2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Vegas @ Aria

$10,300 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Vegas @ Aria

Final Results
Winner
Tom Marchese
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
$1,000,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,300
Prize Pool
$5,360,000
Entries
536
Level Info
Level
38
Blinds
175,000 / 350,000
Ante
350,000

$10,300 Main Event

Day 3 Completed

Stepuchin Drinks, Moons and Showboats His Way to partypoker MILLIONS Vegas Day 3 Chip Lead

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Frank Stepuchin
Frank Stepuchin

Words cannot begin to describe the actions of one man late on Day 3 of the $10,300 partypoker MILLIONS Vegas at Aria. Frank Stepuchin put on a show during the last few hours of the day, fuelled by beer and an insatiable desire to ingratiate himself with his tablemates.

Conor Beresford was a frequent adversary, with Stepuchin even going so far as to moon Fahredin Mustafov at the table. Dennis Blieden also caught his eye, and after a few prickly encounters with Freddy Deeb that Stepuchin nicknamed 'Frederick' the former real estate salesman blazed a trail to bagging 11,725,000 in chips.

His cause was helped no end with the elimination of long-time chip leader Blieden with less than twenty minutes to go in the day, with Stepuchin's pocket kings no match for Blieden's ace-queen. This moved him up to over ten million where he stayed for the rest of the night.

Just 13 players remain from the 83 that started the day but with the average sitting at more than 50 big blinds a long Day 4 - supposedly the final day of this tournament - is in store.

Behind Stepuchin there is a big gap to Tom Marchese (5,805,000) and Jeremy Ausmus (5,625,000) who are the only other players to bag over five million in chips.

Other big names still in with a shot of the $1,000,000 first place prize include Chris Moneymaker (4,105,000), Ana Marquez (4,085,000), Rainer Kempe (2,260,000) and Sergio Aido (1,705,000)

2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Vegas @ Aria $10,300 Main Event Day 4 Seating Draw

TableSeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
11Martin MathisUnited States1,180,00017
12Chris MoneymakerUnited States4,105,00059
13Ana MarquezSpain4,085,00058
14Sergio AidoSpain1,705,00024
15Jeremy AusmusUnited States5,625,00080
16Sergi ReixachSpain2,240,00032
      
21Conor BeresfordUnited Kingdom4,515,00065
22Frank StepuchinUnited States11,725,000168
23Tobias DuthweilerGermany4,050,00058
24Freddy DeebUnited States2,195,00031
25Fahredin MustafovBulgaria4,100,00059
26Tom MarcheseUnited States5,805,00083
27Rainer KempeGermany2,260,00032
partypoker MILLIONS Vegas at Aria
partypoker MILLIONS Vegas at Aria

Day 3 Recap; Bubble Bursts and Big Stacks Grow

Play resumed on Day 3 just four eliminations away from the money. Brian Yoon and Mark Burford were among the unfortunate players to be eliminated before hand-for-hand was reached, with Joseph Kuether the eventual bubble boy busting against Govert Metaal after being forced all in from the big blind.

Start-of-day chip leader Jeremy Pekarek still lead during the early stages, but Conor Beresford and Thomas Boivin were also chipping up. But it was Dennis Blieden who emerged as the players headed on their dinner break with 36 players remaining.

When they resumed, Pekarek and Blieden resumed their battle at the top as players slowly made their way to the exit.

But Stepuchin was ready for a late surge. It began slowly, a four-bet jam here to pinch chips from Blieden followed by a flop raise against Amit Makhija. But the bullying took its toll and Stepuchin was eventually stacking towers after first beating Freddy Deeb for trip sixes and then sending Blieden to the rail. He held on to secure the chip lead with just 13 players remaining.

Stay tuned to PokerNews as we possibly play down to a winner on Day 4 here at the Aria Resort & Casino Las Vegas.

Tags: Amit MakhijaBrian YoonConor BeresfordDennis BliedenFahredin MustafovFrank StepuchinFreddy DeebGovert MetaalJeremy PekarekJoseph KuetherMark BurfordThomas Boivin

End of Day Chip Counts (full)

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Player Chips Progress
Frank Stepuchin us
Frank Stepuchin
Day 3 Chip Leader
WPT 1X Winner
11,725,000 1,175,000
Tom Marchese us
Tom Marchese
5,805,000 -1,170,000
Jeremy Ausmus us
Jeremy Ausmus
WSOP 6X Winner
5,625,000 1,035,000
Conor Beresford gb
Conor Beresford
4,515,000 115,000
Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
4,105,000 -460,000
Fahredin Mustafov bg
Fahredin Mustafov
4,100,000 200,000
Ana Marquez es
Ana Marquez
4,085,000 85,000
Tobias Duthweiler de
Tobias Duthweiler
4,050,000 50,000
Rainer Kempe de
Rainer Kempe
2,260,000 -40,000
Sergi Reixach es
Sergi Reixach
2,240,000 -150,000
Freddy Deeb lb
Freddy Deeb
WSOP 2X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
2,195,000 195,000
Sergio Aido es
Sergio Aido
1,705,000 -75,000
Martin Mathis us
Martin Mathis
1,180,000 -220,000

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Jeremy Pekarek Eliminated in 14th Place ($45,000); Josip Simunic Eliminated in 15th Place ($35,000)

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Josip Simunic
Josip Simunic

Josip Simunic moved all in for 400,000. Jeremy Pekarek moved all in for 950,000 from the next position and Ana Marquez four-bet all in from the next position for over two million. The remaining players all folded.

Josip Simunic: {a-Diamonds}{k-Clubs}
Jeremy Pekarek: {a-Spades}{q-Diamonds}
Ana Marquez: {k-Spades}{k-Diamonds}

Kings held on the {10-Hearts}{9-Hearts}{5-Spades}{9-Diamonds}{7-Clubs} runout as Marquez sent both opponents to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Ana Marquez es
Ana Marquez
4,000,000 1,450,000
Josip Simunic at
Josip Simunic
Busted
Jeremy Pekarek us
Jeremy Pekarek
Day 2 Chip Leader
WSOP 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: Ana MarquezJeremy PekarekJosip Simunic

Amit Makhija Eliminated in 16th Place ($35,000)

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Amit Makhija
Amit Makhija

Amit Makhija had around a six big blind stack and he finally shoved all in for just under 350,000 from under the gun. He didn't want to wait for the big blind to hit him in the next hand but unfortunately, he ran into a buzzsaw of Frank Stepuchin.

Frank Stepuchin: {9-Hearts}{9-Clubs}
Amit Makhija: {q-Clubs}{8-Diamonds}

The flop of {j-Clubs}{8-Hearts}{2-Hearts} gave Makhija a couple more outs with a pair of eights but the {5-Clubs} and {4-Hearts} runout ended his tournament life.

Player Chips Progress
Frank Stepuchin us
Frank Stepuchin
Day 3 Chip Leader
WPT 1X Winner
10,550,000 150,000
Amit Makhija us
Amit Makhija
Busted

Tags: Amit MakhijaFrank Stepuchin

Two Table Redraw

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
SeatTable 30Chip CountTable 35Chip Count
1Martin Mathis1400000Amit Makhija350000
2Chris Moneymaker4565000Conor Beresford4400000
3Josip Simunic755000Frank Stepuchin10400000
4Jeremy Pekarek620000Tobias Duthweiler4000000
5Ana Marquez2550000Freddy Deeb2000000
6Sergio Aido1780000Fahredin Mustafov3900000
7Jeremy Ausmus4590000Tom Marchese6975000
8Sergi Reixach2390000Rainer Kempe2300000
Player Chips Progress
Frank Stepuchin us
Frank Stepuchin
Day 3 Chip Leader
WPT 1X Winner
10,400,000 -500,000
Tom Marchese us
Tom Marchese
6,975,000 1,175,000
Jeremy Ausmus us
Jeremy Ausmus
WSOP 6X Winner
4,590,000 2,790,000
Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
4,565,000 1,165,000
Conor Beresford gb
Conor Beresford
4,400,000 -770,000
Tobias Duthweiler de
Tobias Duthweiler
4,000,000 500,000
Fahredin Mustafov bg
Fahredin Mustafov
3,900,000 500,000
Ana Marquez es
Ana Marquez
2,550,000 -780,000
Sergi Reixach es
Sergi Reixach
2,390,000 1,240,000
Rainer Kempe de
Rainer Kempe
2,300,000 -400,000
Freddy Deeb lb
Freddy Deeb
WSOP 2X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
2,000,000 -100,000
Sergio Aido es
Sergio Aido
1,780,000 -250,000
Martin Mathis us
Martin Mathis
1,400,000 -1,350,000
Josip Simunic at
Josip Simunic
755,000 -345,000
Jeremy Pekarek us
Jeremy Pekarek
Day 2 Chip Leader
WSOP 1X Winner
620,000 -580,000
Amit Makhija us
Amit Makhija
350,000 -400,000

One Man Show, Down to Two Tables

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Frank Stepuchin opened to 170,000 in the cutoff and Dennis Blieden just shoved all in for around 3,150,000 in the small blind. "Let's go Frank," he said before the chips went in the pot. Blieden held up his cards and pondered for his 30 seconds before making the call.

Frank Stepuchin: {k-Spades}{k-Hearts}
Dennis Blieden: {a-Clubs}{q-Hearts}

The board ran out {10-Spades}{8-Diamonds}{2-Spades}{j-Hearts}{7-Hearts} and Stepuchin's pocket kings held up to win a massive pot and eliminate Blieden. "That's a sick spot to pick up kings," Blieden said before exiting the tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Frank Stepuchin us
Frank Stepuchin
Day 3 Chip Leader
WPT 1X Winner
10,900,000 3,100,000
Dennis Blieden us
Dennis Blieden
WPT 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: Dennis BliedenFrank Stepuchin

Stepuchin Rivers the Best

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Frank Stepuchin
Frank Stepuchin

Dennis Blieden raised it up from the cutoff and Frank Stepuchin defended from the big blind. The flop came {j-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{5-Spades} and Stepuchin check-called a bet from Blieden. The {5-Clubs} paired the board on the turn and both players checked to the {9-Spades} on the river.

Stepuchin said he was going to bet 520,000 and he arranged his chips in the shape of a question mark. Blieden said he was never folding so he quickly stuck in the chips to call. Stepuchin flipped over {j-Spades}{9-Hearts} for two pair and Blieden was forced to send his {q-Hearts}{j-Hearts} in the muck.

Just a couple of hands later, a completed board of {a-Spades}{8-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}{9-Spades} was spread across the felt and the action was on Stepuchin. "I think you got me Freddy," he said as he slid out a bet of 766,000. Freddy Deeb called and Stepuchin tabled {7-Hearts}{6-Spades} to beat Deeb's {a-Hearts}{j-Hearts}.

Player Chips Progress
Frank Stepuchin us
Frank Stepuchin
Day 3 Chip Leader
WPT 1X Winner
7,800,000 1,650,000
Dennis Blieden us
Dennis Blieden
WPT 1X Winner
3,300,000 -1,400,000
Freddy Deeb lb
Freddy Deeb
WSOP 2X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
2,100,000 -1,650,000

Tags: Dennis BliedenFrank StepuchinFreddy Deeb

Gonsalves Loses a Classic Flip

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Markus Gonsalves
Markus Gonsalves

Markus Gonsalves held {q-Diamonds}{q-Spades} and would need to hold against the {a-Hearts}{k-Clubs} of Sergi Reixach.

Gonsalves was all in for 975,000 and was ahead, but there was an ace on the {a-Clubs}{7-Diamonds}{6-Spades}{4-Spades}{4-Clubs} flop and he was eliminated with Reixach covering him by just 15,000.

Player Chips Progress
Sergi Reixach es
Sergi Reixach
1,150,000
Markus Gonsalves us
Markus Gonsalves
WPT 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: Markus GonsalvesSergi Reixach

Stepuchin Bullying the Table

Level 28 : 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

While his words are drowning out the table from constant banter, mostly to himself, Frank Stepuchin is making the right moves at the right time. Stepuchin limped in from the small blind and Markus Gonsalves checked his option. The flop came {j-Hearts}{7-Clubs}{4-Diamonds} and Stepuchin check-called a bet of 160,000 from Gonsalves.

The turn was the {2-Spades} and Stepuchin checked again. Gonsalves fired out another bet of 250,000 and Stepuchin stuck around for the {8-Spades} on the river. Stepuchin counted out a bet of 1,400,000 this time, more than enough to cover Gonsalves' stack of 605,000. Gonsalves neared the end of his 30 seconds but elected to fold.

"You had me. I had a gut-shot but I missed," Stepuchin verbalized. "I needed a five," and his cards confirmed it when he showed {a-Clubs}{3-Clubs}.

Player Chips Progress
Frank Stepuchin us
Frank Stepuchin
Day 3 Chip Leader
WPT 1X Winner
6,150,000 1,350,000
Sergi Reixach es
Sergi Reixach
1,150,000 450,000
Markus Gonsalves us
Markus Gonsalves
WPT 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: Frank StepuchinMarkus Gonsalves