With just 15 players remaining, Event #24: $1,500 Limit Hold'em has entered its final day with each of them with a chance of securing the title and $177,985 in prize money.
Nancy Nguyen is the chip leader at the start of the day, but the eyes of the poker world will be drawn to Barry Greenstein who is in the hunt for his fourth WSOP gold bracelet and his first since 2008. If he achieves this feat, it will be his first bracelet in a hold'em event, with the three previous coming in 2-7 NL single draw, pot-limit Omaha and razz.
Joining him in the field is Michael Reed who continued to hold the lead until the final two levels of the day. Meanwhile, Ray Henson will be trying to add a bracelet to his four WSOP Circuit rings, and Mark Bassaly will be looking to continue his streak of knocking out players, having eliminated four people late on in Day 2 to surge up the leaderboard.
Shane Fumerton raised from under the gun, and Jeff Norman raised from the next position. It folded back around to Fumerton who raised again. A total of five bets was all it took for Norman's stack to get into the middle and the cards were turned over.
Norman:
Fumerton:
The board ran out , meaning Norman's doubling efforts were over and he was eliminated in 15th place.
Christopher Chung managed to double up when his big blind was more than half his stack. The next time he was the big blind, he didn't have much more than that and he was facing an under-the-gun raise from Shane Buchwald.
Chung raised and Buchwald called, which left Chung with only 2,000. Chung bet 2,000 in the dark and Buchwald called.
Chung:
Buchwald:
The board ran out and Chung was eliminated in 14th place. He earned $7,219 for his finish.
Michael Reed has been eliminated in 13th place. Reed led Day 1 and most of Day 2 on his way to his 10th World Series of Poker cash.
On his final hand, Sandy Tayi raised and Reed three-bet in position. Ray Henson was in the big blind and checked Reed's remaining stack before making it four bets. Tayi and Reed both called.
The flop came and the action checked to Reed who bet. Henson raised and Tayi folded. Reed then debated for a few seconds before reraising and Henson raised again so the two would be all in.
Henson showed and Reed, . The turn was the and the river was the , bringing no help for Reed. He was eliminated in 13th place.
Bradley Snider has just tripled up with in a three-way pot against Shane Fumerton and Sandy Tayi. Snider turned two pairs and won the hand. The next hand he was up against Mark Bassaly, but Bassaly held the .
The flop was and both players checked. They got Snider's remaining chips in on the turn when the hit. Snider turned over and was drawing dead against the flopped flush of Bassaly.
Barry Greenstein and Ray Pulford started the hand with the exact same chips and Pulford raised under the gun. Greenstein three-bet and Pulford called.
The flop came and Pulford checked. Greenstein bet and Pulford raised. Greenstein called.
The turn was the and Pulford bet his remaining 21,000. Greenstein called for the same amount and both players were all in.
Greenstein had against the of Pulford. The river didn't bring a ten, so Pulford doubled up and Greenstein was eliminated in 11th place. He will earn $9,085 for his effort.
Nancy Nguyen won three hands in a row and, on the last hand, eliminated Ray Pulford with ace-high.
She played a hand to the river against Kevin Lizak, which she also won with ace-high and then two hands later she would four-bet Mark Bassaly after an opening raise from Ray Pulford.
Pulford got all in preflop and Bassaly and Nguyen were heads up for the side pot.
The flop came and Bassaly check-called a bet from Nguyen. The action repeated on the turn when the paired the board and both players checked the river when the came.
All players had ace-high. Pulford , Bassaly, , and Nguyen . Nguyen won with ace-king high and eliminated Pulford. She also cracked 1 million chips with that pot.
Hand #22: Shane Buchwald raised from early position. Nancy Nguyen called in the small blind and Tung Tran defended his big blind.
The flop came . Nguyen checked and Tran bet. Buchwald raised, Nguyen folded, and the remaining two pairs got the rest of Tran's stack in the middle.
Tran:
Buchwald:
Tran had flopped a set of eights, but Buchwald had flush outs, and the on the turn was one of them. Tran needed the board to pair but the river was the , meaning he exited in ninth place for $11,652.
Hand #53: Kevin Lizak raised. It folded to Mark Bassaly who three-bet. Lizak raised and Bassaly got the rest of his stack in. Lizak called.
Bassaly:
Lizak:
The flop was and Bassaly's boisterous rail (pictured below) shouted, "No diamond!" The crowd half-cheered, half-oooh'd when the came on the turn. The river was the , giving Lizak trip tens and eliciting a, "Jesus," from tablemate Shane Fumerton.
Bassaly took home $15,225 for his eighth-place finish.
, meaning Norman's doubling efforts were over and he was eliminated in 15th place.
and the action checked to Reed who bet. Henson raised and Tayi folded. Reed then debated for a few seconds before reraising and Henson raised again so the two would be all in.
and Reed, 
. The turn was the 
and the river was the 
, bringing no help for Reed. He was eliminated in 13th place.
in a three-way pot against Shane Fumerton and Sandy Tayi. Snider turned two pairs and won the hand. The next hand he was up against Mark Bassaly, but Bassaly held the 
.
and both players checked. They got Snider's remaining chips in on the turn when the 
paired the board and both players checked the river when the 
, Bassaly, 
, and Nguyen 
. Nguyen checked and Tran bet. Buchwald raised, Nguyen folded, and the remaining two pairs got the rest of Tran's stack in the middle.
on the turn was one of them. Tran needed the board to pair but the river was the 
and Bassaly's boisterous rail (pictured below) shouted, "No diamond!" The crowd half-cheered, half-oooh'd when the 
, giving Lizak trip tens and eliciting a, "Jesus," from tablemate Shane Fumerton. 
. Lizak was eliminated in seventh place for $20,261.