Tuesday, September 6, 2016 1:43 AM Local Time
Yu defeats Eli Elezra heads-up to win second ring and $170,286.
Las Vegas, NV (September 5, 2016) – It’s tough enough to win a World Series of Poker Circuit main event, but it’s truly astonishing feat when you have to go through one of poker’s most successful players to do it.
Sean Yu went heads-up with Eli Elezra on Monday afternoon in the WSOP Circuit main event at Planet Hollywood. Yu defeated the three-time bracelet winner to win his second career ring. He bested a field of 528 players to take home $170,286, more poker hardware, and an automatic berth into the Global Casino Championship next year.
“It feels amazing,” said Yu after the win. “They run such a great Circuit event here. I’ve been coming out every year and wasn’t successful, but this year, when I started Day 1A, I got crippled down to 3,000 chips [From 20,000 starting stack] and bagged an average stack. Day 2, I bagged up pretty short and was like second from the bottom today. But it just felt like destiny at some point.” Read More....
Here is a look at the final table results:
1st: Sean Yu - $170,286
2nd: Eli Elezra - $105,281
3rd: Daniel Needleman - $76,911
4th: Arianna Son - $57,016
5th: Kevin Calenzo - $42,879
6th: Jake Schindler - $32,710
7th: Brandon West - $25,304
8th: Keith Doering - $19,855
9th: Colin York - $15,800
Monday, September 5, 2016 7:47 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra moves all in for about 1,500,000 on the button, and Sean Yu calls to put him at risk.
Elezra:
Yu:
The board runs out , and Elezra can not catch up. He's eliminated as the runner-up, earning $105,281.
Eli Elezra - 2nd place
Sean Yu wins the Main Event at Planet Hollywood, collecting $170,286, his second gold ring, and an entry into the 2017 WSOP Global Casino Championship. A recap of his victory will be published later this evening.
Sean Yu - Champion
Monday, September 5, 2016 7:40 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 260,000 on the button, and Eli Elezra examines his cards for nearly 20 seconds before declaring that he is all in.
Yu thinks for about 30 seconds and Elezra stacks his chips out in front of him, and then flicks one of the stacks over so that Yu can clearly see the 1,450,000 total.
"I did this because he keeps asking the dealer how much...even though he knows," Elezra says looking directly at Yu.
It's unclear if Yu actually hears Elezra because he asks the dealer, "1,450,000?" The dealer confirms, Yu mucks his cards, and they move on to the next hand.
Eli Elezra - 2,010,000 (16 bb)
Sean Yu - 8,550,000 (71 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 7:25 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 250,000 on the button, and Eli Elezra three-bet shoves for 915,000. Yu calls to put him at risk. Elezra has apparently only seen one card, and he turns over the . Yu tables his complete hand, showing . "Uh oh," Elezra says, squeezing his other card. "Oh, I found a king," he says, revealing .
The flop is , and Yu extends his lead with a set of jacks. Elezra has a gutshot straight draw, though, and he picks up additional outs on the turn, as the gives him a flush draw, as well. The river is the , and Elezra runs down his flush to double up.
Eli Elezra - 1,870,000 (16 bb)
Sean Yu - 8,690,000 (72 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 7:15 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra raises to 310,000 on the button, and Sean Yu calls.
The flop comes . Yu checks, Elezra bets 250,000, and Yu calls.
The turn is the . Yu checks, Elezra bets 450,000, and Yu calls.
The river is the , putting three hearts on the board, and Yu announces that he is all in. Elezra thinks it over over nearly two minutes before ultimately deciding to fold.
Sean Yu - 8,000,000 (66 bb)
Eli Elezra - 2,500,000 (20 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 7:02 PM Local Time
Level: 32
Blinds: 60,000/120,000
Ante: 20,000
Monday, September 5, 2016 6:53 PM Local Time
The two remaining players are now on a 15 minute break. They will return to play 60,000/120,000 blinds with a 10,000 ante.
Here is a look at their stacks coming back:
Sean Yu - 6,935,000 (57 bb)
Eli Elezra - 3,625,000 (30 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 6:45 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 225,000 on the button, and Eli Elezra defends his big blind.
Both players check through the turn of the board. The river is the . Elezra checks again, Yu bets 300,000, and Elezra check-raises to 1,125,000. Yu calls after just a few seconds' consideration.
"Two aces," Elezra announces. Yu takes his cue to show , winning the pot with a flush.
Sean Yu - 6,350,000 (64 bb)
Eli Elezra - 4,210,000 (43 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 6:41 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 225,000 on the button, and Eli Elezra calls.
Both player check the flop.
The turn is the . Elezra leads for 300,000, and Yu calls.
The river is the . Elezra checks, and Yu bets 500,000. Elezra thinks for nearly a minute before cutting out the 500,000 in chips and tosssing them not into the middle, but directly in front of Yu.
Yu shows for a pair of tens to take the pot and Elezra mucks his cards.
Sean Yu - 4,900,000 (49 bb)
Eli Elezra - 5,660,000 (56 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 6:27 PM Local Time
Over the course of the past few orbits, Eli Elezra retook the chip lead in a series of small pots that, by themselves, were insignificant. The most recent one, though, is worth mentioning.
Sean Yu opens the button to 225,000, and Elezra defends his big blind. The flop is . Elezra checks, Yu continues for 275,000, and Elezra calls. Both players check through the turn. The river is the , and Elezra leads for 350,000. Yu calls.
Elezra shows , winning the pot with a pair of kings. He's opened up a chiplead of more than 2:1 as he stacks that pot.
Eli Elezra - 7,410,000 (74 bb)
Sean Yu - 3,150,000 (32 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 6:01 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 225,000 on the button, and Eli Elezra defends his big blind.
The flop is . Elezra checks, Yu continues for 200,000, and Elezra calls. The turn is the , and Elezra check-calls another 400,000. The river is the . Elezra checks for a third time, and Yu bets 1,275,000. Elezra gives it a look for about a minute, but eventually folds. Yu wins the pot, taking the chiplead in the process.
Sean Yu - 5,575,000 (56 bb)
Eli Elezra - 4,985,000 (50 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:52 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra and Sean Yu are heads-up for the ring in the Planet Hollywood Main Event. Here's how they stack up to begin the duel:
Eli Elezra - 5,715,000 (72 bb)
Sean Yu - 4,845,000 (60 bb)
Each of them are guaranteed to earn six figures this evening, with a top prize of $170,286, a gold ring, and a seat in the Global Casino Championship awaiting the winner.
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:52 PM Local Time
Daniel Needleman
Daniel Needleman raises to 300,000 in the small blind, and Eli Elezra counts out his chips and after a minute, announces that he is all in. Needleman snap-calls, and the players table their hands.
Elezra:
Needleman:
By now a crowd of people have started to form, and both Needleman and Elezra are standing up watching closely as the flop comes . The turn is the leaving Needleman's aces in the lead, but the river is the giving Elezra a full house and there are gasps heard around the tournament area.
After a close count it's determined that Elezra has Needleman covered, and he is eliminated in 3rd place.
"Oh man that hurt," Needleman says as he begins to gather his belongings.
Eli Elezra - 5,715,000 (57 bb)
Daniel Needleman - Eliminated in 3rd place for $76,911
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:49 PM Local Time
Level: 31
Blinds: 50,000/100,000
Ante: 10,000
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:41 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 225,000 in the small blind, and Daniel Needleman defends his big blind.
The flop is . Yu continues for 200,000, Needleman raises to 500,000, and Yu calls. The turn is the , and Yu checks. Needleman bets 800,000, Yu check-raises all in for about 2,600,000 total, and Needleman folds. Yu wins the pot, moving back into the chiplead in the process.
Sean Yu - 4,880,000 (61 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 2,150,000 (27 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:29 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra raises to 200,000 on the button, and both Sean Yu and Daniel Needleman call in the blinds.
All three players check the flop.
The turn is the . Yu checks, Needleman bets 400,000, Elezra folds, and Yu announces that he is all in. Needleman quickly calls and turns over for two pair. Yu turns over .
The river is the , giving Yu a straight to win the pot, and Needleman stands up and says, "There goes my tournament," as the dealer and floor staff closely count out Yu's 1,550,000 chips.
Sean Yu - 3,730,000 (46 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 4,440,000 (55 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:23 PM Local Time
Sean Yu opens the button to 200,000, and Eli Elezra three-bet shoves for 1,170,000 in the big blind. Yu calls, putting Elezra at risk.
Yu:
Elezra:
The board runs out , and Elezra wins the flip with jacks up. He doubles up, moving back into second place behind Daniel Needleman.
Eli Elezra - 2,410,000 (30 bb)
Sean Yu - 1,850,000 (23 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:17 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises in the small blind, and Daniel Needleman calls in the big blind.
The flop comes and Yu bets 300,000. Needleman calls.
The turn is the , and both players check.
The river is the . Yu bets 300,000, and Needleman just calls.
Yu turns over for aces and jacks, but Needleman shows for trip aces to take the hand.
Daniel Needleman - 5,780,000 (72 bb)
Sean Yu - 2,275,000 (28 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 5:05 PM Local Time
Daniel Needleman open-shoves the button with his big stack, and Arianna Son calls all in for about 1,100,000 in the big blind, putting herself at risk.
Needleman:
Son:
"Give her a sweat, at least," Needleman pleads. The dealer obliges, running out a flop to give Needleman an open-ended straight draw. The turn is the , and he fills that draw to take the lead with a king-high straight. Son now needs the board to pair to stay alive, but the river is the blank . She's eliminated in fourth place, and Needleman regains the chiplead with that knockout pot.
Daniel Needleman - 5,100,000 (64 bb)
Arianna Son - Eliminated in 4th place for $57,016
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:58 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 200,000 from under the gun, and Daniel Needleman reraises to 500,000 on the button. Yu tanks for nearly two minutes before calling the raise.
Both players check the flop and the turn.
The river is the . Yu checks, Needleman bets, and Yu asks for a count. Upon hearing the 700,000 total, Yu calls.
Needleman turns over for jacks and sixes, but Yu will take the pot with the same two pair and an ace kicker holding .
After this pot, Needleman and Yu are within arms' reach of each other for the chip lead.
Sean Yu - 3,900,000 (48 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 3,800,000 (47 bb)