$2,620 No-Limit Hold'em Marathon (Event #26)

Hand #165: Dong Sheng Peng needed to be wired up before being able to take his seat at the televised table and had to miss this hand as well. It got folded around to Joseph Liberta in the small blind, who shoved all in for 1,980,000 from the small blind. Roman Korenev called off the shove in the big blind.

Joseph Liberta:   
Roman Korenev:   

The   splashed in the window but the   quickly followed it, along with the  . The turn was the  , leaving Liberta with just two jacks as outs. The river was the   and Liberta was gone in sixth for $79,957.

Jared Koppel	12,800,000	0
Dong Sheng Peng	5,400,000	-100,000
Roman Korenev	5,200,000	1,900,000
Francis Anderson	3,500,000	200,000
Joe Curcio	1,100,000	-100,000
Joseph Liberta	0	-2,100,000

Hand #158: Francis Anderson raised to 250,000 from the hijack and Joe Curcio shipped all in for 1,540,000 on the button. The blinds folded and Anderson quickly called to put Curcio at risk.

Francis Anderson:   
Joe Curcio:   

It looked inevitable that the pot would be chopped but the flop of     gave Curcio a flush draw. The   on the turn and the   on the river changed nothing as the two players took their chips back.

Hand #159: Jared Koppel opened to 250,000 in the hijack and Joseph Liberta called from the small blind. The flop came     and Liberta check-folded to a bet of 175,000 from Koppel.

Hand #160: The action folded to Roman Korenev in the small blind who announced all in. Francis Anderson quickly folded his big blind and Korenev took the pot.

Hand #161: Joe Curcio opened to 250,000 from under the gun and Jared Koppel defended from the big blind. Both players checked the     flop and the   landed on the turn. Koppel led out for 175,000 and Curcio mucked his cards.

Hand #162: The action folded around to Joe Curcio in the small blind who had minimal work to do to win the pot with Dong Sheng Peng still missing in the big blind.

Jared Koppel	12,800,000	1,100,000
Dong Sheng Peng	5,500,000	-300,000
Roman Korenev	3,300,000	-10,000
Francis Anderson	3,300,000	-395,000
Joseph Liberta	2,100,000	-440,000
Joe Curcio	1,200,000	-340,000

Throughout history, the Marathon has challenged their contestants' tenacity, inspired fear, and has been a prime contender to tick off one's bucket list. Whether it lies in its heroic origins — the Greek messenger Pheidippides dropping stone dead after running all the way from Marathon to Athens to report the victory — or the tales of modern-day champions such as the Czech locomotive Emil Zapotek and current world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge, the Marathon has always been a birthing ground for inspiring stories.

Poker's equivalent of the legendary 26.2-mile distance is no different. With a $2,620 buy-in, 26,200 chips to start with and 100-minute blind levels throughout, the six remaining players are already battle-weary from five full days in the trenches. They clashed and clawed their way through Event #26: $2,620 No-Limit Hold'em Marathon, the second slowest tournament the WSOP has to offer (after the Main Event). Each of them made it through a field of 1,083, who created a total prize pool of $2,553,714. The event surely has lived up to its moniker, with 157 hands already clocked at the final table just to get from nine to six.

The lion's share of that money will be awarded today, including a jaw-dropping $477,401 payday for the champ, and it's Jared Koppel (11,700,000) who's out in front, dwarfing his nearest challenger Dong Sheng Peng (5,800,000) by nearly 2:1. Despite the lead, Koppel needs to draw on his stamina, as the 100-minute blind level structure provides plenty of play for the others to catch up and withhold him from his first bracelet.

Francis Anderson (3,695,000), Roman Korenev (3,310,000), and Joseph Liberta (2,540,000) all have more than 20 big blinds when action resumes in level 30 with blinds at 60,000/120,000 and a big blind ante of 120,000. With 53 minutes left on the clock in this level alone, there's time for them to pick a good spot to get themselves back in contention. The only one who has to make up some distance is Joe Curcio (1,540,000), but with a strong kick, anything is possible in the final stages.

Action recommences at noon local time in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino and PokerNews will be back on the floor to report hand-for-hand as a new WSOP bracelet winner is crowned today. The live stream with hole cards up will kick off at 1 p.m. on CBS All Access (USA, Canada & Australia) and PokerGO (other countries). Make sure to check back regularly to see who sprints for the line to grab the gold today.

Marathon Final Table Seat Draw