Heinz, Lamb, Staszko Last Three Standing in 2011 WSOP Main Event

Poker News / Short-Stacked Shamus / 07 November 2011 / Leave a Comment

The winner on Tuesday will receive this bracelet plus a handsome $8,715,638 (Photo: PokerNews)

Heinz has more than half the remaining chips -- 107.8 million -- with 2011 WSOP Player of the Year Lamb second (55.4 million) and Staszko third (42.7 million).

With the world watching on television and online, the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event final table has played down to just three players, with the aggressive Pius Heinz of Germany leading American Ben Lamb and Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic.

When the poker resumes on Tuesday night at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Heinz will start with more than half the remaining chips -- 107.8 million -- with 2011 WSOP Player of the Year Lamb second (55.4 million) and Staszko third (42.7 million).

After nearly four months of waiting, the nine survivors from the original field of 6,865 began on Sunday in a largely conservative mode, with no one too anxious to be the first to bust. Players may also have been influenced a touch by the fact that all hands were being shown on a 15-minute delay with hole cards being revealed, thereby perhaps further keeping everyone in line during the early going.

All nine were still alive after about two-and-half hours of play when a crucial hand developed between Heinz who began the day seventh in chips and the Irishman Eoghan O'Dea who started Sunday in second.

O'Dea was still in second behind start-of-day leader Staszko when Heinz opened from middle position to 1.3 million, then Lamb called from one seat over. It folded back to O'Dea who made it 4.1 million to go from the small blind, getting a call from Heinz and a fold from Lamb.

The flop came 8c-8d-4c and O'Dea led for 4.6 million. Heinz called. The turn then brought the 2c and another bet from O'Dea, this time for 8.2 million. Heinz tanked for several minutes, then announced he was all in, and O'Dea instantly folded. Fifteen minutes later viewers were able to see the players' cards -- Heinz had Qc-Qs for the overpair and a club flush draw, while O'Dea had but Ah-Qd.

That hand pushed Heinz up into second place and sent O'Dea down into eighth. It also enabled Heinz to ramp up his aggression thereafter, thus changing the dynamic of the final table considerably.

It wasn't too long after that the short stacks finally began to fall.

First Sam Holden of the U.K. went out in ninth. The curly-headed 22-year-old had reraise-shoved his short stack with As-Js, but ran into Lamb's Ah-Kc. The first four community cards were clubs, giving Lamb a flush and sending Holden to the rail.

An orbit later it was the Ukrainian Anton Makiievskyi who open-shoved his last 10.5 million from the small blind with Kc-Qh and got called by Heinz in the BB with 9h-9d. The flop came Kd-Jh-Js, putting Makiievskyi in front, but the 9c peeled off on the turn, swinging the advantage back to Heinz. The river was the 7h, and they were down to seven.

And just about an orbit after that, Badih "Bob" Bounahra of Belize hit the rail in seventh when his Ah-5c failed to catch up to Stasko's As-9d.

Heinz had taken the chip lead, while O'Dea continued to nurse his short stack. The Irishman had just pulled ahead of Ben Lamb when they reached the last hand of Level 38. O'Dea then opened for a minimum-raise to 1.6 million from the cutoff, then Lamb reraised all in for just over 14 million from the big blind. O'Dea thought for a while, then called, tabling Ac-9d to Lamb's Qd-8d.

O'Dea still had a precarious lead through the turn as the board came Js-Jd-6d-4c, but the 8h on the river paired Lamb and crippled O'Dea to less than three big blinds to start Level 39.

O'Dea would shove that stack the next hand with Qh-6c, Staszko would call him with 8h-8d, and after the board came 10h-9c-5h-Jd-2h O'Dea was out in sixth. With that finish, O'Dea matched his father Donnacha O'Dea's best-ever finish in the WSOP Main Event, a sixth place in 1983.

On the very next hand, Phil Collins reraise-shoved over a Heinz raise from the big blind for 18.3 million total with Ad-7d, and Heinz called with 9c-9h. The five community cards provided a sweat -- coming 6s-5c-4d-9d-7s -- but Heinz' nines held to send Collins out in fifth.

It would take several hours and 78 more hands for the final elimination of the night to occur. While Heinz continued to add chips and Staszko also started to climb, Lamb scored a fortunate double-up through Matt Giannetti. All in with Ah-7h versus Giannetti's Jd-Jc, Lamb turned a heart flush to survive and knock Giannetti down to less than six big blinds.

Giannetti would double-up once through Staszko, but soon was all in again with Ad-3s against Lamb's Kd-Ks. The flop came a stunning Kh-Kc-Qd, giving Lamb quads and leaving Giannetti drawing dead.

Here are the payouts from Sunday's final table:

4th: Matt Giannetti (U.S.) -- $3,012,700

5th: Phil Collins (U.S.) -- $2,269,599

6th: Eoghan O'Dea (Ireland) -- $1,720,831

7th: Badih "Bob" Bounahra (Belize) -- $1,314,097

8th: Anton Makiievskyi (Ukraine) -- $1,010,015

9th: Sam Holden (U.K.) -- $782,115

And here are those counts again for the final three:

Pius Heinz (Germany) -- 107,800,000

Ben Lamb (U.S.) -- 55,400,000

Martin Staszko (Czech Republic) -- 42,700,000

When play resumes on Tuesday they will be continuing with Level 40 (blinds 600,000/1,200,000, ante 200,000). The winner will earn a handsome $8,715,638, with the runner-up taking $5,433,086 and the third-place finisher $4,021,138.

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