BIG 50 - $500 No-Limit Hold'em (Event #3)

The largest live tournament ever with 28,371 entries, Event #3: BIG 50 - $500 No-Limit Hold'em, has come to an end with Femi Fashakin as the champion, winning a life-changing $1,147,499 and his first gold WSOP bracelet. After four days of play here at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino it took almost seven hours of play on the final day for Fashakin to defeat Paul Cullen heads-up to claim the title in this special event which was created to celebrate the 50th Annual World Series of Poker.

Fashakin had almost $60,000 in cashes before this whopping win but is now a millionaire. The first words he uttered after winning: "Overwhelmed, it's really amazing, super excited. I can't even describe it but I'm also grateful and it's a humbling experience. It's my third cash at the WSOP here in Vegas and I think it's been okay so far! I didn't really plan a celebration because I wasn't sure. But I had a feeling! Today I sprinted in the hallway of the hotel and I thought: when I get to the end of the door, I'm going to stop there and visualize the bracelet. I did that sprint and I saw it…".

The BIG 50 Final Table Results

Fashakin started the day with the chip lead when all seven players returned to the Thunderdome in the Amazon Room. They were all guaranteed at least $182,192 but would all be vying for more. In the very first hand of the day, Daniel Ghobrial shoved with the shortest stack of all holding ace-king. He was called by Fashakin who held the same cards and the pot was chopped as expected. Shortly after he did find a double-up with king-queen against Walter Atwood's ace-ten by hitting a king on the river.

Adrian Curry was the shortest after Ghobrial doubled and was eliminated in seventh place when he four-bet shoved his last fourteen big blinds and was called by Rafi Elharar. Curry's pocket tens couldn't beat the kings of Elharar. Eight hands later, the curtains finally did fall for Ghobrial as he shoved with ace-trey and was called by both Elharar and Nick Chow. The board ran five-nine-six-five before Elharar got pushed out of the hand by a bet of Chow who held queen-five for trip fives. As Ghobrial was drawing dead, he said his goodbyes to the rest of the table in sixth place.

Cullen was the short stack after Ghobrial was eliminated but doubled through Atwood with pocket aces which now meant Elharar became the short stack. With a pretty shallow final table, the role of being the shortest on the table would be assigned to almost all players at one point throughout the day. But after the first break of the day, it was Atwood who left the stage next when his shove with king-ten was called by Chow with ace-seven. Chow flopped top pair and Atwood picked up a gutshot but bricked the turn and river to be sent to the cashier to collect his fifth-place cash.

Chow had already taken over the chip lead but only increased it even more after the elimination. The chip lead switched several times between Chow and Fashakin during the two and a half hours of four-handed play. Fashakin had prepared for this final table: "I had a strategy in mind to grind out the other opponents and the mid-stacks but things flipped around really quick. I think I didn't understand exactly how Chow would play so I had to slow down a little bit. I played some hands a little bit different from what people might expect just to understand how he was playing. I had to pick my spots and switch up the strategy. The other players were really cool but I don't think we had as much interaction as I had with Chow".

Just after the third break of the day, Chow was finally chopped down by Fashakin after he had doubled up once while Elharar and Cullen doubled up twice during the previous two levels. Chow was ahead preflop with ace-four as Fashakin held queen-ten. The flop came queen-five-deuce, all hearts. Fashakin flopped top pair and had a flush draw but Chow picked up a gutshot to a wheel. The turn was a jack which didn't change things but the trey on the river was a heart which did give Chow the wheel but gave Fashakin the flush to eliminate him in fourth place.

Cullen doubled up once more before Elharar was done for the day as he ran his king-six into the ace-trey of Fashakin. Israel's Elharar had one of the most supportive or loudest rails together with Fashakin who all comforted him after being eliminated. Heads-up play took less than 30 minutes as Fashakin had more than 70% of all the chips in play.

In the eighth hand of heads-up play, Cullen three-bet shoved his last ten big blinds with queen-jack and was gutted to see he was called by Fashakin who held the rockets. He did manage to flop a queen but got no further help from the board. The Canadian citizen who is a Las Vegas resident had only cashed once before during the WSOP when he finished in 1916th place in the first-ever edition of the COLOSSUS in 2015 which was the largest live poker tournament until now. With $709,183 added to his bankroll, who knows where he will go now.

Here are some facts to conclude the coverage of this historical event: there were 1,418,550,000 in chips in play, the total prize pool was $13,509,435 which is the largest ever for a $500 buy-in tournament, 709,725 physical poker chips were used, there were 17,790 unique players, 4,258 players were in the money, and 1,208 dealers were used for the four opening flights. Keep following the updates the PokerNews live reporting team will bring you throughout the summer to see who else will win a bracelet.

Hand #204: Paul Cullen raised to 75,000,000 on the button and Femi Fashakin three-bet to put Cullen all-in who snap-folded.

Hand #205: Fashakin shoved on the button to put Cullen at risk who folded immediately.

Hand #206: Cullen shoved on the button for 252,000,000 and Fashakin didn't make the call.

Femi Fashakin	1,106,000,000	75,000,000
Paul Cullen	312,000,000	-75,000,000

The players were sent for a short break while the table was being set up for heads-up play which will commence soon.

Hand#193: Femi Fashakin raised from the small blind to put Paul Cullen all-in in the big blind. Cullen called for the 186,000,000 he had behind.

Paul Cullen:   
Femi Fashhakin:   

The flop came     to not change anything. The turn was the   to keep things the same and the river completed the board with the   for Cullen to double up as he hit the pair of kings.

Hand #194: Fashakin raised to 75,000,000 from the button and picked up the blinds and ante.

Hand #195: Fashakin got a walk.

Hand #196: Fashakin completed his small blind and Cullen raised to 80,000,000 in the big blind for Fashakin to fold.

Hand #197: Fashakin raised to 75,000,000 on the button and got no action.

Femi Fashakin	801,000,000	135,000,000
Paul Cullen	462,000,000	-15,000,000
Rafi Elharar	155,000,000	-195,000,000

Hand #191: Paul Cullen shoved for 171,000,000 from the button and won the pot.

The remaining four players are now on their 15-minute break.

Hand #180: Femi Fashakin got a walk.

Hand #181: Nick Chow raised to 55,000,000 from the button and Fashakin three-bet to 200,000,000. Chow folded.

Hand #182: Paul Cullen raised to 65,000,000 in the small blind and Rafi Elharar folded.

Hand #183: Elharar called his option and Chow raised to 254,000,000. Elharar folded.

Hand #184: Elharar moved all in for 229,000,000 and no one called.

Femi Fashakin	597,000,000	81,000,000
Nicholas Chow	308,000,000	-69,000,000
Rafi Elharar	292,000,000	-12,000,000
Paul Cullen	284,000,000	50,000,000

Hand #170: Rafi Elharar got a walk.

Hand #171: Elharar completed his blind and Nick Chow checked. The flop went     and was checked. Elharar bet 30,000,000 on the turn   and it was enough to win the pot.

Hand #172: Chow called in the small blind and Femi Feshakin checked. Both checked the flop     and on the turn   Chow first checked. Fashakin bet 25,000,000 and Chow folded.

Hand #173: Fashakin completed and Cullen checked. The flop was     and brought no betting action. The turn   saw a bet of 25,000,000 by Fashakin, called by Cullen. The river fell a   and Cullen bet 60,000,000 after Fashakin checked. The latter folded.

Hand #174: Fashakin raised to 55,000,000 and his opponents folded.

Femi Fashakin	486,000,000	38,000,000
Rafi Elharar	385,000,000	-24,000,000
Paul Cullen	297,000,000	11,000,000
Nicholas Chow	263,000,000	-75,000,000

Hand #159: Nick Chow got a walk.

Hand #160: Chow moved all in for 257,000,000 in the small blind and won the pot.

Hand #161: Chow shoved for 307,000,000 and took down the blinds.

Hand #162: Femi Fashakin raised to 55,000,000 on the button and won the blinds.

Hand #163: Rafi Elharar completed his blind and Chow checked. The flop went     and Elharar check-raised all in after Chow had bet 45,000,000. Chow snap-folded

Hand #164: Elharar raised to 50,000,000 on the button and earned the blinds.

Rafi Elharar	422,000,000	108,000,000
Femi Fashakin	416,000,000	-37,000,000
Paul Cullen	381,000,000	-13,000,000
Nicholas Chow	262,000,000	5,000,000

Hand #152: Nick Chow completed his small blind and Femi Fashakin raised to 70,000,000 from the big blind for Chow to fold.

Hand #153: Chow shoved on the button for 319,000,000 and picked up the blinds and ante.

Hand #154: Fashakin limped in on the button, Paul Cullen completed his small blind and Rafi Elharar opted to check his big blind. The flop came    , Cullen and Elharar checked, Fashakin bet 45,000,000 and Elharar shoved for 122,000,000 and Fashakin snap-called.

Rafi Elharar:   
Femi Fashakin:   

The turn was the   for both of them to turn two pair and keep Elharar ahead with the higher kicker in his hand. The   on the river secured the double-up for Elharar as he improved to the higher two pair.

Hand #155: Cullen raised to 60,000,000 from the button and that was enough to make the blinds fold.

Hand #156: Chow completed his small blind once more and Fashakin checked in the big blind. The flop came    , Chow bet 20,000,000 and Fashakin called. The turn was the   to pair the board up. Chow now bet 45,000,000 and Fashakin called. The river completed the board with the   to bring a flush draw on the board. Both players checked for Fashakin to pick up the pot with   .

Hand #157: Fashakin raised to 45,000,000 from the small blind and Cullen three-bet to 100,000,000 in the big blind. Fashakin folded.

Hand #158: Elharar got a walk.

Femi Fashakin	453,000,000	-132,000,000
Paul Cullen	394,000,000	22,000,000
Rafi Elharar	314,000,000	152,000,000
Nicholas Chow	257,000,000	-102,000,000