Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship
Day 3 Completed
Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship
Day 3 Completed
The field in Event #46: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship was whittled down from a colossal 7,538 entries to just 239 hopefuls heading into Day 3 at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. With a massive $6,633,440 prize pool on the line, every remaining player had their sights set on the $660,000 first-place prize and the prestigious World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
The day saw rapid eliminations because all players were in the money and guaranteed $4,300. At the end of 10 levels, only 25 remained and they will head to Day 4. Each remaining player is guaranteed $28,000.
At the top of the leaderboard is Canada's Homan Mohammadi, who amassed 13,955,000 chips by day's end. His run was highlighted by a key hand against Ricardo Padilla, where he scooped a massive pot that propelled him into the lead.
Second in chips is Oregon's Scott Ruegsegger, who finished with an impressive 13,365,000. After beginning the day fourth on the leaderboard, Ruegsegger steadily accumulated chips by applying relentless pressure to his opponents, as demonstrated in this key hand against Manfred Wolf.
Rounding out the top three is Israel's Yossi Maymon with 10,940,000 chips. Maymon picked up a crucial late-night boost when he eliminated the last remaining female player, Olga Varkonyi, during one of the final hands of the evening after calling her all-in.
Just outside the top three sits Ablahad Salim with 10,840,000 chips. The San Diego resident, who is approaching his 89th birthday, continues to defy expectations and will return for Day 3 with one of the largest stacks in the field.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homan Mohammadi | Canada | 13,955,000 | 93 |
| 2 | Scott Ruegsegger | United States | 13,365,000 | 89 |
| 3 | Yossi Maymon | Israel | 10,940,000 | 73 |
| 4 | Ablahad Salim | United States | 10,840,000 | 72 |
| 5 | Keith Romer | United States | 9,700,000 | 65 |
| 6 | Todd German | United States | 9,035,000 | 60 |
| 7 | Larry Quang | United States | 8,370,000 | 56 |
| 8 | Ronald Moore | United States | 6,655,000 | 44 |
| 9 | Adam Agaev | United States | 5,940,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Farzad Bonyadi | United States | 5,775,000 | 39 |
Several accomplished players remain in contention, led by Larry Quang (8,400,000), who has accumulated more than $1.5 million in live tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. Four-time bracelet winner Farzad Bonyadi (5,775,000) also returns with a formidable stack, alongside bracelet winner Fred Goldberg (5,800,000). Matthew Yorra (2,700,000), who has more than $1 million in recorded live tournament earnings, secured a spot among the survivors, while Peter Kamaras (2,400,000), whose career earnings exceed $1.5 million, also remains in the hunt.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $660,000 | 9 | $70,030 | |
| 2 | $450,000 | 10-11 | $54,600 | |
| 3 | $337,000 | 12-13 | $43,400 | |
| 4 | $254,000 | 14-17 | $34,600 | |
| 5 | $193,000 | 18-25 | $28,000 |
While several notable players fell short of advancing, they did manage to secure a payday for their efforts. Among those reaching the money were bracelet winner Christopher Bell ($22,600), Lee Markholt ($5,700), and 25K Fantasy Draft selections Mark Gregorich ($5,700), Matt Glantz ($5,700), and John Wasnock ($6,500). Yoon Kim ($5,700) also recorded a cash before being eliminated.
Action resumes Friday, June 19th at 11:00 a.m. local time, promising another thrilling day of poker with scheduled breaks and escalating blinds. The goal is to play down to five players. Breaks will occur every two levels for 15-minutes, and a 60-minute dinner break is scheduled after level 36 at approximately 5:30 p.m.
For live updates straight from the tournament floor, stay tuned to PokerNews for comprehensive coverage of Event #46, the $1,000 Seniors Championship.
Play on Day 3 has wrapped, with 25 players still in the hunt for the title.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for a recap of today's drama-filled action, which will be posted shortly.
In the next-to-the-last hand of the night, Todd German raised to 425,000 from middle position. Adam Agaev called from the small blind.
Boutros Awad moved all in from the big blind with 2,675,000 chips.
German called and Agaev folded.
Boutros Awad: 9♣9♥
Todd German: K♠K♦
Awad called for a set, because he alleged he hadn't had one all day, but one didn't come this time either. The runout of J♥A♣10♣8♠2♦ did give him an open-ended straight draw on the turn, but in the end he was the last player to bust out on Day 3.
The remaining 26 players are on their last three hands before the day ends.
Heads-up play was ongoing in a pot of 1,500,000. The board displayed 9♥6♣K♥A♦. Farzad Bonyadi checked, prompting Bryan Hyden to fire 600,000. Bonyadi replied with an all-in shove for 7,500,000, covering what Hyden had left behind.
Hyden went into the tank, struggling to decided what his next action would be. He then pushed all his chips forward for a call.
Bryan Hyden: A♣Q♦
Farzad Bonyadi: A♥5♥
Both players hit a pair of aces on the turn but Hyden had the better kicker. The J♦ river fell, doubling Hyden up in the last few minutes of the day.
Yossi Maymon raised to 300,000 under the gun.
After action folded to her, Olga Varkonyi moved all in from the big blind with some 2,600,000 chips. Maymon made the call.
Olga Varkonyi: 9♣6♣
Yossi Maymon: 9♥9♦
The Q♥A♦2♣7♥K♣ runout couldn't save Varkonyi from the misstep.
Stefan Vogt open-jammed for 2,575,000 in late position and Keith Romer in the small blind called, taking them to showdown.
Stefan Vogt: J♥J♠
Keith Romer: A♠A♣
Romer's aces held up on the 6♦Q♠10♦3♦4♥ to send Vogt out of the tournament on the last level of the day.