Manuel Hansimikali raised to 100,000, five times the current big bind. He was on the button and short stack Ben McLean moved all in from the big blind for 265,000. Hansimikali made the call. He did so with the and had McLean on the ropes with the . What's more, Tom Rafferty said he folded a jack.
The flop came down and McLean hit the case jack. The turn brought the and the river the . Hansimikali dropped down to 320,000 while McLean got himself out of the gutter, doubling to 550,000.
Roland de Wolfe raised from under the gun to 50,000 and Jonathan Karamalikis called from the cutoff seat. Peco Stojanovski called on the button and then Eddy Sabat moved all in from the small blind for 363,000. De Wolfe folded and Karamalikis called. Stojanovski also folded.
Karamalikis:
Sabat:
The flop came down and although Karamalikis was still behind, he picked up a diamond draw.
The turn brought the and the river the . Even Daniel Negreanu was right behind Sabat to cheer him on and celebrate a tiny bit with him. Sabat's rail began cheering loud as he now has 835,000 in chips. Karamalikis dropped to 900,000.
Reza Vakili raised to 50,000 from the cutoff seat and Peco Stojanovski called from the big blind. The flop came down and both players checked to see the fall on the turn. Stojanovski fired 75,000 and Vakili made the call.
The river card was the and both players checked. Stojanovski held the for two pair and Vakili mucked, dropping to 335,000 in chips.
Reza Vakili moved all in preflop and was called by Roland de Wolfe. Vakili held the and was crushed by de Wolfe's . Vakili was all in for 332,000 and at risk of bubbling the final table if he couldn't find a miracle.
The flop came down and the door wasn't shut on Vakili just yet. He flopped a gutshot straight draw and was four outs away from surviving.
As the crowd gathered around the table and the feature table ran down from the stage to catch the action, the dealer dealt the on the turn. De Wolfe's queens held up as everyone awaited the river.
The river card completed the board with the and that was it. Vakili went from start-of-the-day chip leader to the bubble boy of the final table. He finished in 10th place and play has officially wrapped up for the night.
Only nine remain! That's the story coming from the Star City Hotel & Casino as Day 3 has concluded with the elimination of Reza Vakili in 10th place. When the day began, 32 players began, but now only nine are left standing.
This could be one of the best final tables the poker world has seen this year and fitting that's it's going to be one that just about closes out a great year of poker. Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu has maneuvered his way all the way to the final table along with good friend, travel buddy and 2008 APPT Macau champion Eddy Sabat.
Roland de Wolfe also made the trip down under and he too will be at the final table tomorrow. He's actually the one who eliminated Vakili in 10th place to set the final table. He'll also be the chip leader.
Oh, and we can't forget about Australian tournament superstar Jonathan Karamalikis. That's right, he's at the final table as well. On top of that list of names, Tom Rafferty, Antoine Amourette, Peco Stojanovski, Manuel Hansimikali and Ben McLean round out the last of the final table. Here's how they stack up.
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
BBs
Chip %
1
Daniel Negreanu
Canada
267,000
13.4
3.1%
2
Antoine Amourette
France
1,640,000
82
18.9%
3
Jonathan Karamalikis
Australia
890,000
44.5
10.2%
4
Benjamin McLean
Australia
530,000
26.5
6.1%
5
Roland de Wolfe
United Kingdom
1,663,000
83.2
19.2%
6
Eddy Sabat
USA
917,000
45.9
10.6%
7
Peco Stojanovski
Australia
1,608,000
80.4
18.5%
8
Tom Rafferty
Australia
482,000
24.1
5.6%
9
Manuel Hansimikali
Australia
589,000
29.5
6.8%
Needless to say, this final table is going to shine with big names, big guns and big prize money. It all kicks off at 2:00 p.m. local time here in Sydney, Australia and you can bet that PokerNews will be on hand to bring you all of the action from the floor! We hope you enjoyed our coverage today and we'll see everyone back here tomorrow as he play down to a champion.
Who's going to hoist the trophy when it's all over? Come back tomorrow and find out!