2019 World Series of Poker

Event #85: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed
Day: 3
Event Info

2019 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
kq32
Prize
$448,392
Event Info
Buy-in
$3,000
Prize Pool
$2,254,500
Entries
835
Level Info
Level
34
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
0

Hale Leads Final Six After Day 3 of Event #85: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Millard Hale
Millard Hale

Day 3 of Event #85: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed has been completed and at the end of the day six players remain with a chance to win the bracelet.

Millard Hale ended the day in pole position with a chip count of 5,410,000. He gathered most of those chips in one of the last hands of the day as he eliminated Joao Vieira in 7th place and destroyed most of Joseph Cheong’s stack in one fell swoop as his aces held to surge to a huge chip stack as the day came to an end.

The start of day chip leader, John Richards finished 2nd in chips with 4,800,000, coming off a fairly steady day that saw him maintain a large stack throughout.

Alan Sternberg (2,625,000) and Evangelos Kokkalis (2,525,000) ended the day as the middling chip counts, Kokkalis having been short at the beginning of the day but chipped up as play wore on.

Ka Kwan Lau joined the aforementioned Cheong as the two super short stacks left as play concluded, having just 695,000 in chips. Meanwhile Cheong finished with 650,000 which is the shortest stack left but may actually seem like a boon for him as he was down to one big blind with 50,000 after the critical hand vs Hale.

The day began with 24 players and began very fast, with the elimination of Caleb King on the very first hand of the day. More eliminations were to follow in quick succession as half the field was trimmed swiftly. What was a speedy day turned into a slow affair. It took just over two hours for the field to be cut from 24 to 11 but it took two and a half hours before Juha Helppi was eliminated in 11th to reduce the field from 11 to 10. The eliminations would come spaced out after that to reduce the field to the final six.

The final six will return on July 15th at 12 p.m. local time with play at level 26 with blinds at 25,000/50,000 and will continue until a winner is determined. PokerNews will as always bring the action live as it happens.

RoomTableSeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
Amazon11Joseph CheongUnited States650,00011
Amazon12Ka Kwan LauHong Kong695,00012
Amazon13Evangelos KokkalisGreece2,525,00042
Amazon14Millard HaleUnited States5,400,00090
Amazon15John RichardsUnited States4,800,00080
Amazon16Alan SternbergUnited States2,625,00044

Tags: Alan SternbergCaleb KingEvangelos KokkalisJoao VieiraJohn RichardsJuha HelppiKa LauMillard Hale

Joao Vieira Eliminated in 7th Place ($47,043)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Joao Vieira
Joao Vieira

Joseph Cheong opened with a raise, Millard Hale called. Joao Viera moved all in, Cheong then repoted and Hale called again.

It was a dramatic pot as two players lives were at stake.

Vieira held {k-Diamonds}{k-Hearts}{q-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}, Hale had {a-Clubs}{a-Hearts}{q-Clubs}{8-Diamonds} and Cheong revealed {q-Hearts}{j-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}.

The dealer ran the board out a little slower than normal as it came {4-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}{6-Spades}{5-Spades}{6-Clubs} to give Hale the winning hand, eliminate Vieira and leave Cheong with a small nub for a stack.

Player Chips Progress
Millard Hale us
Millard Hale
6,750,000
4,390,000
4,390,000
Joseph Cheong us
Joseph Cheong
50,000
-2,880,000
-2,880,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Joao Vieira pt
Joao Vieira
Busted
WSOP 3X Winner
Winamax

Tags: Joao VieiraJoseph CheongMillard Hale

Michael Benko Eliminated in 8th Place ($47,043)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Michael Benko
Michael Benko

Michael Benko and Evangelos Kokkalis got all the chips in preflop, with Benko at risk.

Michael Benko: {a-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}{7-Hearts}{4-Hearts}
Evangelos Kokkalis: {9-Spades}{8-Spades}{6-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}

Board: {2-Hearts}{j-Clubs}{q-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}

The running fives on the turn and river gave Kokkalis trips, and Benko's tournament run is over.

Player Chips Progress
Evangelos Kokkalis gr
Evangelos Kokkalis
3,200,000
800,000
800,000
Michael Benko ca
Michael Benko
Busted

Tags: Evangelos KokkalisMichael Benko

Michael Kuney Eliminated in 9th Place ($34,830)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Michael Kuney
Michael Kuney

John Richards opened to 125,000 on the button, and Michael Kuney raised from the small blind, leaving just over 100,000 chips behind. Richards called, and the rest of Kuney's chips went in on the flop, with Richards calling.

Michael Kuney: {a-Clubs}{a-Spades}{q-Spades}{8-Diamonds}
John Richards: {k-Clubs}{10-Clubs}{5-Hearts}{2-Hearts}

Board: {5-Spades}{10-Hearts}{2-Clubs}{4-Clubs}{7-Hearts}

Kuney was ahead preflop, but the flop gave Richards top two pair. No help came for Kuney on the turn or river, and he hits the rail in ninth place.

The win gave Richards a formidable stack of more than 100 big blinds.

Player Chips Progress
John Richards us
John Richards
5,200,000
2,480,000
2,480,000
Michael Kuney us
Michael Kuney
Busted

Juha Helppi Eliminated in 11th Place ($26,277)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 0 ante
Juhan Helppi
Juhan Helppi

After nearly three hours since the previous elimination, Juha Helppi was all in pre-flop holding {a-Spades}{j-Hearts}{8-Hearts}{7-Spades} against the {a-Hearts}{k-Spades}{k-Diamonds}{10-Spades} of Evangelos Kokkalis.

The board ran out in favor of the Greek player as it came {4-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}{4-Hearts}{j-Clubs}{2-Spades} to finish Helppi's tournament.

Player Chips Progress
Evangelos Kokkalis gr
Evangelos Kokkalis
2,400,000
290,000
290,000
Juha Helppi fi
Juha Helppi
Busted
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Evangelos KokkalisJuha Helppi

Richards Gets Big Double Through Lau

Level 25 : 20,000/40,000, 0 ante
John Richards
John Richards

John Richards opened for 100,000 on the cutoff, Ka Lau three-bet to 420,000, and Richards made the call.

The flop came {9-Spades}{7-Diamonds}{2-Spades}, Leu potted, and Richards made the call, putting him all in.

John Richards: {9-Hearts}{6-Hearts}{5-Hearts}{7-Spades}
Ka Lau: {a-Clubs}{a-Spades}{j-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds}

Richards was ahead on the flop with top two pair, and improved to a straight on the {8-Diamonds} turn. The river {a-Hearts} gave Lau a set but it wasn't enough, as Richards took down the massive pot.

Player Chips Progress
John Richards us
John Richards
2,720,000
1,070,000
1,070,000
Ka Kwan Lau es
Ka Kwan Lau
450,000
-1,750,000
-1,750,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: John RichardsKa Lau

From Short Stacked to Two Million for Strasser

Level 24 : 15,000/30,000, 0 ante
Florian Strasser
Florian Strasser

Florian Strasser has spun up a ten big blind stack to over the 2 million mark, giving him nearly 70 big blinds to work with.

Strasser got up to that total in a hand that saw Ka Lau open to 75,000 from the button, and Starsser three-bet to 260,000 from the small blind.

Lau made the call, bringing {8-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}{3-Clubs} on the flop. Strasser continued for 500,000 more, and Lau folded.

Player Chips Progress
Florian Strasser at
Florian Strasser
2,140,000
1,235,000
1,235,000
Ka Kwan Lau es
Ka Kwan Lau
597,000
-245,000
-245,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Florian StrasserKa Lau

Veerachai Vongxaiburana Eliminated in 13th Place ($20,209)

Level 23 : 12,000/24,000, 0 ante
Veerachai Vongxaiburana
Veerachai Vongxaiburana

Joao Vieira raised to 240,000 from the big blind after an initial raise and two other players came along. Veerachai Vongxaiburana came over the top and moved all in which quickly folded the other players out of the hand. Vieira went deep into the tank to consider the shove. He thought for close to four minutes before calling in the end.

Veerachai Vongxaiburana {a-Diamonds}{a-Hearts}{9-Hearts}{3-Diamonds}
Joao Vieira {k-Clubs}{k-Diamonds}{q-Spades}{j-Diamonds}

The flop came {4-Clubs}{k-Spades}{3-Spades} to give Vieira trip kings. The turn was the {5-Diamonds} and the river the {10-Clubs} to finish off Vongxaiburana.

Player Chips Progress
Joao Vieira pt
Joao Vieira
2,100,000
1,230,000
1,230,000
WSOP 3X Winner
Winamax
Veerachai Vongxaiburana us
Veerachai Vongxaiburana
Busted

Tags: Joao VieiraVeerachai Vongxaiburana