20K (SHR) - 8 HANDED ($20,000)

Right the next hand Calvin Lee limps J♠ 7♦ , Stephen Song opts to check T♥ 4♣ and the flop T♠ 4♥ J♣ drops. Song check-calls 50,000 before check-raising 800,000 on the 6♠ turn. Lee fills up his 175,000 second barrel and snap-calls his last 1,700,000 on the river 5♣ after Song put him all-in. Top pair versus two pair is the end for him, adding another six-figure cash that takes his 2025 live earnings to over $2,000,000 already.

Stephen Song opens 125,000 with A♣ 5♥ and Calvin Lee defends T♥ 7♥ to the flop 6♥ 2♥ Q♣ . Song continues for 75,000 and pays up after Lee check-raised to 250,000. On the turn J♠ Lee fires another 275,000, Song consumes a time banks and ups it to 750,000 with Lee calling. The river 4♠ gets checked down for Song to scoop the pot with ace-high.

While the table is being prepared for the heads-up, Stephen Song and Calvin Lee agree to an ICM deal that gives $200,000 to Lee and $194,000 to Song With $10,000 and the trophy left to play for.

No three for Black on the river K♦ sees the 2021 WPT Main Event winner exit in 3rd for a $101,000 payday.

Digging for three outs, Mendoza can't find any of them on the board 8♦ 5♣ Q♦ 7♦ 6♠ that sends him home in 4th and adds another $75,000 to his $450,000 biggest cash ever that he banked for finishing the SHR Main Event as runner-up two days ago.

The remaining three have a six-figure payout guaranteed.

The dealer makes short work of Yu by flipping over 2♦ 9♥ K♥ 2♠ J♣ and we lose our last Chinese contender.

Heartbreak for the last lady on the table when the dealer reveals a two in the window and flips over 5♣ T♦ 2♠ T♠ A♠ , eliminating Yisha Chen on the bubble that grants the rest of the field a $60,000 payday at minimum.

Scooping a small pot on the river against James Mendoza two hands ago, Calvin Lee open-limps his small blind and fills up after chip leader Stephen Song increased to 105,000. Lee check-calls a 60,000 c-bet on 7♦ 6♦ 7♥ and does so again for 180,000 on the J♦ turn. Both players check down the river 2♠ that has Song come out on top with ace-high A♦ 9♥ against Lee's K♦ T♣ king-high.

This takes us to the money bubble with Stephen Song in a perfect position to profit from the shorter stack's ICM considerations.

Chip Leader Stephen Song picks up A♠ A♥ in +1, raises to 50,000 and takes two interested parties to the flop J♦ K♥ 5♦ that gets rejected for a free J♠ turn. Song's 65,000 delayed c-bet keeps only hijack Gavin around for the board to complete 9♠ . Song fires another 80,000 and Gavin lets go of A♣ 6♣ after using a time bank.

After taking down two single raised pots in the three hands before, Yisha Chen cements her second place on the leaderboard.

Taylor Black min-raises A♦ K♠ from +1 and button Stephen Song comes along for the ride with 3♠ 3♣ . The flop J♣ T♥ 9♦ gets checked to the turn K♥ where Black check-calls 70,000 to watch the river A♥ hit the felt. Checking again, Black uses a time bank before he folds to another 135,000 bet from Song.

Cates picked up the blinds and Gavin lost a small pot against Istvan Birizdo that leaves him with crumbs.

Jungle stays ahead when the board completes 9♥ 7♠ for more than a triple up.

A min raised three-way pot gets checked to the river T♣ 7♣ 3♠ 2♣ 4♥ with preflop raiser Taylor Black's A♣ K♠ coming out on top against Dan Cates and Stephen Song.

After Lei Yu and Dan Cates picked up the blinds, Istvan Birizdo jams his last 200,000 into Stephen Song's min open and scoops a small pot.

Yisha Chen min-raises from under the gun and takes two players to the flop 9♠ 3♦ Q♥ where her 30,000 c-bet only keeps big blind Stephen Song around for the A♠ turn. Another 40,000 gets the job done for her.

With a few minutes of break left for the live stream production, the players are getting ready for their formal walk in.

Stephen Song extended his lead already, but Yisha Chen drew a good seat in position of him to maybe challenge the American bracelet holder.

No two-outer for Nitsche when the board completes A♦ Q♠ and we have the Final 9 set. Still four places away from the money.

A limped pot between three players gets checked to the turn 6♠ 8♠ Q♦ 3♦ where small blind Gavin tests the waters for 15,000 and takes cutoff Dominik Nitsche to the A♠ river, firing another 20,000 to scoop the pot.

Dominik Nitsche defends his big blind against a 30,000 raise from button Stephen Song, but lets it go against a 25,000 c-bet on the 6♥ T♠ 2♦ flop.