2011 World Poker Tour Legends of Poker Day 4: A "Thrilling" Final Table is Set
Day 4 of the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker lasted into the early hours of Tuesday morning, but when it was all said and done, the official WPT final table was set. Leading the final six players is Will “The Thrill” Failla with 6.775 million in chips.
When Day 4 began, Jeff Vertes was the chip leader. After [Removed:113] busted in 21st place and Dan Heimiller went out in 20th, Vertes sent Derek Palmer to the rail in 19th position.
According to the WPT Live Update Team, Palmer moved all-in for his last 300,000 with the blinds at 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante. Vertes made the call from the big blind holding two black nines and was up against Palmer who was holding A♦J♣. The board ran out 10♠10♥5♥8♦4♣ and Palmer finished with a $14,135 payday.
During the same level, more players hit the rail. David Tuthill dropped in 18th place, Billy Bey finished in 17th, Brent Hanks went out in 16th, Christina Lindley was eliminated in 15th and Mike Eskandari hit the rail in 14th.
Lindley was the last woman standing in the event and battled with the short stack for quite some time before finally succumbing at the hands of Joshua Pollock. Lindley moved all-in for just under nine big blinds with A♣K♥ and was called by Pollock who was holding J♥J♦. A board of 10♠8♥7♣7♦Q♥ proved to be no help for Lindley and she was out the door.
Shawn Buchanan finished in 13th place and he was also eliminated by Pollock. Following him to the payout desk was Richard McGee in 12th and Tyler Cornell in 11th before the final ten players reconvened down to a single table. At that point, Pollock was leading the way with Vertes in second and Failla in third.
Finishing in tenth place was Matt Kay for $29,555. Pollock also earned that elimination because his two red kings held up against Kay's A♣Q♦. David Daneshgar hit the rail next for $38,550 in a three-way all-in that saw his 7♠7♦ up against Pollock's 8♥8♣ and Owais Ahmed's Q♠Q♦. The queens held for Ahmed on this hand and he delivered a blow to Pollock en route to busting Daneshgar and more than doubling up.
The final eight players battled for more than three hours before the next elimination came up. The eighth-place finisher turned out to be James Carroll when his A♥3♦ failed to improve against Vertes' A♠J♦. The money went in preflop with Carroll jamming the button for 1.195 million with the blinds at 50,000/100,000 with a 10,000 ante. Vertes called from the small blind and the board ran out Q♦10♠9♣8♣Q♣.
From there, it only took approximately one hour to see Ray Henson fall in seventh place and officially secure the other six players a seat at the televised WPT final table.
Henson went out after moving all-in from early position with the A♦6♣ and being called by Vertes who was holding A♠K♦. A flop, turn and river of A♣7♠2♣8♥Q♠ followed to give Henson a finish worth $64,250 and that was the end of play for the night.
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Chips | BBs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Pollock | 5,315,000 | 53 |
| 2 | Owais Ahmed | 1,720,000 | 17 |
| 3 | Will “The Thrill” Failla | 6,775,000 | 67 |
| 4 | Adam Aronson | 2,185,000 | 21 |
| 5 | Ken Aldridge | 3,640,000 | 36 |
| 6 | Jeff Vertes | 4,005,000 | 40 |
With a tad over 28 minutes left at the 50,000/100,000 with a 10,000 ante level, the players will return at 4:00 PDT (0000 BST) on Tuesday to play for the title. With this event being held at the Bicycle Casino, Live at the Bike will be airing a semi-live webcast of the final table on a 30-minute delay. The webcast will be complete with hole cards, so you’ll surely want to check that out.
First place is worth a hefty $758,085, and there are only six left with the chance to get their hands on it. They’ve already locked up $77,100 each, and the next pay jump puts them into six figures. Be sure to check back here on PokerNews for the event recap after play tomorrow.
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