It was another busy day at the World Series of Poker Saturday as yet another bracelet was awarded and four other tournaments took place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. In Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed, Matt Matros bested a tough final table to collect his third bracelet in as many years. Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em saw Manuel Bevand close Day 2 leading a stacked field of 17. Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz started with only 174 players, but at the end of the day only 18 remained with Brandon Cantu on top and Phil Hellmuth not far behind. Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em began Saturday as 2,302 fresh players hit the felt with a bracelet in mind. Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold’em also began Saturday with 166 players hitting the felt in search of a bracelet as well.
Event #16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
Nine players returned Saturday to finish up things in Event #16. Among them were Mike Matusow, who hoped to add some more hardware to his collection, and Matt Glantz, who was hoping to capture that elusive first bracelet. But it was Matt Matros who would walk home with the bracelet and $454,835 for first place.
Matusow was the second player to hit the rail Saturday. Early in the day he lost a huge flip when his 
could not hold up against another player’s 
. He was riding the short stack after that and eventually got all his chips in with 
against his opponent’s 
. The flop rolled out 
and left Matusow searching for running straight cards. The turn was the 
and Matusow was drawing dead. The on the river was meaningless and Matusow would have to settle for a $40,059 consolation prize for eigth place.
Glantz was the next go in seventh place. Only a few hands after Matusow’s elimination, Glantz found himself in a similar spot, except this time Glantz was holding and his opponent held 
. The flop fell 
and left Glantz nearly drawing dead. The 
turn sealed the deal as no card could come on the river to save Glantz. He hit the rail in seventhth, and collected $40,059 for his efforts.
In the end it was Matros and Mark Radoja who found themselves heads-up for the bracelet. The two pros began the match almost even in chips and traded the chip lead back and forth several times. Toward the end of the match, Matros was able to grab the lead when he turned two pair and got paid off.
On the last hand of the night, Radoja raised to 100,000 on the button, and Matros called. The flop fell 
and Matros check-called another 100,000. The turn was the 
and this time Matros took initiative by betting 175,000. Radoja then raised it up to 475,000, and Matros moved all in after a moment of thinking. Radoja quickly called and his 
was in good shape as he had turned a straight, but Matros held the 
and was drawing live to a flush. The river was the 
and Matros made the winning flush on the river to end the match. For his second place finish, Radoja received $281,502.
This is Matros’ third bracelet. In 2010, Matros won a bracelet in a $1,500 Limit Hold’em event for $189,870, and in 2011 he also won a $2,500 Mixed Limit Hold’em event for $303,501.
To see all the exciting action from today’s final table, or all the hands from the rest of the tournament, make sure you check out the live reporting blog.
Event #17: $2,500 Seven Card Razz
The day began with 174 players looking to make the money in Event #17. But of those 174, only 36 would get there. The bubble burst after eight levels, and at the end of the day only 18 players bagged up chips for the final day. Brandon Cantu was at the top of the leaderboard with 298,500, and Phil Hellmuth was following close behind with 287,500.
Among those to hit the rail Saturday without making any money were Tommy Vedes, Stephen Su, Linda Johnson, Tom Schneider, Andy Bloch, Greg Raymer and Tom McEvoy. Squeaking into the bottom rungs of the pay ladder were Ted Forrest, Allen Bari, Joe Tehan and Sam Grizzle.
Today’s unluckiest player was Xuan Liu, who after two excruciating days of razz torture found herself eliminated on the bubble. Hellmuth completed with an 
showing. Scott Clements raised with his 
and Liu made the call with her 
, as did Hellmuth. On fourth street, Clements bet again to have both opponents call. Liu took the lead on fifth street and she and Hellmuth both checked, prompting another bet from Clements. Again, Hellmuth and Liu called. Liu took initiative on sixth street and bet out, only to have Hellmuth fold, and Clements call. On seventh street, Liu bet her last 5,900, and Clements made the call. Liu was showing 
/ 
/
for a seven low, but Clements had rivered a wheel with 
/ /. With that, Liu was eliminated on the bubble and walked away with nothing. The rest of the field earned at least $4,885 for their efforts.
The final 18 players will return Sunday and play down until only one is left. Also still alive are Barry Greenstein, Scott Fischman, Dan O’Brien and Jared Bleznick. First place will walk away with the bracelet and $182,793. Players will return at 1400 PDT (2200 BST) Sunday to battle for the title.
Make sure you don’t miss any action at Sunday’s final table! Check out the live reporting blog.
Event #18: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em
It was moving day for the final 69 players in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em event. Leading the final 17 players into Sunday’s finale is Manuel Bevand with 961,000 chips, but also still alive are Phil Ivey, Hoyt Corkins, Shaun Deeb, Antonio Esfandiari and David Benyamine.
The unlucky bubble boy was Farzad Bonyadi. With just 19 players left, Bonyadi moved all in with pocket fives and was called by his opponents . An ace on the river would end Bonyadi’s day and send him home as the last player to walk home empty-handed.
Also not making any money Saturday were Matt Giannetti, Gavin Smith, Erick Lindgren, Shannon Shorr, John Juanda, Kevin MacPhee, Liv Boeree, Andrew Lichtenberger,Humberto Brenes , and many others.
Shaun Deeb was one player making a lot of noise on Saturday, mostly by winning huge pots all day long. In one such pot, Deeb and Nabih Zaczac got all the money in on an 
flop with Zaczac holding the and Deeb holding the 
. The turn and the river were very kind bricks for Deeb and he was able to scoop a huge pot and a commanding chip lead. Although Deeb couldn’t hold the chip lead going into Day 3, he ended play with a very healthy 396,000 chips.
The final 17 players will return Sunday at 1300 PDT (2100 BST) Sunday in order to crown a champion. With a bracelet and $445,899 going to first place, action is sure to be fierce all day long.
To make sure you don’t miss any of the exciting hands from the conclusion of the tournament, stay tuned in to the live reporting blog.
Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Over 2,000 players registered for Saturday’s $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, creating a prize pool just over $3 million and a $559,514 first prize. Players narrowly avoided hitting the money bubble Saturday as the day ended with just 262 players, with the top 243 players earning a small pay day. Leading the pack at the end of day one was Jessica Bertrand Hanna with 149,500 chips. Also in the top ten chip counts were John Dolan with 93,000 and one of PokerNews‘ WSOP Rookie Roundup players Harrison Gimble with 85,500 chips.
Among those not to make it on to Day 2 were David "Doc" Sands, Jason Mercier, Angel Guillen, Layne Flack, Eric Baldwin, Paul Wasicka, Allen Kessler, and Tommy Vedes.
Men ‘The Master” Nguyen was another player not to move on to Day 2. Men got all his chips in on a 
flop with 
and was called by his opponent’s . The turn and the river were both bricks, and Nguyen hit the rail just short of the money.
Some of the notable players returning to action for the second day of play are actor James Woods, Lauren Kling, David Peters and Cliff Josephy. Players will return at 1400 PDT (2200 BST) and could very well play down to a final table.
Sunday is moving day so make sure you keep a close eye on the live reporting blog.
Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold’em
Event #20 is the richest limit hold’em tournament of the 2012 World Series of Poker and 166 players showed up to partake in all the fun. Defendinf champion Daniel Idema and current WSOP Player of the Year points leader John Monnette were among the many pros in the field, but Monnette was unable to add any points to his total as he busted early. Idema is still alive but short stacked with only 3,500 chips remaining.
David Chiu, Carlos Mortensen, Maria Ho, John Racener and Dan Kelly all joined Monnette on the rail Saturday. Some of the notable players who did survive the day were Jason Mercier, Dwyte Pilgrim, Terrence Chan, Mori Eskandani, Huck Seed and Daniel Negreanu.
Negreanu was lucky enough to double at the end of the night to remain in contention. In the hand, Negreanu and the big and small blind both saw a flop of 
. All three players checked and saw the fall on the turn. The small blind checked, the big blind bet, and Negreanu put in his last chip. Negreanu’s opponent showed 
for two pair and a straight draw, but Negreanu had flopped the nuts with . The river was the 
and Negreanu was able to score a crucial double up to 7,600 chips.
Action will resume Sunday at 1400 PDT (2200 BST). Only 18 players will make the money, with first place receiving $206,760 and the coveted gold bracelet.
Be sure to check into the live reporting blog for all the important flops, turns, and rivers throughout the day.
On Tap
On Sunday, Event #17: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em and Event #18: $2,500 Seven Card Razz will both play down to a winner before the night is over. Event #19: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em and Event #20: $5,000 Limit Hold’em will each play down past their respective money bubbles. Also beginning Sunday are Event #21: $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em and Event #22: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.
To make sure you’re up to date on all of Sunday’s hands and action, keep a close eye on our live reporting blog for up to the minute updates.
Video of the Day
The video of the day features one Liv Boeree, one Sarah Grant, and one broken ankle. What we get is another great story on how Boeree injured herself, an anatomy quiz and a run down on her new modes of transportation.
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