The ever boisterous and camera-friendly Maurice Hawkins came in for a raise from the hijack seat. Ryan D'Angelo put in a three-bet from the big blind, Hawkins four-bet shoved for 309,000, and D'Angelo called.
Hawkins:
D'Angelo:
There was yet another all-in pot featuring pocket aces, and they again held up on a board of . Hawkins doubled to 630,000 chips, while D'Angelo fell to 360,000.
Keven Stammen opened for a raise to 26,000 in the hijack seat, Loni Harwood moved all in for around 200,000 from the big blind, and Stammen snap-called.
Stammen:
Harwood:
Like Blake Bohn, Harwood was up against a wired pair of aces, and failed to improve as the flop, turn, and river produced .
The WPT Ones to Watch member and WSOP gold bracelet winner did one last interview before exiting the tournament area and picking up her $30,085.
After getting a shove through, Matt Stout moved all in again, this time for 212,000 from under the gun. Curt Kohlberg just called in middle position, and there were no other takers.
Stout:
Kohlberg:
The two players were off to the races, and the flop changed very little. Neither did the on the turn, or the repeat deuce - the - on the river. Stout will receive $30,085 for his efforts here in the WPT World Championship.
Tom Dobrilovic raised to 25,000 in early position, Eric Afriat called in the hijack, and Blake Bohn re-raised to 104,000 on the button. Dobrilovic got out of the way, Afriat clicked it back, four-betting to around 200,000, and Bohn moved all in for what looked like 640,000. Afriat snap-called.
Afriat:
Bohn:
Bohn was in rough shape against Afriat's aces, and the pocket rockets held up on a board of . The MSPT regular hit the rail, while the latest WPT Champions Club member pulled in a massive pot to push his stack to 1.75 million.
Jesse Sylvia opened to 28,000 from under the gun and Maurice Hawkins three-bet to 69,000, with the action folding around to Sylvia after the pressure play.
Sylvia decided to take a flop and he flatted the reraise, bringing the to the table. He checked to Hawkins and watched as four of the red T25000 chips were tossed into the middle. Not long after that Sylvia went for the kill, moving all in for 330,000 more and putting Hawkins to the test.
Hawkins asked for a count and then stood up to perch on his knee, talking himself through the hand.
"Why didn't you shove preflop?" he asked rhetorically, before directing his own answer at Sylvia. "Because you knew I'd snap you off."
Hawkins then uncapped his cards and showed his snapping hand - - before beginning every poker player's most common complaint, wondering why he had to have big slick so many times when baby card boards hit the felt.
Ray Qartomy raised to 25,000 from the cutoff, Jason Koon announced "two-hundred -and-four thousand" on the button, going all in, and Tony Dunst re-shoved in the big blind. Qartomy folded, revealing the .
Koon:
Dunst:
One of Dunst's aces was dead, but there were plenty of kings still left in the deck, and two of them appeared on the flop. Koon was suddenly drawing to the two remaining nines in the deck, and neither appeared on the turn () or the river ().
Koon exited in 32nd place, while Dunst is up to 505,000 chips.
With Mukul Pahuja recently locking up the World Poker Tour Season XII Player of the Year title, none of the remaining competitors have a shot at that added glory. Now, while Pahuja's overall performance on Season XII was amazing — five cashes, three final tables, and $1,447,742 in earnings — he failed to win an event, and that's something two players remaining in the field have a chance to do for a second time this season.
That's right, both Eric Afriat and Jordan Cristos previously won events in Season XII. Afriat's win was in the largest WPT field in history when he took down the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown to the tune of $1,081,184, beating out a field of 1,795 entries. Cristos won the WPT Legends of Poker for $613,355 when he defeated a field of 716.
As it stands, both Afriat and Cristos have zero chance at winning the Season XII POY title because Pahuja already has that victory in the bag, but there's certainly something to be said about any player who wins not one, but two WPT titles in the same season. In the case for Cristos, he also has two other cashes this season, including one that resulted in a final table appearance when he took fifth in the WPT Jacksonville bestbet Open for $47,802.
Not taking anything away from Pahuja and his truly amazing performance this season, a strong argument could be made that Afriat or Cristos should've won the POY title if either goes on to win a second title this season. Both are still alive and well in this event, so debaters get ready.
Jason Koon raised to 26,000 in early position. Tony Dunst re-raised to 55,000. Corey Hochman was one to his left and moved all in for 223,000 total. It was folded back to Koon who let his hand go. Dunst thought about his decision for a moment and decided to make the call with . Hochman had to like what he saw as he had .
The flop came to keep Hochman in the lead. The turn was the and Dunst would need to hit a Jack to send Hochman home.
The river was the and Hochman scores a much needed double up to 505,000 in chips while Dunst slips to 235,000.
Brock Parker raised to 25,000 in late position, Brian Yoon re-raised all in for 215,000 on his direct left, and the action folded back to Parker. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner called.
Parker:
Yoon:
Parker took the lead on a flop of with a pair of jacks, but Yoon could still double through with one of the two remaining threes in the deck. The on the turn added four more outs - a would give him a straight to the six - but unfortunately for him the bricked off on the river.
Yoon exited in 33rd place, earning $30,085, and Parker is right under a million chips.
Loni Harwood was short-stacked and looking to steal, so she shoved all in for her last 113,000 before the flop, holding and hoping to fold the table - or find some magic on the flop if somebody looked her up.
Brian Yoon did just that, calling and tabling to fins himself well out in front.
Flop:
The dealer delivered a queen on the flop and Harwood suddenly had a huge advantage, with Yoon left to call for the deck's two remaining jacks to arrive. Paint showed up on the turn and river, but the and were not the royalty Yoon had in mind.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Hawkins doubled to 630,000 chips, while D'Angelo fell to 360,000.
.
flop changed very little. Neither did the 
on the turn, or the repeat deuce - the 
- on the river. Stout will receive $30,085 for his efforts here in the WPT World Championship.
. The MSPT regular hit the rail, while the latest WPT Champions Club member pulled in a massive pot to push his stack to 1.75 million.
to the table. He checked to Hawkins and watched as four of the red T25000 chips were tossed into the middle. Not long after that Sylvia went for the kill, moving all in for 330,000 more and putting Hawkins to the test.
).
to keep Hochman in the lead. The turn was the 
and Hochman scores a much needed double up to 505,000 in chips while Dunst slips to 235,000.
would give him a straight to the six - but unfortunately for him the 
