Photo Recap: Day 3 of WPT Festa al Lago

Level 16: 3,000-6,000, 500 ante

By BJ Nemeth

The bubble burst on Day 3 when the field reached 50 players, and play continued for another level or so to finish the day with 41. Here's a look at the top 5 chip counts:

1. Steve O'Dwyer - 844,500 (140 bb)
2. Jeff Madsen - 814,000 (135 bb)
3. Randal Flowers - 795,500 (132 bb)
4. Andreas Hoivold - 632,500 (105 bb)
5. Jason Koon - 586,000 (97 bb)

And now, a photographic look back at Day 3 of the WPT Festa al Lago at Bellagio:



When the field reached 51 players, play shifted to hand-for-hand play on the money bubble, as the top 50 players would be guaranteed at least $12,896. Owen Crowe (center) was all in preflop against Gavin Smith (right), but they weren't allowed to reveal their cards until action was completed at the other five tables. It took about five minutes before they were allowed to show their holecards, so let's look at some other photos before returning to find out what they had.



David Williams (top right) ponders his decision when Chris Bjorin (far left) reraised all in preflop. Williams eventually folded, claiming A-Q, and Bjorin flashed his cards to Williams to prove he made a good lay down.



Maria Ho lost an all-in situation in the last hand of the first level, and left the tournament. But when the chip stacks were counted down, Maria still had 300 in chips -- the size of a single ante. A few friends called her, but she didn't get the message until the end of the break, and made it back to the room just in time to play the first hand -- and win. That took her from 300 to 2,700 (a 9x increase), and she moved all in again on the next time -- and quadrupled up to 11,000 (4.5 bb). Could she mount a comeback?



Around the same time that Maria Ho was crippled, Vanessa Selbst (standing, in dark blue) was eliminated by Jared Jaffee (standing, right). With the board showing 10104K, Jaffee four-bet all in, and Selbst called with J10 for trip tens. But Jaffee turned over 44 for a flopped full house, and it held up to win the pot. Jaffee continued his hot streak during the next level to take the chip lead for a while, and eventually finished the day with an above-average stack of 426,500 (71 bb).



Nearly an hour later, and Maria Ho was still surviving with her short stack. In this hand, Maria moved all in under the gun for 9,600, and was about to double up through recent WPT Legends of Poker winner Andy Frankenberger (not pictured) -- Maria's K4 made a flush against his K2. That took Maria up over the 20,000-chip mark, and over the next hour she built it up to more than 40,000. Unfortunately, she eventually ran her A-Q into Gavin Smith's K-K to double him up. (Gavin was on a shortstack comeback of his own.) Maria busted a few minutes later, ten spots away from the money.



Jeff Madsen was the tournament chipleader when hand-for-hand play began on the money bubble. Madsen carried the momentum through the end of the day, finishing second on the leaderboard with 814,000 (135 bb).



It's probably not a surprise that Allen Kessler was one of the short stacks on the money bubble, though perhaps it should have been. Kessler began Day 3 with 18,700 (9 bb), and was in 97th place with 99 players remaining. Kessler not only reached the money, but he survived the day with 259,000 (43 bb).



As the money bubble continued, Thomas Marchese (right) played a pot against Daniel Alaei (foreground) as Mark Newhouse looked on. All three players survived the day in good shape -- Alaei with 355,000 (59 bb), Marchese with 215,000 (35 bb), and Newhouse with 213,500 (35 bb).



The money bubble hasn't fazed Lauren Kling, who is all smiles as she is about to clinch the second WPT cash of her young career. Jimmy Tran (right) is a veteran, about to pick up his 10th WPT cash dating back to the first season. Kling finished the day with 141,000 (23 bb), slightly ahead of Tran's 123,500 (20 bb). With 41 players remaining, Kling is one of three women left (7.3% of the field).



Owen Crowe (pictured) was crippled on the money bubble after his AK ran into Brandon Steven's AA. Crowe was knocked down to 15,000 in chips (3 bb), and all eyes turned to him as the most likely to burst the bubble.



Three hands after being crippled, Owen Crowe (center, standing) moved all in from late position, and Gavin Smith (right) moved all in over the top from the cutoff. Both players had to wait about five minutes before revealing their cards, so their hand wouldn't affect action at the other five tables on the money bubble. When they could finally show their cards, Crowe turned over Q10 to Gavin's AK. Gavin Smith's hand held up, and Owen Crowe became the unfortunate "bubble boy," finishing in 51st place.



Andreas Hoivold had a strong day to finish fourth on the leaderboard with 632,500 (105 bb).



As Day 3 came to an end, Steve O'Dwyer (left) and Randal Flowers were at the top of the leaderboard in first and third place, respectively. O'Dwyer was the only player to cross the million-chip mark on Day 3, but dropped a bit to finish the day with 844,500 (140 bb). Flowers finished with 795,500 (132 bb).


Day 4 begins tomorrow (Monday) at 12:00 noon PT, when the 41 survivors will battle it out to get closer to Wednesday's televised WPT final table. Return to WorldPokerTour.com for continuing live coverage, including hand updates, frequent chip counts, and video interviews with Kimberly Lansing.

Gavin Smith Eliminated in 48th Place ($12,896)

Level 15: 2,500-5,000, 500 ante

Jimmy Tran raises to 17,000 from the hijack and Gavin Smith moves all-in from the cutoff for 47,000 total.  Everyone else folds and Tran calls.

Tran holds AJ to Smith's 77.  The board runs out KT93Q, giving Tran a winning Broadway straight on the river and eliminating Smith.

Jimmy Tran - 130,000
Gavin Smith - eliminated in 48th place ($12,896) 

Owen Crowe Eliminated by Gavin Smith on the Money Bubble

Level 15: 2,500-5,000, 500 ante

After he was crippled in the last hand before the break, Owen Crowe returned from break to find himself on the button, so even with three big blinds, he could be a little patient. (He had 15,000 to start this level.)

Crowe folded his first two hands, and then moved all in from late position on the third hand. Gavin Smith moved all in over the top from the cutoff, and everyone else folded.

A floorperson tells Crowe and Gavin, "Don't expose your cards." Gavin says, "I will seriously expose myself right now," and the double entendre was obvious. A crowd has gathered around the table, and someone says, "C'mon, give us a little peek." Continuing the sexual innuendo, Gavin jokingly says, "Well, it is just a little one."

Why aren't they allowed to expose their cards? The rule here at Bellagio is that, during hand-for-hand play, players who are all in aren't allowed to expose their cards until action is complete on the other tables. That way, players at other tables can't stall for information, knowing that a short stack is dominated and facing elimination, for example.

The wait gets longer and longer, because there is a relatively small pot at another table, and a player is delaying a decision at the bubble. Eventually, Lyle Berman, who isn't playing at either table, almost jokingly calls for a clock. Berman then asks TD Jack McClelland if a player at a different table can call the clock during hand-for-hand play. McClelland says, "You just did." (Some tournaments have this rule, as delays at this stage affect everyone in the field.)

With all other action complete, Crowe shows Q10, and Gavin turns over AK. Crowe will need to improve to stay alive.

The board comes J74J7, and Gavin Smith wins the pot with his A-K to eliminate Owen Crowe on the money bubble.

Gavin Smith  -  75,000  (15 bb)
Owen Crowe  -  Out in 51st Place ($0)

Gavin Smith Calls Joe Tehan's Bluff

Level 13: 1,500-3,000, 400 ante

Gavin Smith has doubled his stack recently, and when asked how he did it, he simply said, "Joe Tehan tried to bluff me." (Tehan is sitting to Gavin's immediate right.)

Asked for more details, Gavin says, "I had my cards in one hand ready to muck, and all my chips in the other hand ready to call. I asked him, 'Which do you want me to throw in?' Then I decided that I didn't care what he thought, and I called. And I was right." Tehan lets out a good laugh.

Gavin Smith  -  155,000  (51 bb)
Joe Tehan  -  165,000  (55 bb)

The Comeback of Maria Ho Comes to an End

Level 13: 1,500-3,000, 400 ante

Maria Ho's short-stacked ninja skills carried her pretty well for a while, after being crippled down to a single ante. Maria had a little more than 40,000 when she reraised an early-position player, only to have Gavin Smith wake up behind her with K-K. Maria had A-Q, and didn't improve. That crippled Maria down to about two big blinds.

Gavin Smith  -  86,000  (28 bb)
Maria Ho  -  7,000  (2 bb)

A few hands later, Maria Ho moves all in under the gun, and Alex Melnikow raises from late position with AJ. Maria shows K3, and she'll need to improve to stay alive.

The board comes Q10955, and Jeff Madsen calls out for a jack on the river for his friend Maria. (She flopped a gutshot straight draw.) Melnikow wins the pot to eliminate Maria Ho from the tournament in 60th place -- 10 spots away from the money.

Alex Melnikow  -  130,000  (43 bb)
Maria Ho  -  Eliminated

After busting, Maria described her three chips-and-a-chair near-comeback to the WPT cameras: "That was probably the wildest, most interesting ride I've ever had in a tournament."

Gavin Smith Tests Madsen's Tilt Factor

Level 12: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

Friends Gavin Smith and Jeff Madsen are seated side by side and have been ribbing each other for most of the afternoon.  Recently, Smith thought it would be funny to knock over Madsen's massive chip stack, creating a giant messy pile.

Smith was so impressed with his handiwork that he called over the floor man just to point out what he did.

Madsen finally got his chips back in order several hands later and now Smith is debating how many times he can knock over his chips before sending Madsen on tilt.

"How many times can I knock over his stack before he gets upset?  He has 700,000 chips, how can he get mad?"

Someone at the table suggests the line is two.  Joe Tehan is more optimistic.  "I'd say 3.5.   If I had that many chips, I don't care how many times you knock them over, I'd just keep laughing and thinking it is funny."

Madsen is inclined to agree.  With one of the two biggest stacks in the room, he really doesn't have much reason to be angry right about now.

Blackjack Breaks for Gavin Smith

Level 12: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

Gavin Smith Doubles Up Twice

Level 12: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

The very next hand after tripling up Maria Ho, Gavin Smith shoves all-in from the small blind for his last 7,500 and Jeff Madsen instantly calls.

Madsen quickly turns over KK and Smith lets out a frustrated sigh.  He shows just one card--the 3.

The flop comes T83 and Madsen says, "uh oh," when he realizes Smith paired up.  The turn brings the 6 and the river the 2.  Smith slides the 3 over to reveal his second card, the K.  Smith rivers a winning flush and takes the pot.

Gavin Smith - 15,000 (6 big blinds)
Jeff Madsen - 510,000 (213 big blinds)

The very next hand, action folds to Smith on the button and he moves all-in.  Madsen is in the small blind and calls.  Alex Melnikow is in the big blind and raises to 40,000.  Madsen folds and Melnikow shows A9.

"Once again, the three is my key card," Smith says as he turns up 33. 

The board runs out Q872J and Smith's treys hold to triple him up to 47,000.

After the hand, Smith and Ho start musing how great it would be if the two of them can battle back from the brink of elimination to finish 1-2 in the tournament.

Gavin Smith - 47,000 - (20 big blinds)
Alex Melnikow - 155,000 (65 big blinds)

Maria Ho Triples Up

Level 12: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

The very next hand after running her 300 chip stack to 2,700, Maria Ho movs all-in from the cutoff, Mack Lee calls on the button, and Gavin Smith reraises all-in from the blinds for his last 20,000.

Lee calls and the three players turn their cards up.  Smith has both players covered and holds  AK.  Lee shows AT, and Ho has them both in bad shape with AA.  The board runs out 653T6 and Ho takes the main pot, while Lee pairs his ten to take the side pot.

Maria Ho - 11,000 (5 big blinds)
Mack Lee - 30,000 (13 big blinds)
Gavin Smith - 7,500 (3 big blinds)

Maria Ho Gets a Stay of Execution

Level 12: 1,200-2,400, 300 ante

Thanks to a phone call from Jeff Madsen, Maria Ho returns to the tournament to play her last 300 chips, which are all-in in the ante on the first hand of Level 12.

Gavin Smith is under the gun and shoves all-in for 18,700.  Everyone else folds and he takes the blinds, while he and Ho battle it out for the antes.  Smith shows AT and Ho shows 57.  The board runs out Q9728 and Ho takes down the 2,700 chip pot.