Rupert Elder All-in On The Bubble!

It is not often that this happens, but one of the tournaments chip leaders was very nearly the EPT Loutrakis bubble boy. Rupert Elder and Ioannis Papathanasioy have been having a personal duel, all afternoon, with Papathanasioy winning the bigger pots. Then we had one of the most exciting hands of the tournament so far.

Rupert Elder raised to 10,000 from under the gun and Jude Ainsworth called in mid-position. Next to play was Ioannis Papathanasioy from the button and he squeezed out a three-bet to 33,500. Back onto Rupert Elder and he counted out a four-bet of 78,500 and confidently moved them into the pot. Ainsworth folded and Papathanasioy made the call.

Flop: {J-Hearts} {7-Hearts} {6-Spades}

Elder was first to act and he bet 65,000 into a pot of 170,000 and Papathanasioy made the call.

Turn: {3-Clubs}

Checkity-check.

River: {Q-Clubs}

By this time the play had stopped on every table and the crowds around the table were ridiculous.

"I am all-in," said Elder before moving all of his stack into the middle.

Papathanasioy couldn't believe it. A wrong call in this situation and he would be our unlikely bubble boy. A right call in this situation and he would move towards 1 million in chips. Papathanasioy asked for a count and it was 283,000. You could tell that Papathanasioy had a very strong hand but after a lot of hustling and bustling in the crowd and a lot of thinking by Papathanasioy, he eventually folded his hand.

"Show the bluff," commentated Ainsworth.

Elder peeked at his cards and quietly slid them to the dealer.