Get ready for the penultimate PPT series of 2024 at Pure Casino Edmonton, featuring 11 events and culminating in the $1,100 Main Event, plus fan favorites like 6-Max, PLO Big Bounty, and the $2k High Roller!
Check out live updates and reporting from the Pure Poker Tour Series #5 by Lyle Bateman. Chose an event of your choice down below:
-
Daniel Hicks Wins NLH/PLO Mix for $6,691 After Deal
Daniel Hicks, Winner of E4 NLH/PLO MIx It took more than 12 hours to settle the score in Event #4 Mix and almost four of those hours were spent at the final table. In the end, Daniel Hicks took down the game after playing the big stack for most of the final table.
Hicks dominated through the early part of the FT with things really only evening out more when they got three-handed. Hicks retained the lead through most of it, and it was only when he got heads-up with Benny Sarnelli that things got really close.
In the final hand, the two players were nearly even when the stacks were counted down with Hicks on about 15k more than Sarnelli. Sarnelli got his money in on the flop holding the top three cards of a straight to the five-four on the flop. Hicks was on ace-queen-queen-ten and Sarnelli bricked out his straight draw. He rivered a pair of tens, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the queens for Hicks.
This was Hicks first win in just his third recorded live cash. He bagged 10th place in this Mixed game in the summer PPT as well as 33rd in a PLO Bounty game at the last WSOP-C in Calgary, but today’s win dwarfs both of those scores.
-
Benny Sarnelli Out in 2nd Place for $6,000 After Deal
Benny Sarnelli The game ended shortly after they cut the deal and about 10 minutes to play in Level 22. The money went in on a flop of 4♥3♠J♦ with Sarnelli on a straight draw with 10♥7♠6♥5♣ against A♦Q♥Q♦10♣ for Daniel Hicks. The 9♣10♠ turn and river did connect slightly with Sarnelli, but not enough to top the pocket queens for Hicks. Hicks had Sarnelli covered by about 15k and took it down for his first tournament win.
-
Heads Up Deal
Level: 22 (15,000/25,000/25,000 PLO) Entries: 2/84 Prizes: $23,940 The final two players agreed to a chop that will let each player make $6,000 guaranteed leaving $691 and the trophy left to play for.
-
Myles Budd Out in 3rd Place for $3,351
Level: 22 (15,000/25,000/25,000 PLO) Entries: 2/84 Prizes: $23,940 
Myles Budd It turns out this was Myles Budd’s first tournament that featured PLO and he did pretty well in it. Most of the damage happened when he got it in dominated against Benny Sarnelli, but he managed to double back again.
It all came to an end in a limped family pot when the flop came 4♣K♠5♠. Sarnelli checked, Budd potted to force Daniel Hicks out of the hand, but Sarnelli was laying the trap and shoved over Budd, who had almost nothing left behind.
Budd called but it was a brutal spot where both players flopped two pair, but the king-five for Sarnelli was slightly better than the king-four for Budd and the runout didn’t change anything.
-
Budd on Fumes
Level: 21 (10,000/20,000/20,000 NLH) Entries: 3/84 Prizes: $23,940 Benny Sarnelli just got another double after he shoved the small blind and Myles Budd called from the big. Budd was dominated with A♥7♥ against A♠8♦ for Sarnelli. Sarnelli hit his eight on the flop and held to win it and leave Budd on less than 100k.
Budd then doubled up on the next hand and is still alive as they move in the four-card Level 22.
-
Sarnelli Doubles
Level: 21 (10,000/20,000/20,000 NLH) Entries: 3/84 Prizes: $23,940 Daniel Hicks raised the small blind to 50k, then called it off when Benny Sarnelli shoved 155k from the big. Sarnelli was ahead with A♣10♦ against K♠4♣. There were two clubs on the flop, making Sarnelli sweat a bit, but the turn and river were safe and he got the double.
-
Hicks Takes it Nut Low Flush
Level: 21 (10,000/20,000/20,000 NLH) Entries: 3/84 Prizes: $23,940 It was a family pot when Daniel Hicks raised the button to 40k and got calls from Benny Sarnelli in the small and Myles Budd in the big. Budd fired a bet on the turn, but there was a lot of checking on a board that ran out with four hearts.
“Any heart will take it,” Sarnelli said.
“I have the deuce,” replied Hicks as he showed it down. That was enough to make the others muck and send the pot to Hicks.
-
Mo Alemalhuda Out in 4th Place for $2,394
Level: 20 (10,000/15,000/15,000 PLO) Entries: 3/84 Prizes: $23,940 
Mo Alemalhuda They are down to 3 left just as the PLO round ends. Daniel Hicks raised to 30k from the cutoff and Myles Budd called the small blind before Mo Alemalhuda shoved the big blind for 57k. Hicks was the only caller with Alamelhuda on K♥9♠8♦7♦ against K♦6♦3♣3♠. Hicks hit an 8 on the flop and held for the win.
Below is a look at the 3-way chips as they are about to start Level 21 NLH.
Player Chips Benny Sarnelli 320,000 Myles Budd 460,000 Daniel Hicks 1,395,000 -
Flush over Flush goes to Budd
Level: 20 (10,000/15,000/15,000 PLO) Entries: 4/84 Prizes: $23,940 Daniel Hicks opened the button to 35k and got calls from both blinds. It checked around on the A♥Q♠8♠ flop but after a check from Benny Sarnelli on the A♠ turn, Myles Budd bet 40k.
Only Hicks made the call to see 7♦ on the river. Budd fired 75k and after some time in the tank, Hicks made the call. Budd showed Q♥J♠8♣3♠ for the jack-high flush, and Hicks showed 10♠9♠ for the slightly lower flush as he folded.
-
Tony Hoang Out in 5th Place for $1,795
Level: 19 (6,000/12,000/12,000) NLH Entries: 4/84 Prizes: $23,940 
Tony Hoang It was a huge cooler that sent Tony Hoang to the rail. He got it in with queens, ran into aces in the hand of Myles Budd, then flopped a queen. Budd came back with an ace on the river though to reflip back to him and send Hoang to the rail.
-
Five Left in the Mix
Level: 18 (5,000/10,000/10,000) Entries: 5/84 Prizes: $23,940 They are down to five left in the Mix game, and I’m finally finished with the 6-Max so I should be able to catch some of the action here. Kevin Schell, who won an event at Yellowhead last series, was the most recent casualty in 6th place, while Van Le was 7th, Traci Horperstad was 8th, and Kevin Lee took the min-cash spot tonight.
Van Le 
Kevin Schell 
Kevin Lee -
Final Table in the Money
Level: 16 (3,000/6,000/6,000) Entries: 8/84 Prizes: $23,940 They are in the money in the Mix game, though I am still watching the 6-Max epic 3-handed battle. I did get some FT pics for this event however, posted under the images tag, and Kevin Lee was the first player off the final table in the money, while it looks like Daniel Hicks has the big stack.
Van Le Tony Hoang Myles Budd Mo Alemalhuda Kevin Schell Kevin Lee 
Daniel Hicks Benny Sarnelli -
Money Bubble
Level: 15 (2,500/5,000/5,000) Entries: 10/84 Prizes: $23,940 They are on the bubble in the Mix game now with 10 left. I’m still not watching this one very closely as the 3-handed epic 6-Max finale is still rolling along.
-
13 Left
Level: 14 (2,000/4,000/4,000) Entries: 13/84 Prizes: $23,940 They are down to 13 left in the Mix game with Kris Steinbach as one of the recent busts. He got pocket nines in with a short stack, but couldn’t fade a ten for his opponent to send him to the rail.
-
16 Left in Mix
Level: 13 (1,500/3,000/3,000) NLH Entries: 16/84 Prizes: $23,940 They are down to 16 left in the Mix game now on the final two tables. I’m still watching the end of the 6-Max so don’t have eyes on the action, but among the players still alive are Stefan Maloney, Benny Sarnelli Darrell Moore, Tala Shoush, Angie Gelinas, Kevin Schell, Ross Wilson, and Kris Steinbach.
-
Down to 29
Level: 10 (1,000/1,500/1,500) Entries: 29/84 Prizes: $23,940 They are down to 29 left in the Half and Half game now with four-card action in Level 10. The average stack right now is close to 50 bigs, so they are playing pretty deep at this point.
-
84 Entries Confirmed
Level: 9 (600/1,200/1,200) Entries: 34/84 Prizes: $23,940 The prizes are in and the field is confirmed at 84 entries for total prizes of $23,940. 9 players will get a piece of that later tonight with the winner set to take home $7,664 while the min-cash in 9th place will get $622. Full prize details are loaded under the payouts tab.
-
84 Unofficial Entries
Level: 9 (600/1,200/1,200) Entries: 35/84 Prizes: $23,940 Entries are now closed on the Mix game with 84 as the final number on the board. I’ll confirm that when the prizes are posted but if it holds then 9 players will be getting a piece of $23,940 in total prizes later tonight. There are still 35 players in action including (but not limited to) DJ Sharma, Deven Lane, Maddie Sharma, Dylan Descheneaux, Angie Gelinas, Brady O’hara, Mo Alemalhuda, Justin Pennell, Benny Sarnelli, Ross Wilson, Leo Zhang, Pav Braich, Kris Steinbach, Lina Niu. and Stefan Maloney.
-
More than $18k in Prizes
Level: 7 (400/800/800) Entries: 33/64 Prizes: $18,240 There are 64 entries on the board for the NLH/PLO mix game now with about 25 minutes to play in Level 7. There are 33 active players still and among them are DJ Sharma, Stefan Maloney, Kris Steinbach, Ed Zurawell, Ryan Comely, Lina Niu Dylan Descheneaux, Benny Sarnelli, Darrell Moore, Brady O’hara, and Colten Yamagishi.
-
$11k in Prizes at First Break
Level: 5 (300/500/500) NLH Entries: 28/40 Prizes: $11,400 The Mix game is on break following Level 4 action with 40 entries on the board and 28 players still alive. That puts the prizes close to $11.5k with a bit more than 2 hours left to enter the game. Michelle Valencia, Pav Braich, Lina Niu, and Bash Ramahi are among the players in action now, while DJ Sharma has moved from 6-Max action to the MIx tables.
To be announced.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Hicks |  | $7,664 |
| 2 | Benny Sarnelli | | $5,027 |
| 3 | Myles Budd | | $3,351 |
| 4 | Mo Alemalhuda | | $2,394 |
| 5 | Tony Hoang | | $1,795 |
| 6 | Kevin Schell | | $1,292 |
| 7 | Van Le | | $1,005 |
| 8 | Traci Horperstad | | $790 |
| 9 | Kevin Lee | | $622 |
