Good afternoon and welcome back to Event 35: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em! Two days ago, 393 hopefuls registered in hopes of proving their Texas Hold'em prowess and claiming a World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Today, only nine players remain in a final table that will surely be watched closely by the poker world.
Best positioned to take down the final table going into Day 3 is chip-leader Joep van den Bijgaart with 605,000. However, all eyes are sure to be on Phil Ivey (169,000), who will competing in his fifth final table at this year's WSOP alone. Ivey's motivation to finally take down an event this year will surely be higher than ever considering how many times he was just an arm's-length away from victory.
Similarly impressive is Michael Gathy, who will be coming into today's final table fourth in chips with 418,000. Unlike Ivey, who has had several near-misses this year, Gathy claimed a WSOP bracelet just one week ago in Event 21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em.
Here are the final table specifics:
Seat
Player
Chips
1
Chris Tryba
347,000
2
Salman Behbehani
253,000
3
Michael Foti
105,000
4
Michael Gathy
418,000
5
Joep van den Bijgaart
605,000
6
Erik Cajelais
368,000
7
Phil Ivey
169,000
8
Samuel Golbuff
526,000
9
Brent Wheeler
158,000
There you have it - will Ivey finally claim a bracelet this year? Will Gathy pull off the rare feat of winning multiple bracelets in a single year? Or will Joep van den Bijgaart use his momentum and leverage as chip leader to carry himself to victory?
Play is set to begin at 2:00 PM PST - so please stay tuned right here at PokerNews as the drama unfolds and we crown an eventual champion!
On the first hand of the final table, Chris Tryba had the button and Erik Cajelais opened with a raise to 16,000 from middle position. Everyone folded and Cajelais won the pot.
On the next hand, Cajelais opened again to 16,000, this time from the under-the-gun-plus-one position. Action folded to Tryba in the cutoff seat and he flat-called. In the small blind, Michael Foti reraised all in for 95,000 total. Cajelais reshoved and Tryba folded.
Cajelais showed the and was dominating the for the at-risk Foti.
The board came down and Foti was eliminated in ninth place. He earned $16,692 for his finish.
Action folded to Phil Ivey in the cutoff seat and he raised to 20,000. On the button, Samuel Golbuff reraised all in for 159,000. The blinds folded and Ivey quickly called.
Ivey turned over the and was way ahead of the for Golbuff.
The flop came down an interesting , giving Golbuff a pair and a straight draw, but keeping Ivey in front.
The landed on the turn and Ivey was still in the lead, but a miracle on the river gave Golbuff a six-high straight and doubled him up.
As the tournament director counted down that stack of Golbuff, all he could do was laugh at what had just happened while Ivey just stared blankly with his famous "Ivey face" and mouth dropped open as if to say, "Was that even real?"
Ivey was cripped and down to just 11,000 in chips.
After folding for three hands after getting crippled, Phil Ivey stuck his last 7,000 in from under the gun. Action folded to Michael Gathy on the button and he called. Joep van den Bijgaart called from the small blind and Erik Cajelais checked from the big blind.
The three active players in the hand checked down the board as it ran out before getting to a showdown.
"I looked at an ace," announced Ivey as the players started turning over their hands.
Gathy showed the for a pair of sevens, van den Bijgaart the . Cajelais showed the for two pair and then Ivey had the . Ivey did have an ace, but the three that came with it wasn't what he needed to stay alive and he was eliminated in eighth place.
Ivey was quickly out the door and we'll surely see him soon in another event at the World Series of Poker.
From early position, Samuel Golbuff raised to 25,000 and then Brent Wheeler tank-shoved from the hijack seat for 161,000. Action folded back to Golbuff and he requested a count. Golbuff had 155,000 behind, which meant he had Wheeler covered by a little bit. Eventually, Golbuff called.
Wheeler held the and was in dominating shape to double up with the for Golbuff.
The flop and turn kept Wheeler in front with the falling, but the on the river smacked Golbuff with the winner and sent Wheeler to the rail.
Samuel Golbuff open-raised all in for his last 44,000 from early position and action folded over to Joep van den Bijgaart in the big blind, who called to put Golbuff at risk.
Golbuff:
Joep van den Bijgaart:
Golbuff was dominated going into the flop and would need help to survive. However, the board kept Golbuff second-best and he was sent to the rail in 6th place.
Action folded to Salman Behbehani on the button and he raised to 35,000. Michael Gathy reraised all in for 266,000 from the small blind and Behbehani called.
Behbehani:
Gathy:
The flop came down and kept Behbehani in front. The turn was the and river the . Behbehani won the pot with a full house, sevens over sixes, and sent Gathy to the rail.
Earlier at this World Series of Poker, Gathy won Event 21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em for over $440,000. This was his second final table and he earned another $50,000 and change for this result.
From under the gun, Erik Cajelais raised. Action moved to Joep van den Bijgaart in the big blind and he thought for a few moments before raising. Cajelais called.
The flop came down and van den Bijgaart bet. Cajelais raised and van den Bijgaart reraised to put himself all in. Cajelais called with the for top pair. Van den Bijgaart held the for an underpair.
The turn was the and river the , both missing van den Bijgaart and sending him to the rail in fourth place.
Chris Tryba min-raised to 40,000 from the button and was three-bet to 105,000 by Salman Behbehani from the small blind. Erik Cajelais got out of the way from the big and Tryba made the call.
The flop came and Behbehani under-bet the pot for 65,000. Tryba made the call to see a turn, which brought the . Behbehani led out again - this time for 85,000. Tryba again called.
When a completed the board, Behbehani announced he was all-in for his last 300,000. Tryba snap-called and revealed for runner-runner trips.
"Jesus Christ...," is all Behebehani could say, revealing for a second-best queens and deuces before heading to the rail.
Behbehani will receive $93,842 for his efforts today.
On the first hand of heads-up play, Erik Cajelais and Chris Tryba took the flop after Cajelais had raised on the button and Tryba called from the big blind. On the flop, Tryba checked and Cajelais bet 45,000. Tryba made the call.
The turn was the and Tryba checked again. Cajelais fired another bet of around 130,000 and Tryba made the call.
The river card was the and instead of checking for a third street in a row, Tryba fired 250,000. Cajelais took a minute and then announced a raise. He first put out the 250,000 to call, then thought a few moments more. Then, he announced that he was all in and Tryba snap-called and exploded from his seat, tabling the for an unbeatable straight flush!
Cajelais held the for a king-high straight, but was eliminated in second place. Tryba jumped for joy and shouted at the top of his lungs, knowing he had just won the most coveted prize in all of poker, a World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
For his finish, Cajelais earned $129,766 and fell just short of earning his second piece of WSOP gold.
and was dominating the 
for the at-risk Foti.
and Foti was eliminated in ninth place. He earned $16,692 for his finish.
, giving Golbuff a pair and a straight draw, but keeping Ivey in front.
landed on the turn and Ivey was still in the lead, but a miracle 
before getting to a showdown.
for a pair of sevens, van den Bijgaart the 
. Ivey did have an ace, but the three that came with it wasn't what he needed to stay alive and he was eliminated in eighth place.
for Golbuff.
falling, but the 
board kept Golbuff second-best and he was sent to the rail in 6th place.
for top pair. Van den Bijgaart held the 
and river the 
