Event #12: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em

Hand #73: Oshima set the price to play at 50,000 and Kolo called. The flop came down    , Kolo led for 55,000 and Oshima called.

The turn was the   and now Kolo checked. Oshima sat motionless for 15 seconds before moving to pick up 130,000 chips and Kolo folded.

Hand #74: Kolo opened the preflop betting with a 50,000 raise and Oshima called. The first three cards came    . Oshima checked, Kolo bet 55,000 and Oshima check-raised to 130,000. Kolo rubbed his face as if stroking an imaginary beard before calling.

The turn was the   and Oshima pushed a tower of chips worth 200,000. Kolo called with eight T25,000 chips.

The river was the   and Oshima moved all-in. Kolo called and showed    and a disappointed Oshima slammed down his hole cards and walked off the stage. The dealer turned his card over and showed   .

Kolo is the latest player to win a WSOP bracelet.

Gregory Kolo	2,506,500	1,056,500
Kazu Oshima	0	-981,500

Hand #68: Dean Bui raised to 50,000 and Gregory Kolo three-bet to 150,000 from the small blind. Bui said "now or never" as he pushed all in for 323,000 and Kolo made the call. Bui tabled the    and Kolo turned over    and needed to find some help.

The flop of     brought some new outs for Kolo and the   turn would give Kolo the straight. The   river sealed it and Bui is bounced in third.

Gregory Kolo	1,450,000	325,000
Dean Bui	0	-400,000

Here are the chip counts as of the break.

Gregory Kolo	1,125,000	225,000
Kazu Oshima	981,500	-368,500
Dean Bui	400,000	155,000

Temecula, California's Kazu Oshima is no stranger to the World Series of Poker.

He made the jump from the online poker world to the world's biggest tournament series five years ago, but found very little success here in Las Vegas. But now there's been a sudden breakthrough and he finds himself here at this final table, three-handed, with a bracelet and some $169,225 for first hanging in the balance.

PokerNews caught up with Oshima to discuss his experience so far and see what's ahead for him.

How has this experience of playing at a WSOP final table been for you so far?

It has been everything I've ever dreamed of. This is my fifth year here and I've been able to do anything. I've been dreaming about this since I was 14 years old, 11 years, and I haven't had any success at the World Series at all. I've lost every year I've been here.

I'm still young, but I've put in a lot of hours and it feels really nice to have it pay off.

Has play at the final table been what you expected it to be?

There hasn't been anything too crazy, pretty much what I expected, except ending up here three-handed. That's what I hoped for but certainly not what I expected.

Pot-Limit Hold'em doesn't seem to attract the large fields No-Limit does. Do you feel like this is your game, or do you just play everything you can get your hands on?

I play everything that I can afford really and I have a cash game background. I understand not playing with antes and I think a lot of people don't catch all on the little things that make Pot-Limit different from No-Limit

I got 14th place in this same even three years ago and that's the best finish I've had here, so I think I have a pretty good idea how it works.

Plus with the small field too you have a better chance of winning a bracelet.

You made a deep run at the L.A. Poker Classic recently, and now this, what do you think has changed that you're seeing all this success on the live felt now?

Patience, that's a big thing. I feel like I am a pretty patient person. Letting those big hands go when you know you're beat, and making big calls too, sometimes I just get too attached. I've played a lot of heads-up where you play every hand, so ten-handed ring games can be like nails on a chalkboard, you have to fold and fold for hours. So really, patience is the biggest thing I've improved on for sure.

So what's your plan going forward three-handed?

Just to try and let the game come to me, see how they play and adjust to that. I have a lot of experience playing shorthanded, so I'm very comfortable and excited to be at this point.

Hand #66: David Martirosyan opened to 70,000 from the button and Kazu Oshima reraised enough to put Martirosyan all in. Martirosyan made the call and turned over   . He was in bad shape against the    of Oshima.

The flop of     was big for Oshima and the   turn sealed it. The players shook hands as the   fell on the river and Martirosyan's deep run has ended.

David Martirosyan

0

-255,000

Hand #59: Kazu Oshima raised to 40,00 on the button and Gregory Kolo called from the big blind. The flop fell     and both players checked. The turn was the   and Kolo checked, Oshima bet 50,000 and Kolo instantly called.

The river was the   and Kolo led for 100,000. Oshima glanced at him, wriggled in his seat and exhaled loudly, the first time we have seen the young pro look uncomfortable in this event. Oshima folded and Kolo won the hand.

Hand #60: Oshima raised to 40,000 from the cutoff and Dean Bui called on the button. The first three community cards fell     and Oshima check-folded to a 70,000 bet from Bui.

Hand #61: Kolo raised to 45,000 from his seat on the button, David Martirosyan, now sporting sunglasses, folded his small blind and Oshima folded in the big blind.

Hand #62: Martirosyan raised to 40,000 and won the blinds.

Hand #63: Martirosyan raised to 40,000 from under the gun, Bui put his mirrored aviator sunglasses on and called in the small blind. Kolo raised 160,000 from the big blind and a large pot started to grow.

Martirosyan folded and Bui also ducked out of the way.

Hand #53: Gregory Kolo opened to 45,000 and took the blinds.

Hand #54: David Martirosyan raised to 60,000 from the button and the blinds folded.

Hand #55: Kazu Oshima raised to 40,000 from the button and the blinds folded.

Hand #56: Oshima opened to 40,000 and Martirosyan raised pot to 130,000 and Oshima folded.

Hand #57: Martirosyan opened to 40,000 from the small blind and Oshima three-bet to 120,000 from the big blind. Martirosyan folded.

Hand #58: Gregory Kolo opened to 45,000 and Dean Bui made the call from the big blind. The flop came down     and Bui checked. Kolo bet 50,000, Bui raised to 150,000 and Kolo folded.

Hand #50: Tom McCormick moved all-in for 24,000 from the cutoff and Dean Bui called from the small blind. Gregory Kolo raised to 100,000 and Bui folded

McCormick:   
Kolo:   

The board ran out       and McCormick doubled up.

Bui was angry with Kolo's raise, stating "when he [McCormick] comes back and beats you, remember this hand."

Hand #51: Unknown action.

Hand #45: Oshima set the price to play at 40,000 from his seat on the button and Gregory Kolo defended his big blind with a three-bet to 95,000. Oshima called by putting in two green T25,000 chips.

The flop fell    . Kolo led for 85,000 and Oshima called. The   and both players checked. The   completed the board and both players checked again.

Kolo turned over   , Oshima mucked and Kolo won the pot.

Hand #46: Oshima opened to 40,000 from the cutoff and Dan Goldman called from the big blind. The flop came down     and Goldman checked. Oshima bet pot for 90,000 and Goldman check-raised all-in. Oshima called and the cards were revealed.

Oshima:   
Goldman:   

Top pair for Goldman versus a flush draw for the hot-running Oshima. The turn was the   followed by the flush-completing   on the river, which busted Goldman.

Goldman stood motionless for a few seconds before offering his hand to his executioner. Goldman takes home $28,769 for his sixth-place finish while Oshima climbs to 1.2 million.

Kazu Oshima	1,200,000	220,000
Dan Goldman	0	-220,000

David Martirosyan opened to 70,000 on the button and Ahmed Amin thought for a moment before raising pot to put himself all in. Martirosyan snap-called, tabling   . Amin would not find enough help for his    as the board ran out       and he was out as Martirosyan found close to a double-up.

David Martirosyan	255,000	-237,000
Ahmed Amin	0	-178,000