Richard Ashby brought-in for 2,000 and Bruno Portaro made the call before leading fourth street with Ashby calling.
Fifth street was checked as sixth street brought a bet from Ashby as Portaro made the call. Portaro fired out on seventh and Ashby made the call with both boards reading as follows.
Ashby: (X)(X) / / (X)
Portaro: (X)(X) / / (X)
Portaro tabled his for trips and collected the first major pot of the heads up duel.
Bruno Portaro brought in and Richard Ashby completed with Portaro making the call. Portaro called a bet on fourth before leading on fifth to take down the pot.
Richard Ashby and Bruno Portaro have agreed to take a 10-minute break before commencing their heads-up battle for the title. Time to go and get some fresh air, people!
Casey Kastle brought-in for 2,000 and Richard Ashby made the call before Bruno Portaro completed to 6,000. Kastle made it 12,000 as Ashby passed and Portaro capped it at 18,000.
On fourth street, Kastle found himself all in for his last 5,100 with Portaro making the call as both player's boards ran out as follows.
Kastle: / / (X)
Portaro: / / (X)
On seventh, Portaro flipped his to still be in the lead with his two-pair, but for Kastle, he still had plenty of outs to remain alive with any ace, queen, eight, six or deuce to scoop the pot, or any seven, five, four or three to see him retain half.
Unfortunately for the Slovenian, his seventh street was the , which saw him exit in the tournament in third place for a AUD$10,880 payday.
Richard Ashby continues his fine form at this final table, but Bruno Portaro has finally managed to take a pot off his adversary!
Portaro brought-in and Kastle raised before Ashby reraised, forcing Portaro out of the way. Kastle called, then both players checked on fourth street before Kastle opened on fifth street. Ashby called and then Kastle check-folded on sixth street, surrendering the pot to Ashby.
Ashby: (X)(X) /
Kastle: (X)(X) / (folded on sixth)
In the next hand, Kastle brought-in and Ashby raised before Portaro reraised which saw Kastle fold his hand before Ashby called, but after they checked fourth street, Ashby check-folded to Portaro, who needless to say, was ecstatic.
"Make sure you put that in the blog, in black and white," Portaro said. "I finally took a pot off Ashby!"
Portaro: (X)(X) /
Ashby: (X)(X) / (folded on fifth)
Bruno Portaro brought-in for 2,000 and Casey Kastle made the call showing a as Richard Ashby completed to 6,000. Portaro called and Kastle passed as Portaro took the lead on fourth and fifth street before sixth and seventh was checked through.
Portaro: (X)(X) / / (X)
Ashby: (X)(X) / / (X)
Portaro tabled his , but it would be Ashby's that would see him collect the pot and send Portaro down to 80,000 in chips.
Richard Ashby opened his button to 10,000 before Daniel Ospina committed his last 16,200 as Ashby made the call.
Ashby:
Ospina:
The flop wasn't the best one that Ospina was hoping for, but the on the turn gave him plenty of outs to scoop - or at least capture half the pot.
Unfortunately for the Full Tilt Poker miniFTOPS Champion - who plays under the moniker of DazzleO - the river of the would end his tournament in fourth place for an AUD$6,800 payday as Ashby soars out to 550,000 in chips.
In case you were wondering, yes, Daniel Ospina and Casey Kastle are still here, but it's Bruno Portaro and Richard Ashby that are doing most of the betting and we've just caught another couple of hands that they've clashed in.
Portaro limped in from under the gun and Ospina folded from the button before Kastle completed the small blind. Ashby checked to go three ways into a flop that read and Kastle checked before Ashby opened.
Portaro called and Kastle mucked, making it heads-up to the turn of the , where Ashby check-called Portaro's bet before both players checked the river of the . Portaro showed and Ashby mucked.
In the very next hand, Ospina raised from under the gun, Kastle folded from the button and Ashby and Portaro called from the small and big blind respectively before Ashby led out on the flop of . Portaro raised, Ospina folded and Ashby called before check-calling Portaro on the turn of the .
Ashby then opened when the dealer produced the on the river; Portaro called, but slapped his cards down into the muck after Ashby revealed to scoop the pot. Ashby is now well beyond 400,000 in chips and in prime position to take this title down!