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Two hands saw David "Bakes" Baker tangle with the ladies, and it was a mixed bag for one of the game's rising stars.
First, Baker called bets on all three streets with the board reading 
, but he mucked when Jeff Thompson turned over the 
.
Shortly thereafter, Baker and Danny Le got four bets in on the turn, with the board showing 
, and after the two tapped the table on the 
river, Baker's 
was good for the win.
Juha Helppi raised before the flop, and called when Danny Le made it three bets to play.
Helppi then check called all three streets on the 
board, and his 
was good against Le's 
.
The win put Helppi back in a reasonable chip position after he had slid a bit to start the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
390,000
-31,000
|
-31,000 |
|
||
|
175,000
-25,000
|
-25,000 |
|
||
Mike Watson opened the action with a raise, and it folded all the way around to Danny Warchol in the big blind. He reraised, and Watson called to see a flop of 
come down. Warchol bet out, and Watson made the call. The 
on the turn lit the fuse. Warchol checked to Watson, who fired out. Warchol then check raised, and Watson three bet it. Warchol called, and the hit the river. Warchol bet out, and Watson raised, which was for most of his chips. Warchol instantly called, and Watson rolled over 
for the ace high flush.
Warchol shot out of his chair and quickly flashed 
for top two pair before mucking. Watson jumped up to 200,000 after that one, while Warchol is still doing fine with 410,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
410,000
-60,000
|
-60,000 |
|
200,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
||
Jon Seaman raised it up, and Jeff Thompson was the lone caller. The flop came down 
, and Thompson checked to Seaman, who fired out. Thompson check raised, and Seaman made the call. The turn was the 
, and Thompson bet out again. Seaman quickly gathered up his chips, and moved all in, a bet of 11,000 more. Thompson then went into the tank, snapping his chips a couple of times, and after about 90 seconds in the tank, he folded, giving Seaman a much needed pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
135,000
-36,000
|
-36,000 |
|
85,000
26,000
|
26,000 |
With the flop reading 
, Jeff Thompson bet out and David "Bakes" Baker called. On the turn, the action repeated, as it did on the river.
Thompson flipped up the , but Naker revealed the 
for a higher pair, and the pot was pushed his way.
After his stack had dwindled to start the day, Jason Rivkin got his last few bets in before the flop, raising his button and calling when Mike Schiffman made it three bets to play.
Showdown:
Rivkin:
Schiffman: 
Rivkin was dominated headed to the flop, and when the dealer spread the 
across the table, he stood to make his exit from the tournament area. The turn (
) and river () brought no miracles, and Rivkin hit the rail in 12th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Jason Rivkin opened the action with a raise, and it folded around to the big blind, Danny Warchol. He three bet it, and Rivkin called. From there, Warchol bet every street of a 
board, and Rivkin called the whole way. Warchol tabled for top pair, and Rivkin shot out of his chair, and said "Jesus!" before tabling . After losing that pot, Rivkin is down to just 30,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
470,000
53,000
|
53,000 |
|
|
30,000
-58,000
|
-58,000 |
The cards are now in the air for Day 3!
Level: 19
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante: 0
While the game of Limit Hold'em has been surpassed by No-Limit in terms of global popularity, two days of exciting action on the felt here at Event #48 ($2,500 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed) have shown that the traditional variant is still a game for highly skilled players. The "all-in and pray" maneuver so common to No-Limit games has been abandoned in favor of a methodical, systematic approach to poker's many nuances, including betting patterns, value extraction, and hand reading ability. As if to prove that Limit Hold'em is a game for the pro's pro, four longtime grinders have reached the final two tables of this event: Marco Johnson (340,000), Maria Ho (291,000), Juha Helppi (200,000), and David "Bakes" Baker (178,000).
The tournament began with 343 runners taking their shot two days ago, and after 18 grueling levels of limit action, 12 players have emerged from the fray. Along with the decorated poker stars mentioned above, Danny Le (421,000) has stamped his name on the event, taking the chip lead by the end of both Day 1 and Day 2, while circuit grinder Paul Mattioda is hoping to make the transition from the minor leagues to The Show.
Along the way, several notable names came and went, including Phil Hellmuth, Kenna James, David Chiu, Barry Greenstein, defending champion Ronnie Bardah, the "Italian Pirate" Max Pescatori, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner (32nd), former WSOP Player of the Year Jeffrey Lisandro (30th), and inspirational story Hal Lubarsky (23rd place), who is legally blind and played alongside his assistant Arnie Williams. With the Big One for One Drop high-roller event being played concurrently to this event, many of the game's sharpest pros saw Event #48 as a chance to extract some added value from the summer, and the roster was packed full of familiar faces.
Play begins at 2 p.m. local time, so take a minute to check out the PokerNews Daily Update video, presented by the lovely Sarah Grant, and then stick right here throughout the day for continuous coverage live from the floor of the Rio!
