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Live: $25,000 WPT World Championship
Upcoming: $100,000 WPT Super High Roller
| Earnings | $516,851 |
| Cashes | 4 |
| Final Tables | 2 |
| Titles | 0 |
| Tournaments Played | 22 |
Ranking
7th
Payout
$47,312
Points
300
Day 1-A
70,000
Day 1-B
108,000
Day 2
292,000
Day 3
815,000
Day 5
7th
Level 25: 15,000-30,000, 5,000 ante
By BJ Nemeth
During the dinner break, Tony Dunst (standing) and Daniel Buzton (seated) spent some time out in the parking lot enjoying the nice weather. This is a nice photo to begin the recap, though we'll revisit it later to see it in the context of the Day 4 action.
Will Failla (right) started Day 4 as the chipleader with 1.36 million, and in the first level increased it to 1.7 million. And he wasn't afraid to use his chips, as seen in this pic where he four-bet Matt Marafioti (left) before the flop.
Marafioti would eventually fold, and Failla had such a large lead at this point that he could've doubled up the fourth-biggest stack in the field and still had the chip lead.
David Tuthill (right) reraised preflop against Darren Elias (foreground, left), and then bet the flop and the turn on a board of 9
3
3
59. Elias check-called the flop and turn, and then moved all in on the river, covering Tuthill.
Tuthill tanked for more than five minutes before he called, and Elias showed 10
9 to win the pot with the top full house, nines full of threes. Tuthill mucked his cards as he was eliminated in 14th place, and Elias moved into a tie for the chip lead with Will Failla.
With the board showing A432 on the turn, Robert LeBeau had check-raised the flop against James Calderaro (pictured), and then moved all in on the turn. Calderaro insta-called with 55 for a five-high straight, and LeBeau was drawing dead to a straight on the board with AQ (pair of aces). The river card was the 4, and Calderaro won the pot to eliminate LeBeau in 12th place.
Shawn Cunix (left) check-raised all in after a flop of 1066 against Daniel Buzgon (right). Buzgon tanked for several minutes before he folded, giving Cunix the pot.
This is a different perspective on the same hand between Daniel Buzgon (foreground, left) and Shawn Cunix (foreground, right). There were three WPT cameras recording the action as Cunix put his tournament life at risk.
Will Failla (left) says, "I gotta show one bluff every tournament." This is that bluff.
Byron Kaverman min-raised to 32,000, Failla reraised from the button to 70,000, and Tony Dunst (right) cold four-bet from the small blind to 155,000. Kaverman folded, and Failla called. The flop came K44, Dunst bet 130,000, Failla raised to 270,000, and Dunst folded, asking if Failla was bluffing in that spot..
As Failla took the pot, he turned over 109 to show his ten-high bluff.
Shortly after Tony Dunst (left) was bluffed by Will Failla, Dunst check-raised all in after a flop of 1098 against Shawn Cunix (standing, far right). Cunix insta-called with J10 for top pair with an open-ended straight draw, while Dunst turned over K7 for the lower open-ended straight draw.
The turn was great for Dunst -- the 6 gave him a ten-high straight with a club flush draw. But the Q on the river gave Cunix a higher queen-high straight -- and the pot.
This double-up propelled Cunix above average in chips, and his momentum didn't stop. Cunix kept accumulating chips after the dinner break to eventually take the lead.
WPT Anchor Marianela Pereyra (left) -- filling in for Kimberly Lansing who is on maternity leave -- stops by the tournament area and tells Will Failla (right) that if he makes the WPT Final Table, he should wear a nice button-down shirt. (Failla is not known as the sharpest dresser on the World Poker Tour.)
Marianela offers to go shopping and select a nice shirt for him to wear, and James Calderaro tells her that if she picks the shirt, he'll pay for it. (Marianela insta-called that offer.)
Failla had one demand -- he refused to wear long pants and would only wear shorts. Marianela agreed, saying that while he was sitting at the poker table, nobody would see his legs anyway.
A few minutes before the dinner break, Tony Dunst (standing, left) moved all in preflop with 22, and Daniel Buzgon (right, in black) moved all in over the top with 1010. Dunst figured his tournament was over, but the board came 7543A, giving Dunst a runner-runner five-high straight to win the pot and double up -- crippling Buzgon down to 12 big blinds in the process.
Remember this photo from earlier? Well, it takes on additional meaning now that you know Tony Dunst (center) levied a bad beat against Daniel Buzgon (left) leading into the dinner break.
But bad beats are part of poker, and there were no hard feelings between these two as they discussed the tournament and enjoyed the nice weather outside. (That's Tony's suit jacket hanging from the nearby tree.)
Peter Campo was eliminated in 11th place about 45 minutes after the dinner break, and the final 10 players combined to a single table. In seat order, clockwise from the dealer: (1) Matt Marafioti, (2) Amelio Amato, (3) James Calderaro, (4) Daniel Buzgon, (5) Will Failla, (6) Tony Dunst, (7) Shawn Cunix, (8) Blake Purvis, (9) Darren Elias, and (10) Byron Kaverman.
Blake Purvis (left) lost a big pot in the 16th hand at the final table -- his two pair was lower than James Calderaro's two pair. That hand left Purvis crippled down to less than two big blinds, and he got it all in with 65 in Hand #17 against the AA of Darren Elias (right). The best hand held up, and Purvis was eliminated in 10th place.
With nine players remaining, Matt Marafioti (pictured) moved all in after Shawn Cunix checked on a flop of A92. But Cunix insta-called with 22 for a set of deuces, and Marafioti was drawing thin with AQ (pair of aces). The turn was the 9, the river was the 7, and Marafioti was eliminated in ninth place.
Marafioti was not pleased with the way he busted, and he quietly put his head down while waiting for paperwork at the payout table.
In Hand #46, with eight players left, Will Failla moved all in with A9, and Byron Kaverman called from the big blind with KJ. The flop belonged to Kaverman as it came K107, though the 8 on the turn gave Failla an open-ended straight draw to go with his ace.
The river card was the A, and Failla was stunned by his good fortune to double up, softly saying, "How did I hit that f---ing card?"
Once he clinched an eighth-place or higher finish, Will Failla (right) officially passed Joe Serock (left) in the WPT Player of the Year standings. Serock stopped by during one of the breaks to check out the tournament and chat with Failla.
But Failla hasn't locked up anything yet. He isn't even guaranteed the lead after this tournament -- if Failla fails to reach the top four here, Daniel Buzgon could take the POY points lead with a victory.
In Hand #81, Will Failla (seated, center) four-bet all in preflop with AQ against the 99 of Tony Dunst (standing, right). The dealer quickly put out a flop of K43, and was about to put out the turn when Failla stopped him and asked him to slow down. Failla said, "I'm feeling a queen."
You can probably sense where this is going ...
The turn card was -- the Q.
Will Failla (seated, center) paired his queen and pumped his fist as he took the lead over the pocket nines of Tony Dunst (standing, right). The A on the river gave Failla the pot with two pair to double up in chips.
In Hand #88, Byron Kaverman (pictured) moved all in under the gun with AK, and he was racing against the JJ of James Calderaro. The board came Q10644, and Calderaro won the pot with his pocket jacks. Kaverman was the unfortunate TV Bubble Boy, finishing seventh. Kaverman gave an exit interview to the WPT cameras while the six WPT Final Tablists received their instructions in the background.
The six final tablists -- James Calderaro, Daniel Buzgon, Will Failla, Tony Dunst, Shawn Cunix, and Darren Elias -- fill out their WPT bio sheets, which are used by Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten to provide additional color commentary.
It's already a big story that Will Failla (left) has retaken the lead in the WPT Player of the Year race, but he is also trying to become the first player since Season III to win two WPT titles in the same season. (Failla won the WPT Legends of Poker back at the beginning of the season in August.)
Tony Dunst (right) will be appearing at his first WPT Final Table -- as a player. Dunst is normally the lead commentator for the WPT Live Stream, but he obviously can't be in the booth if he's at the table. This time, the WPT's Raw Deal Analyst will be analyzed by others that can see his hole cards -- Darryll Fish and James Dempsey will be filling in for Dunst in the live commentator's booth.
Here are the official chip counts and seating positions for the WPT Final Table:
Seat 1. James Calderaro - 2,110,000 (70 BBs)
Seat 2. Daniel Buzgon - 570,000 (19 BBs)
Seat 3. Will Failla - 1,535,000 (51 BBs)
Seat 4. Tony Dunst - 1,315,000 (43 BBs)
Seat 5. Shawn Cunix - 2,770,000 (92 BBs)
Seat 6. Darren Elias - 1,280,000 (42 BBs)
The WPT Final Table begins tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4:00 pm ET, and the WPT Live Stream will be broadcast on a 30-minute delay with hole cards and commentary by Darryll Fish and James Dempsey.
As always, we will also be providing full hand-for-hand updates here in the WPT Live Updates, with every check, bet, call, raise, and fold, along with chip counts updated after every hand.
Level 25: 15,000-30,000, 5,000 ante
Hand #88 - Byron Kaverman (left) is under the gun and moves all-in for his last 415,000. James Calderaro (right) is in middle position and doesn't even get a count before calling, Everyone else folds.
Kaverman turns over AK and he is racing with JJ.
The Q106 flop gives Kaverman a straight draw, but Calderaro remains out front with his jacks. The 4 on the turn is no help to Kaverman either and, with the 4 on the river, he is eliminated on the TV bubble in seventh place and the final table is set.
James Calderaro - 2,070,000 (86 BBs)
Byron Kaverman - Out in 7th place ($47,312)
Photo (Below): Seventh-place finisher Byron Kaverman gives his exit interview to the WPT cameras while the final six players bag and tag their chips in the background.
Level 24: 12,000-24,000, 4,000 ante
Hand #55 - Action folds to Byron Kaverman in the small blind and he moves all-in for 290,000. James Calderaro is in th big blind and calls.
Kaverman turns over 78 and Calderaro shows A3.
The KQ8 flop pairs Kaverman up, but Calderaro does turn a smaller pair with the 3. The river comes 2 and Kaverman's pair of eights hold to give him the pot and the double up.
Byron Kaverman - 610,000 (25 BBs)
James Calderaro - 1,680,000 (70 BBs)
Level 24: 12,000-24,000, 4,000 ante
Hand #46 - Will Failla moves all-in from middle position for his last 337,000 and action folds around to Byron Kaverman in the big blind. Kaverman thinks for quite a while.
Before Failla even sees Kaverman's hand, he flips over his A9 and says, "Please hold one time." Kaverman shows KJ and is behind, but very live.
The K107 flop pairs up Kaverman to put him out front, but Failla does pick up an open-ended straight draw with the 8 on the turn. The river brings the A and Failla makes a bigger pair to take the pot and double up.
Failla is astounded at his luck and stands, looks around, and asks, "How did I hit that f---ing card?"
Will Failla - 680,000 (28 BBs)
Byron Kaverman - 300,000 (13 BBs)
Level 22: 8,000-16,000, 2,000 ante
Tony Dunst raises to 36,000 from middle position and Daniel Buzgon reraises to 81,000 out of the small blind. Byron Kaverman is in the big blind and reraises, making it 130,000 to play.
Dunst folds and, after a stint in the tank, Buzgon does as well and Kaverman takes the pot.
Byron Kaverman - 645,000 (40 BBs)
A few hands later, Kaverman raises to 32,000 on the button and Will Failla reraises to 67,000 out of the big blind. Kaverman calls and the flop comes J1010. Failla bets 60,000 and Kaverman calls.
The turn is the 4. Failla bets 120,000 and Kaverman takes his time before calling again.
The river is the K and Failla thinks for quite a while before checking. Kaverman checks behind and shows 810 for trip eights.
Failla mucks and Kaverman takes the pot.
Byron Kaverman - 890,000 (56 BBs)
Will Failla - 1,335,000 (83 BBs)
Level 22: 8,000-16,000, 2,000 ante
Photo: Byron Kaverman (far right) tanks for several minutes on the river after Tony Dunst (far left) moves all in.
Byron Kaverman opens the pot for 32,000 from the cutoff, Tony Dunst reraises to 86,000 from the big blind and Kaverman calls.
The flop is 832, Dunst bets 80,000 and Kaverman calls.
The turn is the 9, Dunst bets 200,000 and Kaverman calls.
The river is the 10, Dunst moves all in and Kaverman goes into the tank.
"That's not a very good bluff card. Or is it?" says Kaverman.
After a few more minutes in the tank, Kaverman folds and Dunst takes the pot. Almost under his breath, Kaverman pleads with Dunst, "Show me, please." Dunst just shakes his head no. Kaverman says, "Just one?" Dunst ignores him as he collects the pot.
Tony Dunst - 1,215,000 (75 BBs)
Byron Kaverman - 500,000 (31 BBs)
Level 20: 5,000-10,000, 1,000 ante
Byron Kaverman raises to 20,000 from under the gun and Blake Purvis defends his big blind. Flop comes A96 and both players check. They check again when the turn brings the 8.
The river is the K and Purvis bets 30,000. Kaverman raises to 95,000 total and Purvis calls.
Kaverman shows 910 for a rivered flush, which is good enough to beat Purvis' 710 for a turned straight.
Byron Kaverman - 900,000 (90 BBs)
Blake Purvis - 260,000 (26 BBs)
Level 19: 4,000-8,000, 1,000 ante
Daniel Buzgon (left) raises to 17,000 from under the gun and Byron Kaverman (right) reraises to 47,000 from midde position. Buzgon calls and the two go heads-up to a flop of AKJ. Buzgon checks and Kaverman checks back.
The turn is the 2. Again, Buzgon checks and, again, Kaverman checks behind. The river is the 3 and Buzgon checks a third time.
Kaverman announces check, then tells Buzgon, "King-queen," implying he has second pair.
Buzgon slams the pile of chips he's been shuffling on the table and turns over JJ for a flopped set of jacks to take the pot.
Daniel Buzgon - 940,000 (118 BBs)
Byron Kaverman - 795,000 (99 BBs)
Level 19: 4,000-8,000, 1,000 ante
The final 18 players redraw for seats at the final two tables and Brandon Hall is barely settled in when he moves all-in from middle position for his last 126,000. Action folds to Byron Kaverman in the big blind and he calls.
Kaverman holds AJ and he is racing with Hall's 66.
The Q108 flop prompts tablemate Tony Dunst to, "Oooh," asKaverman flops a double gutter draw. The Q on the turn prompts more "oohs" and a laugh from Hall as Kaverman picks up even more outs since he can now counterfeit Hall.
The river is the 9 and Kaverman completes his straight to take the pot and trim the field to 17.
Byron Kaverman - 740,000 (93 BBs)
Brandon Hall - eliminated in 18th place ($16,263)
Level 19: 4,000-8,000, 1,000 ante
There is around 70,000 in the pot and the board reads K4445 when John Gordon checks from the big blind and Byron Kaverman bets 55,000 from middle position. After some deliberation, Gordon calls for roughly half of his stack.
Kaverman shows K10 for fours full of kings, Gordon mucks, and Kaverman takes the pot. Gordon is now the shortest stack in the field with 50,000.
Byron Kaverman - 615,000 (77 BBs)
John Gordon - 50,000 (6 BBs)
