The first Pot-Limit Hold'em final table of the Series is minutes away from kick off, with Steve Chanthabouasy and James Dempsey leading the pack. Dempsey was chip leader nearly all of Day 2, and though he's in the second spot by one T5,000 chip today, he'd like to take his big stack wire-to-wire. In third is JJ Liu, who takes the title of first female final tablist of 2010. Could she make that first female bracelet winner of the year? With over $2 million in live cashes to her name already, she's a definite contender.
Day 2 was a short day - it only took eight levels to narrow the 65 starters to a final table. Add that to the fact that there are no antes in pot limit, and that means the stacks are relatively deep coming into the final table. They'll start at 6,000/12,000 and play until there is just one player standing.
Seat 1: Armen Kara (220,000)
Seat 2: Gregg Wilkerson (230,000)
Seat 3: Mark Babekov (246,000)
Seat 4: JJ Liu (479,000)
Seat 5: Edward Brogdon (89,000)
Seat 6: Scott Haraden (224,000)
Seat 7: Steve Chanthabouasy (533,000)
Seat 8: Joseph Williams (385,000)
Seat 9: James Dempsey (528,000)
Steve Chanthabouasy raised to 30,000 from middle position, and Gregg Wilkerson looked him up from the small blind. The flop came . Wilkerson checked, and Chanthabouasy bet the pot, 72,000. That was enough to take it down.
It didn't take Dempsey too long to get into the action. He raised from the hijack and was called by both Mark Babekov and JJ Liu. The flop fell , and Babekov and Liu checked to Dempsey. Flushy bet 42,000. Babekov quickly folded his small blind, and Liu called from the big. But after the on the turn, she checked and gave it up to a bet from Dempsey.
After seeing two flops in the first three hands at the final table, it's been about 10 since we've gone to community cards. The players are settling into a pattern of raising and folding and seem perfectly comfortable and ready to stay awhile.
Preflop raise sizing has been all over the place so far, anywhere from 24,000 to 33,000.
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. Wilkerson checked, and Chanthabouasy bet the pot, 72,000. That was enough to take it down.
, and Babekov and Liu checked to Dempsey. Flushy bet 42,000. Babekov quickly folded his small blind, and Liu called from the big. But after the 
on the turn, she checked and gave it up to a bet from Dempsey.