$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 38:  300,000/600,000/75,000 Ante

Negotiations were on and off from five players down to three, but they finally came to an agreement. Here were the official chip counts at the time:

Ivan Freitez  –  25,675,000  (43 bb)
Taylor Fortini  –  20,400,000  (34 bb)
T.J. Shulman  –  14,275,000  (24 bb)

As chipleader, Freitez won the title and the trophy, and they redistributed the remaining prizepool more evenly. Here are the full payouts from the final table reflecting the deal they made:

1st:  Ivan Freitez  –  $117,366
2nd:  Taylor Fortini  –  $109,366
3rd:  T.J. Shulman  –  $97,366
4th:  Thomas Collazo  –  $55,983
5th:  Jake Melen  –  $45,557
6th:  Jake Rolnitzky  –  $35,811
7th:  Marcus Stein  –  $26,291
8th:  Mike Chiappetta  –  $17,679
9th:  Pedro Palacio  –  $12,692

Stay tuned for an official recap later tonight.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 38:  300,000/600,000/75,000 Ante

T.J. Shulman moved all in from the button for 5.45 million, and Taylor Fortini called from the small blind with . Shulman turned over , and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came — Fortini flopped an open-ended straight draw, but improved no further. Shulman won the pot with his king kicker to double up in chips.

These were the approximate chip counts after that hand, followed by the remaining prizepool:

Seat 3.  Ivan Freitez  –  26,700,000  (45 bb)
Seat 8.  T.J. Shulman  –  11,725,000  (20 bb)
Seat 9.  Taylor Fortini  –  21,700,000  (36 bb)

1st:  $155,697
2nd:  $101,721
3rd:  $66,680

Shortly after this hand, it appears that they have come to an agreement for a three-way chop that would award the title and the trophy to chipleader Ivan Freitez. Stay tuned for more details.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 38:  300,000/600,000/75,000 Ante

Taylor Fortini min-raised from the button to 1,000,000, Thomas Collazo called from the small blind, and Ivan Freitez moved all in from the big blind for more than 11 million.

(Context: At the end of the chop negotiations, Freitez said several times, “I’m going all in every hand.” And he’s been going all in a lot, but not every hand.)

Fortini quickly folded, and Collazo thought for a bit before he called with . But Freitez turned over , and unless somebody made a flush, it would be a chopped pot.

The board came , and it was a chopped pot.

Two hands later, Collazo moved all in under the gun for 1,000,000, Freitez moved all in from the button for 12,475,000, and Collazo asked for an exact count before he called with . Freitez turned over , and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came , and Freitez won the pot with his queen to double up in chips.

Ivan Freitez  –  26,000,000  (52 bb)
Thomas Collazo  –  2,025,000  (4 bb)

The next hand, Taylor Fortini moved all in from the small blind, and Collazo called from the big blind with . Fortini turned over a dominating , and Collazo said, “Why couldn’t you have had a better hand?”

The board came , and Fortini won the pot with a full house, fives full of jacks, to eliminate Collazo in fourth place.

Taylor Fortini  –  22,700,000  (45 bb)
Thomas Collazo  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($55,983)

Shortly after that, the blinds increase to 300,000-600,000 with a 75,000 ante. With three players remaining, the average chip stack is about 20.15 million (34 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 37: 250,000/500,000/50,000 Ante

Level 36 comes to an end, and the players take their first break of the final table. With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 15.1 million (30 big blinds).

Here are the official chip counts from the table, followed by the final table prizepool:

Seat 2.  Thomas Collazo  –  10,775,000  (22 bb)
Seat 3.  Ivan Freitez  –  11,125,000  (22 bb)
Seat 8.  T.J. Shulman  –  13,925,000  (28 bb)
Seat 9.  Taylor Fortini  –  24,500,000  (49 bb)

1st:  $155,697
2nd:  $101,721
3rd:  $66,680
4th:  $55,983

5th:  Jake Melen  –  $45,557
6th:  Jake Rolnitzky  –  $35,811
7th:  Marcus Stein  –  $26,291
8th:  Mike Chiappetta  –  $17,679
9th:  Pedro Palacio  –  $12,692

When the players return to the table, they started playing the first hand. Ivan Freitez raised under the gun to 1,500,000, Thomas Collazo moved all in from the big blind for 10,725,000, and while Freitez was in the tank, they began serious chop negotiations that  continued for a long time while the hand is still in progress.

Negotiations are complicated by the fact that Freitez is from Venezuela, which means about 30% of his winnings will be withheld.

Eventually, after 15 minutes, negotiations stall, and the hand continued. Freitez folded, and Collazo turned over as he collected the pot.

There are about 25 minutes remaining in Level 37.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 36: 200,000/400,000/50,000 Ante

With the board showing on the turn, Jake Melen was all in for about 7 million with for a pair of aces, but he needed to improve to stay alive against Taylor Fortini’s (two pair, aces and tens).

The river card pairs the board with the , and Fortini wins the pot with his aces and tens to eliminate Melen in fifth place.

Taylor Fortini  –  23,825,000  (60 bb)
Jake Melen  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($45,557)

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 15.1 million (38 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 36:  200,000/400,000/50,000 Ante

Jack Rolnitzky was all in preflop for about 1.9 million with , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against the of Ivan Freitez.

The board came , and Freitez cheered as he paired his king on the river to win the pot and eliminate Rolnitzky in sixth place.

Ivan Freitez  –  14,900,000  (37 bb)
Jack Rolnitzky  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($35,811)

Shortly after that hand, the blinds increased to 200,000-400,000 and a 50,000 ante. With five players remaining, the average chip stack is about 12.1 million (30 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 35:  150,000/300,000/50,000 Ante

Marcus Stein moved all in under the gun for 2,725,000, and Ivan Freitez moved all in over the top from the hijack. Everyone else folded. Stein turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Freitez.

The board came — Stein paired his queen on the flop and turned a gutshot straight draw, but improved no further. Freitez won the pot with his pocket kings to eliminate Stein in seventh place.

Ivan Freitez  –  12,000,000  (40 bb)
Marcus Stein  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($26,291)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 10.1 million (34 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 35:  150,000/300,000/50,000 Ante

Jake Melen was all in from the small blind for 2,250,000 with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Ivan Freitez on the button.

The board came , and Melen paired his ace on the flop to win the pot and double up in chips.

Jake Melen  –  5,150,000  (17 bb)
Ivan Freitez  –  8,575,000  (29 bb)

The very next hand, Melen was all in from the button for 5,100,000 with , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against the of Taylor Fortini.

The board came , and the pocket aces held up for Melen to win back-to-back all-in situations and double up in chips.

Jake Melen  –  11,000,000  (37 bb)
Taylor Fortini  –  12,150,000  (41 bb)

With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 8.6 million (29 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 35:  150,000/300,000/50,000 Ante

Shortly after the blinds increased to 125K-250K (25K), Thomas Collazo limped from the button for 250,000, Jake Melen moved all in from the big blind for 1,275,000, and Collazo called with . Melen turned over , and he needed to hold to stay alive.

The board came — Collazo paired his six on the flop, but improved no further. Melen won the pot with his pocket eights to double up in chips.

Jake Melen  –  2,850,000  (11 bb)
Thomas Collazo  –  13,500,000  (54 bb)

In a battle between the two biggest stacks at the table, Ivan Freitez raised UTG+1 to 500,000 or so, Taylor Fortini reraised from the small blind to 1,425,000, and Freitez called.

The flop came , and Fortini bet 975,000. Freitez raised to 2,500, and Fortini thought for a while before he moved all in for 12,325,000. Freitez — who had Fortini covered by 1.5 big blinds — tanked for a while before he folded. Fortini took the pot.

Taylor Fortini  –  18,100,000  (72 bb)
Ivan Freitez  –  10,200,000  (41 bb)

A short while later, the blinds increased to 150,000-300,000 with a 50,000 ante. With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 8.6 million (29 big blinds).