2014 WPT L.A. Poker Classic Day 4: Josh Neufeld Leads After Huge Hand Against Jen Tilly
Day 4 of the 2014 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Main Event began with 63 players vying for a top prize of $1,015,460. After more than eight hours of play at the Commerce Casino, only 18 remained with Josh Neufeld on top with 2,326,000 in chips. Neufeld leads a talented field that includes Chris Moorman, Joe Serock, and Dan O'Brien, all of whom are eyeing their first victory on the WPT.
End-of-Day 4 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Neufeld | 2,326,000 |
| 2 | Glenn Lafaye | 1,743,000 |
| 3 | Chris Moorman | 1,731,000 |
| 4 | Joe Serock | 1,596,000 |
| 5 | Michael Rocco | 1,410,000 |
| 6 | Adam Friedman | 1,244,000 |
| 7 | Patrick Bruel | 1,039,000 |
| 8 | Michael Pickett | 847,000 |
| 9 | Erkut Yilmaz | 689,000 |
| 10 | Ludovic Assouline | 672,000 |
| 11 | Tab Thiptinnakon | 640,000 |
| 12 | Kazu Oshima | 516,000 |
| 13 | Allen Pock | 452,000 |
| 14 | Alexandru Masek | 402,000 |
| 15 | Huy Lam | 359,000 |
| 16 | Heath Mendelsohn | 184,000 |
| 17 | Hasan Habib | 162,000 |
| 18 | Dan O'Brien | 129,000 |
Neufeld climbed the leaderboard late in the day thanks to a huge hand against actress Jennifer Tilly, who spent some of the day as the chip leader. According to the WPT Live Updates, Neufeld raised to 26,000 from under the gun (blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000), and Tilly called from the button. The flop rolled out 9♣6♠2♥ and Neufeld led out for 30,000. Tilly raised to 90,000, and Neufeld called, bringing the A♥ on the turn. This time Neufeld check-called a bet of 150,000, and the two players saw the K♥ fall on the river. Neufeld fired 450,000 into the pot, and Tilly went into the tank before deciding to call. Neufeld tabled the K♦K♠ for a rivered set of kings, and a visibly frustrated Tilly mucked her cards.
With that hand, Neufeld increased his stack to around 2,700,000, more than double anyone in the field. Meanwhile, Tilly's run at a first WPT title came to an end less than 30 minutes later. With the blinds still at 6,000/12,000/2,000, Moorman raised to 25,000 from under the gun and Tilly jammed her last 118,000 into the pot from the small blind. Moorman called, and the cards were turned up.
Tilly: A♠10♦
Moorman: 7♥6♥
The Brit was drawing live with his suited connectors, and he put a stranglehold on the hand when the dealer rolled out a 8♦5♠4♣ flop. The 2♥ turn and Q♥ river were meaningless, and Tilly was eliminated in 22nd place for $42,550.
Other notables hitting the rail on Tuesday were Jonathan Duhamel (61st - $18,970), Ali Eslami (55th - $18,970), Mike Sexton (51st - $22,560), Bryn Kenney (49th - $22,560), Jason Mercier (43rd - $26,660), Eugene Katchalov (40th - $26,660), Greg Merson (31st - $31,270), Matt Waxman (26th - $36,400), and Eric Buchman (20th - $42,550).
Day 4 came to a close when WPT Season X Player of the Year Joe Serock eliminated former WPT champ Ravi Raghavan in 19th place. After Kazu Oshima raised to 33,000 from under the gun (blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000), Raghavan moved all in for 270,000 from the button. Serock then called from the small blind, and Oshima released. Raghavan's K♣Q♦ was behind the A♥K♦ of Serock, and the 10♠7♠6♠5♠A♦ board sent Raghavan to the rail with a $42,550 prize.
Action will continue at noon PT on Wednesday with the final 18 players attempting to reach the final table of six. Be sure to check PokerNews for a recap following the completion of play.
Data courtesy of WPT.com.
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