Hand #4: Sam Trickett began the hand with the button. Action folded to Brian Rast and he opened with a raise to 600,000 from early position. Antonio Esfandiari reraised to 1.3 million from the hijack seat and play folded back to Rast. He made the call.
The flop came down and Rast checked. Esfandiari bet 1.425 million and the decision was back to Rast. he called.
The landed on fourth street and Rast checked again. Esfandiari checked behind and the river completed the board with the . Rast checked and Esfandiari bet 2.6 million. Rast tanked for several minutes and folded his hand.
Hand #2: There was a dead button on this hand. Action folded to Guy Laliberté and he raised to 850,000. From the next seat, Brian Rast reraised all in. He was all in for 11.25 million total. Action folded back to Laliberté and he took only a few seconds before folding his hand. Rast won the pot.
Hand #3: Bobby Baldwin started this hand with the button. Action folded to Sam Trickett in the small blind and he raised to 750,000. Richard Yong called from the big blind and the flop came down .
On the flop, Trickett checked and Yong bet 400,000. Trickett made the call to see the land on the turn. Trickett and Yong both checked and the completed the board on the river. Trickett checked and Yong tossed out an even one million. Trickett took a minute or so and then folded his hand.
Hand #1: Antonio Esfandiari started the tournament with the button and there was a dead small blind.
Action folded to Phil Hellmuth in the cutoff seat and he raised to 900,000. Esfandiari folded from the button and Bobby Baldwin also folded out of the big blind to give the 12-time bracelet winner the first pot of the day.
Guy Laliberté is the 52-year-old Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s famous Cirque du Soleil circus troupe. Originally a street performer, Laliberté currently owns 95 percent of the company. According to Forbes Magazine, his net worth is $1.5 billion, making him the 654th richest man in the world.
His most notable tournament success came in the form of a fourth-place finish in the 2007 World Poker Tour Championship for $696,220. He became Canada’s first private explorer and the first to engage in a Poetic Social Mission in space. He is also the founder of the One Drop Foundation, a philanthropic foundation to fight poverty in the world by giving everyone access to water and, of course, the beneficiary in this great event.
Laliberté was the man behind this event from the get go and has done extremely well to find his way to the final table. Not only did he work extremely hard to make the Big One for One Drop happen successfully, but Laliberté buckled down and was all business at the tables for the past two days. For both, he's now reaping the benefits. He'll enter the final table third in chips with 21.7 million.
Brian Rast is a 30-year-old poker professional who was raised in Denver. He will begin the final table with 11.35 million in chips, good enough for fourth place on the leader board.
Last year, Rast won his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet by taking down the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em event for over $227,000. He then went on to win his second in the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship for over $1.72 million after defeating Phil Hellmuth heads up.
Rast and Hellmuth will be neighbors at this final table and have had some interesting dynamic for most of the event. Seeing them battle it out a bit more under the bright lights of the ESPN Main Stage with the possibility of a rematch will be as exciting as ever.
With over $2.8 million in live tournament earnings, Rast can nearly double that with a finish in the top four.
Phil Hellmuth is arguably the most well known poker player in the world, let alone at this final table. The 12-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner will enter the final table fifth in chips with 10.925 million.
The 47-year-old poker pro from Palo Alto, California has a laundry list of cashes, but really broke onto the scene back in 1989 when he defeated Johnny Chan heads up to win the WSOP Main Event title for $755,000. Eleven more bracelets followed over the course of his career, including his 12th this year in the $2,500 Seven Card Razz event.
Last year, Hellmuth finished runner-up three separate times, including once to fellow final table player Brian Rast in the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship. Surely some redemption will be on his mind, but also will bracelet number 13 and over $18 million in first-place prize money.
and Rast checked. Esfandiari bet 1.425 million and the decision was back to Rast. he called.
landed on fourth street and Rast checked again. Esfandiari checked behind and the river completed the board with the 
. Rast checked and Esfandiari bet 2.6 million. Rast tanked for several minutes and folded his hand.
.
land on the turn. Trickett and Yong both checked and the 
completed the board on the river. Trickett checked and Yong tossed out an even one million. Trickett took a minute or so and then folded his hand.
