Level: 27
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 100,000
2024 World Series of Poker
Event #52: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 3
Event Info
2024 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
$5,000
Prize Pool
$3,762,800
Entries
817
Level
33
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
37
Players Left
4
Players Left 1 / 817
Filter
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Earlier this year on an ordinary Monday afternoon, a bespectacled man walked into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop on Las Vegas Blvd. Tucked under his arm was an uninteresting box that only he knew contained something rather interesting – a pair of gold watches dating back more than 40 years.
These were not your run-of-the-mill wristwear, but rather evidence of a unique and often overlooked time of poker history, a year when the World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet, now the game’s highest accolade, was replaced in favor of watches.
The man holding the box was David Sklansky, who in 1978 forever changed poker by advocating a mathematical approach to the game in his groundbreaking book The Theory of Poker. Nicknamed “The Mathematician,” he proved his prowess just four years later when he won two WSOP tournaments in five days.
First, he won the 1982 WSOP Event #7: $800 Mixed Doubles Limit Seven Card Stud, a tournament that paired one man with one woman, alongside Dani Kelly, and followed that up by taking down Event #12: $1,000 Limit 5-Card Draw High. A year later, the Binions reverted back to the beloved bracelets players know today, and Sklansky captured his third piece of WSOP hardware by winning Event #11: $1,000 Limit Omaha.
It was a remarkable accomplishment, and for more than four decades he’s kept safe the evidence of his victories, both of which still worked. So, why was Sklansky carrying his 1982 WSOP gold watches, two of only 15 ever awarded, into a pawn shop? Well, he was looking to sell them of course, but not to just any of the dozens of pawn shops spread across Las Vegas. Oh no, he was walking into arguably the most famous pawn shop in the world, the home to the wildly popular television show Pawn Stars, and he was there to do it with cameras rolling.
Read all about the 1982 WSOP watches here in our feature article!
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Players are headed on a 60-minute dinner break. They will return to blinds of 50,000 and 100,000 with a big blind ante at approximately 7:50 p.m. local time.
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
On the last hand before dinner break, Mostafa Haidary raised to 225,000 from the button. Iaron Lightbourne was in the big blind and jammed all in. Haidary said "Good luck buddy" and called.
Iaron Lightbourne: Q♣Q♠ 
Mostafa Haidary: 2♠2♥
But it would not be good luck for Lightbourne as the flop came 9♥J♠2♦ to hit the duck. The turn was the 8♥ and the river the 5♣ to send the Brit on his way as the rest of the players went to dinner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,100,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Sonny Franco raised the button to 160,000, and Max Kruse called from the big blind.
Both saw a flop of Q♦6♣2♠ which went check-check to the J♥ turn. Kruse checked, Franco bet 200,000, and Kruse let it go.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,500,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
|
||
|
2,200,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Action was picked up on a flop between Krasimir Yankov and Ihar Soika with 340,000 in the pot and a board showing 9♥K♥5♦.
Soika checked to Yankov, who bet 160,000. Soika then raised to 440,000 which was called by Krasimir.
The turn brought the 6♥ and Soika bet out 400,000, and Krasimir made the call.
On the river was the [7s'] and Soika moved all in for 1,117,500, which got a quick fold from Krasimire.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,850,000
1,100,000
|
1,100,000 |
|
3,550,000
1,320,000
|
1,320,000 |
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Action was caught after the flop of A♠3♦K♣ and Krasimir Yankov was quick to check from the big blind.
Yang Zhang fired for 125,000 from middle position and received a call from Yankov.
The turn was the 4♣ and both players checked their action.
While the river peeled the 4♠, Yankov led out for 125,000. Zhang made the call and revealed K♦5♦ to chop with Yankov's K♠10♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,010,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
|
4,950,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
3,660,000
360,000
|
360,000 |
|
|
||
|
3,180,000
440,000
|
440,000 |
|
|
2,230,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
1,390,000
110,000
|
110,000 |
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Iaron Lightbourne opened from middle position to 335,000, leaving just 35,000 chips behind. It folded the button Sonny Franco, who made the call. Both the blinds folded, leaving the two players heads up.
Both players checked the 8♥2♠7♥ flop and 8♣ turn.
The river was the 2♦ and Lightbourne bet his remaining 35,000 and was called by Franco. Lightbourne tabled A♦K♦ which was the winner when Lightbourne showed KxQx
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,400,000
1,400,000
|
1,400,000 |
|
|
920,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
The action folded to Bogdan Munteanu in the small blind who shoved all in for 420,000, and Max Kruse called out of the big blind.
Bogdan Munteanu: A♦J♠
Max Kruse: K♦3♦
Munteanu's run came to an end as the 7♦3♠6♥7♠Q♦ runout gave Kruse a pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,000,000
1,350,000
|
1,350,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 26
: Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Pedro Madeira raised from the cutoff and Yang Zhang defended the big blind.
The flop came 9♥2♥7♠. Both players checked it to the 4♠ turn. Zhang led for 205,000. Madeira raised to 650,000 which Zhang took his time to consider before calling.
The river came the 5♣ to straighten the board out even more. Madeira announced a bet of 1,200,000, leaving himself with only about 550,000 behind.
Zhang went into the tank and took close to four minutes before he silently slid his cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,620,000
1,120,000
|
1,120,000 |
|
|
3,300,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
||
