Two full tables began the day at Caesars Indiana with eighteen players hoping to be the one who had all the chips at the end of the day. The fast pace of play quickly brought these eighteen down to the nine player final table.
Michael Iacovone was the first elimination of the final table, falling when he was all-in and facing two players, Benjamin Hock and Dale Poynter, for his tournament life while holding [Qh][5h]. There was no action on the flop of [As][10h][2c], but Poynter bet when the turn fell [9h]. Hock withdrew from the hand and Poynter turned up his [Ad][9d] for two pair, and the [10c] on the river sealed Iacovone’s doom. Michael Iacovone finished in ninth place, winning $11,129.
Jerry Martin was the next to head for the rail, facing two opponents after moving all-in with [Ac][Qh]. Steve Merrifield and Jason Mann checked down the board of [Kd][Jh][9h][9d][Qh] and Mann showed [Kh][10d] for a winning straight. Jerry Martin earned $16,693 for his eighth place finish.
In a big hand, Benjamin Hock reraised preflop and found a caller in Giovanni Marcacci. Both players checked the flop of [Jc][7c][4d], but action would ensue when Hock bet on the [Ac] turn. Marcacci raised and Hock responded by reraising all-in, which Marcacci called for all of his chips. Marcacci turned over pocket fours for bottom set, but unfortunately for him, Hock turned over pocket jacks for top set. The one remaining four didn’t come on the river, and Marcacci was gone in seventh place, earning $22,258.
Jason Mann was eliminated in sixth place after his [Ad][Ks] hit a pair of kings on a flop of [Kd][Qs][6h]. Mann bet but was raised all-in by Poynter, and Mann made the call. Poytner turned over pocket sixes for a set, and no help came for Mann on the [8s] turn and the [9h] river. Mann took home $27,822 for his performance.
Poynter would quickly claim another victim in Benjamin Hock. Hock pushed all-in with pocket jacks and Poynter made the call with his [Ad][Qh]. Poynter ended up making a flush when the board ran out [7d][3h][2d][4d][6d], and Hock would head home in fifth place with $33,387.
Doug Carli finished in fourth place after he raised all-in over a Steve Merrifield raise only to have Wilbur Futhey move all-in himself. Merrifield folded, leaving Carli as the only one at risk of going out. Both players flipped their cards, Carli holding [Ac][Jc] and Futhey holding [As][Kh]. A king hit the flop to further secure Futhey’s dominating hand and Carli did not get enough clubs for a flush. Carli would earn $44,516 for his fourth place performance.
Dale Poynter would leave in third place after he moved all-in preflop with [Kc][Jh] and received a call from Steve Merrifield, who was holding [Ah][9h]. The board of [As][8h][7c][9h][Qc] helped Merrifield’s hand improve while helping Poynter not at all. Poynter took home $55,645 for falling two spots short of a championship.
Heads-up play started with a rush, as Wilbur Futhey immediately doubled up to take the lead, then let Merrifield double up to bring the chip stacks very close together. The tournament ended when Futhey reraised his entire stack with [Ac][Ks] and Merrifield called with a dominated hand of [As][10c]. The flop of [Qc][Qs][6s] helped neither player, but the turn flipped the hand in Merrifield’s favor when the [10h] fell. However, his fortunes would quickly reverse again when the [Jc] fell on the river to give Futhey a straight. Merrifield would take home $94,596 for his runner-up performance.
Wilbur Futher earned $180,289, a buy-in to the WSOP Main Event, $1,000 spending money for the Main Event, and a WSOP Circuit ring.