Event #6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (2000 players max)

Just two days ago 358 of the world's greatest players took to the felt for Event 6: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.

It has been stated that this event boasts one of the strongest starting fields in any World Series event, and this was underlined with some of the toughest starting tables ever witnessed as Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein and Phil Hellmuth were joined by sit-n-go masters and online prodigies.

However only thirty-six players would survive day one with Dario Minieri, John Duthie, Chad Brown, Tom Dwan, James Akenhead, Faraz Jaka, Chino Rheem and Chris Ferguson just a few of those looking at capturing a 2010 bracelet. Unfortunately the more recognizable names would fall to the rail as a final table of six would be set with a purely USA versus Europe element.

The UK's Neil Channing and Stuart Rutter along with Frenchman Nicolas Levi would be waving their respective flags against the Stars and Stripes of Brent Hanks, Joseph Elpayaa and Joshua Tieman.

Hanks was clipped by fellow countryman Elpayaa early and never was able to recover as he bowed out first before being followed by Levi and Elpayaa as their tournament was ended by Tieman as he took more than half the chips into three-handed play. Soon that was cut down to heads up play once Rutter's dominated ace failed to improve as Tieman and Channing sat down exactly the way the day started – USA versus Europe.

The six-to-one chip advantage that Tieman held soon increased to an eleven-to-one one before Channing – like fellow countryman Rutter – committed the last of his chips with a dominated ace against Tieman. No suckout would occur and Tieman would not only record his tenth WSOP cash but also win his first gold bracelet while increasing his live tournament earnings three-fold.

PokerNews would like to congratulate Joshua Tieman on an excellently played tournament composed of patience, poise and excellent decision making to be crowned the Event 6 Champion and recipient of a World Series of Poker gold bracelet and $441,692 in prizemoney.

While it is an early finish to Event 6, make sure to check out some of the [url=http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/]live updates[/url] from the PokerNews Live Reporting Team as we provide exclusive coverage of the 2010 World Series of Poker from the Rio.

Neil Channing limped in from the button and Joshua Tieman made it an additional 75,000 which Channing called.

The flop fell down     and Channing quickly folded to Tieman's 105,000-chip bet as he slips to just over 700,000 in chips.

The first few hands of heads up between Neil Channing and Joshua Tieman have been back and forth.

One of the initial hands, Channing limped on his button and Tieman raised to 100,000. Channing called.

The flop fell     Tieman led for 115,000. Channing called.

Both players checked the   on the turn, and the river brought the  .

Again both players checked and Tieman opened    for a pair of sevens. Channing mucked and Tieman was awarded the pot.

Channing gained revenge a few hands later. He again limped in, Tieman checked and the flop came    . Both players checked and the turn was the  .

Tieman led for 60,000, Channing raised to 115,000 and Tieman folded.

Just a few hands after eliminating Joseph Elpayaa, Joshua Tieman claimed another victim; Stuart Rutter.

Rutter opened to 68,000 on the button and Tieman three-bet to 185,000 from the big blind. Rutter sat and thought for a few moments before pulling back the chips in front of him and replacing them with green T25,000 chips for a four-bet to 500,000.

Tieman went deep into the tank as he did against Elpayaa, working the hand out from every angle. Finally he double fisted almost 2,000,000 chips into the middle and Rutter immediately announced, "all in."

Tieman called.

Tieman:   

Rutter:   

"Standard," Rutter said as he shrugged in defeat.

The flop was disastrous for Rutter;    . The   on the turn ended it, and after the   fell on the river his elimination was official.

There will be no English heads up match today, but Rutter should be proud of his 3rd place finish and newly acquired $179,617.

Stuart Rutter opened to 70,000 from under the gun only to have Joseph Elpayaa three-bet to 205,000 from the small blind.

With action on Joshua Tieman in the big blind, he four-bet to 580,000 total to prompt a quick fold from Rutter. Elpayaa deliberated for a few moments before moving all in for 2,530,000 total to put Tieman to a tough decision.

As Tieman sat there with his brain working overtime the thirty-strong rail kept their silence before after nearly three minutes he reached for his remaining chips and slid them into the pot to put Elpayaa at risk.

Elpayaa:   

Tieman:   

With Elpayaa needing to win the race to stay alive, the     flop would keep Tieman out in front and leave Elpayaa needing one of the remaining Aces or Jacks to take the lead.

The   on the turn gave both players a sweat with a four now seeing them chop the pot, but when the dealer burned and turned the   on the river, Elpayaa made his way round the table congratulating the remaining three players on a well-played tournament.

Although hoping for a better then 4th place finish, Elpayaa isn't going home empty handed as he heads to the cage to collect $125,387 for his efforts.

Joshua Tieman entered the pot with a raise to 75,000 from under the gun only to have Neil Channing three-bet to 210,000 from the small blind.

Tieman made the call before both players checked the     flop to see the   land on the turn and a 175,000-chip bet follow from Channing.

Taking his allotted time, Tieman made the call before Channing pushed his last 847,000 into the pot when the river fell the  .

After nearly two minutes, Tieman tossed his cards into the muck to slip to around 2,600,000 as Channing climbs up to 1,760,000 in chips.

Joshua Tieman opened to 75,000 from under the gun and Joseph Elpayaa made the call from the big blind.

Both players checked down the       board to see Tieman table his    to take down the pot.

Stuart Rutter limped in from the small blind and Neil Channing checked his option.

The       was checked down to the river where Channing fired out 75,000.

Rutter took his time before making the call, only to muck at the sight of Channing's   .

The remaining four players are heading on a twenty-minute break.

In three of the last couple of hands, Neil Channing lost a pot to each one of his opponents.

Against Joshua Tieman, Channing called an open to 60,000 from the big blind then check-folded to a 70,000-chip bet bet on a     flop.

Channing also called a raise in the blinds from Stuart Rutter. He again check-folded after the flop.

The hand against Joseph Elpayaa was a blind-for-blind battle. Channing completed from the small blind, Elpayaa checked his option and the flop fell    . Channing check-folded a third time when Elpayaa bet 40,000.