Final 6 Set for Shot at $1+ Million at Seminole Hard Rock

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Event
Blinds 80k/160k/20k ante
6 Players Remaining, 8.975 Million Avg (56 bb)

Stoudt & Pahuja Bag & Tag — **Stout & Pahuja Bag & Tag**

The remaining players have a one in six shot at winning $1,081,184 in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship. But no matter what happens, it will be an entertaining televised WPT final table.

Poker friends Matt Stout, Chance Kornuth and Mukul Pahuja enjoyed the play down from 18 players on Day 4, especially Pahjua who has the chip lead.

“It doesn’t seem real right now,” said Pahuja who bagged nearly 19 million, more than 1/3 of the chips in play. “I ran unbelievably pure and it’s everything I could ask for. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

The pivotal hand of the day came between Pahuja and Jacob Bazeley in a 9.5 million chip pot. Pahuja check-raised Bazeley on the turn and led out on the river of a board showing 10s .

“That was a huge one,” said Pahjua who bet 2.8 million on the river with for the nuts and watched Bazeley deep in the tank. “You have to find the right number to bet and extract the most you can.”

Bazeley eventually called and quickly mucked when Pahjua tabled the winning straight. The hand dropped Bazeley out of the chip lead (13.5M to 9M) and gave Pahjua the big stack (12M to 17M).

Pahuja’s closest competitor is James Mackey who began Day 4 as one of the returning short stacks (14 of 18, 22 bb), but is now at 11.7 million. Bazeley is third at 7.3 million.

Rounding out the final table are Eric Afriat (6.7M), Chance Kornuth (5.3M) and Matt Stout (3.7M), with Kornuth and Stout providing the most entertainment.

“He’s been a good side kick, laughing and having a good time,” said Stout about Kornuth. “Even when we’re going for a big pot, we still go back and forth, and go at each other,” he added with his booming laugh, one of the post recognizable in the game.

Day 4 saw the tournament end for a dozen players including Day 1 chip leader Justin Young (13th), Jeff Gross (10th), Matt Glantz (9th), Barry Hutter (8th) and Blake Purvis (7th) who bubbled the TV final table.

The next player eliminated is guaranteed almost $250,000 on the way to $1 million. And Pahuja has is eyes set on a bigger prize as a win would clinch him the WPT Player of the Year points title.

“That’s always in the background,” said Pahjua, who’s making his third WPT final table. “I show up at each event and do my best. You always try to win and if you do that the other things will take care of themselves.”

Day 5 resumes 3 pm Wednesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, but Mukul, Stout and Kornuth have plans before then.

“I’m going to have drinks with the same guys who are going to try and cut each others throat tomorrow when we play for the big money,” said Stout on his way to the casino’s Center Bar.