Xuan Liu Eliminated in 4th Place ($600,000)

Well, this final table has just gotten a whole lot less attractive — no offense to the three players left.

On the very first hand back from the break, fireworks erupted before the flop. John Dibella folded first to go, and Xuan Liu open-shoved {A-Diamonds} {7-Diamonds} from the button. That folded Kyle Julius, but Faraz Jaka found an ace of his own in the big blind. It was {A-Hearts} {6-Diamonds} , and Jaka made the quick call to put Liu's tournament life in jeopardy.

Things did not go well at all for Liu as the flop came rolling out {3-Hearts} {A-Clubs} {6-Hearts} with that pesky six sitting right in the window. Liu could only stare down longingly at that disaster of a flop, and she was suddenly two cards from a fourth-place exit.

The {5-Diamonds} turn was a decent miss for the lady as she added another four outs to fill in the gutshot straight draw. With one card to come, she needed one of seven outs to double back into the game. But it was not meant to be.

The river {2-Diamonds} was a blank, and that's the end of the road for Liu, eliminated three spots shy of her goal. It's hard to say enough about her performance here this week, becoming the first lady ever to make the final table of the PCA Main Event. She'll have to settle for a $600,000 consolation prize this time around, her largest career cash.

There's no doubt that Liu is quickly becoming one of the most respected female tournament players in the world, and this paycheck moves her up over the $1 million mark in career winnings.