The Venetian

Day 2 of the MSPT $1,000,000 GTD Main Event at the Venetian Resort saw 129 players return to action on Wednesday in hopes of making the streamed final table of seven and after roughly nine hours of play, that mark was hit in Level 29 with 1:36 left remaining at 60,000/120,000/120,000.

Leading the charge with over a third of the of the chips in play is Samuel Bifarella who’s 13,700,000 stack is nearly double that of Baurzhan Akimov’s 7,660,000, who sits second in chips.

Claudiu Burlacu sat atop of the chip counts for majority of the later levels of the evening, only to get bluffed by Bifarella to take 4,380,000 into the final day while Brett Bader sits behind him with 3,550,000.

Hrachya Ohanyan (3,240,000), Andre Rieder (1,420,000), and Robert Nemeskeri-Kiss (1,265,000) all rallied into Day 3 but will have an uphill battle when the lights take the stage.

Streamed Final Table Chip Counts

Day 2 Action

The final day came back with 129 players already in the money, so action kicked right into gear with Jason Calvert being eliminated in the first hand of the day while Shayna Bott followed him to the payout cage shortly after.

A flurry of “payouts” could the be heard throughout the room, as handfuls of players were walking to the payout table which included the likes of back-to-back Player of the Year Umut Ozturk (81^st Place – $2,860), Lily Kiletto (76^th Place – $3,122), Jeremy Becker (71^st Place - $3,445), MSPT champ Terry Fleischer (65^th Place - $3,445), and Sundiata DeVore (57^th Place - $3,844) all hit the deck in quick succession.

The fast-paced action would continue with the likes of Steve Foutty (33^rd Place - $5,690), Javier Zarco (27^th Place - $5,690), Spencer Champlin (25^th Place - $6,622), two-time MSPT champ Greg Himmelbrand (17^th Place - $11,101), and Dathan Kuppin (11^th Place – $16,473) all falling before the final table.

Final Table Action

Once the final table was set, Brad Sailor sat down in the middle of the pack with just under the chip average and found himself in a big race holding a pair of tens against Bifarella’s Big Slick.

Things got sweaty for Sailor after the flop gave Bifarella the nut flush draw, only the have an ace come on the turn to make him the first final table elimination while Bifarella climbed to the top of the chip counts.

Bifarella would then continue his late-night hot streak after he flushed Alexander Tafesh out the door in eighth place to end play for the evening.

The final seven players are now set with action starting tomorrow Thursday, June 12^th at 11:00 a.m. to play down to a winner which will be live streamed in the Venetian Poker Live streaming studio!

Make sure to tune in as we crown the newest MSPT champion LIVE in the Venetian Poker Live streaming studio, produced and distributed by PokerGO!

There was heads-up action between Samuel Bifarella from middle position and Alexander Tafesh from the big blind with a completed board showing.

With most of Tafesh’s stack in the middle, he check-called after Bifarella put him all in.

Bifarella then tabled for a turned flush and it was good as Tafesh tossed a wheel into the muck ending play for the night.

Samuel Bifarella - 13,700,000
Alexander Tafesh - Eliminated

Samuel Bifarella opened under the gun with a raise and then called Brad Sailor’s 2,925,000 three-bet jam from the cutoff.

Brad Sailor:
Samuel Bifarella:

Sailor found himself in a race situation with his tournament life hanging in the balance and a massive sweat came after the flop fell giving Bifarella the nut flush draw.

Unfortunately for Sailor, the dealer then turned the to put Bifarella out in front with top pair and then followed with the on the river making him the first final table elimination.

Samuel Bifarella - 9,535,000
Brad Sailor - Eliminated

Hrachya Ohanyan raised all in from the cutoff and Kevin Theodore called off his slightly shorter stack from the button.

Kevin Theodore:
Hrachya Ohanyan:

Theodore woke-up with a pretty pair of ladies only to fall behind after the flop fell pairing Ohanyan’s ace.

The turn left Theodore needing a lucky lady to fall on the river to stay alive, but the completed the board and eliminated him on the final table bubble.

Hrachya Ohanyan - 3,000,000
Kevin Theodore - Eliminated

Dathan Kuppin raised all in for 1,030,000 from the cutoff and Claudiu Burlacu looked him up from the big blind.

Dathan Kuppin:
Claudiu Burlacu:

Kuppin was racing for his tournament and fell behind after the flop fell pairing Burlacu’s jack.

The turn left Kuppin needing a five on the river to stay alive, but the paired the board and ended his tournament.

Claudiu Burlacu - 6,050,000
Dathan Kuppin - Eliminated

With a completed board showing, Thomas Paul called off his remaining stack from the cutoff after Alexander Tafesh put him all-in.

Tafesh then tabled for a rivered flush and it was good as Paul tossed into the muck before taking his exit.

Alexander Tafesh - 6,200,000
Thomas Paul - Eliminated