In a limped battle of the blinds, Isaac Haxton checked the flop. Fedor Holz bet 100,000 and Haxton came along. The turn paired the board and another check by Haxton followed. Holz now bet 450,000 and won the pot near instantly.
Both then raised their respective buttons, Haxton for 230,000 and Holz for 225,000, to collect the big blind and big blind ante.
Fedor Holz and Isaac Haxton claimed the respective big blind and big blind ante with button raises.
Holz then opened to 200,000 on the button for Haxton to defend the big blind. The flop was checked and Haxton's bet worth 400,000 on the turn won the pot without resistance.
Fedor Holz and Isaac Haxton are taking a short break before beginning their heads-up duel for the top prize of more than $1.5 million while Aleksejs Ponakovs is on the way to the payout desk.
One key hand reduced the stack of Aleksejs Ponakovs to a single chip and he was unable to bounce back with a miracle comeback to see his run come to an end in third place.
First, it was Isaac Haxton who got a three-bet through versus Fedor Holz.
Ponakovs then raised the button and Haxton called in the big blind. On a flop, Haxton check-called for 80,000 and did so again for 300,000 on the turn. After the river, Haxton checked the third street in a row with just shy of 1.7 million chips behind.
Ponakovs bet 865,000 and left a single T-5,000 chip behind. That sent Haxton into the tank and he used one time bank before making the call.
Ponakovs tabled the for a bluff and Haxton won the pot with the for the second pair.
"Good game," Holz exclaimed and Ponakovs joked "I am still in".
"I didn't believe you ... I don't know," Haxton now said in table chat. Holz concluded the proceedings with the "sometimes you gotta go with your gut."
Ponakovs was forced all-in the next hand to survive before he was forced all-in for 10,000 out of the small blind next.
Haxton raised to 180,000 on the button and Holz defended the big blind. The flop came and Holz check-folded to a bet worth 400,000.
Aleksejs Ponakovs:
Isaac Haxton:
"I had a good hand, too" Holz chimed in and the trio saw the board complete with the turn and river. Ponakovs became the third place finisher for $698,800.
Fedor Holz raised to 180,000 on the button and Steve O'Dwyer as one of the two short stacks on the four-handed table defended the big blind with what appeared to be around 425,000 behind.
The flop saw O'Dwyer use one time bank extension before he moved all-in and Holz beat him into the pot with a snap-call.
Steve O'Dwyer:
Fedor Holz:
An audible sigh by O'Dwyer followed when he found himself in dire shape against the overpair and nut flush draw.
Nothing changed with the turn and the river only improved Holz to the nut flush, ending the run of O'Dwyer in 4th place for a payday of $518,500.
Two big stacks and three short stacks at the table made for easy dynamics and once it folded to Nick Petrangelo on the button, he pushed all in for 450,000 in the small blind. Isaac Haxton in the big blind called and the cards were flipped over.
Nick Petrangelo:
Isaac Haxton:
Along with his two live cards, Petrangelo also found a gutshot on the flop. The turn gave Haxton a gutshot, too, Neither player connected with the river and king-high was good enough to eliminate Petrangelo in 5th place for $405,800.
Fedor Holz raised it up to 120,000 on the button and Aleksejs Ponakovs defended the big blind, after which the short stack got it in for 180,000 on the flop and Holz obliged.
Aleksejs Ponakovs:
Fedor Holz:
Ponakovs had a gutshot and two live cards at his disposal, one of which he hit on the turn. The river was a blank and Ponakovs doubled.
Holz claimed most of the chips back when he raised to 120,000 on the next hand. Steve O'Dwyer called from the big blind and check-folded the flop.