[user169505]
Vanessa Selbst looking to make her 2nd 2012 WSOP final table
Good afternoon and welcome to the final day of Event #46: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Today, we make yet more history as we crown another World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion playing the Cadillac of poker. With twenty-five players left, and only 7 of them with twenty big blinds or less, this could be a long day. But long or not, it does promise to be a classic and here is why.
We have players who have already been there, seen it and bought the t-shirt. Vanessa Selbst has won over $5 million in tournament earnings and you don't earn that much without winning a competition or 8! She is also a WSOP bracelet winner and a 2012 final tablist.
Konstantin Puchkov is our second WSOP bracelet holder in the field and he is Mr Consistency. Puchkov has already cashed in 8 WSOP events this year proving that he may have found that secret elixir that eludes most players. Puchkov has plenty of big time final table appearances to his name and is a prime candidate to make a deep run.
Spain play Portugal in the Semi-Finals of the Soccer European Championships today and Event #46 has it's very own Spain v Portugal battle. Fernando Brito is a Portuguese businessman who exploded onto the European Poker Tour (EPT) by winning the EPT Season 7 Player of the Year award. Adria Balaguer is one of many fine Spanish exports who are seemingly in their poker playing prime. When Balaguer cashes he goes deeper than a twenty stone Thai massage girl standing on your back. He has accrued a 6th, 9th, 2nd and 3rd in his 4th previous cashes including a 3rd place finish in Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em just a few weeks ago. Brito and Balaguer have already clashed in one mighty hand that could have put pay to the end of Balaguer's hopes, but the Spaniard proved he was made of stern stuff with an excellent fight back.
Then you have the players who are still fighting for that first big score and they include our chip leaders Joey Weissman and Michael Gagliano. Will today be the day they finally break through?
We will start to find out at 1:00 PM when the action starts in the Amazon Room. If you cannot make it here in person then you have the next best seat, right here at PokerNews.
It has not taken long to lose our first player…thirteen minutes in fact. That unfortunate nameplate has just been affixed to Nicholas Augustino. He made a standard raise on the button and when the action folded to Stephen Reynolds in the big blind he moved all-in. It was just what Augustino had ben waiting for and he snap-called.
Augustino
Reynolds
The PokerNews Odds Calculator shows us that Augustino was a 59.82% favorite to win the hand. The flop came down and despite Reynolds taking the lead Augustino was still a 59.39% favorite because of his additional flush-outs. The turn swung the pendulum around and he was now a 38.64% dog before the on the river made the percentages completely irrlevant. Augustino was out.
One of the favorite's for this title - Vanessa Selbst - has been eliminated in the first level of the day. Twenty-three hours and forty-six minutes ago Vanessa Selbst and her had Joey Weissman and his on the ropes. He was all-in and was one flip away from going out. Press your finger on that fast forward button and Weissman is our dominating chip leader whilst Selbst is out.
The action folded around to Weissman on the button and he raised to 24,000. Selbst was seated in the small and she three-bet to 68,000. Then in the blink of an eye Weissman had clicked it back, Selbst had moved all-in and Weissman had called. When the cards were turned over it was a disaster for Selbst.
Weissman
Selbst
Weissman is seated right next to the Amazon rail, and it is chocked full of his fans. They were screaming into the right earhole of Selbst - baying for a queen - and do you know what? They got it.
Flop:
Weissman was just one card away from eliminating the dangerous Selbst.
Turn:
That was it. Selbst was out. The meaningless was driven into the felt and our WSOP bracelet winner said her goodbyes and left.
William Rogers has just received a quick one-two from John Gualtieri and Stephen Reynolds and he just couldn't get back up from the canvas.
We joined the action on the turn and the board was showing us . It looked like Gualtieri had bet 38,000 and Rogers had raised to 100,000. The action was on the stetson wearing Gualtieri and the cowboy moved all-in. Rogers didn't respond directly, in fact he tanked for several minutes, but he did indeed call.
Gualtieri
Rogers
So Gualtieri had the straight and Rogers was left needing a heart.
River:
That loss put Rogers on around 100,000 and he lost them a few hands later when he run his into the of Reynolds.
Michael Gagliano made a standard raise on the button and Larry Duplantis decided to make a standard call in the small blind. Timmy the Dealer gave the pair a flop of and Duplantis check-raised to 93,000 after Gagliano had c-bet for 31,000. Gagliano made the call and the next card the pair saw was the where Duplantis check-called a 82,000 Gagliano bet. Fifth street brought the and Gagliano moved 500,000 into the middle once checked too. Duplantis looked down at his stack and realised that this next decision was his most important yet.
"I call," muttered Duplantis.
Gagliano flipped over for nines full and the Duplantis hand hit the muck unseen. Commiserations to Duplantis who has had a great tournament.
Our fingers are going to get a little break because Jimmy Fradettedufour has been eliminated.
Joey Weissman raised to 32,000 in first position and when it folded around to Fradettedufour in the big blind he made the three-bet. Weissman leaned out of his seat to observe the Fradettedufour stack, moved all-in and Fradettedufour made the call.
Weissman
Fradettedufour
Board:
"Show a little emotion," shouted a friend from the rail.
A smile broke out on the face of Weissman.
"That's better."
Fradettedufour is gone and Weissman moves up to 3,440,000.
Joey Weissman made a standard raise from the cutoff and Joshua Pedraza defended his big blind. The flop was and we missed the action but understand there was a bet and call from one of the players. On the turn we saw the and Pedraza check-raised to 300,000 after Weissman had bet 140,000. Weissman called pretty quickly and we were soon looking at the on the river. Pedraza then surprised everyone by moving all-in and Weissman made what looked like the easiest call of his life. Literally, seconds later Weissman was flipping over a pair of aces for the boat and Pedraza mucked his hand and left his seat…he was out! The dealer turned his cards face up to show for the insides of a balloon.
Michael Gagliano had only just doubled up when he found himself in another milestone of a hand. Let's take a peek at what happened.
Bradley Lipsey raised to 85,000 in first position, Joey Weissman made the call from his left shoulder and Michael Gagliano made the call in the big blind. The flop was and the action checked through to Weissman who bet 125,000. Gagliano was next and he tanked before check-raising to 300,000. The grey-hooded Lipsey laid it down and the original bettor, Weissman, raised it up to 495,000!
There was a silence surrounding the table as the voyeurs realised that this pot was pretty serious. Gagliano riffled his newly won chips and pondered his next move. About two minutes elapsed before Gagliano moved all-in and Weissman called.
Weissman
Gagliano
So Gagliano revealed top pair with a jack kicker and Weissman had him crushed with top two pair. The turn was the and Weissman turned to his fans - who were delirious - and moved his forearm back and fore in delight. The rather irrelevant was dumped onto the felt and the gracious Gagliano embraced Weissman before leaving in 7th place.
![[user169505]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and despite Reynolds taking the lead Augustino was still a 59.39% favorite because of his additional flush-outs. The turn 
swung the pendulum around and he was now a 38.64% dog before the 
on the river made the percentages completely irrlevant. Augustino was out.
had Joey Weissman and his 
on the ropes. He was all-in and was one flip away from going out. Press your finger on that fast forward button and Weissman is our dominating chip leader whilst Selbst is out.
was driven into the felt and our WSOP bracelet winner said her goodbyes and left.
. It looked like Gualtieri had bet 38,000 and Rogers had raised to 100,000. The action was on the stetson wearing Gualtieri and the cowboy moved all-in. Rogers didn't respond directly, in fact he tanked for several minutes, but he did indeed call.
into the 
of Reynolds.
on the button, Stephen Reynolds found 
where Duplantis check-called a 82,000 Gagliano bet. Fifth street brought the 
and Gagliano moved 500,000 into the middle once checked too. Duplantis looked down at his stack and realised that this next decision was his most important yet.
and we missed the action but understand there was a bet and call from one of the players. On the turn we saw the 
for the insides of a balloon.
and Weissman turned to his fans - who were delirious - and moved his forearm back and fore in delight. The rather irrelevant