The final table of Event #8: AU$5,000 8-Game Mixed has been reached with Scott Clements headlining a star-studded final six and story lines aplenty.
Returning today with more than half the field remaining, play began with many big names falling to the rail such as Daniel Negreanu, Jeff Madsen, Dan Heimiller, Van Marcus, and Brandon Shack-Harris, who at the time led the World Series of Poker Player of the Year race.
One story of the final two tables began developing when one of the tables seemed to be playing slower than the other. Once the tournament director rectified the problem, however, the event was soon down to the unofficial final table of seven, with lots on the line for those left.
George Danzer would need to reach the money to leapfrog Shack-Harris and take the lead in the WSOP Player of the Year race, while Australian Sam Khouiss was looking at making back-to-back WSOP Asia-Pacific final tables. Jonathan Duhamel would be eyeing his second final table of the series, whereas Clements was aiming to capture his third WSOP bracelet.
Ismael Bojang would need this cash to capture his 13th WSOP cash of 2014 and an amazing fourth here at the WSOP Asia-Pacific. That's good enough for the all-time record, with Bojang surpassing Konstantin Puchkov's 11-cash record.
However, it would be Brian Rast who would be the one falling short in seventh place when his couldn't connect against Duhamel's to leave the final table as follows:
Seat
Player
Country
Chips
1
George Danzer
Germany
26,800
2
Sam Khouiss
Australia
169,500
3
Jonathan Duhamel
Canada
175,200
4
Scott Clements
Canada
179,200
5
Ismael Bojang
Germany
79,100
6
Tino Lechich
Australia
90,500
The final table is set to begin at 12:10 p.m. on Sunday afternoon with PokerNews providing continuous live updates of all the action as we play down to a winner.
The final hand of the night saw Jonathan Duhamel raise to 5,000 from the hijack. The action fell on Brian Rast in the small blind who moved all in for his remaining 36,400 in chips. With the decision back on Duhamel, he asked for a count before making the call.
Duhamel:
Rast:
The board ran out to see Duhamel hold with his pair as Rast was eliminated one short of the official final table.
Catching the action on the flop of , Richard Ashby got the last of his chips into the middle as Tino Lechich made the call.
Lechich:
Ashby:
With Ashby in the lead holding bottom set, he would have to fade Lechich's straight draw, but when the landed on the turn, followed by the on the river, Ashby was sent to the rail in 8th place to leave us at the unofficial final table of seven.
Scott Clements had the bring-in and Jamie Pickering called before both players checked fourth. On fifth, Clements bet, Pickering raised all in and Clements called as each player's boards ran out as follows.
Clements: / /
Pickering: / /
With Clements scooping the pot with his pair of fours, Pickering headed to the rail in 10th place.
The action started with Ismael Bojang raising to 2,500 from under the gun. Eric Sclavos was next to act, and moved all in for his remaining 38,200 in chips. Tino Lechich then moved all in for 70,100 from the button as the decision fell back on Bojang. He thought for a minute before finally releasing his hand.
Sclavos:
Lechich:
The board ran out to see Lechich spike a king on the flop and take down the pot with a higher pair.
Brandon Shack-Harris and George Danzer are neck in neck for the 2014 World Series of Poker Player of the Year title, and the race has really taken center stage in Melbourne, Australia, during the 2014 WSOP Asia-Pacific.
Both players reached the money in the first event, but it was Danzer who got off to the better start with a very deep run to take the lead in the Player of the Year race. His lead was short-lived, though, as Shack-Harris retook the lead after making the final table in the fourth event. It was in that fourth event that Shack-Harris earned enough points to put himself back in front by 44.5 points, but Danzer wasn't done.
In the sixth event, Danzer reached the final table and took sixth place, good enough to earn 36.3 Player of the Year points and move to 798.5 overall. That moved him just 8.2 points behind Shack-Harris, but there's still a lot of points up for grabs in this AU$5,000 8-Game Mixed event — the eighth event of the festival.
Currently, Shack-Harris leads with 806.7 points to Danzer's 798.5.
In order to earn WSOP Player of the Year points, a player must reach the money of an event. In the case for the AU$5,000 8-Game Mixed event, that will be the top six. Just reaching the final six will earn Danzer a minimum of 41.25 points, and there are 125 points up top for the winner, which could really help to put some breathing room between Danzer and Shack-Harris with just two events left on the WSOP Asia-Pacific schedule.
Those two final events are the AU$10,000 Main Event and the AU$25,000 High Roller that will close out the series. With 150 points and 225 points going to the winner in each of those events, respectively, and plenty of other points to be won by finishing in the money, the race couldn't be more interesting. It's definitely the top story coming from inside Crown Melbourne, and it's getting hotter by the minute!
Tino Lechich completed and Joe Hachem raised to 4,000. Ismael Bojang called, as did Lechich before he led for 2,000 on fourth street. Hachem called all in for 1,800 and Bojang called too before folding to a bet on fifth street as each player's boards ran out as follows:
Lechich: /
Hachem: /
Bojang: / (folded on fifth)
With Lechich finding the on seventh street, Hachem would only need a seven, six, four or three to stay alive.
Unfortunately for the 2005 World Champion, he could only squeeze out the , and consequently headed to the rail in 12th place.
We arrived at the table with the flop reading . Mike Watson bet from the big blind and was called by Brian Rast in the hijack. Richard Ashby then raised it up from the button before Watson came back over the top with another raise. Rast folded and Ashby put in one final bet which had Watson covered. He called.
Watson:
Ashby:
The board ran out the and to see Ashby improve to a full house as he scooped the entire pot with only a high hand possible.
Ami Barer found himself all in, and on the final board of it would be Sam Khouiss and his that would scoop the pot from both the all-in Barer and Clements.
Jonathan Duhamel opened to 1,800 and Dylan Honeyman shoved for his last 4,800 from the button. Eric Sclavos then moved all in for 10,800 from the small blind and Duhamel folded.
Honeyman:
Sclavos:
The board ran out and Honeyman hit the rail as Sclavos climbed to just under 20,000 in chips.
![[user80015]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
couldn't connect against Duhamel's 
to leave the final table as follows:
to see Duhamel hold with his pair as Rast was eliminated one short of the official final table.
, Richard Ashby got the last of his chips into the middle as Tino Lechich made the call.
on the river, Ashby was sent to the rail in 8th place to leave us at the unofficial final table of seven.
and 
