The two remaining players spent the last few minutes talking numbers and it appears they've reached a deal. There's still $3.275 million left on the table for the two men, and they've decided to take $1.5 million apiece off the top and lock it up in the bank. The other $275,000 will be the winner's purse, and whichever of them ends up as champion will be a well deserving one.
There's also a gorgeous PCA Main Event trophy, a shiny Shamballa bracelet, and eternal bragging rights at stake.
The two gents should be back in their chairs and ready for the final battle in just a few minutes.
Kyle Julius shoved from the small blind with and Faraz Jaka called all in from the big blind with for 2,225,000.
Jaka was ahead and had the chance to get back to about a 15-big-blind stack, but the flop fell to put Julius in the lead with a pair of kings. The turn made two pair for Julius, leaving Jaka drawing to only a queen to stay alive. The river was too little too late for Jaka, out in third place for $755,000.
We're not sure what else to title this whale of a pot.
Still very short on chips, Faraz Jaka found , and he opened the pot with a small raise to 625,000. Next door, John Dibella found a better pair of , and he three-bet to 1.8 million flat. You won't believe it, but Kyle Julius had a pair in the big blind, too �� and it was ! He decided to make a flat-call, and Jaka gave a long look. It seems he may have smelled the trouble, because he mucked out of the way and let the other two go at it.
Just to make this hand even more amazing, Dibella caught lightning in a bottle on the flop, snagging his set to take a big lead. He checked, though, and Julius put out the bet of 1.1 million. Dibella flatted that bet, and Julius made the same 1.1-million chip bet on the river. With a full house now, Dibella let out a sigh of feigned uncertainty, then check-raised to 2.5 million. Julius didn't waste much time shoving all in, and Dibella called off the rest of his stack, two cards from a huge double.
Julius could hardly believe the bad news when Dibella tabled his hand, but he still had four outs to make a better full house and drag the monster pot.
The river was the blank , though, and Dibella has leapfrogged all the way into the chip lead.
On the button, Kyle Julius found and stuck out a raise to 700,000. Next door, Faraz Jaka was dealt a fairly good hand of his own, the . He decided a reraise was in order, and he stacked up 1.85 million and made that three-bet.
"Pull it in?" Julius asked, and the dealer did so. But he wanted to play for more, and he raised it right back up to 3.095 million to send the decision back to Jaka. After just a couple moments, he five-bet shoved, and Julius snap-called all in for 10.47 million. Jaka knew that he was likely not in good shape, and his dominated hand had him five cards from a crippling blow.
The flop was not at all good for Jaka's chances, and he needed to go runner-runner to avoid doubling Julius. The on the turn left Jaka drawing dead, and the river was meaningless.
That's a monster pot for Julius and the biggest double of his life. It vaults him all the way up over 21 million, and Jaka is left with less than 1.5 million with which to try and mount a comeback.
After the hand, Julius tried to make small talk as he stacked the pot, but Jaka was having none of it.
"I mean, what do you want me to do, man?" he half-snapped. Understandably a bit grumpy, Jaka has his work cut out for him now.
Kyle Julius limped from the small blind with and Faraz Jaka checked his option with .
They both paired up on the flop as it came down and Julius check-called 425,000. They checked the turn and river with Jaka earning the pot with a pair of kings.
Faraz Jaka raised the small blind with , and John Dibella flatted with the in the big.
The flop came out , and Jaka made a continuation bet of 925,000. Dibella stacked out the call, then added another million to it and made a raise to 1.925 million. Jaka let it go after just a few seconds, and Dibella is closing the gap between he and the other two.