Event #23: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed

Early Monday afternoon, 924 hopefuls dished out $3,000 for Event 23: No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed in hopes of turning it into fame and fortune – or at the very least to cut a profit. After three long and hard-fought days of six-handed action, it would be Simon Charette who took home the gold bracelet and the $567,624 that went along with it.

Even with just 18 players remaining going into Day 3, it was still a stacked field with the likes of Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Freddy Deeb, Andrew Lichtenberger, Eugene Katchalov and Scott Montgomery. Fun fact: combined – those five players alone have over $25 million in tournament winnings.

The day started off fast and furious with six eliminations occurring within the first half of the first level of play. Katchalov was one of the early victims when he made a short-stack push with    into Eddie Blumenthal's   . Katchalov paired his queen, however, Blumenthal would spike an ace on the river to sent Katchalov to the rail.

The eliminations came a bit more slowly after that, but they did come. Freddy Deeb met his end in 10th place after he found himself dominated in a blind versus blind confrontation.

Andrew Lichtenberger would bubble the unofficial final table after his pocket kings fell to the ace-queen of Artem Metalidi after getting it all in preflop.

After relocating to the main stage of the Pavilion, the final seven players joined together onto a final table. Scott Montgomery would be the first to go after pushing a flush draw on the flop and whiffing. Not long after, Grospellier hit the rail after his    could not hold up against Luis Rodriguez Cruz's   .

The pace of play slowed considerably following Grospellier's elimination as no one left was particularly short-stacked and no big hands developed. However, Simon Charette used this time to amp up the aggression and push himself near the chip lead during five-handed play.

Foster Hays went out in 5th place shortly after dinner break when his    failed to improve against Metalidi's    after pushing all-in preflop.

Next to go would be Eddie Blumenthal, who ran his pretty-looking    into statistically the worst-possible hand, aces, held by Charette. He failed to improve and was sent to the rail in 4th place.

Luis Rodriguez Cruz was scrappy and managed to double during three-handed play, but he would eventually have to settle for 3rd place after his    failed to hold up in a race against Charette's   .

Heads-up play was short lived, to say the least – lasting just a few hands. Medalidi's fate as runner-up occurred after he six-bet shoved    preflop and was called by Charette holding   . The       board didn't improve Metalidi's hand and he had to settle for 2nd place.

Congratulations to Simon Charette, who has now bested his second-place finish that occurred last year during Event #48: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em.

Event #23 $3,000 No Limit Six-Handed Final Table Results

Thank you from all of us here at PokerNews for tuning in and following along as we crowned yet another WSOP champion. Until next time – goodnight from Las Vegas!

Action folded to Simon Charette on the small blind, who raised to 125,000. Luis Rodriguez Cruz responded by going all in from the big blind for his last million and Charette made the call to put Cruz at risk.

Cruz:   
Charette:   

The board ran out     ....

.... ! which paired Charette's ace on the river and sent Cruz home in 3rd place.

Simon Charette	5,300,000	1,900,000
Luis Rodriguez Cruz	0	-1,200,000

Simon Charette was the first player to act and put out a standard raise of 100,000. Luis Rodriguez Cruz was next to act and three-bet to 230,000 from the button. Next up was Eddie Blumenthal who four-bet to 620,000 from the small blind. Artem Metalidi folded the big blind as fast as he could, and Charette moved all in. Cruz folded, and Blumenthal made the call and was at risk.

Charette:   
Blumenthal:   

The board came       and Blumenthal was eliminated when he failed to improve. Charette then took in probably the biggest pot of the night and sits just under 2,500,000.

Simon Charette	3,400,000	1,900,000
Eddie Blumenthal	0	-1,500,000

Eddie Blumenthal opened to 85,000 and was three-bet to 180,000 by Simon Charette from the big blind. Blumenthal decided to flat and it was heads-up going to the flop.

The flop came     and Charette led out for 200,000 even. Blumenthal thought it over and announced he was all-in. Charette quickly mucked.

Charette has been slipping and is now down to 1,800,000. Blumenthal is sitting on 1,400,000.

Simon Charette	1,800,000	-300,000
Eddie Blumenthal	1,400,000	95,000

Action folded around to Foster Hays in the small blind and he went all in for his last 305,000. Artem Metalidi peaked at his cards from the big blind and made the call to put Hays at risk.

Hays:   
Metalidi:   

The       board left Hays second best and he was sent to the rail in 5th place.

Artem Metalidi	1,500,000	350,000
Foster Hays	0	-440,000

After a series of hands where players would just steal the blinds we actually had two players get heads up in a pot. Foster Hays raised to 65,000 from under the gun and got a caller in Eddie Blumenthal in the big blind.

The board came     and Blumenthal checked. Hays then fired out 90,000 and after a few moments of silence Blumenthal announced "all in". Hays folded and Blumenthal raked in the pot. Hindrance

Eddie Blumenthal	1,200,000	250,000
Foster Hays	510,000	-790,000

Eddie Blumenthal made it 64,000 from the button and Foster Hays moved all in from the small blind for 605,000. Artem Metalidi folded the big blind and Blumenthal made the call.

Blumenthal:   
Hays:   

Blumenthal had his opponent dominated, but as we will see anything can happen. The board came       and Hays was awarded the double up as his two pair queens and jacks were best.

Foster Hays	1,300,000	50,000
Eddie Blumenthal	950,000	-870,000

Lynn Gilmartin caught up with Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier during our first break to talk about the event at hand, the Global Poker Index, and hitting the gym. Even though ElkY was eliminated a short while ago, check out the video below for some of his thoughts.