The most accomplished player at the final table, Noah Schwartz, also happens to be the chip leader. The 29-year-old from Sunny Iles Beach, Florida has more than $3.2 million in live tournament winnings since 2006, with his career year coming in 2012. That is when he won $1,127,927 including a win in the World Poker Tour $3,500 Jacksonville bestbet Main Event for $402,972, fourth in the L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 Championship for $355,750 and sixth in a €25,000 High Roller Event in Monte Carlo for $219,162.
As far as the World Series of Poker is concerned, Schwartz, who earned a Bachelor's Degree in Finance from FIU, has 12 cashes for $589,408. Nearly half of that came back in 2009 in the special 40th anniversary Event #2 $40,000 No-Limit Hold'em when he finished eighth for $246,834. Other highlights include a 24th-place finish in the 2009 WSOP Event #40 $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for $46,225 and fourth in the 2011 WSOP Europe Event #5 €10,400 No-Limit Hold'em Split Format for €112,092.
Schwartz has previously said that pot-limit Omaha is his favorite game, so how sweet would it be if he captured his first gold bracelet in that game? He has a good chance of doing it as he holds about a quarter of the chips in play, but only time will tell if he can find himself as the last man standing.
Hand #1: Eddie Blumenthal raised to 22,000. Eric Shanks and Brandon Crawford called. The flop came . Everyone checked. The turn was the , and everyone checked once more. A hit the river, and Blumenthal bet 44,000. Shanks and Crawford folded.
Hand #2: Blumenthal raised to 20,000. James Park reraied pot, to 75,000. Blumenthal folded.
Hand #3: Park raised to 20,000 from the cutoff, and Blumenthal called. The flop came , and Blumenthal checked. Park bet 24,000. Blumenthal raised to 62,000. Park folded, and Blumenthal took another pot.
Hand #4: Blumenthal completed the blind, and Noah Schwartz checked. Blumenthal led out for 14,000 on a flop, and Schwartz called. The turn came , and both players checked. A river completed a four-straight and a three-flush, and Blumenthal and Schwartz checked again. Blumenthal showed and took the pot with two-pair.
Hand #5: KT Park opened for 20,000, James Park called and Shawn Silber called from the big. All three players checked the flop, the turned and KT bet 28,000 after Silber checked to him. James made the call, Silber folded and the completed the board on the river. KT checked, James bet 53,000 and KT thought for well over a minute before folding his cards.
Hand #6: Eric Shanks opened for 20,000 and Noah Schwartz called from the button. Shawn Silber came along from the small blind and then Brandon Crawford did the same from the big, leading to a flop. Three checks saw Schwartz fire out 38,000, only Crawford called and the dealer burned and turned the . Crawford checked, Schwartz bet 87,000 and Crawford hit the tank. Eventually he emerged and moved all in, which Schwartz snap-called.
Crawford:
Schwartz:
Schwartz had flopped the nut straight while Crawford, who if you recall finished as the Day 1 chip leader, held three pair. That meant Crawford needed one of his cards to pair on the river, and although the paired the board, it wasn't the card he needed.
Crawford exited the ESPN Main Stage to a nice round of applause on his way to the payout desk to collect $19,909.
Hand #7: Shawn Silber raised to 20,000, then continuation bet the flop against David Greene. Greene folded.
Hand #8: James Park raised to 20,000, and Eddie Blumenthal and Noah Schwartz called. Silber reraised to 115,000. The blinds, Park, Blumenthal and Schwartz folded.
Hand #9: Action folded to KT Park, who completed the blind. James checked to see a flop of . KT checked, and James bet 13,000. KT called, seeing a turn. He fired out 21,000. James bumped it to 68,000. KT folded after tanking for about two minutes.
Hand #10: Action folded to James in the small blind, who completed. Eric Shanks checked. James bet 15,000 on the flop, and Shanks folded.
Hand #11: Blumenthal raised to 20,000, and everyone else folded.
Hand #12: Silber raised to 20,000, and Greene made the call, as did Blumenthal from the big blind. The flop came . Everyone checked, and the dealer placed the as the turn. Blumenthal and Silber checked once more, and Greene bet pot for 71,000. Blumenthal and Silber folded.
Hand #13: KT Park opened for 20,000 and James Park three-bet it to 75,000. Action folded back to KT and he sent his cards to the muck.
Hand #14: James Park raised to 20,000 from middle position and Eric Shanks called from the hijack. Josh Pollock came along from the cutoff, Shawn Silber defended his big blind and four players took a flop of . Silber was first to act and led out for 77,000, which inspired all three of his opponents to fold.
Hand #15: Noah Schwartz raised to 20,000 and won the pot.
Hand #16: After Eric Shanks raised to 20,000 and Shawn Silber called, the former player led out for 28,000 on the flop only to fold when the latter player raised.
Hand #17: Shawn Silber called from the cutoff, KT Park completed and James Park checked. The flop came , and both Parks checked. Shawn checked behind them, and the turn was the . KT checked, and James bet 26,000. Silber called, while KT folded. The river brought a , and both players checked. James showed for top two pair and took the pot.
Hand #18: Noah Schwartz raised to 28,000. Everyone else folded.
Hand #19: Schwartz raised to 28,000. James called on the button, and the blinds folded. Three broadway cards flopped: . Schwartz bet out 37,000, but James raised to 103,000. Schwartz folded.
Hand #20: KT raised to 22,000, and Eddie Blumenthal called in the big blind. Both players checked the flop. The turn brought a . Blumenthal checked, and KT bet 33,000. Blumenthal folded.
Hand #21: Josh Pollock raised to 26,000. Schwartz called from the big blind. After a flop, Schwartz checked, and Pollock bet 28,000. Schwartz raised to 95,000. Pollock conceded the pot.
Hand #22: Eddie Blumenthal opened for 24,000 on the button and Noah Schwartz and Shawn Silber called from the small and big blinds respectively. All three players checked the flop, the turned and Schwartz led out with a bet. Silber made the call, Blumenthal folded and the completed the board on the river. Schwartz fired out 104,000 and Silber thought long and hard before making the call. Schwartz tabled the for a flush, and it was good as Silber sent his cards to the muck.
Hand #23: Josh Pollock raised to 26,000 and Shawn Silber called from the small blind. David Greene came along from the big and three players watched the flop come down . All three players checked to the turn, and then Silber led out for 30,000. Greene folded and Pollock did the same.
Hand #24: Eddie Blumenthal opened for 24,000 and Shawn Silber called from the button. Both players checked the flop and then did the same on the turn. When the completed the board on the river, Blumenthal check-folded to Silber's 25,000 bet.
Hand #25: Shawn Silber opened for 26,000 from the cutoff and took down the blinds.
Hand #26: Josh Pollock opened for 25,000 under the gun and Shawn Silber called from the hijack. Eric Shanks called from the big blind and it was three-way action to the flop. Shanks checked, Pollock bet 42,000 and Silber called. After Shanks folded, the turned and Pollock checked. Silber took the opportunity to bet 98,000, Pollock called and the completed the board on the river. Pollock checked for a second time and Silber took awhile before bet the size of the pot, which was enough to put Pollock all in if he chose to call.
Pollock, from Silver Spring, Maryland, tanked for a solid minute before releasing his hand.
. Everyone checked. The turn was the 
, and everyone checked once more. A 
hit the river, and Blumenthal bet 44,000. Shanks and Crawford folded.
, and Blumenthal checked. Park bet 24,000. Blumenthal raised to 62,000. Park folded, and Blumenthal took another pot.
flop, and Schwartz called. The turn came 
, and both players checked. A 
river completed a four-straight and a three-flush, and Blumenthal and Schwartz checked again. Blumenthal showed 
and took the pot with two-pair.
flop, the 
completed the board on the river. KT checked, James bet 53,000 and KT thought for well over a minute before folding his cards.
. Crawford checked, Schwartz bet 87,000 and Crawford hit the tank. Eventually he emerged and moved all in, which Schwartz snap-called.
paired the board, it wasn't the card he needed.
. KT checked, and James bet 13,000. KT called, seeing a 
. Everyone checked, and the dealer placed the 
for top two pair and took the pot.
turned and Pollock checked. Silber took the opportunity to bet 98,000, Pollock called and the