2026 Pure Poker Tour Series #3 – Event #16: $450 Last Chance NLH

Mike Malm went on a run once the final table got short-handed, and ended up taking down his second event of the series. He won the $560 NLH earlier in the series, then tonight, in the Last Chance, he ran roughshod over the final five at the table.

After Benny Sarnelli, who won the Player of the Series race with his sixth cash of the series tonight, sent Colten Yamagishi to the rail for 6th, it was all Malm. He sent home the rest of the players, and had a massive lead going into heads-up with Sarnelli.

In the final hand, Malm shoved the button, and Sarnelli called off his fumes. He was live with 8♠6♠ against K♣6♣, and when neither player connected with the board, Malm’s king-high took it down.

Final Results from the Last Chance

Place	Player	Prize
1	Mike Malm	$11,210
2	Benny Sarnelli	$7,730
3	Eric Wasylenko	$5,025
4	Alan Zhu	$3,865
5	Alexander Bichovsky	$2,975
6	Colten Yamagishi	$2,355
7	Wonjun Choi	$1,855
8	Cam Stewart	$1,470
9	Erleen Mclean	$1,195
10	Dnr	$965
11	Sheri Yarema	$875

It took a cooler to get rid of Eric Wasylenko tonight. Mike Malm raised to 50k from the button before Wasy shoved the small blind. Malm snapped it off with aces against the nines for Wasy. 10♠7♣J♦J♥2♣ on the runout didn’t change anything, and Wasy was coolered out in 3rd place.

Alan Zhu shoved under the gun, and Mike Malm called from the big blind. Zhu had a suited connector with Q♣10♣ but was dominated by the A♠Q♥ for Malm. J♥5♦7♣5♣4♥ on the runout left Malm in front, and he is now the overwhelming leader three ways.

Colten Yamagishi raised to 75k, leaving just 5k behind. Benny Sarnelli shoved more, and Yamagishi tossed in his final 5k.

It was a fair fight between A♥10♣ for Sarnelli against Q♥J♠ for Yamagishi. Sarnelli flopped the ace, as well as three clubs to go with his ten of clubs, to take a huge lead, and Yamagishi couldn’t catch up on a board of A♣2♣9♣5♠3♠.

Benny Sarnelli just scored a double through Alan Zhu. Zhu had chipped up since the break, and was about 40k ahead of Sarnelli, but the Player of the Series found a diamond flush, and left Zhu nearly felted.

In the next hand, Alexander Bichovsky raised to 40k under the gun before Alan Zhu shoved his final 40k. Eric Wasylenko shoved the big stack, and that pushed Bichovsky off his hand.

It was a race between pocket eights for Wasy and Q♣J♣ for Zhu, and Zhu turned a queen on 10♣4♥10♦Q♥5♦. Zhu is now close to 200k.

Alexander Bichovsky raised the hijack to 30k, and Eric Wasylyenko called from the big blind. They checked it down until the river of 10♠10♦5♠8♠6♣, but on the river, Wasy fired 40k. Bichovsky called fairly quickly, and Wasy showed [invalid notations] for Bichovsky took it down with ace-high.

They are down to six remaining now, after Eric Wasylenko’s straight capped the set of fours for Wonjun Choi.

Eric Wasylenko raised the middle, and Alan Zhu called to see 7♣9♥J♠ on the flop. Both players checked to the 4♦ turn.

Zhu fired 26k and Wasy called to the K♦ river, where they both checked. Zhu’s ten-nine flopped a pair of nines, and that was good when Wasy mucked.

There was a bit of a sweat today for the Player of the Series, but in the end, the leader coming into today has secured the win. With the Main Event now in the books, and Sarnelli guaranteed at least 33 more points for 7th place in the Last Chance (he’s still in the game, so it could be even more), he now has a point total that no one else can surpass, no matter what happens.

While he’s still battling in this one, and may well take his first trophy tonight, it’s worth noting that Sarnelli’s lead today was on the back of five cashes, but no wins this week. This is his sixth cash, one more than the next biggest casher, Alan Zhu, who is also at this final table for his 5th cash of the series.

I’ve just had a wander around the other room, and there are three players in the Last Chance still gunning for Player of the Series. Cam Stewart, Benny Sarnelli, and Mike Malm are still in with a chance.

Sarnelli has the best chance, as he is leading right now. If he can secure 3rd or better in this game, he should have a lock on PoS, but if Ali Razzaq wins the Main, and Sarnelli takes 3rd in this one, it will be nearly neck-and-neck up top, and Razzaq might just nose him out. A 2nd for Sarnelli would lock up the game completely, no matter what else happens.

Stewart and Malm both need to win the game, with Sarnelli busting early, as well as Razzaq busting the Main before 3rd place, to have a chance, but they are both still mathematically in the running.

The real race right now is between Razzaq in the Main, and Sarnelli in the Last Chance. It’s worth noting that Sarnelli has the PoS lead right now with no wins so far in the series – he’s booked his lead entirely on consistent play with 5 cashes leading into this game today.

Most of my attention will be on the Main Event until it finishes.

The prizes are in for the side game, and the field is confirmed at 104 entries. I had the buy-in incorrect on my spreadsheet, so earlier prize pool posts were too small – the correct prize pool for the Last Chance is $39,520.

I am still watching the end of the Main Event, so I’m not sure if this game will get any coverage. If it’s still running when the Main ends, I’ll move over to cover the end of this one, but there’s a good chance that I’m only able to report results for this one.

Entries are now officially closed for PPT #3, with the final game closing entries just a few moments ago. The number on the board for the Last Chance at the end of reg is 104 entries, with 47 players still battling for the prizes.

There will be either 10 or 11 paid spots tonight, with the prizes just shy of $30k, assuming these numbers hold. Jarret Gray, Benny Sarnelli, Bash Ramahi, Cam Stewart, and Pete Fylyma are still in action in this one, with Ali Razzaq stacking big in the Main Event, so the Player of the Series race is still wide open.

Action was caught after the flop of J♦4♦2♠, and both blinds were quick to check. DJ Sharma fired for 3,000 from under the gun, and three players made the fold. The big blind moved all in, and Sharma called with less. Both players revealed their holdings.

DJ Sharma: 5♠2♥
Big Blind: K♦3♦

The board completed with the 8♠9♠ for Sharma to hit the rail.

Action was caught after the turn of J♦10♦9♣6♦, and the small blind led out for 3,200.

Rob Lothian raised to 11,000 from late position, and received a quick fold from the small blind.

Rob Lothian: 40,300

Action was caught after the turn of 4♠J♥6♠2♥, and the big blind was quick to check. Middle position checked, and Quinn Kannekens fired for 11,000. Both players made the call.

The river came the 8♦, and action checked through. Kannekens revealed 10♥8♥ to take the pot.

Quinn Kannekens: 117,600

Action was caught after the flop of 8♠Q♥K♠, and DJ Sharma was quick to check from the small blind. Sean Chapman moved all in for 12,500, and the button was quick to fold. Sharma found the call, and both players revealed their holdings.

Sean Chapman: Q♠10♠
DJ Sharma: 5♣5♠

The board completed with the 3♦K♦ for Chapman to find the double.

Sean Chapman: 41,700
DJ Sharma: 13,700

Action was caught after the flop of 10♥K♣9♥, with a player already all in. Eelean McLean moved alll in from middle position, and the button made the call. The three players revealed their holdings.

Small Blind: A♠8♠
Button: A♣Q♣
Eelean McLean: K♦10♦

The board completed with the 5♠3♠ to send the pot McLean’s way.

Eelean McLean: 87,400

Early Position opened to 1,200, and both blinds made the call.

The flop came 7♦3♠6♣, and both blinds were quick to check. Early position continued for 1,600, and Rob Lothian called from the big blind.

After the turn came the 4♥, Lothian checked to early position. They blasted for 2,600, and Lothian moved all in for 11,600. His opponent was quick to fold.

Rob Lothian: 21,900

Event #16: $450 Last Chance NLH ($300 + $40)

The final trophy event of PPT #3 runs at 2 PM on Sunday afternoon, alongside Day 2 of the Main Event. Players get 25k in chips to start the day, and levels are 30 minutes long until heads-up, when they drop to 20 minutes.

Entries are open for 8 levels of poker. Including the breaks, that should mean the registration desk closes for the final time in PPT #3 at around 6:30 PM. After that, they’ll play to a winner before the end of the day.

Back in May, Charles Spiruda took down this game late over Amanda Belanger-Weigel. The game drew 107 entries for prizes of $30,495. The game in May finished at about the same time as the Main Event, so I wasn’t able to get much coverage of it, and there’s a good chance it will be the same situation this time around.

Mike Malm went on a run once the final table got short-handed, and ended up taking down his second event of the series. He won the $560 NLH earlier in the series, then tonight, in the Last Chance, he ran roughshod over the final five at the table.

After Benny Sarnelli, who won the Player of the Series race with his sixth cash of the series tonight, sent Colten Yamagishi to the rail for 6th, it was all Malm. He sent home the rest of the players, and had a massive lead going into heads-up with Sarnelli.

In the final hand, Malm shoved the button, and Sarnelli called off his fumes. He was live with 8♠6♠ against K♣6♣, and when neither player connected with the board, Malm’s king-high took it down.

Final Results from the Last Chance

Place	Player	Prize
1	Mike Malm	$11,210
2	Benny Sarnelli	$7,730
3	Eric Wasylenko	$5,025
4	Alan Zhu	$3,865
5	Alexander Bichovsky	$2,975
6	Colten Yamagishi	$2,355
7	Wonjun Choi	$1,855
8	Cam Stewart	$1,470
9	Erleen Mclean	$1,195
10	Dnr	$965
11	Sheri Yarema	$875

It took a cooler to get rid of Eric Wasylenko tonight. Mike Malm raised to 50k from the button before Wasy shoved the small blind. Malm snapped it off with aces against the nines for Wasy. 10♠7♣J♦J♥2♣ on the runout didn’t change anything, and Wasy was coolered out in 3rd place.

Alan Zhu shoved under the gun, and Mike Malm called from the big blind. Zhu had a suited connector with Q♣10♣ but was dominated by the A♠Q♥ for Malm. J♥5♦7♣5♣4♥ on the runout left Malm in front, and he is now the overwhelming leader three ways.

Colten Yamagishi raised to 75k, leaving just 5k behind. Benny Sarnelli shoved more, and Yamagishi tossed in his final 5k.

It was a fair fight between A♥10♣ for Sarnelli against Q♥J♠ for Yamagishi. Sarnelli flopped the ace, as well as three clubs to go with his ten of clubs, to take a huge lead, and Yamagishi couldn’t catch up on a board of A♣2♣9♣5♠3♠.

Benny Sarnelli just scored a double through Alan Zhu. Zhu had chipped up since the break, and was about 40k ahead of Sarnelli, but the Player of the Series found a diamond flush, and left Zhu nearly felted.

In the next hand, Alexander Bichovsky raised to 40k under the gun before Alan Zhu shoved his final 40k. Eric Wasylenko shoved the big stack, and that pushed Bichovsky off his hand.

It was a race between pocket eights for Wasy and Q♣J♣ for Zhu, and Zhu turned a queen on 10♣4♥10♦Q♥5♦. Zhu is now close to 200k.

Alexander Bichovsky raised the hijack to 30k, and Eric Wasylyenko called from the big blind. They checked it down until the river of 10♠10♦5♠8♠6♣, but on the river, Wasy fired 40k. Bichovsky called fairly quickly, and Wasy showed [invalid notations] for Bichovsky took it down with ace-high.

They are down to six remaining now, after Eric Wasylenko’s straight capped the set of fours for Wonjun Choi.

Eric Wasylenko raised the middle, and Alan Zhu called to see 7♣9♥J♠ on the flop. Both players checked to the 4♦ turn.

Zhu fired 26k and Wasy called to the K♦ river, where they both checked. Zhu’s ten-nine flopped a pair of nines, and that was good when Wasy mucked.

There was a bit of a sweat today for the Player of the Series, but in the end, the leader coming into today has secured the win. With the Main Event now in the books, and Sarnelli guaranteed at least 33 more points for 7th place in the Last Chance (he’s still in the game, so it could be even more), he now has a point total that no one else can surpass, no matter what happens.

While he’s still battling in this one, and may well take his first trophy tonight, it’s worth noting that Sarnelli’s lead today was on the back of five cashes, but no wins this week. This is his sixth cash, one more than the next biggest casher, Alan Zhu, who is also at this final table for his 5th cash of the series.

I’ve just had a wander around the other room, and there are three players in the Last Chance still gunning for Player of the Series. Cam Stewart, Benny Sarnelli, and Mike Malm are still in with a chance.

Sarnelli has the best chance, as he is leading right now. If he can secure 3rd or better in this game, he should have a lock on PoS, but if Ali Razzaq wins the Main, and Sarnelli takes 3rd in this one, it will be nearly neck-and-neck up top, and Razzaq might just nose him out. A 2nd for Sarnelli would lock up the game completely, no matter what else happens.

Stewart and Malm both need to win the game, with Sarnelli busting early, as well as Razzaq busting the Main before 3rd place, to have a chance, but they are both still mathematically in the running.

The real race right now is between Razzaq in the Main, and Sarnelli in the Last Chance. It’s worth noting that Sarnelli has the PoS lead right now with no wins so far in the series – he’s booked his lead entirely on consistent play with 5 cashes leading into this game today.

Most of my attention will be on the Main Event until it finishes.

The prizes are in for the side game, and the field is confirmed at 104 entries. I had the buy-in incorrect on my spreadsheet, so earlier prize pool posts were too small – the correct prize pool for the Last Chance is $39,520.

I am still watching the end of the Main Event, so I’m not sure if this game will get any coverage. If it’s still running when the Main ends, I’ll move over to cover the end of this one, but there’s a good chance that I’m only able to report results for this one.

Entries are now officially closed for PPT #3, with the final game closing entries just a few moments ago. The number on the board for the Last Chance at the end of reg is 104 entries, with 47 players still battling for the prizes.

There will be either 10 or 11 paid spots tonight, with the prizes just shy of $30k, assuming these numbers hold. Jarret Gray, Benny Sarnelli, Bash Ramahi, Cam Stewart, and Pete Fylyma are still in action in this one, with Ali Razzaq stacking big in the Main Event, so the Player of the Series race is still wide open.

Action was caught after the flop of J♦4♦2♠, and both blinds were quick to check. DJ Sharma fired for 3,000 from under the gun, and three players made the fold. The big blind moved all in, and Sharma called with less. Both players revealed their holdings.

DJ Sharma: 5♠2♥
Big Blind: K♦3♦

The board completed with the 8♠9♠ for Sharma to hit the rail.

Action was caught after the turn of J♦10♦9♣6♦, and the small blind led out for 3,200.

Rob Lothian raised to 11,000 from late position, and received a quick fold from the small blind.

Rob Lothian: 40,300

Action was caught after the turn of 4♠J♥6♠2♥, and the big blind was quick to check. Middle position checked, and Quinn Kannekens fired for 11,000. Both players made the call.

The river came the 8♦, and action checked through. Kannekens revealed 10♥8♥ to take the pot.

Quinn Kannekens: 117,600

Action was caught after the flop of 8♠Q♥K♠, and DJ Sharma was quick to check from the small blind. Sean Chapman moved all in for 12,500, and the button was quick to fold. Sharma found the call, and both players revealed their holdings.

Sean Chapman: Q♠10♠
DJ Sharma: 5♣5♠

The board completed with the 3♦K♦ for Chapman to find the double.

Sean Chapman: 41,700
DJ Sharma: 13,700

Action was caught after the flop of 10♥K♣9♥, with a player already all in. Eelean McLean moved alll in from middle position, and the button made the call. The three players revealed their holdings.

Small Blind: A♠8♠
Button: A♣Q♣
Eelean McLean: K♦10♦

The board completed with the 5♠3♠ to send the pot McLean’s way.

Eelean McLean: 87,400

Early Position opened to 1,200, and both blinds made the call.

The flop came 7♦3♠6♣, and both blinds were quick to check. Early position continued for 1,600, and Rob Lothian called from the big blind.

After the turn came the 4♥, Lothian checked to early position. They blasted for 2,600, and Lothian moved all in for 11,600. His opponent was quick to fold.

Rob Lothian: 21,900

Event #16: $450 Last Chance NLH ($300 + $40)

The final trophy event of PPT #3 runs at 2 PM on Sunday afternoon, alongside Day 2 of the Main Event. Players get 25k in chips to start the day, and levels are 30 minutes long until heads-up, when they drop to 20 minutes.

Entries are open for 8 levels of poker. Including the breaks, that should mean the registration desk closes for the final time in PPT #3 at around 6:30 PM. After that, they’ll play to a winner before the end of the day.

Back in May, Charles Spiruda took down this game late over Amanda Belanger-Weigel. The game drew 107 entries for prizes of $30,495. The game in May finished at about the same time as the Main Event, so I wasn’t able to get much coverage of it, and there’s a good chance it will be the same situation this time around.