Event #46: $50,000 Poker Players Championship

Omaha 8

Brandon Shack-Harris raised to 120,000 from the hijack and Frank Kassela called from the button. Abe Mosseri came along from the big blind and three players took a flop of    . Mosseri led out for 60,000, Shack-Harris raised to 120,000, and Kassela flatted. Mosseri opted to get out of the way and it was heads-up action to the   turn.

Shack-Harris bet 120,000, Kassela called, and the   completed the board on the river. This time Shack-Harris checked and folded when Kassela bet 120,000.

Brandon Shack-Harris	4,520,000	-130,000
Frank Kassela	1,700,000	215,000

Stud

Chu Lei Zhou completed with the   and then called when Jesse Martin raised with the  . Zhou then check-called a bet on fourth before both players checked fifth and sixth. Zhou then bet on seventh and Martin made a quick call.

Zhou:      /    
Martin:      /    

Zhou had fives and sixes, but it was no good as Martin had a better two pair with tens and nines.

Chun Lei Zhou	1,550,000	-400,000
Jesse Martin	1,025,000	275,000

Stud

Brandon Shack-Harris completed with the   and Jesse Martin called with his  . Shack-Harris then check-called a bet on fourth before leading out for 120,000 on fifth. Martin called and then check-called another 120,000 on sixth. That action repeated itself and the cards were revealed.

Shack-Harris:      /    
Martin:    /      /  

Shack-Harris rolled over a flush, and it was good as Martin scooped up his cards and sent them to the muck.

Brandon Shack-Harris	5,275,000	565,000
Jesse Martin	370,000	-350,000

No-Limit Hold'em

Abe Mosseri raised to 65,000 in the hijack seat, Chun Lei Zhou reraised to 175,000 on his direct left, and Brandon Shack-Harris bumped it all the way up to 425,000 on the button.

The action folded back to Mosseri, who quickly folded as well, and Zhou went deep into the tank. He eventually emerged with a fold, and Shack-Harris silently dragged the pot.

Brandon Shack-Harris	4,710,000	129,000
Abe Mosseri	2,970,000	-430,000
Chun Lei Zhou	2,520,000	-280,000

There were no significant happenings during the seven hands of 2-7 triple draw, and the remaining six players are now cruising in the Cadillac of poker: no-limit hold'em.

Stud 8

Jesse Martin brought it in with the  , John Hennigan completed with the  , and Melissa Burr moved all in for 31,000. The action folded back to Hennigan, who called.

Hennigan:    /      /  
Burr:    /      /  

Burr started off with four hearts, but it didn't matter when Hennigan made quads by fifth street. Burr, the first woman to cash and make the final table of the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship received a big round of applause as she exited the Mothership, and she'll earn $165,435 for her efforts.

John Hennigan	1,940,000	62,000
Melissa Burr	0	-31,000

Stud 8

Frank Kassela:    /      /  
Abe Mosseri:    /      /  

Kassela brought it in, Mosseri completed, and Kassela made the call. Mosseri check-called a bet on fourth street, both players knuckled on fifth, and Mosseri led out on sixth. Kassela called.

Kassela called one last bet on seventh street, then mucked when Mosseri showed     for two pair.

Allen Kessler:    /      /  
Mosseri:    /      /  

On the very next hand, Kessler brought it in and Mosseri completed. Kessler called, both players checked on fourth street, and Kessler check-called bets on fifth, sixth, and seventh.

The bet from Mosseri on seventh put Kessler all in, and he begrudgingly committed the remainder of his stack. Mosseri showed     for a straight, and Kessler showed    , claiming he bricked his flush draw.

Abe Mosseri	4,040,000	1,035,000
Frank Kassela	1,820,000	-687,000
Allen Kessler	0	-439,000

What started with 102 players in the 2014 World Series of Poker $50,000 Poker Players' Championship is now down to the unofficial final table of eight. Today those players will return to the Rio All-Suite Casino in Las Vegas to play down to a winner, who will walk away with $1,517,767, a gold bracelet, and have their name inscribed on the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.

The man best positioned to make a run at the top prize is 2014 WSOP bracelet winner and Player of the Year contender Brandon Shack-Harris, who begins the day with 4,101,000 chips. Another player to keep an eye on is Melissa Burr, who became the first woman to ever cash in this event.

Joining Shack-Harris and Burr on Day 5 will be Frank Kassela, Abe Mosseri, Allen Kessler, Jesse Martin, Chun Lei "samrostan" Zhou, and John Hennigan. This is Hennigan's third straight cash in the Poker Players' Championship, and his second consecutive final table. The only other player at the final table with a previous cash in this event is Mosseri, who finished 11th in 2010 for $129,957.

Officially, Mosseri is only guaranteed $165,435 with seven players remaining, but it is rumored that he has already locked up $600,000 in side bets by reaching the final table. If he wins, he could earn an additional $300,000 on top of the $1,517,767 first-place prize.

Shack-Harris, who already has first, second, and third-place finishes at the 2014 WSOP, is nipping at George Danzer's heels in the Player of the Year race, Martin is looked to capture his second gold bracelet in as many years, and Kessler and Zhou are both looking to win their first and only.

Who will walk away as the 2014 WSOP $50,000 Poker Players' Champion? All we know for sure is that it will be one of these eight players:

Unofficial Final Table

The surviving eight players will return at 2 p.m., which is just over an hour from now. Be sure to return to PokerNews for exclusive live updates from this and every event at the 2014 WSOP.