The last three tables were set last night after the returning 205 Day 2 starters in Event #39: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em attempted to last through another 10 levels of play. By night's end just 26 ended the day still in with a shot at the title.
Jacob Schindler bagged up 711,000 chips after he went on an absolute tear in the last few levels to emerge as the man to catch. Schindler has three cashes in no-limit hold'em events already this year at the WSOP and is hunting his first bracelet
Ryan Olisar is another serial casher at the Series and he currently sits in second place with 686,000. Third in chips is Ryan Jaconetti, he returns with 663,000. Other notables still left in the field, but with a bit of work to do, include Layne Flack (318,000), Matt Affleck (151,000), and Nam Le (30,000).
Blinds resume at 5000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante which means there is sure to be a flurry of bustouts or double-ups as the short stacks try to fight their way back in to contention.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team will be bringing you all the action as it happens, including hand-for-hand coverage of the official final table, as the remaining players chase the dream of a WSOP gold bracelet and a huge pay day of $548,460. Be sure to join us from 1 p.m. when once again the cards are in the air for Event #39 of the 45th World Series of Poker.
On the second hand of play to start the day, Erik Cajelais moved all in for 94,000 from under the gun and Jacob Schindler made the call from the button. Cajelais confidently tabled , but Schindler woke up with the giant .
The board ran out and the cooler ended the day for Cajelais early.
Bart Hanson moved all in with and Ryan Jaconetti made the call with .
Hanson needed to improve, but the board ran out and his tournament run ends with a 25th-place finish. Meanwhile Jaconetti and Jacob Schindler are now close in chips atop the leaderboard.
Takashi Yagura opened for 21,000 and Bernard Lee moved all in. Matt Affleck then decalred he was all in with a similar stack to Lee's and Yagura left them to fight it out.
Lee held and was facing the of Affleck.
The board ran out . Lee was left with two T1000 chips while Affleck doubled up.
Lee was all in again the next hand with and a raise from Clyde Walters holding isolated him. The board brought no help for Lee, and he was eliminated.
Matt Affleck opened to 23,000 from middle position and Darrell Tipton moved all in from the button. Takashi Yagura also moved all in from the small blind for 97,000 total and Affleck made the call. Yagura and Tipton were both at risk.
Affleck:
Yagura:
Tipton:
The board ran out and Yagura's pair held for the near triple while Tipton headed to the rail.
Takashi Yagura has been extremely active so far, opening seemingly every pot when he was first to act.
Yagura opened for 25,000 and Affleck called in the small blind to see a heads-up flop of . Affleck checked and after some thought Yagura picked up some yellow T1000 chips and declared he was all in. Affleck got a count of 196,000 which just had him covered and made the call.
Affleck:
Yagura:
The turn and river couldn’t improve Affleck, and he was the next to leave.
On a four-bet preflop, Anthony Spinella and Takashi Yaguri got 125,000 each into the middle. The flop was and both players checked. The turn was the and Spinella led for 73,000. Yaguri moved all in and Spinella made the call.
Yaguri:
Spinella:
The fell on the river and a disappointed Spinella collected his stuff and headed to the rail.
Igor Skochilo moved all in from the small blind and Pfizer Jordan made the call blind from the big blind.
Skochilo had but the random hand that Jordan had been dealt was .
The board ran out and Skochilo gave a little fist pump when he saw he had made a straight but quickly realised that Jordan had made the higher straight.