$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 23: Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000 ante

It took just two hands to settle the deal, even as they were making a deal during the final hand. Joe Villacci and Carlos Cruz were very close in chips and involved in a big hand.

They decided to chop the money down the middle and the winner of the hand would take the title. There was a flop sitting out there with Villacci all-in after a 100,000 bet from Cruz.

They made their decision and Cruz called with the better against . Villacci joked about having a flush draw and then went runner-runner to make that flush.

Cruz earned $7,775 for his runner-up position while Villacci picked up $7,775 for the win plus the trophy and framed victory photo from IMPDI.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 23: Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000 ante

Things were a little less tense when the final table went down to three-handed action and Blain Ovind’s last hand was a quiet one to start.

He mixed it up with Joe Villacci before the flop when the fuse was lit on the fireworks. All Ovind’s chips ended up in the middle with against the small pair of Villacci.

The turn was a uninspiring but the two-out ended Ovind’s day in 3rd place for $4,212.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 23: Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000 ante

There was some talk about a possible four-handed deal after the last break but talks broke down when Igor Skochko asked for more than his ICM number. The other players did not agree and nothing went well for Skochko from that point forward.

He dropped a few 5k stacks along the way before getting them in with and Blain Ovind quickly called.

“Uh oh, do you have Aces?” Skochko asked.

It wasn’t Aces but he was in trouble when Ovind tabled . The dealer kept the board clean to give Ovind a nice pot and send Skochko out in 4th place for $3,078.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 21: Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000 ante

Seat 3: Carlos Cruz – 891,000
Seat 4: Joe Villacci – 386,000
Seat 5: Igor Skochko – 510,000
Seat 7: Blain Ovind – 238,000

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 21: Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000 ante

It was the last hand for the break and Oleg Vayman joked about having his stack counted. He decided to put his 49,000 in the middle with from the button and Carlos Cruz called in the big blind with .

Vayman immediately fell behind when the dealer rolled out leaving him looking for a King or running magic. The turn added a flush draw giving him 12 outs to the river.

The blank was none of them and another former chip leader has hit the rail, Vayman in 5th place for $2,430.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 20: Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000 ante

Frank Lerczak was making a lot of moves over the last level, most of them shoves after someone opened ahead of him.

“That’s not going to work one time,” Oleg Vayman told him.

His last hand didn’t have him shoving pre-flop but calling a raise to see the board with Joe Villacci. It was at that point Lerczak got his chips in with the better hand, for top pair against Villacci’s second pair .

The turn was clean for Lerczak but the river was unkind to send him out in 6th place for $1,802.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 19: Blinds 3,000/6,000/1,000 ante

There was a quick run of activity once they were seven-handed with Oleg Vayman losing another large part of his stack with against Igor Skochko’s to leave him short.

Just two hands later, it was Chioh Yim open-shoving for his short stack with and getting a call from Carlos Cruz with . Yim was ahead right up until the flop and was unable to find an Ace on the turn or river.

The hand moved Cruz further in the lead while Yim was gone in 7th place for $1,418.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 19: Blinds 3,000/6,000/1,000 ante

Play was pretty stagnant for the first hour of the final table with plenty of chips in action and no pressure from the blinds.

That changed in a hurry after Blain Ovind opened to 17,000 before Ariel Rosello came over the top all-in. Not to be outdone, Raymond Ruszkowski followed suit by putting all his chips in the middle and had Rosello covered.

Action folded back around to Ovind and he said “oh well” as he tossed in calling chips. Ovind had more chips than either competitor and ahead with against for Rosello and of Ruszkowski.

The dealer ran a drama-free board of to give the huge pot to Ovind. With the bigger stack at the start of the hand, Ruszkowski was awarded 8th place for $1,073 while Rosello was out in 9th for $810.

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 18: Blinds 2,500/5,000/500 ante

Break time chip counts:

Seat 1: Frank Lerczak – 239,000
Seat 2: Chioh Yim – 98,000
Seat 3: Carlos Cruz – 399,000
Seat 4: Joe Villacci – 350,000
Seat 5: Igor Skochko – 159,000
Seat 6: Oleg Vayman – 375,000
Seat 7: Blain Ovind – 186,000
Seat 8: Ariel Rosello – 69,000
Seat 9: Raymond Ruszkowski – 105,000

$350 8-Handed Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 18: Blinds 2,500/5,000/500 ante

Nine players still remain in the tournament as they head off on another break as they race off the 500 chips.