Live Poker Tour Updates From WPT Montreal and WSOPC Atlantic City

Live poker tour updates as Mukul Pahuja and Lily Kileto headline the final table at World Poker Tour Montreal, and the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) event trundles into Atlantic City

The penultimate day of WPT Montreal started with 18-players and Sylvain Siebert at the head of the pack, and it ended with six players left in the field and Siebert still holding that dominant position.

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8,435,000 is a lot of chips and he obtained them by eliminating four of the most experienced opponents in the field. If you ever doubted the role that luck plays in this beautiful game of ours then just check this out.

The day started with two former WPT champions in the hunt for title number two and one of them would leave in 17th place.

Jonathan Little moving all-in for 290,000 in the cutoff and finding a caller in Siebert on the button. It was king-nine for Little and the dominating king-jack for Siebert and the better hand held to hand Little the consolation prize of $24,916.

Siebert’s next victim was the talented Griffin Benger, and it was a horrific way to see his tournament hopes die.

Siebert raised to 90,000 under the gun with aces and Benger flatted in the cut off with pocket sevens. The flop was Q87 rainbow to give Benger the set, Siebert bet 175,000 and Benger just called. Both players checked the [5c] turn and Siebert pulled a rabbit out of the hat wearing the [Ad] on the river. Siebert bet half a million, Benger went all-in, Siebert called and a haunted looking Benger was out.

That wasn’t the last river card that Siebert would draw out of the deck to save his skin. Ludovic Lacay was one of the most experienced players left in the field when he bowed out in ninth place.

Four players saw a [Ts] [6s] [3s] flop, including Lacay, and they all checked to the [Jh] turn where Lacay moved all-in for a million chips and Siebert called. Lacay turned over [Jc] [Tc] for two pair and Siebert turned over [Ks] [Kh] for the over pair with the spade flush draw. The [6c] hits the river to hand Siebert a stronger two pair and a devastated Lacay headed to the rail.

Siebert still had one final bad beat to deliver and the former WPT Champion Amir Babakhani would be on the receiving end to finish as the final table bubble boy.

The former champion raised to 125,000, from under the gun holding ace-queen, and Siebert would flat from the cutoff holding the dominated ace-eight. The flop was [Ad] [8d] [7d], to give Siebert the upper hand, Babakhani checked, Siebert bet 175,000, Babakhani moved all-in and Siebert called. The turn and river bricked and Siebert moved into the final table as the chip leader.

Trying to stop that runaway train will be Mukul Pahuja and Lily Kileto.

Yesterday, I received a tweet admonishing me for not mentioning ‘The Beast’ that is Mukul Pahuja, so I had better mention that ‘The Beast’ lies third in chips and is one of the favorites for the title.

Lily Kileto takes her seat in her second WPT Main Event final table after finishing runner-up to Matt Giannetti in the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Season XI. Kileto will have to get lucky to go one step further as she starts the final table as the shortest stack with just 6bb to her name.

Final Table Standings

Seat 1: Serge Cantin – 6,960,000

Seat 2: Mukul Pahuja – 5,945,000

Seat 3: Derrick Rosenbarger – 1,985,000

Seat 4: Alexandre Lavigne – 2,150,000

Seat 5: Lily Kileto – 370,000

Seat 6: Sylvain Siebert – 8,435,000

Final Table Payouts

1: $500,824

2: $340,928

3: $220,170

4: $162,936

5: $121,848

6: $98,574

The World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Moves into Atlantic City

Atlantic City may well be the new iGaming capital of the US, but the WSOPC is in town to show the population that the live action has still got a healthy pulse.

The event, which is being held at Harrah’s Atlantic City, has sailed through four events thus far and here are the winners.

Ray Papperman won the series opener, which was a $365 No-Limit Hold’em event that attracted 383 players. The lawyer, and poker enthusiast, picked up $25,282 for his victory in a field that saw Jamie Kersetter finish in 43rd place.

Tod Liang picked up the second event, which was pretty much the same as the first with the added spice of the re-entry clause. This added a further 100 entrants to the prize pool and Liang walked away with $31,000 at a final table that featured that man Jamie Kersetter who had to settle for third.

The third event was a $580 NLHE event that drew in 192 competitors and Brian O’Donoghue picked up his third WSOPC title, in the third event and in three hours. Bish, bash, bosh and O’Donoghue was picking up $24,597.

Event #4 was a $365 NLHE event and this time 388 players joined the fray. Paul Avilla emerging as an unlikely winner and takes $25,605 for his troubles. During the penultimate day’s action Avila didn’t even have enough chips to make up the big blind, making his victory all the more sweeter.

Photo Courtesy of WPT Flickr