Felipe Quijano raised all in from the cutoff and Bill Bennett called on the button. The blinds got out the way and the cards were turned on their backs.
Felipe Quijano:
Bill Bennett:
Board:
Bennett held to eliminate Quijano in 12th place for $46,137 in the opening minutes of the final level of Day 3.
Sotirios Zafiris raised to 200,000 from the hijack and Joseph Schulman shoved all in from the big blind for 1,055,000 in total. Zafiris looked at his cards once more and then called.
Joseph Schulman:
Sotirios Zafiris:
The board ran out and Schulman's pocket kings held up for him to double.
Gary Friedlander raised to 205,000 from the cutoff and was three-bet by Bill Bennett on the button to 410,000. Friedlander thought through his options before four-betting all in, and Bennett snap-called.
Gary Friedlander:
Bill Bennett:
Board:
Friedlander had the perfect outcome with his pocket aces to win a pot worth over 4.4 million chips.
Sotirios Zafiris raised to 160,000 from the hijack and Richard Behling was up next to act. Behling decided to shove for about 1,000,000. Matthew Davis, sitting on the button, also decided to shove. The blinds and Zafiris quickly folded.
Richard Behling:
Matthew Davis:
The board ran out to eliminate Behling in 11th place again as he finished in the exact same spot in 2016. This time though, he gets a bit more cash for his efforts over the past days: $46,137.
The final 10 players will now be redrawn onto the unofficial final table. A seat draw is to follow.
Sotirios Zafiris raised to 175,000 from early position and Bill Stabler three-bet to 480,000 from the small blind. Zafiris called, and they went to the flop. The dealer put down , and Stabler checked. Zafiris announced all in, and Stabler immediately called.
Sotirios Zafiris:
Bill Stabler:
Turn:
River:
Stabler had flopped a set of queens versus Zafiris' top pair and improved to a full house on the turn to eliminate the latter in 10th place for $46,137, as Stabler moved up to over 5.5million.
Hand #1: Bill Stabler raised from the button and Frank Berry called in the small blind. The flop came , Berry bet 400,000 and Stabler raised to 800,000. Berry called. The turn brought them the , Berry shoved and Stabler folded.
Hand #2: Scott Hamilton-Hill raised to 190,000 from late position and was called by Matthew Davis in the hijack and Bill Bennett in the big blind. The flop came , both Bennett and Hamilton-Hill check-folded to the 300,000 bet of Davis.
Hand #3: Bennett raised to 240,000 from the small blind and Thad Smith folded his big blind.
Hand #4: Stabler raised to 210,000 from late position and the rest folded.
Hand #5: Berry raised to 325,000 from late position and Gary Friedlander in the hijack and Hamilton-Hill in the big blind called.
The flop came , Hamilton-Hill check-folded to the 500,000 bet of Berry. Friedlander called.
The turn brought them the , Berry continued with a bet of 600,000 and Friedlander called again without any hesitation.
The river completed the board with the and they both checked. Berry tabled and asked Friedlander if he had the ace. Friedlander showed for the flopped pair of aces to take the pot.
Hand #6: Bill Bennett raised to 300,000 from middle position and won the pot.
Hand #7: Frank Berry moved all in for 2million from early position and everyone folded.
Hand #8: Bennett raised to 280,000 and won the pot once more.
Hand #9: Bennett called for 80,000 before Bill Stabler called in the small blind and Berry checked in the big blind. The flop came down, and after both blinds checked, Bennett bet 275,000 and both his opponents folded.
Hand #10: Bennett called from under the gun, and Scott Hamilton-Hill moved all in for 1,185,000 from middle position, which was enough to see everyone, including Bennett fold.
Hand #11: Thad Smith raised to 200,000 from under the gun, and Gary Friedlander called from the small blind after he intended to raise to 160,000 after not seeing Smith's initial raise. Bill Bennett folded in the big blind, and the players were heads-up to a flop.
Friedlander checked to Smith who bet 250,000. Friedlander quickly announced all in, and Smith sat back to think over his decision. It took him close to two minutes, but he did make the call and put his tournament life on the line.
Thad Smith:
Gary Friedlander:
Turn:
River:
Friedlander had flopped two pair and Smith had a pair of fives with an up-and-down straight draw, but the turn brought the six-of-hearts to give Friedlander a full house and cement the pot. Smith even hit a straight on the river to rub salt into the wound before he exited in 9th place and won $59,074.