Over 1,000 players took to the felt two days ago to try and claim the next mixed game gold bracelet in Event #20 $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low 8-or-better. After two days of split pots and scoops, Dale Beaudoin leads the way with 465,000. The only other player over 400,000 is Jason Rivkin, who will bring 418,000 into play today.
Two well respected pros are next on the counts. Can Kim Hua, better known as C.K Hua, is third in chips with 367,000, and while he has earned over 2.7 million dollars in lifetime earnings, he has yet to snag that coveted bracelet. The next player on the list is looking to add a second one to his mantle, none other then the son of Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson. Todd will have 315,000 to start the day.
Further down the leaderboard, we have a few more notables. John Monnette crushed the WSOP last year with three top 3 finishes, including one bracelet. This marks his second cash of this WSOP, and he will have 188,000 in chips. Maria Ho (96,000) is still looking for bracelet #1 after finishing runner-up to Allen Bari in 2011. Last, but not least, we have Jennifer Harman, who has two bracelets, but hasn't won one in over 10 years. She will have her work cut out for her, as she is one of our short stacks with 80,000.
Play will kick off at 1 PM local time, and we won't stop until we have a winner, or we have played a full ten levels, whichever comes first. Will one of our notables rise to the top and put another notch on their poker belt, or will a relative unknown rise to the top and start to build a legacy of their own? Stay here to find out later today!
Maria Ho raised under the gun, and she got calls from Calen McNeil in the small blind, and Joe Ford in the big blind. The flop came down , and it was checked to Ho, who fired out her last 8,000. Both players called, and they checked it down on the turn and river.
Ho tabled for a pair of aces, but it was no good, as McNeil showed for two pair. Ho ended up being the last woman standing, barely beating out Jen Harman, who was eliminated in 22nd.
Randy Ohel was crippled after Can Kim Hua check-raised him on the turn with the board reading . Ohel made the call, and the river was a . A frustrated Ohel folded to Hua's river bet. Hua showed him for the nuts. Ohel was eliminated a short while later, with Hua once again scooping the pot.
We found Joe Ford firing a bet into Matthew Kelly on a board of . Kelly made the call, and the river came . Both players checked, and Kelly turned over for kings and deuces that got counterfeited on the river. Ford's took the pot.
A few hands later, Kelly got it all in against Calen McNeil.
McNeil:
Ford:
The board ran out , and Kelly couldn't beat the aces once again.
Jason Rivkin started the day second in chips, but we just saw him lose all but 3,000 of his chips in a huge hand against Calen McNeil. The latter raised from under the gun, and Rivkin three bet it. McNeil then put the fourth bet in, and Rivkin called.
The flop came down , and McNeil fired out. Rivkin called, and the same occurred when the hit the turn. The river was the , and McNeil put out one more big bet. Rivkin stood up out of his chair, and starting counting his chips. He had exactly 43,000 left, so this was for virtually all of his chips. He spent about two minutes in the tank, trying to figure out what McNeil could four bet with preflop that hit that hand. Eventually, he tossed in the call, and McNeil showed for the nuts. Rivkin shook his head, and mucked his hand, leaving him with less then a small blind.
Two hands later, he committed the final 3,000 with . He was up against the of Dao Bac. The flop came . The turn was another , and Rivkin was drawing dead.
The players are now on a 10 minute break to move to the unofficial final table. We will get everyone's chip count on break.
Stephen Chidwick raised from the hijack, and Dale Beaudoin tossed the last of his chips in from the big blind.
Beaudoin:
Chidwick:
A flop of didn't bring much hope for Beaudoin. The turn came , and Beaudoin was down to his last card. The did nothing for him, and the chipleader coming into Day 3 was the unfortunate final table bubble victim.
Calen McNeil raised it up from under the gun, and Dao Bac was the lone caller from the big blind. The flop came , and for the first time that we can remember all tournament, the betting was capped on the flop. Bac then proceeded to check call on the turn, and the river. McNeil revealed for the nuts, and Back showed before mucking.
That hand knocked Bac down to just 9,000, and two hands later, that went in the middle. John Monnette raised it up in late position, and Bac called off the rest of his stack in the small blind. McNeil also called from the big blind, and the flop came . McNeil check called a bet from Monnette, but he folded when Monnette bet the turn.
Monnette:
Bac:
Bac was looking for a low card to take half the pot, but the dealer put the on the river, ending Bac's tournament.
, and Brunson's 
took the pot with a diamond flush for high and an ace-deuce for the nut low.
, and it was checked to Ho, who fired out her last 8,000. Both players called, and they checked it down on the 
turn and 
for a pair of aces, but it was no good, as McNeil showed 
, and Ohel's ace-jack high, amazingly enough, scooped the pot.
to Hua's river bet. Hua showed him 
for the nuts. Ohel was eliminated a short while later, with Hua once again scooping the pot.
. Both players checked, and Kelly turned over 
, and Kelly couldn't beat the aces once again.
for the nuts. Rivkin shook his head, and mucked his hand, leaving him with less then a small blind.
did nothing for him, and the chipleader coming into Day 3 was the unfortunate final table bubble victim.
