Main Event
Day 3 Started
2014 WinStar River Poker Series
Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 WinStar River Poker Series
Buy-in
$2,400
Prize Pool
$3,175,200
Entries
1,323
Level
33
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000
2014 WinStar River Poker Series Main Event Final Table Preview
![[user272102]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
After four days of build up and playing poker, 10 players are returning within the next hour with their eyes on the million dollar first place prize at the 2014 WinStar River Poker Series Main Event.
The tournament has seen names like WinStar poker ambassador Maria Ho, poker legend TJ Cloutier, Layne Flack, Tom Marchese, Kevin Saul, the 2012 champion of this event Aaron Massey, Kyle Bowker, and many others fall.
Notables like Scott Clements, Brandon Steven, Christian Harder, Rep Porter, Bryan Campanello, and Joseph Cheong would all make deep runs but fall short of making it to today's final day of play.
Leading the way is Kevin Eyster with 5.74 million in chips, and he's followed by Khoa Nguyen in second place with 5.19 million. David "ODB" Baker is the most notable face remaining, and he will bring 1.705 million in chips to tomorrow.
Who else made it? Here's a look at the final table seating assignments and their chip counts:
| Seat | Name | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodeen Talebi | 725,000 |
| 2 | David "ODB" Baker | 1,705,000 |
| 3 | Rhett Trusler | 2,180,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Eyster | 5,740,000 |
| 5 | Travis Rice | 4,480,000 |
| 6 | Jonathan Gaviao | 2,975,000 |
| 7 | Jason Helder | 4,310,000 |
| 8 | Kong Li | 3,570,000 |
| 9 | Khoa Nguyen | 5,190,000 |
| 10 | Chris Drake | 2,505,000 |
Cards will be in the air at 12 p.m. local time and PokerNews will be here to bring you every hand at the final table so make sure to tune in to see who takes down the million dollar first place prize. While you wait for action to start, here's a quick look at each of the players:
Seat 1: Rodeen Talebi - 725,000 in chips Talebi is not stranger to making a final table as he's done so on more than a dozen occasions over the course of his poker career. His poker career dates all the way back to 2004 and that was when he made his first splash on the circuit winning $162,961 for his first place finish in a Pot Limit Hold 'Em event at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. He followed that victory up with another win and countless five figure scores giving him lifetime tournament earnings of $924,862. Talebi comes in as the short stack but shouldn't be counted out given his experience in these situations.
Seat 2: David "ODB" Baker - 1.705 million in chips Baker comes in with perhaps the best poker resume of our final ten. With $3,083,307 in lifetime tournament earnings in a poker career that dates back to 2004, the one-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner will be looking to do something he's never done before — collecting a seven figure payday. Baker is no stranger to success in Main Events. He's made two deep runs in the WSOP Main Event including a 17th place finish in 2010 that was good for his biggest tournament cash ever of $396,967. Despite coming in with the second shortest stack, Baker is definitely not a player to be looked upon lightly.
Seat 3: Rhett Trusler - 2.18 million in chips Trusler is a relative unknown with no career reported tournament earnings. That's about to change as he's guaranteed a minimum of $30,164 today. Trusler has been flying under the radar with his play thus far and those types of players are always dangerous at this stage of the tournament.
Seat 4: Kevin Eyster - 5.74 million in chips The quiet, unassuming Eyster comes into the final table with the chip lead and outside of Baker, the most credentials. He just won his first WSOP bracelet this summer taking home $622,998 for taking down the $5,000 Six-Handed NLHE tournament. He followed that up with a 10th place finish in the Little One for One Drop and a deep run in the Main Event. His biggest score of $660,395 came back in 2013 when he won the Championship Event at the Seminole Hard Rock Showdown. He can top that with a win here today and with the way he's been playing and his stack no one would be surprised if he did.
Seat 5: Travis Rice - 4.48 million in chips Back in 2007, Rice burst onto the poker scene when he won the Main Event at the UltimateBet Aruba Poker Classic, Palm Beach for $800,000. He's been relatively quiet on the tournament scene since then but still has accumulated $1,224,743 in tournament earnings. He has the chips and the know how and has position on perhaps the two most dangerous players at the table.
Seat 6: Jonathan Gaviao - 2.975 million in chips The amiable Gaviao is a tournament grinder who has experienced some success of late. In February, he won $181,757 for winning a WSOP Circuit event in Tunica. He followed that up with a second place finish for $132,622 at a WSOP Circuit tournament in Las Vegas. He can top both of those results with a third place or better finish here today.
Seat 7: Jason Helder - 4.31 million in chips Helder's poker career dates back to 2009 when he took eighth place in a $1,500 WSOP NLHE tournament for $86,702. He's run up a total of $324,243 in lifetime tournament winnings and is looking for his first tournament win on U.S. soil (he's won two EPT preliminary events in the past).
Seat 8: Kong Li - 3.57 million in chips In just over a years time, Li has already accumulated $63,753 in tournament earnings with his best result being a fourth place finish in April at the Choctaw Poker Series for $26,569. He's already guaranteed to top that and can add much more to his resume and bankroll if he can make it deep here today.
Seat 9: Khoa Nguyen - 5.19 million in chips Nguyen is another poker veteran who will be tough to deal with. With a career that dates back to 2005, Nguyen has lifetime reported tournament earnings of $82,245 including a $38,405 payday for a second place finish in 2008 at the Calgary Classic. With just one elimination, Nguyen will be guaranteed his biggest score ever and given that he is coming in second in chips that seems likely to happen.
Seat 10: Chris Drake - 2.505 million in chips Drake, like many others at this final table, is another veteran of the tournament circuit with scores that date back to 2008 including two Deep Stack Extravaganza wins totaling over $70,000 in winnings. Drake has $184,009 in lifetime earnings and will be adding to that total here today.
Level: 29
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 10,000
David "ODB"Baker Eliminated in 10th Place ($30,164)
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Khoa Nguyen opened with a middle positioned raised to what looked like 250,000 and action folded over to David "ODB" Baker who three-bet shipped all in for 1.65 million. Action came back to Nguyen and he thought for a bit.
"How much do you have?" asked Nguyen.
"I have 1.65," replied Baker.
"Do you have ace-king?"
"I have 1.65," he deadpanned once more.
The table broke out into laughter and Nguyen announced a call.
Nguyen: 
Baker: 
The board ran out 
, failing to improve Baker's hand. He was eliminated from play in 10th place and collected $30,164 in prize money.
Hands #1-5: Nguyen Remains Active
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #1: Khoa Nguyen opened to 275,000 from middle position and Rhett Trusler called from the button. The flop came 
and Nguyen led out to 325,000 and took the pot down when Trusler folded.
Hand #2: Travis Rice completed the small blind and Jonathan Gaviao checked his option. Rice would bet the minimum on the 
flop and Gaviao would quickly fold.
Hand #3: Kevin Eyster opened from the cutoff for 160,000 and Gaviao reraised to 440,000 from the small blind. Eyster called. The flop came 
and Gaviao led out for 350,000 leading to an Eyster fold.
Hand #4: Nguyen opened from early position to 160,000 and was called by Eyster in the hijack and Kong Li in the big blind. The flop came 
and Li checked. Nguyen bet 220,000, Eyster folded, and Li made the call. The two would check the 
turn but not before Nguyen would query Li as to if he had a jack or not. The river was the 
and Li led out for 320,000. Nguyen would tank for about a minute before making the call and his 
would take the pot as Li held 
.
Hand #5: Kevin Eyster would take the blinds and antes with a raise to 160,000 from middle position.
Hands: #6-10: Nguyen Continues
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #6: Kevin Eyster raised to 160,000 from middle position and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #7: Kong Li opened to 160,000 from the cutoff and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #8: Travis Rice opened to 200,000 from early position and it folded around to Chris Drake on the button. He thought for over a minute before cutting out a four-bet to 450,000. Action folded back to Rice who folded as well.
Hand #9: Travis Rice made it 175.000 to go from under the gun and found a call from Eyster in the big blind. The flop came down 
. Eyster continued, Rice checked, and Eyster let his cards go.
Hand #10: Khoa Nguyen opened with a preflop raise and found calls from Eyster and Rice in the small and big blinds. The flop fell 
and there were two checks to Nguyen. After roughly 45 seconds, he reached for chips and fired 325,000. Two quick folds allowed Nguyen to take the pot.
Hands #11-15: Talebi Doubles
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #11: Kong Li opened to 160,000 from early position and Chris Drake reraised to 450,000. Rodeen Talebi moved all in for 695,000 and Li folded. Drake made the easy call with and had Talebi's dominated. The flop was 
to keep Drake in the lead but the turn was the to give Talebi a set of queens. The river was the and Talebi scored the double up to 1.75 million while Drake fell to 2.0 million in chips.
Hand #12:Khoa Nguyen opened to 190,000, Kevin Eyster called from the cutoff and Jason Helder called out of the big blind. The flop came 
and Helder checked. Nguyen bet 325,000 and was called by Eyster. Helder check-raised to 805,000 which was enough to get the other two to fold.
Hand #13: Travis Rice opened to 175,000 from the cutoff and Helder made it 450,000 to go from the small blind. Rice called. The flop came 
and a 300,000 bet from Helder would be enough to get Rice to fold.
Hand #14: Rice opened again to 175,000 and Nguyen called from the big blind. The flop came 
and both checked. The turn was the and Nguyen made a smallish bet of 200,000 that was called by Rice. The river was the and both players checked. Nguyen showed 
for sevens and fours and Rice mucked his hand.
Hand #15: Drake received a walk in his big blind.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,000,000 | -505,000 |
|
1,750,000 | 1,025,000 |
Hands #16-20: Preflop Poker
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #16: Travis Rice raised to 200,000 from middle position only to find a call from Jason Helder in the hijack. The rest of the table folded and the flop came down 
. Rice continued for 240,000, Helder came over the top for 500,000, and Rice folded.
Hand #17: Jonathan Gaviao raised to 160,000 and took down the blinds and antes.
Hand #18: Kong Li made it 175,000 before the flop and was awarded the blinds and antes.
Hand #19: Helder opened to 160,000 and took the blinds and antes.
Hand #20: Helder opened to 160,000 from under the gun and Gaviao called from the big blind. The two saw hit the felt and Gaviao check-called a continuation of 175,000. The 
hit the turn and Gaviao checked a second time. Helder fired a bet of an unknown amount and Gaviao quickly let it go.
Hand #21: Rhett Trusler Eliminated in 9th Place ($42,891)
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Rhett Trusler raised to 225,000 from the hijack and found a call from Jonathan Gaviao in the small blind. Jason Helder three-bet to 740,000 from the big blind and Trusler four-bet shipped for 1.325 million. Gaviao folded and Helder called.
Trusler: 
Helder:
Helder jumped out in front on the flop and never relinquished the lead through the on the turn or the 
on the river. Trusler became the first victim of the official final table and collected $42,891 in prize money.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
8,500,000 | 4,190,000 |
|
Busted |
Hands #22-26: Eyster Shoves
Level 29
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #22: Travis Rice opened to 185,000 and was called by Jonathan Gaviao. Jason Helder reraised to 685,000 and would take the pot down when the other two folded.
Hand #23: Kevin Eyster opened to 160,000 and was called by Travis Rice, Jason Helder, and Khoa Nguyen. The flop came and it was checked around. The turn was the and it was checked to Helder on the button who bet 375,000. Nguyen and Eyster folded and Rice made the call. The river was the and both players checked. "Two pair," said Rice. "Me too," responded Helder. Rice turned over which was no good as Helder had 
for a bigger two pair.
Hand #24: Eyster opened to 160,000 and Rice called. The rest of the table folded. The two would check it down all the way on the 
board and Rice's 
would take the pot over Eyster's .
Hand #25: Helder opened to 160,000 and would take down the blinds and antes when everyone folded.
Hand #26: Kong Li opened to 175,000 and Kevin Eyster reraised to 440,000 from the big blind. Li tanked for several minutes before putting out a reraise to 1,005,000. Eyster didn't take as long as he quickly announced that he was all in. Li thought for a bit and let his hand go.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,100,000 | 600,000 |
|
8,400,000 | 3,210,000 |
|
5,000,000 | -740,000 |
|
2,400,000 | -395,000 |
|
2,300,000 | -2,180,000 |
|
|
1,780,000 | -220,000 |
|
1,400,000 | -2,170,000 |
|
|
1,260,000 | -490,000 |