Event 2 - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em | 2008 World Series of Poker

06-04-2008 02:36 UTC-7

Play Resumes

[user75032]

Players are back from the break. About half of the orange (T5,000) chips were removed for green (T25,000) chips. The money is on the table. From 3,929 players, we are down to the final two.

06-04-2008 02:21 UTC-7

Updated Chip Counts

[user40108]

Grant Hinkle - 7,595,000
James Akenhead - 4,235,000

06-04-2008 02:19 UTC-7

Players Are On a Break

[user40108]

Play has paused so the players can take a quick break before heads-up play begins and officials can present the money and bracelet.

06-04-2008 02:17 UTC-7

Chris Ferguson Eliminated in 3rd Place ($388,287)

[user40108]

Hand #105 -

Chris Ferguson has the button in seat 8 and he moves all in for 815,000. James Akenhead quickly calls and Grant Hinkle gets out of the way. The players table their hands.

Ferguson: {K-Spades}

Akenhead:

Cries from the gallery are coming left and right..."spades...ace...king." It's hard to tell who wants what. The flop comes {Q-Hearts}

. There are plenty of cheers. When the {4-Clubs}

hits the turn, Ferguson is now drawing to a jack and a jack only. If he fails to catch one, he'll be our third place finisher. The river is.....the {5-Hearts}

.

Chris Ferguson finishes in 3rd place and in addition to a lengthy ovation from the crowd here, will also collect $388,287 in prize money.

06-04-2008 02:12 UTC-7

Hand #104 - Grant Hinkle

[user75032]

Grant Hinkle has the button in Seat 10. He raises to 250,000. Chris Ferguson and James Akenhead both fold. Hinkle wins the pot.

06-04-2008 02:11 UTC-7

Hand #103 - Grant Hinkle

[user40108]

James Akenhead has the button in seat 9 and he folds. Grant Hinkle moves all in from the small blind. Chris Ferguson takes off his sunglasses and surveys the situation. He looks at Akenhead's stack, then his own, then as though some sort of equation was solved, tosses his cards into the muck. Grant Hinkle wins the blinds and antes.

06-04-2008 02:10 UTC-7

Hand #102 - James Akenhead

[user75032]

Chris Ferguson has the button in Seat 8. He has first action and folds. James Akenhead raises from the small blind to 300,000, folding Grant Hinkle. Akenhead wins the pot.

06-04-2008 02:08 UTC-7

Hand #101 - James Akenhead

[user40108]

Grant Hinkle has the button in seat 10 and he folds. Chris Ferguson caps his cards and thinks for a bit. After a few seconds, he counts out a raise to 350,000 and slides it out with two fingers. James Akenhead nervously shuffles his chips with a look of concern on his face. James calls and they see a {Q-Hearts}

flop. Ferguson stares straight ahead as the cards come off. He slowly looks over at Akenhead, first his face, then his stack. He then moves his entire stack into the center and Akenhead insta-calls. The players show:

Ferguson: {J-Hearts}

Akenhead:

The crowd is once again nuts, chanting "heart! heart! heart!" Akenhead supporters are staring intently at the monitors hoping for the best. The turn is the {2-Spades}

and the Akenhead camp sticks out like a sore thumb. The river is the {3-Clubs}

and the applause is present, but surely less overwhelming than had a heart hit the river. The tournament director doublechecks the counts and James Akenhead doubles through Chris Ferguson.

06-04-2008 02:03 UTC-7

Updated Chip Counts

[user75032]

Grant Hinkle - 7,600,000
Chris Ferguson - 2,630,000
James Akenhead - 1,500,000

06-04-2008 02:01 UTC-7

Hand #100 - Chris Ferguson

[user75032]

James Akenhead has the button in Seat 9. He folds. Grant Hinkle moves all in. Ferguson double-checks his cards and then calls. His tournament is at stake:

Hinkle: {Q-Diamonds}

Ferguson:

Nobody wants to see Ferguson's fairy tale journey through this tournament come to an end. Even though Hinkle has been hitting all of his hands and playing well, it feels like the entire gallery is calling for an ace on the flop. No help for either player when it comes {2-Diamonds}

. The turn is the {10-Clubs}

, giving Hinkle an open-ended straight draw and tons of outs. Now the entire gallery is shouting. We can't hear anything in here.

The river is the {3-Hearts}

and Ferguson survives again! A roar from the crowd. They are all on his side as he doubles up again.