with them. Ronconi just stood at the table, absorbing the roller-coaster emotions of that final hand -- flopping the lead, losing on the river.

Antonin Teisseire wins $825,604 and the gold WSOP bracelet. As mentioned, it is the fourth for France this year.

Darryl Ronconi is the runner-up, earning $510,053.

Congratulations to Antonin Teisseire!

1st: Antonin Teisseire - $825,604
2nd: Darryl Ronconi - $510,053
3rd: Adam Geyer - $328,810
4th: Eric Froehlich - $240,876
5th: Narendra Banwari - $179,054
6th: Vanessa Peng - $134,895
7th: Mikhail Yakovlev - $102,870
8th: Andrew Savitz - $79,370
9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

There will be no third WSOP bracelet for Eric Froehlich today, and Adam Geyer lost the biggest pot of the tournament as his opponent turned a four-outer to cripple him.

The final two players are Antonin Teisseire of France and Darryl Ronconi of Illinois (U.S.A.). It is the first WSOP cash for Teisseire, and the sixth for Ronconi, though both players are already guaranteed the biggest payday of their respective careers.

THE KEY POT: DARRYL RONCONI DOUBLES THRU ADAM GEYER

The biggest pot of the tournament so far took place shortly after play resumed.

After a flop of Q♣ 8♣ 5♥, Darryl Ronconi checked, Adam Geyer bet 275,000, and Ronconi check-raised to 700,000. Geyer called.

Ronconi owes a lot to that 10 of spades on the turn.

 

The turn card was the 10♠, which would turn out to be a miracle card for Ronconi. Even though he took the last action, he slowed down and checked again. Geyer bet 775,000, and Ronconi check-raised again -- only this time it was all in.

Geyer quickly called with 5♣ 5♦ for a set of fives. But Ronconi turned over J♥ 9♣ -- he flopped nothing but a gutshot straight draw, semi-bluffed it, and then caught his perfect card on the turn.

Geyer needed the board to pair, but the last card was the 6♣, and Ronconi won the pot worth more than 6 million in chips.

Adam Geyer dropped down to 435,000, or a little more than four big blinds.

ERIC FROEHLICH OUT IN 4th PLACE

After Geyer doubled up his short stack to gain a little breathing room, there was another all-in situation, this time between the other two players, Eric Froehlich and Antonin Teisseire.

Teisseire opened the pot with a raise, Froehlich moved all in for about 20 big blinds, and Teisseire called with A♠ K♥. Froehlich showed J♣ J♥, and it was a race situation.

Froehlich tweeted: "Coinflip for 600K and a bracelet. Probably the worst I've ever felt."

 

The board came K♣ 5♦ 4♥ 6♠ 9♠, and Teisseire paired his king on the flop to win the pot.

Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Eric Froehlich was eliminated in fourth place, earning $240,876.

ADAM GEYER OUT IN 3rd PLACE

Adam Geyer moved all in for about 10 big blinds, and Antonin Teisseire called from the big blind with A♦ 9♠. Geyer showed K♣ 7♣, and he'd need to improve to stay alive.

The board came J♠ 4♣ 2♦ 3♠ 9♣, and Geyer never improved. Teisseire won the pot with a pair of nines.

Adam Geyer was eliminated in third place, earning $328,810.

ANTONIN TEISSEIRE DOMINATES HEADS-UP PLAY

After Geyer's elimination in third place, the final two chip stacks looked something like this:

Antonin Teisseire - 5,900,000
Darryl Ronconi - 6,300,000

Teisseire came out of the gate strong, picking up several pots without a showdown, and then cemented a big chip lead when he paired the river on a board of 7♥ 5♠ 4♥ J♣ Q♠.

Teisseire bet 1 million into a pot of about 1.1 million, and Ronconi quickly called. Teisseire turned over A♣ Q♦ for top pair, top kicker, and Ronconi mucked.

Teisseire hasn't slowed down since, and has built a more than 4-to-1 chip lead as the blinds increase to 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante.

Teisseire has dominated heads-up play so far.

 

Antonin Teisseire - 10,000,000 (83 bb)
Darryl Ronconi - 2,250,000 (18 bb)

1st: $825,604
2nd: $510,053
3rd: Adam Geyer - $328,810
4th: Eric Froehlich - $240,876
5th: Narendra Banwari - $179,054
6th: Vanessa Peng - $134,895
7th: Mikhail Yakovlev - $102,870
8th: Andrew Savitz - $79,370
9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

The final four players in Event #50 ($5,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em) have taken their seats, unbagged their chips, and they're ready to play down to the bracelet.

Action resumes in Level 31, with blinds at 50,000-100,000 and a 10,000 ante. Here are the official chip counts:

Seat 2. Adam Geyer - 3,730,000 (37 bb)
Seat 5. Eric Froehlich - 2,125,000 (21 bb)
Seat 7. Antonin Teisseire - 3,425,000 (34 bb)
Seat 8. Darryl Ronconi - 3,000,000 (30 bb)

And the prizepool for the final table:

1st: $825,604
2nd: $510,053
3rd: $328,810
4th: $240,876

5th: Narendra Banwari - $179,054
6th: Vanessa Peng - $134,895
7th: Mikhail Yakovlev - $102,870
8th: Andrew Savitz - $79,370
9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

Stay tuned to PokerListings.com for continuing coverage as they play down to a winner.

Level 30 came to an end without any more big hands, and the final four players were forced to stop for the night, bag up their chips, and leave the final table area for 11 hours.

They don't have to go home, but they can't stay here.

The final four players all have between 21 and 37 big blinds, so nobody is critically short, nor does anybody have a big chip lead.

Adam Geyer is out in front, while two-time bracelet winner Eric Froehlich is the short stack. But it's still open enough for anyone to win.

OFFICIAL CHIP COUNTS

Here are the official chip counts with the blinds starting tomorrow at 50,000-100,000 (10,000 ante):

Seat 2. Adam Geyer - 3,730,000 (37 bb)
Seat 5. Eric Froehlich - 2,125,000 (21 bb)
Seat 7. Antonin Teisseire - 3,425,000 (34 bb)
Seat 8. Darryl Ronconi - 3,000,000 (30 bb)

And the prizepool for the final table:

1st: $825,604
2nd: $510,053
3rd: $328,810
4th: $240,876
5th: Narendra Banwari - $179,054
6th: Vanessa Peng - $134,895
7th: Mikhail Yakovlev - $102,870
8th: Andrew Savitz - $79,370
9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

Action resumes tomorrow at 2:30 pm, when they will play down to a bracelet winner. Return to PokerListings.com for continuing coverage to find out what happens.

The final six players pushed chips back and forth for a long time without eliminating anyone. In fact, the chip stacks got closer and closer to even, making it anyone's race.

But shortly after the blinds increased to 40,000-80,000 (10,000 ante), there was a major confrontation that resulted in an elimination.

VANESSA PENG OUT IN 6th PLACE

Vanessa Peng moved all in preflop, and Darryl Ronconi tanked for a surprisingly long time before he called with a strong hand.

Darryl Ronconi: 10♦ 10♠
Vanessa Peng: 2♣ 2♥

The board came K♦ 10♥ 8♠ 4♥ J♥, and Ronconi flopped an unnecessary set to win the pot.

Vanessa Peng was eliminated in sixth place, earning $134,895. And the 2011 WSOP now has 50 events in the books without a female bracelet winner.

Narendra Banwari busted in fifth place.

 

NARENDRA BANWARI OUT IN 5th PLACE

Only a few minutes after Peng's elimination, there was another all-in situation. This time, Narendra Banwari was all in preflop against Adam Geyer.

Adam Geyer: 5♥ 5♠
Narendra Banwari: 3♥ 3♠

The flop came Q♥ 3♦ 2♥, and Banwari flopped a set of threes to take a huge lead, poised to double up.

But the turn card was -- the 5♣.

Geyer turned a higher set, and now Banwari needed the fourth three on the river to stay alive.

But the last card was the 9♣, and Adam Geyer won the pot with his set of fives.

Narendra Banwari was eliminated in fifth place, earning $179,054.

Banwari's flopped set of threes were no match for Geyer's turned set of fives.

 

UPDATED CHIP COUNTS

The tenth level of the day is nearing an end, and play will stop at that time to come back tomorrow. For now, here's a look at the chip counts with blinds at 40,000-80,000 (10,000 ante):

Seat 2. Adam Geyer - 4,600,000 (57 bb)
Seat 5. Eric Froehlich - 1,650,000 (20 bb)
Seat 7. Antonin Teisseire - 2,095,000 (26 bb)
Seat 8. Darryl Ronconi - 3,750,000 (46 bb)

5th: Narendra Banwari - $179,054
6th: Vanessa Peng - $134,895
7th: Mikhail Yakovlev - $102,870
8th: Andrew Savitz - $79,370
9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

With six players remaining, Vanessa Peng has the chip lead as she attempts to become the first woman since Vanessa Selbst in 2008 to win a WSOP bracelet in an open event.

Two-time bracelet winner Eric Froehlich is also still alive as he goes for WSOP bracelet #3.

ANDREW SAVITZ OUT IN 8th PLACE

Andrew Savitz and Vanessa Peng got it all in preflop, and it wasn't clear who had the larger stack, and who was at risk of elimination. They turned over their cards:

Andrew Savitz: 9♦ 9♥
Vanessa Peng: A♣ K♦

The board came Q♣ 6♠ 5♠ 6♦ A♠, and Peng paired her ace on the river to win the pot.

The chip stacks were counted down, and Peng had Savitz slightly covered.

Andrew Savitz was eliminated in eighth place, earning $79,370.

VANESSA PENG DOUBLES THRU MIKHAIL YAKOVLEV

Vanessa Peng was all in preflop against Mikhail Yakovlev.

Mikhail Yakovlev: A♣ K♥
Vanessa Peng: K♠ J♣

Mikhail Yakovlev shrugged as Vanessa Peng eliminated him.

 

The board comes Q♣ 10♦ 7♠ 7♦ 9♣, and Peng rivers a king-high straight to stay alive and double up in chips. That also left Yakovlev with just a handful of big blinds.

MIKHAIL YAKOVLEV OUT IN 7th PLACE

Vanessa Peng and Mikhail Yakovlev got it all in again, but this time it was Yakovlev who was at risk:

Vanessa Peng: A♥ 2♥
Mikhail Yakovlev: K♣ Q♦

The board comes A♣ 10♥ 3♦ 2♦ 6♣, and Peng won the pot with two pair.

Mikhail Yakovlev was eliminated in seventh place, earning $102,870.

UPDATED CHIP COUNTS

Here are the updated chip counts from the break, courtesy of WSOP.com, as the blinds are increasing to 30,000-60,000 and a 10,000 ante:

Seat 2. Adam Geyer - 2,025,000 (33 bb)
Seat 4. Narendra Banwari - 1,610,000 (26 bb)
Seat 5. Eric Froehlich - 2,075,000 (34 bb)
Seat 7. Antonin Teisseire - 3,000,000 (50 bb)
Seat 8. Darryl Ronconi - 335,000 (5 bb)
Seat 9. Vanessa Peng - 3,320,000 (55 bb)

7th: Mikhail Yakovlev - $102,870
8th: Andrew Savitz - $79,370
9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

Event #50 ($5,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em) started the day with 34 players remaining from a total field of 817. They are now down to eight at the final table on the ESPN stage.

This is where we'll pick up our coverage.

The chipleader at the start of the day was Vanessa Peng, and she is still alive with eight players left. Peng is trying to become the first woman to win a WSOP bracelet in an open event since Vanessa Selbst did it in 2008.

Another notable player at this final table is Eric Froehlich, who was the youngest player to ever win a WSOP bracelet (at the time) when he won his first in 2005. Froehlich followed that up by winning another bracelet in 2006.

JIM ROUTOS OUT IN 9TH PLACE

Shortly after the final table began, Jim Routos got it all in preflop for 25 big blinds against Narendra Banwari.

Narendra Banwari: A♣ Q♣
Jim Routos: 10♣ 10♦

The board came Q♥ 4♦ 3♥ 7♦ 4♠, and Banwari paired his queen on the flop to win the pot.

Jim Routos was eliminated in ninth place, earning $61,899.

ERIC FROEHLICH DOUBLES THRU MIKHAIL YAKOVLEV

Eric Froehlich just doubled up in a dramatic fashion, getting it all in against Mikhail Yakovlev after a flop of 10♦ 5♠ 4♠.

Mikhail Yakovlev: 10♣ 10♥
Eric Froehlich: Q♥ Q♠

Froehlich had two outs in the deck with two cards to come, or he'd be eliminated in eighth place.

The turn card was -- the Q♦.

Froehlich caught a miracle set on the turn to take the lead, and Yakovlev needed to catch a one-outer with one card to come to bust Froehlich.

The river card was the 6♠.

Eric Froehlich doubled up to an above-average chip stack, back in serious contention again.

Since this hand, Froehlich's friends on the rail have shouted the phrase "Queen on the turn!" as a sign of support whenever Froehlich wins a pot.

Froehlich has won a few pots since then, moving into the chip lead.

Adam Geyer doesn't have a WSOP bracelet, but finished 2nd in $1K S.H.O.E. in 2007.

 

UPDATED CHIP COUNTS

Here is a look at the approximate chip counts with the blinds at 20,000-40,000 and a 5,000 ante.

Seat 2. Adam Geyer - 1,430,000 (35 bb)
Seat 3. Mikhail Yakovlev - 1,600,000 (40 bb)
Seat 4. Narendra Banwari - 2,200,000 (55 bb)
Seat 5. Eric Froehlich - 2,600,000 (65 bb)
Seat 6. Andrew Savitz - 815,000 (20 bb)
Seat 7. Antonin Teisseire - 1,305,000 (32 bb)
Seat 8. Darryl Ronconi - 2,175,000 (54 bb)
Seat 9. Vanessa Peng - 1,255,000 (31 bb)

9th: Jim Routos - $61,899

With the number of chips in play, it seems highly unlikely that they will reach a bracelet winner this evening -- the 10-level rule kicks in at the end of Level 30, which should be sometime around 2:30 am.