Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 26
Blinds: 15,000/30,000/5,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 14
Average Stack: 1,475,000

Taylor Paur

The disparity in stack sizes across the final two tables is making itself known early in Level 26 with Thiago Macedo and Taylor Paur now on the rail with the rich getting richer as a result.

Javier Zarco shoved the button with Q♦J♦ and Paur called off in the small blind with A♠10♣. Omar Zazay folded his big blind and held on to his last 300,000. The Q♥J♥4♣ flop gave Zarco two pair and a lead he would not relinquish. Paur is out and earns $32,364. Zarco has a narrow edge as the current chip leader with 2,500,000.

Thiago Macedo

Right after Paur busted, Macedo was sent to the exits, albeit with a pay jump. Georgios Karakousis opened in early position and Macedo defended his big blind. The flop came out 10♥6♦2♦ and Macedo shoved for close to 400,000. Karakousis called and had A♠10♠ against Macedo’s 7♥6♣. The last two streets were bricks and Macedo earns a little bit extra ($39,629) for finishing 14th. Karakousis is playing 2,325,000.

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 26
Blinds: 15,000/30,000/5,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 16
Average Stack: 1,290,000

The short stack with the blinds up, Konstantin Puchkov had little choice over what hands he could get his chips in the middle with and ended up out with Tanveer Dhanjal taking him out.

Puchkov got his last 200,000 in with A♠6♥ against the Q♦10♦ of Dhanjal. The K♦7♥K♣3♣10♥ board gave Dhanjal a rivered pair to take the pot.

Dhanjal chips up to 1,625,000 with the knockout. Bob Bounahra has been moved to balance tables and his 2,150,000 chip are now seated between Dhanjal and Javier Zarco.

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 25
Blinds: 12,000/24,000/4,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 17
Average Stack: 1,214,000

Ryan Hall

The first casualty of the final two tables is Ryan Hall, who peaked at 1,100,000 earlier on Day 3 but slowly declined from there.

Hall shoved for 540,000 in late position and Javier Zarco moved all-in right behind him. The rest of the table folded and Hall saw the bad news when his K♦Q♦ was matched up against Zarco’s A♠K♥. An ace hit the flop and Zarco is back to 1,675,000.

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 25
Blinds: 12,000/24,000/4,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 18
Average Stack: 1,147,000

The final tables are set and play is ready to go down to the final table of 10. Bob Bounahra is the chip leader with 2,120,000 and he has Georgios Karakousis (2,050,000) on his direct left, making for an interesting dynamic with so much at stake.

Since the field reached 18, Jamie Rosen doubled when his A♦10♠ got there on there on the A♠ turn against Thiago Macedo’s K♣K♠. Rosen was all-in for 545,000 and is now over a million.

Additionally, Jonathan Karamalikis doubled with 9♠8♠ on a K♠10♦7♠J♥ board against Konstantin Puchkov’s K♦J♦. All the money went in on the turn and Karamalikis is up to 1,460,000 with Puchkov under 10 big blinds. A look at the updated counts and draw for the final 18 is below.

1. Taylor Paur – 590,000
2. Omar Zazay – 720,000
3. Brett Apter – 1,505,000
4. Boris Kolev – 1,720,000
5. Jonathan Karamalikis – 1,460,000
6. Tanveer Dhanjal – 1,845,000
7. Ryan Hall – 655,000
8. Javier Zarco – 835,000
9. Konstantin Puchkov – 220,000

1. Elizabeth Provan – 1,855,000
2. Muhammad Rahim – 950,000
3. Miguel Riera – 925,000
4. Jamie Rosen – 1,250,000
5. Thiago Macedo – 560,000
6. Dong Le – 990,000
7. Ubaid Habib – 670,000
8. Georgios Karakousis – 2,050,000
9. Bob Bounahra – 2,120,000

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 25
Blinds: 12,000/24,000/4,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 18
Average Stack: 1,147,000

The final two tables are here in Event 67 with two bustouts on Table 17 leading the charge to the current stage of the tournament.

Boris Kolev was right in the middle of both and ended up a net postive as a result. Danny Fuhs shoved in early position for 332,000 with 7♦7♥ and Konstantin Puchkov called for all-in for about 300,000 with 9♦9♥. Kolev called with A♥Q♣ to put them both at risk. The board ran clean and Puchkov tripled up while Fuhs was left with little after taking the side pot. He was eliminated the next hand.

A few hands later, Kolev opened to 52,000 in the cutoff and Jonathan Karamalikis called on the button. Robert Spano shoved in the big blind for 560,000 with A♣J♠ and Kolev looked him up with J♣J♦. A jack hit the flop and Kolev had the hand locked up by the turn. He is playing 1,560,000.

Fabrice Soulier bubbled the final two tables with Georgios Karakousis sending him out. On a flop of 7♥3♥3♦, Soulier checked and Karakousis bet 50,000. Soulier shoved for 410,000 and Karakousis called with A♥7♦. Soulier’s J♠J♥ was ahead but a seven on the turn left him reeling. No jack came on the river and Karakousis is over 2,000,000. The two table reset will be posted shortly.

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 24
Blinds: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 23
Average Stack: 825,000

The all-ins are increasing dramatically as the field narrows down and it’s leading to some major decisions having to be made. Boris Kolev was put to the ultimate test by Jonathan Karamalikis but passed with flying colors and doubled up as a result.

Kolev opened in middle position and Karamalikis called on his direct left. Kolev continued on the 8♥7♥6♦ flop for 63,000 and Karamalikis shoved. Kolev thought for two minutes over his last 290,000 and decided to call with A♥K♦. His decision was correct as Karamalikis turned over A♥Q♦. The rest of the board ran dry and Kolev doubled up. Karamalikis falls to 885,000.

All-ins took place on the two other tables as Fabrice Soulier ran down Javier Zarco while Jason Les lost a flip for his tournament.

Zarco opened to 45,000 in the hijack and Soulier shoved for 265,000 in the big blind. Zarco called with J♥10♥ and was against Soulier’s K♥9♥. The J♦10♦5♠ flop gave Zarco a big lead but the 9♠ turn gave Soulier some added life. The K♣ river was enough to double up and Soulier is back to 30 big blinds. Zarco takes a slight hit to 1,750,000.

Les was all-in for 430,000 with A♦Q♦ with Dong Le barely having him covered with J♣J♠. The board was dry for Les and the high stakes pro is out.

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 24
Blinds: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 25
Average Stack: 825,000

Brett Apter is climbing up the leaderboard and at his peak for Event 67. 

Through two different methods of extraction, Brett Apter and Bob Bounahra are both over 1,300,000. Apter has been quietly accumulating all day while Bounahra hit gin by knocking out Stephen Deustch in poker’s biggest cooler.

Apter opened to 51,000 in the cutoff and got calls from Omar Zazay and Konstantin Puchkov in the blinds. The blinds checked the Q♠6♣5♥ flop as did Apter. Zazay bet 62,000 on the 3♣ turn and only Apter called. Zazay checked the A♠ river and Apter bet 110,000. Zazay let it go to fall to 840,000 while Apter (1,350,000) is top-five in chips now.

On the other table, Jamie Rosen opened under the gun to 48,000 and Ubaid Habib called in the hijack. Deustch three-bet to 150,000 in the cutoff and Bounahra tanked for two minutes before moving all-in, having all players covered. Action folded back to Deustch, who called for 490,000 with K♦K♥ and was crushed by Bounahra’s A♦A♥. The board ran clean and Bounahra is third in chips with 1,750,000.

Tanveer Dhanjal (1,960,000) and Javier Zarco (1,850,000) are the only players currently in front of Bounahra.

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 23
Blinds: 8,000/16,000/2,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 27
Average Stack: 764,000

The end of Level 27 coincided with a herd of all-ins. The field is down the three tables and there won’t be a redraw until the final table is reached. A few players put their tournament lives on the line in the last few minutes with some rewarded and others off to the cage.

Miguel Riera got the better of David Peters, sending Peters to the exits. Peters opened to the button and Riera shoved the big blind. Peters called for about 340,000 total with A♣K♠ and was up against the 3♦3♠ of Riera. A three hit the flop and that was it for Peters.

On an adjacent table, Ryan Hall maximized the value of his aces to double through Joseph Alban. Hall opened under the gun and was called by Georgios Karakousis and Brett Apter. Alban three-bet to 141,000 in the big blind and Hall shoved for 455,000 total. Alban called with A♣K♣ and was crushed by the A♦A♥ of Hall. The board ran pure and Hall is near 1,000,000 with Alban cut down to 400,000.

Below is a look at the top stacks left in the field on the first break of the day.

Javier Zarco – 1,910,000
Tanveer Dhanjal – 1,770,000
Muhammad Rahim – 1,200,000
Bob Bounahra – 1,120,000
Jonathan Karamalikis – 1,050,000
Elizabeth Provan – 1,035,000
Georgios Karakousis – 1,025,000
Ryan Hall – 1,020,000
Brett Apter – 1,000,000
Miguel Riera – 1,000,000
Omar Zazay – 980,000

Event 67: $3,500 No-Limit Hold’em $3,000,000 Guarantee 

Level 23
Blinds: 8,000/16,000/2,000
Total Entrants: 1,032
Players Remaining: 29
Average Stack: 712,000

Tanveer Dhanjal is second in chips after flopping the world and getting there against Kalyan Chivukula.

Table 18 was the action table last level but that has since shifted to Table 17, where Tanveer Dhanjal just eliminated Kalyan Chivukula in dramatic fashion.

Dhanjal opened to 35,000 in middle position and Chivukula three-bet to 135,000 in the cutoff. Dhanjal called and then checked the 4♣3♥2♣ flop with Chivukula shoving for about 325,000. Dhanjal looked him up with 7♣5♣ and was drawing very live against Chivukula’s A♠J♦. The Q♣ turn locked up the pot and Dhanjal started raking in the chips.

He is right behind Javier Zarco (1,575,000) for the chip lead while Chivukula is on the outside looking in.