DeepStacks Poker Tour Mohegan Sun National Championship Day 3: Stefanski Leads Final Table

David Stefanski

Day 3 of the 2012 DeepStacks Poker Tour Mohegan Sun National Championship is complete, and after roughly eleven and a half hours of play, the official final table is set. Leading the remaining six players is David Stefanski, who bagged 3.715 million chips, and right behind him is Artyem Perlov (2.65 million chips).

DSPT Mohegan Sun Final Table

SeatPlayerChips
1Artyem Perlov2,650,000
2Nicholas Palma945,000
3Andrew Sherman-Ash605,000
4Patrick Chan970,000
5Adam Bitker1,310,000
6David Stefanski3,715,000

On a day that began with 36 players, the bubble came quickly. Among the notables who exited before the money were Chip Jett, Aaron Massey and Jared Jaffee. Jett moved all in during Level 18 with the blinds at 3,000/6,000/1,000 for around 115,000 from the small blind, and Adam Bitker looked him up in the big blind. Bitker held the AQ, and Jett tabled the A5. The board ran out JJ1048, and Jett was eliminated.

Massey busted in a massive pot against Peter Jankowski in the next level with the blinds up to 4,000/8,000/1,000. Massey was all-in and at risk holding AxKx on a flop of JK7. Jankowski held the Q9, and although the turn (4) was a brick, the 2 slammed on the river. Jankowski made a flush, and Massey hit the rail.

During the same level as Massey's bust, Jaffee lost a flip against Nicholas Palma. Jaffe's AK was up against Palma's 1010, and the board ran out 95688, eliminating Jaffee.

Ken Silberstein burst the bubble soon after Jaffee exited. Palma raised to 19,000 from the small blind, Silberstein defended his big blind, and the dealer fanned the 638. Palma led out for 15,000, Silberstein raised to 35,000, and Palma reraised to 85,000. Silberstein called.

The turn was another three — the 3 — and Palma checked. Silberstein moved all in for around 200,000, and Palma called.

Palma: Q3
Silberstein: 107

Palma needed either the board to pair or to hit one of the three remaining queens in the deck, and lo and behold, the Q spiked on the river to bust Silberstein on the stone bubble.

Shortly after the bubble burst, there were a flurry of eliminations, including William Klevitz, Ted Spencer, Stephen McGuire, Just Schwartz, Charles Saleba, Timothy Reilly, Andrew Devito, Bryan Leskowitz, Justin Pechie, Art Pappas and Carlo Sciannameo.

Right before dinner, with 14 players left and the blinds in Level 21 at 6,000/12,000/2,000, Jankowski and Patrick Chan played a massive pot. Chan opened to 27,000 on the button, Jankowski three-bet to 60,000 from the small blind, and Chan four-bet to 180,000. Jankowski moved all in for 629,000, and Chan called.

Chan: AK
Jankowski: 1010

The flop fell 2JQ, giving Chan two extra outs to make the best hand. He did not make aces, kings, or a straight, however, as the turn and river bricked with the 4 and 9, respectively.

Jankowski chipped up to 1.284 million chips, while Chan was left with just 265,000. Chan found a double soon after with two kings and continued to stay afloat from there.

After Jean Elie Joseph bowed out in 14th place, Fabio D'Agata bluffed his way out of the tournament in 13th place. During Level 22 with the blinds at 8,000/16,000/2,000, Vinny Pahuja raised to 38,000 out of the small blind, and D'Agata defended the big blind. The flop fell K86, and Pahuja led for 40,000. D'Agata called.

The turn was the A, and Pahuja led again — this time for 75,000. D'Agata clicked it back, min-raising to 150,000, and Pahuja reraised to 300,000. D'Agata tanked for a bit, then moved all in for over 800,000.

"Call!" Pahuja blurted, flipping over the A7 for the stone nuts.

D'Agata sheepishly turned over the 85 for a lowly pair of eights, and an inconsequential 6 fell on the river. D'Agata hit the rail in 13th place, earning him $7,560, while suddenly Pahuja was the chip leader with over 1.9 million.

James Campbell, Matt Kuba and Jeff Blake were the next players to be eliminated. In Blake's elimination hand, he opened to 53,000 from the hijack seat in Level 23 with the blinds at 10,000/20,000/3,000, Andrew Sherman-Ash defended his big blind, and the flop fell 456. Sherman-Ash checked, Blake moved all in for 235,000, and Sherman-Ash tank-called.

Blake: 1010
Sherman-Ash: 88

The turn was the 7, giving Sherman-Ash a straight, and Blake could only survive if one of the two remaining eights in the deck fell on the river. It was not to be as the 2 completed the board, eliminating Blake in 10th place.

Nine-handed play took over two hours, and the chips were flying, but finally Joe Matos busted in ninth place. Matos, who at one point was crippled, then tripled, then doubled, and then found himself all in and at risk with QQ. His opponent, Perlov, woke up with KK and held as the board ran out 8J749.

During this time, Stefanski did some serious chipping up. In one hand, Stefanski raised out of the small blind, Bitker defended his big blind, and the flop came 67J. Stefanski led for 56,000, and Bitker made the call.

The turn was the K, and Stefanski fired a second bullet worth 113,000. Bitker called. The river was the J, and Stefanski slowed down, checking to Bitker, who fired 188,000. Stefanski went deep into the tank, and eventually made the call. Bitker showed A10 for ace-high, and Stefanski tabled A7 for just a pair of sevens. Bitker dipped to 420,000 chips, while Stefanski jumped up to 3.08 million.

The next player to bust, Pahuja, fell from the chip lead and tried to work with a short stack for more than two hours. On his final hand during Level 25 with the blinds at 15,000/30,000/5,000, Pahuja was all in and at risk preflop holding the A8. He was well behind the AQ of Perlov, and the board ran out J72AQ.

The official final table bubble boy was Jankowski. After four-bet jamming with KQ and running into the AQ of Palma, he was all in a few hands later with Q9 against Stefanski's AK. The flop was a doozy: AQ9. Jankowski looked like he was going to have over 1.4 million in chips, but the K turned to give Stefanski a better two pair.

Only a queen or a nine was needed to keep Jankowski alive, but the river was another king — the K — and Jankowski was eliminated.

The remaining players celebrated, knowing they will be at a televised final table tomorrow, but most still gave Jankowski a handshake and wished him well.

The final table is set to begin Tuesday at 1400 EST (2000 CET). There, play will last until a champion is crowned. Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for the recap, or follow along live in our Live Reporting blog.

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook now!

Name Surname
Editor

More Stories

Other Stories