Monday, June 27, 2022 12:15 PM Local Time
Smidinger Continues to Collect Chips
Biagio Morciano min-raised to 1,600,000 from the small blind and Eric Smidinger called from the big blind. The flop came and Morciano led out with a bet of 2,200,000. Smidinger called and the paired the board on the turn.
Morciano checked this time and Smidinger checked it back to the on the river. Morciano checked once more and Smidinger put together a bet of 3,600,000. Morciano dumped his cards to the muck and Smidinger collected another pot.
| Ben Sarnoff | 56,000,000 | -1,500,000  |
| Eric Smidinger | 42,500,000 | 3,500,000  |
| Biagio Morciano | 17,200,000 | -7,800,000 |
| Kathy Liebert | 15,800,000 | -1,900,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 11,300,000 | 0 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 12:04 PM Local Time
Level 37 started
Level: 37
Blinds: 400,000/800,000
Ante: 800,000
Monday, June 27, 2022 12:03 PM Local Time
Sarnoff Outkicks Liebert's Trips in Blind vs. Blind Battle
Kathy Liebert called from the small blind and Ben Sarnoff checked.
The flop came and Liebert checked to Sarnoff who bet 1,000,000. Liebert called.
On the turn, Sarnoff fired again, this time for 1,500,000. Liebert called.
The hit the river and Sarnoff fired a third bullet, putting out a total of 2,500,000. Liebert quickly called.
Sarnoff declared "I have an eight" and Liebert said "I do too." Sarnoff flipped over the , to which Liebert shrugged at as she turned over .
| Ben Sarnoff | 57,500,000 | 11,000,000 |
| Kathy Liebert | 17,700,000 | -7,300,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:52 AM Local Time
Smidinger and Mitchell Continue to Battle
Charles Mitchell raised it up on the button and Eric Smidinger defended from the big blind. The flop came and Smidinger check-called a bet of 1,200,000 from Mitchell.
The turn brought the and both players checked to the on the river. Smidinger led out with a bet of 3,400,000 which put Mitchell in the tank for a couple of minutes. He eventually found a call and Smidinger showed for trip deuces to win the pot.
| Eric Smidinger | 39,000,000 | 8,500,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 11,300,000 | -6,400,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:43 AM Local Time
Mitchell Continues Rollercoaster First Level of Final Day
Eric Smidinger opened for 1,300,000 from the cutoff and Charles Mitchell defended his big blind.
The flop came and Smidinger continued for 1,300,000. Mitchell made the call.
Both players checked the turn and Mitchell put out a bet of 2,200,000 on the river. Smidinger found the fold button.
| Eric Smidinger | 30,500,000 | -3,200,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 17,700,000 | 3,500,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:40 AM Local Time
Morciano Shoves, Forces Sarnoff to Make Big Laydown
Biagio Morciano opened to 1,300,000 and Ben Sarnoff called from the big blind.
The flop came and Sarnoff came out firing with a lead of 1,600,000. Morciano called.
The turn came the and Sarnoff continued for a second barrel, this time for 3,500,000. Morciano sat there in deliberation for about 30 seconds and moved all in for roughly 13,000,000 total.
Sarnoff thought about his decision for about 90 seconds before eventually finding a fold.
| Ben Sarnoff | 46,500,000 | -3,400,000 |
| Biagio Morciano | 25,000,000 | 2,500,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:32 AM Local Time
Smidinger Sizes Up on the Turn
Eric Smidinger opened to 1,400,000 from under the gun and Charles Mitchell called from the small blind. The flop fell and Mitchell check-called a bet of 1,600,000 from Smidinger.
The turn brought the and Mitchell checked again. Smidinger counted out a bet of 4,500,000 on the turn and Mitchell finally decided to let his hand go.
| Eric Smidinger | 33,700,000 | 4,300,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 14,200,000 | -6,600,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:27 AM Local Time
Mitchell Over 20 Million After Shove Gets Through Liebert
Chip leader Ben Sarnoff opened for 1,200,000 from the hijack and was called by Charles Mitchell in the cutoff and Kathy Liebert in the big blind.
The flop came and it checked around to Mitchell, who fired out a bet of 1,600,000. Liebert raised to 3,700,000 and after Sarnoff got out of the way, Mitchell quietly pushed his entire stack in front of him.
Liebert asked for a count and after hearing that it was 11,000,000 total, she folded after roughly two minutes. "I'm gonna let you have this one Mitch."
With that, Mitchell has more than doubled his starting stack from the beginning of the day.
| Ben Sarnoff | 49,900,000 | -1,200,000 |
| Kathy Liebert | 25,000,000 | -4,100,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 20,800,000 | 8,600,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:19 AM Local Time
Up and Down for Mitchell
Eric Smidinger raised to 1,400,000 from under the gun and was called by Charles Mitchell in the small blind. The flop came and both players checked to the on the turn.
Mitchell checked again and Smidinger tossed in a bet of 1,600,000. Mitchell called and the completed the board. Both players tapped the table and Mitchell showed for the best hand.
On the next hand, Mitchell raised to 1,400,000 on the button and Biagio Morciano called in the small blind. The flop came and Morciano led out with a bet of 1,500,000. Mitchell called and the paired the board on the turn.
Both players checked to the on the river and then checked once more. Morciano showed for a baby flush and that was enough to win the pot.
| Eric Smidinger | 29,400,000 | -3,400,000 |
| Biagio Morciano | 22,500,000 | 3,500,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 12,200,000 | 100,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:12 AM Local Time
Mitchell Scoops First Pot of the Day
After a chop between Biagio Morciano and Kathy Liebert, who was nearly blinded out for the first hand, we get to the action between Charles Mitchell and Ben Sarnoff.
Mitchell opened from the hijack for 1,300,000 and Sarnoff defended his big blind.
Both players tapped the table on the flop.
The arrived on the turn and Sarnoff fired for 800,000. Mitchell called.
On the river, Sarnoff checked and Mitchell fired out a bet of 1,200,000. While Sarnoff thought about his decision, one of his chips fell out of his hand and rolled towards the pot. "Even the chips want me to make the call," Sarnoff said as he put in the 1,200,000.
Mitchell turned over and it was good enough for the win.
| Ben Sarnoff | 51,100,000 | -3,900,000 |
| Charles Mitchell | 12,100,000 | 4,200,000 |
Monday, June 27, 2022 11:04 AM Local Time
Shuffle Up and Deal
The cards are now in the air on Day 5 of the $1,000 Senior Championship with just five players remaining.
Monday, June 27, 2022 9:46 AM Local Time
Who Will Walk Away with the Title in Event #47: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship?
Will Kathy Liebert be able to win her second WSOP bracelet and cement her spot in the poker hall of fame? Will Ben Sarnoff take his big chip lead and run away with the title? Or will an underdog come from behind and capture their biggest career payday?
There are many questions left to be answered with just five players remaining in Event #47: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship here at the 2022 World Series of Poker at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. The action will get underway bright and early at 11 a.m. local time and last until a champion is crowned with a WSOP gold bracelet and the first-place prize of $694,909.
Sarnoff will come into the day with a healthy chip lead, bagging up 55,000,000 chips after a dominating performance on Day 4. He eliminated opponent after opponent and ran his stack up to more than 75 million at one point, but took a few setbacks late in the day before it was all wrapped up. Sarnoff has had some poker success in the past, but nothing like this, and winning his first WSOP title at the age of 65 would be nothing short of amazing.
However, he will have to contend with the likes of WSOP bracelet winner and all-time poker great Kathy Liebert. The lady dressed in purple with the largest rail in the building will have plenty of support as she looks to conquer the feat that she hasn't done since 2004. Liebert will enter the day in third place with 29,100,000 chips but has plenty of experience to know how to get the job done.
Eric Smidinger also had a successful day yesterday, quietly spinning up his stack to 32,800,000 chips. Smidinger will have family and friends flying into Las Vegas to cheer him on at the final table as he looks to accomplish a once-in-a-lifetime dream of winning a WSOP title. Biagio Morciano (19,000,000) and Charles Mitchell (7,900,000) round out the top five and still have plenty of opportunities to make their dreams come true as well.
Final Day Seating Assignments
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Kathy Liebert | United States | 29,100,000 | 49 |
| 2 | Ben Sarnoff | United States | 55,000,000 | 92 |
| 3 | Charles Mitchell | United States | 7,900,000 | 13 |
| 4 | Biagio Morciano | Italy | 19,000,000 | 32 |
| 5 | Eric Smidinger | United States | 32,800,000 | 55 |
The cards will go in the air at 11 a.m. sharp after players pleaded with the tournament staff to allow them to come back to finish the tournament today rather than play it out yesterday. It took a lot of effort but in the end, the players got their wish and were allowed to return for the fifth day. The blinds will resume on Level 36 at 300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 big blind ante. The levels will continue to be 60 minutes in length with a 15-minute break after every two levels.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the tournament floor to bring you all of the live updates throughout the day en route to crowning a WSOP champion in this record-breaking field.