2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 35: 150,000/300,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Edgar Varas – 11,025,000
Josh Beckley – 7,325,000
Josh Rittenberg – 3,925,000
1st – $120,622 + $3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Seat
2nd – $72,020
3rd – $44,043
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 34: 125,000/250,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Josh Rittenberg shoved the button for 2,200,000 and Beckley called from the big blind. Edgar Varas folded his option and Rittenberg was at risk.
Rittenberg: 
Beckley: 
Runout: 
Rittenberg’s pair held and he doubled through Beckley.
Josh Rittenberg – 4,875,000
Josh Beckley – 8,600,000
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 34: 125,000/250,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Edgar Varas limped the small blind and Josh Rittenberg shoved the big. Varas snapped off and the hands were tabled.
Varas: 
Rittenberg:
Runout: 
Varas flopped a set and help. He doubled his 4,125,000-chip stack through Rittenberg to climb to second in the counts.
Edgar Varas – 8,725,000
Josh Rittenberg – 2,200,000
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 33: 100,000/200,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Paul Balzano open-shoved under the gun for 1,150,000. It was on Josh Rittenberg on the button and he called. Next up was Josh Beckley in the small blind and he called, too. Edgar Varas folded his option and Balzano was at risk versus two players.
Beckley and Rittenberg checked down the 
flop and turn. The river fell the 
and Beckley lead for 950,000. Rittenberg folded and Beckley turned over 
for a rivered pair of jacks. Balzano’s 
was no good and he was eliminated in fourth place.
Josh Beckley – 11,800,000
Paul Balzano – Eliminated in 4th place ($36,841)
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 33: 100,000/200,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Josh Beckley raised to 400,000 from under the gun and “GT” Jack Sumner shoved the button for 2,050,000. The blinds folded and Sumner was at risk versus Beckley.
Beckley: 
Sumner: 
Runout: 
Beckley flopped a set and that spelled the end for Sumner. He was eliminated in fifth place for $30,470.
Josh Beckley – 7,200,000
“GT” Jack Sumner – Eliminated in 6th place ($30,470)
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 32: 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Larry Klur open-shoved about 2,500,000 from middle position. It folded to Josh Rittenberg in the big blind and he called. The hands were put face up.
Rittenberg: 
Klur:
Runout: 
Rittenberg’s ace-king was best and Klur was left with just 450,000. They got in on the very next hand and Rittenberg finished the job picking up to best the 
of Klur. Klur was eliminated in sixth place.
Josh Rittenberg – 5,750,000
Larry Klur – Eliminated in 6th place ($24,653)
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 32: 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Level 32 ups the action with no more 5,000 chips in play. The blinds are now 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante. Here’s where the event stands:
Seat 1: — Empty —
Seat 2: Paul Balzano – 2,300,000
Seat 3: Josh Rittenberg – 1,850,000
Seat 4: — Empty —
Seat 5: — Empty —
Seat 6: Josh Beckley – 6,350,000
Seat 7: Larry Klur – 3,400,000
Seat 8: Edgar Varas – 4,000,000
Seat 9: GT Jack Sumner – 4,250,000
Per the structure sheet, when play reaches 3am players will have the option to continue to a winner. If anyone objects, those remaining will bag up and head home before returning tomorrow at 2pm to decide a champion. The 3 o’clock hour will hit right at the end of Level 32.
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 31: 60,000/120,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Edgar Varas opened the button to 250,000 and GT Jack Sumner called from the small blind. It was on short stack Juan Mubarak in the big and he jammed. Varas got out of the way while Sumner called putting Mubarak at risk.
Mubarak:
Sumner: 
Runout: 
Sumner paired his nine and won the pot. Mubarak was eliminated in seventh place.
GT Jack Sumner – 3,275,000
Juan Mubarak – Eliminated in 7th place ($19,390)
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 30: 50,000/100,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
Larry Klur opened from early position to 300,000 and Paul Balzano shoved 920,000 total from the small blind. Klur called and Balzano was at risk with the worst of it.
Klur:
Balzano: 
Runout: 
Balzano nailed the flop pairing his jack to win the pot.
Paul Balzano – 2,095,000
Larry Klur – 3,000,000
2018 Escalator Series (Week 4)
$560 Buy-In, $400,000 Guaranteed
Level 30: 50,000/100,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 1,108 | Structure | Payouts
As requested by a player, here’s the present ICM breakdown followed by the natural payouts:
1st – $120,622 + $3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Seat
2nd – $72,020
3rd – $44,043
4th – $36,841
5th – $30,470
6th – $24,653
7th – $19,390
Chip leader Josh Beckley quickly let it be known he’d like to play and cards went back in the air.