ARIA $25K High Roller Final Table Updates

Updates from the ARIA $25K High Roller final table can be found below and a complete winner’s story can be found here. 

1:10am: Scott Seiver wins ARIA $25K High Roller, Bryn Kenney eliminated in 2nd place ($186,000)
Level 19 – Blinds 15,000/30,000 (5,000 ante)

In one of the first hands back from break, two massive hands collided and a cooler ended this heads up battle before it could even really start. Bryn Kenney opened the button to 70,000 and Scott Seiver three-bet to what looked to be 200,000. After some thought, Kenney four-bet shoved, for just over 1,100,000, and Seiver snap called. 

Seiver tabled K♠K♥ and Kenney turned over Q♦Q♠. Both players exchanged some quick words about the situation before the 10♠4♦3♥ flop fell and after the K♦ came on the turn, Kenney was officially drawing dead. Just to put an exclamation point on his victory, Seiver improved to quads on the river, as the K♣ completed the board and earned him his first win of 2017. 

Kenney will have to wait to reach a domestic winner’s circle, after claiming two titles in the Bahamas earlier this year. Kenney will make $186,000 for his runner-up finish, while Scott Seiver will earn $342,240 for his ARIA $25K High Roller victory. A complete winner’s story will be posted shortly. 

12:55am: Kenney doubles to close the gap
Level 18 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (5,000 ante)

Bryn Kenney entered heads up play with a massive chip disadvantage and while he’s still trailing Scott Seiver, a recent double up has closed the gap at the $25K High Roller final table. That double was picked up pre flop, with Kenney limping the button and calling after Seiver shoved the big blind. 

Kenney’s call was for his 575,000 chip effective stack and he needed his pocket pair, 3♦3♠, to hold against Seiver’s A♠Q♦. It did and when the dust settled, Kenney was moving over seven-figures for the first time. The players will now take a ten-minute break and return to Level 19, where the blinds will jump to 15,000/30,000. 

Bryn Kenney – 1,150,000
Scott Seiver – 1,850,000

12:35am: Jason Koon eliminated in 3rd place ($104,160)
Level 18 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (5,000 ante)

An hour ago, Scott Seiver was just over a half-million and suddenly, he was holding close to 60% of the total chips in play after eliminating Zach Hyman. Seiver heater continued through the midway point of Level 18, after he picked up another massive pocket pair to score another knockout. 

Jason Koon shoved just over 500,000 from the button and Seiver re-shoved, to isolate his opponent. Bryn Kenney, who was playing close to 500,000 in the big blind, folded and Koon saw that he was in trouble. He held K♣Q♠ and was up against Seiver’s A♥A♠. 

The 9♥4♥4♠ flop was no help for Koon and after the 8♠ fell on the turn, he was officially drawing dead. Koon will make just over $104,000 for his podium finish and we are now heads up for the ARIA $25K High Roller title, with Scott Seiver holding a massive chip lead. 

Jason Koon – Eliminated in 3rd place ($104,160)
Scott Seiver – 2,600,000
Bryn Kenney – 500,000

12:15am: Zach Hyman eliminated in 4th place ($66,960)
Level 18 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (5,000 ante)

The rest of Level 17 played out without much meaningful action but in the first few minutes of the next period, Zach Hyman and Scott Seiver clashed in a massive pot. The action replicated Hyman’s earlier elimination of Dan Smith, when he beat pocket queens but he couldn’t beat a big pocket pair for a second time. 

Action was picked up pre flop, with Hyman opening the 60,000 from under the gun. Seiver, who was in the small blind, looked to three-bet to 150,000 and very quickly, Hyman four-bet all-in for close to 650,000. Seiver snap called and immediately tabled K♥K♠, meaning Hyman had to come from behind again, as he held A♣Q♥. 

While he paired up on the Q♠7♥3♣ flop, it wasn’t enough. The turn and river bricked out and his 4th place elimination was confirmed. When the dust settled, Seiver was stacking up close to 1,900,000 and Hyman was heading to the cage to collect his nearly $67,000 payout. 

Zach Hyman – Eliminated in 4th place ($66,960)
Scott Seiver – 1,860,000

11:50pm: Katz bubbles, Sam Soverel eliminated in 5th place ($44,640)
Level 17 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (3,000 ante)

 In the time after Sam Soverel, pictured above, doubled twice to get back over ten big blinds, the blinds increased and it was more or less a game of chicken between Soverel and Cary Katz. Some other hands played out around them but after each hand, both would check in to see what the other was working with. Soverel got as low as six big blinds at one point, while Katz flirted with just three big blinds, before he found a double to get back to even with his short stacked opponent. 

Katz’s A♦9♠ beat Zach Hyman’s Q♦2♥, to get Katz up near 120,000 and a few hands later, Katz found a chance to get over ten bigs against Jason Koon. Koon opened to 60,000 from under the gun and when the table folded to Katz, he shoved for just over 100,000 from the big blind. Koon called and he needed his K♣2♣ to connect, as Katz held 8♥♣8. 

Koon immediately hit, connecting on the K♠10♥3♣ flop that drew Katz from his seat. The Q♥ and the A♣ completed the board and Katz’s bubble elimination was confirmed. He bowed out in 6th place, much to the relief of Sam Soverel who had been walking the same tightrope as his short stacked opponent for the better part of the last half hour. 

Almost immediately after Katz was eliminated on the bubble, Soverel joined him on the rail but with a small profit, as he will make $44,000 for his 5th place finish. We ware now four-handed at the ARIA $25K High Roller final table, with an updated look at the counts below:

Sam Soverel – Eliminated in 5th place ($44,640) 
Zach Hyman – 940,000
Jason Koon – 820,000
Bryn Kenney – 660,000
Scott Seiver – 510,000
Cary Katz – Eliminated in 6th place

11:35pm: Soverel doubles once, aces double him again
Level 16 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (2,000 ante)

In the matter of a few hands, Sam Soverel went from holding just a few big blinds to having a workable stack, thanks to two quick doubles to open Level 16. The first double came in a blind versus blind encounter with Scott Seiver, when Soverel’s J♠2♣ connected on the J♣10♥8♣6♥5♠ runout to best Seiver’s A♣K♠. 

The second, came against Jason Koon, after Koon opened to 45,000 from under the gun and Soverel three-bet shoved for 126,000 from the hijack. Koon got a count and then called, only to see how opponent table A♣A♦. Koon’s A♠6♠ was way behind and after the 9♥8♥8♣5♣J♠ runout, Soverel was suddenly playing over ten big blinds. 

Both Koon and Seiver are still over a half-million, while Cary Katz is now looking like the short stack, with just under 125,000. 

Sam Soverel – 255,000
Jason Koon – 550,000
Scott Seiver – 540,000

11:20pm: Still on the bubble, Soverel even shorter
Level 16 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (2,000 ante)

Sam Soverel hasn’t found any opportunities to move himself over the leaderboard over the last few hands and heading into Level 16, he’s now below a starting stack and will come back from break with just a handful of big blinds. On the other end of the spectrum, Zach Hyman, who scored the huge elimination of Dan Smith, is sitting atop the leaderboard, with just over seven-figures. 

Hyman was one of two non-professionals to make the final table, along with Cary Katz. Both are still alive, with Katz sitting just under ten big blinds on the immediate bubble. Even Bryn Kenney, who came into the final table with a sizable chip lead, isn’t sitting that pretty anymore, as he’s only just over 20 bigs. 

Needless to say, the blinds and antes will only continue to climb, meaning that we should see the bubble burst within the next hour. A complete update of the counts is provided below:

1. Sam Soverel – 85,000
2. Scott Seiver – 595,000
3. Bryn Kenney – 470,000
4. Zach Hyman – 1,050,000
5. Cary Katz – 195,000
6. Jason Koon – 750,000

11:03pm: Bubble counts, Soverel extremely short
Level 15 – Blinds 7,000/15,000 (2,000 ante)

With the elimination of Sean Winter, we are now on the immediate bubble and while the top of the leaderboard is a logjam of big stacks, Sam Soverel is alone at the bottom. Soverel is playing just over ten big blinds, with his nearest competitor playing over double his stack. 

That means that all eyes will be on Soverel as the bubble plays down and it will be interesting to see if this field can make their way into the money before the next break, which is scheduled to begin in 15 minutes. Regardless of when the bubble bursts, a complete list of the updated counts is provided below:

1. Sam Soverel – 160,000
2. Scott Seiver – 465,000
3. Bryn Kenney – 710,000
4. Zach Hyman – 760,000
5. Cary Katz – 370,000
6. Jason Koon – 615,000

A complete list of the ARIA $25K High Roller payouts are listed below for your convenience:

1. $342,240
2. $186,000
3. $104,160
4. $66,960
5. $44,640

10:55pm: Seiver busts Winter, on the bubble
Level 15 – Blinds 7,000/15,000 (2,000 ante)

A few minutes after Dan Smith was sent to the rail, the blinds went up and that left Sean Winter and Sam Soverel even shorter than they were in Level 14. A few minutes into the new period, Winter was all-in and at risk for less than a ten big blind stack against Scott Seiver. 

Winter moved in from late position and Seiver re-shoved from the small blind to isolate, holding A♠K♠. Winter’s A♣6♦ was dominated and he was in even bigger trouble after the K♦10♠2♠ flop. The J♣ and 7♠ completed the board, with Seiver rivering a meaningless flush to score the knockout. 

When the dust settled, Seiver was playing close to 400,000 and the entire final table prepared for the bubble, as six players remain and only five will make the money. 

Scott Seiver – 380,000
Sean Winter – Eliminated in 7th place 

10:40pm: River sends Smith out, Hyman to chip lead
Level 14 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (2,000 ante)

While a majority of the pots since the last break have been relatively small, the biggest pot of the tournament just played out to send Dan Smith to the rail in 8th place. Action was picked up with Zach Hyman opening to 30,000 and after some folds, Dan Smith three-bet the button to 75,000. 

The rest of the table folded and Hyman, who had just over 390,000, went into the tank. He picked up chips to call, re-checked his cards and then shot his opponent a glance. He then quickly announced himself “all-in” and Smith snap called, turning over Q♣Q♦. 

Hyman shook his head and mentioned that he thought Smith was “*expletive* with him” before tabling A♥J♥. Smith wasn’t but he still had to hold to stay alive, as he was technically at risk with 360,000 in front of him. 

Smith held through the 9♠7♥5♣ flop and the K♣ turn card but the river wasn’t as kind, as the A♣ paired Hyman and sent Smith packing. When the dust settled, Zach Hyman was behind just over 775,000, giving him the chip lead seven-handed. 

Zach Hyman – 780,000
Dan Smith – Eliminated in 8th place 

10:26pm: Ten-high for Kenney?
Level 14 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (2,000 ante)

We just saw Cary Katz bluff with jack-high and maybe Bryn Kenney just tried to one up Katz with a ten-high bluff?

That can not be confirmed but a ten was shown at the end of a clash between Bryn Kenney and Scott Seiver. Action was picked up on the Q♦9♠6♥K♦ board, with Seiver check-calling 42,000 small blind. Kenney was in the big blind and after the Q♠ completed the board, Seiver checked again. 

Kenney thought for a few moments and then bombed the river, betting 132,000. That put Seiver to a decision for a decent amount of his chips, as he was behind close to 280,000. Seiver used a Time Extension card and then started thinking aloud about what hands he could beat. 

“I beat ten-high.” Seiver said before laughing and mentioning a few other of Kenney’s possible holdings that he had beat. Eventually, Seiver folded and while he didn’t get to see if Kenney did hold any of those beaten combinations, Kenney did say that the table could pick one of his cards to turn over. 

Zach Hyman then tabled the 10♣ from Kenney’s hand, drawing a quick laugh from Kenney, who continues to crush and is now up to 650,000. 

Bryn Kenney – 650,000
Scott Seiver – 230,000

10:12pm: Soverel shoves, Katz shows the bluff
Level 13 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

Over the last few hands, Sam Soverel and Cary Katz, pictured above, have tangled in two pots, with each player booking one victory. Soverel’s win was picked up on a flop of K♦10♠4♦, with the short stack checking from the big blind before Zach Hyman checked in middle position. Katz was next to act and bet 36,000, which seemed to get Soverel’s attention. 

He had just under 115,000 behind and after some thought, he called. Hyman folded and two players saw the 10♦ pair the board on the turn. Soverel quickly moved himself all-in, for what looked like 75,000 but we couldn’t get a count because Katz’s hand was in the muck almost instantly. 

“I always want to show Cary a bluff but I just can’t.” Soverel joked as he was stacking up close to 230,000 and while Katz didn’t reply, he let his cards do the talking a few hands later. 

Katz defended his big blind after Soverel opened to 23,000 and then check-called a bet of 18,000 on a 6♥3♥2♦ flop. Both players checked the 8♣ on the turn and after the 8♠ paired the board on the river, Katz bet 45,000. 

“I’ll show you the bluff if you-” Katz said, before he was cut off by his opponent’s fold. He then slid J♠9♦ across the table towards Soverel, which drew some muffled laughter as Katz took the pot. 

Cary Katz – 485,000
Sam Soverel – 195,000

9:50pm: Katz can’t be bothered
Level 13 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

While the entire final table and the entire ARIA Poker Room was fixated on the final few seconds of the Arizona Wildcats vs. Xavier Musketeers NCAA Tournament game, Cary Katz and Jason Koon played a decently sized pot. Both players couldn’t be bothered with the action on the television screens above them, with the action picked up pre flop with Katz limping from the hijack. 

Koon, next to act in the cutoff, then raised to 40,000 and after the rest of the table folded, Katz called to see the A♦6♠4♦ flop. Both players were near a half-million to start the hand and Katz check-called 30,000 on the flop. The 5♥ fell on the turn and both players checked to bring the 10♥ on the river. 

Katz shot his opponent a look and then cut out what looked to be just under 55,000. He slid the stack against the line and Koon went into the tank, before giving up his hand a few moments before his 30 seconds were up.

The dealer shipped Katz the pot, while the rest of the table and room reacted to a hectic last few positions that saw Xavier advance to the Elite Eight. Katz, who still didn’t look very interested in the basketball above, is now sitting a little deeper than the player to his immediate left and is back over a half-million. 

Cary Katz – 560,000
Jason Koon – 480,000

9:35pm: Kenney still leads, Koon on his heels 
Level 13 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (1,000 ante)

 Though the first portion of final table play was relatively slow in terms of reportable hands, there was some movement on the leaderboard. Bryn Kenney still leads, with just shy of 600,000, but Jason Koon and Cary Katz have flip-flopped spots on either side of the half-million mark. The rest of the field is hovering near the chip average, including Zach Hyman, who has seen the biggest uptick in his stock after scoring the lone elimination in Level 12.

All eyes will likely be on Sam Soverel when play resumes from break, as he’s the low man with just under 15 bigs. With five players cashing in today’s High Roller, the rest of the final table can’t fold their way into the money, meaning we will certainly see some action over the next few levels. 

An update of the counts is provided below:

1. Sam Soverel – 135,000
2. Scott Seiver – 415,000
3. Bryn Kenney – 580,000
4. Zach Hyman – 325,000
5. Cary Katz – 490,000
6. Jason Koon – 520,000
7. Dan Smith – 335,000
8. Sean Winter – 260,000

9:30pm: Hyman turns Marchese to the door
Level 12 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

Tom Marchese came into this final table near the bottom of the leaderboard and with just a few minutes remaining in Level 12, he was eliminated by Zach Hyman. Action was picked up pre flop, with Marchese moving all-in from the cutoff for less than ten big blinds. After a fold, Zach Hyman, who was also with a short stack, re-shoved from the small blind. 

The big blind folded and it was a flip for Marchese’s tournament life, as he held 6♠6♥ to Hyman’s A♠Q♠. The board ran out 7♥5♠2♠3♠Q♣, with Marchese holding through the flop and Hyman turning a flush to more or less seal the deal. Marchese did have one out heading to the river but it wasn’t to be and the $25K High Roller final table will now head into the next break eight-handed. 

A complete update of the chip counts will be posted shortly. 

9:08pm: Bryn Kenney controls chip lead heading into $25K High Roller final table
Level 12 – Blinds 4,000/8,000 (1,000 ante)

The ARIA High Rollers usually run on a once-a-month schedule but in their own version of March Madness, ARIA put another two $25K High Rollers on this month’s schedule. The reason, demand and after 31 players came out for today’s event, it makes sense why the High Rollers wanted more before the end of March. 

While the High Rollers during the first week of the month were diverse in nationality, today’s event was diverse in profession. Some of the world’s best players came to compete, along with some of the more respected amateurs in the game. Two of them are still alive heading into the final table, including Cary Katz, who is looking to become the first player to win two ARIA High Rollers in 2017. Dan Smith, is also looking to notch a 2017 double but they are both looking up at the current chip leader, Bryn Kenney. 

Kenney was the first player over the half-million chip mark and he has continued to climb since then. The New York pro, who is currently leading the GPI Player of the Year rankings, is behind over 650,000 and holds a sizable chip lead on the rest of the final table. That final table is stacked, with Jason Koon and Scott Seiver joining Kenney, Katz and Smith to make this one of the more loaded lineups in ARIA High Roller memory. 

Poker Central will be here to bring you all the final table action once play resumes, with a complete list of those final table seating assignments provided below:

1. Sam Soverel – 165,000
2. Scott Seiver – 490,000
3. Tom Marchese – 155,000
4. Bryn Kenney – 670,000
5. Zach Hyman – 185,000
6. Cary Katz – 550,000
7. Jason Koon – 480,000
8. Dan Smith – 280,000
9. Sean Winter – 190,000

A complete list of the ARIA $25K High Roller payouts are listed below for your convenience:

1. $342,240
2. $186,000
3. $104,160
4. $66,960
5. $44,640

ARIA High Roller final table updates are provided by Poker Central and Will O’Connor.