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The finale of the $5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha event (#35) as part of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) saw two longtime PocketFivers make the final three. Team Betfair pro Sorel Imper1um Mizzi landed in second in the event, while Cliff JohnnyBax Josephy (pictured at right) grabbed third. Both were sent packing as part of a three-way all-in on the tournament’s final hand. Richard Austin, who earned $409,000 for the win and his first WSOP gold bracelet, ousted the established PocketFivers. Following his win, Austin declined to be interviewed and “refused to participate in the traditional WSOP gold bracelet ceremony,” according to the official tournament recap. It marked a wild and crazy end to Event #35, which was tracked on PocketFivesLive.com, your source for the best WSOP coverage of online poker players.

Let’s set the scene that ended the 35th event of the 2009 WSOP. Pre-flop, Josephy raised it up to 150,000 in the small blind and Austin made the call. When the action got back around to Mizzi (pictured at left), the youngster made it 750,000 and Josephy shoved. Austin and Mizzi both called the all-in to see a flop of K-9-3 with two clubs. Mizzi promptly pushed for 680,000 and Austin called, having the PocketFiver covered. Mizzi flipped up A-A-5-3 for a pair of aces, Josephy showed A-K-K-8 for a flopped set, and Austin turned over Q-J-8-5 for straight and flush draws. The turn came the eight of spades, preserving the status quo, but a club on the river shipped the pot, the WSOP bracelet, and $409,000 to Austin. Mizzi officially finished as the runner-up for $253,000, while Josephy claimed third place for $166,000.

PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Rich Ryan relived the experience: “Both Mizzi and Josephy made impressive runs. The final hand was crazy, especially for Bax, who flopped a set of kings, but neither Mizzi nor Josephy deserved to lose like that. Both players carefully navigated their way through the final 11 and it was hard to see them get so close and not have one of them taste gold. This won’t be the last of Mizzi, though, and the legend that is JohnnyBax will surely live on as well.” Josephy won a WSOP bracelet in 2005 in a $1,500 buy-in Seven Card Stud event. Mizzi chopped the 2007 Irish Poker Open for over €500,000.

Taking tenth in the Pot Limit Omaha event was none other than PocketFiver Isaac mr. menlo Baron (pictured at right). He called all-in with his tournament life hanging in the balance pre-flop holding A-J-10-8 with two hearts against Austin’s K-K-9-6. The flop came K-Q-4 with two hearts, giving Baron flush and straight draws, but an eight on the turn brought no help and a queen on the river handed Austin a boat and the pot. The hand propelled Austin to near the top of the leaderboard and sent Baron into the halls of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in tenth place for $32,000. It was Baron’s third in the money finish of the 2009 WSOP, which includes a final table appearance in the $5,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event (#15) for $88,000.

Jordan scarface_79 Smith (pictured at left) sits with the sixth largest chip stack entering the final day of play in the $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event, the 36th of the 2009 WSOP schedule. He owns 800,000 chips, about 200,000 above the average. The entire field is looking up at Steven Tabb, who comes armed to the final day of play on Saturday with 1.1 million, the only player with a seven-figure chip count. After being down to just 165,000 chips, Smith doubled up with A-Q against pocket tens. He promptly doubled up again with A-Q, this time drawing out on A-K when a queen hit the board.

Joining Smith for the finale of Event #36 is Jonathan therookieqq9 Plens (pictured at right), who holds a stack of 378,000. Plens busted Ken Yates for Friday’s final elimination when the PocketFiver’s eights in the hole withstood Yates’ Q-7 of hearts. The board came K-K-6-3-2 and Plens boosted his stack to 370,000. Also in the field is Jack doctor_fun Powell, who owns the seventh largest stack overall at 679,000. Powell will earn his fourth cash during the 2009 WSOP and is seeking his first final table. Here’s a look at how the talented field stacks up entering today’s play:

1. Steven Tabb - 1,086,000
2. Andrew Seden - 995,000
3. Warren Woodall - 881,000
4. Pat Atchison - 852,000
5. Andrew White - 808,000
6. Jordan Smith - 800,000
7. Jack Powell - 679,000
8. Laurence Grondin - 608,000
9. Anthony Roux - 561,000
10. Corwin Cole - 447,000
11. Ken Lennaard - 445,000
12. Almira Scripcenco - 407,000
13. Joe Morneau - 405,000
14. Jonathan Plens - 378,000
15. Adam White - 330,000
16. Tommy Chen - 283,000
17. Johnny Neckar - 196,000

Finally, Justin Boosted J Smith (pictured at right) will take to the felts of Event #37, the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better. He sits with one of the short stacks in a field of 12 that includes Abe Mosseri, Jeffrey Lisandro, Doyle Brunson, World Poker Tour Co-Founder Lyle Berman, Perry Friedman, and Scotty Nguyen. A top prize of $431,000 will be on the line.

Visit PocketFivesLive.com for the latest news, notes, and nuggets from the 2009 WSOP.