With the board reading , Johnny Kitchens led out for 15,000 and Annette Obrestad called with the button.
The turn was the , and again Kitchens led - this time for 17,000. Obrestad raised to 57,000 and Kitchens made the call.
The river brought a second ace, the , and Kitchens slowed down. He checked to Obrestad who fired 81,000. Kitchens went deep into the tank, so long that after four or five minutes the floor person checked his watch and signaled to the dealer that he had one more minute before the clock should be called.
Kitchens eventually folded face up and Obrestad mucked her hand quietly stacking her newfound chips.
Obrestad is up over 500,000 chips and Kitchens is down to just 185,000.
Dustin Dirksen has arrived and hasn't wasted much time letting his tablemates know he's playing his stack.
Just now he opened with a raise to 18,000 from the cutoff, taking the blinds and antes. On the next hand Heinz Kamutzki raised from middle position to 15,000, and Dirksen made it 34,000 to go behind him. It folded back around, and Kamutzki let it go as well.
With the board showing , Justin Scott pushed out a bet of 125,000 -- about the size of the pot -- and J.C. Tran went into the tank. Finally after a couple of minutes, Tran let it go.
Tran slips to 340,000 in the early going, while Scott is up to 560,000.
Johnny Kitchens opened with a raise to 17,000 from under the gun, and it folded to Michael Pesek who made it 51,000 from the button. The blinds got out, and Kitchens called.
The flop came monotone -- -- and Kitchens checked quickly. Pesek sat for about a minute with his hand over his mouth, looking into the distance. Then he checked as well.
The turn came the , and Kitchens sat with his arms folded, looking at Pesek. He fired 55,000, then sat back to see what his opponent would do. Pesek again took his time, rechecking his cards, then grabbing some green (25,000) chips. Finally he declared he was all in. Kitchens leaned forward and quickly pushed his cards away.
Pesek moves up to 565,000, while Kitchens slips to 320,000.
Action folded to Derric Haynie who raised to 15,000 from the cutoff. Paul Varano three-bet to 39,000 on the button and the blinds released. Haynie paused for a moment and then pulled his bet back replacing it with four, green T25,000 chips. Face with another raise, Varano moved all in and Haynie quickly folded.
“Go Paul, it’s your birthday!” Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka chanted from the rail.
Varano is off to a fast start after the five-bet shove, and now sits with 550,000 chips.
The first hands are being dealt at our two seven-handed tables. Looks like all but Dustin Dirksen are in their seats for these initial hands.
Players are starting with 450,000 chips, having carried forward the chips won during their first two days of play. Blinds begin here at 3,000/6,000 (with a 1,000 ante), so they are 75 big blinds deep to begin.
Welcome back to Day 3 of Event No. 39, the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout!
To be precise, we're diverging slightly from the "shootout" format for this final Day 3. Today we have 14 players returning, each of whom have won two ten-handed tables thus far. Today all come back to starting stacks of 450,000 chips to play what is essentially a two-table sit-n-go, the winner of which will earn a first prize of $381,922 and a coveted WSOP bracelet.
Among those fighting for the bracelet today will be two-time WSOP bracelet winner J.C. Tran and 2007 WSOPE Main Event winner Annette Obrestad.
We are about one half-hour from the start. Back soon with all of the action!
Table 375
Seat 1: Johnny Kitchens
Seat 2: Derric Haynie
Seat 3: Paul Varano
Seat 4: Annette Obrestad
Seat 5: Michael Pesek
Seat 6: Jeffrey King
Seat 7: Steven Kelly
Table 376
Seat 1: Brett Shaffer
Seat 2: J.C. Tran
Seat 3: Michael Cooper
Seat 4: Justin Scott
Seat 5: Heinz Kamutzki
Seat 6: Dustin Dirksen
Seat 7: Reagan Leman