Willerson Connects on River; Jumps Into Slight Lead
Vladimir Mefodichev had the button. He raised to 250,000 only to have Neil Willerson three-bet to 525,000. Mefodichev peered at his cards once again then announced that he was all in. Willerson quickly said "call" and the hands were shown:
Mefodichev: 
Willerson: 
Mefodichev took the lead with the 
flop. Willerson was in need of either an ace or a king to double up but did not find it on the 
turn. The tension loomed int he air as Mefodichev was one card away from a World Series of Poker championship. The dealer produced the river card:
The 
.
Willerson was able to connect with the final card and scored a double up that put him in a slight chip advantage while a crushed Mefodichev took his seat to resume play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,250,000
3,050,000
|
3,050,000 |
|
6,950,000
-3,550,000
|
-3,550,000 |