Friday, July 8, 2011 4:32 PM Local Time
Day 3 of Event #57, the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better, saw the final 25 players of a 352-player field return for their shot at the last non-Main Event bracelet up for grabs at the 2011 World Series of Poker. After 12 intense hours, play came to an end with only two players remaining: David Bach vs. Nick Binger.
The duo returned on Friday for Day 4 to play out the tournament, and in the end it was Binger who emerged victorious to win his first bracelet and the $397,073 first-place prize.
Binger's path to victory did not come easy. On Day 3, he had to play his way through 23 tough competitors, many who fell long before the final table. Some of the notable players who fell on the road to the final table were Padraig Parkinson, Lee Watkinson, Grayson Nichols, David "Doc" Sands, and Kirill Rabtsov. Here is a full account of the payouts leading up to the final table:
Day 3 Eliminations
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|
| 25 | Joseph Marchal | $12,623 |
| 24 | Padraig Parkinson | $12,623 |
| 23 | Raymond Dehkarghani | $12,623 |
| 22 | Fabrizio Gonzalez | $12,623 |
| 21 | Lee Watkinson | $12,623 |
| 20 | Tobias Hausen | $12,623 |
| 19 | Marcelo Costa | $12,623 |
| 18 | Grayson Nichols | $15,915 |
| 17 | Anders Taylor | $15,915 |
| 16 | Igor Sharaskin | $15,915 |
| 15 | Alexander Dovzhenko | $20,299 |
| 14 | David "Doc" Sands | $20,299 |
| 13 | Peter Levine | $20,299 |
| 12 | Austin Marks | $25,874 |
| 11 | Kirill Rabtsov | $25,874 |
| 10 | Brent Wheeler | $25,874 |
Brent Wheeler's elimination shortly after the dinner break left just nine players in the field, which comprised the official final that looked a little bit like this:
Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|
| 1 | Phil Laak | 801,000 |
| 2 | Nick Binger | 936,000 |
| 3 | Bryce Yockey | 1,140,000 |
| 4 | Allen Kessler | 143,000 |
| 5 | Nick Schulman | 632,000 |
| 6 | Trevor Reader | 309,000 |
| 7 | Peter Charalambous | 145,000 |
| 8 | David Bach | 862,000 |
| 9 | Bjorn Verbakel | 312,000 |
It didn't take long for things to heat up at the final table; in fact, a big pot developed when Phil Laak was on the button and potted to 52,000, which Bryce Yockey called from the big blind. It was heads up to the flop, which saw Yockey check-call a bet of 48,000. When the was put out on the turn, Yockey check-called another bet, this time 174,000.
The completed the board and Yockey checked one last time. Laak thought for a few moments before sliding in the remainder of his stack . . . 527,000! Yockey snap-called only to muck when Laak rolled over for trip threes with the nut low. With that, Laak takes a commanding chip lead while Yockey was reduced to just 328,000.
The first elimination happened a short time later when Allen Kessler got all in preflop holding and was up against the of Laak. The board ran out and Kessler was sent to the rail in ninth place for $33,352. The next few eliminations took awhile to develop, but ultimately saw Bjorn Verbakel, Nick Schulman, and Peter Charalambous sent to the rail in eighth, seventh, and sixth places respectively.
After Trevor Reader made his exit in fifth place, the fan favorite fell. It happened after Laak, who couldn't capitalize on the early chip lead and grew short stacked, raised to 80,000 under the gun, which David Bach called from the big blind. Both players checked the flop, leading to the on the turn. Bach checked for a second time, and after a moment's thought, Laak fired out 150,000. Bach thought for a bit and then check-raised enough to put Laak all in. A call was made and the cards were turned up:
Laak:
Bach:
The river didn't change a thing and Laak became the fourth-place finisher, worth $133,377.
Not long after, Yockey was sent packing in third place after failing to mount a comeback. That left Bach (3,010,000) to do heads-up battle against Binger (2,270,000). The latter was supported by a cheerful rail that included Michael Binger, Liv Boeree, James Dempsey, Darryll Fish, Matt Waxman, Xuan Liu, Dan Shak, Gloria Balding, Kevin MacPhee, and Jeff Madsen.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|
| 1st | Nick Binger | $397,073 |
| 2nd | David Bach | $245,314 |
| 3rd | Bryce Yockey | $180,180 |
| 4th | Phil Laak | $133,377 |
| 5th | Trevor Reader | $99,512 |
| 6th | Peter Charalambous | $74,845 |
| 7th | Nick Schulman | $56,729 |
| 8th | Bjorn Verbakel | $43,328 |
| 9th | Allen Kessler | $33,352 |
Congratulations to Nick Binger on winning his first WSOP bracelet!
That does it for our coverage from Event #57 $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better; in fact, this will be the last recap resulting in a bracelet winner until November when the Main Event concludes. With 57 events down, be sure to follow along with our extensive coverage on the Main Event which will be running between now and July 19th.
Friday, July 8, 2011 4:19 PM Local Time
David Bach raised on the button to 300,000. Nick Binger re-raised the pot to 900,000 and Bach came right back over the top with a pot-sized raise, putting him all in. Binger called and the cards were on their backs.
BInger:
Bach:
Binger was looking for a low flop with clubs and boy did he find it as the flop came down . Binger flopped the nut low and had the nut-flush draw for the high as well. The turn was the and locked up the high for Binger, who needed to dodge a three on the river to scoop the pot. The fell, bringing the tournament to an end for David Bach, finishing runner-up for $245,314.
Friday, July 8, 2011 4:09 PM Local Time
Level: 30
Blinds: 50000/100000
Ante: 0
Friday, July 8, 2011 4:07 PM Local Time
David Bach called on the button and Nick Binger raised to 240,000. Bach called to see the flop roll out .
A check from both led to the on the turn. Two more checks brought the on the river. Binger bet 325,000, getting Bach to fold instantly.
Friday, July 8, 2011 4:02 PM Local Time
| Nick Binger | 3,500,000 | 500,000  |
| David Bach | 1,785,000 | -500,000  |
Friday, July 8, 2011 4:01 PM Local Time
Nick Binger called on the button and David Bach checked his option.
Both checked the flop, landing the turn card. Bach checked it again, leading to Binger betting 130,000. Bach folded and surrender the pot to Binger.
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:56 PM Local Time
The last three pots have gone to Binger and he is now back in the lead.
| Nick Binger | 3,000,000 | 405,000 |
| David Bach | 2,285,000 | -405,000 |
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:49 PM Local Time
| David Bach | 2,690,000 | 450,000 |
| Nick Binger | 2,595,000 | -450,000 |
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:47 PM Local Time
David Bach called on the button and Nick Binger checked his option.
The flop fell and Binger check-called 150,000 from Bach. Both checked the turn, landing the on the river. Binger bet 300,000 and after about 30 seconds, Bach called.
Binger acknowledged he missed his draw, while Bach tabled for a pair of queens to win the pot.
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:39 PM Local Time
| Nick Binger | 3,045,000 | -630,000 |
| David Bach | 2,240,000 | 630,000 |
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:38 PM Local Time
Nick Binger called on the button and David Bach checked his option.
The flop came down and both checked. When the hit the turn, Bach checked. Binger bet 130,000, but saw Bach put in a raise to 550,000. Binger called and when the hit the river, both checked.
Bach tabled for top two pair, taking down the pot.
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:34 PM Local Time
| Nick Binger | 3,675,000 | 125,000 |
| David Bach | 1,610,000 | -125,000 |
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:32 PM Local Time
David Bach called on the button and Nick Binger raised to 240,000. Bach called and a flop followed.
Binger bet 300,000, but was faced with a decision when Bach re-raised all in for 1,450,000 total. Binger took about two minutes before calling, showing . Bach tabled , meaning both were tied for the lead with ace-king and each had low draws.
The turn and river improved neither player's hand, chopping the pot.
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:20 PM Local Time
Nick Binger called on the button and David Bach checked his option.
The flop fell and Bach checked. Binger bet 130,000, only to see Bach pop it to 300,000. Binger didn't seem to mind, re-raising to 730,000. Bach mulled it over for about a minute, but opted to lay it down
| Nick Binger | 3,870,000 | 380,000 |
| David Bach | 1,415,000 | -380,000 |
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:14 PM Local Time
Nick Binger raised to 180,000 on the button and David Bach called from the big blind.
The flop came down and Bach checked. Binger bet 225,000, getting Bach to lay it down.
| Nick Binger | 3,410,000 | 180,000 |
| David Bach | 1,875,000 | -180,000 |
Friday, July 8, 2011 3:07 PM Local Time
Level: 29
Blinds: 40000/80000
Ante: 0
Friday, July 8, 2011 1:52 PM Local Time
Welcome to PokerNews' coverage of Event #57, the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better. Three days and 28 levels of play have not been enough as two men remain with hopes of capturing the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
On one side of the table is David Bach. The Athens, GA native is looking to add a second WSOP bracelet to his wrist. He came close last week, finishing third in Event #49, the $2,500 2-7 Limit Triple Draw Lowball and will no doubt be looking to seal the deal this week. On the other side of the table is Nick Binger. With two third-place finishes on his WSOP résumé , Binger will look to break through and capture the first WSOP gold bracelet for the Binger family. The support for Binger last night was immense as his brother Michael, Liv Boeree, and Dan Shak were among those on the rail in support.
Binger holds the lead to start the day, sitting with 3,230,000 to Bach's 2,055,000. Play resumes today at about 4:05 p.m. PST, about one hour from now, so be sure to join us then to see who captures the gold!