October 30 2012, PokerNews Staff

After a 109-day hiatus, the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table recommenced at the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater in Las Vegas Monday night. It took nearly nine-and-a-half hours of play, but the final nine players of a 6,598-player field was reduced to the final three. Greg Merson, Jacob Balsiger and Jesse Sylvia will return on Tuesday to compete for the $8,527,982 first-place prize.

Here’s how things stacked up at the start of the final table:

It took nearly two hours for the first elimination to occur, and it finally happened on Hand #30. It began when Steve Gee opened to 900,000 under the gun, Merson called, and Russell Thomas came along from the button. On the flop, Gee led out for 1.6 million, Merson folded, and Thomas called, bringing about the on the turn. Again Gee fired another bullet – this one was worth 3.25 million – and Thomas called.

The completed the board and Gee moved all in for 11.35 million. After over five minutes in the tank, Thomas called. Gee stood up from the table and turned over , but it was no good as Thomas turned over to eliminate Gee in ninth place for $754,798.

The next elimination occurred on Hand #65 when action folded to Sylvia in the small blind and he raised all in to put the pressure on a short-stacked Robert Salaburu in the big blind. The latter quickly called off to put himself at risk with , and he was ahead of Sylvia’s .

The flop kept Salaburu in front, as did the turn; however, when the river completed the board with the , the Penn & Teller Theatre went ballistic. Sylvia made the best hand on the river to put an end to Salaburu’s night in eighth place for $971,360.

Five hands later, Merson opened to 1 million under the gun, and short-stacked Michael Esposito moved all in for 10.7 million. Action folded back to Merson and he snap-called.

Showdown
Merson:
Esposito:

The flop was uneventful, but the gave Esposito an ace-high flush draw. Unfortunately for him, the river did not complete it and he was eliminated in seventh place for $1,258,040, while Merson took over the chip lead.

Merson put it too good use, albeit hours later on Hand #109 when action folded to him on the button and he raised to one million. Sylvia then reraised to 2.6 million from the small blind, and Andras Koroknai four-bet to 5.3 million from the big. Merson responded with a five-bet to 9.2 million, Sylvia folded, and Koroknai moved all in. Merson quickly called and he had Koroknai dominated.

Showdown
Koroknai:
Merson:

Jeremy Ausmus

The board ran out and Merson’s cheering section erupted in joy as their man pulled away with 80 million in chips while Koroknai was eliminated in sixth place for $1,640,902.

The next to go was Jeremy Ausmus when he opened to 1.2 million on the button and Sylvia defended his big blind. The flop fell and both players checked. Sylvia checked the on the turn, opening the door for Ausmus to bet 1.5 million. Sylvia proceeded to check-raise to 3.6 million and then called when Ausmus moved all in for 14.5 million.

Showdown
Ausmus:
Sylvia:

Sylvia was ahead with a pair or nines, but Ausmus was drawing to an open-ended straight draw. The dealer burned one last time and put out the – the last card Ausmus would see before making his way to the payout desk in fifth place for $2,155,313 for his fifth-place finish.

On Hand #136, Sylvia was on the button, and the action folded to Thomas, who raised to 1.5 million from the small blind. Balsiger then moved all in from the big blind for effectively 15.825 million, and Thomas tank-called.

Showdown
Thomas:
Balsiger:

Russell Thomas

Balsiger’s rail exploded at the site of his hand, and became even louder after the flop fell . Thomas could double with a nine or running straight or flush cards. The took away a lot of Thomas’ outs, but he could chop with any queen or eight. The river was the and eliminated Thomas in fourth place for $2,851,537 while setting the final three: Merson (88,350,000), Sylvia (62,750,000) and Balsiger (46,875,000).

Tune in on Tuesday: A champion will be crowned Tuesday. Action resumes at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN, so be sure to check your local listings. You can also check out hand-for-hand coverage right here on PokerNews.

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November 07 2011, PokerNews Staff

The biggest spectacle in poker, the World Series of Poker November Nine never disappoints, and Sunday’s game was no exception. After a four-month hiatus, the final nine players of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event converged on the Penn and Teller Theater in the hopes of making it to Tuesday – to be part of the final three. Pius Heinz, Ben Lamb, and Martin Staszko have kept the dream alive and are still in the hunt for the coveted bracelet.

The first elimination of the day came on the 51st hand of the day. Ben Lamb raised to 1.7 million from under the gun. Action folded to Sam Holden in the small blind and he reraised all-in for 11.125 million. Lamb made the call and turned over . Holden’s was dominated. The flop fell giving Lamb top pair and a flush draw. The on the turn left Holden drawing dead and sent him to the rail in ninth place, good for $782,115.

Shortly thereafter, Anton Makiievskyi was eliminated in eighth place. On the 59th hand of play, action folded around to Makiievskyi, who was in the small blind. He open-shoved for 10.5 million and was called by Pius Heinz in the big blind. Makiievskyi, holding was flipping for his tournament life against Heinz’s nines. The flop came down , pairing Makiievskyi’s king and putting him in the lead. The turn changed everything, however, because the fell and gave Heinz a full house. The river brought the , officially sealing Makiievskyi’s fate in eighth place. He pocketed just over $1 million for his efforts.

Heinz had a commanding chip lead after he eliminated Makiievskyi and it only continued to grow throughout the day’s action. The third elimination of the day came when Martin Staszko raised to 1.7 million and a short-stacked Bob Bounahra reraised all-in for 4.475 million. Staszko, who tabled , was ahead of Bounahra’s and stayed that way as the board ran out . Bounahra was sent to the rail in seventh place, good for $1,314,097, and his raucous Belizean contingent followed him out of the Penn and Teller Theater.

Phil Collins, who by the 73rd hand of play, had fallen to the second shortest stack at the table, moved all-in from the button for 13.575 million. He was called by Ben Lamb in the big blind holding . Collins was way behind with . The flop kept Lamb in the lead, but Collins had flopped a backdoor flush draw. The on the turn gave Collins a huge sweat, with a flush draw and an open-ended straight draw. The river kept Collins in the game when the appeared, doubling his chip stack to over 28 million, and sending his rail into boisterous cheers.

Twenty-four hands later, Eoghan O’Dea was crippled in a huge hand against Lamb. Only about two million in chips separated the two when the chips went in the middle preflop. Lamb was at risk and O’Dea was in the lead with against Lamb’s . The kept O’Dea in the lead, as did the on the turn. The river dealt the crushing blow – the – and O’Dea was left with 2.6 million. O’Dea was eliminated two hands later, in sixth place – the same finish his father had in 1983, albeit for a much smaller prize, $43,200. He was all-in preflop with against Martin Staszko who turned over pocket eights. The board was no help for O’Dea who was eliminated and took home $1,720,831.

On the very next hand, the field was reduced to four. Pius Heinz raised to 2.1 million from under the gun. Action folded to Phil Collins who moved all-in for 18.3 million. Heinz made the call, and Collins’ tournament life was on the line. Heinz held and was ahead of Collins’ . The flop gave Collins an open-ended straight draw, but Heinz was still in the lead and stayed there through the turn. Heinz turned a set, but Collins picked up more outs. None of Collins’ outs hit when the fell on the river, eliminating him in fifth place, $2,269,599. Heinz added even more chips to his already monstrous stack.

Play slowed considerably after the dinner break, but only one thing remained constant - Pius Heinz at the top of the leaderboard. However, on hand No. 156, Heinz gave away a few of his chips when he doubled up Martin Staszko. In the hand, Staszko moved all-in over the top of a raise from Heinz, who was under the gun. Heinz made the call and tabled , well ahead of Staszko’s . With the giving Staszko trips, he stayed in the lead through the turn and the river, doubling to 44 million, and leaving Ben Lamb as the short stack.

Lamb was in need of some help to keep his tournament dreams alive, and he ended up getting some at the expense of Matt Giannetti. On hand No. 174, Giannetti raised to 2.6 million from the button. Lamb reraised all-in from the big blind, and Giannetti called the 26.8 million more. Giannetti and his pocket jacks had Lamb, who tabled on the ropes. The flop fell giving Lamb a flush draw. The turn, , brought Lamb’s flush and the river was the meaningless . Lamb doubled to 55 million, and Giannetti was crippled.

Giannetti doubled on the next hand against Staszko but didn’t hold on to those chips for long. Giannetti and Lamb tangled again, but Lamb held the best of it, and Giannetti couldn’t get his pay back. The chips went in the middle preflop on hand No. 178, with Lamb holding kings and Giannetti tabling . The flop sealed Giannetti’s fate when it fell , giving Lamb quads. Giannetti fell in fourth place, pocketing $3,012,700.

His elimination set the stage for Tuesday when the final three players, Lamb, Heinz, and Staszko, will play for poker immortality.

2011 WSOP Main Event Final Table Chip Counts

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