LIVE EVENTS

Natalya Goldis started the day as the short stack at the table, but she outlasted most of her opponents thanks to solid, timely plays. She benefited from a much-needed double up early in the afternoon and was able to capitalize on some premium hands after that.

When play went three-handed, she moved all in from her button with , only to run into Bradley Smith’s in the big blind. The board ran out , meaning that Smith’s kicker played, eliminating Goldis in third place.

Goldis will collect $58,534 and a WPT Montreal Main Event ticket for her strong showing in this event.

Rodney Ramalho did his best despite a cold run of cards at the final table. Ramalho managed to stay out of trouble throughout the early going, but, at some point, he knew he had to take a shot at stealing some chips. So, he took his chances with an all in from the button while holding , only to run into Mathyeu Provost’s in the big blind. The board was of no help to Ramalho, who left the final table in fourth place.

Ramalho earned himself $54,634 and a Main Event entry for his deep run.

Shortly after Kevin Bergeron’s elimination, Tzu Sheng Huang was the next to hit the rail.

His final hand came in a battle of the blinds against Mathyeu Provost. After the action folded to him, Provost moved all in from his small blind. Huang peeled his cards to see , slowly lifting them in the air as he advised Provost that he was being slowrolled, eventually dropping the Big Slick on the felt along with a handful of chips. Provost tabled his , as both players waited to see the board with bated breath. In keeping with the theme of the final table, it proved to be Provost’s board, as it ran out , giving Provost the win with a pair of sixes.

Huang will pocket $70,233 and a WPT Montreal Main Event entry for his final table appearance.

Following the ICM chop of the remaining prize pool, the prospect of laddering up the payout scale was no longer a concern for the remaining players, and collecting all the chips became the only goal. This dynamic led to a series of preflop all ins, beginning with Kevin Bergeron.

Mathyeu Provost, the chip leader, opened the action by moving all in. It folded around to Bergeron, who found a hand he felt comfortable calling with. Everyone else got out of the way so hands could be tabled.

Provost:

Bergeron:

Board:

The flop was too much for Bergeron to overcome, and he made his exit in sixth place, collecting $58,734 and a WPT Montreal Main Event entry in the process.

Following Stephane Nadot’s elimination in seventh place, the remaining players entered negotiations for an ICM chop of the remaining prize pool.

After receiving the numbers, a brief discussion ensued before the players agreed unanimously. There will be $40,000 taken from the remaining prize pool and reserved for the eventual champion. Also, all the remaining players will receive entries to the WPT Montreal Main Event.

The top six finishers agreed to the following payouts:

Stephane Nadot went through a series of highs and lows at the final table, and his run has ended in seventh place.

His final hand came in a battle of the blinds against Bradley Smith. With the blinds at 300K/600K, Smith moved all in from his small blind after the action was folded to him. Nadot woke up with a premium hand and made the insta-call.

Smith:

Nadot:

Board:

Smith’s pair of tens on the turn gave him the lead, and Nadot missed his outs on the river, ending his WPT500 run. Nadot earned himself $25,000 and an entry to the WPT Montreal Main Event for his deep run.

Shawn Buchanan brought a focused approach to the final table, playing his spots carefully, but his run has ended.

Buchanan folded for most of the early action but found ways to stay ahead of the blinds thanks to the few pots he was able to take down without showdown. When he finally got action with a strong hand, his luck ran out.

His final hand came when Mathyeu Provost, now the clear chip leader, opened the action by moving all in. Buchanan quickly followed suit, and the players in the blinds folded.

Provost:

Buchanan:

Board:

Provost improved to a straight, ending Buchanan’s WPT500 run in eighth place. Buchanan will collect $20,000 and a WPT Montreal Main Event entry for his deep run.

It took more than two hours of play, but there has just been an elimination at the final table.

Michael Pitcher started the day with a relatively short stack and was given a cold run of cards at the final table. He waited patiently for the cards to cooperate, but they never did. After folding down to less than two big blinds, Pitcher was forced to move all in from under the gun, picking up calls from Mathyeu Provost, on the button, and Bradley Smith, in the big blind.

Provost and Smith checked down, and hands were tabled following the runout. Provost and Smith ended up chopping the pot, as they each held an ace, which got the best of Pitcher’s .

Pitcher will collect $15,000 and an entry into the $3,000 + $300 WPT Montreal Main Event for his final table appearance.

Play has just resumed following the first break of the day, and Mathyeu Provost has taken the chip lead at the final table.

Provost was able to secure a double up in the first orbit and has continued his winning ways since. Since taking down a big pot without showdown shortly after his double up, Provost has managed his chips carefully. He managed to take down a few small pots and has avoided paying off any of the numerous short stack all ins.

When play began, Stephane Nadot had the second largest stack at the final table. But, as tournament players know, things can change very quickly once the blinds reach nosebleed heights, which was the case for Nadot this afternoon.

After doubling up Tzy Sheng Huang and losing a big pot to Mathyeu Provost, Nadot saw his stack reduced to one of the smallest at the table. Since then, he has survived two all ins. In both cases, the chips went in preflop and Nadot was able to hit the board to get the best of his opponent.

In the first instance, with the blinds at 200K/400K, Nadot was down to only two big blinds, and he called off his stack on the button following Huang’s opening raise to 800K. The big blind, Kevin Bergeron, made the call. Huang and Bergeron quickly checked down so hands could be tabled following the runout. The river made all the difference, as Nadot had and rivered a set, one he needed to keep his run alive. The second time around, Nadot’s got the best of Rodney Ramalho’s following a preflop all in. Nadot hit an eight in the window, and that was good enough to beat Ramalho’s sailboats.

After nearly 30 minutes of play at the final table, all the finalists are still in contention, however, the chips have shifted significantly.

Mathyeu Provost doubled up during the first orbit, following his open jam with . He had unfortunate timing and ran into pocket kings held by Tzy Sheng Huang, but he was fortunate enough to take the lead thanks to an ace-high flop. Provost’s hand held through the runout, giving him an early double up.

On the following hand, Huang reclaimed the chips he lost thanks to a double up through Stephane Nadot. It was all in preflop, with Huang’s getting the best of Nadot’s thanks to a four on the river.

Shortly after, Natalya Goldis doubled up her short stack, again at Nadot’s expense, when the two were all in on a flop. Each player held an ace, but Natalya’s improved to a flush thanks to the river.

Nadot held the chip lead when play began, but he now finds himself as one of the shorter stacks at the table. Rodney Ramalho has stayed out of the fray, preserving his stack and becoming the chip leader in the process.