WPT WPO Championship (Day 4)
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000) (48 minutes remaining)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 6
Average Stack: 6,650,000
Nate Bjerno ran it up on Day 4 and will come to the final table with the chip lead as he looks to capture his first career WPT title.
Four days, 29 levels, and 1,312 entrants later, the final table is set for the Winter Poker Open Main Event. The elite group of six who have made it this far have earned their place at tomorrow’s live stream WPT final table.
Day 4 started with 34 players but the field soon dropped with massive collisions happening at every table. Before long, Nate Bjerno was among the top stacks in the field and eventually claimed his place as the chip leader right before the final table, a position which he will hold coming into tomorrow. Bjerno’s largest tournament cash before this event was $133,000 and he is likely to go over the $1,000,000 in earnings when all is said and done for this event.
Bjerno bagged 12,415,000 but is trailed by a host of professionals looking for their first WPT Championship. Nicholas Immekus, Tyler Kenney, Jia Liu, and Daniel Weinman all battled to make it this far and they certainly won’t be going down without a fight. Standing out from all the professionals is Richard Foster, who makes for interesting wild card amid all the pros still in.
We caught up with Immekus after bagging to discuss his four days of play and what his plan is to be rested as possible for tomorrow.
Full player previews will be posted tomorrow in anticipation of the final table along with interviews with two of the final tablists.
The WPT Final Table will start at 2:00 PM tomorrow and all interested in attending the live event are encouraged to show up to the Event Center and watch another BPO champion become crowned. For those unable to attend, the WPO blog will be providing updates throughout the duration of the final table, all the way down until the last card is dealt. A live stream of the final table will be taking place also, with a link set to be posted when it is available.
A complete list of the final table seating assignments and chip counts are provided below along with the remaining payouts:
1. Jia Liu – 6,815,000
2. Tyler Kenney – 6,030,000
3. Nate Bjerno – 12,415,000
4. Nicholas Immekus – 3,550,000
5. Richard Foster – 5,130,000
6. Daniel Weinman – 5,410,000
1st: $892,433
2nd: $524,964
3rd: $327,578
4th: $275,081
5th: $228,884
6th: $184,787
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 6
Average Stack: 6,650,000
Thomas Penza is out on the bubble of the WPT final table as Jia Liu took the last of his chips.
Thomas Penza was the short stack for all of seven-handed play as all eyes were on him with the final table on the line. Penza did everything he could to double up but could not overcome Jia Liu and was denied his first WPT final table appearance.
Penza open-shoved for 1,090,000 from under the gun and Liu called right behind him. Action folded to Nicholas Immekus in on the button, who thought for a moment but released his hand. Both blinds folded and Penza showed A♥8♥ and would need to catch up against Liu’s J♣J♦.
The K♥5♣3♠5♠Q♦ board gave nothing to Penza and he is out just shy of the promised land. Nonetheless, he earns his largest career score and has plenty to be pleased with from this event. Liu is up to 6,815,000 as play wraps for the night.
An end of day recap will be posted shortly.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 7
Average Stack: 5,625,000
Tyler Kenney is in second place on the learderboard after taking down a four-bet pot against Nicholas Immekus.
Nate Bjerno will likely enter tomorrow’s final table as the chip leader but Tyler Kenney might be his closest competitor. Kenney started Day 4 with only 400,000 but is now over 6,000,000 thanks in part to a preflop confrontation against Nicholas Immekus.
Kenney raised to 180,000 from the hijack and Immekus three-bet to 550,000 on the button. The blinds folded and Kenney announced “Fourteen hundred” as he dropped eleven yellow 100,000 chips in the middle. The floor cleared up the situation and ruled Kenney’s raise to be 1,100,000 and Immekus called, joking about Kenney’s misspoken raise.
Kenney continued for 750,000 on the J♥J♣8♣ flop and Immekus relinquished his hand. He is down to 3,700,000 but Kenney is up to 6,200,000 with the final table closing in. Jia Liu is right next to Kenney with 4,900,000 and may yet overtake him before the final six is reach.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 7
Average Stack: 5,625,000
Just as after the dismissal of Charles Coates, the completion of Blake Bohn’s tournament at the hands of the chip leader Bjerno brought about a lull in play, featuring only feints and no significant action. The table mood was suddenly light and all were talkative- perhaps brought on by the true final table bubble.
The play is careful now, featuring many completions and folds. Weinmen bets Foster off king high, each showing, in the present good mood.
Then Weinman raises his small blind to 220,000. Interestingly, Penza offers his count of 1,400,000, unasked. on a low flop of 
, 225,000 takes it for Dan.
Next, Kenney, who has been quiet, opens to 180,00 from under the gun and wins unopposed.
To his right is Jia Liu. He wins two straight pot from late position without calls.
At last, a more compelling – small hand. Immekus completes his small blind, just after having folded to Liu, and Foster checks his option. On 
, Immekus simply leads out, representing a flatted ace.
Immekus gets a bet out of Foster then gathers it up.
However, Foster calls, creating a dynamic. On the 
, Immekus now leads for the same bet. It’s worth thinking about what the great tournament player is up to. Foster gives up, however, less interested.
Now the Penza hand comes back into the fore. It’s blind on blind, as the orbit has come around, and Weinman is eyeing Penza’s stack, which has not changed. However, the pattern has.
This time Weinman asks what the stack is, unlike before.
Weinman tosses out a preflop raise, Penza peeking at his holding.
What does it mean? In any case, Weinman shoves the blind, and Penza peels his cards with Jia Liu on his left.
He sees a red queen – but whatever it was, it was not good enough to take on the all-in bet.
Mucked.
In the next hand, Kenney three balls Weinman successfully.
The quiet preflop war goes on, a final table at stake.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 7
Average Stack: 5,625,000
Blake Bohn caught some tough luck late on Day 4 and is on the outside looking in only two spots from his second career WPT final table.
As the saying goes in “The Big Lebowski,”sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well, the bar eats you. That phrase applies perfectly to Blake Bohn as the former Day 4 chip leader is eliminated shy of his second career WPT final table.
Richard Foster started the downfall for Bohn when he doubled up through him right before dinner break. A few unsatisfactory hands later, and Bohn was on the short stack at the unofficial final table. Nate Bjerno took the rest of Bohn’s chips and the Minnesota pro is now on the rail in eighth place.
Bohn raised to 175,000 from under the gun and Bjerno three-bet to 530,000 from the small blind. Nicholas Immekus folded his big blind and Bohn shoved all-in for 2,780,000. Bjerno pushed forward a few chips to call and Bohn was in a flip for his tournament life.
Bjerno was ahead with 10♣10♥ against Bohn’s A♦K♣ as the two hands neared the starting gate. The 9♣7♣4♥6♦10♦ board gave no solace to Bohn and he exits with a six-figure score that could have been much more had a few things broken differently.
After dust settled, Bjerno chipped up to 12,450,000 and Thomas Penza is the new short stack, playing only 1,450,000.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 8
Average Stack: 4,920,000
After a series of small hands at the new level, Nate Bjerno three bets Dan Weinman from the cut off and takes it down.
Nate then opens to 180,000 and it’s Weinman who gets involved again, calling from out of position.
The action goes check bet 230,000 call on 
, and then check check on the .
Then, an interesting card: 
, and a more interesting action.
Weinman now bombs the pot, 700,000 into about 900,000.
The river lead from Weinman, heavily dropped into the middle. Bjerno in foreground.
Bjerno takes about a minute to think. The whole time Weinman’s linger on the board and occasionally on Bjerno’s stack – what could he be thinking?
In any case, Bjerno folds and we do not get to find out.
However, Nate stays very active this level, again opening to 180,000 from mid position and getting two callers, Foster on the button and Penza in the blinds.
The board comes 
, and Bjerno does choose to bet – 275,000.
Only Foster calls, and the turn 
brings a reluctant check from Bjerno. As has been his manner in these spots, Foster now checks behind.
Three way with Foster on the button, Penza in the one, and Bjerno bringing the preflop pressure from middle position.
On the river, a very blank 
Bjerno gets creative, block betting 100,000. He’s snapped off by Foster, who leans forward to see Bjerno’s hand – a very loose 
.
Foster tables 
for solid 1,300,000 pot.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 28 (complete)(30,000/60,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 8
Average Stack: 4,920,000
Seat 1 – Thomas Penza -2,000,000
Seat 2 – Jia Liu – 6,900,000
Seat 3 – Tyler Kenney – 4,700,000
Seat 4 – Nate Bjerno – 11,500,000
Seat 5 –
Seat 6 – Nicholas Immekus – 5,200,000
Seat 7 – Blake Bohn – 2,300,000
Seat 8 –
Seat 9 – Richard Foster – 4,700,000
Seat 10 – Dan Weinman – 3,600,000
We begin level 29 in just a few minutes.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 28 (30,000/60,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 8
Average Stack: 4,920,000
Tony Ruberto’s Main Event journey is finally at an end as Thomas Penza used aces to cripple Ruberto and the Bostonian is now on the rail.
Tony Ruberto had as entertaining of a run as any player in the WPO Main Event. Ruberto came into the spotlight on Day 2 when he shot up to the top of the leaderboard and swung on the variance pendulum from there all the way into today. Ruberto got into a major confrontation with Shaun Deeb earlier on Day 4 and kept enough momentum to make it to the unofficial final table. Ruberto finally ran into a spot he couldn’t wiggle his way out of and is on the rail shy of his second WPT title.
Ruberto open-jammed for 1,250,000 from early position and Thomas Penza effectively called all-in for less. Penza said he had “the ones” as he turned over A♥A♠. Ruberto was in as bad of a spot as possible with A♦K♥ but did manage to get some life on the K♣7♠3♠ flop. No more kings came on the turn or river and Ruberto shipped the double and was left with less than one big blind.
Nicholas Immekus finished the job one hand later and the field is one pro lighter at the unofficial final table.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 28 (30,000/60,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 9
Average Stack: 4,375,000
The final nine in action.
The table action slowed immensely after the multiway disaster that befell Charles Coates and ended his great run to the final handful of competitors.
In the next hand Foster opened a pair of nines and after being flatted by Tyler Kenney, the action checked down all the way to the river. Kenny announced he had a pair but knew he was beat when Foster also claimed one.
Jia Liu then made a raise and take it, follow it up with a successful steal.
Weinman copied Liu next – everybody is opening for 140,000 with the exception of Foster, who chose 175,000 for his pair.
Liu took another one, this time from Bohn who flatted the bb. On 
, Blake could not find any resistance and unhappily folded.
Foster got a walk.
Then, finally big action – potentially. Penza open shoved his remaining 1,500,000.
But no action – typical for this small stretch.
Level 28 is winding down.
‘WPT WPO Championship’
Level 28 (30,000/60,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 1,312
Players Remaining: 9
Average Stack: 4,375,000
Charles Coates’s great run in the WPO Main Event is at an end after Nate Bjerno flopped a set to send Coates to the rail.
Nate Bjerno’s incredible run over the last hour or so continues as he is now the first player over 10,000,000 as a result of his elimination of Charles Coates. If it seems like Coates has had nine lives today, it is accurate, as he has come from behind numerous times to stay alive. He finally met a match he couldn’t meet as Bjerno sent him out.
Bjerno opened for 125,000 from early position and got calls from Tony Ruberto in early position, Coates from the hijack, and finally, Jia Liu in the big blind. The 8♣4♦3♦ flop was checked to Bjerno, who continued for 275,000. Ruberto folded and Coates moved all-in for 1,225,000. Liu got out of the way and Bjerno called with 3♣3♥ to put Coates at risk.
It was bad timing on Coates’s part as he turned over 6♣6♦. The turn and river were no help to Coates and Bjerno’s flopped set held to eliminates the start of Day 4 chip leader. Bjerno now holds 25 percent of the chips in play with only three players needing to exit before tomorrow’s final table is set.