Live tournament updates from around the world see Dan Smith leading the final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Tour Classic, Stephen Chidwick taking the lead into the third day of action at the Eureka Poker Tour Prague, and major tournament victories for Joseph LaPinta and Eddie Ochana in the States.
The final table of the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Tour Classic has reached its final table, and it’s quite fitting that arguably the best player of 2012 should pop up to show the world that he is still around as we close the curtains on a sublime 2013.
Dan Smith takes 3,720,000 into a final table that contains the likes of Australian Poker Hall of Famer Gary Benson, and Season X Player of the Year Joe Serock, in what is Smith’s first WPT final table appearance of his illustrious career.
As you would expect in a $10,300 event, the penultimate day was littered with the expected poker glitterati. WPT Champions Club member Will Failla fell in 18th place when he lost a race 77 v AK against the Ultimate Poker Pro Dan O’Brien; and the inaugural WPT Alpha8 winner Steve Silverman bowed out in a hand against Dan Smith after his [Kh] [Qh] didn’t match up against the [Ah] [9h] of our chip leader on a board of [9c] [9d] [5h] [Qd].
Dan O’Brien ran his pocket fives into the pocket aces of Christian Harder to leave in 13th spot, and then the tournament lost it’s starting day chip leader Jean-Robert Bellande when he moved all-in on [Ks] [8d] [6s], holding [Kh] [Qh], only to see Dan Smith turn over [Ah] [Kc], and his better kicker booted Broke Living out of the contest in 10th.
Christian Harder left the building in 9th place when his ace-king ran into the pocket aces of Benson, and the final table was set after Shaun Suller eliminated Curt Kohlberg in seventh place when his pocket jacks beat the crap out of his pocket deuces in an all-in scrap.
Final Table Positions
Seat 1: Eddy Sabat – 1,540,000
Seat 2: Barry Hutter – 1,265,000
Seat 3: Dan Smith – 3,720,000
Seat 4: Gary Benson – 3,110,000
Seat 5: Joe Serock – 1,615,000
Seat 6: Shaun Suller – 2,425,000
The final TV table will kick off at 4pm local time.
Stephen Chidwick Leads Day 2 of the Eureka Poker Tour Prague
Stephen Chidwick is one of the most underrated all round poker players on the planet. His peers understand just how good he is, but he is still searching for his first media sapping title that will alert the poker fans to his genius.
Perhaps it’s his time?
As the mammoth Eureka Poker Tour Prague stomps into its third day of action it is the man from the UK that has the chip lead with 1,479,000 chips.
396 players started and the day, and 192 ended it, and all of them are now in the money after Jari Kiernan ran pocket kings into pocket aces to end up with the bubble boy moniker.
Joining Chidwick in the Day 3 seat draw include Mario Puccini (1,147,000), Sergey Baranov (976,000), Marcin Horecki (853,000), Kevin MacPhee (769,000), Matthias De Meulder (486,000) and Chris Moorman (317,000).
Joseph LaPinta Takes a Six Figure Score From the WSOPC in Atlantic City
The World Series Of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) bumped up its usual entry fee to the beefier looking $1,675 for its main event at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, and 578 people responded in kind.
That created a total prize pool of $867,000 and Joseph LaPinta grabbed $182,070 of it, and a place in the 2014 WSOP National Championships, after defeating Joseph Wertz in heads up action.
The pair getting it in AK v J9 and an ace on the flop sealing the deal for LaPinta who wins the largest score in his career by a country mile.
The tour now moves on to Harrah’s Rincon.
Eddie Ochana Wins the Final HPT Event of 2013
Eddie Ochana took his total live tournament earnings over the $1m mark after taking the final Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) title of 2013 in the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana.
39-year old Ochana defeated the WPT Ones to Watch Aaron Massey in heads up action that saw him walk away with $152,477, on a final table that also included the likes of Nick Schwarmann and Ryan Olson.
The next HPT event will take place on a cruise ship anchored somewhere in the Caribbean.
