The Colossus III is underway and Day 1b starts at 4 p.m. local time. This is the second of six starting flights. Players will play 18 30-minute levels before bagging for Day 2 and each player is allowed one reentry per flight. The Colossus III is Event #5 of the 2017 World Series of Poker.
The winner of Colossus III is guaranteed $1,000,000 and the WSOP gold bracelet. Last year, Ben Keeline won the Colossus after being down to one single chip. Whoever wins this year's edition will join Keeline and Cord Garcia, the original Colossus champion. It would not be a surprise to see both Keeline and Garcia in the field for today's flight.
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Ben Keeline was in the small blind and raised into the big blind of Michael Sanders. Sanders shoved all in and Keeline called with against the of Sanders.
Keeline held the lead to win the pot and earn the double. Sanders was left with a little over 13,000.
Below are some other chip counts from the field as the players are just getting back from dinner.
As Colossus III Day 1b approached the money bubble, the floor person announced that each dealer should stand at the end of the hand. This is the signal that hand-for-hand play is about to begin. However, the player that prompted that announcement ended up being the bubble and the next three players to bust all earned a min cash of $872.
One of those players, Michael Shanahan three-bet all in for his remaining 17,000 after an opening raise from Bas de Laat. de Laat called and flopped a pair against Shanahan. That would be good enough for de Laat to win the hand, and for Shanahan to be one of the first players to min cash this flight of Colossus III.
Two players just won huge pots within a few moments of each other to share the chip lead as the later stages of Day 1b approach.
"Yeah baby!" Mike Dentale exclaimed as he jumped out of his chair, "Yes! I just won the Colossus."
That cause some of the remaining field to chuckle a little. Dentale had just eliminated a player for a pot worth about 80,000 to jump up to 170,000. He says he had a royal flush draw against a pair of queens and made broadway.
At a nearby table, Jay Sarno was seated next to Sebastian Pauli. Both had large stacks. The two players played a pot together and we caught the final action on the river.
The board read and there was about 60,000 in the pot. Sarno was first to act and shoved all in for 61,000. Pauli took a moment before calling and showing . Sarno turned over two fours, , for a full house and won the pot worth close to 120,000.
Mike Dentale is approaching 300,000 and sees supremely confident approaching the final break of the evening.
He was heads up on a board of and his opponent led for 25,000 into a 70,000 pot. With only the slightest hesitation, Dentale went all in. His opponent had about 45,000 behind and, after a few moments folded.
Dentale flipped over the and raked in the pot.
His opponent told him he had ace-five.
"That's so sick," replied Dentale, "Once you called, I was gonna check it down."
With just over three levels of play left in Day 1b of Colossus III, Mike Dentale just broke 400,000.
On his latest hand, he called a 20,000 bet on a flop. The turn was the and his opponent checked. Dentale went all in, putting his opponent at risk. His opponent called and Dentale showed for trip sixes.
His opponent appeared deflated as he turned over . The river was the and Dentale won yet another hand.
against the 
of Sanders.
flop. His opponent called with two black aces — 
for a flush draw.
and the river was the 
, which completed the flush two times over. Sexton is now over 20,000.
and Dohnal doubled up.
. Sarno turned over two fours, 
and his opponent led for 25,000 into a 70,000 pot. With only the slightest hesitation, Dentale went all in. His opponent had about 45,000 behind and, after a few moments folded.
. His opponent had 
, but Wheeler had the best of it with 
for trip sixes.
and Dentale won yet another hand.
