Antoine Saout Eliminated in 3rd Place ($3,479,670)
Joe Cada has the button. He opens the pot to 2.5 million, and with it comes the final betting actions of the night. Antoine Saout makes an all-in re-raise behind him, enough to quickly fold Darvin Moon and his big blind. Cada, though, wastes little time making the call with his covering stack, and we've got a serious situation on our hands. Saout is now the one at risk of elimination, and he will soon find out that he's flipping a coin for, oh, a couple million dollars:
Cada:
Saout:
"Ace in the window! Ace in the window!" plead Cada's posse. Saout's fans are murmuring in French, clearly a bit nervous for their countryman.
The spectators are punchy and tired and well-lubricated with alcohol, and the noise is awfully loud considering the relatively small crowd still left here in the wee hours. As the tension mounts, the dealer finally runs out the flop: . That's safe for the at-risk Saout, two cards from his double up.
The turn is safe too; the changes nothing.
The river, though, changes quite a bit indeed. Like a bolt of thunder, the strikes the board and Cada is mobbed by a throng of yellow-shirted fans as he takes the pot with his pair of kings. Saout's side of the room falls absolutely silent as their man can only shake his head and shake the hands of the two left standing before walking off the stage.
With Antoint Saout exiting in 3rd place, the final heads-up pairing is set for Monday. Saout officially earns $3,479,670 for his remarkable efforts here in the Main Event, but his bid for poker glory has fallen just two places short.