It was not to be, apparently, for Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown.

Seeking his first-ever WSOP bracelet to mix with his more than $2.3 million in lifetime tournament winnings, Brown came into Day 3 of the $1,500 Stud-8 event with the chip lead and a plan to take it down. He was still among the chip leaders when they reached the eight-handed final table. From there, nothing good happened.

Bricks, big limits, and second-bests ground Brown’s stack down to a do-or-die situation. Before long, he was forced into a hand with Costa Rican stud kingpin Max Stern. By the river, Stern had made two pair with no low to Brown’s ace-high with no low.

The fourth place finish puts another $44,000 in Brown’s pocket. It’s not a bracelet, but it’s not bad.

If anything, we can take heart in the fact Max Stern (seen above next to Brown) is still alive and kicking three-handed in the same event. Stern is a good friend to the PokerStars Blog and we wish him all the luck in the world. If he could win today, it would be his fourth WSOP bracelet.