Event #46: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better

Ladies and gentlemen, we finally have a winner.

We came back today with a daunting 21 players, and after play was delayed for some time owing to Erik Seidel playing the Tournament of Champions, it was doubtful whether we'd make it at all and it was suggested for a while that we might have to come back tomorrow to play down to a winner.

Bearing all this in mind, it's actually been a remarkably speedy final.

The nine gentlemen who made it as far as the official final had an extraordinary 13 bracelets between them - three in the hands of Perry Green, eight for Erik Seidel and one apiece for Dave Ulliott and Rob Hollink - and that number has now been upped to 14. Chris Bell already had an impressive record before he reached this final table, including three WSOP final tables, but now he has achieved the fondest dream of every poker player - his first WSOP bracelet.

As the Rio cleaners vaccuum around us, it's a bunch of extremely happy railers who pose around their boy Chris Bell - particularly happy and proud is Gavin Smith, who of course won his own first bracelet last night. And indeed it's been a notably amicable, jovial and well-supported final. The chip lead changed hands many times over the course of the night and any of our finalists would have made a worthy champion. This one, however, belongs to Bell.

From Event #46, it's thank you and good night.

Wow, we almost went a whole night at the final table with James "Flushy" Dempsey without hearing it, but in retrospect it was never really going to happen.

"He's a doctor!" came a lone chant from the rail - the theme tune to Dempsey's bracelet win. Some giggling ensued.

The gentleman at the Shak rail who earlier had the questionable sense of balance just now attempted to order some pizza. He walked over to the Bell rail to ask them what they wanted.

"What are you doing?" cried another Shak railer, "They're the enemy!"

It's all love here, though, and orders were taken. "Please be open, please be open..." he prayed to the telephone gods as he called the one pizza delivery number he had, but to no avail. The rail shall remain hungry, as will the media and floor staff who were hoping to cadge some when it arrived.

If anyone knows of any all-night pizza emporia in Vegas that deliver, please get in touch.

Play began, in silence. The rail was not impressed.

"Can we have some announcing please?" called over a gentleman whose name we understand is Michael.

Announcer Shawn obliged.

"Dan limps on the button, Chris checks his option, Michael annoys the announcer. Flop is five-jack-ace, Chris bets, Dan folds. Chris wins the pot."

Dan Shak, at least, was amused.

"Can you say something else than 'Chris wins the pot'?"

Silence.

"Guess not. Let it be said I still have a sense of humor."

Over at the rail, the gentleman who earlier fell over spectacularly did it again, we think on purpose this time.

Here's hoping it's the last one of the night.

Both players limped and checked their way to the turn of a      board when Chris Bell bet out 100,000. Dan Shak now raised pot. Back to Bell, who reraised to 960,000 with just 700,000 behind. Everyone crowded around the table.

But after Shak had spent a few moments pulling faces, he folded and the heads up continued.

Shak is down to 1.5 million after that Bell is up to 2.6 million.

Someone at the rail is now playing country music on their phone for entertainment or perhaps to help keep them awake at this late hour. Either way it is giving the otherwise deserted Amazon Room a surreal air of tinny jauntiness, like a truck stop around about dawn when you've been driving all night. Everyone who is still awake seems to be rather enjoying it.

Pre-flop raises have been rare since we started heads-up. Dan Shak did just raise his button to 180,000, with Chris Bell calling. Bell checked and called another 200,000 on a flop of    . That call was enough to cause Shak to completely shut down. Both players checked the   turn and the   river. At showdown Bell showed three jacks,     , to claim the pot.

Dan Shak limped in on the button and Chris Bell checked his option - no particular change there. They saw a flop.

Flop:    

Bell checked and Shak bet pot. Bell called after just a shortish pause.

Turn:  

Bell checked again and Shak bet pot once more - this time pot constituted 360,000. Bell tanked up for several minutes before he flat-called, leaving himself just 465,000 behind. Everyone held their breath.

River:  

Bell moved all in. Shak called, and then promptly announced, "Unbelievable," and walked away from the table.

Shak:      for two pair on the flop

Bell:      for a higher two pair on the river

When Shak returned to the table he paid up. "How'd you make that call?" he said. "Nice hand."

Said Bell, "You don't have to have the nuts every time."

A short discussion ensued about what various draws and outs they had both had, but the upshot was the same - the stacks are even once again and we could be here a long while yet.

Dan Shak raised pot and Chris Bell called - a promising start.

Both players reverted to checking on the     flop, and Bell checked the   turn as well. Shak, however, bet pot again, and Bell gave it up.