$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 38:  400,000/800,000 with an 800,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 6,853

Billy Ward moved all in from the small blind for about 5,500,000, and Niall Costigan quickly called from the big blind with .

Ward turned over and said, “I haven’t used my ‘one-time’ yet. I’m behind, so I might as well use it now.

The board came , and the “one-time” doesn’t work as the pocket jacks hold up for Costigan to win the pot. Ward is eliminated in fifth place.

Niall Costigan  –  19,800,000  (25 bb)
Billy Ward  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($77,000)

After the hand, Costigan tells the table that now that he’s reached the final four, he has locked up the biggest cash of his career. (His previous high was $78,000.) Costigan said he had set a New Year’s resolution to make a six-figure score this year, and he’s now guaranteed at least $102,000 here.

With four players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 34,275,000 (43 big blinds).

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 38:  400,000/800,000 with an 800,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 6,853

The players have returned from break to begin Level 38, with increased blinds of 400,000-800,000 and a big blind ante of 800,000. Here are the official chip counts from the break:

Seat 1.  Dario Dussan  –  90,700,000  (113 bb)
Seat 2.  Darryll Fish  –  15,400,000  (19 bb)
Seat 3.  Billy Ward  –  5,700,000  (7 bb)
Seat 4.  Niall Costigan  –  12,800,000  (16 bb)
Seat 5.  Henry Billete  –  12,500,000  (16 bb)

And here are the final table payouts:

1st:  $278,150 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  $184,000
3rd:  $136,000
4th:  $102,000
5th:  $77,000

6th:  James Carroll  –  $59,000
7th:  Philip Toister  –  $45,000
8th:  Quentin Jones  –  $35,000
9th:  Andrew Miller  –  $27,500

With five players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 27,425,000 (34 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $77,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 6,853

James Carroll moved all in under the gun for 900,000, and Niall Costigan moved all in over the top from the small blind with .

Carroll turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Carroll turned a gutshot straight draw, but improved no further. Costigan won the pot with his ace to eliminate Carroll in sixth place.

Niall Costigan  –  17,600,000  (29 bb)
James Carroll  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($59,000)

With five players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 27,425,000 (46 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $77,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 6,853

James Carroll raised to 4,000,000 from the hijack (leaving about 4,200,000) behind, Niall Costigan reraised all in for 7,300,000 in the big blind, and Carroll called with .

Costigan showed and needed his hand to hold up to survive.

The flop came , vaulting Carroll to the lead with a set of nines.

The turn was the , keeping Carroll ahead.

The river was the , giving Costigan a set of kings on the river to double through Carroll.

Niall Costigan  –  15,500,000  (26 bb)
James Carroll  –  900,000  (2 bb)

With six players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 22,850,000 (38 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $59,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 6,853

Philip Toister moved all in under the gun for about 4,500,000, and Henry Billete moved all in over the top from the hijack for 5,600,000. Everyone else folded.

Toister turned over , but he was dominated and facing elimination against Billete’s .

The board came , and Toister flopped a gutshot straight draw, but improved no further. Billete won the pot with his ace to eliminate Toister in seventh place.

Henry Billete  –  11,400,000  (23 bb)
Philip Toister  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($45,000)

With six players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 22,850,000 (46 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $59,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 6,853

Chipleader Dario Dussan raised under the gun to 1,000,000, James Carroll reraised from the big blind to 5,200,000, and Dussan thought for a while before he four-bet all in.

Carroll quickly folded, and Dussan took the pot to surpass 80 million in chips.

Dario Dussan  –  81,200,000  (162 bb)
James Carroll  –  11,300,000  (23 bb)

With seven players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 19,575,000 (39 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $45,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 6,853

Dario Dussan raised to 1,000,000 in the hijack, Philip Toister reraised all in for 2,600,000 from the small blind, and Dussan called with .

Toister showed and needed his hand to hold up to survive.

The board ran out , safe for Toister to double up.

Philip Toister  –  6,200,000  (12 bb)
Dario Dussan  –  66,300,000  (133 bb)

With seven players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 19,575,000 (39 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $45,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 6,853

Quentin Jones moved all in from UTG+1 for 8,800,000, and Dario Dussan called from middle position with . Jones turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Dussan flopped a set of jacks and rivered a full house to win the pot eliminate Jones in eighth place.

Dario Dussan  –  64,400,000  (129 bb)
Quentin Jones  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($35,000)

After the hand, Darryll Fish looked at Philip Toister, who has also been nursing a short stack but has laddered up two spots in the past five minutes for at least an additional $17,500, and said, “You’re playing great!”

With seven players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 19,575,000 (39 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $45,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 6,853

Andrew Miller was forced all in from the big blind, putting his first 500,000 in for the big blind, and his last 300,000 in as the ante. (This is a “Big Blind First” tournament.)

James Carroll raised from middle position to 1,000,000, and Darryll Fish called from the cutoff.

There was 2,100,000 in the main pot, and another 1,000,000 in the side pot. Any additional betting would go into the side pot.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Carroll checked, Fish bet 1,400,000, and Carroll folded. Fish took the side pot.

For the main pot, Fish turned over for a flopped set of queens. Miller hadn’t looked at his cards yet, so he flipped them over one at a time. The first card was the , giving him a chance, but his second card was the . Miller was already drawing dead.

The meaningless river card was the , and Fish won the pot with his set of queens to eliminate Miller in ninth place.

Darryll Fish  –  20,700,000  (41 bb)
Andrew Miller  –  Eliminated in 9th Place  ($27,500)

With eight players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 17,150,000 (34 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $35,000 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Prize Pool:  $2,261,490  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 6,853

The final nine players return from dinner to begin Level 36, with increased blinds of 300,000-500,000 with a big blind ante of 500,000. They will play as many one-hour levels as it takes to reach a winner.

With nine players remaining from a field of 6,853, the average chip stack is around 15,225,000 (30 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $22,100 each.