J.C. Tran Eliminated in 7th Place ($199,820)
J.C. Tran moves all in preflop for $220,000, and then Al Ardebili reraises over-the-top all in for $375,000. The action goes to John D'Agostino, who considers calling in this spot. He says out loud that any reasonable person would fold in this spot, but he feels like gambling. D'Agostino calls as well.
Now, if two players were eliminated, we would actually start the WPT Final Table with just five players. It would be an interesting start to a final day. But when they show their cards, the odds are against him.
Tran shows pocket queens (Qc-Qs), Ardebili shows pocket aces (Ad-Ah), and D'Agostino shows Ac-Jc. He's clearly hoping for clubs, and he calls for them. The dealer puts out a flop of 8c-4c-4d. D'Agostino is two-thirds of the way there.
Ardebili is still in the lead with the pocket aces, but he needs to dodge 10 outs (clubs and queens) to win. Tran is looking for a queen or bust. And D'Agostino can still catch a club (except the ace of clubs) to eliminate two players in one hand, to kick off a five-player final table tomorrow. (Actually, it's scheduled for later today, just twelve hours from now.)
The turn card is the 6d. The same rules apply -- Tran needs a queen, D'Agostino needs a club, and Ardebili wins on everything else.
The river card is the Jd.
Ardebili claps his hands in triumph, as J.C. Tran receives weak congratulations for finishing as the unfortunate TV bubble boy. The other players are thrilled that they have reached the final table, while J.C. Tran will take home $199,820 for his seventh-place finish.
The players must now verify their chip counts, and receive scheduled interview times with the WPT crew before the final table. The final table will be starting about 5:00 pm, and you can catch all of the action, hand-by-hand, right here on CardPlayer.com.
