Welcome to the third and final day of the 2012-13 World Series if Poker Circuit Harrah's New Orleans Main Event, where one of the 11 remaining players will be crowned champion and earn $228,600, a gold ring, and a seat into the Southern Comfort 100 Proof World Series of Poker National Championship.
Leading the way is Atlanta's own Daniel Weinman. Weinman was the only player to bag over two million chips, and will enter today with 2,560,000. He finished runner-up in the Harrah's Cherokee Main Event, earning $154,722, and can add a second six-figure score to his poker résumé with a third-place finish or better today.
The closest players behind Weinman are Joseph Hebert, Corrie Wunstel, and Rogen Chhabra. Those three players all bagged over 1.6 million chips, but non of those three players has ever cashed for more than $24,984.
In terms of points, no player can lock up a National Championship seat without taking the top spot. However, if Tripp Kirk finds a way to win, he will open up an extra spot in the points standings because he has already locked up a seat with 142.5 points.
The cards will be in the air in roughly 40 minutes, so be sure to stay tuned for all of your up-to-the-minute updates here on PokerNews.
It's tough to go deep in a tournament and then take a horrendous beat to end it, which is exactly what just happened to Robert Cheung.
It began when Joe Hebert opened for 65,000 under the gun and Cheung called from the cutoff. Pavan Bhatia then three-bet to 185,000 from the big blind, both his opponents called and it was three-way action to the flop.
Bhatia wasted little time in leading out for 135,000, Hebert folded and Cheung waited a solid minute before moving all in for 385,000 more. Bhatia thought for an equally long time before calling and discovered his was dominated by Cheung's . The only way Bhatia could eliminated Cheung was to catch a ten, and while he didn't do it on the turn, he did when the spiked on the river.
The table and railbirds reacted sharply as Bhatia hit one of his two outs while Cheung was left shaking his head. Despite the beat, Cheung shook hands with his opponents before making his way to the payout desk to collect $17,351.
It happened when Kasra Khodayarkhani opened for 65,000 under the gun only to have Wunstel three-bet to 110,000 from middle position. The rest of the players got out of the way, Khodayarkhani four-bet to 250,000 and Wunstel made the call, bringing about a flop of .
Khodayarkhani slowed down with a check, but then woke up with a check-raise to 255,000 after Wunstel had bet 110,000. After a call was made and the dealer burned and turned the , Khodayarkhani moved all in for 540,000 and Wunstel called off for 445,000 with the . Unfortunately for him, he was drawing dead to Khodayarkhani's . The meaningless was run out on the river for good measure and then Wustel exited the stage in tenth place for $17,351.
In the first hand back from the break, action folded to Bhatia in the small blind and he opted to limp. Daniel Weinman exercised his option in the big with a raise to 175,000, and then snap-called when Bhatia moved all in for 1 million.
Bhatia:
Weinman:
It was a race, and according to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Bhatia had a 50.33% chance of winning the hand while Weinman wasn't far behind at 49.12%. The flop ultimately determined the hand when it came down to pair Weinman's king, making him an 86.67% favorite. The turn further increased that to 95.45%, which meant Bhatia needed a three on the river to stay alive.
The dealer burned one last time and put out the , sending Bhatia to the rail in ninth place for $21,591.
Joseph Hebert opened to 100,000 in the hijack seat, Ben Mintz three-bet jammed for 680,000 in the small blind, and Hebert made the call.
Hebert:
Mintz:
Mintz was in good shape to double, until the dealer fanned , giving Hebert a set of threes. Mintz now needed a six or running straight cards to survive, and the on the turn left him with just two outs.
It was not to be as the completed the board, and the NOLA native was eliminated in 8th place. Gracious as ever, he extended his hand to Hebert and wished the rest of the table good luck.
"I was lucky enough to get it in good," he said with a smile after the hand. "I take our beats like a man."
Kasra Khodayarkhani opened to 105,000 from early position, and Tripp Kirk three-bet shoved for 600,000 from the big blind. Khodayarkhani quickly called.
Khodayarkhani:
Kirk:
Kirk's large rail started calling for a jack, but the flop produced nothing but a backdoor straight draw. The on the turn kept that straight draw alive, and now any queen or seven would keep Kirk alive.
The river was paint, but the didn't do it for Kirk, and he was eliminated in seventh place.
Daniel Weinman doubles through Kasra Khodayarkhani
The action folded to Daniel Weinman, who moved all in for 865,000 out of the small blind. Kasra Khodayarkhani immediately called in the big blind, turning over . Weinman showed .
"I'm going to plank!" Weinman said, running down the steps of the stage.
Earlier, Joseph Hebert suggested that Weinman should plank the next time he was all in, and true enough, the Atlantean laid face first on a table off of the stage.
Meanwhile, at the final table, the dealer rapped the table, burned a card, then dealt three community cards face down. Right in the window of the flop was the , followed by the and the . When the tournament director announced that there was an ace on the flop, Weinman didn't look up, rather he just gave a thumbs up from the plank position.
Khodayarkhani needed the only remaining king in the deck to record the knockout, but the turn and river bricked , respectfully. Weinman gleefully returned to the stage, where he pulled in the 1.7 million-chip pot. Khodayarkhani was knocked down to around 1.64 million.
Talk about Déjà vu! Just minutes after kings lost to Big Slick it has happened again.
It happened when Luke Graham moved all in under the gun for roughly 1.5 million and Dan Schmiech called off for 1.255 million in the small blind.
Schmiech:
Graham:
It was the exact same situation we'd just saw, and the outcome would be the same as the flop delivered an ace. Schmiech, who is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner from 2005, immediately stood and prepared to make his exit, which he did after the turn and river failed to deliver the case king.
Rogen Chhabra opened to 180,000 from under the gun, and Daniel Weinman moved all in for two million even in the small blind. Kasra Khodayarkhani surrendered his big blind, and Chhabra promptly stood up.
"You look like you're in a calling stance," Weinman told him.
"Yeah," Chhabra answered. "I call."
Weinman turned over then sunk down into his seat. Chhabra tabled , and we were off to the races.
The flop fell , giving Weinman a leading pair of queens, and he gave a two-handed fist pump will still slouched in his seat.
"Good hand," Chhabra told him, cutting out stacks of blue T25,000 chips.
Chhabra could still send Weinman packing with a ten on the turn or river, but the and the were both bricks. Weinman doubled to around 4.2 million chips, while Chhabra plummeted down to 1.685 million.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop.
was dominated by Cheung's 
. The only way Bhatia could eliminated Cheung was to catch a ten, and while he didn't do it on the 
turn, he did when the 
spiked on the river.
.
. Unfortunately for him, he was drawing dead to Khodayarkhani's 
was run out on the river for good measure and then Wustel exited the stage in tenth place for $17,351.
turn further increased that to 95.45%, which meant Bhatia needed a three on the river to stay alive.
, giving Hebert a set of threes. Mintz now needed a six or running straight cards to survive, and the 
. When the tournament director announced that there was an ace on the flop, Weinman didn't look up, rather he just gave a thumbs up from the plank position.
, 
flop delivered an ace. Schmiech, who is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner from 2005, immediately stood and prepared to make his exit, which he did after the 
were both bricks. Weinman doubled to around 4.2 million chips, while Chhabra plummeted down to 1.685 million.