Event #53: $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout
Day 3 Started
Event #53: $1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout
Day 3 Started
Seat 1: Brendan Taylor
Seat 2: Jonathan Little
Seat 3: Brian Tate
Seat 4: Sijbrand Maal
Seat 5: Ben Yu
Seat 6: Terrence Chan
Seat 7: Michael Schneider
Seat 8: Joseph McGowan
Two days and two rounds of shootout play have winnowed a field of 548 starters down to an elite eight. Each of the eight players returning today has had his mettle tested through two grueling rounds of limit hold'em shootouts. Now there's only one table left to win.
The players at this final table run are a tried and tested bunch. Almost all of them have significant previous live cashes under their belts but perhaps none of them has acheieved a feat as impressive as Terrence Chan. In 2009, Chan won SCOOP 20-Medium, $530 Limit Hold'em 6-max, and SCOOP 20-High, $5,200 Limit Hold'em 6-max, in the same day.
Chan, who finished in 3rd place at the $1,500 Limit Hold'em event earlier this WSOP, has to be considered the favorite at this final table. But there are lots of poker hands to be played between now and the final elimination. PokerNews will be there every step of the way, starting in about thirty minutes. Stick around!
McGowan has two WSOP cashes for $20,067, both coming this year. The vast majority of that came from his 25th place finish in Event #6: $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout. Obviously McGowan has a knack for the shootout format, as evidenced by his final table appearance today.
In 2009, Schneider had three WSOP cashes, all of which came in low buy-in no limit hold'em events. His best finish was 35th in the $2,500 no limit event for $11,886. All told, Schneider has four cashes totaling $30,691, meaning his performance today will be his best yet finish yet.
Chan, who started playing poker in 1999, is the most experienced of the remaining players. He has two WSOP final tables under his belt along with fourteen cashes totaling $542,890. His biggest finish came in 2007 when he finished runner-up in the $2,500 no limit hold'em six handed event for $287,345. Chan, who often goes by Terrence "Not Johnny" Chan, is looking to add his first gold bracelet to his already impressive WSOP résumé.
Ben Yu has three WSOP cashes including two already this year. His other cash was in the 2008 $1,500 Limit Shootout event where he finished 69th. No matter where he finishes today, it'll be his best finish and biggest cash to date.
Coming all the from the Netherlands, Maal emerged victorious at the Belgium Poker Classic which brought him over the half a million dollar mark in career winnings. Maal's performance in this tournament is his first WSOP cash.
Tate is the relative unknown at today's final table. He hails from Tempe, Arizona and this is his first visit to the WSOP. As such, it is his first cash and final table. Will he be able to add a bracelet to his impressive run?
Little has ten WSOP cashes prior to today's event totaling $60,316. In addition, he has multiple wins on the World Poker Tour including Season VI Mirage Poker Showdown, which helped him to be named that season's player of the year, and then in Season VII at the Foxwoods World Poker finals.