$1,000 No-Limit Hold'em (Event #28)

Stephen Song entered the day with nearly half the chips in play among the six remaining players at the beginning of Day 3 of the 2019 World Series of Poker Event #28: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em. His sights were set on the first place prize of $341,854 and the opportunity to earn his first career WSOP gold bracelet.

"It's surreal. I don't even know. The money's insane. WSOP summer is where you can actually make life-changing money. It's pretty unreal," Song stated in his interview after the tournament. The most recent bracelet winner is no stranger to the spotlight, with over $1.3 million in lifetime earnings after this score including a WSOP circuit ring and first place prize of $75,480 from January, 2019 in the High Roller event at WSOP Circuit – Thunder Valley. Other major final tables Song has reached include the 2018 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship (6th - $138,254), the 2018 WSOP Circuit – Hammond $5,300 High Roller (2nd - $73,539), and the 2018 WSOP Circuit – Lake Tahoe Main Event (4th - $49,392).

Finishing runner-up to Song was Scot Masters of Kenova, West Virginia, who bowed to Song after a short heads-up. Masters outlasted several notables including bracelet winner Ryan Laplante, who came in third for $154,268, and rising Brazilian star Renato Kaneoya who finished fourth ($113,712). The tournament attracted 2,479 participants and created a total prize pool of $2,229,300.

Final Table Results

It took around three and one-half hours of play and 110 hands today, 129 in total on the final table, for Song to emerge victorious. When asked about his strategy in a large-field tournament, he stated that his main focus was to go for chips and accumulate a stack from early on in the tournament.

The journey to victory wasn't all smooth sailing, however, for the Connecticut resident. On the tenth hand of the day, he found himself hit the second-nut flush on the turn only to run into the nut flush of Kaneoya. He still had a sizable chip lead, though he saw Kaneoya and WSOP bracelet winner Laplante consistently add to their stacks as the afternoon went on.

On Hand #55, Song found himself in a three-bet pot on the flop against Kaneoya. He barreled the turn and was unable to get Kaneoya off a better hand, resulting in a virtual tie atop the leaderboard. On the following hand (Hand #56), Song attempted a three-barrel bluff with king-nine offsuit that was picked off by Masters, sending Song into third place in chip counts for the time being.

The turning point of the tournament came on Hand #99, when Song defended his big blind against Laplante's raise from the button during three-handed play. There flop was two-tone with two aces and a queen on it and Song checked to Laplante, who made a continuation-bet of 400,000. Song then check-raised to 1,400,000 and was met with a three-bet to 5,750,000. With the decision effectively being one that would ultimately put Song to the test for his tournament life, he shoved all in and was quickly called. Song tabled a flush draw and was behind the trips of Laplante but improved to a flush on the turn and was able to hold and secure a double up while regaining a big chip lead.

Song ultimately knocked Laplante out in third place ($154,268) when his ace-jack suited held versus Laplante's ace-six suited in an all-in preflop situation. He was then heads up with around 80 percent of the chips in play, and the heads up match against Scot Masters (2nd place, $211,177) lasted just 10 hands, with the culmination being another all-in preflop situation between the pocket nines of Song and Masters' pocket fives. Song flopped a nine and had Masters drawing dead on the turn as the two shook hands while the dealer turned over the meaningless river card.

Moving forward, Song plans to invest a lot of his winnings. "Already I invest most of my winnings with my parents," said Song. "My dad's like the smartest guy I know." The money to be won in poker has always been a prime motivator for his success, though he does not plan to stop playing any time soon.

When asked if he will be playing this year's Main Event, he confirmed that he would be. "I will probably play in the Main Event hopefully every year for the rest of my life, but we'll see."

Hand #127: Walk for Scot Masters

Hand #128: Masters limped from the small blind and Stephen Song shoved all in, Masters folded.

The remaining two players are taking a five-minute break before commencing heads-up play.

Stephen Song	39,290,000	550,000
Scot Masters	10,250,000	-550,000

Hand #111: All three players saw a flop of    . They checked it to the turn which was the   and again all three checked. The river was the  . Stephen Song bet 1,000,000 from the small blind and Ryan Laplante called. Song showed the    for the winning hand.

Hand #112: Song shoved all in from the small blind which folded out the big blind.

Hand #113: Laplante limped, Scot Masters shoved all in and Laplante quickly folded.

Hand #114: Laplante moved all in from the button and got no callers.

Hand #115: Masters shoved his stack from the button and nobody called.

Hand #116: Laplante folded out the big when he shoved from the small blind.

Hand #117: Laplante shoved again to no calls.

Hand #118: Song moved all in from the small blind and folded out the big blind.

Hand #105: Ryan Laplante limped from the button and Scot Masters announced he was all in from the small blind. Stephen Song folded his button and Laplante followed suit as Masters raked in the pot.

Hand #106: Scot Masters opened to 1,200,000 from the button and was three-bet to 3,700,000 by Stephen Song in the small blind. Ryan Laplante folded his big blind and Masters called. The flop came     and Song made a continuation-bet of 2,700,000. Masters folded.

Hand #107: Stephen Song raised to 1,300,000 on the button and both remaining players folded.

Hand #108: Scot Masters limped from the small blind and Stephen Song checked his option. Masters bet 400,000 on a flop of     and Song called. The turn was   and Masters check-folded to Song's bet of 1,100,000.

Hand #109: Stephen Song completed his small blind and Ryan Laplante checked his option. The flop came     and Song checked to Laplante, who bet 500,000, prompting a fold from Song.

Hand #110: Ryan Laplante limped his small blind and Scot Masters checked his option. The flop came     and Laplante bet 400,000. Masters folded.

Stephen Song	29,640,000	240,000
Scot Masters	10,800,000	-5,225,000
Ryan Laplante	9,100,000	4,600,000

Hand #99: Ryan Laplante raised from the button and Stephen Song defended from the big blind.

The flop came the    . Laplante bet 400,000 after it was checked to him and Song raised it to 1,400,000. Laplante announced raise and put out a stack of chips that totaled 5,750,000. Song thought for a couple of moments before shoving all in, which Laplante quickly called.

It was a huge moment as Laplante was head with the    but Song had a lot of equity as he held the   . The turn brought home that equity for Song when it came the  . The river did not pair the board when the   rolled off, to give Song the huge pot and put Laplante's stack in deep trouble.

Stephen Song	29,400,000	11,900,000
Scot Masters	16,025,000	2,000,000
Ryan Laplante	4,500,000	-13,500,000

Hand #93: Ryan Laplante folded on the button and Scot Masters completed his small blind. Stephen Song checked his option in the big blind and the flop came    . Both players checked to the   turn and Masters bet 500,000. Song folded.

Hand #94: Scot Masters folded on the button and Stephen Song completed his small blind. Ryan Laplante was in the big blind and checked his option. The flop was     and Song bet 500,000. Laplante called. The turn was   and both players checked. The river came   and Song checked to Laplante, who bet 2,775,000. Song folded.

Hand #95: A third consecutive blind-on-blind situation occurred to begin three-handed play, with Ryan Laplante raising to 1,200,000 from the small blind. Scot Masters folded and Laplante took down the pot preflop.

Hand #91: Action folded to Ryan Laplante in the small blind, who completed. Renato Kaneoya checked his option and the two saw a     flop. Laplante bet 400,000 and Kaneoya folded.

Hand #89: Scot Masters limp-called a raise to 1,100,000 from Stephen Song in a blind-on-blind situation. The flop came     and Masters checked to Song, who made a continuation-bet of 800,000. Masters put in a check-raise to 4,500,000 and Song folded.

Hand #90: Stephen Song raised to 1,050,000 after it was folded to him in the small blind. Ryan Laplante defended his big blind, taking the two to a flop of    . Song made a continuation-bet of 600,000 and Laplante called. The turn was   and Song fired another barrel for 1,000,000. Laplante again called and the river came  . Song studied his opponent before putting in a bet of 9,000,000 and Laplante thought for a bit before folding.

Hand #76: Ryan Laplante open-limped on the button and Scot Masters checked his option to take the pot heads up to a flop of    . Masters checked to Laplante, who bet 300,000 and received a call. The turn came   and both players checked. The river was   and Masters bet 400,000. Laplante called.

Masters tabled    for two pair, kings up and took down the pot when Laplante mucked.

Hand #77: Ryan Laplante shoved all in from the cutoff and everybody folded.