Richard Harwood raised to 275,000 from the cutoff and was met with an all-in raise for 780,000 from Craig Koch from the small blind. Harwood deliberated for a bit, but slid out a call.
Harwood: 
Koch: 
The board ran out 
and Koch doubled up to 1.6 million. Harwood slipped to 1.9 million.
![[user197301]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
After the recent flurry of activity in which two players were eliminated, the play has slowed to its usual snail's pace here at the Seniors Championship final table. Perhaps the remaining players were influenced by the WSOP bracelet which was just passed around the table, but they have tightened up considerably in the last few orbits.
Recently, the player in the big blind received a walk three times in a row, and despite the dead money at stake each and every hand the surviving seniors seem unwilling to risk any thievery.
In a blind vs. blind confrontation, James Hess went all in from the small and Gregory Alston called from the big.
Showdown
Alston: 
James Hess: 
The flop came 
and Alsto sat up from his seat, bracing for the next two cards. The turn came the 
, but the river brought a 
, pairing Hess on the end and leaving Alston thunderstruck and he walked away from the table.
Hess is up to 5.5 million heading into four-handed play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,550,000
1,950,000
|
1,950,000 |
|
||
|
|
2,300,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
2,300,000
700,000
|
700,000 |
|
1,100,000
-1,600,000
|
-1,600,000 |
Level: 30
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 10,000
Joseph Bolnick went all-in from the button and was called by James Hess in the big.
Bolnick: 
Hess: 
The board ran out 
and Bolnick doubled to 1.65 million. Hess slid to 4.75 million.
There have been an abundant amount of walks going into four-handed play. Hopefully the dealer begins giving the players some cards they like.
Since our last elimination, James Hess has noticeably opened up his play, using aggressive re-steals to accumulate chips.
In a recent hand, Hess watched Joseph Bolnick raise to 275,000 from the button and Craig Koch make the call from the small blind. Rather than let the two men settle the score, Hess simply shoved his stack into the middle and forced the folds, earning more than 550,000 chips with the power poker move.
While Hess may be simply responding to conditions on the felt, another pressing concern has also caused him to shift things into high gear. Hess told us that he is expecting to board a flight sometime tomorrow in order to visit his ailing father in South Africa. While the pursuit of gold and glory here at the WSOP is certainly important, caring for his father is priority number one for James Hess.
If he can bully his opponents into submission during this last level of play, James Hess will have nothing to worry about tomorrow as he flies the friendly skies a half-million dollars richer.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,250,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
|
||
James Hess raised from the button and Joseph Bolnick went all in from the big. Hess called.
Hess:
Bolnick: 
The board ran out 
and Bolnick was sent to the rail.
Hess now has a commanding chip lead with 8.5 million.
