The Venetian

The MSPT $3,500, $3.5 million Guarantee Venetian Main Event, after almost eight hours of play, whittled the starting field of 54 Day 3 hopefuls down to the final table of ten. Leading the way with 5,270,000 is Pavel Plesuv, who also final tabled the MSPT $5,000 Venetian Main Event. Plesuv, Moldova’s all-time tournament earnings leader with over $2.4 million in earnings finished runner-up in February at the partypoker Millions Germany event for $924,841.

Coming to the final table sixth in chips is Justin Bonomo with 2,410,000. Bonomo’s heater this year continues, as he already holds a WSOP Bracelet in the $10,000 Heads Up NLHE event, wins at both the Super High Roller Bowl and the Super High Roller Bowl China, and a win at the US Poker Open Event #1, with all of his cashes from all over the world combining for $14,765,934 in just half of the calendar year. Bonomo will be looking to book his tenth first place finish of the year on Hendon Mob with a win in this event.

Others that made it to the final table include Karim Rebei (4,385,000), Team partypoker Pro Joni Jouhkimainen (3,650,000), James Romero (3,275,000), Yat Cheng (2,790,000), Christian Rudolph (2,375,000), Michael Sklenicka (1,360,000), Season 7 MSPT Venetian champ Thomas Boivin (930,000), and Mohammed Jaafar (565,000).

44 players left today’s Day 3 with cash instead of a date with the final table, and they included final table bubble boy Jack O’Neill (11th - $49,101), WSOP $100,000 High Roller Bracelet winner Nick Petrangelo (13th - $38,579), Aussie Pro Jonathan Karamalikis (14th - $38,579), Jared Jaffee (15th - $38,579), Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade (16th - $34,371), Joe Kuether (18th - $34,371), Upeshka De Silva (22nd - $23,849), Josh Turner (25th - $19,991), Thomas Peebles (27th - $19,991), Day 3 starting chip leader Jonathan Concepcion (29th - $15,081), 2015 WSOP Main Event Champ Joe McKeehen (42nd - $11,574), Team PokerStars Pro Jeff Gross (44th - $11,574), and CSOP founder Matt Stout (47th - $10,522).

Day 4 kicks off Saturday at 2 P.M. local time, and will be streamed live on Twitch and MSPTpoker.com live (30-minute delay) with hole cards and commentary. We’ll also continue our live reporting of the event as we play down to a winner. Be sure to catch all the action as we conclude our summer tournament series with The Venetian during the Deepstacks Championship Poker Series.

Pavel Plesuv raised to 125,000 from the button, then snapped off the three-bet shove from Jack O’Neill for 1,000,000 in the big blind.

Plesuv:
O’Neill:

O’Neill didn’t find a ten on the flop, but binked one on the turn. He needed to dodge an ace or queen to avoid bubbling the final table, but the river sent him to the payout desk and the rest of the field to tomorrow’s final table of ten.

Jack O’Neill - Eliminated in 11th place for $49,101

Yat Cheng jammed for 1,320,000 from the cutoff, and Michael Sklenicka three-bet jammed for 2,700,000, chasing out the blinds.

Cheng:
Sklenicka:

Sklenicka failed to improve through the turn of a board, so he pointed to the before the river fell in hopes of finding a pair and sending the remaining ten players to the final table. The wasn’t it, however, and he shipped half of his stack over to Cheng.

Yat Cheng - 2,790,000 (46.5 bb)
Michael Sklenicka - 1,380,000 (23 bb)

James Romero raised from the cutoff then called a three-bet jam from Kavin Shah in the big blind for 360,000.

Romero:
Shah:

Shah improved to an open-ender on the flop, but the turn gave Romero a Broadway straight, leaving Shah dead to the river.

James Romero - 4,100,000 (68 bb)
Kavin Shah - Eliminated in 12th place for $49,101

Michael Sklenicka jammed for 750,000 effective from the small blind, and Nick Petrangelo peeked at his cards then spiked in a call.

Sklenicka:
Petrangelo:

Petrangelo improved to top pair on the flop, but the turn gave Sklenicka the nuts and left Petrangelo dead to the river.

Michael Sklenicka - 2,700,000 (45 bb)
Nick Petrangelo - Eliminated in 13th place for $38,579

Kavin Shah raised to 120,000 from the hijack, and Thomas Boivin called on the button. James Romero tanked for about two minutes before Boivin called the clock, but before the floor could give a countdown, Romero three-bet to 475,000 from the small blind. Shah folded, but Boivin called.

The flop saw Romero enter the tank for a second time. After two minutes, Boivin called the clock again. Boivin bet 275,000 about halfway through his thirty-seconds, and Boivin called.

The hit the turn, and Romero again returned the tank. Boivin called the clock for the third time in the hand after another two minutes had passed, and Romero gathered his entire 1,030,000 stack and jammed, with Boivin snapping him off.

Romero:
Boivin:

Boivin’s trap had backfired, as Romero’s set of queens held on a river, leaving Boivin with just 135,000. He managed to triple up the next hand, but still sits dangerously short.

James Romero - 3,780,000 (63 bb)
Thomas Boivin - 465,000 (8 bb)

Kavin Shah raised to 125,000 from the cutoff, and was called by Thomas Boivin in the small blind, before James Romero three-bet jammed for 900,000 in the big blind. Shah tanked for a minute before making the call, and Boivin instantly folded.

Shah:
Romero:

Shah had made a great call with his ace-jack, but Romero was bailed out immediately on the flop. The turn gave Shah an open-ended straight draw to go with his jack, but the river ensured Romero the double.

James Romero - 1,990,000 (40 bb)
Kavin Shah - 1,200,000 (24 bb)

Jonathan Karamalikis jammed for 580,000 from the button, and was snapped off by Karim Rebei in the big blind.

Karamalikis:
Rebei:

Karamalikis found no ace or jack on the flop, but he picked up a few counterfeit outs on the turn. Rebei improved to a full house on the river, though, and Karamalikis headed to the payout desk.

Karim Rebei - 2,900,000 (58 bb)
Jonathan Karamalikis - Eliminated in 14th place for $38,579

Joni Jouhkimainen had checked the river of a board, and with 1,600,000 already in the pot, Karim Rebei bet 1,500,000, enough to put Jouhkimainen in for his last 1,165,000.

Jouhkimainen went into the tank for a few minutes, at one point saying, “Sorry guys,” to the table. After a little more thought, he placed a stack of chips in the pot to call.

Rebei tabled for a bricked straight draw, and Jouhkimainen flipped up to take down the pot with two pair.

Joni Jouhkimainen - 3,930,000 (79 bb)
Karim Rebei - 2,000,000 (40 bb)

Jared Jaffee jammed for 450,000 from the small blind and was called by Nick Petrangelo in the big blind.

Jaffee:
Petrangelo:

Jaffee needed a nine to survive, but found none on a flop. The turn opened up some chop outs, as a five or eight would chop the pot up, but he hit the rail when the fell on the river.

Nick Petrangelo - 1,600,000 (32 bb)
Jared Jaffee - Eliminated in 15th place for $38,579