Sam Farha had opened a 15-to-1 chip lead over James Dempsey, but a series of pots have brought Dempsey back from the brink to only a 3-to-1 deficit. Most recently, he called after Farha raised the button and then check-called another bet on a flop of . Both players checked the turn. Dempsey then took the initiative to bet the river. Farha called but couldn't beat , a six-high straight and a low.
Dempsey now has about 1.65 million. Farha has roughly 4.8 million.
At this point, any pair must look like a monster to the short-stacked James Dempsey. He opened his button pre-flop and was called by Sam Farha. They got one bet in on the flop, and then the rest of Dempsey's were in on the turn. Farha called with , a partial wrap draw. Dempsey showed . That hand made a full house, tens full of eights, with the river. Dempsey scooped and doubled to 750,000 to stay alive.
It's looking grim for James Dempsey now. He's down to 375,000 after losing another pot to Sam Farha. Dempsey raiesd the button and was called by Farha. Farha led a flop of , with Dempsey calling. On the turn, Farha fired again. Dempsey made a raise, then snap-folded when Farha announced a re-raise.
The Farha train is rolling towards the finish line now.
It continues to go poorly for James Dempsey in the heads-up portion. He was in the big blind and called a raise from Sam Farha on the button. Both players cecked the flop. Dempsey led the turn and was called by Farha. Both players checked the river. Farha showed to claim the pot.
Small pot by small pot, Sam Farha is widening his lead. He's up to 4.9 million chips now after a pot in which James Dempsey took a long time facing a bet on the river. He eventually folded and conceded the pot to Farha.
We're heads up now, with Sam Farha starting out with the chip lead. he's one a few small pots to start to open a 4.3 million to 2.1 million lead. With limits at 100,000 and 200,000, Dempsey has room but things could go south quickly.
No sooner had Richard Zhu asked for a spectator to be thrown out of the final table area than he was all in pre-flop against James Dempsey. Dempsey had Zhu in this spot several times during the last hour, but Zhu managed to wriggle away every time. Their hands for this confrontation were:
Dempsey:
Zhu:
Dempsey and Zhu were both on their feet for a flop that came . Dempsey flopped a lock low hand.
"Now you can't lose," noted Sam Farha. Things got even better for Dempsey when the turn came to give him a wheel. He had to sweat one last river card, which blanked out harmlessly with the to finally end Zhu's tournament. He leaves in third place with $225,326 and, finally, the tournament is heads up.
Although most of the people here are rooting on James Dempsey, there's a couple of older men cheering for Sammy Farha and engaging in some friendly banter with the Dempsey cheering section while having a few cocktails themselves. Just a few moments ago, that friendly banter turned a little ugly when one of the men cheering for Farha yelled out, "You can't mess with the Lebanese unless you're Chinese! I don't see any Chinese at the table!"
Yueqi Zhu snapped his head around and seemed to take some offense to the comment, being Chinese himself. A few moments later the man continued with another comment.
"Everything made in China always breaks!" he yelled out.
Zhu's head immediately snapped around again. "Shut the f*** up!" he yelled back at the man.
The tournament announcer warned the man over the microphone, but Zhu insisted that he be removed from the final table arena. The man was then escorted out by security.
As if things haven't gotten loud enough on the final table stage, James Dempsey's cheering section, have literally had another batch of over 50 beers delivered. It took two cocktail waitresses with giant trays to carry all the beer in.
![[user75032]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Both players checked the 
turn. Dempsey then took the initiative to bet the 
river. Farha called but couldn't beat 
, a six-high straight and a low.
turn. Farha called with 
, a partial wrap draw. Dempsey showed 
. That hand made a full house, tens full of eights, with the 
river. Dempsey scooped and doubled to 750,000 to stay alive.
, with Dempsey calling. On the 
turn, Farha fired again. Dempsey made a raise, then snap-folded when Farha announced a re-raise.
turn and was called by Farha. Both players checked the 
river. Farha showed 
. Dempsey flopped a lock low hand.
to give him a wheel. He had to sweat one last river card, which blanked out harmlessly with the 
to finally end Zhu's tournament. He leaves in third place with $225,326 and, finally, the tournament is heads up.