WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown, Day 3 Recap

Level 16: 2,000-4,000, 500 ante

By BJ Nemeth

Note: To view the official seating assignments and chip counts, click here.



Action began on Day 3 with 102 players, all battling to get their name engraved on the WPT Champions Cup. The Cup is one-of-a-kind, and it travels from event to event on the World Poker Tour so players and fans can see the Cup engraved with every WPT winner in the 10-year history of the tour.

The winner will receive a WPT Champions Trophy, which is theirs to keep. The Trophy has a similar design, but without the large base that has all the winners' names engraved.



Abbey Daniels (right) finished fourth in this event last year, and was still alive in hopes of a repeat appearance at the WPT Final Table. Early on Day 3, she moved all in against Byron Kaverman (left) after a flop of K105. Kaverman tanked for a while before he folded to Daniels.



During the second level of the day, Bill Brown (left) called bets from Andrew Lichtenberger all the way on a board of Q722A. Lichtenberger showed KK, but Brown turned over AK to win the pot worth 150,000 with his pair of aces on the river. This pot catapulted Brown up among the chipleaders.



ClubWPT.com qualifier Don Gehrling interviews with the WPT cameras after his elimination in the middle of Day 3. Gehrling said he had a great time, especially at the WPT's Player Party the previous night, hosted by the Royal Flush Girls.



Ebony Kenney (left) and Matt Waxman were having fun early in the day, but the good times faded as they were both eliminated late in the day.



The Royal Flush Girls Social Bar (on the right) anchors the tournament area as the field is down to the final nine tables (about 80 players)



On Day 2, the Royal Flush Girls hosted a beach volleyball tournament, and on Day 3 they hosted a WPT Scavenger Hunt for the players and fans, including Tony Dunst and ClubWPT.com qualifier Don Gehrling.

The scavenger hunters were divided up into two- and three-person teams that had to scour the Seminole Hard Rock Casino searching for a variety of items and clues.



Tony Dunst and Tugba Ercan were the first team to return to the Royal Flush Girls Social Bar, where they had to check in to see if they correctly solved the clues and got the required items. Ercan holds up a casino chip that was on the list of items.



After their last item was approved, Tony Dunst and Tugba Ercan were declared the winners of the first-ever WPT Scavenger Hunt and celebrated with a hug. Each team won a prize and got to keep the souvenirs that they collected along the way.



Former WSOP November Niner John Dolan (pictured) has been at or near the top of the leaderboard since Day 1, and that trend continued here on Day 3 as he jockeyed back-and-forth with Bill Brown for the lead.



Bill Brown (right) was the first player to reach 400,000, the first player to reach 500,000, and the first player to reach 600,000 in chips. There were times when he seemed unbeatable, like when Robert Georato (left) four-bet it preflop to 50,000, only to see Brown five-bet all in. Georato tanked for several minutes before folding A-K face up -- Brown showed AA as he collected the pot.



WPT Champions Club member Tommy Vedes (right) watches as Fred Goldberg scoops a pot after busting a player in the final level of the day. Goldberg would finish the day fifth in chips with 607,000, while Vedes survived but was much further back in the pack with 140,500.



WPT Champions Club member Lee Markholt (top right) was crippled late in the day, and finally got his last three big blinds all in with Q10 against the A8 of Kenny "Super Tuan" Nguyen (foreground, left). Nguyen paired his ace on the turn and unnecessarily rivered a flush to eliminate Markholt from the tournament.



Joe Serock, who finished third at WPT Bay 101 last month, surged late in the day to finish second in chips. He won this pot after flopping top set in a three-way pot, and got it all in against Tim Miles, who was coolered with bottom set.



Bill Brown steadily built his chip stack throughout the day, finishing in the lead with 772,500 as the field advances to Day 4 just five spots from the money.



Day 3 came to an end after five more levels with 32 players remaining, and an average chip count around 272,000. Here's a look at the top five heading into Day 4:

1.  Bill Brown  -  772,500  (193 BBs)
2.  Joe Serock  -  702,000  (175 BBs)
3.  John Dolan  -  685,500  (171 BBs)
4.  Ravi Raghavan  -  667,500  (166 BBs)
5.  Fred Goldberg  -  607,000  (151 BBs)

Day 4 begins Saturday at 12:00 noon ET. Return to WPT.com for continuing live coverage of all the action.

Day 4 Table Draw

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

Day 3 Ends with 32 Players Left and Bill Brown Leading

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

Day 3 comes to an end with 32 players remaining. The race for the chip leader was tight at the end of the day, but it was Bill Brown who came out on top with 772,500. Joe Serock is the other player over 700,000. The Bay 101 final tablist is looking to make it back-to-back final tables and ended with 702,000.

When play resumes on Saturday, action will be getting underway on the money bubble, as five players will walk away from the action empty-handed with the other 27 making the money.

Here are the top five chip counts from the end of Day 3:

1. Bill Brown - 772,500
2. Joe Serock - 702,000
3. John Dolan - 685,500
4. Ravi Raghavan - 667,500
5. Fred Goldberg - 607,000

The WPT Champions Cup

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

The winner of this event will have their name engraved onto the WPT Champions Cup, which travels from event to event on the World Poker Tour.

The winner will also receive a WPT Champions Trophy, which is theirs to keep. The trophy is essentially identical, but without the large base that has all the winners' names engraved.

Ebony Kenney Eliminated By Joanne Dorin

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

Joanne Dorin limps in from middle position and Ebony Kenney moves all-in on the button for 36,500. Dorin thinks for a while before talking herself into calling with A9. Kenney has the best of it preflop with AK.

The 1096 flop gives Dorin the advantage in the hand though and Kenney gets no help from the 5 on the turn and, with the 3 on the river, Kenney is eliminated.

Dorin is now the last woman remaining in the field.

Joanne Dorin - 170,000
Ebony Kenney - eliminated

Joshua Mancusa Doubles Up

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

Joshua Mancusa moves all in preflop with KQ, and a player with a similar stack calls with A10.

The board comes Q96Q3, and Mancusa wins the pot with trip queens to double up in chips. 

Joshua Mancusa  -  206,000

The other player was knocked down to 21,500, and his luck didn't improve. The next hand he got it all in with K-J against the Q-J of William Brown. Brown paired his queen kicker on the flop to bust the other player.

William Brown  -  683,000

Joe Serock Busts a Player

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

After a flop of 882, Joe Serock bets from late position, and the button moves all in. Serock calls with 1010, but his opponent turns over Q8 for the lead with trip eights.

The turn is the 3, and the river is -- the 10.

Serock rivers a higher full house, tens full of eights, to win the pot and eliminate his opponent.

Joe Serock  -  645,000  (215 BBs)

Lee Markholt Eliminated By Kenny Nguyen

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

Down to just 9,000 chips, Lee Markholt (pictured, top right) is in the big blind when Kenny Nguyen (foreground, left) raises to 8,000 from the cutoff. Markholt throws in his stack and Nguyen calls the extra 1,000.

Nguyen turns over A8 and Markholt proclaims, "I have the best hand," as he shows Q10.

"I hate queen-ten," Nguyen tells him.

The 876 flop, which leaves Markholt in bad shape since Nguyen has top pair and the nut flush draw.  The turn is the A, improving Nguyen to two pair and leaving Markholt drawing dead to a non-heart nine. The river comes J, completing Nguyen's flush, and Markholt is eliminated.

Kenny Nguyen  -  75,000
Lee Markholt - eliminated

Fred Goldberg Busts a Player

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

Photo: Tommy Vedes (right) watches as Fred Goldberg pulls in the pot after busting a player.

With a number of chips in the pot already and the board reading 10537, a player moves all-in for his last 100,000 or so and Fred Goldberg thinks a bit before calling.

The all-in player turns over KK for an overpair of kings and Goldberg cringes as he shows his K7 for a pair and a flush draw.

The river brings the 8 and Goldberg hits his flush to knock out the player and move near the top of the chip counts.

Fred Goldberg  -  550,000 (183 BBs)

Curt Kohlberg Eliminated by Craig Bergeron

Level 15: 1,500-3,000, 500 ante

With the board showing K863 on the turn, Curt Kohlberg is all in with 54 (open-ended straight draw) against Craig Bergeron's KK (set of kings). 

The river card is the A, and Bergeron wins the pot to eliminate Kohlberg from the tournament.

Craig Bergeron  -  460,000
Curt Kohlberg  -  Eliminated