That’s good morning to you if you’re from the Northern Hemisphere. Yesterday saw 374 players squashed down to 197, which is no small amount if culling. Today we’re crunching things down further towards, through and beyond the bubble down to the final 24 players and that’s where the big money kicks in. Our winner is set to take home quarter of a million dollars, yes, that’s $250,000. Not bad for a $2,500 buy-in.
There is plenty of pain and pleasure before we reach that though. One 48th place finisher will be the first player to cash with a $4,660 pay day and how fast we cruise through Day 2 will be determined by how many players are trying to avoid the 49th place finish more than make the final table. If play today is anything like yesterday then that really shouldn’t be a problem. Many online players complain about the length of time live players take to make decisions but suffice to say there would have been few complaints of that flavour yesterday. Decisions were made fast and many hands, made or otherwise, were played just as quickly.
Players are currently being beckoned to take their seats as the back of the main tournament floor opens up to reveal the glitzy final table backdrop, which in just a couple of days will have one smiling grinder lodged behind $250,000 holding two cards up to a camera. Must be nice.
Shuffle up and deal has been annouced and the clock is running. There are still quite a few players scampering to their seats and if any of them are Andre Dumont they'd do well to given that he's only got four-and-a-half big blinds.
...quite literally. Just after sitting down Pedro Fernández spilt his coke over a large stack of his chips. While polishing his chips clean like he could be the victim of OCD Conrad raised Peruvian Jorge Saba's limp to 3,200 and picked up two callers in Saba and small blind Juan Pablo Andreu. We're presuming the dealer shuffled the deck but Andreu seemed to like at least part of the flop and led for 6,200. He picked up the pot while Conrad picked up another chip and went back to cleaning his stack.
Canadian Jospeh Leblanc button raised to 3,000 into Chilean Ismael Cádiz who shoved his 20,000 stack across the line with no little amount of alacrity. Leblanc looked like he wanted to call but talked himself out of it. And just as well he did as Cádiz flashed two queens before taking the pot.
When you only have just over 12 big blind and there’s already been one caller you’d be forgiven for widening your shoving range to pick up all the dead money. This is what might’ve been going through Marcos Dutra Pettinati’s mind when he called off most of his stack with from the BB. Richard Shtrax had been the one pushing for 12,150 from early position after an UTG limp. The limper folded to leave it heads-up. Shtrax was actually very strong but still behind with .
The board ran . Pettinati banged his fist down on the table when the turn came but he still had to avoid a jack on the river and managed to do so to nearly doublr-up and eliminate Shtrax.
Team PokerStars Online's Diego Silva must have liked his flop against fellow Brazilian Pedro Capelossi. Silva held and had bet 6,000 after his countryman had checked the flop. The check-raise all-in gave him moment to pause before he made the call half thinking he was chopping the pot. Unfortunately for Silva he was left with only runner-runner outs against . Silva is down to 21,000. Capelossi doubles to 40,000.
Marty Mathis and Carter Gill are your typical young American online hotshot players. Both made it through to today but with only around 20 big blinds each. They’re going to need a double-up at some point but for now they have enough re-raise fold equity to pick up chips in good spots. Both have indeed been seen three-bet shoving very recently and getting the move through. It’s only a matter of time before they get called though or the structure catches up with them. In the meantime they make for great viewing as you can be sure they wont get blinded down to five big blinds.
Salatielu Aofia had made a small raise to 2,500 pre-flop which Carter Gill had flat called with position. Both players saw a wet flop which Aofia fired 3,000 at before Gill shoved back for 18,000. 'Do you have ace-king?' asked Aofia. 'If you've got king-queen of hearts I'd call,' replied Gill. Aofia did not have king-queen or in fact even a pair and eventually decided to fold his double gutter face-up. Gill showed a slow played looking a little confused why it took his opponent so long to fold. Gill is up to 28,000.
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flop and led for 6,200. He picked up the pot while Conrad picked up another chip and went back to cleaning his stack.
from the BB. Richard Shtrax had been the one pushing for 12,150 from early position after an UTG limp. The limper folded to leave it heads-up. Shtrax was actually very strong but still behind with 
.
flop against fellow Brazilian Pedro Capelossi. Silva held 
and had bet 6,000 after his countryman had checked the flop. The check-raise all-in gave him moment to pause before he made the call half thinking he was chopping the pot. Unfortunately for Silva he was left with only runner-runner outs against 
double gutter face-up. Gill showed a slow played 
looking a little confused why it took his opponent so long to fold. Gill is up to 28,000.