There was plenty of drama on the penultimate day of the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic as Balakrishna Patur took the chip lead into the final table of the high-profile event on the poker calendar.

[Image credit: World Poker Tour]

In previous years, the LAPC final table would already have happened, but there is a four-week hiatus for players to endure or enjoy this year. The final table will take place in the HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 2nd, and it’s looking like one of the best televised tables to look forward to in 2020 if the elite players who have made the final half-dozen perform as we’ve all seen them do before.

The chip leader heading into the penultimate day of the tournament was Isaac Baron, and many would have expected the talented poker pro to not only make the final six but head there in the lead, with only five players to bust from the starting 11. That wasn’t the case, however, as Baron himself was the first player to leave the action. After just a couple of hours, Baron had lost the advantage he came into play with and was down to less than 1.2 million chips, all of which went into the middle on a flop of nine-deuce-five, with pocket eights. Scott Hempel had more chips than his rival, however, and held pocket tens. They held across the turn of a queen and river of a seven, and Baron was out in 11th place for just $71,950, far less than the million-dollar top prize he must have imagined he had a great shot at winning.