Event 17: Michael Laake Doubles Up Again

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 12: 600/1,200 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 56 of 191

With raise in front of him, SHRP Team member Michael Laake three-bet shoved for 23,500 in the small blind. The raiser tanked and eventually called to put Laake at risk.

Laake: KsKh
Opponent: AhJd

The board ran out Qs4h2s4cTd, and Laake’s kings held to earn him another double-up.

Michael Laake – 49,800 (42 bb)

Event 17: Faraz Jaka Has It

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 11: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Players Remaining: 64 of 191

Faraz Jaka
Faraz Jaka

There was about 16,000 in a heads-up pot between Faraz Jaka and Ryan D’Angelo, and the board showed QsQc3hQd8d. Jaka was leading the action, and he put out a river bet of 8,200. D’Angelo spent a long while in the tank before plunking the calling chips into the pot.

Jaka showed AcQh for quad queens, dragging a big pot at D’Angelo’s expense.

Faraz Jaka – 67,000 (67 bb)
Ryan D’Angelo – 22,000 (22 bb)

Event 17: Prizepool and Payouts

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 11: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Players Remaining: 72 of 191

Another guarantee has been easily exceeded today with Event 17 drawing a field of 191 entries. That generated a prizepool worth $382,000 to be shared by the final 24 players. A min-cash is worth $5,921, and each of the final eight players will collect five figures. The eventual champion will earn $93,208 and the trophy.

Here’s the full breakdown of the prizepool:

1st: $93,208
2nd: $53,480
3rd: $39,728
4th: $29,032
5th: $22,920
6th: $16,999
7th: $13,370
8th: $10,123
9th-12th: $7,640
13th-16th: $6,303
17th-24th: $5,921

Event 17: Saving Chip for Umerova; Sexton Gets a Visitor

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 10: 400/800 with a 100 Ante
Remaining Players: 88 of 191

Sofia Umerova (Los Angeles, CA)
Safiya Umerova (Los Angeles, CA)

We caught the action after everything was done besides chopping up a pot. Safiya Umerova gave a clap on the river and sat back down in here seat after she ran into Mike Sexton’s KcKs. The dealer put a wheel-friendly Ac4c3s2c5h board and her tournament was still alive, though both still have some work to do.

Safiya Umerova – 10,500 (13 bb)
Mike Sexton – 12,000 (15 bb)

Umerova won the third event of the 2016 LA Poker Classic after finishing second in the opening tournament. She followed that up with a fifth-place finish in Event 9 a few days ago, the biggest field of the series so far.

While Sexton was waiting for his half of the chopped pot, he had a visit from his WPT co-commentator Vince Van Patten. They chatted for a while and we look forward to seeing Van Patten duplicate his 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown run. His very first WPT cash came right here during last year, Van Patten’s 27th place finish was celebrated in the ballroom and followed closely by the cameras.

Vince Van Patten (left) and Mike Sexton (right)
Vince Van Patten (left) and Mike Sexton (right)

Event 17: Ryan Olisar vs. Michael Laake in a Battle of the Blinds

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 9: 300/600 with a 75 ante
Total Entries: 191

Michael Laake (Punta Gorda, FL)
Michael Laake (Punta Gorda, FL)

Ryan Olisar (small blind) and SHRP Team member Michael Laake (big blind) were heads up on the turn of a 7s2s2dJd board. Laake was leading the betting, and he put out 1,400 into a pot of about 3,000. Olisar check-raised to 4,200, and Laake called. The river was the Th, and Olisar moved all in with the covering stack. Laake snap-called, putting himself all in for 15,300.

Olisar tabled Qh2h for trip deuces, but Laake showed 7c2c to win the pot with deuces full. He doubled up.

Michael Laake – 42,000 (70 bb)
Ryan Olisar – 6,100 (10 bb)

Event 17: Closing Registration

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 8: 250/500 with a 75 ante
Total Entries: 184

Will "The Thrill" Failla (Commack, NY)
Will “The Thrill” Failla (Commack, NY)

Players are on the second break of the day and registration is 15 minutes from closing on the $200,000 Guarantee event. The prize pool is up to $368,000 with a few more minutes to run it up.

Will “The Thrill” Failla is one of our more recent additions to the field. The former WPT Champion came close to winning the WPT Player of the Year for Season X but was clipped at the end by Joe Serock, who is currently sitting a few tables away.

We’ll return with the final official numbers, prize pool, and payouts when they are available.

Event 17: Adam Geyer Doubles Through Michael Laake

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 8: 250/500 with a 50 ante
Total Entries: 184

Adam Geyer was all in for 10,225 preflop, flipping for his tournament life against SHRP Team member Michael Laake.

Geyer: JdJh
Laake: AcQh

The Js8h4h flop was good news for Geyer, and the turn 7c and river 9h completed the board to secure his double-up.

Adam Geyer – 21,300 (43 bb)
Michael Laake – 21,000 (42 bb)

Event 17: Faraz Jaka Doubles Through Kevin Eyster

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 7: 200/400 with a 50 ante
Total Entries: 181

Aces hold for Faraz Jaka against Kevin Eyster's Big Slick
Aces hold for Faraz Jaka against Kevin Eyster’s Big Slick

There’s no shortage of tough tables in this field, and Faraz Jaka has just found himself at one of them. His previous table recently broke, and he joined a new one in the corner that contained Kevin Eyster and Aaron Massey, among others.

In Jaka’s first hand there, Eyster opened with a middle-postion raise, and Jaka three-bet from the button. Eyster moved all in with his covering stack, and Jaka called all in for 13,800 total.

Eyster: AdKd
Jaka: AhAc

The board ran out 8c6c5d9sQc, and Jaka doubled up with his pair of aces.

Faraz Jaka – 28,600 (72 bb)
Kevin Eyster – 9,400 (24 bb)

Event 17: Joe Serock Stays Afloat

$2,200 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Freezeout)
Level 7: 200/400 with a 50 ante
Total Entries: 178

Joe Serock
Joe Serock

WPT Season X Player of the Year Joe Serock was all in for his last 4,075 chips preflop, and he ran his 6d6c into an opponent’s AsAd.

Serock stood to pack his things, and the flop came Js5s4d. He slid his chair under the table as the turn brought the useless Qh. The river was the 6s, though, and Serock unpacked and sat back down to continue the grind. He doubled up with a set of sixes.

Joe Serock – 9,100 (23 bb)