Event #35: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed

Josh Arieh is no stranger to the spotlight of a final table at the World Series of Poker. He won a bracelet in 1999, finished runner-up in a $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event a year later, and most notably finished third in the 2004 WSOP Main Event for $2.5 million the year Greg Raymer took down poker's most prestigious title.

A year later, Arieh won his second bracelet and he has since made four other final tables, including a fourth-place finish in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout at the end of May.

Currently contending for his third bracelet and near the top of the chip counts in the final eight of this $5,000 Eight-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event, we felt Arieh would be the perfect candidate for the PokerNews Final Table Interview.

PokerNews: You've been at the Main Event final table and a number of others, including your bracelet wins and a fourth place finish already this year in the Shootout. Are these final tables old hat for you, or is this still exciting?

It's always exciting. I love playing when there's a lot of pressure and I don't get to do it too often, so this is a lot of fun.

PokerNews: Speaking of pressure, knowing you have a ton of final table experience here, is it your goal to pick on players who might not have as much?

In a lot of the $1,000s and $1,500s, yeah, but this is a $5,000 event where everybody is a really good player. So they might make a little mistake, but they're not really going to make a big mistake.

PokerNews: So what is your plan against these players right now?

Just to see how the chips fall. It's so dependent on where the stacks are and who has got what. I just try to catch good cards, try to lean on some shorter stacks and hopefully get lucky.

PokerNews: You were certainly one of the stars of the post-Moneymaker poker boom making the final table the very next year, but it seems lately you've moved away from the game a little and have turned this into a part-time vocation. What have you been up to?

I play a lot of golf and I play poker once a week at home in a home game. I try to spend as much time with my kids and my family and enjoy them. I've always said that I want to play poker to live, not live to play poker, so I try my best at that. I love playing, so I still get carried away sometimes, especially this month because I really enjoy competing at the World Series.

PokerNews: It's shaping up to be a really good series for you so far. To what do you attribute all this recent success?

I'm running really good. I'm thinking clearly and I'm not making a lot of little mistakes like I used to.

I feel like I haven't gone into autopilot at all in any tournament. I used to be a big victim of getting into autopilot and playing all the cards. I just feel like this year, I've continued to think through all situations, try to pay a lot of attention to every hand and try to keep track of how I think everybody's different feelings at the table are.

I guess it's working. I've made a lot of deep runs. I'm a few coin flips from a bunch of different cashes, but I'm happy, I'm playing well and I'm enjoying myself.

The players are in the midst of a 20-minute break.

Brian Yoon	3,035,000	-15,000
Josh Bergman	1,541,000	-132,000
Josh Arieh	1,165,000	345,000
Dan Smith	735,000	-65,000
Mustapha Kanit	566,000	-111,000
Ardit Kurshumi	540,000	20,000
Tony Cousineau	369,000	-73,000
Timo Pfutzenreuter	305,000	-135,000

Hand #25: Tony Cousineau raised to 49,000 in early position and received no action.

Hand #26: Brian Yoon raised to 45,000 in middle position, Josh Arieh called from the big blind and the flop came down    . Arieh check-called 55,000 from Yoon, the   hit the turn and Arieh led for 85,000. Yoon called and the   river completed the board. Arieh bet 160,000 and Yoon called immiediately.

Arieh tabled    for two pair, but was bested on the river by Yoon's   .

Hand #27: Josh Arieh raised to 45,000 on the button and took the blinds and antes.

Hand #28: Josh Bergman raised to 41,000 in the hijack and Dan Smith called from the big blind.

The flop fell     and Smith check-folded to a bet of 41,000 from Bergman.

Hand #29: Dan Smith limped from the small blind, Brian Yoon checked his option and the flop came down    . Smith bet 20,000, Yoon called and both checked the   turn. The   river completed the board and Smith check-folded to a bet of 50,000 from Yoon.

Brian Yoon	3,050,000	475,000
Josh Arieh	820,000	-280,000

Hand #23: Dan Smith raised to 46,000 from the cutoff and Mustapha Kanit three-bet all in for exactly 200,000 from the small blind. Smith called.

Smith:   
Kanit:   

The board ran out      , further improving Kanit's hand to a straight to give him the double up.

Dan Smith	800,000	-230,000
Mustapha Kanit	444,000	206,000

Hand #15: Dan Smith raised to 45,000 in the cutoff, a very short-stacked Mustapha Kanit moved all in from the small blind, and Smith either called or had the all-in bet covered with his original raise, and turned over   .

Kanit showed   , and made a pair of threes on the       board to double.

Hand #16: Brian Yoon raised to 45,000 in the cutoff, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #17: Smith raised to 47,000 in middle position, Kanit moved all in for 92,000 in the cutoff, and Smith called.

Smith:   
Kanit:   

Kanit called for the  , and the dealer delivered, fanning    . The turn and river bricked out   , and the Italian doubled once again.

Hand #18: Timo Pfutzenreuter moved all in from the cutoff, and received no callers.

Hand #19: Pfutzenreuter raised to 40,000 in the hijack seat, and again no one called.

Dan Smith	1,030,000	-230,000
Mustapha Kanit	238,000	208,000

Hand #11: Timo Pfutzenreuter raised to 40,000 from the hijack, Josh Arieh three-bet to 85,000 on the button and Pfutzenreuter folded.

Hand #12: Josh Arieh raised to 45,000 from the cutoff and Dan Smith defended his big blind.

They checked to the turn of a      board where Smith check-folded to bet a of 35,000 from Arieh.

Hand #13: Josh Arieh raised to 45,000 from the hijack and Brian Yoon called out of the big blind.

They checked to the turn of a      board where Yoon bet 55,000. Arieh folded.

Hand #6: Brian Yoon raised to 40,000 out of the small blind, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #7: Josh Arieh raised to 33,000 in early position, Ardit Kurshumi three-bet to 82,000 on his direct left, and no one called.

Hand #8: Yoon raised to 35,000 in the cutoff, winning the blinds and antes.

Hand #9: Josh Bergman raised to 40,000 out of the small blind, Arieh three-bet to 96,000 in the big blind, and Bergman folded.

Hand #10: Yoon raised to 35,000 in middle position, Kanit three-bet to 93,000 in the hijack, and Bergman cold four-bet to 151,000 on the button. There was a little bit of confusion as to what the amount of the four-bet should be - Bergman put out less than a legal raise - and the amount was eventually determined.

Yoon quickly folded, Kanit five-bet to 285,000, and Bergman moved all in for 795,000. Kanit snap-called.

Bergman:   
Kanit:   

Bergman was once again trailing with queens against kings, but he flopped a set when the dealer fanned    . He improved to quads with the case-queen ( ) on the turn, and a meaningless   completed the board.

Josh Bergman	1,673,000	793,000
Mustapha Kanit	240,000	-800,000

From early position, Nick Grippo raised to 32,000 and Josh Bergman reraised all in for around 310,000 effectively. Grippo snapped with the    and was ahead of Bergman's   .

The flop came down    , and Grippo stayed in front. The turn was the  , and the river delivered the  . With that river, Bergman smashed a set of queens to win the pot and sent Grippo to the rail in ninth place.

Josh Bergman	880,000	350,000
Nick Grippo	0	-310,000

Timo Pfutzenreuter raised to 32,000 from the cutoff seat, Josh Arieh called from the small blind, and Justin Kindred reraised all in for about 310,000 from the big blind. After Pfutzenreuter folded, Arieh called with the   . Kindred had the   .

The       board gave Arieh the win and sent Kindred out the door in 10th place.

Josh Arieh	1,035,000	290,000
Justin Kindred	0	-380,000