WSOP #3 PLO Event won by Brandon Shack-Harris

A runner-runner straight enabled Brandon Shack-Harris to deny Morgan Popham a remarkable comeback and to win the PL Omaha bracelet in WSOP 2014 Event #3.

For many players, the $1,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha Event #3 was the start of their 2014 World Series of Poker after the “Casino Only” opening event and the bankroll busting $25,000 buy-in Mixed Max Event #2.

1,128 players ponied up the more affordable buy-in and, by the end of Day 1, the money bubble had burst – assuring the 106 players who returned for Day 2 a min-cash of $1,928. After a further day´s action, just six players remained in pursuit of the PLO Event #3 bracelet – led by Steve Billirakis, who had denied Brandon Shack-Harris the chip lead in the last hand of the day.

Paddock First to Go – Ryan and Billirakis Follow

There was a slow start to the final table of WSOP Event #3, and it took more than forty hands for the first player to leave – Robert Paddock seemingly getting his chips in at the right time with A♥ J♥ 10♠ 3♥ on the flop of Q♥ 4♠ K♥, but failing to find the outs he needed to improve past Steve Billirakis´ K♦ Q♣ 9♣ 4♦ flopped two pairs.

Billirakis then tried to take control of the final table, but two big losses against Brandon Shack-Harris and Morgan Popham saw him fall from the top of the leaderboard and – after Morgan Popham had hit a Seven-hit straight to eliminate Matt Ryan in fifth place – Steve Billirakis was the next player to depart.

After some aggressive betting by Brandon Shack-Harris (A♥ A♣ K♦ 10♠), Steve Billirakis found himself all-in with 8♠ 7♠ 6♦ 4♦ on the flop of A♦ 5♣ 9♠. The 3♥ on the Turn gave Billirakis a stack of outs to a straight to overcome Shack-Harris´ set of Aces, but the 3♦ was not one of them, and the dual WSOP bracelet winner was sent to the rail in fourth place.

Shack-Harris Leads into Heads-Up

With the elimination of Steve Billirakis, Brandon Shack-Harris vaulted into a massive chip lead, with his stack of 2,190,000 chips towering over those of his two opponents – Iori Yogo (700,000 chips) and Morgan Popham (500,000 chips).

A double-up by Popham against Yogo A♣ K♥ Q♥ 5♣ > K♣ Q♣ J♣ 8♥ crippled the Japanese player, and Brandon Shack-Harris finished off Yogo with a King-high flush in the next hand to take a 2.8 million -v- 590,000 chip advantage into the heads-up.

That advantage was to increase to 3.39 million -v- 300,000 chips when Brandon Shack-Harris took the first four pots of the heads-up uncontested, but Morgan Popham was about to stage an incredible revival which almost ended in victory.

Popham Fights Back, but Shack-Harris gets Lucky

A quick double-up by Morgan Popham (K♦ Q♥ J♥ 2♥ > A♣ 8♣ 6♦ 5♣ – Popham turned a Flush) followed b a Straight > Set hand, enabled Morgan Popham to reduce the deficit to less than a million chips.

An uncontested 105,000 chip post-River bet into a pot of 280,000 chips enabled Morgan Popham to draw even closer to the chip leader, but his good run came to an end at the beginning of Level 25.

With blinds now at 20,000/40,000, Brandon Shack-Harris opened the pre-flop betting by raising to 80,000 chips. Popham potted to 240,000 chips, and Shack-Harris responded by raising the stakes to 720,000 chips. Morgan Popham moved all-in and Brandon Shack-Harris made the call:

Brandon Shack-Harris: A♣ K♥ K♣ 5♠

Morgan Popham: A♥ A♦ 10♣ 5♣

Morgan Popham was ahead before the flop and after the 8♦ 6♦ Q♥ delivered nothing for Shack-Harris on the flop. The J♦ on the Turn left Shack-Harris needing a King or a Ten to prevent Popham doubling up into the lead, and the 10♣ duly obliged on the River – giving Brandon Shack-Harris a straight and his first WSOP bracelet.