Event 2: Robert Melo Eliminated in 3rd Place ($1,200)

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,500/5,000

Robert Melo (Howard Beach, NY)
Robert Melo (Howard Beach, NY)

Robert Melo and Joseph Patalano put 17,500 chips apiece into the pot preflop, and Melo is left with just over a pot-sized bet behind.

The flop comes Kh5d2s, and Melo leads out for the pot — 44,500. Patalano raises, and Melo calls all in for about 60,000 total.

Melo: 7c5h4d2d (two pair)
Patalano: Td5c4h3c (straight draw)

The Ac turn gives Patalano the wheel, and Melo is drawing slim to stay alive. He needs to make his own wheel or fill up to stave off elimination, but the river is the blank 7d.

Melo is out in third place, and Patalano is now heads up with Marcus Stein for the title.

Joseph Patalano – 400,000
Marcus Stein – 80,000
Robert Melo – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($1,200)

Event 2: Adil Khan Eliminated in 4th Place ($880)

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,500/5,000

Adil Khan (Coral Springs, FL)
Adil Khan (Coral Springs, FL)

Joseph Patalano raises the button, and Adil Khan three-bet shoves for about 70,000 in the small blind. Patalano quickly calls with his big stack, and Khan is at risk.

Patalano: AdAsTc6c
Khan: KdKsJs2d

The board runs out AcJc9d2sJh, and Patalano wins the pot with aces full. Khan is eliminated in fourth place, earning $880.

Patalano now has more than 80% of the chips in play with two opponents standing between him and the trophy.

Joseph Patalano – 390,000
Adil Khan – Eliminated in 4th Place ($880)

Event 2: Luis Santoni Eliminated in 5th Place ($640)

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 15: 2,000/4,000

Luis Santoni (Aguada, FL)
Luis Santoni (Aguada, FL)

Joseph Patalano limps from the cutoff, and Adil Khan raises to 18,000 on the button. Luis Santoni defends his big blind, Patalano folds, and it’s heads up to the flop.

It comes Jh8s3s, and Santoni leads all in for just less than 15,000 total. Khan quickly calls with the covering stack, looking for the knockout.

Khan: KdJd8c7c (top two pair)
Santoni: AdQcTcTd (pair of tens, straight draw)

The turn 7s and river Ac do nothing to save Santoni’s tournament life, and he is eliminated in fifth place.

Adil Khan – 77,000 (19 bb)
Luis Santoni – Eliminated in 5th Place ($640)

Event 2: Brad Coultas Eliminated on the Bubble

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 15: 2,000/4,000

Brad Coultas (Eliminated)
Brad Coultas (Eliminated on the bubble)

Luis Santoni limps from middle position, and Robert Melo raises to 11,000 in the cutoff. Brad Coultas calls all in for his last 4,500 in the big blind, Santoni calls the remainder, and there’s heads-up action on the side with Coultas at risk.

The board runs out AhQh8d2hJh, with the two live players checking it all the way down.

“Aces up,” Santoni announces.

“Set,” Melo has him beaten, at least verbally. He tables QsQcJd6h to prove it, showing three queens. Santoni mucks.

Coultas is all in, so his inferior AsJc5d3s is tabled as he stands from his chair. He’s eliminated on the money bubble, and the five remaining players are guaranteed at least $640.

Event 2: Brad Coultas Triples Up on the Bubble, Too

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 1,500/3,000

Robert Melo opens to 7,000 in the cutoff, and Joseph Patalano three-bets to 25,500 from the button. Brad Coultas calls all in for his last 6,000 in the big blind, Melo folds, and Coultas is heads up for his tournament life.

Patalano: AhAd7d6d
Coultas: KsTc5c4d

The board runs out KdQh2d6h4h, and Colultas rivers two pair to win the pot. He more than triples up, though he’s still the short stack at the table.

Brad Coultas – 19,500 (7 bb)

Event 2: Marcus Stein Triples Up on the Bubble

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 13: 1,200/2,400

Marcus Stein opens with a pot-sized raise to 8,400 under the gun. Robert Melo calls in the cutoff, and Joseph Patalano calls from the button, making it three-handed to the flop.

It comes 8c4d3d, and Stein moves all in for his last 6,200. Both opponents call, and they check it down through the 6h turn and 3c river.

Stein: AhAdAs4c (aces up)
Melo: QsQd6d5c (queens up)
Patalano: JhJs7s7d (jacks up)

Stein wins the pot with the best two pair, tripling back into contention on the direct money bubble.

Marcus Stein – 47,400 (20 bb)

Event 2: Final Table Set

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 11: 800/1,600

Thanks to a double elimination, the field has been reduced to eight players, and they’re now at the official final table. Here’s how the finalists stack up:

Seat 1: Luis Santoni – 42,000 (26 bb)
Seat 2: Robert Melo – 140,000 (88 bb)
Seat 3: Joseph Patalano – 83,000 (52 bb)
Seat 4: Adil Khan – 55,000 (34 bb)
Seat 5: Brad Coultas – 34,000 (21 bb)
Seat 6: Brett Bader – 31,000 (19 bb)
Seat 7: Marcus Stein – 77,000 (48 bb)
Seat 8: Evan Dollinger – 10,000 (6 bb)

The final five players will all earn at least $640, and the winner’s share includes $3,280 in cash and a $2,500 seat to the Championship Event.

Event 2: Moving On Up

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 6: 200/400

Shawn Nagy is the early PLO leader
Shawn Nagy is the early PLO leader

Players just returned from their first break of the PLO event with 35 entrants in the game. Registration will close at the end of this level and we’ll see if we hit the $10,000 guarantee or players get a nice little bonus

Shawn Nagy is leading the way in the early counts and naturally Luis Santoni is going to be up there with them.

Shawn Nagy – 33,700 (84 bb)
Luis Santoni – 32,400 (81 bb)
Mark Warren – 28,600 (72 bb)
Tony Rey – 24,200 (61 bb)

Tony Rey
Tony Rey
Mark Warren among the early leaders
Mark Warren among the early leaders

Event 2: Overlay Alert

$240 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 50/100

Luis Santoni (Aguada, FL)
Luis Santoni (Aguada, FL)

They are starting off slow in the PLO event with 16 players in the game at the start of Level 2. They have quite a bit to go to reach the $10,000 guarantee.

Local good guy Luis Santoni is among the two tables in action and has plenty of results to back him up. He has more than a dozen tournament victories plus an 18th place finish in the 2014 Coco Poker Open Championship.