Erik Seidel - 1st place

Here are the final table money results:

*Plus a $25,500 seat in the WPT Championship.

	Robert Richardson - 2nd place

On the first hand of heads-up play, Erik made it 260k from the button and Robert called. On the flop of A K 9 Robert checked, Erik fired 300k, and Robert called. Turn was the 8 and Robert moved all-in. Erik waited about three beats before making the call. Robert held 97 offsuit for a pair of 9s. Erik held AJ offsuit for top pair and the lead. With one card to come, Robert needed a 9 or 7 to survive. River was the K and the longest final table in WPT history IS OVER!!!

Erik Seidel finished in 1st place, earning $967,390 and a $25,500 seat in the WPT Championship.

Robert Richardson finished in 2nd place, earning $558,792.

Heads-up play is now underway. Here are the chip counts:

~Hand 220: Erik raised to 280k from the small blind and Robert moved all in for 1.54 million from the big. Erik called, showing A J . He was ahead of Robert's A T . The flop came 9 8 5 giving Erik the flush draw and killing the T as one of Robert's outs. It looked like he was headed for 3rd place. The turn was the 5 pairing the board. Then the 9 hit the river, putting two pair on the board and chopping the pot as both players had an Ace kicker. A loud groan went up from the sparse audience (and media) still gutting this one out.

	Andrew Barta - 3rd place

~Hand 227 : Andrew moved all-in again and this time Erik made the call. Andrew held A Q . Erik held pocket Jacks and was ahead, but it was essentially a coin flip. The the flop came J 6 3 giving Erik the set. Andrew was drawing to runner-runner, but the last two were 5 6 and Erik took the pot. They had to count down both stacks very carefully and in the end, Andrew actually had Erik covered by 30k in chips.

~Hand 228: Andrew had 15k in for the ante and his other 15k was all-in for the small blind. Robert called from the button and Erik checked his option. Flop came 8 5 4 -- check, check. Turn wsa the J -- check, check. River was the J -- check, check. Erik showed AQ and Robert mucked, giving Erik the main pot. Andrew showed QT suited, which was not enough and Erik took the main pot, too.

Andrew Barta finished in 3rd place, earning $281,011.

Now there will be a short delay as they film the money presentation and prepare for heads-up play.

Erik has been taking down a fair share of pots with pre-flop raises. Andrew has just been moving all-in and forcing the other two to fold. Robert has also done this a few times. So far, none of those all-ins has been called. They're just moving blinds and antes around the table.

About 15 minutes ago, they went to Level 27:  Blinds 60k/120k with 15k antes. 

Players are currently on a break. They've played ~193 hands over the last nine and a half hours. Three players remain. Here are the chip counts:

Hand 164: All three see the flop for the minimum: Q 7 3 -- all three checked. Turn was the 5 . Robert checked, Andrew bet 175k, Erik folded, and Robert raised another 200k on top. Andrew called and the river was the A . Both checked and Robert showed 6 4 for the straight. Andrew mucked.

Hand 167: All three see the flop for the minimum: 7 4 3 -- all three checked. Turn was the 5 . Checked to Erik, who bet 150k. Robert called and Andrew folded. River was the 9 and both checked. Robert showed T 5 for a pair of 5s (busted flush draw). Erik showed A 2 for the wheel to take the pot.

Hand 168: Robert raised to 240k from the button and Andrew moved all in from the small blind. All folded.

Hand 174: All three see the flop for the minimum: K 6 3 -- all three checked. (Do you see the pattern here?) Turn was the J -- all three checked. River was the 3 . Andrew checked, Erik bet 200k, Robert folded, Andrew called, showing J2 off for two pair. Erik mucked.

Raise, fold, fold. Fold, raise, fold. Erik is picking up more than his share of pots with pre-flop raises. No one seems to want to get involved.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of hand 148: Andrew raised to 210k from the small blind and Erik hit it again from the big for another 575k. Andrew announced all-in and Erik folded quickly.

Time for another tape change break. The chip counts have leveled out a bit:

These three guys have been satisfied to play small-ball for the last 15 or so hands. Now the blinds are going up...

Level 26: Blinds 40/80k with 10k antes. They've been at this for over 7 hours already. Nevertheless, play continues.

Hand 114: Erik completed the small and Robert checked. Flop came A 8 7 and Erik bet 75k. Robert raised to 175k and Erik called. Both checked the Q on the turn. River was the Q and Erik bet 125k. Robert took a minute to think, then made the crying call. Erik showed A4 for Aces up and Robert mucked.

Hand 118: Erik raised to 160k on the button and Robert called from the small. Flop came Q T 7 -- both checked. Turn was the J and Robert lead for 200k. Erik raised another 350k on top. Robert made the call and the river was the A . Robert checked and Erik fired 775k. Robert let it go and Eric pulled another pot.

Hand 121: Robert made it 120k to go from the small and Andrew called from the big. Flop was Q 9 4 and Robert bet 200k. Andrew moved all-in for 1.25 million on top. Robert went back to his happy place, in the think-tank, where he spends lots of time. After a couple of minutes, he said 'call' and Andrew showed Q 9 for two pair. Robert let out an anguished sound as he showed his K Q for just one pair. He would need a King or two runners to make a straight, or Andrew would double up. Last two came 6 T and Robert shipped 1.25 million across to Andrew.

With that pot, their positions have changed. Here are the updated chip counts:

Hand 109: Robert completed the small and Andrew checked. Flop was T T 5 and Robert checked. Andrew bet 100k and Robert called. Turn was the J and both checked. River was the 4 and both checked. Robert showed pocket 8s to take the pot.

Then another tape change break occurred.

Hand 89: Robert called from the button and Erik checked his option. Flop came 7 6 2 . Robert bet 140k and Erik called. Both checked the A on the turn. River was the 4 and Erik lead with 250k. Robert folded.

Level 25: Blinds 30k/60k with 5k antes. Play continues.

Hand 95: Robert limped on the button and Erik checked. Flop was A Q J -- both checed. Turn was the 2 and Erik bet 75k; Robert called. River was the 3 and both checked. Robert showed pocket 5s and Erik mucked.

Hand 100: Erik raised to 160k from the button. Robert jacked it up to 450k from the small blind. After Andrew got out of the way, Erik hit it again to the tune of 1.1 million straight. Robert went into the tank, again. After a couple of minutes, he mucked his hand.

Hand 103: Robert raised to 180k from the small blind. Andrew moved all-in for ~1.1 million from the big. Robert burned more think-time while staring down Andrew. He finally folded and Andrew took the pot.

Chip counts:

	Frank Cieri - 4th place

Hand 84: Frank moved all in for 215k from the small blind and Robert called from the big. Frank held Q 7 and was trailing Robert's K 6 -- he would need to improve to survive. The board came 8 8 6 3 9 and Robert took the pot to approach the 6 million mark.

Frank Cieri finished in 4th place, earning $200,261.

Hand 79: Robert raised to 150k utg and Frank called from the big blind. On the flop of K J 4 Frank moved all in. Robert took about a minute, then called. Frank held J T for a pair of Jacks with a flush draw. Robert was ahead with a pair of Kings and all-in for his tournament life. Last two were 3 Q and Robert's hand held up to double him up. After losing that hand, Frank was left with ~200k and Robert is now the chip leader with ~5.5 million.

Hand 73: Frank limped on the button, Robert completed the small, and Andrew checked. Flop was 8 6 5. Robert checked, Frank bet 200k, Robert min-raised to 400k and Frank called. Turn was a 4 and both checked. River was a 6 and both checked. Frank showed J8 for 8s-up. Robert showed 97 suited for the flopped straight to drag the big pot.

Hand 74: Frank raised to 100k and Erik called from the big. Flop was K Q 9 - both checked. Turn was Q - both checked. River was an Ace. Erik checked, Frank bet 200k and Erik called. Frank showed A9 for Aces up and Erik mucked.

Another tape change break...here are the chip counts:

Hand 60: Frank, Robert (button) and Andrew (small) all called. Adam (big blind) raised to 200k. Frank, Robert, and Andrew all folded.

Level 24: Blinds 25k/50k with 5k antes. Play continues.

	Adam Katz - 5th place

Hand 64: Frank raised to 150k, then Robert came over the top for 310k. Frank moved all-in (again) for about 2.2 million. He had Robert covered and Robert tanked for several minutes. Then folded. That is the 7th time Frank has moved in and not been called.

Hand 68: Adam raised to 110k and Robert called from the big blind. Flop was Q 6 5 . Robert lead out for 140k and Adam moved all in (765k on top). Robert called quickly, showing K 7 for the flush draw with one over. Adam was ahead with Q J for a pair of Queens. Adam's had would need to hold up for him to survive -- he would need to dodge all the hearts and Kings. Last two cards were 6 K and Robert caught one of his outs on the river to take the pot and send Adam to the rail.

Adam "RedBeardSheets" Katz finished in 5th place, earning $151,811.

Rough chip counts for the final four:

Hand 51: Frank raised to 120k utg, then Andrew (button) kicked it up to 310k. Frank took another look back at his cards, then spent some time studying Andrew, then called. Flop was J 9 8 . Frank checked, Andrew announced a bet of 380k, and Frank instantly said "all-in". They counted out his chips and he had 639k more on top. Andrew took a minute, then folded. Frank pulled another nice pot.

Hand 58: Eric raised to 100k from the button, then Frank made it 400k from the small blind. Robert took a couple of minutes, but finally surrendered his big blind. Erik folded pretty quickly and Frank picked up yet another pot without show-down.

Hand 46: Robert limped, Andrew limped from the button, then Adam raised to 165k from the small. Robert called, then Andrew announced all-in (for about 1.5 million). Adam folded quickly; Robert took a bit longer, but then folded.

Hand 49: Adam made it 110k utg, then Erik made it 300k smooth. Back to Adam, who called. Flop was K 4 3 . Adam checked, then Erik bet 375k. Adam let it go.

After that hand, another tape change break occurred.

Hand 40: Ted moved all-in for 575k from the cutoff. Everyone folded and Ted showed pocket Aces.

	Ted Forrest - 6th place

Hand 42: Ted called utg, then Adam called from the cutoff and Robert checked his option. Flop was 7 6 2 . Robert checked, Ted bet 160k, Adam took a couple of minutes, then called, then Robert announced all-in. Ted went into the tank for a few minutes, then folded. Adam then spent several agonizing minutes in the tank. He finally let it go, saying that he held the 8 7 (flush draw, gutshot, & pair). Robert survived another all-in.

Hand 43: In a battle of the blinds, Robert completed the small, then Ted raised 40k from the big. Robert re-raised 100k from the small, Ted moved all-in, and Robert insta-called, showing pocket Aces. Ted held pocket Jacks and was all-in in bad shape for his tournament life. The board came 7 6 2 3 7 and Robert's Aces held up. Ted's quest for a second WPT title is over.

Ted Forrest finished in 6th place, earning $103,360.

Hand 29: Frank min-raised to 60k utg and Ted called, then Erik called from the big blind. Flop was Q 5 2 . Erik checked, Frank bet 60k, and Ted called. Erik opted out and the turn was the 3 . Frank checked, Ted fired 150k, and Frank announced all-in. Ted went into the tank for a minute, then folded. Frank continues to add to his stack.

Hand 31: Ted opened for 70k utg and Andrew kicked it up to 210k. All folded back to Ted, who announced all-in. Andrew called all-in for his last 722k, putting his tournament life on the line. He was ahead with pocket Kings -- Ted held pocket 9s. The board came Q J 4 4 7 and Andrew doubled up.

Hand 33: Robert raised to 80k from the button and Andrew re-raised from the big blind to 210k. Robert only took a few seconds before announcing all-in. Andrew considered it for a bit longer, then folded.

Level 23: Blinds 20k/40k with 4k antes. Play continues.

Hand 34: Adam completed the small, then Erik raised 110k. Adam called and the flop came A 4 3 . Adam checked and Erik fired 160k. Adam surrendered.

Play has just resumed from a tape change break. Here are the chip counts as of the break:

Hand 13: Erik raised to 85k from the button and both blinds called. Flop was K Q 2 . Frank (small blind) moved all in. Robert (big blind) and Erik folded. Frank added another ~200k to his stack.

Hand 18: Ted raised to 70k and Frank called the extra 40k from the big blind. Flop was J 5 2 and Frank checked. Ted bet 40k and Frank announced raise, then added 100k on top. Ted mucked before he could get the chips in the pot.

Hand 21: Adam raised to 85k utg and Andrew called from the big blind. Flop was 7 7 5 . Andrew bet 100k. Adam took a few seconds, then raised another 260k on top. Andrew tanked for about a minute, then mucked his pocket Tens face up.

On the second hand, Erik raised to 85k from the cutoff, then Frank moved all-in from the cutoff. Everyone folded and Frank took the pot, adding 159k to his stack.

Hand 5: Andrew raised to 90k from the button and Erik called from the big blind. Flop was 6 4 2 and both checked. Turn was the K and Erik checked to Andrew, who fired 150k. Erik called. River was the 3 and both checked. Erik showed K8 suited for a pair of Kings and Andrew mucked.

Hand 7: Adam made it 85k from the cutoff and Robert called from the big blind. Flop was T 6 4 . Robert checked, Adam fired 150k, and Robert moved all-in. Adam asked for a count and it was 287k more to him. He thought about it for about a minute, then made the pot-odds call. Robert held K 5 for the flush draw; Adam held 8 7 for the double-gutshot-straight-draw. Robert's King-high was actually ahead. Adam would need a 9 or 5 to complete his straight or an 8 or 7 to give him a pair and none of these could be a club. Last two cards came J A and Robert doubled up with King-high.

Level 22: Blinds 15k/30k with 4k antes. They have reset the clock to the beginning of this level (90 minutes). Cards are in the air!

Remember that WPT's contract with CardPlayer restricts other media to only post every half hour, so my updates will come in 30-minute batches.

Still handling preliminary audience shots and waiting for player introductions, so it is going to be a few more minutes before they get underway.

Seat 1:  Erik Seidel  - 3,280,000 in chips
Erik Seidel is a legend in the poker community, with over $8 million in career tournament earnings. This is his fifth top-10 finish on the World Poker Tour, but just his second final table; he finished fourth at the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic at Bellagio in 2004. Seidel is looking to add his first WPT title to his resume.   Not that his resume needs padding, as he is fifth on the all-time list with eight WSOP bracelets. Seidel is also 11th on the all-time money list, and a second-place finish will move him up to eighth, behind TJ Cloutier.

Seat 2: Frank Cieri - 403,000 in chips
Frank Cieri has been a funeral director for 40 years and he has been playing poker for 30 of those years, but this is just his second WPT event. He earned his entry through a $250 satellite, and his biggest previous cash was about $20,000. Cieri may be entering the final table last in chips, but everything from this point forward is a bonus.

Seat 3: Robert Richardson - 526,000 in chips
Robert Richardson is an HVAC service tech from Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is his first WPT event, and he bought in for the full $10,000, which turns out to have been a pretty good investment.  He has no tournament cashes listed in the various online databases, so his first is guaranteed to be at least $103,000. He definitely has an uphill battle to go deep, as he has a short stack facing a couple of very experienced pros who are used to the pressures of a televised final table.

Seat 4: Ted Forrest - 2,347,000 in chips
If Erik Seidel is the legendary tournament pro at the table, then Ted Forrest is the legendary cash game player, playing at the highest limits, even the ultra-high stakes games against Texas billionaire Andy Beal. Ted has plenty of tournament accomplishments on his record, including a WPT victory in the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament last season -- the biggest cash of his career. Forrest already has $2.19 million in WPT earnings, giving him 22nd place on the all-time list. A victory here today would move him into seventh place with more than $3.1 million.   He also has 5 WSOP bracelets, a victory in the 2006 NBC Heads-Up Championship, and more than $5 million in career tournament earnings. He has plenty of chips to battle with Erik Seidel as the two favorites to win this tournament.

Seat 5: Andrew "AK" Barta - 1,522,000 in chips
Andrew Barta was born in Budapest, Hungary, and currently lives in New York City. He's been a musician most of his life, and also works as an electronics engineer. His biggest tournament cash was for more than $500,000 for winning a $5,000 no-limit hold'em event in last summer's Borgata Summer Open.   He has a slightly below average chip count, but enough to contend and go deep.  He'll need to finish first or second to make the biggest score of his career.

Seat 6: Adam "AKAT11" Katz - 2,301,000 in chips
Adam Katz is the online pro at the table, playing under the name "AKAT11."  This 24 year old was born in New York, but currently hails from South Florida.  He's a friendly and talkative guy, and should be an interesting addition to the TV table.   On Day 4, he was raised out of a preflop pot by Ted Forrest, and Katz challenged that he didn't have an ace in his hand. Katz bet him $400, and Forrest showed ace-rag to win the bet.  Adam may have lost the bet, but he considers it money well spent, because he was on the verge of tilting.  He claims he might have donked off his chips and been out of the tournament by now, so it appears to have been a good investment.  Adam is the likely dark horse to contend for the title. He is right behind Ted in the chip counts, and his online tournament experience should serve him well, as long as the pressure of the TV cameras and two poker legends doesn't take him off his game.

	Erik Seidel - chip leader

The final table of the 2008 Foxwoods Poker Classic will get underway at 5pm eastern time Wednesday. The final 6 players will get their turn under the lights as the World Poker Tour films the finale for broadcast on GSN. Here they are with their chip counts and seat assignments:

Here's a reminder of what they're playing for:

*Winner also receives a $25,500 seat in the WPT Championship.

Kaelaine Minton Reporting

Kaelaine is one of the hardest working reporters on the tournament cicruit, and she can play poker, too!  She won the 2007 World Poker Open Media Tournament at the Goldstrike in Tunica, besting a field of 50 to win the event and the WPO gold bracelet!   Her motto is "will do anything poker-related for money".

Contact Kaelaine