David Pham Eliminated in Fourth Place

David Pham caught a few cards during today's final table but never seemed to have any customers.  His final hand saw him putting it in with K Q against Shawn Keller's Q 9 on a J 9 5 flop.  Pham couldn't connect with his outs when the turn and river came 8 8, and Pham was our fourth place finisher.  He took home $62,906 for his efforts. 

Three Handed Play Begins

Three handed play began with the players more or less even in chips.  One particularly interesting hand came up between Brandon Wong and Alex Borteh.  Wong raised on the button with A Q and Alex Borteh reraised from the small blind with the A 7.  Wong put in one more raise and Borteh called.  The flop came down 7 4 2 and Borteh check raised Wong.  Wong made the call and both players saw the A hit the turn.  Interestingly, Borteh checked his Aces up.  Then Wong decided to check behind as well.  The river was the 9 and Wong just called Borteh's bet, mucking his hand and giving Borteh the huge pot.  It was clear on the turn that Borteh knew he had Wong reverse dominated based on the preflop four bet.  To his credit, he made a very tricky check on the turn.  But to Wong's credit, he sensed that hitting his Ace may have gotten him into more trouble and checked behind.  This hand was a clear example of the fine play that both players exhibited throughout the final table.  It was no surprise that they both made it to heads up play. 

Shawn Keller Eliminated in Third Place

In Keller's final hand, he raised on the button with 10 8.  Borteh made the call and the flop came A 8 6.  Borteh check raised Keller, making him think for awhile before reluctantly reraising all in.  Borteh called, showing K-8.  The turn left Keller drawing dead with the K and the river gave him a too little, too late 10.  Shawn Keller played well, but was ultimately unable to join his twin brother Thomas "Thunder" Keller amongst the elite bracelet holders.  He received $92,316 for his third place finish. 

Heads Up Play Begins

Heads up play saw many back and forth hands, with Borteh catching the best of it most of the time.  After grinding Wong down to his last $100,000 or so, Borteh got it in with K 6 against Wong's Q 8.  The board came 9 9 6 K X and Borteh took down the $3,000 Limit Hold'em Event.  Borteh takes home the bracelet and $225,483 while Wong takes the consolation prize of $135,615. 

Despite his slow, methodical style, Borteh clearly deserved this victory.  Coming into today as the chipleader it may have seemed to the casual observer that his deliberate playing style was rather passive.  But looks can be deceiving, as Borteh played an aggressive and determined game to capture the bracelet.  While some may argue that Borteh overanalyzed  and took awhile to make what seemed to be ABC calls, it is clear that it made the difference in this contest. 

It's a battle of the short-stacks when Alexander Borteh comes in for a raise and Matthew Kelly re-raises. Borteh calls and the flop comes K Q 10. Kelly bets, Borteh calls, and the turn brings the Q. Out of options and virtually out of chips, Kelly bets all-in with 7 7 and  Borteh calls with Q 9. The river brings the 6, no help to Matthew Kelly as he is eliminated in 5th place and will earn $46,567.

Vivek Rajkumar raises the pot with A 7 and gets a call from Brandon Wong with 8 6. The flop comes 8 5 3 and Wong checks to Rajkumar who bets outs. Wong check-raises the flop and Rajkumar makes the call. The turn brings the Q and Wong bets out first this time. Rajkumar re-raises all-in and Wong quickly calls. The river brings the 8, no help to Rajkumar as he is eliminated in 6^th place ($36,763).

Players are on a short fifteen minute break.

 

Vivek Rajkumar raises the pot with 10 10 and Michael Byrne re-raises with 7 7. Shawn Keller calls two bets cold with A K and Rajkumar three-bets the pot. Byrne calls all-in and Keller calls the raise behind him. The flop comes K J 3, and Keller bets and Rajkumar calls. The turn brings the Q, and once again Keller bets and Rajkumar makes the call. The river brings the 6 and Keller bets out, but this time Rajkumar lets it go. Keller wins both the side and the main pot, eliminating Michael Byrne in 7^th place ($27,777).

Vivekk Rajkumar raises from the button with A-5 and Petri Pollanen calls out of the small blind with A Q. The flop comes 9 5 6, and Pollanen bets $10,000 and Rajkumar just smooth calls. The turn brings the 3 and Pollanen bets $20,000, Rajkumar raises to $40,000, and Pollanen re-raises all-in. The river brings the 7, no help to Pollanen and he is eliminated in 9^th place, receiving $14,705.