APPT Main Event ($1,750)

The action is folded to the button where India’s Gagandeep Singh Malik raises it up to 5,500. In the SB, Chris Shebat of the United States 3-bets it to 11,000. In the BB, another Indian player in Abhinav Iyer 4-bets all-in. Malik folds but Shebat makes the call.

Iyer shows A♠ J♦ and is a hand that dominates his American opponent as Shebat tables Aad 9♠ .

The flop, though, changes everything: A♥ 9♥ 5♠ to give Shebat top two pair. The hand holds as the final two community cards are dealt: 6♥ and K♦ .

Since Shebat’s stack was so short, Iyer still has a serviceable stack of just under 80,000. Shebat is practically back to the starting stack.

From the +1 position, a short-stacked Artur Akhmetzianov of Russia decides that it’s time to shine and ships his dwindling stack of 17,000. On the button, India’s Abhinav Iyer makes the call.

Akhmetzianov shows A♥ 3♥ while Iyer turns over T♠ T♦ .

The first three community cards are 8♠ K♦ 5♥ but then a sweat card arrives as the fourth card is the 7♥ threatening to go backdoor. Akhmetzianov hits the jackpot when the 8♥ arrives as last card and the backdoor nut flush is enough to keep the Russian afloat while dragging Iyer’s chips to close to the starting stack.