The Venetian

By the end of the MSPT’s 151st Main Event – a $1,600 buy-in, $3,000,000 GTD tournament held at The Venetian in Las Vegas that attracted 2,472 entries, it was Linglin Zeng of China that took home the lion’s share of the prize pool after a three-way deal netted her $393,506. She becomes the second female MSPT Main Event champion ever, along with Angelina Rich, who also netted her title via a three-way chop at a MSPT Main Event at The Venetian.

Earlier in the tournament and just before the deal was made, Zeng said, “I made a huge fold against Mike Shin; he check-raised me then shoved the river.” This hand proved to be a pivotal one, as it allowed Shin, who jumped into first-place in the MSPT Hayvin Poker POY race with his third-place finish, to climb out of the danger zone just before the chop happened. Zeng said she’d get it out of Shin on what he held that hand; “I’ll find out, I need to go ask him. I think he had it.”

Not one to rest on her laurels, Zeng, a former nurse turned poker player, said she’s “ready for the WSOP Monster Stack tomorrow!” She’s already had some success this summer as well, saying, “I went deep in the $1,500 six-max, fourteenth-place, then I almost didn’t play this one. I played the WSOP Double Stack, in Day 3 I was chip leader. I lost a few hands, for some reason I just got so mad and dumped all my chips in one level. I was so mad at myself, and someone told me about this tournament at Venetian, and I was just so fired up to redeem myself. I wasn’t even going to play at all.” Describing her style, she said “I’m very aggressive, loose and aggressive. I’m super loose, I usually play cash; tournaments aren’t really my thing.” Finally, she acknowledged her rail which included her boyfriend, saying, “I have a lot of friends supporting me, I was very grateful.”

Starting in Day 2, a number of players walked away with a cash, including Day 1a chip leader Ben Diebold (39th - $10,251), MSPT Hall of Famer Rich Alsup (56th - $7,777), two-time WSOP bracelet winner Elio Fox (68th - $7,070), former MSPT Venetian champ Thomas Boivin (74th - $6,363), CSOP founder Matt Stout (81st - $6,363), former WSOP November Niner Dan Ott (105th - $5,302), Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (123rd - $5,302), Felipe Davila (138th - $4,949), “Mad” Marvin Rettenmaier (221st - $3,888), three-time MSPT champ Matt Kirby (242nd - $3,888) and 2014 WSOP Main Event champ Martin Jacobson (249th - $3,888).

Unfortunately for 22 of the 32 players that returned for Day 3 action, they would not be a part of one of the biggest final tables in MSPT history, behind only two events from last year’s MSPT The Venetian series in terms of total prize pool. Some of those falling short included Day 1c chip leader Oleg Eltsov (11th - $42,420), Jack O’Neill (13th - $33,582), Rudy Sawa (17th - $31,461), Lokesh Garg (18th - $31,461), 2018 WSOPE champ Jack Sinclair (21st - $26,159), Harry Arutyunyan (23rd - $21,397), and Dominick Sarle (29th - $12,726).

Final Table Action

Coming into the final table, it was an international affair, as six different countries had representation, including three from China, two each from the United States and Italy, and Sweden, Spain and the United Kingdom were all represented as well. First to fall was Jiawei Liu, who lost a flip with ace-jack suited against the overwhelming chip leader coming into the final table, Linglin Zeng and her pocket tens. Liu settled for $42,420 for his tenth-place finish.

Knowing he had already laddered once, Brady Osterman called off his last twelve big blinds after Oliver Price jammed, and when his ace-jack failed to catch up to Price’s ace-queen, Osterman was out the door in ninth-place. The $54,792 in prize money will represent more than four-fifths of his lifetime tournament earnings, according to Hendon Mob.

Suddenly, the bustouts at the final table came to a screeching halt, as eighth-place wouldn’t fall for another ninety minutes. It was Donis Agnelli that would be out next, grinding down to two big blinds before Mike Shin’s ace-queen bested Agnelli’s ace-four. The native Italian took home $68,932 for his efforts.

Leaving just a few hands later would be Spain’s Javier Zarco, who tried to steal Oliver Price’s big blind with queen-three, only for Price to wake up with Big Slick and felt Zarco in seventh for $88,374. The 2015 WSOP Millionaire Maker runner-up and 2017 The Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza $3,500 event champ padded his $2.2 million in lifetime tournament earnings with this score.

Out the door next was Yilong Wang, who fell victim to three straight all-in defeats, including having Shin dead to three outs after the turn in one hand, before Shin pinged his king on the river to crack Wang’s tens. Wang then couldn’t get his ace-eight to overcome Alessio Sabatini’s kings, and he was left with sixth-place and $113,119.

Less than an orbit later, Price got his last thirteen bigs in with sevens against the pocket sixes of Zeng. Zeng proved how hot she was running when she flopped a set and turn quads to leave the UK product with fifth-place and $143,519 to add to an established career that includes over $1.7 million in career earnings.

Sweden’s Michael Tureneic was the next to go, when his ace-jack was dominated by the ace-queen of Sabatini. Tureneic was dead by the turn, and the fourth-place finisher adds $187,353 to his whopping $4.4 million in lifetime tournament earnings.

Three-handed play lasted for a few levels before the trio looked at the numbers for a deal. In the end, they decided on the payouts listed below.

The final three players have agreed to a modified ICM chop with the final numbers as follows:

Linglin Zeng: $393,506 (original first-place prize: $521,448)
Alessio Sabatini: $356,000 (original second-place prize: $321,681)
Mike Shin: $334,000 (original third-place prize: $240,377)

Shin takes over first-place in the MSPT Hayvin Poker POY race, while Zeng is our MSPT Venetian $1,600 Main Event champ! Stay tuned shortly for a full recap of all the day’s action.

The clock has been paused while the final three discuss a possible deal. (Chops are allowed at MSPT Venetian events.)

Hand 1: Mike Shin raised to 900,000 from the button, and Alessio Sabatini called in the big blind. Both players checked the flop, and Shin bet 800,000 on the turn. Sabatini folded.

Hand 2: Linglin Zeng limped in from the button, Sabatini limped in from the small blind, and Shin checked his option. Action checked to the turn of a board, where Shin won the pot with a bet of 800,000.

Hand 3: Shin limped in from the small blind, and Zang raised to 800,000 in the big blind. Shin called. Action checked to the turn of a board, and Shin check-called a bet of 1 million. Shin check-called 1.5 million on the river, only to muck when Zang turned over .

Hand 4: Zeng limped in from the small blind, and Sabatini checked his option. Action checked all the way through a baord and Zeng won with .

Hand 5: Zeng limped in from the button, and Sabatini raised to 1 million. Zeng called, then called a bet of 1.2 million on the flop. Sabatini bet on the turn and Zeng folded before the amount was determined.

Hand 6: Sabatini raised to 800,000 on the button, and Shin called in the big blind. Shin check-folded to a bet of 900,000 on the flop.

Linglin Zeng - 27.7 million (69 bb)
Alessio Sabatini - 21.6 million (54 bb)
Mike Shin - 12.5 million (31 bb)

It may have the most exciting hand of three handed play and it was a game changer.

Linglin Zeng bet out 800,000 on the button and was called by Mike Shin in the big blind. After the flop, Shin check and Zeng bet out another 600,000. Shin called and the came out on the turn. Shin checked again and Zeng put out 1,300,000. Shin fired back with 2,800,000 and Zeng called with Alessio Sabatini staring intently at the action.

The was the river card and Shin moved all-in for 4,200,000 chips. Zeng was forced into a rough decision and after a few minutes released the hand.

Shin moved up to 14,400,000 with the hand and Zeng fell to 27,100,000.

Hand 1: Mike Shin raised to 700,000 from the button, and Linglin Zeng called in the small blind. Zeng check-called a bet of 600,000 on the flop, then the turn and river was checked down, and Zeng won with .

Hand 2: Zeng raised to 600,000 from the button, and Shin called in the big blind. Shin check-called a bet of 800,000 on the flop, and both players checked the turn. Shin jammed when the fell on the river, and Zeng called, showing her that flopped middle set was now just the board Broadway straight. Shin sheepishly grinned and turned over as they chopped the pot.

Hand 3: Shin limped in from the small blind, and Zeng checked her option. Shin bet 300,000 on the flop and Zeng folded.

Hand 4: Shin limped in from the button, Zeng limped in from the small blind, and Alessio Sabatini checked his option in the big blind. Zeng led out for 400,000 on the flop and both opponents folded.

Hand 5: Zeng limped in from the button, Sabatini limped in from the small blind, and Shin checked his option in the big blind. Action checked to the turn of a board, where Zeng bet 500,000. Everyone folded.

Hand 6: Sabatini raised to 700,000 from the button and everyone folded.

Linglin Zeng - 34.7 million (116 bb)
Alessio Sabatini - 16.8 million (56 bb)
Mike Shin - 9.3 million (31 bb)

The Shin Show hasn’t been cancelled yet.

After a 800,000 chip raise from Linglin Zeng, Mike Shin raised all-in for his remaining 4,600,000 chips. Zeng called and turned over to face off with the of Shin.

Zeng trailed heading into the hand but hit the flop and survived the on the turn. But it was not meant to be as the came out for another river save for Shin.

Shin goes to 9,500,000 chips with the win and keeps the field at three players.

Alessio Sabatini raised to 700,000 from the cutoff, then tank-called a three-bet shove for 5.725 million from Michael Tureneic in the small blind.

Michael Tureneic:
Alessio Sabatini:

Sabatini paired his queen on the flop to take a commanding lead, and he locked it up on the turn, leaving Tureneic dead to the river.

Alessio Sabatini - 20 million (67 bb)
Michael Tureneic - Eliminated in 4th place for $187,353

When you’re hot, you’re hot.

After a raise to 700,000 by Linglin Zeng, Oliver Price moved his 3,800,000 chip stack into the middle. Zeng paused, counted out the chips needed to call and moved them into the middle.

It looked like a mistake Price showed and Zeng flipped up . But Zeng would not be denied when the flop came out giving her a set and then the turn brought the for quads and the elimination of Price.

Oliver Price finishes in 5th place winning $142,519.

With the field being down to four players, the ante is now the size of the small blind the rest of the way current taking it down to 150,000.

Alessio Sabatini raised to 800,000 from under the gun, then snapped off a three-bet shove for 2.3 million from Yilong Wang in the big blind.

Yilong Wang:
Alessio Sabatini:

Sabatini flopped top set with the flop, but Wang was still alive with a gutshot. The turn and river bricked off, and Sabatini’s rise continues as he now sits solidly in second place.

Alessio Sabatini - 14 million (47 bb)
Yilong Wang - Eliminated in 6th place for $113,119