The $3,800 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Choctaw Championship reached its final table of six on Monday evening in Durant, Oklahoma. There were many exciting hands that helped bring the tournament to this point.
Play will resume and conclude May 30 in Las Vegas. James Mackey, a 2016 Choctaw champion, has the chip lead, while Eric Afriat, fourth in chips, is attempting to join Darren Elias as the only four-time WPT champions.
Let’s take a look at some of the best hands from the event as recorded by the WPT’s live reporting staff.
Can Eric Afriat Catch Darren Elias at WPT Choctaw Final Table?
Vladyslav Shovkovyi Bubbles Final Table
The blind level was 75,000-125,000 with a 125,000 ante when the final table bubble broke on Day 3.
Adam Hendrix raised to 250,000 from the button with pocket tens, James Mackey completed the small blind, and Vladyslav Shovkovyi shoved for 3,225,000. Hendrix then moved all in over the top of Shovkovyi, pushing Mackey out of the hand.
Shovkovyi tabled A♣10♣. Mackey’s tens had held. The board missed both players, sending Shovkovyi to collect his 7th-place check for $58,000.
Lindgren Coolers Castro
In a hand early on Day 3, Erick Lindgren started the action with a raise to 65,000. Castro called from the small blind with A♥10♥.
Castro then checked his heart-flush draw on the flop of K♥Q♠7♥. Lindgren bet 50,000 and Castro came back with a semi-bluff raise to 165,000. It took Lindgren a while to call but eventually he put his chips in the middle too and the dealer dealt the 4♦ on the turn.
Castro moved in for 405,000 effective—he covered Lindgren by another 115,000. Lindgren called and turned over pocket kings for a set.
Castro needed a jack for the straight or a heart for the flush. He got the latter but unfortunately, it was the Q♥, pairing the board and giving Lindgren a full house. Castro remained in the game, but he started the next hand with just four big blinds.
Kasey Lyn Mills Wins a Pre-flop Cooler
On Day 2, Kasey Mills got herself into a big hand with Eric Afriat.
Afriat started the hand with pocket queens, raising the bet to 40,000. Mills used a timebank in the small blind before deciding to move all in for 235,000. Afriat, with a stack of a little over 1.1 million, called the bet and showed his hand. Mills had his queens beat with pocket kings. The first card off the deck was the K♥, giving Mills a set.
Two more hearts on the board gave Afriat some hope of backdooring a flush, but the river was the 8♣ and Mills doubled up. She went on to take 34th place in the tournament, earning $13,300.
King on the River for Marx Leaves Afriat with Crumbs
On Day 3 with 11 players left and the dinner break coming up, Danny Marx looked down at K♠Q♠ in the cutoff. He raised the 80,000 big blind to 160,000 and got a call from Afriat to his immediate left.
The blinds folded and the dealer flipped the flop to show 7♠6♣3♠. With two overcards and a strong flush-draw Marx checked, then moved all in for 1,255,000 when Afriat bet.
Afriat called reluctantly, showing the A♠6♠ and saying, “I have no choice.”
To his surprise, Afriat was ahead. He just needed to dodge a king or a queen. The turn was the 3♥, but a king on the river allowed Marx to seize the pot.
Marx collected 3,110,000 leaving, Afriat with just 7 big blinds (560,000).
Mackey’s Sneaky Check on the River Doesn’t Work
With just seven players left and blinds at 75,000-125,000 with a 125,000 ante James Mackey mixed things up by raising 10♦6♦ to 250,000 from under the gun. He got two calls, Sebastien Aube on the button and Adam Hendrix in the big blind.
The flop was ideal for Mackey, coming down as 10♥8♣6♣ and giving him two-pair. Hendrix checked, allowing Mackey to bet 450,000. Aube called and Hendrix folded.
The turn was the 3♣ and Mackey check-called Aube’s bet of 650,000.
The river was the 6♥, giving Mackey a full house. Mackey took a moment to work out how to get the most out of his hand, opting to slowplay with a check. However, Aube was having none of it, checking his hand and then chucking it away when Mackey said, “I got it.”
*Images courtesy of the World Poker Tour/Enrique Malfavon.