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Recap: $25,500 WPT World Championship
Recap: $100,000 WPT Super High Roller
| Earnings | $198,342 |
| Cashes | 2 |
| Final Tables | 1 |
| Titles | 0 |
| Tournaments Played | 8 |
Est. Current Chipcount
Est. Average Chipcount
22,710,000
Current Chipleader
-
Day 2
308,000
Day 3
2,712,000
Day 4
4,085,000
Day 5
3rd
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
By BJ Nemeth
With everyone already in the money and a slowly increasing payout structure, the key goal for Day 4 was to make the final table. There were 21 players battling for just six seats at Tuesday's televised final table.
Here's a look at some highlights from Day 4:
During one of the breaks, Will "The Thrill" Failla (left) chats with Dwyte Pilgrim (center) and Keith Kozar -- both of whom finished in the money the day before.
James Carroll (right) faces a big bet of 500,000 from Jeff Vertes on a board of J
9
4
5
. Carroll would eventually fold, asking Vertes if he was bluffing. Vertes showed AA.
Christina Lindley was the last woman standing, but couldn't hold on to her short stack long enough to reach the final table. Lindley was eliminated in 15th place when she got it all in preflop with AK against the JJ of Joshua Pollock.
Shawn Buchanan was the last remaining WPT winner in the field, until he found himself all in preflop with A10 against the QQ of Joshua Pollock (far left). The board came Q84710, and Pollock won with a set of queens to eliminate Buchanan in 13th place. (Buchanan can be seen walking off to the right.)
Andy Whetstone is one of the most successful ClubWPT.com qualifiers in WPT history, reaching the televised final table at the 2011 WPT Hollywood Poker Open and earning $62,041 for his fifth-place finish. Whetstone was in Los Angeles on Monday, and couldn't resist checking out a WPT tournament in progress.
Tyler Cornell made a deep run in last year's WPT Legends of Poker, finishing 11th to barely miss the final table. This year, Cornell had deja vu -- once again, he was eliminated in 11th place. Cornell got it all in preflop with AQ, but ran into the KK of Joshua Pollock.
Joshua Pollock has already been mentioned several times for eliminating key players. As you'll soon see, he put their chips to good use.
After Tyler Cornell's elimination in 11th place, the final 10 players combined to a single table. In seat order, they are (1) David Daneshgar, (2) Joshua Pollock, (3) Owais Ahmed, (4) Will Failla, (5) Adam Aronson, (6) Matt Kay, (7) Ray Henson, (8) Ken Aldridge, (9) James Carroll, (10) Jeff Vertes.
Everyone at the table watches Matt Kay (far right) as he is all in preflop with AQ and facing elimination against the KK of Joshua Pollock. (There's that name again; Pollock is on the far left.) The board would come J105210, teasing Kay with a flush draw, but the pocket kings held up. Matt Kay was eliminated in 10th place.
David Daneshgar (standing, left) found himself as the short stack in a three-way all-in situation with 77 against the 88 of Joshua Pollock (standing, center) and the QQ of Owais Ahmed (standing, right).
This time, Pollock didn't get the kill. Ahmed's pocket queens held up on the board of J103K4 to win the entire pot and eliminate David Daneshgar in ninth place.
James Carroll (right) five-bets all in against Ray Henson (left). But Henson had the best of it, with KK to Carroll's JJ. The pocket kings would hold up, doubling Henson's chip stack.
Will Failla (left) folds to the all-in bet from Adam Aronson on a board of 6325.
Ken "Teach" Aldridge (left) faces an all-in bet from James Carroll with eight players remaining. Aldridge tanked for several minutes on his decision, talking and joking along the way, though he eventually folded.
Joshua Pollock (left) looks fearless as he stares down Adam Aronson after Pollock bet half the pot on a flop of K64. Aronson thought for a while before he folded, and Pollock showed AA.
James Carroll (center) carefully studies Jeff Vertes (right) after a big preflop reraise. Ken Aldridge (left) considered his options for a while in the big blind, but Carroll seemed primarily concerned with Vertes. When Aldridge eventually folded, Carroll forfeited his cards as well.
James Carroll was eliminated a short while later when he moved all in for 12 big blinds with A3, but ran into the AJ of Jeff Vertes.
Aces vs. kings has been a recurring theme on Days 3 and 4, and the victim this time was Ray Henson, who watched as Ken Aldridge doubled through his kings with pocket aces.
Ray Henson moved all in after a flop of J32 with J10 (pair of jacks), but was dominated by Joshua Pollock's KJ (pair of jacks, higher kicker). Henson received a reprieve when the last two cards came 22 to give them both identical full houses to chop the pot.
In Hand #190 at the final 10-handed table, shortly after 3:30 am, Ray Henson (seated, center left) moved all in with A6, but ran into the dominating AK of Jeff Vertes (seated, right). The board came A728Q, and Vertes won the final pot of the night with his king kicker.
Ray Henson was eliminated on the TV bubble, earning $64,250 for his seventh-place finish. The final six players verified their chip counts, filled out WPT bio sheets, and made their arrangements for Tuesday's televised final table.
Will Failla is a well-known player on the tournament circuit, with a larger-than-life personality. This will be Failla's first televised WPT final table, and he'll be starting play as the big chipleader.
Here are the official chip counts for the televised WPT final table:
Seat 1. Joshua Pollock - 5,315,000 (53 BBs)
Seat 2. Owais Ahmed - 1,720,000 (17 BBs)
Seat 3. Will Failla - 6,770,000 (67 BBs)
Seat 4. Adam Aronson - 2,190,000 (21 BBs)
Seat 5. Ken Aldridge - 3,640,000 (36 BBs)
Seat 6. Jeff Vertes - 4,085,000 (40 BBs)
The televised WPT final table begins Tuesday at 4:00 pm PT, and live-streaming will be available over the internet (with hole cards) on a 30-minute delay.
As always, we will be providing our complete hand-for-hand coverage, with every check, bet, call, raise, and fold, along with updated chip counts after every hand. Only at WPT.com.
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Here are the official chip counts for tomorrow's televised WPT final table, with 28:23 left in Level 30 (50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante):
Seat 1. Joshua Pollock - 5,315,000 (53 BBs)
Seat 2. Owais Ahmed - 1,720,000 (17 BBs)
Seat 3. Will Failla - 6,770,000 (67 BBs)
Seat 4. Adam Aronson - 2,190,000 (21 BBs)
Seat 5. Ken Aldridge - 3,640,000 (36 BBs)
Seat 6. Jeff Vertes - 4,085,000 (40 BBs)
Return to WPT.com tomorrow morning (Tuesday) for a photo recap of today's highlights and another episode of "The Jess & BJ Show."
The televised WPT final table is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm PT, and we'll be providing complete hand-for-hand coverage with chip counts updated after every hand. For the first time in WPT history, there will also be a semi-live webcast of the final table on a 30-minute delay -- with hole cards.
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #190 - Ray Henson moves all in from early position, and Jeff Vertes calls from the cutoff with AK. Henson turns over A6, and he'll need to improve to stay alive.
The board comes A728Q, and Vertes wins the pot with his king kicker to eliminate Ray Henson on the TV bubble in seventh place.
Ray Henson - Out in 7th Place ($64,250)
Official chip counts for tomorrow's televised WPT final table will be posted soon.
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #178 - Ken Aldridge raises to 200,000 from under the gun and Jeff Vertes reraises to 550,000 behind him. Will Failla is on the button and cold four-bets to 1,100,000.
Aldridge starts to think and Failla tells him, "You know it's me, buddy. We gotta play one hand." Aldridge opts to pass and folds his hand. Now it is on Vertes to make a decision.
"There are three hands that can beat me," Vertes tells Failla.
"Well, I've got one of them," Failla retorts.
Vertes thinks for a little while longer, then engages Failla again. "Sounds like you really want me to fold."
Once again, Failla is ready with a response, telling Vertes, I'd love to see you call with two outs."
Eventually Vertes folds JJ face-up. He asks Failla to show and Failla agrees to do so if Vertes pays him $20 at tomorrow's final table. Vertes agrees and Failla shows him QQ.
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #167: Action folds around to James Carroll on the button and he moves all-in for 1,195,000. Jeff Vertes is in the small blind and calls.
Carroll turns over A3 and Vertes shows AJ. The Q109 flop gives Vertes an open-ended straight draw and Vertes makes his straight with the 8 on the turn. Carroll is drawing dead to a chop and needs a jack on the river in order to stay alive.
The river is the Q and Vertes takes the pot, eliminating Carroll in eighth place after more than three hours without a bustout.
Jeff Vertes - 3,400,000 (34 BBs)
James Carroll - eliminated in 8th place ($51,400)
Level 28: 30,000-60,000, 10,000 ante
Hand #108 - Jeff Vertes raises to 175,000 from the cutoff and Owais Ahmed reraises to 375,000 out of the small blind. Vertes four-bets to 775,000.
Ahmed thinks for a minute before announcing he is all-in for 1,535,000 total. Vertes calls with 77 and Ahmed turns over a dominating AA.
The board runs out 932103 and Ahmed's aces hold to give him the second double up of this level.
Owais Ahmed - 3,210,000 (54 BBs)
Jeff Vertes - 2,005,000 (33 BBs)
Level 26: 20,000-40,000, 5,000 ante
Hand #25 - Will Failla raises from middle position to 90,000, and Ken Aldridge says, "I've been waiting my whole tournament to do this," as he calls from the cutoff. Jeff Vertes also calls from the small blind.
The flop comes 1088, Vertes bets 120,000, Failla calls, and Aldridge calls.
The turn card is the 4, Vertes bets 250,000, Failla calls, and Aldridge calls.
The river card pairs the board with the 4, Vertes checks, Failla bets 300,000, and Aldridge quickly calls. Vertes says, "Sick."
Aldridge mumbles something to the player next to him, and Failla says, "I hope you're lying about what you had, because I heard you and you could get a serious penalty. You said you had three eights."
Vertes eventually calls, and before anyone shows their cards, Failla points at Aldridge and says, "Tell me you have jacks." Aldridge says, "I wish I did." Failla says, "I have kings," and he shows KK. Aldridge turns over 99.
Vertes mucks, and Will Failla takes the pot.
Level 25: 15,000-30,000, 5,000 ante
All of the chip counts have just been updated in the chip count tab.
With 11 players remaining, here is a look at the top five...
Jeff Vertes - 3,550,000
Joshua Pollock - 3,250,000
James Carroll - 2,850,000
Will Failla - 2,650,000
Adam Aronson - 1,900,000
Level 25: 15,000-30,000, 5,000 ante
All of the chip counts have just been updated in the chip count tab.
With 11 players remaining, here is a look at the top five...
Jeff Vertes - 3,760,000
Joshua Pollock - 3,100,000
Will Failla - 2,600,000
Ken Aldridge - 2,100,000
Adam Aronson - 2,000,000
Recent Eliminations...
12th. Richard McGee - $29,555
Level 24: 12,000-24,000, 4,000 ante
Jeff Vertes raises to 55,000 from middle position and James Carroll reraises to 165,000 behind him. Vertes calls and the two go heads-up to a flop of 932. Vertes checks, Carroll bets 240,000, Vertes folds, and Carroll takes the pot.
The very next hand, Carroll opens to 60,000 from under the gun and Vertes reraises to 176,000 out of the big blind. Carroll calls and this time they see a flop of KK5. Vertes bets 235,000, Carroll folds, and Vertes takes the pot.
Jeff Vertes - 3,760,000 (157 BBs)
James Carroll - 1,855,000 (77 BBs)
