$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  20 of 471

Blinds are up in the WPO Championship with 20 players remaining and $6,100 locked up. They are now playing 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante and the average stack is about 940,000 (47 bb).

After Level 20, players will take a 60-minute dinner break.

21st: Bud Waggoner – $5,200
22nd: Aftab Patni – $5,200
23rd: Talesh Patel – $5,200
24th: Bryce McVay – $5,200

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining:  23 of 471

Bryce McVay opened to 30,000 from the bottom and Philip Jackson three-bet to 100,000 from the big blind. McVay shipped for 400,000 and Jackson called.

Jackson:
McVay:

McVay was in great shape for a double up but the dealer put a ten on the flop to put Jackson in front. McVay couldn’t find another king on the turn or river to go out in 24th.

Another close call for McVay in our Championship events, this run coming on the heels of a runner-up finish in the Tampa Poker Classic Championship last March.

Philip Jackson – 1,425,000 (95 bb)
Bryce McVay – Eliminated in 24th Place ($5,200)

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining:  24 of 471

With the elimination of Diego Uez in 25th place, tournament staff paused the clock and the last 24 players redrew seats at the last three tables. They are each guaranteed at least $5,200 with the pay jumps now coming every four spots.

25th: Diego Uez – $4,500
26th: Patrick Chan – $4,500
27th: Heitor Saraiva – $4,500
28th: Cody Hernandez – $4,500

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining:  26 of 471

Heitor Saraiva was one of the big stacks before the last break but lost a big one to Jerry Silva to drop him down. He was sitting with 360,000 and moved all in. Silva reshipped next to act and the rest of the table folded.

Silva:
Saraiva:

Saraiva ran into #1 and Silva’s aces held on the board to send Saraiva out in the 27th place.

Jerry Silva – 1,420,000 (95 bb)
Heitor Saraiva – Eliminated in 27th Place ($4,500)

Meanwhile on the other table, Ken McAdams climbed to 2,200,000 and continued to lead the field.

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining:  28 of 471

After riding a short stack for most of the day, Tampa regular Jerry Silva is now among the leaders with 1,160,000 heading into the late stages of the WPO Championship.

29th: Patrick Murphy – $4,500
30th: Tony March – $4,500
31st: Veton Kastrati – $4,500
32nd: Harvey Vandeven – $4,500

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining:  31 of 471

Cards are back in the air with 31 players and Ken McAdams now leading the field. He is up to 1,525,000 followed by Philip Jackson’s 1,270,000 and T.K. Miles’s 1,110,000.

Blinds are up to 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante and the average stack is about 610,000 (41 bb).

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  31 of 471

The 31 remaining players were sent on another break as tournament staff pull the 1K chips out of play. They will return to play two more levels before the dinner break.

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  32 of 471

Action stalled there for a bit but quickly ramped back up with three knockouts in a short period. Jorge Nounon Sayegh, Peter Vitantonio, and John Dolan were sent out at different tables to drop the field down to the last four tables with 32 players remaining and $4,500 locked up.

33rd: Jorge Nounon Sayegh – $4,000
34th: Peter Vitantonio – $4,000
35th: John Dolan – $4,000
36th: Shane Barnard – $4,000
37th: Richard Pressler – $4,000
38th: Kyler Upper – $4,000
39th: Adam Bacome – $4,000
40th: Aaron Gunn – $4,000

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  36 of 471

With the flop out and reading and about 130,000 in the pot, Jeevan Nomula checked from the small blind and Shane Barnard bet 39,000 from the button. Nomula pulled a check-raise all in for 131,000 and Barnard called with only a little more.

Nomula:
Barnard:

“Oh, you have the ten too.” Barnard said when seeing the hands.

Both flopped a pair but Nomula was ahead with the queen and blocking tens from improving Barnard. Neither the turn nor the river could help Barnard and he sent the double to Nomula.

Barnard, our 21st place finisher in the PPO Championship a few months ago, was left very short and gone soon after.

Jeevan Nomula – 395,000 (33 bb)
Shane Barnard – Eliminated in 36th Place ($4,000)

$1,700 Winter Poker Open Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  37 of 471

The inevitable slowdown hit after the break and we still have 37 players in contention but things should pick up between now and the next one.

Blinds are now 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante and the average stack is about 509,000 (42 bb).