Johannes Becker raised from under the fun and Benny Glaser called out of the big blind. Both checked the flop and Glaser check-raised the turn for Becker to quickly fold.
Shortly after, Yuri Dzivielevski raised from under the gun and was called by Dan Cates from under the gun, Glaser in the small blind and Becker in the big blind. The flop was checked all the way and Glaser then bet the turn, picking up a call by Cates only.
Glaser also bet the on the river and Cates snap-called to get shown the for sixes full of fours and a low with the ace-try. Cates mucked and Glaser nearly closed the gap at the top of the leaderboard.
A massive pot has just seen Yuri Dzivielevski rocket back near the chip lead, while Koray Aldemir is now on a very short stack.
Action started with Aldemir raising in the hijack, before he was three-bet on the button by Benny Glaser, then four-bet by Dzivielevski in the big blind.
Aldemir and Glaser called and the fuse was lit for fireworks.
The flop came , and Dzivielevski led right out with a bet. Both his opponents called, with Aldemir down to just over one big bet.
On the turn, the players all checked to see the fall on the river, ensuring that this huge pot would be scooped.
Dzivielevski again bet, eliciting a head shake and a quick fold from Aldemir. Glaser put in a hesitant call and saw the bad news.
Dzivielevski showed for a rivered Broadway straight to scoop the huge pot and cruise back near 8,000,000 chips.
Naoya Kihara raised and Dan Cates defended the big blind to then invest half a bet on the flop. They checked the turn and Cates bet the river when a full house was on the board.
Kihara mulled it over for a while and called but mucked once Cates rolled over the .
Benny Glaser then raised in the last hand of the game variant and was called by Cates in the small blind. The flop brought and Cates checked, Glaser bet and Cates immediately gasped an audible no to trigger some laughter at the table before he called.
Cates check-called bets on the turn and river to get shown the for aces and jacks with a live four. Cates briefly exposed the for a live six and was scooped.
Glaser then won the first Razz pot without much resistance and also claimed the second pot when his open board of crushed the of Kihara.
After Dan Cates brought in, Koray Aldemir completed, committing himself to the pot from his very short stack. Benny Glaser then made it two bets, Cates folded, and Aldemir put the rest of his chips in the middle.
By fifth street, Glaser had made a ten low, but Aldemir was drawing live to a seven-four, which he made on sixth street, while Glaser made a seven-five. Aldemir's hand held up through seventh street and he doubled up to just under a million chips.
Johannes Becker opened the action with a raise to 200,000 in the hijack and he was called by Dan Cates on the button. Taylor Paur then pushed all-in for 400,000 in the small blind, sending Koray Aldemir in the big blind into a frenzy. He carefully checked his stack and opted to call with 500,000 behind.
Both Becker and Cates called and the four players headed to the flop. Aldemir checked to Becker, who bet 300,000. Cates then cut out a raise to 1,275,000 and Aldemir mulled it over for half a minute before sigh-calling all-in.
Becker quickly got out of the way and the two short stacks already turned over their cards.
Taylor Paur:
Koray Aldemir:
"I have a really good hand," Cates uttered without showing his cards just yet. He was reminded by Becker to turn them over and then flashed the very much to the disbelief of not only Becker.
The turn improved Cates to two pair and he held onto the lead on the river to eliminate Paur in 7th place and Aldemir in 6th place, ending Day Four.
All final chip counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
He was at or near the chip lead most of the day, but a wild final hand of the day solidified Dan Cates’ spot in Friday’s final five players of Event #56: $50,000 Poker Players Championship.
The poker icon and defending champion of this event scored a crazy double knockout of Koray Aldemir and Taylor Paur in Pot-Limit Omaha to end the day and finish with the chip lead of 9,075,000, just ahead of four-time WSOP bracelet winner Benny Glaser of Great Britain, and two-time bracelet winner Yuri Dzivielevski of Brazil.
Not far behind them at this illustrious international final table are bracelet winner and 2017 PPC runner-up Johannes Becker from Germany, and Naoya Kihara from Japan.
Event #56: $50,000 Poker Players Championship Seat Assignments Day 5
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Bets
1
Naoya Kihara
Japan
3,265,000
11
2
Benny Glaser
United Kingdom
8,260,000
28
3
Johannes Becker
Germany
5,470,000
18
4
Yuri Dzivielevski
Brazil
7,535,000
25
5
Dan Cates
United States
9,075,000
30
Recap of the Day
Day 4 began with 13 players, spread through three tables. The day’s first elimination to set up the final two tables came early as Matthew Gonzales fell in 13th place to Kihara in a Pot-Limit Omaha hand where his top two pair couldn’t hold against Kihara’s litany of draws.
The next elimination wouldn’t come until after the first break, when John Racener, who came into the day with just two big bets was eliminated in Omaha Hi-Lo by Dzivielevski to claim 12th place money.
Philip Sternheimer dropped just a couple of hands later in 11th place when his king-high flush was second-best to Cates’ ace-high flush.
After that, another pair of quick eliminations sent the entertaining Lou Garza home in 10th place and WSOP Player of the Year contender Daniel Weinman out in ninth.
The final seven would then play for nearly four hours without anyone else sent to the rail before Cates finished the day with his PLO one-two punch of Aldemir and Paur.
Results on Day 4 and Remaining Payouts
Place
Winner
Country
Prize (in USD)
1
$1,449,103
2
$895,614
3
$639,257
4
$464,420
5
$343,531
6
Koray Aldemir
Germany
$258,812
7
Taylor Paur
United States
$198,661
8
Matthew Ashton
United Kingdom
$155,421
9
Daniel Weinman
United States
$155,421
10
Lou Garza
United States
$123,974
11
Philip Sternheimer
United Kingdom
$123,974
12
John Racener
United States
$100,866
13
Matthew Gonzales
United States
$100,866
A New Champion or a Successful Title Defense?
Cates has played the entire tournament with his 2021 PPC bracelet by his side on each table he’s played at, almost daring his opponents to come and take it, like a professional wrestler goading their challengers to take their championship belt.
The final stage of Cates’ title defense begins at 4 p.m. local time in the Thunderdome inside the Bally’s Event Center, with live streaming of the event beginning an hour later on PokerGO.
There are five hands remaining in Pot-Limit Omaha with 47:46 left in level 26 and the dead button will be on Dan Cates with Naoya Kihara in the single big blind.
PokerNews will provide coverage in sync with the streaming delay so as not to spoil any of the action.
Join us from the 53rd World Series of Poker’s new home at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas for the thrilling conclusion of the most prestigious mixed game tournament in the world as the winner will be awarded the Chip Reese Memorial trophy and the $1,449,103 first prize.