$5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
Day 3 Started
2014 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific
$5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific
Buy-in
5,000 AUD
Prize Pool
376,000 AUD
Entries
80
Level
19
Blinds
4,000 / 8,000
Ante
0
Can Higgs Use His Big Chip Advantage to Play His Way to a WSOP Bracelet?
Four events are in the books here at the 2014 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific, and by the end of the night it'll be five as Event #5 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha, a tournament that attracted 80 players and created a prize pool of AU$376,000, looks to play down from the final six to a champion.
The man best positioned to capture the AU$127,843 first-place is Sam Higgs, who holds a 4-1 chip lead over his nearest competitor. Higgs had an up-and-down day on Day 2, but obviously he ended it on a high note.
Even with a big chip lead, Higgs won't have it easy. Standing in his way is an accomplished table of pros including 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel, who begins the day second in chips. Duhamel looks to equal Joe Cada's feat this past summer by becoming just the second former Main Event champ to win another bracelet since Carlos Mortensen.
Also still in contention is Mike Watson, who made a miraculous comeback on Day 2. He was crippled by Brian Roberts and left with just 1,500 in chips at the 1,000/2,000 blind level. Some fortuitous doubles saw him work that stack back up, and now he begins the third and final day third in chips. German pro Ismael Bojang; Australian superstar Jeff Rossiter; and Day 1 chip leader Jamie Pickering round out the final table of six, which was established last night after Richard Johnston (8th – AU$15,021) and Kahle Burns (7th – AU$17,386) hit the rail.
Here’s a look at today's final table:
| Seat | Player | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Watson | 145,000 |
| 2 | Ismael Bojang | 44,000 |
| 3 | Sam Higgs | 667,000 |
| 4 | Jeff Rossiter | 63,500 |
| 5 | Jonathan Duhamel | 153,000 |
| 6 | Jamie Pickering | 99,500 |
Cards will be in the air at 12:10 p.m. local time, which is about an hour from now. Of course the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to capture all the action from the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia, so stay tuned.
Level: 16
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 0
Ismael Bojang Eliminated in 6th Place (AU$21,123)
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 0 ante
Hand #1: Sam Higgs opened for 10,000 from the cutoff and Jonathan Duhamel called from the small blind. The flop came down 
and Duhamel check-folded to a bet of 15,000.
Hand #2: Ismael Bojang limped under the gun, Jamie Pickering did the same from the small blind, and Mike Watson checked his option from the big. Two checks on the 
flop saw Bojang bet 8,500, and it did the trick as both Pickering and Watson folded.
Hand #3: Action folded to Watson in the small blind and he raised to 12,000. Bojang responded by three-betting the size of the pot, Watson four-bet, and Bojang got all in for roughly 55,000 total.
Watson: 
Bojang: 
The 
flop was dry as could be for Bojang, but the 
turn gave him both straight and flush draws. Unfortunately for the German, he'd miss as the 
bricked on the river. Bojang exited in sixth place and takes home AU$21,123 for his performance. This marked Bojang's 11th cash in the WSOP for 2014.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
200,000 | 57,000 |
|
Busted |
Hands #4-8: Watson Stays Aggressive
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 0 ante
Hand #4: The action folded to Mike Watson and he limped in from the button, Sam Higgs checked as single big blind. On the 
flop, Higgs check-called a continuation bet for 6,000 and then check-folded the on the turn when Watson followed up with another bet of 16,000.
Hand #5: Jonathan Duhamel made it 10,000 to go from under the gun and Watson called to see the 
flop. Duhamel checked and Watson took it down with a bet of 16,000.
Hand #6: Higgs raised to 10,000 from the button and won the blinds.
Hand #7: Unknown action.
Hand #8: Higgs limped in, so did Duhamel on the button and Jamie Pickering from the small blind. Watson checked his option in the big blind and the four players also checked the 
flop. On the 
turn, Pickering bet 14,500 and only Duhamel called to see the 
on the river. Pickering checked and then folded to the bet of 25,000 by Duhamel.
Hands #9-17: Higgs Continues to Build; Pickering & Rossiter Short
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 0 ante
Hand #9: Jamie Pickering raised to 12,000 and then folded when Mike Watson three-bet to 40,000 from the small blind.
Hand #10: Sam Higgs limped from the small blind, Jeff Rossiter checked his option from the big, and the two saw a flop of 
. Higgs bet 5,000, Rossiter called, and then both players checked the 
turn as well as the 
river. Higgs showed the 
, and it was good as Rossiter mucked.
Hand #11: Watson raised to 10,000 from the cutoff, Jonathan Duhamel defended from the big blind, and then both players checked the 
flop. When the appeared on the turn, Duhamel bet 15,000 and Watson folded.
Hand #12: Rossiter raised to 14,000 from the button and won the pot.
Hand #13: Roossiter raised to 14,000 from the cutoff and won the blinds.
Hand #14: Pickering limped from the button, Watson did the same from the small blind, and then Higgs exercised his option with a raise to 16,000 from the big. Only Pickering called, but he folded to a bet on the flop.
Hand #15: Watson raised to 10,000 from the button and both blinds folded.
Hand #16: Watson raised to 10,000 from the cutoff, Duhamel called from the big blind, and it was heads-up action to the 
flop. Duhamel check-called a bet of 15,000, both players checked the 
turn, and the completed the board on the river. Both players checked once again and Watson tabled the for two pair and the win.
Hand #17: Higgs limped from the cutoff, Rossiter did the same from the button, and Duhamel put in 2,000 more from the small blind. Pickering checked his option from the big and four players saw a flop of . Two checks saw Higgs bet 16,000, only Rossiter called, and the 
peeled off on the turn. Higgs bet the pot again for 48,000, but this time Rossiter gave it up.
Level: 17
Blinds: 2,500/5,000
Ante: 0
hands #18-24: Three Walks in a Row
Level 17
: 2,500/5,000, 0 ante
Hand #18: Sam Higgs limped from under the gun, Jamie Pickering called in the small blind and Mike Watson checked his big blind. The three of them saw the flop of 
and Higgs bet 15,000. Pickering folded and Watson check-called to see the on the turn. Both active players checked and Higgs took it down with a bet of 30,000 after the on the river.
Hand #19: Mike Watson took it down with a bet of 15,000 on a flop of 
after a min-raise preflop.
Hand #20: Pickering made it 15,000 to go and all players behind him folded.
Hand #21: Jonathan Duhamel got a walk in the big blind.
Hand #22: Pickering received a walk.
Hand #23: Watson also got a walk.
Hand #24: Pickering limped from the button, Watson called out of the small blind and Higgs checked the big blind. On the 
flop all three players checked, Watson bet the 
on the turn for 7,500. Higgs called and Pickering folded.
The 
river completed the board and now Watson fired 17,500. Higgs reluctantly called and then mucked when shown .
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
315,000 | 115,000 |
Hands #25-#29: Two Doubles for Pickering
Level 17
: 2,500/5,000, 0 ante
Hand #25: Jeff Rossiter received a walk in the big blind.
Hand #26: Mike Watson raised to 12,500 from the button, Jonathan Duhamel called from the big blind, and the flop fell 
. Duhamel checked and then folded to a bet of 15,000.
Hand #27: Duhamel limped from the small blind, Jamie Pickering checked his option from the big blind, and then both players checked the flop. When the appeared on the turn, Duhamel bet 10,000 and then called when Pickering moved all in for just 6,000 more.
Duhamel: 
Pickering: 
Pickering held a full house and was guaranteed the double. The meaningless was put out on the river to make it official.
Hand #28: Sam Higgs opened for 12,000 under the gun and Watson defended from the big blind. Both players checked the flop, the appeared on the turn, and Watson bet 16,000. Higgs called and then both players returned to checking on the river. Higgs flashed the 
for queens with a missed flush draw, and then Watson showed the for the win.
Hand #29: Pickering raised to 15,500 from the button, Higgs called from the big blind, and the flop came down . Higgs led out for pot and Pickering called off for 24,000.
Pickering:
Higgs:
Pickering held top set and was shipped the double after the was put out on the turn followed by the on the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
675,000 | -50,000 |
|
101,000 | -52,000 |
|
90,000 | 65,000 |
Hands #30-35: Rossiter Doubles Through Watson
Level 17
: 2,500/5,000, 0 ante
Hand #30: It was a limped pot preflop between Sam Higgs and Jeff Rossiter. On the flop, Rossiter bet 10,000 and won the pot.
Hand #31: Mike Watson raised to 12,500 chips and won the pot.
Hand #32: Higgs limped from the cutoff, Jonathan Duhamel called in the small blind and Jamie Pickering checked from the big blind. The flop got checked through, Higgs bet 10,000 on the turn. Duhamel check-called and then gave up the river when Higgs made it 25,000 to go.
Hand #33: Rossiter raised to 17,500 and Watson called out of the big blind to see the flop of . Watson bet 10,000 to put Rossiter all in and the latter called off.
Rossiter:
Watson:
The on the turn helped Rossiter and he stayed ahead on the river as well to stay alive.
Hand #34: There was a four-way limped pot to the flop and Duhamel bet 15,000 from the button to take down the pot.
Hand #35: Watson raised to 12,500 from the button and Higgs called one seat over. They checked the flop and the turn. No action on the either and Watson won the pot with versus .
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
47,500 | 2,500 |