The last full round before the break was pot-limit omaha and the round was rather dull. The first five of six hands were over before a flop was even dealt. Some fireworks did occur on the final hand of the round, however. It all began when Sebastian Saffari limped from the small blind. Philip Sternheimer made it 24,000 to go from the big blind and Saffari called.
The dealer put out a flop of and Saffari checked.
"Pot," quickly announced Sternheimer.
Saffari called the bet and checked again after the hit the turn. Sternheimer checked behind and the two saw the complete the board. Saffari announced 75,000 and Sternheimer buried his face in his hands. He looked up with a dejected look on his face before finally deciding to toss his cards away.
Six quick hands of seven-card stud saw little action, with the only hand reaching seventh street being the first one.
In that hand it was Sebastian Saffari completing, Philip Sternheimer raising, and Saffari calling. They checked fourth, Saffari check-called a bet from Sternheimer on fifth, then both checked sixth.
Sternheimer: () /
Saffari: () /
On seventh Sternheimer led with a bet and Saffari called, then Sternheimer showed he had underneath and Saffari mucked.
Another quiet half-dozen hands went by in the no-limit hold'em round.
The most involved saw a button raise of 32,000 from Sebastian Saffari called by Brandon Wong in the big blind. The flop came . Wong checked, Saffari continued for 26,000, and Wong called. Both players then checked the turn and river.
Six hands of razz flew by here at the secondary feature, with no hand getting past fifth street. Very few chips were exchanged and the field has moved onto the next game: limit hold'em.
The limit hold'em round saw Philip Sternheimer quickly slip down to about 125,000, then a hand arose in which Brandon Wong raised from the button, Sternheimer three-bet from the big blind, and Wong called.
Sternheimer then bet in the dark before the flop came and Wong called. The turn was the and Sternheimer bet again (for 60,000), leaving himself but 1,000 behind. Wong raised, Sternheimer called, and Sternheimer showed for trip queens and Wong . The river was the and Sternheimer had doubled.
Before the round was through, however, Sternheimer was back down to just 105,000 after losing a hand to Sebastian Saffari. That one saw Saffari raise the small blind, Sternheimer three-bet from the big blind, then Saffari call.
The flop came , and Saffari check-called a Sternheimer bet. Saffari would again check-call after the turn and river, then he turned over for two pair. Sternheimer showed his , and was down to just over 100,000.
Philip Sternheimer raised from the small blind and Brandon Wong called from the big blind. Sternheimer stood pat while Wong took two cards. Sternheimer fired another bet and Wong called. Sternheimer stayed pat and Wong took one card this time.
Sternheimer fired his last 17,000 all in and Wong announced a call. Sternheimer stood pat for the last draw and Wong announced he was drawing one card.
Sternheimer stood up and fanned his cards: . He looked down at the felt.
"Oh, f***. I misread my hand," he sighed. "F***."
A surprised Wong tabled . He pulled his last card, the .
"Oh, I made it anyway," said Wong.
Sternheimer quickly gathered his belongings and left the tournament area. He will take home $87,397 in third-place tournament winnings.
The first five hands of heads-up play were Badugi hands, with four of them either being walks or raise-and-takes.
The exception saw Sebastian Saffari raise from the button, Brandon Wong three-bet, and Saffari call. Both players took two cards on the first draw. Wong checked, Saffari bet, Wong check-raised, and Saffari called.
On the second draw Wong stood pat, Saffari drew one card, Wong bet, and Saffari released his hand.
On the first hand of stud, Sebastian Saffari was the bring in and Brandon Wong completed. Saffari made it two bets and Wong called. Wong pair his tens on fourth street and led out. Saffari flat called and continued to call bets on fifth and sixth. Wong fired one last bet on seventh and Saffari threw away his cards.
Sebastian Saffari
/
Brandon Wong
/
The second hand saw another big victory for Wong. Saffari tossed out a bring in and Wong completed. Saffari called and led out after pairing fours on fourth. Wong called and Saffari fired again on fifth. Wong stayed the course and made a pair of his own, tens to be exact, on sixth. Wong took the initiative with a bet and Saffair tossed away his cards. By scooping these two pots, Wong is now up to about 2.19 million while Saffari has fallen to 600,000.
There was more significant action in the stud round to report. Picking up a later hand on fourth street, Brandon Wong check-raised a Sebastian Saffari bet. Then Saffari was dealt queens on both fifth and sixth streets, check-calling a bet on fifth then leading with a bet on sixth and getting called.
Wong: () /
Saffari: () /
Saffari bet on seventh again and Wong called, and Saffari tabled to reveal he had two pair, queens and deuces. Alas for Saffari, Wong had the other two queens among his down cards as he turned over , plus the to pair the four on his board. Wong had the better two pair, and had won the pot.
Saffari would get some back on a subsequent stud hand, but would start the next game having fallen down to less than 400,000.
and Saffari checked.
hit the turn. Sternheimer checked behind and the two saw the 
complete the board. Saffari announced 75,000 and Sternheimer buried his face in his hands. He looked up with a dejected look on his face before finally deciding to toss his cards away.
underneath and Saffari mucked.
, and Saffari mucked.
for trip queens and Wong 
. The river was the 
and Sternheimer had doubled.
, and Saffari check-called a Sternheimer bet. Saffari would again check-call after the 
, and was down to just over 100,000.
. He looked down at the felt.
.
