David Sands enters the final table with a massive chip lead, commanding 45 percent of the chips in play. The American has over $3 million in career live tournament earnings, and his largest score came in 2012 when he finished 2nd in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic Main Event ($806,370). He also finished runner-up in a $100,000 Super High Roller at the Bellagio, earning $664,027.
In 2011, Sands made a deep run in the World Series of Poker Main Event, finishing 30th ($242,636), and final tabled the €25,000 High Roller at the EPT Grand Final ($200,371).
With nearly half of the chips in play, Sands has to be considered the favorite to win this event, but there are certainly a handful of tough competitors separating him from the trophy.
We've had some major fireworks on just the third hand of the day.
It happened when Dan Shak opened for 100,000 from early position with and received a call Greg Jensen, who held right behind. Seiver was next to act and looked down at and took his time before putting out a three-bet to 275,000. Action folded back around, both Shak and Jensen called, and the flop came down .
Surprisingly, Shak moved all in for 500,000, and after tanking for a couple minutes, Jensen shoved all in over the top. Seiver couldn't call off his last 565,000 fast enough and he was the favorite to triple. That's exactly what he did when the peeled off on the turn to fill him up, which left both Shak and Jensen drawing dead headed to the river. Shak followed up last year's runner-up finish with another final table appearance, while Jensen's stack was cut in half.
"Honestly it's much, much better than the start I envisioned," Seiver said after the hand with a smile.
Greg Jensen is quite the successful hedge fund CEO, and it was a surprising, and incredibly kind gesture, when he informed everyone that he was donating all of his winnings to the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Jensen's generosity will see $286,200 donated, the prize he earned for finishing in sixth place.
His demise came after Nick Schulman opened for 80,000 on the button and Jensen shoved all in for 710,000 from the small blind. The big got out of the way and Schulman snap-called.
Showdown
Jensen:
Schulman:
It was a bad spot for Jensen, and he had just a 29% of keeping his tournament hopes alive. Unfortunately for him, that percentage only went down as the board ran out . With that, the amateur who played the $100K on a whim was eliminated from the tournament.
Cary Katz, after jamming from the small blind with kings, woke up with on the button the next hand. He raised to 90,00 on the button, Nick Schulman three-bet jammed for effectively 565,000 from the big blind with , and Katz snapped it off.
Schulman shook his head unhappily at the sight of Katz's hand.
"This is my first aces of the event," Katz announced.
The flop fell, giving Schulman a few backdoor draws, and the turn was the , keeping the straight draw alive.
The bricked on the river though, and Katz doubled.