Level: 29
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 5,000
2012-13 World Series of Poker Circuit Event - Caesars Atlantic City
Main Event
Day: 3
Back Underway
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Yellow T25,000 have now been put into play. The cards are in the air again.
Raymond Morgan Eliminated in 7th Place ($25,880)
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Dennis Thurman raised it up to 140,000, and Raymond Morgan was next to act. He tanked for about 20 seconds before moving all in for just under 500,000, and when he got around to Thurman, he shrugged and made the call.
Thurman: 
Morgan: 
Thurman stayed out in front when the flop came 
. The turn brought the 
, and Morgan was looking for a king or a queen on the river. That card was paint, but it was the only paint card that couldn't help him: 
.
Thurman jumped up to 1.45 million after the hand, while Morgan will have to settle for just over $25,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,450,000
210,000
|
210,000 |
|
Busted |
Sinishtaj Makes Big Call, Collects
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Someone has finally emerged from the pack following Joseph McKeehen to accumulate some chips with which to challenge the leader thanks to a huge post-flop confrontation between Tony Sinishtaj and John Holley.
The hand began with a raise to 85,000 by Sinishtaj from middle position, called by Holley in the big blind. The flop came 
and Holley checked. Sinishtaj made a continuation bet of 90,000, and all seemed relatively innocuous to that point. That's when Holley said he was raising all in, and all sat forward in their chairs to take a closer look.
Holley's check-raise was with a stack of about 1.8 million, which meant Sinishtaj — who had about 1.3 million behind — had a big decision to make.
"Put it all in like that with a gutshot and spades?" asked Sinishtaj. "That's not what I have," answered Holley.
Finally after some deliberation, Sinistaj made the call, turning over 
for top pair of queens. Holley then showed his hand — 
. He also had queens, but with a lesser kicker.
"I told you I wasn't on a draw," he said, adding "I wish I was, though."
The turn was the 
and river the 
, and suddenly Sinishtaj is up over 3 million while Holley has been knocked down to less than 400,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,050,000
1,970,000
|
1,970,000 |
|
||
|
360,000
-1,440,000
|
-1,440,000 |
John Holley Eliminated in 6th Place ($33,453)
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Soon after that big hand between Tony Sinishtaj and John Holley in which the latter lost most of his stack, Holley open-pushed from the button for about 400,000 and Sinishtaj was there to call him from the big blind.
Holley turned over 
and Sinishtaj 
, and when the board ran out 
, Sinishtaj's sixes had held. There will be no third WSOP-C gold ring for John Holley, but another deep Circuit run nonetheless.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,400,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Hend Matthews Eliminated in 5th Place ($43,853)
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Joseph McKeehen raised it up to 85,000, and Hend Matthews moved all in for her last 300,000. McKeehen quickly made the call when it got back to him, and like many of the all ins at this final table, it was a race.
McKeehen: 
Matthews: 
It was an action flop as the dealer put the 
. Matthews held the lead after pairing her ten, but she had a few cards to dodge. She couldn't do that as the came on the turn. She could only hope for a chop, but the 
provided no such help.
The last woman standing will have to settle for 5th place, while McKeehen now owns more than half the chips in play with four remaining.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,900,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Big Stacks Battle, McKeehen Widens Gap
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
The two big stacks have been tangling as four-handed play proceeds, as evidenced by a couple of recent hands.
In the first, Tony Sinishtaj raised to 85,000 from the cutoff, Joseph McKeehen reraised to 235,000 from the big blind, and Sinishtaj called. The flop came 
, and when McKeehen led for 165,000, Sinishtaj stepped aside.
The next confrontation between the pair went a little further. In that one it was McKeehen raising to 85,000 from the button, then Sinishtaj reraised to 230,000 from the small blind and McKeehen calleed.
The flop came 
, and Sinishtaj led for 190,000. McKeehen called. The turn brought the 
and another bet from Sinishtaj, this time for 230,000. McKeehen called once more.
The river was the . This time Sinishtaj slowed down and checked, and when McKeehen pushed out a tall stack of yellow (25,000) chips plus one gray (5,000) one for a bet of 455,000, Sinishtaj folded again.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,700,000
950,000
|
950,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,660,000
-740,000
|
-740,000 |
|
|
||
Dennis Thurman Eliminated in 4th Place ($58,312)
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Dennis Thurman raised it up 100,000 on the button, and Tony Sinishtaj made it 260,000 from the big blind. Thurman instantly called, and the flop came down . Sinishtaj led out for 200,000, and again, Thurman took little time before calling.
The turn brought the , and Sinishtaj moved all in after a few moments of thought. Thurman called quickly, but when he saw Sinishtaj's hand, he said "I'm drawing dead."
Sinishtaj: 
Thurman: 
Thurman's top pair was no good against Sinishtaj's set of kings, and to rub salt in the wound, Thurman paired his nine on the river, the .
With that hand, Sinishtaj is building a stack to rival McKeehen's as he is up to 3.8 million.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,800,000
1,140,000
|
1,140,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Ashkenazi On the Ascent
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
Ido Ashkenazi has made a small comeback to improve his prospects somewhat as three-handed play continues. He's doubled up twice in the last couple of orbits, both times through leader Joseph McKeehen.
In the first hand, Ashkenazi open-raised all in from the button for 550,000 with 
and McKeehen called from the small blind with 
. The flop came , giving McKeehen top pair but also an open-ended straight draw to Ashkenazi.
The turn was the , and Ashkenazi was one card from being eliminated. Then the fell on the river to fill his straight and save him.
Shortly after that hand came another in which Tony Sinishtaj opened for 85,000 from the button and both of his opponents called. The flop came 
, and Ashkenazi led with a bet of 185,000 from the small blind. McKeehen called the bet, and after some thought Sinishtaj folded.
The turn then brought the and an all-in push for 715,000 from Ashkenazi. McKeehen spent a few moments counting out chips, then called, showing 
for top pair of jacks. Ashkenazi then turned over the exact hand McKeehen had had during their previous encounter — — for the same pair with a better kicker. The river was the to improve Ashkenazi further to two pair, and he collected the large pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,100,000
-1,600,000
|
-1,600,000 |
|
|
||
|
2,100,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
Three Handed Counts
Level 29
: 20,000/40,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,750,000
650,000
|
650,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
3,300,000
-500,000
|
-500,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,800,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |