Monday, July 2, 2018 10:59 PM Local Time
Michael Mizrachi Makes PLO GIANT Final Table; Srinivas Balasubramanian Leads
Three weeks ago, Michael Mizrachi became the unprecedented three-time Poker Players' Championship winner. After completing a hattrick in what is widely regarded as the toughest poker tournament in the world, Mizrachi stormed through the last starting flight of Event #11: $365 PLO GIANT.
Mizrachi claimed the overall chip lead in a massive 3,250-entry field, coming back in a stellar position ahead of Day 2. While Mizrachi was at the helm, most of the remaining players came back with shallow stacks and the field was quickly dwindled down. Mizrachi kept crushing, despite having one of the tougher seats in the room with Dzmitry Urbanovich to his left.
Mizrachi, however, kept running good. He was seen scoring a double knockout against aces and kings early in the day. He was grinding a big stack for the vast majority of the day and found a bag ahead of the final table. Arguably the most experienced and accomplished player on the nine-handed table, Mizrachi will undoubtedly be a favorite to take down the $116,015 top prize and his fifth career bracelet and second of this summer.
Mizrachi is sitting in the middle of the pack with 10,150,000, equalling 34 bigs for the first one or two hands. The blinds will raise after two minutes and Mizrachi's current stack will be worth just over 25 big blinds.
Final table seat draw:
Room | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
Brasilia | 1 | Srinivas Balasubramanian | United States | 18,325,000 | 61 |
Brasilia | 2 | James Sievers | United States | 5,450,000 | 18 |
Brasilia | 3 | Robert Cicchelli | Canada | 11,055,000 | 37 |
Brasilia | 4 | Timothy Andrew | Canada | 10,425,000 | 35 |
Brasilia | 5 | Kevin Nomberto | United States | 7,700,000 | 26 |
Brasilia | 6 | Raymond Walton | United States | 3,075,000 | 10 |
Brasilia | 7 | Sandeep Pulusani | United States | 4,375,000 | 15 |
Brasilia | 8 | Pedro Arroyos | United States | 10,550,000 | 35 |
Brasilia | 9 | Michael Mizrachi | United States | 10,150,000 | 34 |
While all eyes will be on Mizrachi tomorrow, there's one player in particular who's already showed that he's willing to battle it out with "The Grinder". Srinivas Balasubramanian will be sitting directly to Mizrachi's left and that's something that might prove to be a huge leverage for the chip leader. Balasubramanian had guarded over a third of all chips at one point, and while he eventually had to settle for 18,325,000, he still holds a huge lead over the remaining field.
Just like Mizrachi, Balasubramanian was maneuvering a big stack practically all day but his most impressive surge came when he knocked out Harry Binda and Robert Dukes in the same hand, flopping trip eights. Since then, Balasubramanian was almost unstoppable and even Mizrachi wasn't able to break Balasubramanian's run.
The two tangled in a colossal pot which saw Balasubramanian three-bet on the turn and Mizrachi raise-call. Mizrachi then called another bet on the river only to lose against a set of eights. That hand saw Mizrachi drop to two big blinds but he managed to spin it back up through two doubles.
So the two main characters of the plot have been set but let's not forget about the other players still in contention. Robert Cicchelli (11,055,000), Pete Arroyos (10,550,000) and Tim Andrew (10,425,000) have all bagged similar stacks to Mizrachi. The rest of the field is short-stacked but anyone can catapult their holdings back up just as Mizrachi showed after today's dinner break when he rose like a phoenix.
Make sure to come back Tuesday, July 3 at 2 p.m. to follow the final outcome. PokerNews will bring live updates from the final table so follow our report to see if Mizrachi claims his No.5 or whether it will be someone else conquering the PLO GIANT.
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:36 PM Local Time
End-of-Day Chip Counts
Srinivas Balasubramanian | 18,325,000 | 16,075,000 |
Robert Cicchelli | 11,055,000 | 6,405,000 |
Pete Arroyos | 10,550,000 | -450,000 |
Tim Andrew | 10,425,000 | 925,000 |
Michael Mizrachi | 10,150,000 | 50,000 |
Kevin Nomberto | 7,700,000 | -1,100,000 |
James Sievers | 5,450,000 | -550,000 |
Sandeep Pulusani | 4,375,000 | 950,000 |
Raymond Walton | 3,075,000 | -150,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:27 PM Local Time
David Bingham Eliminated in 10th Place ($7,880)
From the third position, David Bingham raised pot, making it 1,050,000. He had only 300,000 left behind and called it off after Robert Cicchelli three-bet to 2.5 million on the button.
Bingham:
Cicchelli:
The flop didn't give much hope to Bingham but he hit a pair of tens on the turn. The river gave him two pair and he clapped his hands in excitement. That faded away a few seconds later when he realized that Cicchelli made a flush on the river, eliminating Bingham in 10th place.
The nine remaining players bagged their chips with two minutes left to play in Level 31: 150,000/300,000. The official final table will start Tuesday, July 3, at 2pm local time.
David Bingham | 0 | -3,450,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:22 PM Local Time
Arroyos Check-Raises Mizrachi
Action folded around to the blinds and Pete Arroyos completed the small. Michael Mizrachi checked his option and the two players saw a flop of . Arroyos checked, Mizrachi bet 500,000, and after brief consideration, Arroyos check-raised to 1.5 million. Mizrachi folded in fairly short order and the dealer pushed the pot to Arroyos.
"Feel my heart!" Arroyos exclaimed as he grabbed Mizrachi's hand and put it to his chest. The entire table laughed in response.
Pete Arroyos | 11,000,000 | 4,500,000 |
Michael Mizrachi | 10,100,000 | 250,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:14 PM Local Time
Unofficial Final Table Seat Draw
Seat | Player | Chip Count |
1 | Srinivas Balasubramanian | 22,800,000 |
2 | James Sievers | 6,500,000 |
3 | Robert Cicchelli | 6,500,000 |
4 | Tim Andrew | 10,850,000 |
5 | Kevin Nomberto | 8,000,000 |
6 | Raymond Walton | 3,200,000 |
7 | Sandeep Pulusani | 4,500,000 |
8 | David Bingham | 1,400,000 |
9 | Pete Arroyos | 11,500,000 |
10 | Michael Mizrachi | 9,300,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:11 PM Local Time
Derrick Herron Eliminated in 11th Place ($7,880)
Derrick Herron was all in for 2 million or so, facing off against Tim Andrew.
Andrew:
Herron:
Andrew flopped big on and Herron couldn't recover on the turn and river as Andrew finished with queens full, eliminating his opponent in 11th place.
The remaining players are now taking their seats at the unofficial 10-handed final table.
Derrick Herron | 0 | -5,500,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:05 PM Local Time
Mizrachi Doubles Again
Michael Mizrachi and Derrick Herron had their cards tabled and the flop was out when we got to the table.
Michael Mizrachi:
Derrick Herron:
Herron was in the lead with his aces and Mizrachi needed to improve to stay alive. The fell on the turn to give Mizrachi a lock on the pot with a flush and he took the pot to double up after the hit the river.
Michael Mizrachi | 9,850,000 | 7,150,000 |
Derrick Herron | 5,500,000 | -3,200,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 10:02 PM Local Time
Michal Maryška Eliminated in 12th Place ($7,880)
The cards were already on their backs, the full board was out, and Michal Maryška was standing up to make his exit when we got to the table.
The board read and Derrick Herron had face up in front of him. Maryška had gotten the last of his short stack in preflop and Herron's jacks and deuces were best when the last card fell.
Derrick Herron | 8,700,000 | 850,000 |
Michal Maryška | 0 | -1,400,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 9:56 PM Local Time
Ville Mattila Eliminated in 13th Place ($6,080)
Ville Mattila was in middle position and got the last of his stack in preflop against Derrick Herron in the big blind and Srinivas Balasubramanian in the hijack.
Ville Mattila:
Derrick Herron:
Srinivas Balasubramanian:
The board ran out and Herron took the pot with his flush to double through Balasubramanian and end Mattila's run in this event.
Derrick Herron | 7,850,000 | 4,050,000 |
Srinivas Balasubramanian | 2,250,000 | -24,325,000 |
Ville Mattila | 0 | -2,000,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 9:49 PM Local Time
Mark Darner Eliminated in 14th Place ($6,080)
Kevin Nomberto made it 800,000 on the button and Mark Darner three-bet jammed for 1,550,000 in the small blind.
Nomberto asked how much more it was and then called.
Nomberto:
Darner:
The dealer spread out a board of and Nomberto's nines held, leaving Darner with a payout slip for 14th-place finish.
"I mean, double-suited and a pair. I don't give a s***," Nomberto talked to himself after the hand.
Kevin Nomberto | 8,800,000 | 750,000 |
Mark Darner | 0 | -2,125,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 9:49 PM Local Time
Mizrachi Doubles Up
Michael Mizrachi got his last 1.2 million in preflop from the big blind against Derrick Herron, who was under the gun.
Michael Mizrachi:
Derrick Herron:
Herron had the preflop edge and Mizrachi needed help from the deck to survive. The board ran out and Mizrachi took the pot with a straight to double up.
Michael Mizrachi | 2,700,000 | 1,690,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 9:43 PM Local Time
Maryska Doubles Through Mattila
Action folded to the blinds, Michal Maryska raised from the small, Ville Mattila three-bet from the big, and Maryska called to put himself at risk.
Michal Maryska:
Ville Mattila;
The board ran out and Maryska took the pot with aces up.
Michal Maryška | 1,400,000 | 700,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 9:39 PM Local Time
Level 31 started
Level: 31
Blinds: 150000/300000
Ante: 0
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:47 PM Local Time
Chip Counts at Dinner Break
The 14 remaining players have been sent on a 60-minute dinner break.
Srinivas Balasubramanian | 26,575,000 | 8,175,000 |
Tim Andrew | 9,500,000 | 2,270,000 |
Kevin Nomberto | 8,050,000 | 3,050,000 |
Pete Arroyos | 6,500,000 | -200,000 |
James Sievers | 6,000,000 | -500,000 |
Robert Cicchelli | 4,650,000 | -50,000 |
Derrick Herron | 3,800,000 | -820,000 |
David Bingham | 3,450,000 | -1,050,000 |
Sandeep Pulusani | 3,425,000 | -1,675,000 |
Raymond Walton | 3,225,000 | -235,000 |
Mark Darner | 2,125,000 | -595,000 |
Ville Mattila | 2,000,000 | -240,000 |
Michael Mizrachi | 1,010,000 | -190,000 |
Michal Maryška | 700,000 | -1,840,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:38 PM Local Time
A Big Setback for Mizrachi
With about 750,000 in the pot and the board reading , Sandeep Pulusani bet 310,000 from the small blind, Michael Mizrachi raised to 900,000 from the big blind, and Srinivas Balasubramanian reraised to 4.1 million from the button. Pulusani folded, and after some consideration, Mizrachi called.
The hit the river and Mizrachi quickly checked. Balasubramanian bet 4 million, and after some time in the tank, Mizrachi called. Balasubramanian quickly rolled over for a set of eights, which was best against Mizrachi's , so he took the pot to leave the four-time bracelet winner with less than 2 big blinds.
In the next hand, Mizrachi's last 360,000 went in the middle preflop against Pulusani and Tim Andrew. Both live players checked all the way down the board and Mizrachi flipped over to triple up with sevens full.
Srinivas Balasubramanian | 18,400,000 | 3,200,000 |
Michael Mizrachi | 1,200,000 | -7,000,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:31 PM Local Time
Bingham Doubles Versus Arroyos
Picked up on the flop of , Pete Arroyos checked to David Bingham who shoved for 825,000. Arroyos called, announcing a draw.
Arroyos had but Bingham blocked some of his hearts with .
The turn and river stayed with Bingham and he doubled up.
Pete Arroyos | 6,700,000 | -1,800,000 |
David Bingham | 4,500,000 | 1,650,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:27 PM Local Time
Walton Cracks Aces
Robert Cicchelli made it 675,000 in the hijack and Raymond Walton came along from the small blind.
Walton shoved his remaining 935,000 on the flop and Cicchelli snapped him off.
"I call. I flopped top set," Cicchelli said, turning up . Walton, however, wasn't dead with for a gutter and a flush draw. He filled right on the turn and the was a safe card for Walton's flush.
Robert Cicchelli | 4,700,000 | -2,800,000 |
Raymond Walton | 3,460,000 | 1,260,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:23 PM Local Time
Magnus Martin Eliminated in 15th Place ($6,080)
Action folded to Magnus Martin on the button and he raised. Derrick Herron three-bet from the small blind and the two players got stacks in the middle in a flurry of activity.
Magnus Martin:
Derrick Herron:
Herron was ahead with his aces and Martin needed help from the deck to survive. The board ran out and Herron took the pot with an ace-high flush to end Martin's run in this event.
Derrick Herron | 4,620,000 | 450,000 |
Magnus Martin | 0 | -1,980,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:15 PM Local Time
Randy Holland Eliminated in 16th Place ($4,709)
Pete Arroyos limped from the first position and Mark Darner completed in the small blind. Randy Holland then potted out of the big and Arroyos snap-called. Darner escaped and Holland shoved his last 1,530,000 when the hit the felt. Arroyos called.
Holland:
Arroyos:
The turn gave Arroyos a full house and the river card was the last one Holland would see in the tournament as he departed in 16th place while the rest of the table celebrated a pay jump.
Pete Arroyos | 8,500,000 | 2,600,000 |
Randy Holland | 0 | -2,900,000 |
Monday, July 2, 2018 8:14 PM Local Time
Pulusani Doubles Through Maryska
Tim Andrew limped from early position, Michal Maryska raised the pot from the cutoff to 1.08 million, and Sandeep Pulusani three-bet shoved for 2.45 million from the big blind. Andrew folded, and after asking for a count, Maryska called to put Pulusani at risk.
Michal Maryska:
Sandeep Pulusani:
Pulusani had the advantage with his aces and Maryska needed to improve in order to stack him. The board ran out and Pulusani took the pot to double with aces up.
Sandeep Pulusani | 5,100,000 | -70,000 |
Michal Maryška | 2,540,000 | -2,060,000 |