We missed the precise preflop action but Alain Alezra was seated in the small blind and had a a couple of big towers of chips over the line and just about 80,000 behind. Stephen Chidwick was seated in the big blind and pushed all in, Alezra was committed and called.
Chidwick had by far the best hand with as Alezra tabled . The Frenchman was soon to get pretty lucky though as the flop gave him an open ender and the turn made him his straight: . The was not the nine Chidwick needed for a chop and the accomplished English player, who just last month finished third in both the Eureka Poker Tour Main Event (€92,500) and the EPT Prague Main Event (€378,000), had to forfeit 200,800 in chips.
Minutes later he would get lucky himself. Ihar Soika opened to 6,600 under the gun and Chidwick moved all in from the small blind for 40,600. Soika made the call holding and was well in front against Chidwick's . Chidwick would be the one hitting the overcard this time though, and he doubled up: .
With about 40 eliminations left before they reach the cash, the money bubble will likely be bursting at some point mid-afternoon.
Speaking of the "bubble," poker has a rich and varied vocabulary all to its own. But what happens when you take terms out of the poker room and see how they signify "in real life"? Laura Cornelius of PokerStars.tv investigates.
Former WSOP Main Event runner-up Martin Staszko is in real trouble after losing a pot to one of the big stacks, Norbert Szecsi.
Szecsi opened to 6,000 from late position and Staszko made the call in the big blind to see a flop. Staszko check-called a bet of 7,000 to see the on the turn.
Again the Czech player opted to check and Szecsi bet 14,400 this time. Staszko again called and before once more checking, this time after the came on the river. Szecsi thought briefly before setting Staszko all-in, there was about five minutes of quiet contemplation from Staszko before he folded to his Hungarian opponent.
Stephen Chidwick opened from middle position for 6,500 and small blind, short stack Francis Agusti moved all in for 54,000. “How much?” Asked big blind Ekrem Sanioglu, who then made the call. Chidwick folded and Sanioglu flipped over his . Agusti showed and rose from his chair. “Sit down.” Implored Sanioglu. He didn’t want that old trick pulled on him. The cards ran out and now Agusti could stand up and leave the tournament.
Thomas Miller opened under the gun to 6,200 and Pierre Mace from France made it 15,400 from the hijack. Next over to Jean-Yves Malherbe on the button who cold fourbetted to 48,000. Miller quickly folded but Mace called and wanted to table his hand. The dealer just saved him from receiving a penalty as Malherbe wasn't all in with still 6,500 behind. Mace retrieved his hand and just called.
Malherbe already had his 6,500 in front of him and Mace made the call. Malherbe turned out to flopped pretty good holding for a set. Mace turned his over and had to go looking for one of two queens to eliminate Malherbe. The on the turn and on the river didn't fit Mace's hand and he doubled the Belgian player.
"You got your money in good" said Miller with a smile. Malherbe smirked while stacking.
A cruel twist of fate for Gaëlle Baumann, she was all-in with against Iaran Lightbourne's and although she spiked a king on the flop, the board came to make Lightbourne a flush on the river.
Baumann was then eliminated after her last 10,000 went in with but couldn't beat .
James Mitchell was at one point the chip leader yesterday after coolering someone with set over set. He had over 200,000 at the time but from that pile of chips none remain at this time. He busted some minutes ago after already starting the day short.
He pushed from the hijack position and Patrick Bruel made the call from the big blind. Bruel had just but was in front against Mitchell's suited . According to the free PokerNews Poker Odds Calculator Bruel had a 59.10 percent chance of winning the hand while Mitchell had 40.29.
Bruel flopped a pair but Mitchell's chances improved to 45.56 percent after the flop. The on the turn and on the river didn't help the man from the United Kingdom though and well before the money stage Mitchell left the tournament.
Two hands from two different tables to tell you about.
In the first Ghattas Kortas defended from the big blind after Tatu Maenpaa opened for 6,500 from under-the-gun. On the flop Maenpaa bet 7,000 and Kortas made the call. There was no further betting on the turn or river and Kortas showed at showdown to win the pot.
One table over Alex Goulder (middle position) bet 7,000 on a flop and Yerai Iribarren (small blind) smooth called. Again the action slowed on the turn and straight completing , Goulder showed which had outflopped Iribarren's . Pot to Goulder.
The was a mound of chips in the middle, two players in the hand and a board reading . Action was on under-the-gun player Eli Heath who cut out a stack of grey T5000 chips and riffled them together into one tower. He then added some yellow T1000 chips for good measure and slid out a bet of 80,000. It evidently wasn’t what his opponent Kamel Boukhalfa wanted to see as he started squirming in his chair causing his tablet to crash the floor. He retrieved it and asked his opponent if he had ace jack. Heath didn’t move. Boukhalfa counted out the call. Fold and he still had a playable stack. Call and lose and he would be crippled. If he won however….
Big decision, and it did take quite a while, but Boukhalfa made a frustrated fold.
Friend of PokerStars and all round poker legend Pierre Neuville is still in with a short stack of 50,000. He moved all in UTG+1 and picked up the blinds and antes. Next hand he raised 7,600 and did the same. Unfortunately for him he had to fold his big and small blind to raises on the next two hands.
as Alezra tabled 
. The Frenchman was soon to get pretty lucky though as the flop gave him an open ender and the turn made him his straight: 
. The 
was not the nine Chidwick needed for a chop and the accomplished English player, who just last month finished third in both the Eureka Poker Tour Main Event (€92,500) and the EPT Prague Main Event (€378,000), had to forfeit 200,800 in chips.
and was well in front against Chidwick's 
. Chidwick would be the one hitting the overcard this time though, and he doubled up: 
.
flop. Staszko check-called a bet of 7,000 to see the 
on the turn.
. Agusti showed 
and now Agusti could stand up and leave the tournament.
on the turn and 
on the river didn't fit Mace's hand and he doubled the Belgian player.
but couldn't beat 
but was in front against Mitchell's suited 
flop. The 
on the turn and 
on the river didn't help the man from the United Kingdom though and well before the money stage Mitchell left the tournament.
, Goulder showed 