Day 3 of Event #48 ($2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed) is on the Way!
While the game of Limit Hold'em has been surpassed by No-Limit in terms of global popularity, two days of exciting action on the felt here at Event #48 ($2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed) have shown that the traditional variant is still a game for highly skilled players. The "all-in and pray" maneuver so common to No-Limit games has been abandoned in favor of a methodical, systematic approach to poker's many nuances, including betting patterns, value extraction, and hand reading ability. As if to prove that Limit Hold'em is a game for the pro's pro, four longtime grinders have reached the final two tables of this event: Marco Johnson (340,000), Maria Ho (291,000), Juha Helppi (200,000), and David "Bakes" Baker (178,000).
The tournament began with 343 runners taking their shot two days ago, and after 18 grueling levels of limit action, 12 players have emerged from the fray. Along with the decorated poker stars mentioned above, Danny Le (421,000) has stamped his name on the event, taking the chip lead by the end of both Day 1 and Day 2, while circuit grinder Paul Mattioda is hoping to make the transition from the minor leagues to The Show.
Along the way, several notable names came and went, including Phil Hellmuth, Kenna James, David Chiu, Barry Greenstein, defending champion Ronnie Bardah, the "Italian Pirate" Max Pescatori, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner (32nd), former WSOP Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro (30th), and inspirational story Hal Lubarsky (23rd place), who is legally blind and played alongside his assistant Arnie Williams. With the Big One for One Drop high-roller event being played concurrently to this event, many of the game's sharpest pros saw Event #48 as a chance to extract some added value from the summer, and the roster was packed full of familiar faces.
Play begins at 2 p.m. local time, so take a minute to check out the PokerNews Daily Update video, presented by the lovely Sarah Grant, and then stick right here throughout the day for continuous coverage live from the floor of the Rio!