Shiva Dudani limped the small blind and Michael Duek checked his option in the big blind. The flop brought a min-bet worth 150,000 by Dudani and Duek came along. After the turn, Dudani asked for the size of the pot and then bet 600,000 into 750,000 in order to win the pot right there.
Duek then raised it up on the button to 350,000 and Sean Troha came along in the big blind. They checked all the way through a board of and Troha's ended up as the winning hand.
Michael Duek has shown throughout the tournament that he's not afraid to be aggressive and put pressure on his opponents, which has got him to this point today. He hasn't changed anything up for today's play either.
He began a recent hand with a raise to 350,000 in the cutoff, which was called by Tom Hu in the big blind.
On the flop, Hu checked to Duek, who continued for another 300,000.
Hu called to see the come on the turn and checked again. Duek doubled his sizing to 600,000, and once more, Hu called.
The on the river was again checked by Hu, but this time Duek shut down.
Hu tabled for a flopped two pair, which was the winner, sending over a million fresh chips from Duek to Hu.
While a break and color-up was scheduled for the completion of Level 28, since the players have only been going for just over ten minutes, the floor staff is racing off the T-5,000 chips as they continue play, with the scheduled break passed on until the completion of level 30.
After Tom Hu raised to 400,000 in the hijack and was called by Sean Troha in the big blind, the duo saw a flop of .
Troha checked to Hu, who continued for another 400,000. Troha took about a minute, then quietly announced "pot", and placed a check-raise of 2,180,000 forward.
Hu took some time studying his opponent and looking at the board before opting to fold, sending the pot to Troha.
In the very first hand on the final day, Shiva Dudani raised to 350,000 on the button and Michael Duek called in the small blind. Following a flop of , Duek check-called a bet worth 300,000 and did so again for 1,000,000 on the turn.
They headed to the on the river on which Duek checked once more. Dudani's eyes moved back and forth between Duek's stack and the board before he fired a third bet worth 1,800,000. Within ten seconds, Duek flung his cards into the muck as the chip leader pulled further ahead.
Just five players remain to battle for the top prize of $1,246,770 and a prestigious World Series of Poker bracelet on the final day of Event #69: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship (8-handed). They have fought their way through the largest and most star-studded field in the illustrious history of this event, and with 678 of the 683 entries already in their wake, these are the players left to duel for WSOP glory.
Chicago resident Dudani comes in with both the chip lead and arguably the most accomplished poker resume of the final five players. He has career WSOP earnings of $711,391, which includes a pair of WSOP Circuit rings and 40 career cashes (23 in Las Vegas, 17 on the Circuit).
The highlight of his career to this point was winning the 2020 WSOP Circuit Main Event in Hammond, Indiana, for $258,078.
Michael Duek (Argentina) – 2nd in chips – 9,405,000
With just $60,824 and three career cashes to his name, Duek may have the least acclaimed WSOP resume of the final five, but that’s set to change in a big way Tuesday, with him having locked up at least $289,630 for fifth place money, nearly quintupling his previous earnings.
Duek is by no means inexperienced or unaccomplished in the game of Pot-Limit Omaha, as one of those three cashes is in the $25,000 PLO High Roller, where he finished 31st for $44,253.
Tom Hu (United States) – 3rd in chips – 7,330,000
Hu comes into today’s action with 8 previous WSOP cashes under his belt for a total of $112,818, including a 24th place finish in this event in 2014 for $28,290.
He has also cashed in a WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller event, finishing 21st in the 2017 edition for $42,393 and has a WSOP Main Event cash in 2013 (450th - $24,480).
Sean Troha (United States) – 4th in chips – 5,045,000
Troha also enters play with two WSOP Circuit rings on his record as he looks to add a bracelet to his WSOP jewelry collection.
With $270,226 in career WSOP earnings split nearly equally over 29 cashes between Las Vegas and the Circuit (16 Las Vegas / 13 Circuit), he comes in with a well-rounded poker resume, including a recent 2nd place finish in the $400 PLO Circuit event in Cherokee, North Carolina for $12,728. He also has a deep run in the 2015 Millionaire Maker where he finished 15th for $71,400.
Joachim Haraldstad (Norway) – 5th in chips – 3,580,000
Haraldstad is primarily an online player whose first live WSOP cash is certainly going to be a memorable one, regardless of where he finishes Tuesday. He comes in with $349,455 in online cashes from WSOP online international series events on GGPoker and, somewhat surprisingly, only three of his 13 reported online WSOP cashes are in Pot-Limit Omaha.
He has one notable live cash when he defeated a field of 342 players to take down the 2021 10,000kr No-Limit Hold’em High Roller at the 2021 Norwegian Poker Championships for 530,000kr ($62,958).
It's Almost Go Time!
The action gets underway at 2 p.m. local time inside the Bally’s Event Center with 11:09 remaining in Level 28 with blinds of 60,000/120,000 with 120,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will have all the action, so keep your browsers locked right here for the thrilling conclusion as another bracelet is awarded at the 53rd World Series of Poker from its new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas.