Tuesday, October 5, 2021 3:07 AM Local Time
Long Ma Holds Commanding Lead of Final Five After Wild Day 2 of "The Reunion"
Day 2 of Event #4: $500 The Reunion No-Limit Hold'em was one for the memory banks as it produced wild action all day long with a starting field of 683 being cut all the way down to five in 17 hours of play.
As the dust settled at the end of the day it was Long Ma on top of the counts with a whopping 260,000,000 in chips. He stayed steady in the counts throughout the day until the final table where his stack really skyrocketed as he won three huge hands late in the night to take the commanding chip lead.
Guiliano Lentini finished the night second in chips with 133,900,000. Lentini was the short stack with nine players left but doubled twice and scored another knockout to catapult to his lofty finish.
Alex Vazquez ended with 114,600,000 which was good for third in chips as he maintained a big stack throughout the final table, holding the chip lead for much of it before tailing off slightly at the very end of the night.
The Reunion - Final Table Seating & Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|
| 1 | Long Ma | United States | 260,100,000 | 87 |
| 2 | Michael Eddy | United States | 27,600,000 | 9 |
| 3 | Giuliano Lentini | United States | 133,900,000 | 45 |
| 4 | Max Tavepholjalern | United States | 114,300,000 | 38 |
| 5 | Alex Vazquez | United States | 114,600,000 | 38 |
The Reunion - Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | | | $513,604 |
| 2 | | | $317,352 |
| 3 | | | $241,766 |
| 4 | | | $185,281 |
| 5 | | | $142,847 |
| 6 | Anthony Cass | United States | $110,794 |
| 7 | Jugal Daterao | United States | $86,462 |
| 8 | Derrick Stoebe | United States | $67,886 |
| 9 | Adrian Buckley | United States | $53,625 |
Just a smidge behind Vazquez was Max Tavepholjalern who finished with 114,300,000. He won a key triple-up hand just before the final table which set him up in a good position to make a run at the bracelet.
Ending the night as the short stack was Michael Eddy with 27,600,000, who held a big chip stack to start the final table but lost some key pots early to become a short stack. However, he was able to grind his short stack to the final five and again a few pay jumps in the process.
The day began with 683 players and players began to drop like flies right off the bat with the multitude of short stacks getting it in quickly. The eliminations came so quickly that play had to be halted twice within the first level so that the order of eliminations were made sure to be correct.
The breakneck pace would continue all day and several well-known players hit the rail including; Ryan Leng (248th place), Barry Greenstein (201st place), Ronnie Bardah (75th Place), Dave Alfa (46th place) and John Gorsuch (33rd place).
One of the last remaining big names, Ryan Laplante would hit the rail in 19th place. He had a roller-coaster day as he held the chip lead midway through the day but took a hit when he flopped a set vs a straight against Joakim Beaupre, which was the largest pot of the tournament to that point. He would recover however and end up making the deep run to the verge of the final two tables.
Ryan Laplante finished in 19th place ($18,117)
As the final two tables converged play got a bit more careful as the pay jumps became more significant. There were several big moves in the chip counts, the most dramatic of which being from Beaupre and Faisal Siddiqui, who went from dominating chip leaders to out in 11h and 10th place respectively.
It would take an hour and a half to break the ice on another elimination and send Adrian Buckley to the rail in ninth place. Derrick Stoebe went out next in eighth place in a bombastic hand which gave Ma his huge chip count.
Jugal Daterao was eliminated in seventh place and Ma scored the final knockout of the night as he took out Anthony Cass in sixth place.
Play will resume at 4 p.m local time as the final five will play down to a bracelet winner. PokerNews will have all of the coverage as well as an intro tomorrow that will shed light on a bio of each player in the final five.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:52 AM Local Time
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Long Ma | 260,100,000 | 120,100,000  |
| Giuliano Lentini | 133,900,000 | 6,900,000 |
| Alex Vazquez | 114,600,000 | 4,600,000 |
| Max Tavepholjalern | 114,300,000 | -2,700,000  |
| Michael Eddy | 27,600,000 | -2,400,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:50 AM Local Time
Anthony Cass Eliminated in 6th Place ($110,794)
From the small blind, Anthony Cass jammed all in over a button raise from Long Ma, who called.
Ma had the and was looking to score a knockout but would need to come from behind against the of Cass.
The flop came to pair Ma but give Cass the nut flush draw.
The turn was the and the river the to end the run for Cass and bring the night's festivities to an end.
| Anthony Cass | 0 | -59,500,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:45 AM Local Time
Jugal Daterao Eliminated in 7th Place ($86,462)
Jugal Daterao moved all in pre-flop. Action folded to Giuliano Lentini in the big blind, and he snap-called, tabling .
Daterao showed and, despite flopping top pair on a board, improved no further and hit the rail in seventh place.
| Giuliano Lentini | 127,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| Jugal Daterao | 0 | -47,000,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:42 AM Local Time
Tavepholjalern Loses One, Wins One
Max Tavepholjalern raised to 9,000,000 pre-flop. Next to act, Alex Vazquez three-bet to 22,000,000.
Tavepholjalern stared him down for several minutes before decided to fold, saying he had .
On the next hand, Tavepholjalaern again raised to 9,000,000 and got a call from Mike Eddy in the big blind.
The flop came down , and Eddy checked-folded to a bet.
| Max Tavepholjalern | 117,000,000 | 7,000,000 |
| Alex Vazquez | 110,000,000 | 10,000,000 |
| Michael Eddy | 30,000,000 | -89,200,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:33 AM Local Time
Derrick Stoebe Finishes in 8th place ($67,886)
Derrick Stoebe opens the action to 9,000,000. Long Ma made the call in position and they went heads-up to the flop.
fell on the flop. Stoebe open shoved the remainder of his stack.
Ma counted out calling chips and thought for a minute. As he eventually put those chips in the middle of the pot he mumbled, "I should have folded this hand pre-flop".
Derrick Stoebe:
Long Ma:
The turn card was the and the river was the .
Ma out-flopped Stroebe to knock him out of the tournament.
| Long Ma | 140,000,000 | 30,000,000 |
| Derrick Stoebe | 0 | -35,000,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:19 AM Local Time
Adrian Buckley Eliminated in 9th Place ($53,625)
A hand after being crippled by Giuliano Lentini, Adrian Buckley limped from middle position, leaving himself just 500,000 behind. Both Max Tavepholjalern and Alex Vazquez came along from the blinds.
The flop came and Buckley put in his final chips when it was checked to him. Both his opponents called.
On the turn, Tavepholjalern took the lead with a bet of 5,000,000 and Vazquez made the call, creating a side pot between them.
When the fell on the river, Tavepholjalern reached for chips and Vazquez snap-folded.
Tavepholjalern showed for flopped two pair, while Buckley could only manage for ace-high and hit the rail in ninth place.
| Max Tavepholjalern | 110,000,000 | 24,000,000 |
| Alex Vazquez | 100,000,000 | -7,000,000 |
| Adrian Buckley | 0 | -4,500,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:14 AM Local Time
Lentini Doubles Again
"Can I use that black button," Buckley asked again as he moved all in. To his right, Giuliano Lentini made the call for his final 48,200,000.
Giuliano Lentini:
Adrian Buckley:
The board ran out and Lentini doubled to 112,000,000.
Buckley was left with just 4,500,000 after that hit.
| Giuliano Lentini | 112,000,000 | 60,500,000 |
| Adrian Buckley | 4,500,000 | -49,500,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:03 AM Local Time
Lentini Finds a Double
Giuliano Lentini moved all-in from the big blind over two raises. Alex Vazquez called and Michael Eddy folded.
Giuliano Lentini:
Alex Vazquez:
The board would hold for Lentini as it came as he gathered in the big double up.
| Alex Vazquez | 107,000,000 | -19,000,000 |
| Giuliano Lentini | 51,500,000 | 29,900,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:00 AM Local Time
Buckley Uses the All-In Button
Adrian Buckley (middle position) and Derrick Stoebe (big blind) went heads-up to a flop of before Stoebe led out for 7,000,000.
"Can I use that black button," Buckley asked the dealer as he moved all-in, completely covering his face with his gaiter.
Stoebe folded and the pot headed to Buckley. He's up to 54,000,000, while Stoebe fell to 35,000,000.
| Adrian Buckley | 54,000,000 | 9,000,000 |
| Derrick Stoebe | 35,000,000 | -20,000,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 2:00 AM Local Time
Level 40 started
Level: 40
Blinds: 1,500,000/3,000,000
Ante: 3,000,000
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 1:54 AM Local Time
Ma Takes a Multi-Way Pot
Long Ma limped in from early position, as did Jugal Daterao from the button and Max Tavepholjalern and Alex Vazquez from the blinds.
All four players checked the flop.
On the turn, Vazquez bet 5,000,000, and only Ma and Tavepholjalern called.
They all checked the on the river, and Ma showed to take the pot with a rivered pair of jacks.
| Alex Vazquez | 126,000,000 | -28,700,000 |
| Long Ma | 110,000,000 | 33,500,000 |
| Max Tavepholjalern | 86,000,000 | -11,000,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 1:35 AM Local Time
Ma Shows A Bluff
Long Ma raised to 7,500,000 in middle position. The action folded to Jugal Daterao in the big blind and he completed with a call.
The flop brought the and the action checked through.
The turn brought the . Daterao led out with a bet of 7,000,000. Ma came with a raise to 16,200,000.
When the action got back to Daterao he asked for a count but was told it was not allowed. Then he exclaimed, "I have two pair!"
Ma replied, "two pair is good!"
Daterao then mucked his hand and Ma tabled but Daterao did not see the cards because he was looking behind him.
Ma scooped the pot to chip up.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 1:33 AM Local Time
Buckley Takes a Hit, Folds to a Shove
Max Tavepholjalern raised to 7,000,000 from early position and Adrian Buckley put in five yellow chips for a three-bet to 25,000,000.
Tavepholjalern asked to see how much Buckley had left, then announced he was all in.
Buckley frustratingly threw his cards into the muck.
| Max Tavepholjalern | 97,000,000 | 24,800,000 |
| Adrian Buckley | 45,000,000 | -26,300,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 1:16 AM Local Time
Updated Chip Counts
| Alex Vazquez | 154,700,000 | 29,700,000 |
| Michael Eddy | 119,200,000 | 27,200,000 |
| Max Tavepholjalern | 72,200,000 | 4,200,000 |
| Adrian Buckley | 71,300,000 | -5,700,000 |
| Anthony Cass | 59,500,000 | -500,000 |
| Derrick Stoebe | 55,000,000 | -1,000,000 |
| Jugal Daterao | 47,000,000 | 0 |
| Giuliano Lentini | 21,600,000 | -400,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 1:09 AM Local Time
Break Time
The remaining nine players are on a 20-minute break. They will play down to five tonight.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 1:05 AM Local Time
Daterao Doubles Just Before Break
Long Ma opened to 4,800,000 from early position and called when Jugal Daterao went all in for his last 20,500,000.
Jugal Daterao:
Long Ma:
Daterao won the coin flip when the board came , making eights full of fives by the river to double up to 47,000,000.
| Long Ma | 76,500,000 | -23,500,000 |
| Jugal Daterao | 47,000,000 | 12,500,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 12:55 AM Local Time
Cass Sends Buckley Into the Tank
Adrian Buckley raised to 5,100,000 from early position. Anthony Cass, from the big blind, three-bet all in for 37,500,000.
"Can I have a count, please," Buckley asked.
He spent several minutes considering the decision, counting out the chips to call and spinning them in his hand. He eventually folded and fell back to 77,000,000.
Cass moved up to 43,000,000.
| Adrian Buckley | 77,000,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Anthony Cass | 43,000,000 | 11,500,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 12:40 AM Local Time
Faisal Siddiqui Eliminated in 10th Place ($42,624)
Faisal Siddiqui shoved his remaining 17,900,000 from early position. Action folded to Long Ma in the small blind who flicked in the chips to call.
Faisal Siddiqui:
Long Ma:
Ma flopped an ace on a board of , sending Siddiqui home one spot off the official final table.
| Long Ma | 100,000,000 | 35,500,000 |
| Faisal Siddiqui | 0 | -16,500,000 |
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 12:32 AM Local Time
Final Table Redraw
| Seat | Player | Chip Count |
| 1 | Long Ma | 64,500,000 |
| 2 | Anthony Cass | 31,500,000 |
| 3 | Michael Eddy | 92,000,000 |
| 4 | Faisal Siddiqui | 16,500,000 |
| 5 | Adrian Buckley | 75,000,000 |
| 6 | Giuliano Lentini | 22,000,000 |
| 7 | Jugal Dataerao | 34,500,000 |
| 8 | Max Tavepholjalern | 68,000,000 |
| 9 | Alex Vazquez | 125,000,000 |
| 10 | Derrick Stoebe | 56,000,000 |
| Alex Vazquez | 125,000,000 | 23,000,000 |
| Michael Eddy | 92,000,000 | 33,500,000 |
| Adrian Buckley | 75,000,000 | 5,000,000 |
| Max Tavepholjalern | 68,000,000 | -13,000,000 |
| Long Ma | 64,500,000 | -6,500,000 |
| Derrick Stoebe | 56,000,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Jugal Daterao | 34,500,000 | -2,500,000 |
| Anthony Cass | 31,500,000 | -6,500,000 |
| Giuliano Lentini | 22,000,000 | -11,800,000 |
| Faisal Siddiqui | 16,500,000 | -2,500,000 |