Event #24: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
Day 3 Started
Event #24: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
Day 3 Started
Welcome back to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and the 2011 World Series of Poker for the final table of Event #24: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout!
Just a few days ago 387 of the most skilled and talented players assembled in the halls of the Rio to battle it out for yet another WSOP bracelet in a format of poker that has been around well before online poker graced the virtual felt.
The shootout format has always been popular with online players as it is the major way new players make the transition into online poker; and with that, it was no surprise to see the majority of table victors being well accustomed to the virtual felt. James Dempsey (39th), Maxim Lykov (38th), Tommy Vedes (37th), Jeff Williams (32nd), Dan O'Brien (29th), Jason Young (28th), Toby Lewis (23rd), Justin Bonomo (21st), JP Kelly (18th), Erik Seidel (17th), Gavin Smith (16th), James Akenhead (15th) and Jordan Young (14th) all bested their first round table, but were unable to defeat their second four-handed one as the following players all reached the final table of ten.
Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Scott Baumstein | USA | 1,500,000 |
2 | Jeffrey Gross | USA | 1,500,000 |
3 | Dan Smith | USA | 1,500,000 |
4 | Tom Marchese | USA | 1,500,000 |
5 | Nicolas Fierrogottner | Chile | 1,500,000 |
6 | Nikita Lebedev | Russia | 1,500,000 |
7 | Todd Terry | USA | 1,500,000 |
8 | Adam Junglen | USA | 1,500,000 |
9 | Sean Getzwiller | USA | 1,500,000 |
10 | Mark Radoja | Canada | 1,500,000 |
With a bracelet winner, notable online stars and some wildcards, this is truly anyone's bracelet to win as each of the ten players eye the $436,568 first prize.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be here from 2:30 p.m. PDT providing extensive live updates of the Event #24: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout final table, so make sure to stay tuned into PokerNews.com as we update you on every rivered flush, turned straight and flopped set live from the 2011 World Series of Poker!
Mark Radoja had one of the most intense and epic heads-up battles to ensure his spot here on the final table.
Battling with Japanese player Yasuhiro Waki, both players rode a roller-coaster as the chips were pushed back-and-forth while the emotions between players and railbirds rode just as high; as seen in this hand between the two.
A professional player from Ontario, Canada, Radoja has eight previous WSOP cashes to his name including a third-placing in a $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event as well as a tenth placing in this very event in 2009.
Unfortunately for Radoja, a title still eludes him, and if he can capture a win here (or a second place) he will snag his biggest career win to date.
Originally hailing from Tucson, Arizona, Sean Getzwiller is without doubt the most in-form player heading into today's final table.
He may not be the most well-known player of the final ten, but his victory in Event #8: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em earlier in the series for over $600,000 is sending his notoriety skyward. Getzwiller however isn't just a one-hit wonder either, as he has logged results over the past few years including nine previous WSOP cashes.
Living here in Las Vegas at the Panaroma Towers like many fellow professional poker pros, Getzwiller has a great opportunity to become the first double- bracelet winner of 2011 if he can best this final table.
Originally from South Korea, but now residing in Stow, Ohio, Adam Junglen is a 23-year-old professional poker player.
Wtih over $70,000 in WSOP tournament winnings, today's event marks Junglen's biggest cash in ever in the WSOP. He also has had several big live cashes including a 6th place finish at the 2007 EPT Barcelona Open ($268,622) and a 6th place finish at the 2008 Caesar's Palace Classic Championship Event ($147,818).
Junglen also has several notable online cashes and wins.
From Hoboken, New Jersey, Todd Terry is a 37-year-old former attorney turned professional poker player.
After earning his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, Terry went on to enroll in law school at NYU. Terry then found his way into poker and garnered much success from doing so. He has over $600,000 in WSOP tournament winnings, which includes two final tables and six cashes. His largest cash so far came back in 2007 when he finished 2nd in the WSOP $2,000 No Limit Hold'em event, earning him a prize of $353,875. He wishes to top that prize today by taking first place for over $400,000 and a WSOP bracelet.
Nikita Levedev is a 24-year old former trader who is attending the WSOP for the first time.
His first visit has seen some success already with a cash in Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em, but here at the final table, he is already guaranteed his biggest score to date besting his deep run in the European Poker Tour Kiev Main Event in 2009.
Arriving on these shores from Moscow, Russia, Lebedev earned his degree from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, but if he can top this final table, it is likely that his switch to playing poker will pay off handsomely.
One of the three international players at the final table, Nicolas Fierrogottner comes to Las Vegas from Santiago, Chile.
This isn't Fierrogottner's first venture to the World Series as he has secured two previous cashes last year in the Main Event and a $1,500 for a combined $36,000 in both WSOP and lifetime winnings.
Originally studying industrial engineering in Chile before becoming a professional poker player, the 29-year old Fierrogottner will be using this event as his justification of making the switch ever since taking the game up in 2006.
Tom Marchese, also known in the online world as "Kingsofcards", absolutely smashed the tournament circuit in 2010, being awarded CardPlayer Player of the Year.
Among Marchese's many impressive tournament cashes last year include 3rd place in the WPT 2010 World Poker Finals Main Event ($211,759), 1st place in the 2010 NAPT Deep Stack Extravaganza ($827,648), and a 6th place finish at last years WSOP $10,000 Pot-Limit-Hold'em Championship ($123,264).
This year he hopes to repeat his success and grab a WSOP bracelet in order to add to that list of accomplishments.
Daniel Smith is a 22-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada.
While Smith may be the youngest player at this final table, he still has several tournament poker accolades. Smith finished 2nd place in Full Tilt Poker's FTOPS IV Main Event for a prize of $203,193. Smith also has a WSOP cash under his belt already this year, making the money in Event #12: $1,500 Triple Chance No-Limit Hold’em.
Smith hopes that today he can add a gold WSOP bracelet to his collection of poker achievements.