Interview with Quantum Millions Winner Tai Purpero

Last night, Tai Purpero emerged as the latest champion of the Quantum Millions, a truly unique event that combines player pools from the Bicycle Casino, and Ocean's 11 Casino. He finished on top of a four way chop, taking home over $132,000, and right after his victory, he was still trying to process it all.

"I don't believe it. It still hasn't hit me yet I don't think," he said with a beaming smile.

Purpero had a $18,000 cash to his name from a few months ago, but this was by far the biggest final table he had ever made. Despite the large stakes, he said after the fact that he was calm and confident throughout the final table.

"I felt confident for most of it. I played pretty tight in the beginning so I could feel the table out, and then once I got some chips I started to play more hands. I lost some chips, then went card dead, then try to ride it out, before the craziest hand of my life."

Oh yes, let's talk about that hand. Five handed play lasted for over two hours, with no player all in and at risk in that time. Then, in a flash, Kevin Kung and Purpero got into a massive coin flip preflop, where Purpero went runner runner after Kung flopped top set. That hand propelled him into the chip lead, and he never looked back from there. Purpero had this to say about living that dramatic moment.

"Kevin was on a tear just running over the table, I finally picked up Ace-King of hearts, so figured he would have to give me some respect. He raised, I reraised, and he jammed on me, which isn't really a spot I wanted to be in, because Juanita was low, but obviously you can't fold Ace-King there, so I had to gamble. I stood up when I saw the nine in the window, and I saw the deuce as I was about to walk out. River five. Insane."

Purpero loved the two casino setup, and said that he would be happy to play in events that tournament director Mo Fathipour has teased before, where he wants to get several casino together for another massive event.

"I liked it. I thought it was a good structure. Lots of players, really big prizepool, a diverse player pool. Thought the structure was great, the payouts were great, yeah loved it. The more the merrier. If they run it, I'll be there."

Purpero ended the interview by dropping a bombshell on us. After getting laid off from his job, Purpero made the decision to go full time into poker....just three weeks ago.

Congratulations to Tai Purpero on his incredible story and result, and thank you to everyone who played in the latest Quantum Millions event!

The Final Four Agree to a Deal: Tai Purpero is the Quantum Millions Champion!

After Marvin Rettenmaier was eliminated, the final four players took a look at the numbers. After Kevin Kung got a few extra thousand, a deal was struck! Tai Purpero will take home the lion's share of the prizepool, just over $130,000, and all of them will take home over $95,000 each. Below you will see all of the details for the chop.

Congratulations to all four players on their incredible results, especially Strickland, who was down to just two big blinds near the start of the final table. Thank you to everyone who played in the Quantum Millions finals, and good night from Ocean's 11 Casino!

1. Tai Purpero - $132,208
2. Brandon Strickland - $129,608
3. Kevin Kung - $98,312
4. Juanita Brown - $95,447

Marvin Rettenmaier Eliminated in 5th Place ($46,417)

Following a raise from Brandon Strickland on the button, Marvin Rettenmaier moved all in from the big blind. Strickland quickly called with [Js][Jc], and he was flipping against the [Ac][Qs] of Rettenmaier.

The board ran down [6s][5h][3d][8d][7s], and the jacks held for Strickland to knock out the most experienced player at the table.

The final four are now looking at numbers for a potential chop.

Purpero Doubles Through Kung in Dramatic Fashion

We haven't had an all in and a call for quite some time, but we just had one, and it was one of the wildest hands of the day. Kevin Kung and Tai Purpero got all of the money in preflop in a massive coin flip, as Purpero had [Ah][Kh], while Kung had [9h][9s].

The flop of [9d][4s][3s] all but ended the hand, but as you can tell from the title, it wasn't the end. The [2s] came on the turn, and the [5d] came on the river to give Purpero a wheel. It drew a reaction from the table and rail alike.

As a result, Purpero doubled up to 39 million, while Kung is still in the game at 15.5 million.

Strickland Back in the Lead As Stacks Get Closer

The chips have started to even out at the table, as no one has less than 30 big blinds, while Brandon Strickland, the chip leader, has just over 50 big blinds. There was a failed chop attempt at six players, and so far, there have been no further talks five handed. Below you will see the updated chip counts.

Blinds: 300,000-500,000 Average: 21,200,000

Brandon Strickland - 26,000,000
Kevin Kung - 22,600,000
Tai Purpero - 21,000,000
Marvin Rettenmaier - 19,800,000
Juanita Brown - 17,000,000

The 1 Million Chips Are In Play

They aren't quite the one million chip plaques that are used at the Bicycle Casino, but they have just now introduced a hot pink chip valued at a cool one million chips. The player who got the most of them is Tai Purpero, who remains the chip leader with just five left. He has about 27 million in chips, while Marvin Rettenmaier is back on his heels with 24 million.

Tigran Abgaryan Eliminated in 6th Place ($36,415)

Three players were in the hand on the turn of a board reading [3h][2h][3s][10s]. Chip leader Tai Purpero fired 1,250,000, and Tigran Abgaryan moved all in for 3.3 million. Brandon Strickland didn't take long to call that bet, and Purpero thought for a bit before folding.

Strickland: [10d][10h]
Abgaryan: [10c][5d]

Abgaryan thought he liked the turn, but he was ultimately drawing dead. With that, we are down to just five players.

Exact Counts for the Final Six

A deal wasn't able to be struck, so we are playing on six handed. Here is how the final six currently stack up exactly.

Blinds: 150,000-300,000 Average: 15,137,000

Tai Purpero - 31,050,000
Juanita Brown - 22,975,000
Marvin Rettenmaier - 20,000,000
Brandon Strickland - 14,725,000
Tigran Abgaryan - 12,850,000
Kevin Kung - 8,325,000

Vuong Do Eliminated in 7th Place ($28,555)

The comeback trail is fully on for Brandon Strickland. Down to just three big blinds earlier, Strickland is now back to one of the chip leaders, after back-to-back big hands against Vuong Do.
First, Strickland raised it preflop, and Vuong Do moved all in. Action folded back around to Strickland, who immediately called with [As][Ac]. Do held [Ah][Kh], and was in a world of hurt. The board ran down [10c][7h][2d][Ks][6c], and Strickland scored a big double up.

On the very next hand, Do moved all in for about 10 big blinds, and Strickland called to put him at risk with [9d][8d]. Do held [Ks][6s], and he held his lead through the [4h][3d][2c] flop, and [2d] turn. However, the [9c] on the river changed everything, as Strickland scored the knockout.

The final six are looking at the counts for a chip chop now. If they don't agree to a deal, we will at least post the fresh counts for all six left.

AJ Armstrong Eliminated in 8th Place ($22,355)

Blinds: 150,000-300,000

AJ Armstrong moved all in for a bit over four million, and it folded around to Tai Purpero in the big blind. He looked at his cards, and didn't take very long to call.

Purpero: [As][Kd]
Armstrong: [8c][8s]

The flop of [6s][4c][2s] was safe for Armstrong, as was the [Qc] turn. However, the [Ah] on the river flipped the script, giving Purpero the pot, and sending Armstrong to the rail in eighth.

Purpero, who had taken the chip lead earlier after winning a big pot off of Kevin Kung, adds to that lead now, as he has about 33 million.

Fresh Counts From the Final Eight

We were going to wait until we lost one more player to post a fresh round of chip counts, but since there have been so many double ups, we figured we would post everyone's updated count now.

Blinds: 150,000-250,000 Average: 13,245,000

Marvin Rettemanier - 23,000,000
Juanita Brown - 21,000,000
Tai Purpero - 20,500,000
Kevin Kung - 12,500,000
Tigran Abgaryan - 9,500,000
Vuong Do - 7,800,000
Brandon Strickland - 7,100,000
AJ Armstrong - 4,500,000

Strickland Doubles Again

Blinds: 150,000-250,000

We have yet another double up to report to you guys, and once again, it is short stack Brandon Strickland who secured it. He moved all in from early position for his final 3,325,000, and Juanita Brown called in the small blind

Strickland: [Ah][2s]
Brown: [9c][9h]

Strickland was in rough shape, but that would drastically change after the flop of [Ac][2c][4d]. Brown needed a two outer now, but it wouldn't come down, giving Strickland another double up to almost seven million.

Abgaryan's Turn To Double Up

Blinds: 150,000-250,000

Catching up with the action on the turn of a board showing [Kd][5h][Jh][3h], Tai Purpero checked to Tigran Abgaryan, who moved all in for 3.5 million. Purpero thought for about 90 seconds before tossing in a chip for the call.

Abgaryan: [Ks][Qd]
Purpero: [Jd][10d]

Abgaryan held the lead with his top pair, and the [5d] on the river changed nothing. It's been a tough day for Abgaryan, who doubles up to 11.8 million, which is still less than what he started the day with. Meanwhile, Purpero is still in good shape with 17 million.

Two Double Ups for Strickland

Blinds: 125,000-250,000

After that massive hand we just reported, Brandon Strickland moved all in for 800,000 in early position. It folded around to Tai Purpero in the big blind, and he made a rather reluctant call for just a couple of big blinds more.

Strickland: [Kc][8c]
Purpero: [3h][2d]

The flop of [9h][6s][3c] gave Purpero the lead, but the [7c] on the turn gave Strickland a world of outs. He would hit the [5d] on the river to double up to two million, and would move all in on the next hand as well. He was called by Tigran Abgaryan, who's Ace-Seven just had Strickland's Ace-Six out kicked. The flop of [Js][9s][2h] kept things interesting, but the [Jc] on the turn meant it would likely be a chop.

However, the [6s] came out of nowhere on the river to send another full double up to Strickland, who jumped from 800,000 to nearly five million in just two hands.

Brown Makes Massive River Call to Double Into the Lead

We walked up to the action on the river, but Juanita Brown was able to give us most of the details on this massive hand that has seen her take the chip lead.

According to Brown, she raised to 750,000 preflop, and was called by Brandon Strickland on the button. The flop of [9c][5s][2s] saw Brown bet a million, and Strickland called. The [Jd] came on the turn, and Brown said she bet "about 1.5 million." Again Strickland called, and the river brought the [3s], completing the flush draw on the flop.

This slowed Brown, as she checked, and Strickland took that as in invitation to move all in. The two players were virtually even in chips, and the bet was for more than the size of the pot, so it was a massive decision.

Eventually, Brown shrugged and said "call," and Strickland said "good call," showing [8c][7c]. Brown tabled [Qh][Js] for top pair, which was good enough to take the huge pot, and the chip lead with 24 million.

Armstrong Doubles Through Strickland

After a raise from Brandon Strickland, AJ Armstrong moved all in for just under four million. Strickland called with [Ah][8d], and Armstrong was in good shape with [Qh][Qc].

The hand was all but over after the flop came down [Qs][9c][8c], and the [5d] turn sealed that fate. Armstrong gets a double up to about eight million, while Strickland takes a small hit to his big stack.

Ophir Atar Eliminated in 9th Place ($16,180)

Action folded around to the short stack Ophir Atar on the button, and he moved all in. Big stack Brandon Strickland made the call from the small blind, and the card were tabled.

Atar: [Ac][2c]
Strickland: [As][5h]

The fop came down [Kh][9c][3h], which didn't change much, but the [5c] on the turn changed everything. Atar would now need a club or four to win the hand, but the river instead was the [2d], rubbing a bit of salt on Atar's wounds.

This gets us down to just eight players now.

Rettemaier Takes Over the Chip Lead

The most established name at the final table, Marvin Rettemaier, started the final table in seventh place out of nine. However, the German has absolutely dominated so far today, and suddenly, he is in the chip lead with nearly 18 million.

This boost included an incredible river call against Tigran Abgaryan, where the Bike regular fired a bet of 2.25 million on a ridiculously wet board of [8s][7d][6d][7s][6s]. Rettenmaier tanked for quite some time before calling with pocket queens, and Abgaryan could muster up just Jack-Nine off.

Rettenmaier Nearly Doubles Up Early

Blinds: 100,000-200,000

On the last hand of this level, Vuong Do and Marivn Rettenmaier were heads up on a board showing [As][5s][7d][10d]. Do checked to Rettenmaier, who bet 1,125,000. Do called, and the [9s] completed a scary looking board.

Do thought for about a minute before checking, and Rettenameir thought for about the same before he bet out 2,250,000, leaving himself only about one million behind. Do thought for over two minutes before sliding in the call, but he quickly mucked after Rettemaier tabled [Ks][Qs] for the nut flush.

After that hand, Rettenmaier is nearing 10 million, while Do takes a big hit, dropping down to about 13 million.

The Quantum Millions Final Table is Underway

We are ready to find out who the winner of the fourth Quantum Millions will be, as the final table has just started! Brandon Strickland, who start yesterday's Day 3 as the chip leader, won a massive pot on the last hand of the night to get him back up to the lead, with just under 20 million in chips. You can see the breakdown of the final table below.

Brandon Strickland - 19,425,000
Vuong Do - 17,775,000
Kevin Kung - 17,750,000
Tigran Abgaryan - 14,900,000
Juanita Brown - 12,850,000
Tai Purpero - 12,175,000
Marvin Rettenmaier - 5,850,000
Ophir Atar - 5,450,000
AJ Armstrong - 5,425,000

We will be here until the end, so make sure you don't go anywhere!

Bike Regular Vuong Do Second in Chips 

Late Surge Sees Brandon Strickland Grab the Chip Lead

After that final hand that we just reported, Brandon Strickland has ended the day as the chip leader here on Quantum Millions Day 3. Strickland told us after the fact that he started Day 2 with 143,000, ended with the chip lead at 7,350,000, and he now has the lead again with 19,425,000. Vuong Do is second in chips at 17,775,000.

Below you will see how the final nine stack up. The blinds coming back tomorrow will be 100,000-200,000, and we will be here until a winner is decided, so be sure to come back at 1 PM for the conclusion of this massive event!


Brandon Strickland - 19,425,000
Vuong Do - 17,775,000
Kevin Kung - 17,750,000
Tigran Abgaryan - 14,900,000
Juanita Brown - 12,850,000
Tai Purpero - 12,175,000
Marvin Rettenmaier - 5,850,000
Ophir Atar - 5,450,000
AJ Armstrong - 5,425,000

Michael Sherburn Eliminated in 10th Place ($12,300)

A roar came from the final table as we were putting in the pictures and seating chart, which usually means a bad beat was just dealt out. Sure enough, Michael Sherburn was on the wrong end of a runner runner situation that saw him hit the rail in 10th place.

According to the table, Sherburn got his final chips in the middle on a flop of [As][2c][8h] in great shape. Sherburn held Ace-Eight, and was well ahead of the Ace-King of Brandon Strickland. However, the turn and river were both tens, counterfeiting the two pair of Sherburn, and Strickland's king kicker played to send him a huge pot.

This gets us down to our final table of nine, which means we are done for the night. We will post chip counts for all nine players shortly.

Seating Chart and Counts for the Unofficial Final Table

Seat 1: Vuong Do - 19,600,000

Seat 2: Michael Sherburn - 8,700,000

Seat 3: Juanita Brown - 12,800,000

Seat 4: Marvin Rettenmaier - 6,000,000

Seat 5: Tai Purpero - 12,300,000

Seat 6: Tigran Abgaryan - 14,000,000

Seat 7: Kevin Kung - 17,500,000

Seat 8: Ophir Atar - 5,400,000

Seat 9: Brandon Strickland - 8,250,000

Seat 10: AJ Armstrong - 6,000,000

Fresh Counts From the Final 12 Players

We are quickly down to 12 now, as we lost Nick Phoenix in 15th, Daniel Song in 14th, and Mike Shariati in 13th. These three players each took home $9,150.

Below you will see how the final 12 players currently stack up, listed by their current seat.

Blinds: 100,000-200,000 Average: 9,000,000

Table 23

Seat 1: Marvin Rettenmaier - 7,500,000
Seat 2: Juanita Brown - 12,200,000
Seat 3: Richard Alati - 10,500,000
Seat 4: Brandon Strickland - 11,500,000
Seat 5: Kevin Kung - 11,100,000
Seat 6: AJ Armstrong - 6,000,000

Table 27

Seat 1: David Williams - 2,800,000
Seat 2: Tigran Abgaryan - 10,500,000
Seat 3: Ophir Atar - 6,500,000
Seat 4: Michal Sherburn - 8,500,000
Seat 5: Vuong Do - 19,200,000
Seat 6: Tai Purpero - 8,000,000

Down to 15 Players Now

We have recently lost Christiano Ferrari in 18th place, Abitboul Roee in 17th, and Dong Xu in 16th place. They all took home $7,940 for their efforts.

Bike regular Vuong Do has taken over the chip lead, after he picked off a massive river bluff from start of day chip leader Brandon Strickland. He has just over 15 million, while second at the moment is Tai Purpero with 12 million. We will post fresh counts for everyone left when we get down to the final 12 players.

Full Seating Chart and Counts for the Final 18

 Blinds: 60,000-120,000

Table 23

Seat 1: Abitboul Roee - 3,250,000
Seat 2: Mike Shariati - 2,600,000
Seat 3: Daniel Song - 1,950,000
Seat 4: Richard Alati - 5,450,000
Seat 5: Brandon Strickland - 9,500,000
Seat 6: Christiano Ferrari - 1,350,000
Seat 7: Kevin Kung - 9,100,000
Seat 8: Vuong Do - 10,300,000
Seat 9: AJ Armstrong - 5,200,000

Table 27

Seat 1: David Williams - 8,800,000
Seat 2: Nick Phoenix - 1,700,000
Seat 3: Tigran Abgaryan - 10,100,000
Seat 4:  Ophir Atar - 8,400,000
Seat 5: Michael Sherburn - 6,100,000
Seat 6: Marvin Rettenmaier - 4,200,000
Seat 7: Dong Xu - 4,100,000
Seat 8: Juanita Brown - 4,900,000
Seat 9:  Tai Purpero - 5,800,000

Latest Round of Eliminations: 19-27th Places

We are at the point of the tournament where there is a pay jump for every three eliminations. These players each won $6,930 tonight.

19. Thomas Reeves
20. Marian Abedian
21. Vladimir Medvinsky


These three each earned $6,050.

22. Amir Dehghan
23. Tony Orr
24. Deangela Nava

And lastly, these three won $5,180.

25. Aaron Valencia
26. Eugene Tito
27. Nicholas Grippo

Just 21 Players Remain on Second Break

We are down to just 21 players now in the Quantum Millions finals, meaning the big payouts are just around the corner. Once we get down to the final 18, we will post a fresh seating chart with counts for all 18 players.

Stay tuned for more updates, as we look to crown the latest Quantum Millions winner!

The Big Stacks with 25 Players Left

Blinds: 50,000-100,000

Tiguan Abgaryan - 11,000,000
Kevin Kung - 9,200,000
Brandon Strickland - 8,300,000
Tai Purpero - 8,000,000
Vuong Do - 7,300,000
Ophir Atar - 7,200,000

Some Fresh Counts From the Final 27

Blinds: 40,000-80,000 Average: 4,436,000

Tiguan Abgaryan - 10,800,000
Nick Phoenix - 6,700,000
Vuong Do - 4,100,000
Ophir Atar - 3,800,000
Nicholas Grippo - 3,300,000
Mike Shariati - 3,150,000
Marvin Rettenmaier - 2,800,000
Eugene Tito - 610,000

Next Round of Bustouts: 28-36th Places

We are quickly down to the final three tables left in this Quantum Millions Event, and those players are doing a full three table redraw now. The following players each took home $4,285 tonight.

28. Garrett Gravener
29. William Bannon
30. Dinh Le
31. Samy Alirachedi
32. Huy Nguyen
33. Antony Pineda
34. Thu Nguyen
35. Dana Katzenmeier
36. Arno Shahrazarian

Tigran Abgaryan Takes Chip Lead on Wild Hand

We just saw the biggest pot of the tournament develop, and it's seen Bicycle Casino regular Tigran Abgaryan take the chip lead.

We caught up with the action on the turn, with the board reading [Qh][7c][5c][Ah]. According to the table, Abgaryan fired out 1 million, and William Bannon, who started the day second in chips, moved all in for about 4.8 million.

"If I win I'm the chip leader," Abgaryan said as he was tanking. Eventually, he called, and Bannon said "nice call," as he showed [Kh][9d] for king high. Amazingly, he was ahead, as Abgaryan had [9h][6h] for a straight and flush draw. The river brought the [8d], giving Abgaryan a straight, and the chip lead, as he now has ten million in chips.

Fresh Counts From the Final Four Tables

Blinds: 40,000-80,000 Average: 3,227,000 Players Left: 36

Tigran Abgaryan - 4,800,000
Ophir Atar - 3,600,000
Nick Phoenix - 2,700,000
Marvin Rettenmaier - 2,500,000
Nicholas Grippo - 2,300,000
Mike Shariati - 1,500,000
Eugene Tito - 1,100,000
Thu Nguyen - 1,050,000
Samy Alirachedi - 900,000

Latest Round of Bustouts: 37-45th Places

We have hit our first pay jump of the day, as we are down to just 36 players now. The following players each took home $3,500. Everyone still remaining has locked up $4,285. Stay tuned for some fresh chip counts to be posted shortly after they return from break.

37. Mackenzie Kramer
38. Chahn Jung
39. Hunter Moss
40. Tongguang Sun
41. Mohsin Charania
42. Alexander Ravich
43. Kiran Raina
44. Shahin Edalatdju
45. Luis Pauyan

First Break of the Day Today

We are 90 minutes into play in today's Day 3 restart, meaning it's time to take the first break of the day. Only 38 of the 50 players who started still remain. When we get down to the final 36, we will post our first round of chip counts for the day, as well as the latest round of bustouts.

The Big Stacks to Starts the Day 3 Finals

Brandon Strickland - 7,335,000

William Bannon - 4,985,000

Thomas Reeves - 4,275,000

Abitoul Roee - 3,870,000

Dong Xu - 3,815,000

Five Eliminations to Start

It hasn't taken us long to hit the final five tables in this Quantum Millions restart, as we are quickly down to the final 45. Below you will see the first eliminations of the day. Each of these players earned $3,500 today.

46. Harutyun Gevorgyan
47. Jeff Yarchever
48. Lawrence Engerman
49. Thomas Emerson
50. Robert Lin

The Finals of the Quantum Millions Event Are Underway

We are coming to you guys live from the Ocean's 11 Casino for the Day 3 finals of the Quantum Millions event! After a huge day yesterday, Brandon Strickland comes into the day with a massive chip lead of 7,335,000. His next closest competitor, Bannon Willians, has just under five million.

The original plan was to play down to a final table today, and finish it out tomorrow, but all signs are pointing to us wrapping things up today. We will be here until the end to bring you all of the updates, so make sure you don't go anywhere, as we look to crown  the third Quantum Millions champion!

Day 3 Return List and Final Payouts for Quantum Millions Event

Chris Klodnicki and Vyacheslav Stoyanov Agree to a Deal, Stoyanov is the Champion!

Vyacheslav Stoyanov - 2019 Cardplayer Tour Bicycle Casino Champion

Upon realizing that they were only separated by two big blinds, Chris Klodnicki and Vyacheslav Stoyanov started to discuss what sort of deal they could make. After a few minutes of talking, they decided to chop it up virtually evenly, and go all in blind on the next hand to determine who would win the trophy.

Well it was clearly meant to be for Stoyanov, as he was dealt [Ks][Kd]. Even better for Stoyanov, Klodnicki was dealt a dominated [Kc][9c]. The flop of [10s][8h][4h] left Klodnicki drawing to running cards, and an ace on the turn ended things.

Klodnicki will take home a bit more money, $109,780 to the $108,480 for Stoyanov, but the latter will be taking home the trophy, and will have his picture on the next Cardplayer magazine cover! Impressively, Klodnicki did virtually the exact same thing in August at the Legends of Poker, when he once again chopped nearly evenly with Adam Volen in the $500,000 Guaranteed Event, taking home just under $100,000 in that event.

Congratulations to both Klodnicki and Stoyanov on their incredible results. Thank you to everyone who played in this Main Event, and the 2019 Big Poker Oktober! The daily tournaments will return on Thursday, and the WSOP Circuit will be coming back here in December. See you guys then!

Chris Klodnicki- Runner up: $109,780

Peter Hengsakul Eliminated in 3rd Place ($51,085)

Peter Hengsakul moved all in from the button, and Chris Klodnicki moved all in for more in the small blind.

Hengsakul: [10d][10c]
Klodnicki: [Ah][Ad]

It was a tough cooler for Hengsakul, especially three handed, and a ten would never come, as the board ran out [Qc][8d][7h][3d][9c].

This gets us to heads up play, with Chris Klodnicki and Vyacheslav Stoyanov virtually even in chips.

Stoyanov Doubles Into the Chip Lead

Vyacheslav Stoyanov raised to 300,000 first to act, and it folded to Chris Klodnicki in the big blind. He three bet to one million, and Stoyanov thought for a bit before four bet shoving all in for 3.6 million total.

Klodnicki quickly called with [Ah][Qd], and he was in good shape against the [Ks][2s] of Stoyanov. However, the flop came down [Jd][4d][2h], giving Stoyanov the lead with a mighty pair of twos. The [6s] on the turn left Klodnicki drawing to just six outs, and none of them would come on the river.

Stoyanov doubled up to 7.3 million, and he now has the lead, as Klodnicki fell to 6 million.

Brendon Williams Eliminated in 4th Place ($39,680)

Brandon Williams and Chris Klodnicki went heads up to a flop of [8h][8c][7s]. Williams checked to Klodnicki, who bet out 325,000. Williams checked raised all in for two million total, and Klodnicki quickly called with [Qh][8s]. Williams held just [9d][7d], and he was drawing dead after the [Ah] hit the turn, and that gets us down to the final three.

Klodnicki holds about half the chips in play now three handed.

Fresh Counts For the Final Four on Break

Blinds: 75,000-150,000 Average: 4,380,000 Players Left: 4

Chris Klodnicki - 8,600,000
Peter Hengsakul - 4,300,000
Brendon Williams - 2,600,000
Vyacheslav Stoyanov - 2,300,000

Jim Collopy Eliminated in 5th Place ( $32,195)

Action folded around to Jim Collopy in the small blind, and he moved all in for about 2.1 million. As soon as Peter Hengsakul looked at his cards, he made the call.

Hengsakul: [Ad][Kd]
Collopy: [Ac][9s]

The flop of [5s][2h][2h] gave Collopy outs for a chop, but a king on the turn ended the hand. Hengsakul takes a big jump up to six million, and is firmly in second place after that big hand, while Collopy will have to settle for fifth place for the second year in a row in this event.

Williams Scores a Double Up

In a battle of the blinds, Vyacheslav Stoyanov shoved from the small blind, having Brendon Williams covered. Williams called with [Ad][Jd], and Stoyanov was behind but had two live cards with [Qh][7s]. The flop missed both players, and an ace on the turn sealed the double up for Williams.

He is up to over 2 million after that hand, while Stoyanov is now below that marker with 1.6 million.

Tarun Ravi Eliminated in 6th Place ($25,840)

Action folded around to Tarun Ravi in the small blind, and he moved all in for his final six big blinds or so. Chip leader Chris Klodnicki was in the big blind, and he called for a small portion of his chip stack with [Qh][4h]. Ravi held the lead with [Ac][7s], but his ace high couldn't survive the runout of [Kc][9h][8s][4s][9d].

With that pot, Klodnicki has taken a commanding chip lea with over seven million in chips.

Nicky Komphouvong Eliminated in 7th Place ($20,315)

Following a raise from Chris Klodnicki, Nicky Komphouvong moved all in for his final 985,000. Klodnicki quickly called with [Ah][Ad], and he was well ahead of the [Jh][Jd] of Komphouvong. The board only brought one paint card, the [Qc] on the flop, and the aces held for Klodnicki to get us down to just six players.

Daniel Shea Eliminated in 8th Place ($15,565)

Action folded around to Daniel Shea in the small blind, and he moved all in. Vyacheslav Stoyanov was in the big blind, and he made the call with [Kh][10h]. He was leading the [8s][7s] of Shea, and he would hold that lead throughout the runout of [Qc][6h][3s][Qd][As].

Stoyanov is now up to 3,225,000 after that hand, while Shea will have to settle for a payday of over $15,000.

Updated Counts on Break

Blinds: 50,000-100,000 Average; 2,200,000 Players Left: 8

Chris Klodnicki - 4,200,000
Peter Hengsakul - 3,200,000
Vyacheslav Stoyanov - 2,150,000
Jim Collopy - 1,950,000
Tarun Ravi - 1,920,000
Brendon Williams - 1,650,000
Daniel Shea - 1,250,000
Nicky Komphouvong - 720,000

Zaher Samaan Eliminated in 9th Place ($11,285)

It took over three hours, but we finally lost our first player of the final table, and it was Zaher Samaan. He shoved his short stack in preflop holding [Ac][4s], but unfortunately for him, Peter Hengsakul woke up with [As][Kh] two seats behind him.

The board would run out [Qc][10d][5c][10c][10h], and the king kicker would play for Hengsakul. He vaults up into second chip position after that pot, holding nearly 2.9 million in chips now.

Ravi Doubles Through Samaan

Tarun Ravi moved all in for his final 1.4 million from early position, and it folded around to Zaher Samaan in the big blind. He made the call with [Js][Jh], and he was flipping against the [As][Kh] of Ravi. The flop of [Kc][Qs][10c] gave Ravi the lead, but also gave Samaan some straight outs. He wouldn't hit any of them, as a four came on the turn and river to score the double for Ravi.

Samaan was able to double back up shortly there after, but he is still the severe short stack now with 570,000.

Samaan Doubles Through Klodnicki

And on cue, we had a preflop cooler that saw Zaher Samaan score a big double up through chip leader Chris Klodnicki. Samaan held [Qh][Qd], and he was dominating the [Js][Jc] of Klodnicki.

The board ran down [Kd][9d][8c][8c][7h], and the ladies held for Samaan to get him up to 1,840,000. Klodnicki on the other hand, fell to 3,225,000.

Several All Ins, Very Few Calls

We haven't had much to report since our last double up post. We have had more than a few all ins, but not much other than that. There was one all in and call, but both players held Ace-King, and that pot was chopped up.

We will be sure to post once we have an elimination or double up to report.

Williams Spikes the River to Double Up

Not long after the Hengsakul double up, short stack Brandon Williams got his final chips in preflop against chip leader Jim Collopy. Williams held [Ad][Qc], and he was flipping agains the pocket fives of Collopy. The fives held on the flop of [Kd][4h][3h], and the [8c] turn.

However, the [As] on the river flipped the script, giving Williams a double up to nearly 2 million. On the other side, Collopy gives up the chip lead for the first time today, dropping to 2.35 million.

Hengsakul Doubles Through Komphouvong

On one of the first hands of the final table, local regular Peter Hengsakul has scored a double up. He was heads up with Nicky Komphouvong on a flop of [Js][6c][3c] when Komphouvong check called a bet of 110,000 from Hengsakul.

The turn brought the [5h], and after another check, Hengsakul fired 200,000. Komphouvong responded with a check raise all in, easily having Hengsakul covered. He called with [ As][Jd], and was in great shape against the [Ah][3h] of Komphouvong. A seven completed the board, and Hengsakul doubled to nearly 1.8 million while Komphouvong dropped to 2.2 million.

Photos and Updated Counts From the Final Nine

Seat 1: Chris Klodnicki - 2,955,000

Seat 2: Daniel Shea - 1,370,000

Seat 3: Vyacheslav Stoyanov - 3,285,000

Seat 4: Nicky Komphouvong - 3,050,000

Seat 5: Brendon Williams - 855,000

Seat 6: Zaher Samaan - 860,000

Seat 7: Jim Collopy - 3,295,000

Seat 8: Peter Hengsakul - 825,000

Seat 9: Tarun Ravi - 1,260,000

Marvin Rettenmaier Eliminated in 10th Place ($7,720)

After a raise from Nicky Komphouvong, Marvin Rettenmaier moved all in from the small blind. It folded back around to Komphouvong, who snap called with two red aces. Rettenmaier held pocket sevens, and was looking for a two outer. The flop brought three eights, which left Rettenmaier drawing all but dead. A queen on the turn ended things, sending us to our final table of nine.

Those nine are currently setting up in the Live at the Bike stage. We will be posting our updates in accordance with the 30 minute delay on the live stream. Good luck to the final nine!