Welcome back to the third and final day of Event #47: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. Just 10 players survived the first two days of potting, repotting, split pots, quarters, and scoops, all that's left from a whopping field of 978.
That huge field created a total prize pool of $1,320,300, the bulk of which is still left to be given out to these final 10. Charalampos Lappas returns to the biggest chip stack today with just under 1 million chips, thanks primarily to his having claimed a big pot versus the Russian Viatcheslav Ortynskiy in the very last hand of Day 2, leaving the Russian with less than two big blinds to start today's play.
Just behind Lappas is Steven Loube of Atlanta, Georgia who also sports a nearly 1 million-chip stack. Loube caught a rush of hands during the last level-and-a-half of Day 2 to position himself with Lappas at the top of the counts.
But this is PLO Hi-Low, which means a lot can change quickly. Just ask David "Doc" Sands who last year in this same event had more than twice the second-place player's stack with 10 players remaining only to fall in 10th and bubble the official final table.
Here's where players will be seated today up on the main stage in the Pavilion Room, along with their starting stacks:
Seat
Name
Chips
1
Roch Cousineau
505,000
2
Kyle Carlston
277,000
3
Paul Taylor
180,000
4
Steven Loube
947,000
5
Timothy Finne
455,000
6
Paul Ewen
234,000
7
Viatcheslav Ortynskiy
27,000
8
Charalampos Lappas
994,000
9
Cameron Mckinley
477,000
10
Sonu Sharma
300,000
The action starts about an hour from now. Come back here to follow it all as we find out who among these 10 will emerge as the next WSOP gold bracelet winner.
Sonu Sharma opened from under the gun with a raise to 40,000 and it folded around to Viatcheslav Ortynskiy on the button. Ortynskiy had survived one small double-up. He'd also folded a few hands, including from the blinds. Now with just 15,000 left, he was pushing all in again.
It folded back to Sharma who was given the tiny side pot of 1,000 as the big blind is 16,000 at present. The pair then tabled their hands — for Ortynskiy, and for Sharma.
The flop was good for Sharma, coming to give him a set of kings. Ortynskiy still had a low draw to which to pin his hopes, but the turn was the and river the , and Ortynskiy is out. We've reached the official final table for Event 47!
Action folded to Tim Finne in the cutoff and he raised to 32,000. Paul Ewen was on the button and capped his cards before announcing, "Pot," making it 120,000 to go. Both the blinds got out of the way and Finne announced a four-bet, which prompted Ewen to call off his remaining 70,000.
Showdown
Ewen:
Finne:
The flop was kind to Finne as it gave him two pair and the nut low. Ewen knew he was in trouble and needed help, but he would find none as the board ran out and on the turn and river respectively. With that, Ewen shook hands with the table and exited in ninth place.
A short-stacked Kyle Carlston opened for 50,000 from early position and Steven Loube called from the hijack seat. Timothy Finne leaned forward to see how much Carlston had left behind — 163,000 exactly — and called as well from the cutoff. It folded to Sonu Sharma in the big blind who also called, and the four players saw the flop come .
Sharma checked, and Carlston promptly pushed his remaining stack forward. After a brief pause, Loube announced the call, and the action was on Finne. This time Finne was leaning forward to see how much Loube had left — about 580,000 — then leaned back again before saying he was reraising all in.
Finne's reraise was for 582,000 total. Sharma quickly stepped aside, and a somewhat exasperated Loube thought for about a half-minute before folding his face up (top two pair).
The turn was the and river the , meaning no one made a low and Finne's pair of nines took the high. Loube's exasperation continued, but he patted Finne on the back for his move and for taking the pot and the chip lead.
All likewise congratulated Carlston on his finish here at his second career WSOP final table.
Steven Loube raised to 55,000 under the gun and cleared the field all the way around to Paul Taylor in the big blind. The latter moved all in for around 125,000 and Loube snap-called.
Showdown
Loube:
Taylor:
The wasn't particularly interesting, while the turn saw Loube pump his fist and say, "It's over." Indeed, Taylor was drawing dead headed to the river, which came the meaningless . Taylor silently made his way to the payout desk to collect $31,634 for his seventh-place finish.
Charalampos Lappas opened for 50,000 from middle position. Sonu Sharma was contemplating what to do on the button when Roch "Rocky" Cousineau started to push calling chips forward from the small blind, not realizing Sharma had yet to act. Finally Sharma folded, Cousineau called, the flop came , and both checked.
The turn brought the and a bet of 66,000 from Cousineau. Lappas thought a beat, then pushed out a raise to 160,000. Cousineau called.
The river was the . Cousineau was thinking about what to do, and Lappas spoke up, thinking perhaps Cousineau had checked dark (he hadn't). Finally the Cousineau did check, and after about a half-minute Lappas bet 225,000.
Cousineau went deep into the tank, finally emerging to make the call. "I have a queen," he said as he did, turning over for queens and jacks. Lappas instantly mucked.
With that one Cousineau pushes up over 1.3 million and into the chip lead.
Sonu Sharma limped from under the gun plus one only to have Steven Loube raise pot to 106,000 from the button. Tim Finne was in the small blind and inquired with the floor as to whether or not the action would be reopened to Loube if Sharma, who started the hand with 139,000, were to move all in. The answer was no, and Finne made the call. Sharma moved in as expected, and Loube made the call.
When the flop fell , Finne ended up check-folding to a pot-sized bet, leaving Sharma and Loube to turn up their cards.
Showdown
Loube:
Sharma:
Loube flopped top two pair but Sharma held a big wrap. Unfortunately for the latter, the turn and river would both be dry and he would exit in sixth place for $41,589.
After losing that big chunk to Roch Cousineau following a failed river bluff, it took two more hands to spell the end of Charalampos Lappas's run in Event 47.
In the first, Lappas raised to 75,000 from the cutoff and got a caller in Cam Mckinley. The flop came and Lappas bet 125,000, and Mckinley quickly called. The turn then brought the , pairing the board. Lappas checked, and Mckinley wasted no time pushing his stack of about 370,000 forward. Lappas folded, and Mckinley showed the as he corralled the chips.
That one pushed Lappas down around 175,000. Soon Timothy Finne was open-raising to 72,000 from the small blind, Lappas reraised all in, and Finne called.
Finne:
Lappas:
The flop gave Finne two pair, then the on the turn filled him up, leaving Lappas searching for a king on the river to save him. But the final community card was the , and Lappas is out in fifth.
With Cameron Mckinley down to his last 45,000 and in the small blind, both Steven Loube and Timothy Finne limped in, Mckinley was all in, and Roch Cousineau checked from the big blind. All three of the remaining players checked down the flop, turn, and river.
The tabling of cards commenced, and when Mckinley spied how the of Steven Loube had given him a straight, Mckinley mucked his cards, the crowd cheered his fourth-place run, and the three remaining players left for the dinner break
In the very next hand after being crippled, Roch Cousineau moved all in for his last 60,000 on the button and was called by Steven Loube in the small blind. Tim Finne checked his option in the big, and then both players checked it down as the board ran out .
Cousineau rolled over , but it was no good against the of Loube. With that, Cousineau made his exit in third place, good for $103,538.
for Ortynskiy, and 
for Sharma.
to give him a set of kings. Ortynskiy still had a low draw to which to pin his hopes, but the turn was the 
and river the 
, and Ortynskiy is out. We've reached the official final table for Event 47!
on the turn and river respectively. With that, Ewen shook hands with the table and exited in ninth place.
.
face up (top two pair).
— pair of nines, nut flush draw
wasn't particularly interesting, while the 
turn saw Loube pump his fist and say, "It's over." Indeed, Taylor was drawing dead headed to the river, which came the meaningless 
. Taylor silently made his way to the payout desk to collect $31,634 for his seventh-place finish.
and a bet of 66,000 from Cousineau. Lappas thought a beat, then pushed out a raise to 160,000. Cousineau called.
, Finne ended up check-folding to a pot-sized bet, leaving Sharma and Loube to turn up their cards.
river would both be dry and he would exit in sixth place for $41,589.
on the turn filled him up, leaving Lappas searching for a king on the river to save him. But the final community card was the 
