Johnny "Run-Good" Gallaher opened for 150,000 and action folded to Cero Zuccarello who three-bet to 300,000 from the big blind and Gallaher four-bet jammed for 785,000, Zuccarello called.
John Gallaher:
Cero Zuccarello:
Gallaher was ahead with his made hand of nines but had a sweat after the flop dropped giving both players the flush draw but Zuccarello held the better of it.
The was a safe card for Gallaher as was the river securing his double-up.
For most of the WSOP Circuit Potawatomi Casino stop, Ken Donarski and Brett Reichard sat atop the points leaderboard in the race for "Casino Champ," which will award the top points finisher with a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.
That all changed this weekend when 33-year-old Vishal Patel won back-to-back tournaments.
First, he topped a 190-entry field to win Event #12: $400 NLH One-Day for $15,272 and his first gold ring. The bodies at the final table fell one after another until it was Jim Kilarjian and Patel heads-up with Kilarjian holding a 2:1 chip advantage. Even though Patel was behind, a few cooler turned the tides and it was Kilarjian was in rough shape after calling Patel’s all-in bet with ace-rag while Patel held pocket kings. Kilarjian didn’t find an ace with the runout ending his night just short of victory once again while Patel captured his first ring.
“It feels really good to get this win,” Payel said after his victory. “I had two close finishes last week, so I wanted to come back and give it another try.”
Those two close finishes are the only WSOP events Patel has played in and was a 12th-place finish in Event #3 and a 14th-place finish in Event #4.
“I just want to thank my wife for her support and letting me play.”
Vishal Patel gets his second ring in as many days.
As if that wasn't impressive enough, Patel returned the following day and came out on top of a 255-entry field in Event #13: $400 NLH Double Stack, good for $18,873.
In that tournament, Patel got was heads up against ring winner DJ MacKinnon. Patel had a clear chip advantage over MacKinnon and started to steamroll him over as McKinnon didn’t win one hand in the first 20-minutes of the heads-up battle.
It wasn’t until MacKinnon was down to his last 500,000 chips where he found a little momentum after he cracked Patel’s pocket tens on the river holding ace-seven. MacKinnon then continued to win hand after hand until his ace-jack came up short to Patel’s pocket three’s.
“I can’t even describe how I’m feeling right now,” Patel stated. “My goal was to win one ring and hopefully win another a few years down the road but getting two rings back-to-back is unbelievable.”
The second victory catapulted Patel into the top spot for Casino Champion as he now has 120 points but still has a little sweat as Donarski is still in the hunt for Casino Champion and can take the number one spot if he finishes in second or third place in the Main Event.
James Pupillo raised to 125,000 from the cutoff and Tsz Shing called from the small blind. The latter then check-called a bet of 155,000 on the flop before action went check-check on the turn.
When the completed the board on the river, Shing bet 400,000 and Pupillo called.
Shing tabled the for a pair of tens and Pupillo said, "No good, buddy."
If you're enjoying PokerNews live updates from this event, be sure to check out our sister site Oddschecker US, an all-inclusive sports betting portal offering odds, tips and offers from sports including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer.
Betting Highlights
Football: We've got all the best prices to take you from preseason to the Super Bowl. We've also got great picks and detailed analysis.
Basketball: NBA or college, whatever you like to bet we've got up-to-date lines, futures and a host of great picks.
Baseball: Nothing tells you that summer is near like baseball season beginning to hear up. America's pastime really is one of the best ways to enjoy the season.
Hockey: We've got the latest picks and the very best odds on the market.
Soccer: Oddschecker was founded in the UK so football, sorry, soccer, is in our blood. We've got you covered for the best action in the Premier League, La Liga, Champions League and our very own MLS.
Who we are
Launched in the UK in 1999, Oddschecker is now the leading odds comparison site, and a betting destination enjoyed by millions of users around the world. As a trusted betting affiliate we only partner with the best and most trusted brands in the industry and support real-time price updates, offers and promotions. We give you, the user, the power and control to find the best bet for you. And, don’t forget, our site is 100% free to use. We don’t take a cent from you. We simply ensure you get the opportunity to place the right bet at the best value.
What we offer
Sports Betting Odds: Real-time prices from all the top bookmakers. If a sportsbook has odds on an event, you’re likely to find them here. We've got every sport under the sun covered!
Betting Offers: All the best promotions, including great sign-up offers for new customers, and exciting promotions open to all punters.
Betting Tips: We help you pick winners by providing expert picks and previews from those in the know. Make sure you're always on the front foot with your betting and take advantage of our insights and stats.
Mike Hartzheim raised to 125,000 from the cutoff and Cero Zuccarello called from the button. Both blinds folded and it was heads-up action to the flop, which came down .
Hartzheim continued for 175,000, Zuccarello called, and the dealer burned and turned the to pair the board.
Hartzheim moved all in for approximately 900,000 and Zuccarello snap-called.
Mike Hartzheim:
Cero Zuccarello:
Hartzheim had flopped top pair and a flush draw, and he made the latter when the peeled off on the river. Unfortunately for him, that same card gave Zuccarello aces full of sixes for the knockout.
Marcus Yofon got his stack of around 1.4 million all in preflop and was flipping for his tournament life against Tsz Shing.
Marcus Yofon:
Tsz Shing:
Yofon needed to improve to stay alive, but instead, the flop came down to leave him drawing incredibly thin. The turn put out some chop options to a heart flush, but the river was of no consequence.
Shing took the pot with a set of eights and Yofon headed to the payout desk in eighth place to collect $18,209.
Cero Zuccarello opened for 160,000 from the cutoff and James Pupillo called from the button. Marcus Yofon came along from the big blind and it was three-way action to the flop.
Yofon checked, Zuccarello continued for 300,000, and Pupillo raised to 800,000.
Yofon thought long and hard before folding and Zuccarello followed suit.
flop dropped giving both players the flush draw but Zuccarello held the better of it. 
was a safe card for Gallaher as was the 
river securing his double-up.
flop before action went check-check on the 
turn.
completed the board on the river, Shing bet 400,000 and Pupillo called.
for the win.
flop. 
on the river and Zuccarello checked one last time to Shing who fired out 550,000 sending Zuccarello deep into the tank. 
.
to pair the board.
peeled off on the river. Unfortunately for him, that same card gave Zuccarello aces full of sixes for the knockout.
river was of no consequence.