Monday, June 24, 2013 10:24 PM Local Time
Meet the Final Six
The final table has been set. Here's a brief introduction to the last six players, each of whom seeks his first WSOP bracelet.
Timo Pfutzenreuter (Seat 1) is a 21-year-old student from Vienna, Austria with one cash thus far in the 2013 WSOP in Event #35: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. He has earned over $85,000 in tourney winnings prior to this event.
Joseph Leung (Seat 2) is a 24-year-old from Vancouver, Canada who is making his first ever WSOP cash and hopes to keep the incredible run of Canadian success at this year's Series going.
Nader Arfai (Seat 3) is a 54-year-old originally from Iran who lives in California. He is playing in his first ever WSOP event.
Steve Gross (Seat 4) is a 27-year-old from Florida who now lives in New Jersey. This marks the 14th WSOP cash for the online star and his second career WSOP final table. Having won millions online, his previous best live score was for $304,000 for a fifth-place finish in the 2011 WPT L.A. Poker Classic.
Lee Goldman (Seat 5) is a 30-year-old with a culinary degree who is making his sixth WSOP cash.
Salman Behbehani (Seat 6) is a 25-year-old business owner and former teacher from California presently living in Kuwait who has collected over $200,000 in WSOP and WSOP Circuit winnings. This is his second WSOP final table this summer, having finished eighth in Event #36: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout.
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,970,000 | 490,000 |
Lee Goldman | 1,185,000 | 25,000 |
Joseph Leung | 855,000 | 104,000 |
Salman Behbehani | 745,000 | -35,000 |
Nader Arfai | 660,000 | 0 |
Steve Gross | 590,000 | 8,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 10:17 PM Local Time
Yevgeniy Timoshenko Eliminated in 7th Place ($44,574)
On the very first hand after the dinner break, Timo Pfutzenreuter open-raised to 60,000 from under the gun and it folded around to Yevgeniy Timoshenko who reraised to 210,000 from the small blind. Pfutzenreuter called the reraise, and when the flop came , Timonshenko pushed all in for 265,000 and Pfutzenreuter called.
Timoshenko had while Pfutzenreuter had flopped Broadway with his . The turn and river both brought sevens, coming , then , improving Pfutzenreuter to a full house and knocking Timoshenko out in seventh.
There will be a brief delay as the chips are counted and other preparations are made for the official final table to begin.
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 0 | -465,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 10:09 PM Local Time
Play Resumes
The seven remaining players are back in their seats and cards are in the air. One more elimination and they'll reach the official final table.
Monday, June 24, 2013 10:08 PM Local Time
Level 25 started
Level: 25
Blinds: 15000/30000
Ante: 0
Monday, June 24, 2013 9:05 PM Local Time
Dinner Break
It was a very slow half-hour of small pots and minimal conflict to conclude Level 24, and now the final seven players are taking the scheduled one-hour dinner break.
Monday, June 24, 2013 9:02 PM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts; 7 Remain
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,480,000 | 70,000 |
Lee Goldman | 1,160,000 | -70,000 |
Salman Behbehani | 780,000 | 272,000 |
Joseph Leung | 751,000 | 21,000 |
Nader Arfai | 660,000 | -100,000 |
Steve Gross | 582,000 | 72,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 465,000 | -425,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 8:46 PM Local Time
Goldman Gets Out After Arfai's Action
Nader Arfai limped from the button, Steve Gross called from the small blind, then Lee Goldman raised to 94,000 from the big blind. Arfai called and Gross folded.
Both remaining players checked the flop. The turn then brought the and another check from Goldman, and when Nader bet the pot — 214,000 — Goldman folded. As he's frequently done, Arfai showed two of his cards — — before gathering the chips.
Lee Goldman | 1,230,000 | -140,000 |
Nader Arfai | 760,000 | 243,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 8:32 PM Local Time
Leung Gets a Leg Up
The action has slowed down once again as the seven remaining players are trading small pots here in Level 24. In another half-hour they'll reach the end of the level and the dinner break.
One recent hand saw Timo Pfutzenreuter open-raise to 68,000 from the small blind and Joseph Leung called from the next seat. The flop came and Pfutzenreuter checked. Leung bet 72,000, and Pfutzenreuter called. Both then checked the turn, then the fell on fifth street. Pfutzenreuter checked again, and when Leung fired 180,000, Pfutzenreuter folded.
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,410,000 | -208,000 |
Joseph Leung | 730,000 | 109,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 8:14 PM Local Time
The Not-Quite-Final Final Table (7 Remain)
The final seven have assembled around the last table of the tournament. As they were positioning themselves in their seats, the tournament director was assuring them they didn't need to move the chairs around from where they were positioned.
"What if someone else wants to sit in?" cracked Nader Arfai, and the others chuckled.
Seat | Player | Chips |
1 | Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,618,000 |
2 | Joseph Leung | 621,000 |
3 | Nader Arfai | 517,000 |
4 | Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 890,000 |
5 | Lee Goldman | 1,370,000 |
6 | Steve Gross | 510,000 |
7 | Salman Behbehani | 508,000 |
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,618,000 | -162,000 |
Lee Goldman | 1,370,000 | 20,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 890,000 | 535,000 |
Joseph Leung | 621,000 | 291,000 |
Nader Arfai | 517,000 | 27,000 |
Steve Gross | 510,000 | -330,000 |
Salman Behbehani | 508,000 | -382,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 8:05 PM Local Time
Gary Bolden Eliminated in 8th Place ($44,574)
Gary Bolden has been knocked out following two hands in which he lost first to Steve Gross, then to Nader Arfai.
In the first, Bolden raised to 50,000 from the button and Steve Gross called from the big blind. They checked the flop, then Gross bet 35,000 on the turn and Bolden called. The river then brought the and a bet of 61,000, and after tanking for three minutes Bolden called.
Gross showed for aces and kings, and Bolden mucked, leaving himself about 170,000 behind.
Soon after Bolden was all in before the flop with against Nader's , and when the board ran out , Nader's trip tens sent Bolden out in eighth.
There will be a short delay as they redraw for the seven-handed not-quite-final final table.
Steve Gross | 840,000 | 155,000 |
Nader Arfai | 490,000 | 135,000 |
Gary Bolden | 0 | -290,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 8:04 PM Local Time
Plenty of Extras Being Given Away At This Year's WSOP
The buzz inside the walls of the Rio extends beyond just the tournaments on the 2013 World Series of Poker schedule. Online poker in Nevada is a very, very hot topic right now, and WSOP.com is making a lot of noise.
While the site has yet to launch, you can head to the Lambada Room of the Rio or look for one of the beautiful and friendly WSOP.com ladies walking the hallways to sign up for a free, personal WSOP.com online poker account. This is a great way to get a jump on the site's registration, and plenty of people have already taken this opportunity.
What's more is that the WSOP will be hosting daily raffles for everyone that has taken the time to register for WSOP.com at the Rio. What can you win? Plenty of fantastic prizes including 36 WSOP seats!
Players 21 years of age and older who sign up for a WSOP.com account will automatically be entered into the "36-Seat Giveaway" where a randomly-selected winner will win a seat into the next day's first WSOP gold bracelet event. One of the events eligible in this promotion is the $111,111 One Drop High Roller No-Limit Hold'em tournament that is expected to feature a $10,000,000 prize pool and allow you to play poker with the biggest names in the game. In total, $182,333 in WSOP seats, including a seat to the WSOP Main Event, are being given away during this one-of-a-kind WSOP.com promotion.
In addition to the 36-Seat Giveaway, a "Hot Seat" promotion will allow any player who signs up for a WSOP.com online account and wears their WSOP.com patch on their chest at the table while playing an event to be randomly selected to receive 500 bonus dollars deposited directly into their WSOP.com online account once the site has received all regulatory approvals and launches.
With 62 WSOP gold bracelet events and three winners promised for the Main Event, this promotion includes $32,000 worth of value to those participating.
Monday, June 24, 2013 8:04 PM Local Time
Level 24 started
Level: 24
Blinds: 12000/24000
Ante: 0
Monday, June 24, 2013 7:46 PM Local Time
Fun With Arfai
"I've been trying to figure this out all day," said Nader Arfai to Steve Gross a little earlier. He pointed to the felt in front of him where the letters "WSOP" were written and from the perspective of the pair were turned upside down.
He pointed to the first two letters. "I've been wondering… what does 'SM' stand for"?
Gross looked over with a grin. "Are you serious?" he asked, and Arfai laughed to signal he was not.
We've heard Arfai mention both yesterday and today how he'd come out to the WSOP a few different times, but business had always called him away before he'd been able to play an event. This time he did get to play, though, and he's certainly making the most of his first WSOP event so far.
It looked a moment ago like the experience might be about to conclude for Arfai in a hand involving Gross and Lee Goldman, but thankfully for him it did not.
We picked up the action on the turn with the board showing and a relatively small pot in the middle. Gross led from the small blind with a bet of 35,000 and Goldman called from one seat over. Then Arfai set his stack of 134,000 out as an all-in raise, and after Gross folded Goldman called.
Arfai had for an eight-high straight, better than the five-high straight Goldman had with . It was the best way to be all-in before the river for Arfai, as his opponent was drawing dead.
Of course, one gets the sense Arfai's kind of been freerolling for a while now.
Lee Goldman | 1,350,000 | -240,000 |
Nader Arfai | 355,000 | 165,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 7:34 PM Local Time
Timo and the Four Queens
The pots at both tables have been smallish and the action slow. Meanwhile, Timo Pfutzenreuter has been accumulating of late and is now back in front of Lee Goldman as those two continue to edge further away from the field.
Pfutzenreuter was involved in another hand with Yevgeniy Timoshenko a moment ago, with Timoshenko raising his button and Pfutzenreuter defending his small blind. The flop came and Pfutzenreuter check-called a bet of 44,000 from Timoshenko. Both then checked the turn, then the river brought the case queen, the .
At the sight of the fourth queen, Pfutzenreuter fired 70,000 into the middle, and Timoshenko folded.
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,780,000 | 320,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 355,000 | -210,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 7:19 PM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts; 8 Remain
Lee Goldman | 1,590,000 | 180,000 |
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,460,000 | 80,000 |
Salman Behbehani | 890,000 | 60,000 |
Steve Gross | 685,000 | 95,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 565,000 | -215,000 |
Joseph Leung | 330,000 | 10,000 |
Gary Bolden | 290,000 | -370,000 |
Nader Arfai | 190,000 | -195,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 7:07 PM Local Time
Pfuzenreuter Picks Up a Few
Preflop action between Yevgeniy Timoshenko and Timo Pfutzenreuter had begun to build a pot, then the flop brought a bet of 48,000 from Timoshenko which Pfutzenreuter called. The turn and river so both players slow down and check, however, then at showdown Pfutzenreuter somewhat hesistantly showed his and Timoshenko mucked.
Pfutzenreuter still maintains a big stack, with he and Lee Goldman both enjoying a wide margin between themselves and the other six players at present.
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,380,000 | 100,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 780,000 | -50,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 6:35 PM Local Time
Break Time
Having reached the end of Level 22, the remaining players are taking a 20-minute break.
Monday, June 24, 2013 6:26 PM Local Time
Tony Gargano Eliminated in 9th Place ($33,050)
Lee Goldman raised to 35,000, Tony Gargano reraised to 125,000, Goldman four-bet-raised the pot, and Gargano called all in for 315,000 total.
Gargano was putting his tourney life on the line with while Goldman had . The board rolled out , giving Gargano two pair but Goldman a club flush, and Gargano is out in ninth.
With eight players left, they'll continue playing four-handed at the last two tables until the next elimination, then the final seven will redraw to sit around the not-quite-final final table.
Lee Goldman | 1,410,000 | 260,000 |
Tony Gargano | 0 | -245,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 6:17 PM Local Time
Ville Mattila Eliminated in 10th Place ($33,050)
After a Ville Mattila open from the button and a big blind defense by Steve Gross, the flop came and Gross led with a bet of 65,000. Mattila raised all in for his last 147,000, and Gross called the raise.
Gross:
Mattila:
The turn was the and river the , that river six filling a nine-high straight for Gross and sending Mattila railward in 10th.
Steve Gross | 590,000 | 260,000 |
Ville Mattila | 0 | -185,000 |
Monday, June 24, 2013 6:00 PM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts; 10 Remain
After losing 10 players in the first two hours today, then a couple more soon after the first break, play has slowed considerably among the final 10.
A nice, even number of 400 players entered this one, meaning there are exactly 6 million chips in play. Sort of thing makes it easy to figure with 10 left that the average stack at the moment is 600,000.
Timo Pfutzenreuter | 1,450,000 | 80,000 |
Lee Goldman | 1,150,000 | -70,000 |
Salman Behbehani | 830,000 | -15,000 |
Gary Bolden | 660,000 | 70,000 |
Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 445,000 | -27,000 |
Nader Arfai | 385,000 | 20,000 |
Steve Gross | 330,000 | -25,000 |
Joseph Leung | 320,000 | 40,000 |
Tony Gargano | 245,000 | 95,000 |
Ville Mattila | 185,000 | 19,000 |