Welcome to Hour 3

Today's HPT Main Event final table at Ameristar East Chicago was anticipated to have about 8 hours of so of play available, based on the players at the table, the BB Ante format and the chipstacks.

Well, there was an incredible rush of bustouts early, making that 8-hour mark look pretty silly.

Enter 3-handed play with Mike Kamenjarin, Alez Ziskin and Ben Castle, with each of the three players having 50BB in front of them at one point in 30handed play.

Neither Kamerjarin nor Ziskin as been in and at risk the entire tournament, but Castle has been a few times. Castle has doubled twice through Ziskin and now the trio enters their third full hour of playing 3-handed.

Michael	Kamenjarin	7,300,000	46BB
Ben	Castle	6,800,000	43BB
Alex	Ziskin	4,500,000	28BB

SB Ante - 80k
Blinds - 80k/160k
Remaining - 3/624

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

Castle Doubles Through Ziskin

Alex Ziskin moves all in preflop from the SB to put Ben Castle at risk and Castle calls off his 2.32 million stack

Ziskin -  

Castle -   

The    flop gives Ziskin a backdoor straight draw, the turn  meaning if Castle rivers a set he loses to a Ziskin straight.

River ... 

Castle doubles to 4.7 million. Ziskin to 6m

SB Ante - 80k
Blinds - 80k/160k
Remaining - 2/624

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

A Tale of 3 Styles

Down to three players in the HPT Main Event at Ameristar East Chicago and there's three distinct styles of play taking place.

Alex Ziskin (left) has been the aggressor all day, putting players in uncomfortable positions, placing them at risk and eliminating three players.

Ben Castle (center) made a series of big laydowns to raises early in the day, seeming to only be getting involved with big preflop hands. He then founds two big calls against Ziskin to double once and then take down a big pot the second time.

Mike Kamenjarin (right), meanwhile, has been quietly picking up pots when he needs to, keeping his stack safe, rarely putting many chips at risk and with little fanfare he moved to the top stack 3-handed.

BB Ante - 60k
Blinds - 60k/120k
Remaining - 3/624

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

3-Handed Chipcounts

Michael	Kamenjarin	6,800,000	57BB
Ben	Castle	6,400,000	54BB
Alex	Ziskin	5,500,000	46BB

SB Ante - 60k
Blinds - 60k/120k
Remaining - /3624

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

Castle's Aces Hold

Alex Ziskin opens, Ben Castle 3-bets to 420,000 and Ziskin calls.

The flop is    and both players check.

Ziskin makes it 550,000 on the   turn and Castle calls

River is , Ziskin makes it 1.3 million and Castle goes to the tried-and-true contemplation pose of crossing his right arm across his body to rest his hand on his left shoulder .... and finds a call.

Ziskin shows King_Eight for two pair.

Castle shows Pocket_Aces for a better two pair, moving to 6.4 million.

Ziskin slip to 5.5 million, he's down 50 percent from his high point at this final table.

BB Ante - 60k
Blinds - 60k/120k
Remaining - /624

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates