Ghadi Akari Eliminated in 17th Place ($23,600)

The pay jump between between 17th and 18th place was a close one and a very short-stacked Ghadi Akari caused a bit of controversy as a player at one of the other tables yelled to him that they wouldn't be acting until he did, as it was supposedly obvious he was just tanking for the ladder.

The floor stepped in and counted down both players' hands after a minute, but Akari did the pseudo all-in trick, leaving himself one chip behind and another opportunity to consider his options when Max Kingstone went all in over the top, after an all-in had been declared at the opposing table. Akari made the call.

Ghadi Akari: A♣3♣
Max Kingstone: 7♦5♣

The flop made Kingstone a pair of sevens as the J♠7♥K♦ rolled off, the board paired with a K♠ on the turn and the river peeled the 8♣, eliminating Akari in 17th place just moments after a player at the other table got 18th.