Welcome back to Day 3 of Event 42: $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better where Jeff Lisandro sits atop the counts with 22 players remaining.
Lisandro is seeking a sixth WSOP bracelet, something only 11 other players have accomplished in the 43-year-history of the Series. But the 2009 WSOP Player of the Year will have to negotiate his way through an especially tough field of remaining competitors to reach that goal.
In second position sits Perry Friedman, looking to add a second bracelet to the won he earned in 2002 in a $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Eight-or-Better event. And in third sits a certain poker TV announcer looking to improve on a 12th-place finish in last summer's $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better event, Norman "Beyond Fairly Tale It's Inconceivable" Chad.
Rounding out the top five are two more talented competitors, George Danzer and Yuval Bronshtein, and it doesn't get any easier from there, with Tom Schneider in sixth. Schneider won this same event in 2007, the first of two bracelets he won on his way to winning that year's WSOP Player of the Year.
There's still a long way to go, with lots of small bets, big bets, split pots, quarters, and scoops to go before a winner is found. Join us for all of the coverage about an hour from now when play resumes at 2 PM local time.
Mike Krescanko has been short-stacked for a while, surviving a couple of all ins to keep his seat. After Krescanko won a hand versus Oleksii Kovalchuk to survive, Tom Schneider noted how tough it seemed to be to get the next elimination.
"What do we have to do to get somebody out of this tournament?" asked Schneider.
"Pull the fire alarm?" answered Norman Chad.
Alas for Krescanko, his luck only lasted a little while longer. He raised from middle position, leaving himself but a few chips behind, and when Wing Wong reraised from the big blind, Krescanko called with the rest.
Wong:
Krescanko:
The board came , giving Wong trip jacks to best Krescanko who hits the rail in 15th.
Timothy Frazin raised in late position, Tom Schneider made it three bets on the button, and Wing Wong cold-called from the small blind. Frazin called as well, and the flop fell . Wong led out, and both Frazin and Schneider called.
The turn was the , and Wong led again. Frazin called all in for his last T1,000 chip, and Schneider called as well. The completed the board, and Wong fired a third bullet.
Schneider tanked for well over a minute before calling, committing more than half of his remaining chips.
"Nut-nut," Wong announced, tabling .
Schneider mucked, and Frazin was forced to show before hitting the rail. Wong is up above 300,000 chips now, while Schneider only has around 30,000, despite doubling up the very next hand.
Norman Chad brought it in, Tom Schneider completed, Yuval Bronshtein called, and Chad called as well. It checked to Schneider on fourth and fifth, and when he bet both of his opponents called, the last bet putting Schneider all in. Chad then check-called Bronshtein's bets on both sixth and seventh.
Schneider: / /
Bronshtein: / /
Chad: / /
Schneider tabled — he'd made an eight-high straight and had a 7-6-5-4-2 low. Pretty good both ways, it seemed.
But Bronshtein's meant he'd made a better high with an ace-high straight. And Chad's meant he'd drawn a 6-4-3-2-A low, thus sending the unlucky Schneider out in 13th.
Bryan Devonshire: / /
George Danzer: / /
Mark Gregorich: / /
When we reached the tabled on fourth street, Devonshire was already all in. Danzer led out with a bet, and Gregorich called. On the next three streets, Danzer check-called bets from Gregorich, and after seventh was dealt face down, all three players turned their cards face up.
Devonshire:
Danzer:
Gregorich:
Devonshire was eliminated in twelfth place, and wish his opponents good luck before exiting.
Down to just 25,000 to start the Omaha-8 round, Perry Friedman had to commit 15,000 of that as he was the big blind. Tim Burt then raised from the cutoff, George Danzer called from the small blind, and Perry pushed in his last 10,000.
The flop came and both players checked. The turn was the . Danzer bet, and when Burt raised, that caused Friedman to raise as well — out of his seat. Danzer called.
The river brought the , Danzer again bet, and Burt called.
Danzer showed for the ace-high flush and nut low. Burt had for a lesser flush and also the nut low (to which Danzer had caught up on the turn). Meanwhile Friedman had but .
Three-quarters of the pot thus went to Danzer, the rest to Burt, and Friedman shook hands with his opponents and left with an 11th-place ticket.
Jeffrey Lisandro raised preflop, and Oleksii Kovalchuk and Mark Gregorich called from the blinds. The flop came down , and Kovalchuk checked. Gregorich bet, Lisandro raised enough to put himself all in, and Kovalchuk called. Gregorich re-raised, and Kovalchuk called.
The turn was the , and Kovalchuk checked. Gregorich bet, and Kovalchuk released.
Lisandro:
Gregorich:
The completed the board, and Gregorich scooped the entire pot.
Lisandro is eliminated in 10th place, and we're now down to the unofficial final table. A seat draw is coming shortly.
Gregorich completed with an ace showing, and Guss moved all in for his last few thousand. The action behind folded, and Gregorich tabled . Guss showed .
Gregorich made aces-up on sixth, and Guss couldn't make a better hand on seventh, eliminating him from the tournament. We are now down to the official final table, and the players are on a ten-minute break.
After losing the bulk of his short stack in a hand versus Yuval Bronshtein, Tim Burt was down to just 6,000 to start the next hand. Norman Chad completed, Danny Ratigan called, and Burt went ahead and committed his last chips.
On fourth Chad check-called a Ratigan bet, then check-folded on fifth. The remaining players tabled their down cards.
Chad: / — FOLDED
Burt: /
Ratigan: /
Ratigan drew the and the to make a flush, and Burt picked up the and then mucked his last card, hitting the rail in eighth place.
Wing Wong opened with a raise from under the gun, and it folded around to George Danzer in the big blind who called. The flop came , Danzer bet, Wong raised with what he had left, and Danzer called.
Danzer:
Wong:
The turn brought the to improve Wong to trip aces, but the fell on the river to give Danzer a winning flush, and Wong is out.
, giving Wong trip jacks to best Krescanko who hits the rail in 15th.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Wong led out, and both Frazin and Schneider called.
, and Wong led again. Frazin called all in for his last T1,000 chip, and Schneider called as well. The 
.
before hitting the rail. Wong is up above 300,000 chips now, while Schneider only has around 30,000, despite doubling up the very next hand.
/ 
/ 
/ 
meant he'd made a better high with an ace-high straight. And Chad's 
meant he'd drawn a 6-4-3-2-A low, thus sending the unlucky Schneider out in 13th.
for the ace-high flush and nut low. Burt had 
for a lesser flush and also the nut low (to which Danzer had caught up on the turn). Meanwhile Friedman had but 
.
, and Kovalchuk checked. Gregorich bet, Lisandro raised enough to put himself all in, and Kovalchuk called. Gregorich re-raised, and Kovalchuk called.
/ 
