WPT Bellagio Five Diamond, Day 4 Photo Recap

By BJ Nemeth

Kyle Julius (right) and Soi Nguyen (left) began Day 4 at the top of the leaderboard, first and second in chips, respectively. These two would stay at the top of the counts the first half of the day, but in the second half, Soi Nguyen caught fire and built a monstrous chip stack that was more than double anyone else in the field, finishing with 3.1 million in chips.

A lot of players were still stacking their chips when David Williams (standing) and Madison Bergeron (top left) got it all in on the very first hand. Williams five-bet all in with [KcKs], Bergeron called with [QcQd], and the best hand held up to give Williams a quick double up to start the day.

Dee Dozier was surviving with a short stack until she got it all in with [AdKd] against chipleader Soi Nguyen’s [KsQh] and Yuri Siniak’s [AcJh]. The board came [5h4c3h5cAs], and Dozier tripled up to about 50 big blinds.

Dwyte Pilgrim was crippled when he lost a preflop all in with [KcKs] against Jason Dewitt’s [Ad5s] — an ace fell on the river. Pilgrim seemed a bit stunned, but the next hand he picked up [AdAh] to double thru Tony Dunst, who had [KcQc].

Pilgrim was still a long way from making a comeback, but he asked us to take this photo so we could see his resolve even when he was at a low point.

Unfortunately, Pilgrim couldn’t overcome the short stack, and he was eliminated a short while later. But one thing is certain — he’ll be back.

Anthony Yeh stacks chips after his [9d9s] held up to eliminate Joseph Wertz in 26th place with [Kc8c]. They got it all in preflop, and the board came [Ah9h4cQc4s] to give Yeh a full house. Yeh is a former poker reporter who survived to Day 5 with nearly 1.1 million in chips — already guaranteed the biggest cash of his poker career.

After a flop of [Ad9c5d], Dee Dozier (center) check-raised all in with [Kh9h] (pair of nines) against William Reynolds (far right), who called with [AcQd] (pair of aces). Dozier never improved, and she reached to muck her cards as she was eliminated in 30th place.

Vanessa Selbst was the Day 1 chipleader, but lost momentum on Day 2, finishing with fewer chips than she started with. Selbst hasn’t been back to the top of the leaderboard, but she has continued to survive as the last woman standing. When Dee Dozier was eliminated, she leaned over to Selbst sitting next to her and said, "Win this."

It’s a rare thing when you see someone move all in dark before the river card is dealt, but to call that bet in the dark? That’s something we’ve never seen, but it’s not too difficult when you have the stone-cold nuts.

The board was [5c3c2c5s], and Nicolas Fraioli had moved all in with [KcJc] for a king-high flush. But Kyle Julius held [6c4c] for a flopped straight flush, as you can see above. Fraoili, who is the tournament director at the Aviation Club de France in Paris, was eliminated in 22nd place.

This wasn’t even the craziest elimination hand of the day, as you’ll see below.

After a flop of [QsQh3h], Antonio Esfandiari (left) three-bet all in with [KdQc] (trip queens) against the [AhAs] of David Steicke (right). Steicke took a drink as he watched the dealer put out the last two cards — the [Js] and the [2d] — and he was eliminated in 19th place.

Anthony Yeh (foreground right) watches as Tony Dunst stacks his chips after betting Yeh out of the pot on a board of [10h5c3hAc5h]. In addition to hosting the WPT’s Raw Deal segment on the World Poker Tour TV show, Dunst is the lead commentator for the WPT Final Table Live Stream — a position that will have to be filled by somebody else if Dunst reaches the final table.

Vitor Coelho (top right), who final tabled WPT Jacksonville last month, studied Larry Wells (foreground, bottom left) after Wells moved all in from the big blind on a cold four-bet. Coelho tanked for a while before he forfeited the pot to Wells.

David Williams (left) check-raised Antonio Esfandiari (foreground right) after a flop of [8s6h2c], and they stared each other down as Esfandiari considered the situation. Esfandiari eventually flashed the [8d] as he folded, forfeiting the pot to Williams.

WPT Raw Deal analyst Tony Dunst (standing, right) was all in preflop with [AcQc] against the [4c4h] of James Dempsey, but he couldn’t win the race on a board of [10h5c3cJd3h], and he was eliminated in 18th place.

Dunst will be back at the final table, however, providing the lead commentary for the WPT Final Table Live Stream.

After eliminating Tony Dunst, James Dempsey (pictured) crossed the two-million chip mark, and he would finish the day third in chips.

Vanessa Selbst (center) studies chipleader Soi Nguyen (right) after Nguyen bet a flop of [7h6c2c].

Nobody had a better final hour of the day than Andrew Lichtenberger, who started his run by doubling up with [8d8s] against chipleader Soi Nguyen’s [AcQd]. The board came [9c7h6hAh10c] — Nguyen paired his ace on the turn, but Lichtenberger rivered a ten-high straight.

That pot carried Lichtenberger over the one-million chip mark, but seemed to barely dent Nguyen’s chipleading stack.

Ty Reiman (top left) moved all in preflop with a short stack, and Antonio Esfandiari (center) called. Both players watched Vitor Coelho (foreground right) as he also called.

Reiman could only watch as the flop came [AsQs5d] and Antonio Esfandiari (foreground right) bet into the dry side pot. Coelho flashed pocket jacks to the player next to him and then folded.

Esfandiari’s father (top left) can be seen standing on a chair behind the rail.

Antonio Esfandiari would show [AcAh] for a set of aces, and Reiman needed a runner-runner miracle with [2c2s]. The aces held up for Esfandiari to win the pot and eliminate Ty Reiman in 17th place.

Esfandiari’s father (second from left) danced and cheered from the rail as his son took down the pot.

In the final hand of the night, Blake Kelso (foreground right) raised from middle position, Andrew Lichtenberger (foreground left) reraised from the cutoff, and Vanessa Selbst called from the button. Matt Marafioti (top left) moved all in from the big blind, and then Kelso moved all in over the top.

Lichtenberger called, creating a three-way all-in situation, and Marafioti raised an eyebrow as it looked like Selbst considered calling as well. Selbst would fold, claiming she had pocket jacks.

Matt Marafioti (top left) and Blake Kelso (foreground right) both had A-K offsuit, but Andrew Lichtenberger (foreground center) had them both dominated with [KcKs].

The board came [10s3s2s10h9c] — Marafioti flopped a flush draw with the [As], but never improved. Lichtenberger won the pot with his pocket kings to eliminate Marafioti and Kelso on the final hand of the night.

The WPT cameras watch as Andrew Lichtenberger (left) and Vanessa Selbst (right) bag their chips at the end of the night. When the final level started, Lichtenberger was a short stack, but when it ended he was second in chips with 2,114,000. Selbst finished further back with 869,000, 10th in chips with 13 remaining.

Here’s a look at the official chip counts heading into Day 5:

1. Soi Nguyen – 3,100,000 (155 BBs)
2. Andrew Lichtenberger – 2,114,000 (106 BBs)
3. James Dempsey – 1,877,000 (94 BBs)
4. Larry Wells – 1,327,000 (94 BBs)
5. Antonio Esfandiari – 1,099,000 (55 BBs)
6. Kyle Julius – 1,097,000 (55 BBs)
7. Anthony Yeh – 1,091,000 (55 BBs)
8. Vitor Coelho – 950,000 (48 BBs)
9. Braden Hall – 926,000 (46 BBs)
10. Vanessa Selbst – 869,000 (43 BBs)
11. David Williams – 748,000 (37 BBs)
12. Rudy Maarek – 706,000 (35 BBs)
13. William Reynolds – 565,000 (28 BBs)

Day 5 begins Saturday at 12:00 noon PT, and the field will play down to the final six for Sunday’s televised WPT Final Table. Stay tuned to WPT.com for continuing live coverage, including hand-for-hand coverage starting when they reach the final 10 players.