Main Event | 2017 PokerStars Festival Manila

08-07-2017 18:00 UTC+8

Bansal Takes on Falcon

Christian Zetzsche

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Jaehyun Lim raised to 150,000 from the cutoff and Uday Bansal called on the button, as did Michael Falcon in the big blind. The flop was checked to Bansal and his bet of 250,000 was called by Falcon only. On the turn, Falcon checked and Bansal's bet of 430,000 won the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Uday Bansal	6,800,000 400,000	400,000
Michael Falcon	6,050,000 -450,000	-450,000
Jaehyun Lim	1,475,000 -175,000	-175,000

Tags: Jaehyun Lim Michael Falcon Uday Bansal

08-07-2017 17:52 UTC+8

Buck Down to Two Big Blinds

Christian Zetzsche

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Jaehyun Lim raised to 150,000 and won the blinds and antes. The next hand, Kenneth Buck was in the big blind with three big blinds and Lim asked for his stack size. Lim then raised to 200,000 and Uday Bansal called. Michael Falcon in the small blind announced a raise and Buck snap-folded before the amount was even called.

Falcon then made it 700,000 and forced two folds. "I want to get at least sixth and will fold every hand, hopefully someone else will bust," Buck announced at the table.

Soon after, Antti Halme raised to 105,000 and Lim called from the small blind, as did Bansal from the big blind. The trio checked down the board and Lim threw his to the middle of the table in disgust, having hoped that someone bet.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Falcon	6,500,000 850,000	850,000
Uday Bansal	6,400,000
Jaehyun Lim	1,650,000 150,000	150,000
Kenneth Buck	100,000 -395,000	-395,000

Tags: Antti Halme Jaehyun Lim Kenneth Buck Michael Falcon Uday Bansal

08-07-2017 17:37 UTC+8

Hoa Thinh Nguyen Eliminated in 8th Place (PHP596,000)

RazorSharpPro

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

The final table has quickly gone from two Vietnamese players to zero in a remarkably short space of time. Michael Falcon won a pot over in the PokerStars Cup final table and ran over in time to raise to 110,000 from under-the-gun in the Main Event.

Hoa Thinh Nguyen moved all-in for 545,000 and the action folded around to Jaehyun Lim on the button, who mulled things over for a good three to four minutes before deciding to get out of the way and Falcon called.

Hoa Thinh Nguyen:
Michael Falcon:

It was the classic coin flip, Nguyen’s pocket pair racing against Falcon’s overcards and the Dane immediately paired his queen on the flop, though Nguyen did have outs to a gutshot straight as well as the deck’s two remaining tens.

The turn was of no help, and neither was the river and Nguyen headed for the rail in eighth place for a $11,800 payday.

Falcon also laddered up two places in the PokerStars Cup event while this was going on with two players busting in one hand to take that event down to six. Falcon is now up to 5.65 million in chips in the Main Event and is guaranteed a payday of PHP185,000 (~$3,665) in the PokerStars Cup.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Falcon	5,650,000 650,000	650,000
Hoa Thinh Nguyen	Busted

Tags: Michael Falcon Hoa Thinh Nguyen

Level: 26

Blinds: 25,000/50,000

Ante: 5,000

08-07-2017 17:23 UTC+8

Tien Than Nguyen Eliminated in 9th Place (PHP470,000)

Christian Zetzsche

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

In the very last hand of the level, short stack Tien Than Nguyen pushed for 290,000 and Uday Bansal called from two seats over to force out everyone else.

Tien Than Nguyen:
Uday Bansal:

It was a flip for the tournament life, and the board of failed to improve the player from Vietnam. Nguyen was eliminated in 9th place, earning a payday of PHP470,000 (~$9,335). All remaining players are now guaranteed at least PHP596,000 (~$11,837) for their efforts.

Player	Chips	Progress
Uday Bansal	6,400,000 450,000	450,000
Tien Than Nguyen	Busted

Tags: Tien Than Nguyen Uday Bansal

08-07-2017 17:13 UTC+8

Lim Picks Off Razavi

RazorSharpPro

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

Action folded over to Sam Razavi on the button and the Brit made it 80,000 to go and Jaehyun Lim called from the big blind, checking the flop over to Razavi, who c-bet 65,000.

Lim called to keep the two in action and the turn saw the Korean check once more and Razavi fire for 115,000 and get called once again.

The saw Lim check for a third time and Razavi decided the right amount to bet was 300,000. With 700,000 in the Korean’s stack this represented a big portion of Lim’s remaining chips but eventually he cut out the call and slid it over the line.

Razavi proudly tabled for jack high meaning Lim’s was enough to take the pot and see the two swap places in the pecking order.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jaehyun Lim	1,500,000 500,000	500,000
Sam Razavi	1,100,000 -500,000	-500,000

Tags: Jaehyun Lim Sam Razavi

08-07-2017 17:10 UTC+8

Bansal Takes From Halme

Christian Zetzsche

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

Hoa Thinh Nguyen raised to 95,000 and Jaehyun Lim called, as did Uday Bansal in the hijack. The flop fell and the action checked to big stack Bansal, who bet 125,000 to claim the pot.

One hand later, Bansal made it 90,000 to go and Antti Halme three-bet to 260,000 from the hijack. Once the action was back on Bansal, he called and the flop fell . Bansal was first to act and bet 225,000, which Halme called. A fourth spade on the turn and Bansal's second bet of 325,000 did the trick to force a fold.

Player	Chips	Progress
Uday Bansal	5,950,000 810,000	810,000
Antti Halme	1,800,000 -650,000	-650,000
Jaehyun Lim	1,000,000 -50,000	-50,000
Hoa Thinh Nguyen	600,000 -250,000	-250,000

Tags: Antti Halme Jaehyun Lim Hoa Thinh Nguyen Uday Bansal

08-07-2017 17:08 UTC+8

Razavi Chips up Against Falcon

Christian Zetzsche

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

Sam Razavi raised to 80,000 and Michael Falcon defended from the small blind, then check-called a bet of 65,000 on the flop. The turn brought no betting action and Falcon took the lead with a bet of 200,000 on the river.

Razavi quickly tossed in a single chip for the call and Falcon shook his head, then announced queen-high. Razavi turned over and that won the pot as Falcon mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Falcon	5,000,000 -300,000	-300,000
Sam Razavi	1,600,000 335,000	335,000

Tags: Michael Falcon Sam Razavi

08-07-2017 17:00 UTC+8

Bansal Takes From Tien Than Nguyen; Falcon Takes From Bansal

RazorSharpPro

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

The shorter stacked of the final tables two Vietnamese players, Tien Than Nguyen opened the action with a raise to 90,000 from the button and Uday Bansal defended from the big blind to take play heads-up to a flop of with both players checking the action.

The turn saw Bansal lead out for 100,000 and Nguyen made a quick call and the river completed the hand and the betting.

Bansal rolled over for a turned two pairs and Nguyen disgustedly flicked his cards into the muck and is now getting dangerously short.

Falcon won the next hand against Bansal after raising the action early to 95,000 from under-the-gun with the Indian player defending from the small blind.

It was all check on the flop, Bansal led out for 115,000 on the turn and Falcon called to bring both players to the river.

A cagey Bansal checked the action over to the Dane, folding out when Falcon fired for 250,000. Falcon took the next hand after that as well after a button raise to 90,000 from Bansal and a Halme call in the small blind with the Dane squeezing to 250,000 from the big blind to take it down pre-flop.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Falcon	5,300,000 400,000	400,000
Uday Bansal	5,140,000 -175,000	-175,000
Tien Than Nguyen	400,000 -150,000	-150,000

Tags: Uday Bansal Tien Than Nguyen Michael Falcon

08-07-2017 16:46 UTC+8

Lim Shoves the Flop

Christian Zetzsche

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

Tien Than Nguyen raised to 85,000 and showed when all opponents had folded. The next hand, Nguyen raised to 85,000 again and flashed the after Sam Razavi folded jack-four off suit.

Fast forward one hand, Antti Halme made it 85,000 to go from early position and Michael Falcon called from one seat over. Jaehyun Lim defended his big blind and checked the flop of . Halme bet 100,000 and Falcon called before Lim was sent into the think tank. After giving it some thought for two minutes, the Korean check-raised all in for 615,000 and both opponents folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Falcon	4,900,000 -125,000	-125,000
Antti Halme	2,450,000 -150,000	-150,000
Jaehyun Lim	1,050,000 310,000	310,000
Tien Than Nguyen	550,000 170,000	170,000

Tags: Antti Halme Jaehyun Lim Michael Falcon Sam Razavi Tien Than Nguyen