It's been a high-speed rush to the final today, as 41 players became nine in just about eight hours.
It's a relatively unknown bunch of gentlemen who will be returning at 2.30pm to battle it out for the bracelet, but today's unknowns are tomorrow's new stars, and one of them will be crowned 2010 $1,000 NLH WSOP champion before tomorrow night is out.
Chip leader going into the final is Aadam Daya, who amassed a huge stack after picking up a full house against Sam Paolini and then knocking out Joshua Roberts to top it off. He's on 2,850,000, but this is by no means a done deal yet - whoever takes home the bracelet is going to have to get all 13 million chips by the end.
We'll be back in the Amazon Room at 2:30 p.m. PST to see who claims their slice of WSOP history, and who just ends up with tales of what might have been.
Gabe Costner made it 100,000 under the gun and it folded around to Irving Rice in the small blind, who moved in for 715,000 more.
Deepak Bhatti in the big blind folded, but Costner made the call.
It was that classic race.
Rice:
Costner:
The title of this post gives you a little hint as to what came next.
Board:
With that, Costner moved up to 1,830,000, and the WSOP missed out on an opportunity to see its first ever father and son combo at a final table. Richard Rice gave his dad a filial hug, and following a swift decision to come back tomorrow and play it out then, we are down for the night.
Our final 10 players have been condensed on to a single table, but only nine of them will be able to say that they made an official WSOP final table.
This is where they're all sitting:
Seat 1 - Dash Dudley
Seat 2 - Bart Davis
Seat 3 - Nicholas Mitchell
Seat 4 - Irving Rice
Seat 5 - Deepak Bhatti
Seat 6 - Gabe Costner
Seat 7 - Richard Rice
Seat 8 - Aadam Daya
Seat 9 - Isaac Settle
Seat 10 - Cory Brown
Cards are in the air.
By the by, if both Richard and Irving Rice make it through the next elimination, we believe it will be the first time in WSOP history that father and son have played at the same final table.
With Irving Rich forced to sit out, the action folded around to Dmitry Gromov in the small blind who found all his chips going all in with . Fellow short stack Isaac Settle, in the big blind, looked down at and we had a showdown. The board ran out to double Settle up, and leave Gromov with shrapnel.
One hand later and Gromov was gone, Settle once again his nemesis with versus on a board.
With chip daddy Aadam Daya raising it up from the button, Irving Rice moved all in from the big blind for a total of 761,000. Daya tanked for a minute or two before folding, only for Rice to throw across the felt.
But what he didn't realize, however, was that Bart Davis had flat called the initial raise from the small blind, and was still in the hand! "Woah, woah!" exclaimed Davis understandably. "Live hand here." The floor was inevitably called, and it was declared that Rice's hand wasn't dead, but once Davis had made his decision, Rice would receive a one round penalty for his crime.
Although you might think it would be an easy fold/call with the cards revealed, it seemingly made life tougher, Rice holding the same hand (), but unsuited. In the end, he decided the pot was large enough for the clubs to be of little relevance, and made the call.
However, the insignificant became significant as the flop came to give Rice the nut flush draw. Davis jumped out his seat and squirmed behind his chair as if being shot at by a sniper. The hit the turn, and Davis flinched once again, but by the river he could finally breath a sigh of relief and receive half the pot.
Nicholas Mitchell raised, and was met with a reraise from Cory Brown on the button. Mitchell four-bet, Brown called, and they saw a flop.
The flop came down and Mitchell bet out 225,00. Brown made the call, and they saw a turn which both players checked. Come the river, Mitchell checked again - but this time Brown went all in and Mitchell was forced to fold.
It turns out that because the break clock at the end of the last level wrongly said 60 minutes, Rice Sr. thought he'd have time to nip upstairs for a quick nap. Upon returning 40 minutes later, he discovered that he'd missed 20 minutes of the level.
Rice promptly shoved his first hand back. No-one called.
![[user141292]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Fellow short stack Isaac Settle, in the big blind, looked down at 
and we had a showdown. The board ran out 
versus 
on a 
board.
across the felt.
), but unsuited. In the end, he decided the pot was large enough for the clubs to be of little relevance, and made the call.
and Mitchell bet out 225,00. Brown made the call, and they saw a 
river, Mitchell checked again - but this time Brown went all in and Mitchell was forced to fold.
offsuit.