Bryan Choi Eliminated in 9th Place ($71,504)
After waking up with 
in the hole, David Paredes knew the chance to stack an opponent had arrived... if only he could bait one of them into making an ill-timed move.
Paredes opened for the standard raise of 175,000 from late position, and when Bryan Choi three-bet to 380,000 in defense of his big blind, Paredes decided to play his premium pocket pair slowly, setting a trap for Choi and hoping he would stumble.
Rather than four-betting big to protect his hand, Paredes flatted the raise and took the 
flop in position. Choi missed the flop with his 
, but after Paredes' only called his preflop three-bet, the dry board appeared to offer an opportunity.
Choi fired away with a 425,000 bet and Paredes went for the kill, raising it up to 1 million even and staring his man down. With the action back on him - and about 2 million chips to work with if he decided to surrender - Choi opted instead for an all-in play for 2,475,000 total.
Paredes snapped him off with his overpair to the board, and needing to fade the deck's three remaining aces, he watched as the turn (
) and river (
) kept his ladies in the lead.
The experienced pro immediately stood and headed over to shake Choi's hand, a gracious gesture given by a professional to an amateur, congratulating him on making it this far against such tough competition.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,100,000
2,900,000
|
2,900,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |