August 30 2012, Rich Ryan

On Wednesday, after four days of battle at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California, the final six players returned for Day 5 of the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker. Josh Hale held a commanding chip lead with over 7.3 million chips. His closest competitor, Greg Mueller, began the day with almost 3.5 million chips.

WPT Legends of Poker Final Table

According to the World Poker Tour Live Updates team, on the 20th hand of the final table, the action folded to Max Steinberg, who called out of the small blind. Jeff Madsen, commanding the shortest stack at the table, moved all in from the big blind. Steinberg called with , dominating Madsen’s . Then the flop, turn and river came , eliminating Madsen in sixth place with $75,400.

On Hand #56, the third hand of Level 30 (50,000/100,000/10,000), Mueller moved all in from under the gun for around 2 million. Action folded to Steinberg in the small blind and he tanked before reshoving all in. Raouf Malek surrendered his big blind and the hands were opened to a classic race situation with Mueller’s slightly ahead of Steinberg’s , and the flop kept Mueller in the lead. The turned, however, giving Steinberg a better pair and the completed the board. Mueller was eliminated in fifth place, taking home $97,100.

Four hands later, Malek doubled through Ali Eslami, leaving Eslami with just 120,000 chips (less than two big blinds). The action started when Hale raised to 210,000 from under the gun. Eslami called on the button, and Malek moved all in for 2.4 million from the big blind. Hale folded, and Eslami tank-called. Eslami’s was dominated by Malek’s , and the board ran out .

Miraculously, in the next six hands, Eslami doubled, tripled, then doubled again, rocketing his stack up to over 1.5 million chips. On the seventh hand after being crippled, Eslami effectively three-bet jammed (he left one chip behind as a card protector) over a raise from Malek and a call from Hale. Malek tank-folded, Hale quickly called, and Eslami’s were way ahead of Hale’s . The board came , and suddenly Eslami was back up to 3.4 million chips (34 big blinds).

Hale, who had been dominating, dropped to 6.5 million chips, and on the 74th hand lost another sizable pot to Eslami. For the first time at the final table, Hale was not the chip leader.

Hale’s stack continued to drop, and he was even all-in and at risk on Hand #87 against Malek. Hale’s out-raced Malek’s as the board came , giving Hale the chip lead once again. Malek was now up against the ropes, but then he tripled up through Hale and Eslami two hands later when both players held kings! Malek’s was of course trailing, but he spiked an ace on the turn to stay alive.

Finally, nearly 40 hands after Mueller was eliminated in fifth place, Eslami bowed out in fourth. Hale limped the button with the blinds at 60,000/120,000/20,000, and Eslami moved all in from the small blind. Steinberg asked for a count, then reshoved from the big blind. Hale folded. It was another race with Eslami holding and Steinberg . There was a king on the flop, giving Steinberg a commanding lead, and the turn and river came , , respectively. Eslami was eliminated but earned $133,700 for his efforts.

Malek, Hale, and Steinberg battled back and forth three handed, but Steinberg maintained the chip lead throughout. On Hand #119, Malek opened to 300,000 on the button, and Steinberg defended his big blind. The flop was , Steinberg checked, and Malek continued for 325,000. Steinberg called. The turn was the , and both players checked. The completed the board, and Steinberg led out for 900,000. Malek raised to 3 million, and Steinberg moved all in. Malek called with for a king-high straight, but Steinberg turned over for Broadway, eliminating Malek in third place ($192,400).

Heads Up Chip Counts

On the 13th hand of heads-up play, after chipping up a bit, Hale received a monster double-up. The blinds were 100,000/200,000/25,000 when Steinberg raised to 500,000 on the button. Hale called, and the flop came . Hale checked, Steinberg fired 550,000, and Hale moved all in for just under 5 million. Steinberg called with for tens and sixes, and Hale showed for a naked flush draw. The turn was red, but the was no help to Hale. The spiked on the river however, and Hale took down the pot with a flush, taking a near two-to-one chip lead.

Hale never looked back, and on Hand #145, it was all over. Hale raised to 550,000 with the blinds at 125,000/250,000/25,000. Steinberg quickly moved all in for 3.25 million, and Hale snapped it off. Hale tabled , and Steinberg showed . The board ran out , and Hale was the champion of the 2012 WPT Legends of Poker.

WPT Legends of Poker Final Table Payouts

Along with a half million dollars, Hale has earned a seat in the 2013 WPT World Championship. This concludes PokerNews’ recap coverage from the WPT Legends of Poker. We’ll see you next time at the Aviation Club in Paris, France.

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August 29 2012, Donnie Peters

Tuesday was Day 4 of the $3,500 buy-in World Poker Tour Legends of Poker Main Event, and 18 players returned to action. When play was all said and done, six contenders remained at the official WPT televised final table. Josh Hale leads the group with with 7.325 million in chips. Joining him are notables Greg Mueller, Ali Eslami and Jeff Madsen.

WPT Legends of Poker Final Table

The action kicked off around 1300 PDT (2100 BST) and within about a half an hour, the first player was eliminated as Joseph Cheong hit the rail in 18th place. According to the WPT Live Updates team, Cheong was all in during he first level of the day with the blinds at 10,000/20,000/3,000 holding the . He was up against the of Jim Willerson. The board ran out and Willerson’s straight was the winner.

After Cheong was eliminated, Efren Abustan, Antonios Roungeris and Sam Barnhart hit the rail. The last of that group, Barnhart, fell to Hale during Level 24 with the blinds at 12,000/24,000/4,000. As reported, Barnhart got the in preflop against the for Hale. The flop, turn and river ran out and Barnhart was eliminated.

It was then time for Ramzi Srour, Alan Myerson, Cyrus Farzad and David Marshall to go. On the hand in which Marshall busted, Hale was against the one yielding the sword and gained a massive chip lead with the pot.

The blinds had increased to Level 25 at 15,000/30,000/5,000 when a flop of fell in the middle of the felt. Hale checked and Marshall bet 160,000. Hale check-raised Marshall’s bet to 450,000, but Marshall had other things in mind and moved all in for approximately two million. Hale was holding bottom set with and quickly made the call. Marshall held . Marshall didn’t find the miracle, come-from-behind victory she was looking for as the turn and river completed the board with the and .

That pot vaulted Hale to a huge chip lead with nearly five million in chips and sent the tournament to the final table of 10. To give you an idea of how big Hale’s lead was exactly, when the player redrew to one table of 10 and the stacks were counted, Hale’s closest competitors were Eslami and Madsen, both with 1.48 million. Hale had about 3.5 million more than either one.

After the redraw, it took 12 hands before Art Alaniz fell in 10th place. Jesse Martin then exited in ninth, followed by Stephen Granerp in eighth place, and with seven players left, the official WPT final table bubble had arrived.

Graner went out on the 76th hand of the final table and the bubble lasted just three hands from there. Willerson, the man who had eliminated Cheong as the first elimination of the day, fell in seventh place. With the blinds at 30,000/60,000/10,000, Max Steinberg raised from under the gun to 150,000. Willerson reraised all in for 1.025 million and then Hale reshoved for roughly six million. Everyone folded back to Steinberg, and he also gave it up.

When the hands were tabled, Willerson showed , but had unfortunately run into the of Hale. The flop came down and Willerson was still behind. He was looking for a king or running clubs to stay alive, but the on the turn meant only a king would do it on the river. The dealer burned one last time before slapping the on the river, which eliminated Willerson in seventh place. For his finish, he took home $60,400.

Hale will begin the final table with 7.325 million in chips and the button. He has over double Mueller’s second-place stack and what looks to be a stranglehold on the tournament. Surely, he’s in the best position to take the title, but each of the other five competitors want the $500,000 first-place prize just as badly. None of these players have earned a WPT title before and only Mueller and Eslami have made an official WPT final table before, placing fourth and sixth, respectively.

The final table is scheduled to have cards in the air at 1600 PDT (0000 BST) and you can be sure to find the complete recap of the action right here on PokerNews following the completion of play.

Photo and data courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.

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