The Wynn Millions Main Event has reached its final table in Las Vegas and the runner-up from the 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event fell just short of the final five. As the dust settled on a huge day in the event which has a top prize of over $596,000, another big name came crashing through the field to build a formidable final-day lead.

Jones Doubles Then Downed

The first four days of this year’s 2024 $3,500 Wynn Millions Championship have ramped up the excitement and drama as they have whittled the action down to the final table. On Tuesday, just five players bagged up chips as they planned for Day 5 and the last day of the event where someone will become very rich indeed.

One of the big moves in the early part of the day was the WSOP Main Event runner-up from 2023, Steven Jones. His king-jack dominated then doubled through the king-eight belonging to Martin Zamani, for whom no amount of frog poison would prevent him reaching the latter stages. He recovered but many did not.

Tony Phan (23^rd for $21,270), Anthony Spinella (17^th for $28,276), Paul Hizer (14^th for $32,918) all perished on a day of all-ins and bust-outs. Hizer was short when he shoved with but he couldn’t overtake Zamani’s [Kd[ and lost out before the final dozen was formed. Steven Jones started well but was unable to make the final day, all-in with but running into Paul Lozano Martin’s to lose out in 13^th place for $38,472.

Dowdy Delivered from the Drama

Meerwais Hussaini was the next to go, losing with to Jesse Kandola’s and the eliminations kept coming. David Dowdy was all-in with and timed it dead wrong, running headlong into Neel Murthy’s pocket queens on a flop of T-5-4. No help came for Dowdy and he was busted in 11^th place for $45,174.

Out in 10^th was the aforementioned Zamani, who shoved for 13 big blinds with and was called by Murthy with , who made a straight on the river and sent Zamani home for the same score that dowdy left with. The final table began with Jeremy Felicetti’s elimination for $54,467 when he flopped bottom pair but lost to a river clutch card for Chris Frank.

Daniel Maor left in 8^th place, running queens into aces and Neel Murthy started to dominate proceedings, knocking out Dominick Sarle in 7^th place. This time, Sarle had the aces, but lost to Murthy’s pocket kings when a king landed on the turn. Murthy kept up the attacking and busted Pedro Ingles in 6^th for $122,721. Play had concluded, with all five remaining players guaranteed to win at least $165,379 but shooting for almost $600,000 up top.

Murthy’s Law is the Rule

With five players left, Neel Murthy has the best chance of victory – and by some distance. Murthy bagged up 21.9 million chips, which equates to over 50% of the chips in play with just four players between him and what would be the second-biggest prize of his poker career. The San Francisco player will be hoping to grow his total winnings of $1.1 million.

Second in chips is Haim Gabay, who will enter the final day with 8.65 million chips, a three-bet clear of Germany’s Chris Frank in third on 8.55 million chips. Frank has plenty of experience in live poker and will be a big threat at the final table if he can push one of the short stacks out of the reckoning.

Those two short stacks are Spanish player Paul Lozano Martin with 3.5 million chips and Jesse Kandola, who clung on to an outside shot with 3,275,000 chips at the close of play. Murthy is sure to be a massive indicator of the destiny of the title. Get off to a good early start and reduce the field to four and he could run over the table. If either Gabay or Frank manage to get a foothold on the mountain quickly, however, they could still yet ascend to grab the crown.