$3,500 Main Event
Day 3 Started
2022 BetMGM Poker Championship
$3,500 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2022 BetMGM Poker Championship
Buy-in
$3,500
Prize Pool
$1,097,600
Entries
343
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
26
Players Left
6
Day 3 Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ryan Shinevare | United States | 320,000 | 21 |
| 1 | 2 | William McCracken | United States | 990,000 | 66 |
| 1 | 3 | Steve Bayyovk | United States | 495,000 | 33 |
| 1 | 5 | Michael Gathy | Belgium | 480,000 | 32 |
| 1 | 6 | David Eldridge | United States | 950,000 | 63 |
| 1 | 7 | Shankar Pillai | United States | 1,080,000 | 72 |
| 2 | 1 | Joey Weissman | United States | 595,000 | 40 |
| 2 | 2 | Jake Daniels | United States | 1,100,000 | 73 |
| 2 | 3 | Angel Lopez | United States | 140,000 | 9 |
| 2 | 5 | Alex Goulder | United Kingdom | 130,000 | 9 |
| 2 | 6 | Isaac Kempton | United States | 890,000 | 59 |
| 2 | 7 | Albert Nguyen | Canada | 1,745,000 | 116 |
| 2 | 8 | Duff Charette | Canada | 465,000 | 31 |
| 3 | 1 | Nick Sena-Hopkins | United States | 550,000 | 37 |
| 3 | 2 | Gediminas Uselis | Lithuania | 245,000 | 16 |
| 3 | 3 | Noel Rodriguez | United States | 200,000 | 13 |
| 3 | 5 | Taylor Hart | United Kingdom | 1,300,000 | 52 |
| 3 | 6 | Joe Kuether | United States | 545,000 | 36 |
| 3 | 7 | Kevin Rabichow | United States | 910,000 | 61 |
| 4 | 1 | Ankush Mandavia | United States | 605,000 | 40 |
| 4 | 2 | Michael Wang | United States | 795,000 | 53 |
| 4 | 3 | Todd Ivens | United States | 900,000 | 60 |
| 4 | 5 | Zach Donovan | United States | 270,000 | 18 |
| 4 | 6 | Benji Felson | United States | 475,000 | 32 |
| 4 | 7 | Paul Hoefer | Germany | 1,190,000 | 79 |
| 4 | 8 | Cody Wiegmann | United States | 350,000 | 23 |
Who Will Make the First Ever BetMGM Poker Championship Final Table?
Another day of action from the BetMGM Poker Championship is set to begin at 12 p.m. PT inside the the fabulous PokerGO Studio at the Aria Resort and Casino.
The plan today is to whittle the field of 26 down to the six-handed official final table. In pole position to make it there is Albert Nguyen. The Canadian has notched nearly $700,000 in recorded live tournament earnings, mostly helped by his $550,959 payday following his runner-up finish in the 2021 $3,500 Wynn Fall Classic Championship.
Second in chips is WSOP bracelet winner Paul Hoefer. The German poker player took down the The Little One for One Drop at the 2015 World Series of Poker for $645,969.
Hot on Hoefer's heels is arguably the biggest name left in the tournament, Jake Daniels. With just shy of $2.8 million total live earnings, the High Stakes Poker player will be sure one of the favourites to go the distance.
Other notables still in the field include Joey Weissman, Michael Wang, Isaac Kempton and Michael Gathy.
BetMGM Poker sent 68 qualifiers into the tournament but just four remain. Steve Bayyouk, Ryan Shinevare, Angel Lopez and Benji Felson were all able to enter the event for a fraction of the price. Felson came close to elimination yesterday but won a coin flip against Shankar Pillai to stay alive. Bayyouk leads the pack of qualifiers but begins the day in the lower half of the chip counts.
The players returning for Day 3 have all locked up $8,781, with the money hitting five-figures from 24 players onwards. However, all eyes will be on the $224,236 that waits for the eventual winner.
Play resumes on Level 19, with blinds set at 10,000/15,000/15,000. Levels continue to be 60-minutes in duration and there will be a 15-minute player break every two levels.
Top Ten Chip Counts Heading into Day 3
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albert Nguyen | Canada | 1,745,000 | 116 |
| 2 | Paul Hoefer | Germany | 1,190,000 | 79 |
| 3 | Jake Daniels | United States | 1,100,000 | 73 |
| 4 | Shankar Pillai | United States | 1,080,000 | 72 |
| 5 | William McCracken | United States | 990,000 | 66 |
| 6 | David Eldridge | United States | 950,000 | 63 |
| 7 | Kevin Rabichow | United States | 910,000 | 61 |
| 8 | Todd Ivens | United States | 900,000 | 60 |
| 9 | Isaac Kempton | United States | 890,000 | 59 |
| 10 | Michael Wang | United States | 795,000 | 53 |
Be sure to keep it locked in with PokerNews to find out what happens on the penultimate day of this Championship event.
Level: 19
Blinds: 10,000/15,000
Ante: 15,000
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 19
: 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Cards are in the air and action is underway in Day 3 of the BetMGM Poker Championship $3,500 Main Event.
Goulder Gets Early Double
Level 19
: 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Alex Goulder raised to 75,000 from the hijack, leaving just 5,000 behind. He was called by Isaac Kempton from the cutoff.
Goulder put in his last chip on the 
flop and was called.
Alex Goulder: 
Isaac Kempton: 
The 
runout gave Goulder an early double as his superior ace remained best.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
790,000 | -100,000 |
|
200,000 | 70,000 |
McCracken and Pillai Battle
Level 19
: 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Action was caught on the turn, with the board reading 
. William McCracken checked in the big blind before Shankar Pillai bet 70,000 into a pot of 225,000 from the button, McCracken then raised to 205,000 and was called.
On the 
river, McCracken fired for 350,000 and Pillai made a quick call.
McCracken rolled over his 
for a flopped flush, Pillai smiled before showing his 
to show he had done the same.
As the hand was in progress, Taylor Hart was eliminated from one of the outer tables.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,700,000 | 710,000 |
|
485,000 | -595,000 |
|
Busted |
Full House for Kuether
Level 19
: 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Joe Kuether opened to 30,000 from the cutoff and Kevin Rabichow three-bet to 80,000 from the button. Kuether called.
Kuether checked on the flop of 
and Rabichow checked back. Kuether then led out for 95,000 on the turn and Rabichow called.
Kuether checked on the river and Rabichow quickly checked back. It was the right move as Kuether tabled for a full house.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
900,000 | 355,000 |
|
800,000 | -110,000 |
Hoefer Felts Mandavia
Level 19
: 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Paul Hoefer opened to 30,000 from the cutoff before Ankush Mandavia raised to 580,000, leaving a T-25,000 chip behind. Hoefer immediatley jammed and Mandavia's face dropped.
He chucked in a time extension before deciding to put in his last chip.
Ankush Mandavia: 
Paul Hoefer: 
Neither player connected on the 
flop but Hoefer's pair of nines were still best. They held out to secure knockout follwing the turn and river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,750,000 | 560,000 |
|
Busted |
Final Three Tables
Level 19
: 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
| TABLE | SEAT | PLAYER | CHIPS | BIG BLINDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ryan Shinevare | 350,000 | 23 |
| 1 | 2 | William McCracken | 1,800,000 | 120 |
| 1 | 3 | Steve Bayyovk | 340,000 | 23 |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Rabichow | 800,000 | 53 |
| 1 | 5 | Michael Gathy | 400,000 | 27 |
| 1 | 6 | David Eldridge | 700,000 | 47 |
| 1 | 7 | Shankar Pillai | 550,000 | 37 |
| 1 | 8 | Joe Kuether | 800,000 | 53 |
| 2 | 1 | Joey Weissman | 1,000,000 | 67 |
| 2 | 2 | Jake Daniels | 900,000 | 60 |
| 2 | 3 | Angel Lopez | 100,000 | 7 |
| 2 | 4 | Noel Rodriguez | 700,000 | 47 |
| 2 | 5 | Alex Goulder | 200,000 | 13 |
| 2 | 6 | Isaac Kempton | 600,000 | 40 |
| 2 | 7 | Albert Nguyen | 1,700,000 | 113 |
| 2 | 8 | Duff Charette | 600,000 | 40 |
| 4 | 1 | Todd Ivens | 800,000 | 53 |
| 4 | 2 | Michael Wang | 800,000 | 53 |
| 4 | 3 | Gediminas Uselis | 130,000 | 9 |
| 4 | 4 | Nick Sena-Hopkins | 330,000 | 22 |
| 4 | 5 | Zach Donovan | 200,000 | 13 |
| 4 | 6 | Benji Felson | 475,000 | 32 |
| 4 | 7 | Paul Hoefer | 1,750,000 | 117 |
| 4 | 8 | Cody Wiegmann | 450,000 | 30 |