Two Main Event Champions Remain in Event #3: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em SHOOTOUT
The second round of matches have been completed in Event #3: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em SHOOTOUT, which started with 50 players spread out over 10 tables at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. A total of 10 players moved onto Day 3, including 2009 Main Event Champion Joe Cada, who will be looking to hold up his third bracelet at the end of the day.
Cada already has two bracelets, 29 cashes, and over $10 million in earnings during the WSOP in his career. He had to go through a tough table of well-known players that included the likes of Arne Ruge, Bryce Yockey, Alexander Lynskey, and Chad Wassmuth. Ruge and Cada got all in when both players flopped a flush draw that resulted in Cada getting a big chip lead right before the second break of the day.
The 2014 EPT Barcelona €10,000 + 300 High Roller 8Max Champion Ihar Soika came out on top of a tough table that included 14-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and three-time bracelet winner Eli Elezra. Soika overcame a lot of talk about being "young and too aggressive" by Hellmuth and Elezra. He showed patience and well-timed aggression as he eliminated both from his table, moving onto Day 3 and will now be in the hunt for his first WSOP bracelet.
Harry Lodge was the first to advance on Day 1 and would be the last to advance on Day 2 after a long up and down battle with Arkadiy Tsinis. Lodge spent most of the three-handed play as the short stack and showed a lot of patience as he waited for his spots. He hit an eight on the river to complete a set versus Tsinis during heads-up play, leaving his opponent with just under one big blind. He secured his way to Day 3 on the very next hand and will be looking for his first bracelet.
Other notable players include 2015 Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen, 2005 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout Champion Anthony Reategui, 2014 €5,000 + 300 EPT Main Event runner-up Sam Phillips, and Joshua Turner who is a well know grinder that has 58 career cashes in the WSOP.
Day 3 will be starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, and the blind levels will be 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante. There will be a 15-minute break after every three rounds of play and an added 60-minute dinner break after the ninth level.
The PokerNews team will be covering this and every other event during WSOP this summer.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Room | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | FT | 1 | Jeffrey Trudeau | United States | 534,000 | 89 |
| Amazon | FT | 2 | Sam Phillips | United States | 547,000 | 91 |
| Amazon | FT | 3 | Ihar Soika | Belarus | 534,000 | 89 |
| Amazon | FT | 4 | Harry Lodge | United Kingdom | 521,000 | 87 |
| Amazon | FT | 5 | Anthony Reategui | United States | 548,000 | 91 |
| Amazon | FT | 6 | Joe McKeehen | United States | 522,000 | 87 |
| Amazon | FT | 7 | Joshua Turner | United States | 534,000 | 89 |
| Amazon | FT | 8 | Taylor Wilson | United States | 547,000 | 91 |
| Amazon | FT | 9 | Jack Maskill | United Kingdom | 546,000 | 91 |
| Amazon | FT | 10 | Joe Cada | United States | 549,000 | 92 |
— no help for Tsinis — and he was eliminated in the end. After finishing his table first, Lodge now was the last one to make it through to the next day.
. Even though Elezra picked up a flush draw on the turn, the four on the river meant that Soika hit a straight in the end to complete the story for his win.
, Phillips checked again. Reilly bet 9,000 while having about 36,000 left. Phillips just called.
, and D'Ambrosio quickly bet 3,500. Pantaleo glanced at D'Ambrosio and then called. Williams folded. D'Ambrosio tabled 
