Anze Smajd raised to 200,000 from early position with A♦K♣, and Raoul Kanme defended his big blind with A♥10♣.
The flop came 2♦Q♣Q♥, and Smajd continued for 125,000. Kanme called to see the 10♥ turn, where Smajd fired again for 525,000. Kanme went nowhere and made the call with his pair of tens.
The K♦ landed on the river, giving Smajd a pair of kings, and both players checked. Smajd's kings were good enough to take down the pot.
On the first hand, Anze Smajd looked down at A♣Q♥ and raised to 200,000 from the hijack. Jordan Woodall three-bet to 750,000 from the big blind holding Q♠Q♦.
Smajd gave it some thought, but decided a fold was best, and Woodall picked up the first pot.
The final nine players have arrived at the Onyx Club and are getting set up. The action should begin momentarily, in Level 20 with blinds of 50,000/100,000 and a 100,000 big blind ante.
The stream will start with a 120-minute delay via the OnyxLive YouTube Channel, and PokerNews coverage will pick up when the stream begins at 3:15 p.m. local time, so stay tuned for all the action.
After a speedy Day 2 saw the field trimmed from 38 players to the final table in just four hours, the $25,500 Main Event at the Onyx High Roller Series is ready to crown its champion. Play resumes at 1 p.m. local time today inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with nine returning and $1,250,000 waiting for the eventual winner.
The original field of 255 entries has been whittled down, and all those coming back are guaranteed at least $143,000 from the $6,120,000 prize pool for making it this far. However, everyone's eyes will be fixed on the top of the pay ladder, where the only seven-figure score is available, along with the bragging rights of being an Onyx Main Event champion.
Starting in the number one spot is Raoul Kanme, who ended Day 2 by bursting the final table bubble, sending Ravi Sheth to the rail in tenth place. Kanme returns with 10,830,000, but he has company at the top, with Daniel Rezaei sitting just behind on 10,210,000. There is quite a gap between the top two and Manuel Fritz, who rounds out the podium with 6,880,000.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Italo Modena
Italy
2,750,000
28
2
Jordan Woodall
Germany
4,785,000
48
3
Raoul Kanme
Netherlands
10,830,000
108
4
Manuel Fritz
Austria
6,880,000
69
5
Fahredin Mustafov
Bulgaria
260,000
3
6
Aliaksandr Shylko
Belarus
6,525,000
65
7
Anze Smajd
Slovenia
5,445,000
54
8
Daniel Rezaei
Austria
10,210,000
102
9
Matthias Lipp
Austria
3,285,000
33
Aliaksandr Shylko
While Kanme and Rezaei have put some daylight between themselves and the rest, there is plenty of firepower waiting behind them. Aliaksandr Shylko returns with 6,525,000, while Anze Smajd will begin with 5,445,000. Start-of-Day 2 chip leader Jordan Woodall also remains in the hunt, taking 4,785,000 into the final table.
Further down the counts, the final Austrian, Matthias Lipp, starts with 3,285,000, while Italo Modena has 2,750,000 to work with. Modena will be used to the Onyx Club spotlight, having finished seventh in the Premiere just a few days ago. Fahredin Mustafov sits at the bottom with less than three big blinds and faces a difficult task if he is to get his hands on another Onyx Main Event title.
Matthias Lipp and Manuel Fritz
Cards are due to get in the air at 1 p.m., with the nine remaining finalists tussling until just one is left holding the trophy and over a million dollars richer. Action starts on Level 20, with blinds of 50,000/100,000 and a big blind ante of 100,000, with the duration now switching to 24 hands per level, following the Onyx Series rules.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Prize
1
$1,250,000
2
$800,000
3
$600,000
4
$420,000
5
$320,000
6
$250,000
7
$200,000
8
$171,000
9
$143,000
Poker fans won't have to miss a hand of the action, with the final table set to be streamed on a delay via the OnyxLive YouTube Channel, with hole cards on display and commentary throughout as the final nine battle for the Main Event title.
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Stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the action from the final table until just one player remains and the latest Onyx Main Event champion is crowned.