When the players got down to the heads-up match, a dinner break was taken for half an hour.
Chip counts at the beginning of the heads-up match:
Saro Getzoyan: $1,580,000
Geoff Sanford: $970,000
Off Kilter
One of the legs at the final table must have been too short, because Getzoyan has shown an uncanny ability to collect chips. Sanford and Getzoyan got involved in a huge pot with J 4 2 J 7 out on the table. There was also $800,000 in the pot. Sanford flipped over A Q, but Getzoyan showed dwon pocket tens to take down the massive pot. Sanford was knocked down to just $560,000 after the hand.
Call it a Comeback?
Over the next half hour Sanford fought back to even, and he even took a slight chip lead at one point. On a board of 10 8 6 7 Sanford bet $100,000 and Getzoyan called. The river brought the 10 and Sanford led out again for $100,000. Getzoyan called and Sanford flipped over 8 5. Getzoyan mucked his hand and the chip counts were now $1.5 million to $1.3 million, advantage Sanford.
The Final Countdown
The pendulum of momentum then swung back Getzoyan's way and Sanford was down to $800,000. He was then knocked down to $400,000 with 5 2 2 7 3 on the board. "I'm going to have to pay you off," said Sanford as he made a crying call on the river with $700,000 already in the pot. Getzoyan flipped over A 3 and the prophecy was fulfilled.
Leaving On a Jet Plane
A flop of J 8 4 sat on the table when action was four bet and Sanford was all in. He flipped over 9 8 and Getzoyan turned over Q J. The turn and river cards were dealt Q 7 and Sanford was eliminated in second place. He took home $200,511 in prize money. That made Getzoyan the winner of the $5,000 limit hold'em world championship. He walked away with the gold bracelet and $333,379 in prize money. Getzoyan looked overwhelmed, as he smiled from ear to ear, and displayed the new piece of hardware on his wrist. The celebration will be short for Getzoyan though, he will now attempt to catch a red-eye into Boston for work in the morning.
Geoff Sanford made a preflop raise and Thor Hansen made the call. The flop was dealt A 7 4 and Sanford bet. Hansen raised and Sanford called. The turn brought the J. Hansen led out this time and Sanford bet almost all of his remaining chips. Hansen tanked for a long time, while stacking and re-stacking his chips. He repeated this numerous times and checked his cards. He raised and Sanford made the all-in call. He flipped over K J. Hansen turned over the 7 6 and the 10 was dealt on the river. Sanford doubled up and survived.
Thor Hansen Eliminated in 4th Place ($93,008)
After losing the big hand to Sanford, Hansen moved all in from the big blind against Saro Getzoyan. Hansen showed down A 3 and Getzoyan turned over J 7. The board was dealt 7 6 4 2 7. Hansen was eliminated in fourth place and he took home $93,008 in prize money.
Three Handed Chip Stacks
Action was now down to three handed and the chip counts were as follows:
Saro Getzoyan: $1,200,000
William Thorsson: $750,000
Geoff Sanford: $650,000
Sanford Enters Triples Alley
Sanford three bet the action preflop, which left him with just $60,000. The other two players called and they saw a flop of 10 9 3. Getzoyan checked, and Sanford bet $40,000. Thorsson raised and Getzoyan called. Sanford tossed in his last $20,000. Thorsson and Getzoyan then checked both the 5 and K on the turn and river. Getzoyan turned over J 10 and Sanford flipped over pocket queens. Thorsson mucked and Sanford boosted his stack to $500,000.
William Thorsson Eliminated in 3rd Place ($136,493)
Thorsson had just lost a monster pot to Sanford, and he now held just $50,000. He was then forced to commit all of those chips on his big blind. He flipped over 8 5 and Sanford turned over A 8. The flop was no help to Thorsson and he finished in third place. He took home $136,493 in prize money.
David Gee raised and Saro Getzoyan repopped the starting price. Gee called and the flop was dealt J 6 4. Getzoyan bet and Gee called. The 3 was peeled off the deck on the turn and Gee raised. Getzoyan called and the river brought the 4. Getzoyan flipped over pocket aces, and Gee turned over pocket kings. Gee slammed his fist on the table when fortune failed to smile upon him. The pot gave Getzoyan $880,000 and Gee was knocked down to 100,000.
David Gee Eliminated in 5th Place ($68,850)
Gee moved in the last of his chips with K 7 a few hand later. Hansen called with10 10. Any hope that Gee had of surviving was crushed by the 10 on the river. Gee was eliminated in fifth place and he took home $68,850 in prize money.
Thorsson Grabs The Chip Lead
William Thorsson raised and Sanford made the call. Hansen also called and the flop came Q 8 8 and Thorsson led out. Hansen called and then Sanford raised. Thorsson called, but Hansen evacuated the situation. The K was dealt on the turn and Sanford led out for $60,000. Thorsson raised and Sanford called. The 7 rolled on the river and this time Sanford check-called a bet from Thorsson. Thorsson turned over 8 7 for the full house and Sanford mucked his cards.
Thor Gains Some Thunder
Thor Hansen continued to grow his chip stack during this stretch and he was now close to the chip lead. He already owns two gold bracelets and could add a third here tonight.
Tom Koral limped and David Gee checked. The flop was dealt 10 9 7 and Gee check-raised Koral, who made the call. The turn brought the Q and Gee bet the remainder of his chips. Koral called and Gee turned over 10 9 for two pair. Koral flipped over Q J, but he received no help when the 5 hit on the river. Gee doubled up on the hand to survive.
Polite Clap
The atmosphere surrounding the limit hold’em world championship is a unique one to say the least. First of all, it was shoved into a corner behind the ‘No Limit Lounge' and right next to the World Series of Poker Live set. It is also peculiarly quiet as play continues into the evening. The crowd might be better suited to the links of Augusta at the Masters, than they are for the Rio. We’ll see if this changes, as excitement should increase with more eliminations.
Tom Koral Eliminated in 6th Place ($54,356)
David Gee raised $40,000 and Tom Koral made the call. The flop came 10 8 2, and Koral checked. Gee bet and Koral check-raised. Gee called and 9 was dealt on the turn. Koral bet the last of his chips and Gee called. When the dust settled, Koral was all in and he flipped over pocket sevens. Gee made a straight with the nine on the turn and Koral was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $54,356 in prize money.
Geoff Sanford Doubles Up
Geoff Sanford raised from the button and Thor Hansen called in the big blind. Hansen called Sanford down on every street, while the board was dealt 7 3 2 7 8. Sanford was all in at this point and turned over J 8. Hansen mucked.
The flop was dealt K10 2 and Gabriel Nassif raised. Geoff Sanford and Nassif then reraised each other until all of Nassif’s chips were in the pot. Sanford flipped over A K and Nassif turned over K 9. The turn and river brought the A 5 to give Sanford the pot. Nassif was eliminated in ninth place and he took home $21,742.
Don Todd Eliminated in 8th Place ($30,198)
Geoff Sanford bet $30,000 and Don Todd reraised from the big blind. Sanford called and the flop was dealt 8 6 3. Todd was all in after a series of raising took place. Todd flipped over A K. Sanford turned over pocket threes. An ace was peeled off the deck on the turn, but it was not enough for Todd, who was eliminated in eighth place when no help came on the river either. He took home $30,198 in pirze money.
Ray Dehkharghani Eliminated in 7th Place ($41,069)
Ray Dehkharghani had been crippled on the hand before when his pocket aces got cracked. Dehkharghani then raised a bet from William Thorsson in the small blind. Dehkharghani bet in the dark and the flop was dealt J 5 3 and Thorsson called. The 6 was dealt on the turn and Dehkhargani moved all in. Thorsson made the call. He flipped over KQ and Dehkharghani showed down K 9. The river card was no help and Dehkharghani was eliminated in seventh place. He took home $41,069 in prize money.
The players were then sent on a fifteen minute break.
4
2
J
out on the table. There was also $800,000 in the pot. Sanford flipped over A
6
4
. Hansen led out this time and 
was dealt on the river. 
