[user46392]
Just before the break, Luca Pagano picked up a tidy pot.
The board read and Pagano bet somewhere in the region of 50,000. His opponent coughed up the chips and turned over for two pair - but Pagano flipped for the rivered straight and won the sizable pot.
[user140525]
A few hands into the new level, Bruno Fitoussi tried to raise to a total of 9,000. Blinds had just gone up from 2,500/5,000 to 3,000/6,000, but a raise to 9,000 hasn't been legal since the last level of Day 2. The dealer said that because Fitoussi had verbally announced 9,000, he was obligated to make a minimum raise to 12,000.
Action folded to Davidi Kitai in the big blind who felt that Fitoussi should be forced to limp for 6,000, and he should be able to see a free flop. Kitai asked for the floor, who confirmed the dealer's decision to hold Fitoussi to a bet of 12,000 because he had announced a raise of 50% of the big blind. Had he said 8,500, it would have been declared a limp. Kitai folded, and the table moved on to the next hand.
[user66118]
We're just four eliminations away from the money now, and aggression is the name of the game for those with chips to spare.
Over on Table Lacay, we watched Freddy Deeb open a pot with a small raise to 12,500, and a few of his table mates gave him a rough time about his sizing. His bet sizing, that is. Deeb smirked and said he thought the blinds were still 2,000/4,000. The man next to him made the smooth call, and action passed to Ludovic Lacay in the small blind. He raised his eyebrows and put in a re-raise to 42,000. Deeb didn't like it, but he and the third player both yielded to the three-bet.
Sometimes, three bets aren't even enough. At the adjacent table, Craig Bergeron opened to 13,000 from the cutoff seat. The player in the big blind three-bet it right up to 40,000, and Bergeron took pause. After a minute or so, he plunked a big covering stack of high-denomination chips into the pot. His opponent shook his head and laid it down, and Bergeron's bubble four-bet has his stack moving upwards.
[user46392]
There are no fewer than three woefully short stacks at Martin Kabrhel's table, and none of them can be having any fun at the moment.
The action folded around to Kabrhel on the button, and he promptly announced all in to cover both shorties in the blinds. Both passed.
A couple hands later and Jean Claude Malle raised to 16,000 - only for Kabrhel to cheerfully (insofar as Kabrhel does anything cheerfully) reraise all in to cover, well, pretty much everyone. It folded all the way around the table, and Kabrhel picked up a few more chips.
[user46392]
Overnight big stack George Secara raised to 16,000, and to his immediate left Antoine Amourette shoved for around 120,000. Everyone else passed.
Back around to Secara, who dwelled up for some time. We lost interest in the hand and wandered off. When we came back, Secara had put his iPod headphones in and was still dwelling. Amourette had put his head down on the table and gone to sleep.
[user140525]
The field is now only two players away from the money, and everyone is a little on edge. Hamed Sedini open shipped from the cutoff for 142,000. The button tanked for a moment, staring sadly at the tournament clock, before tossing his cards rather than call all in. Big blind Stephane Albertini, however, didn't need to think very hard before announcing a call. "Merde!" shouted Sedini. He started to pace and shout incomprehensibly (at least to those of us without a solid background in French cursing.)
Showdown
Sedini:
Albertini:
All of Sedini's misery didn't help him, as the board ran out a clean: .
It took the dealer a while to count down the stacks. It was determined that Sedini still had about 55,000, and the players who had gathered around the table were greatly disappointed to learn that they were no closer to the cash.
[user66118]
Daniel Millar and Philippe Gellman got a big pile of chips into the middle of the table preflop -- all of their chips, in fact. The stacks were close, so they waited till the board ran out to count them down. Cards on their backs:
Millar:
Gellman:
Millar slammed his fist on the table at the sight of his opponent's overpair. And things wouldn't get any better on a board of . Gellman's kings hold up, and he would soon find out that he had been the player at risk with the shorter stack. Not much shorter, though; Millar is left with under 8,000 and a big frown.
[user66118]
Mike McDonald opened to 14,000 from early position, and Stephane Albertini called in the next seat over. The rest of the table passed, and the two men watched the dealer run a flop of . Albertini called a bet there, and fourth street revealed the . Not slowing down now, McDonald fired another bullet -- 56,000 this time. The call came rather quickly once again.
The last card off was the , and McDonald asked for a count on his opponent's remaining stack. Albertini happily did the work and announced, "Eighty-six," in his broken English. That drew a check from McDonald, and his opponent immediately announced, "Tapis," as he waved his arms forward in that familiar all-in gesture.
McDonald didn't like the shove, and he couldn't call it. He let his hand go, sending a nice pot to Albertini and dropping himself back to about 310,000.
As the dealer was riffling for the next deal, Albertini tapped McDonald on the shoulder. He pointed to the clock behind them showing 105 players remaining and said, "I don't have afraid!"
[user140525]
After several rounds of hand-for-hand, Daniel Millar had been identified as the short stack, and the media vultures hovered around his table on death watch. He was in the big blind with 3,500 behind, just enough to be all in after paying the small blind and ante if he folded the big. And fold he did.
Meanwhile, at a table on the opposite side of the room, another player was being put to the test. Huo Jinfeng had Hugo Lemaire well covered when she moved all in on an board. The pot was juicy, but Lemaire looked miserable having to decide between a shot at a deep run and a guaranteed min cash. After a few minutes of frozen contemplation, he announced a call. Jinfeng didn't want to show her cards and had to be forced to table for nothing but a bubble bluff. Lemaire breathed a huge sigh of relief, raking in the big pot with .
And on to the next hand. Daniel Millar was automatically all in now in the small blind. Peter Eastgate moved all in from the button, Millar had no choice about the hand, and the big blind folded. The floor had the dealer wait until action was complete at all of the other tables before running the hand. Millar stared at the felt in front of him, his hands clasped before him and shaking a little. Finally it was time.
Showdown
Millar:
Eastgate:
Millar was ahead, but the flop was not what he wanted to see.
Flop:
Eastgate hit a pair, and Millar picked up a gutshot straight draw.
Turn:
After the spade on the turn, Millar needed to hit an ace, 5, or any spade.
River:
Complete brick. Bubble burst. Much cheering. Millar exited quietly while everyone else celebrated making the money. The remaining 104 players are now guaranteed €8,100.
![[user46392]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and Pagano bet somewhere in the region of 50,000. His opponent coughed up the chips and turned over 
for two pair - but Pagano flipped 
for the rivered straight and won the sizable pot.
up.
. 
. Gellman's kings hold up, and he would soon find out that he had been the player at risk with the shorter stack. Not much shorter, though; Millar is left with under 8,000 and a big frown.
. Albertini called a bet there, and fourth street revealed the 
. Not slowing down now, McDonald fired another bullet -- 56,000 this time. The call came rather quickly once again.
board. The pot was juicy, but Lemaire looked miserable having to decide between a shot at a deep run and a guaranteed min cash. After a few minutes of frozen contemplation, he announced a call. Jinfeng didn't want to show her cards and had to be forced to table 
for nothing but a bubble bluff. Lemaire breathed a huge sigh of relief, raking in the big pot with 
