After a 117 day layoff, the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event resumed on Sunday night. The Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio was packed to capacity and, according to an article published in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, fans showed up in droves throughout the day to witness history. At the end of play on Sunday, two men were left standing and will now compete for the $9.1 million first place prize: Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov.
Play began at 10:00am local time Sunday morning and, needless to say, it was a grueling day. Dennis Phillips, who was the final elimination of the day, was sent packing 14 hours after the tournament began. Craig Marquis was the first to be ousted, holding pocket sevens against Scott Montgomery’s A-Q. The two were all in before the flop of 10-A-7, which gave Marquis a set. Aid to Montgomery came in the form of a runner-runner straight and Marquis was the first elimination from the Rio on the 52nd hand of play. Marquis took home $900,670 for his efforts.
On the very next hand, Kelly Kim, who entered play as the short stack at the table, was ousted in a three-way pot with Darus Suharto and Ylon Schwartz. On a board of 9-6-2-A-Q, Suharto showed 9-10 for a pair and Kim mucked. He took home $1.3 million for his eighth place finish. Many expected Kim to be the first to exit the Rio, but he staved off elimination and, in real money, earned nearly $400,000 more than Marquis.
David “Chino” Rheem was the next to go, sent packing in seventh place for $1.8 million. He was in a prime position to double up, holding A-K against Eastgate’s A-Q. However, a queen on the flop was all Eastgate would need to solidify his win in the hand. It was a brutal ending for Rheem, who fell on the 76th hand of final table play.
Darus Suharto was bumped from the WSOP Main Event in sixth place, cashing for $2.4 million. He was all in before the flop holding A-8 against Montgomery’s A-Q. The flop came all spades, giving Montgomery the nut flush draw, which promptly hit on the turn and sealed Suharto’s exit from the Rio. The accountant from Canada now faces a tough question of whether to return to his job or pursue poker playing professionally.
Coming in fifth place at the Rio was Scott Montgomery. Montgomery pushed over the top of a raise by Eastgate with A-3 of diamonds; Eastgate called with pocket sixes. The flop came A-Q-4, sending Montgomery into the lead in the hand. The turn came yet another ace, leaving Eastgate looking for the one remaining six in the deck (Dennis Phillips allegedly mucked a six as well) and, sure enough, it hit on the river, giving Eastgate a full boat. Montgomery earned just over $3 million for his performance in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Ylon Schwartz was ousted in fourth place from the final table, taking home $3.8 million. On a board of K-8-2-K-5 with two diamonds and two hearts, Schwartz moved all in over the top of a raise by Eastgate, who called and flipped over pocket fives for a full house. Schwartz showed A-10 for an inopportune bluff.
The last elimination of the evening came when Dennis Phillips was derailed in third place, cashing for a healthy $4.5 million. After a flop of J-4-3, Phillips pushed all in after Eastgate opened the betting; Eastgate called with pocket threes. Phillips held 9-10 and failed to catch up. The “Bad Beat on Cancer” supporter was one of the heavy favorites to win the Main Event title, but finished in third.
Here are the final payouts before play between Eastgate and Demidov resumes:
3rd Place: Dennis Phillips, $4,517,773
4th Place: Ylon Schwartz, $3,774,974
5th Place: Scott Montgomery, $3,096,768
6th Place: Darus Suharto, $2,418,562
7th Place: David Rheem, $1,772,650
8th Place: Kelly Kim, $1,288,217
9th Place: Craig Marquis, $900,670
Play kicks off tonight at 10:00pm local time and will occur until a champion is crowned. The tournament will air Tuesday night on ESPN. Here are the final chip counts:
Peter Eastgate – 79,500,000
Ivan Demidov – 57,725,000
We’ll have the latest from the Rio right here on Poker News Daily.
Note: The author of this article mistakingly attributed pocket aces to Scott Montgomery in Craig Marquis’ elimination. Montgomery in fact had A-Q. The story has been corrected to reflect this.