Matt Keikoan Wins Event No. 7 ($550,601)

Matt Keikoan started Level 24 (20,000-40,000 w/5,000) with a monster chip lead of 7:1 over Shannon Shorr, Keikoan at 5,600,000 to Shorr's 800,000. Matt Keikoan came out firing and set the tone right then and there by moving in against Shorr on the first three hands of Level 24. Shorr played cautiously for few minutes before reverting back to his old ways. Suddenly it turned into an all-in shove fest from the button, and for the next 16 hands, despite an accidental limp-check to a single flop, both Keikoan and Shorr took turns open-shoving from their button while the other player folded. It was madness I tell you, pure madness until Shannon Shorr moved all in from the button for the last time when Matt Keikoan decided to pick his spot with king-high and make the call.

Shorr: 106
Keikoan: K5
Board: K77QK

Keikoan flopped top pair with another pair on board, reducing Shorr to going runner-runner for a shot at this bracelet. No help on the turn and Shorr was drawing dead on the river. Shannon Shorr is eliminated in 2nd place ($349,141) while it is Matt Keikoan who gets the gold bracelet and the lion's share ($550,601) of the prizepool.

Blinds/Antes: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante (Level 22)

Players Left: 2

Chip Counts:
Matt Keikoan: 3,800,000
Shannon Shorr: 2,600,000

Eliminations:
Carter Gill Eliminated in 3rd Place ($228,897)

Big Hands:

Matt Keikoan Doubles Through  Carter Gill

In a three-way limped pot, the flop came 963 and Matt Keikoan bet 75,000. Shannon Shorr made the call and Carter Gill raised to 225,000. Keikoan reraised to 475,000 and Shorr quickly threw his hand away. Gill came over the top for a second time and moved all in. Keikoan called all in, Gill had him covered. Gill turned over JJ for the overpair while Keiokan showed 66 for middle set. The turn and river brought the 4 and the Q, as Matt Keikoan doubled up and crippled one of his opponents at the same time.

Carter Gill Eliminated in 3rd Place ($228,897)

Carter Gill raised to 170,000 from the button and both Matt Keikoan and Shannon Shorr called from the blinds. At this point, Gill had less than one small blind behind his cards. The flop came KQ4, and Keikoan bet 100,000. Shorr called the bet while Gill called all in for his last 12,000. the dealer pushed 176,000 into the sidepot. The turn was the 2 and Keikoan bet 350,000, causing Shorr to fold his hand and winning the sidepot on the turn. The two remaining players turn up their hands.

Gill: 86
Keikoan: AK

Keikeon hit top pair on the flop  while Gill made a flush draw. Any heart and Carter Gill triples up, but the river was 4 , eliminating Carter Gill in 3rd place ($228,897).
 

Blinds/Antes: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante (Level 19)

Players Left: 6

Chip Counts:
Theo Tran: 2,600,000
Matt Keikoan: 1,210,000
Mahai Manole: 830,000
Carter Gill: 810,000
Shannon Shorr: 299,000
Chris Bjorin: 130,000

Eliminations:
J.C. Tran Eliminated in 7th place ($94,166)

Big Hands:

Shannor Shorr Doubles Through Mihai Manole

Mihai Manole raised to 42,000 from early position and Matt Keikoan called from the button. Theo Tran also called from the small blind and Shannon Shorr went into the tank. Shorr eventually moved all in for just under 200,000, Keikoan and Tran fold, Manole made the call.

Shorr: KK
Manole: 77
Board: k94104

Shorr flopped top set, reducing Manole to catching two running sevens or a backdoor flush. Shorr's kings held up and he doubled to more than 400,000 this hand.

J.C. Tran Doubles Through Shannon Shorr

The very next hand after doubling through Mahai Manole, Shannon Shorr reraised to 143,000 from the small blind after J.C. Tran open-raised to 40,000 from late position. After a minute of deliberation, Tran moved all in for 222,000 and Shorr called.

Tran: KQ
Shorr: 65
Board: 9942Q

J.C. Tran made a pair of queens on the river to double up to slightly less than 500,000.

J.C. Tran Eliminated in 7th Place ($94,166)

J.C. Tran came in for a 55,000 raise from late position and Carter Gill reraised to 135,000 from the button. Tran came over the top and shoved all in for a total of just over 400,000. Gill called.

Tran: 1010
Gill: KK
Board: 87322

The board offered no help to either player as J.C. Tran was eliminated in 7th place ($94,166).



 

The cards are finally in the air for the Event 7 ($2,000 NLHE) final table. Play has resumed with 8 minutes and 23 seconds left in Level 18 with blinds of 6,000-12,000 with a 1,000 ante. Be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com for hourly updates at the end of each level.

Event 7 $2,000 NLHE

Total Entrants: 1,592

Prizepool: 2,899,260

Level: 18 ( 8 minutes left)

Blinds/Antes: 6,000 - 12, 000 with a 1,00 ante

Players Left: 9

Chip Counts:

Seat 1: Matt Keikoan - 1,011,000

This Richmond, CA native is a new arrival to the ESPN stage, scoring his sixth WSOP cash and making his first final table appearance, Matt Keikoan is anything but the rookie with $183,496 in lifetime WSOP earnings. Until now, Keikoan’s most impressive finish was placing 63rd ($154,194) in last year’s main event. Sitting in a close third place with over a million chips, Matt Keikoan is looking for an upset here tonight as everyone tries to separate Theo Tran from his huge mountain of chips.

Seat 2: Theo Tran - 1,884,000

At 26-years old, Theo Tran is no stranger to the cameras and in his short poker career he has already amassed 6 WSOP cashes and 4 final tables. Tran’s recent 4th place finish ($327,148) in Event 2 has kicked his lifetime WSOP earnings up to $801,228.

Nine days, seven events, two final tables…Theo Tran is sitting in 7^th place on the 2008 WSOP money list with $327,148 heading into this nine-handed final table. Tran sprinted out of the gate and hopped out in front early, grabbing the end of Day 1 chip lead and taking that with him to the final table. Tran heads into the night with a massive chip lead of nearly 2:1over second place. If Tran can maintain his lead and outlast this final table, he will grab his first WSOP bracelet and enough cash to slide him up to the No. 1 spot on the 2008 WSOP money list. A first place win would put him over $2 million in live tournament winnings.

Seat 3: Shannon Shorr - 620,000

Shannon Shorr has become a familiar face on the high-stakes tournament trail, and now with 6 WSOP cashes ($188,228) under his belt, Shorr makes his second final table appearance here tonight. Shorr first made a name for himself online, entering the ranks of poker greatness after his impressive 4^th place finish ($199,129) in the ’06 Aussie Millions main event and his 1st place finish ($960,690) in the Bellagio Cup II main event of that same year. Since then, Shorr has gone on to find  much success in the world of live tournament poker with over $2 million in lifetime earnings to date.

Seat 4: Carter Gill - 652,000

Until last night, nobody had ever heard the name Carter Gill before and with no prior WSOP cashes and lifetime earnings of only $26,731, Gill is clearly one of the least experienced players at the table. But it doesn’t necessarily take experience to win a bracelet, it takes chips, and Gill is well on his way with over 650,000, entering the final table in fourth place.

Seat 5: Minhai Manole - 1,020,000

Minhai Manole is the all-time Romanian money winner with $283,221 in lifetime earnings. Only $3,408 of that came from his sole previous WSOP cash. This will mark Manole’s second WSOP cash and first final table. With over a million chips, Manole starts the night in second place, with more than enough chips to go toe-to-toe with the chip leader and to put the squeeze on the rest of his opponents.   

Seat 6: Chris Bjorin - 205,000

Ahhh…the Swedish God of WSOP cashes, Chris Bjorin not only sits second on the Scandinavian all-time money list, but along with his two gold bracelets and over a million dollars in WSOP earnings, Bjorin is 18th on the WSOP all-time cash list with 39 in-the-money finishes and 20 final table appearances. The twelfth most earnest European professional, Chris Bjorin is also quite possibly the single most feared Swedish opponent at any final table. With just about ten big blinds left, Bjorin will be playing the role of the short stack tonight, a performance he has nailed so many times before. 

Seat 7: Mike Lisanti - 358,000

There is not much to say about Mike Lisanti, other than he’s Canadian. Lisanti has no previous WSOP cashes, and his lifetime earnings before this event are barely enough to cover the buy-in. Lisanti enters the final table sixth in chips with a guaranteed minimum payout of $50,705.

Seat 8: J.C. Tran - 273,000

J.C., the original Tran, this man needs no introduction. Twenty-fifth on the all-time money list, along with 17 WSOP cashes and 5 final tables, even a 9th place finish tonight would put J.C.’s lifetime winnings over $6 million while an 8th place finish would put him over a half million dollars in WSOP earnings. Tran comes into this final table, eighth in chips (273,000), exactly where he ended Day 1, and somehow managed to maintain the eighth spot on the leader board right through the final day. Tran already has a WPT Championship title under his belt and is eagerly looking to put a bracelet on his wrist here tonight. 

Seat 9: Alex Bolotin - 345,000

Alex Bolotin is a regular face at the World Series of Poker, most memorable for his second place finish ($504,686) to Bill Edler in last year’s $5,000 NLHE - Six Handed event. Bolotin now has 8 WSOP cashes and a total of 4 final tables. With $730,969 in WSOP cashes, a second place win or better would make Alex Bolotin the newest member of the WSOP-made millionaire’s club. Anything less would just bring him that much closer.