After the cutoff had opened with a standard raise and at-large qualifier David Pecaski called from the button, Kurt Jewell three-bet from the small blind. The original raiser folded, Pecaski called and the flop came down .
Pecaski called a sizable bet from Jewell, and then the dealer burned and turned the . Jewell bet again but this time Pecaski raise to 11,300. Not to be outdone Jewell shoved all in for 25,650. Pecaski thought long and hard before folding, and he must have regretted it when Jewell flipped over the !
On a board of and about 5,000 in the pot, Eric Froehlich checked from the big blind and then called when at-large qualifier Austin Apicella bet 2,300. EFro checked for a second time when the completed the board on the river, and then he snap-folded when Apicella bet 3,700.
Cary Marshall checked on a board of , and Rex Clinkscales tossed out 1,750. Marshall called.
The completed the board, Marshall checked again, and Clinkscales fired what looked like 7,050. Marshall tanked for over a minute before calling, then quickly mucked when Clinkscales revealed for a full house.
Marshall was knocked down the 17,500 chips, while Clinkscales chipped up to 43,000.
Kyle Cartwright had a long time to wait for the National Championship having qualified way back in August by winning the IP Biloxi Main Event, which was the first stop of the season. Unfortunately all that anticipation fizzled for the five-time ring winner.
In the last hand before the break, Cartwright got his last 7,800 in preflop holding and was well out in front of Harrah’s Atlantic City Main Event Champion Adam Teasdale's . Cartwright was primed to double, but a queen on the flop put a dagger through his heart. No help on the turn and river, and that's all she wrote for Mr. Cartwright.
Meanwhile, at-large qualifier Phillip Hui has also been eliminated from the tournament.
Vanessa Selbst is one of the most feared players in the world, but she won't be a force any longer in the Southern Comfort 100 Proof National Championship as she has just been eliminated.
With 3,000 in the pot and a flop of , at-large qualifier Josh Reichard checked and Selbst bet 1,500. Reichard woke up with a check-raise to 3,500 and then moved all in after Selbst had three-bet to 6,000. Selbst called off for approximately 15,000 holding , but it was no good as Reichard had flopped a set with the .
Selbst was up out of her seat even before the dealer turned the . When the completed the board on the river, giving Reichard quad fours for the second time in the National Championship, Selbst gathered her things, wished her opponents luck and then exited the Harrah's New Orleans theater.
Shortly after Vanessa Selbst doubled through Caufman Talley, she returned to finish the job.
It happened when Talley, who was an at-large qualifier with 180 points from two rings and six cashes for $104,914, min-raised on the button and then called off for 5,000 after Selbst shoved from the big blind. Talley showed and was in dire straits against Selbst's . Talley, a three-time ring winner, was unable to catch and was eliminated here in Level 4.
We saw Sandra Wong, the River Rock (Vancouver) Casino Champion, standing and made our way over to discover she was contemplating a big bet from Joe Kuether.
There was roughly 9,000 in the pot and a board reading . Kuether had 7,400 laid out in front of him and Wong eventually made the call. Kuether tabled the and Wong quickly mucked.
"Definitely didn't put you on a set," Wong said as she took inventory of her remaining stack.