Five Masseuses Are Better Than One

Professional masseuses are available to players during the WSOP at the rate of $2 per minute. During the last break of Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em), Billy Kopp hired five masseuses to give his friend Ryan Welch a massage to loosen him up for his heads-up match. At $10 a minute, it would cost $200 for the entire 20-minute break. But if Welch can go on to win the WSOP bracelet, it'll seem like a bargain.

Friends on the Rail

Jon Eaton (foreground, left) had some strong support on the rail during the final table of Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em), including (from left to right in the front row) Matt Stout, Alex Bolotin, and Chris Moorman.

Jon Eaton Spikes a Straight on the River to Double Up

Ryan Welch had built up a big chip lead, and Jon Eaton (pictured) moved all in with A-J of hearts. Welch called with K-Q of hearts. The flop came Qs-8c-10h to give Welch a pair of queens to Eaton's double-gutshot straight draw. The 6h on the turn gave Eaton even more outs as he picked up a heart flush draw. Eaton needed an ace, a king, or any heart to stay alive -- Welch would win the WSOP bracelet with any other card. The last card was the 9d, giving Eaton a queen-high straight to win the pot and double his stack back to even with Welch.

Bracelet on the Table

As always, the bracelet is put on the table to remind the players what they're playing for. Just beyond the community cards, it's hard for the players to miss as they constantly look at flops.

Jon Eaton vs. Ryan Welch

Jon Eaton (left) and Ryan Welch face off for the bracelet in Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em). The two players have a lot of the same friends, and quite a few railbirds said they'd be happy no matter who won. Of course, it mattered a great deal to Eaton and Welch, both of whom were playing for their first WSOP bracelet.

Straight Flush For Eaton Eliminates Darcourt

After a flop of 9h-6c-5c, Guillaume Darcourt three-bet all in with 8-6 for a pair of sixes with a gutshot straight draw, and Jon Eaton called with 7c-4c for an open-ended straight-flush draw. The 8c on the turn clinched the pot for Eaton with a straight flush, and Darcourt was eliminated in third place, earning $223,459. Talk about momentum -- Eaton hits a straight flush to enter heads-up play with a 3-to-2 chip lead.

Guillaume Darcourt Runs Good Early

Frenchman Guillaume Darcourt is all smiles early on at the final table of Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em). With four players remaining, he was the massive chipleader, and he had a large number of vocal supporters on the rail, making this one of the more raucous final tables of the 2010 WSOP.

Will "The Thrill" Failla Out in Fourth Place

Will "The Thrill" Failla is a professional poker player from the East Coast at the second WSOP final table of his career in Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em). Failla would fall short of winning his first bracelet, busting out in fourth place to earn $163,532.

Former Tournament Reporter Jon Eaton

Jon Eaton is a professional poker player, at the final table of Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em), but back in 2005 he actually worked the WSOP as a tournament reporter. Eaton sat on media row providing detailed coverage of the final table action, and now, in 2010, Eaton is competing for a bracelet of his own.

Final Table of Event #51

The final table of Event #51 ($3,000 Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold'em). This event replaced the rebuy tournaments that used to be a part of the WSOP; the triple-chance aspect offers similar bust-and-stay-in-the-tournament options while still providing an unchanging buy in. The problem with rebuy events is that they give an advantage to rich players who can afford to go crazy with multiple buyins in the early levels. The players, in seat order: (1) Bradley Craig, (2) Guillaume Darcourt, (3) Sergey Lebedev, (4) Jon Eaton, (5) Tad Jurgens, (6) Noel Scruggs, (7) Will "The Thrill" Failla, (8) Tommy Vedes, and (9) Ryan Welch.