$200 Buy-in No Limit Hold’em ($50K Guaranteed)
Blind Level 16: 2K/4K/ 500 ante
Total entries: 362
Places Paid: 36
Players left: 36
Average Stack: 101K (25bbs)

On Table 10 we find Charles Pakowitz (Hollywood, FL) all-in against Jordan Chizick (Fort Lauderdale, FL). The cards are turned face up:

Pakowitz
Chizick

The board is dealt and Chizick catches the pair of sixes on the river to eliminate Pakowitz and burst the money bubble. The remaining 36 players in today’s Event 20 are officially in the money!

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event
Blinds 200k/400k/50k ante

On a board of Eric Afriat bets 6 million, putting James Mackey in the tank before eventually calling.

Afriat explodes from his seat after turning over for the nut flush and gets high fives from his Canadian rail.

The hand cripples Mackey who mucks as Afriat wins the 25+M chip pot for the commanding chip lead.

Three-Handed Chip Count

Eric Afriat 33.7 Million (84 bb)
Mukul Pahuja 15.3 Million (38 bb)
James Mackey 4.5 Million (11 bb)

$200 Buy-in No Limit Hold’em ($50K Guaranteed)
Blind Level 15: 1500/3K/ 500 ante
Total entries: 362
Places Paid: 36
Players left: 41
Average Stack: 88K (29bbs)

Yigal Hen (Cooper City, FL) is all-in before the flop and is looked up by John “The Fly” Disante (East Norriton, PA).

Disante:
Hen:

The board comes and Hen’s pair of ladies holds up to double up his short stack through Disante. Hen is now sitting on about 74K (25bbs).

$200 Buy-in No Limit Hold’em ($50K Guaranteed)
Blind Level 15: 1500/3K/ 500 ante
Total entries: 362
Places Paid: 36
Players left: 45
Average Stack: 80K (27bb)

The remaining 45 Players are currently returning from a 10 minute color-up break. They’ll be at blinds of 1500/3k/ 500 ante. 9 more player eliminations until they make the money.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event
Blinds 150k/300k/50k ante

On a board of Vinny Pahuja check-raises the flop for 2.5 million and Eric Afriat calls.

Turn:

Pahuja bets 3.2 million and Afriat calls.

River:

Pahuja moves all in for 4.6 million and Afriat tank-calls.

Pahuja turns over for the winning pair of Queens as Afriat mucks.

Pahuja wins a 20+M chip pot and is in a virtually tie with James Mackey for the chip lead.

Final Three Chip Counts

Pahuja 22.5M (75 bb)
Mackey 22.5M (75 bb)
Eric Afriat 8.6M (29 bb)

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event
Blinds 150k/300k/50k ante

On a board of  Mukul Pahuja check-raises all-in and James Mackey snap calls all in with Pahuja drawing dead.

Mackey
Pahuja

Mackey’s trip 5s gets him an all-in double up of 8.55 million and vaults him into the chip lead, while Pahjua drops into third place.

Updated Chip Counts

James Mackey 23.5M (78 bb)
Eric Afriat 19.5M (65 bb)
Mukul Pahuja 10.4M (35 bb)

$200 Buy-in No Limit Hold’em ($50K Guaranteed)
Blind Level 13: 1K/2K/ 300 ante
Total entries: 362
Places Paid: 36
Players left: 62
Average Stack: 58K (29bb)

Francois Gagne (Hillsboro Beach, FL) has his opponent all-in and at risk of elimination. He’s behind with his AJ vs the AK of his opponent. However, Gagne catches a Jack on the flop to bust his opponent shy of the money.

Gagne now has about 85K (43bbs) in his stack, and hopes that his rungood will continue.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event
Blinds 150k/300k/50k ante

Remaining Players

Mukul Pahuja 26.7 Million (89 bb)
Eric Afriat 15.6 Million (52 bb)
James Mackey 11.3 Million (38 bb)

Remaining Prize Pool

Place-Amount

1st $1,081,184
2nd $691,965
3rd $441,128
4th Jacob Bazeley $371,931
5th Matt Stout $308,501
6th Chance Kornuth $247,954

$200 Buy-in No Limit Hold’em ($50K Guaranteed)
Blind Level 13: 1K/2K/ 300 ante
Total entries: 362
Places Paid: 36
Players left: 63
Average Stack: 58K (29bbs)

The remaining 63 players in today’s Event 20 NLH Trophy event are on their 40 minute dinner break, returning at 7:20PM.  When they come back they’ll be at Level 13 of play: 1k/2k/ 300 ante.  Here are some of the top chip stacks:

Name – Hometown – Stack
Oneil McCalla (Miramar, FL) – 276K (138bbs) – Chip Leader
David Albertson (Coral Springs, FL) – 164K (82bbs)
Avi Hakmon (Plantation, FL) – 148K (74bbs)
Micheal Wetcher (Weston, FL) – 113K (57bbs)
David Nowling (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) – 110K (55bbs)

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event

Jacob Bazeley and Eric Afriat see a flop of .

Afriat bets 300k
Bazeley raises to 1.3 million
Afriat makes it 2.8 million
Bazeley moves all in for 6.1 million total and Afriat snap calls.

Afriat: (two pairs)
Bazeley: (over pair)

Turn:

River:

Bazeley busts with pocket Aces as Afriat flops the winning two pairs.

“Brutal, what are you going to do,” says Bazeley who earns $371,931.

Bazeley says he didn’t have enough chips to get away from the hand (~30 bb) and the result was unavoidable.

“It’s a draw heavy board when you get raised there. He doesn’t necessarily have a set or two pairs. It’s an unavoidable spot and 99.9% of pros go broke there.”

Bazeley is 31-years-old and adds to his $1.3 million in career recorded live tournament earnings. He has a business degree from Christian Brothers University where he played Division II basketball.

“Fourth place pays pretty well in this profession.” he said. “I love it here and definitely will be back,” he says of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Tough bust hand but super happy!! Thanks everyone for the support along the way #4thenati #muchlove

— Jake Bazeley (@Bazemanwhat) April 17, 2014