2017 PokerStars Festival Manila

Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2017 PokerStars Festival Manila

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
4,676,000 PHP
Event Info
Buy-in
55,000 PHP
Prize Pool
28,809,000 PHP
Entries
594
Level Info
Level
28
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000

Lim Picks Off Razavi

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante

Action folded over to Sam Razavi on the button and the Brit made it 80,000 to go and Jaehyun Lim called from the big blind, checking the {7-Hearts}{3-Spades}{5-Clubs} flop over to Razavi, who c-bet 65,000.

Lim called to keep the two in action and the {a-Spades} turn saw the Korean check once more and Razavi fire for 115,000 and get called once again.

The {2-Hearts} saw Lim check for a third time and Razavi decided the right amount to bet was 300,000. With 700,000 in the Korean’s stack this represented a big portion of Lim’s remaining chips but eventually he cut out the call and slid it over the line.

Razavi proudly tabled {j-Clubs}{10-Spades} for jack high meaning Lim’s {a-Hearts}{10-Diamonds} was enough to take the pot and see the two swap places in the pecking order.

Player Chips Progress
Jaehyun Lim kr
Jaehyun Lim
1,500,000
500,000
500,000
Sam Razavi gb
Sam Razavi
1,100,000
-500,000
-500,000

Tags: Jaehyun LimSam Razavi

Tien Than Nguyen Eliminated in 9th Place (PHP470,000)

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Tien Than Nguyen
Tien Than Nguyen

In the very last hand of the level, short stack Tien Than Nguyen pushed for 290,000 and Uday Bansal called from two seats over to force out everyone else.

Tien Than Nguyen: {K-Diamonds}{J-Diamonds}
Uday Bansal: {7-Clubs}{7-Hearts}

It was a flip for the tournament life, and the board of {A-Spades}{6-Clubs}{2-Spades}{10-Spades}{9-Spades} failed to improve the player from Vietnam. Nguyen was eliminated in 9th place, earning a payday of PHP470,000 (~$9,335). All remaining players are now guaranteed at least PHP596,000 (~$11,837) for their efforts.

Player Chips Progress
Uday Bansal in
Uday Bansal
6,400,000
450,000
450,000
Tien Than Nguyen vn
Tien Than Nguyen
Busted

Tags: Tien Than NguyenUday Bansal

Level: 26

Blinds: 25,000/50,000

Ante: 5,000

Hoa Thinh Nguyen Eliminated in 8th Place (PHP596,000)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Hoa Thinh Nguyen
Hoa Thinh Nguyen

The final table has quickly gone from two Vietnamese players to zero in a remarkably short space of time. Michael Falcon won a pot over in the PokerStars Cup final table and ran over in time to raise to 110,000 from under-the-gun in the Main Event.

Hoa Thinh Nguyen moved all-in for 545,000 and the action folded around to Jaehyun Lim on the button, who mulled things over for a good three to four minutes before deciding to get out of the way and Falcon called.

Hoa Thinh Nguyen: {10-Clubs}{10-Hearts}
Michael Falcon: {k-Spades}{q-Hearts}

It was the classic coin flip, Nguyen’s pocket pair racing against Falcon’s overcards and the Dane immediately paired his queen on the {9-Spades}{q-Clubs}{8-Clubs} flop, though Nguyen did have outs to a gutshot straight as well as the deck’s two remaining tens.

The {9-Diamonds} turn was of no help, and neither was the {2-Hearts} river and Nguyen headed for the rail in eighth place for a $11,800 payday.

Falcon also laddered up two places in the PokerStars Cup event while this was going on with two players busting in one hand to take that event down to six. Falcon is now up to 5.65 million in chips in the Main Event and is guaranteed a payday of PHP185,000 (~$3,665) in the PokerStars Cup.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
5,650,000
650,000
650,000
Hoa Thinh Nguyen vn
Hoa Thinh Nguyen
Busted

Tags: Michael FalconHoa Thinh Nguyen

Buck Down to Two Big Blinds

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Jaehyun Lim raised to 150,000 and won the blinds and antes. The next hand, Kenneth Buck was in the big blind with three big blinds and Lim asked for his stack size. Lim then raised to 200,000 and Uday Bansal called. Michael Falcon in the small blind announced a raise and Buck snap-folded before the amount was even called.

Falcon then made it 700,000 and forced two folds. "I want to get at least sixth and will fold every hand, hopefully someone else will bust," Buck announced at the table.

Soon after, Antti Halme raised to 105,000 and Lim called from the small blind, as did Bansal from the big blind. The trio checked down the board {10-Clubs}{9-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{10-Spades}{7-Hearts} and Lim threw his {9-Spades}{9-Diamonds} to the middle of the table in disgust, having hoped that someone bet.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
6,500,000
850,000
850,000
Uday Bansal in
Uday Bansal
6,400,000
Jaehyun Lim kr
Jaehyun Lim
1,650,000
150,000
150,000
Kenneth Buck au
Kenneth Buck
100,000
-395,000
-395,000

Tags: Antti HalmeJaehyun LimKenneth BuckMichael FalconUday Bansal

Bansal Takes on Falcon

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Jaehyun Lim raised to 150,000 from the cutoff and Uday Bansal called on the button, as did Michael Falcon in the big blind. The {10-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{4-Hearts} flop was checked to Bansal and his bet of 250,000 was called by Falcon only. On the {4-Spades} turn, Falcon checked and Bansal's bet of 430,000 won the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Uday Bansal in
Uday Bansal
6,800,000
400,000
400,000
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
6,050,000
-450,000
-450,000
Jaehyun Lim kr
Jaehyun Lim
1,475,000
-175,000
-175,000

Tags: Jaehyun LimMichael FalconUday Bansal

Kenneth Buck Eliminated in 7th Place (PHP870,000)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Kenneth Buck
Kenneth Buck

Kenneth Buck stood true to his word and folded every hand until he was forced all in for just 35,000 out of the big blind. Jaeyhun Lim limped in and so did Michael Falcon in the small blind. "Are you going to fold this time?" Falcon joked to Buck, who replied "I have a good hand, I am all in."

The flop fell {8-Clubs}{7-Clubs}{5-Clubs} and both players checked. On the {5-Diamonds} turn, Falcon bet 150,000 and Lim folded.

Kenneth Buck: {A-Diamonds}{3-Hearts}
Michael Falcon: {A-Clubs}{4-Spades}

A split pot was very likely, but Falcon had a straight and flush draw as well. The {4-Diamonds} on the river indeed gave the Dane two pair and Buck was eliminated in 7th place, missing out on the target he had announced to the table. Buck receives PHP870,000 (~$17,280) and the remaining six players have PHP1,170,000 (~$23,238) locked up.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
6,200,000
150,000
150,000
Kenneth Buck au
Kenneth Buck
Busted

Tags: Jaehyun LimKenneth BuckMichael Falcon

Bansal and Halme Take From Falcon; Falcon Busts

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Uday Bansal opened the action with a raise to 115,000 from middle position with Michael Falcon making the call on the button to take play heads-up to a flop of {j-Spades}{3-Spades}{6-Diamonds}.

Bansal continuation bet 125,000 and Falcon made the call and the {2-Clubs} came in on the turn. This slowed down Bansal and he checked the action over to Falcon, who decided to play his position aggressively with a raise to 200,000.

Bansal did not look too thrilled at this turn of events but eventually made the call and the {5-Diamonds} river completed the hand – but not the betting. Bansal checked once more and Falcon fired for a rather chunky 500,000 to send the Indian player into the tank, where he remained for a minute before sliding out the call.

Falcon showed down {k-Diamonds}{9-Clubs} for king-high, meaning Bansal]s {j-Hearts}{10-Hearts} was enough to take down the sizable pot and he climbed to 7.4 million while Falcon dropped to 5.2 million.

Antti Halme took another nibble at Falcon’s stack the next hand when the two players tangled in a pot, with the Finn defending his big blind against Falcon’s under-the-gun 125,000 raise.

Halme check called the Dane’s {a-Spades}{7-Spades}{6-Diamonds} flop c-bet of 150,000 and there was no betting on the {7-Hearts} turn or {2-Clubs} river meaning Halme’s {a-Clubs}{5-Clubs} was enough to take down the pot, beating Falcon’s {q-Clubs}{j-Clubs}. Halme climbed to 1.55 million and Falcon dropped to 5 million.

Falcon busted shortly afterward – but not in the Main Event. The Dane finished in sixth place in the PokerStars Cup for PHP185,000 (~$3,665) and is now free to focus all his attention on the Main Event.

Player Chips Progress
Uday Bansal in
Uday Bansal
7,400,000
600,000
600,000
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
5,000,000
-1,200,000
-1,200,000
Antti Halme fi
Antti Halme
1,550,000
-250,000
-250,000

Tags: Uday BansalMichael FalconAntti Halme

Falcon Doubles Takayama; Folds to Halme's Shove

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Michael Falcon raised to 200,000 first to act and Mike Takayama moved all in from one seat over. Falcon asked for a count when the action was back on him, and the shove was for another 785,000 on top. Falcon gave it some thought and called.

Mike Takayama: {Q-Clubs}{Q-Hearts}
Michael Falcon: {A-Clubs}{2-Clubs}

The board ran out {9-Hearts}{9-Clubs}{4-Spades}{K-Clubs}{4-Diamonds} and Takayama doubled. Once Falcon realized that it was almost one million he had just lost, the Dane was surprised for a second before the next hand kicked off.

Two hands later Antti Halme raised to 125,000 from the button and Falcon three-bet to 275,000 from the small blind. Halme snap-shoved all in and Falcon let out a "fuck" before folding to 1,500,000 on top.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
3,650,000
-1,350,000
-1,350,000
Antti Halme fi
Antti Halme
2,200,000
650,000
650,000
Mike Takayama ph
Mike Takayama
2,000,000
900,000
900,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Antti HalmeMichael FalconMike Takayama

Bansal Takes a Commanding Lead

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante

Michael Falcon raised to 125,000 and Uday Bansal called from the big blind. On a flop of {A-Hearts}{7-Spades}{2-Diamonds}, Bansal checked and Falcon bet 125,000, which Bansal called.

After the {Q-Clubs} turn, Bansal checked and Falcon fired a secone bet worth 175,000. Bansal check-raised to 430,000 and Falcon sighed, but called after brief consideration. The {5-Spades} river completed the board and Bansal made it 625,000 to go.

It took more than two minutes for Falcon to make up his mind, but he did call and Bansal rolled over {A-Clubs}{2-Clubs} for flopped two pair. "I had ace jack," Falcon said and dropped below average. With six players remaining, Bansal is the only one above average and has more chips than all opponents combined.

Player Chips Progress
Uday Bansal in
Uday Bansal
9,000,000
1,600,000
1,600,000
Michael Falcon dk
Michael Falcon
2,325,000
-1,325,000
-1,325,000

Tags: Michael FalconUday Bansal