At 1 p.m. the third day of event number 49 will start it's third day. This $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament started with 2,247 players but they are down to 21 after 11 levels on day 1 and 10 levels on day 2. Swedish poker professional Robin Ylitalo leads the way with more than 1.1 million in chips. Paul Dasilva has just a little less than that.
The absolute short stack with 136,000 is acclaimed poker professional Kevin MacPhee who's sure to make his sixth cash of the series today. Will he be able to do better than his 18th place finish in event number 24 ($15,586)? Also still in the running is English old school pro Barny Boatman with 347,000.
Action will begin with level 22 (8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante). If the tournament loses three more players there will be a redraw to form the last two tables. We'll be around all day to give you the latest updates. When the final table is reached ou won't miss a single hand since we'll be providing hand by hand coverage again.
In one of the first hands of the day Van Tan pushed under-the-gun plus one for 203,000. Action quickly folded to short stack Kevin MacPhee in the big blind. He made the call after a little bit of thinking and turned over his . Van Tran had found a real hand with and it would prevail.
Without much feel for show the dealer put out the board in rapid fashion: | | . Van Tran gave some people on the rail a high five while MacPhee's day was cut short.
Right after the big hand he lost against Barny Boatman, Frenchman Valentin Messina is busted from the tournament. He shoved all in for 114,000 under-the-gun and was looked up by Michael "Mike" perrone in the big blind. Messina had the better hand with but Perrone's would win the hand.
Till the river there was nothing going on but that last community card hit Perrone: | | . Messina takes home $24,449, all other players are guaranteed $31,153 at this point.
After Paul Dasilva limped under-the-gun for 20,000, Mike Jukich shoved all in for about 450,000 from the button. Robin Ylitalo, who started the day as chip leader but already lost a little bit, reshoved all in and Dasilva folded. Jukich tabled and was in trouble against Ylitalo's .
The board would make no impact on either player: | | and Jukich left the tournament just a couple of seconds before the first break.
Robin Ylitalo raised it up to 60,000 from early position and Barny Boatman made a three bet behind him. That was when all the action started as Paul Dasilva pushed allin and Michael Quick behind him pushed all in as well. Action folded to Ylitalo who quickly folded. Boatman needed a little more time to think and leaned back. Quick, who's been enjoying himself all day and has had a big smile the entire time, said "This is a big moment for me". Boatman eventually folded and soon everyone found out what the hands were.
Quick, who was at risk for 595,000 total, had . Dasilva had slightly more than that and tabled . The dealer didn't make a whole show about it and rapidly burned and put the cards on the table: | | . It went so fast that it took a mili second for Quick to realize that his opponent had backed doored a flush. "Nice hand" he said like a true gentleman.
There's now just nine players left who can all brag on facebook, twitter, instagram, iMessage and all other sorts of new communication that they've made a World Series of Poker final table. Some of them even grabbed their phone and actually called home to let them know. Others celebrated the old fashion way, with people in person on the rail.
We'll be right back as we gather the official chip counts and set up on the rail of the big stage in the middle of the Amazon Room.
Hand #13: Brian O'Donoghue made it 60,000 to go from middle position and he called as Roger Lussier pushed all in for 380,000 from the cut off. Lussier held the but that was the inferior hand as O'Donoghue showed .
The flop didn't change a thing though the on the turn did a little. O'Donoghue made a pair but there were split pot outs. The on the river, though hitting Lussier, made no difference however. O'Donoghue made his flush and eliminated Lussier.
Hand #34: Robin Ylitalo pushed all in from the small blind and Barny Boatman made the call out of the big blind. And just like that, there was a showdown and the Swede was at risk. Ylitalo had and was behind against Boatman's . Ylitalo was live though and would hit: .
The running spades ( and ) would give Boatman the flush though and Ylitalo was eliminated. He took home $92,550 while the remaining five players like that were sure of $125,372.
Hand #58: Aditya Prasetyo pushed all in from the cut off and Barny Boatman had an easy decision in the big blind with . Aditya Prasetyo had a big hand himself but not big enough: .
Prasetyo was looking for a ten but wouldn't get it. The tens stayed in the deck with | | on the table and the one pair beat the other. Aditya Prasetyo received $125,372 for his fifth place. The remaining four players are guaranteed a $172,087 payday.
Hand #76: Taras Kripps pushed all in for 875,000 from the small blind and Brian O'Donoghue made the call out of the big blind. Kripps showed while O'Donoghue had found a good hand with .
The on the flop didn't do anything for Kripps but the on the turn did. Kripps needed to avoid a queen or ace now but didn't succeed in that mission: on the river. O'Donoghue had made a straight and eliminated Kripps that way.
The remaining three players are guaranteed $239,339.
Hand #79: In one of the biggest pots of the tournament Barny Boatman just doubled up through, till that moment commanding, chip leader Brian O'Donoghue.
Barny Boatman limped in from the small blind but the action would soon explode. Brian O'Donoghue in the big blind made it 150,000 and then it began: Boatman made it 375,000 and O'Donoghue bumped it up to 700,000. Now Boatman made the call and the flop appeared: .
Boatman bet out 400,000 and O'Donoghue raised (again), now to 800,000. Boatman pushed all in for 2.1 million and O'Donoghue made the call. Boatman showed his flopped set with and O'Donoghue frustratedly tabled his . O'Donoghue needed a king but wouldn't get it: on the turn and on the river. Barny Boatman is now the big stack three handed.
. Van Tran had found a real hand with 
and it would prevail.
| 
| 
. Van Tran gave some people on the rail a high five while MacPhee's day was cut short.
would win the hand.
| 
| 
and was in trouble against Ylitalo's 
| 
| 
and Jukich left the tournament just a couple of seconds before the first break.
| 
but that was the inferior hand as O'Donoghue showed 
and was behind against Boatman's 
.
) would give Boatman the flush though and Ylitalo was eliminated. He took home $92,550 while the remaining five players like that were sure of $125,372.
| 
while O'Donoghue had found a good hand with 
.
and O'Donoghue frustratedly tabled his 
on the turn and