The 107 players who started Day 2 evaporated in record time to just nine, well before our 3am cutoff. Some of the familiar folks who min-bet and min-raised their cheerful way into the money today included such doyens of the felt as Daniel Negreanu, who made it as far as 26th place, and Phil Hellmuth, who busted out in 17th in a massive set-vs.-flush draw cooler of a hand.
Nevertheless we have some equally fine players battling it out for the bracelet tomorrow. Marc Naalden, who leapt into the lead halfway through the evening, remains our big stack going into the final table -- who knows, we may well yet see the Netherlands win only their second ever bracelet.
Join us from 2pm tomorrow back here in the Amazon Room, when we will be playing this baby down to its logical conclusion.
Seating plan and unverified chip counts:
Seat 1: Jared O'Dell -- 189,000
Seat 2: Danny Qutami -- 323,000
Seat 3: Ian Johns -- 113,000
Seat 4: Marc Naalden -- 755,000
Seat 5: Tommy Hang -- 200,000
Seat 6: Steven Cowley -- 322,000
Seat 7: Rep Porter -- 287,000
Seat 8: Jameson Painter -- 205,000
Seat 9: Alex Keating -- 464,000
Douglas Young couldn't find a hand to go with until he forced to by virtue of the fact that most of his stack was in while posting the BB. He might've wished he tried his luck earlier as he needed to get lucky with versus Danny Qutami's .
The board ran . He had a few ways to win the hand but it wasn't to be for Young and he our last one out tonight.
Douglas Young was all-in for his last 2,000 chips and he had to get past Alex Keating who raised from the cut off and Ian Johns who called from the BB.
The flop came and Keating then bet Johns out of the pot to make it heads up. Young tabled to Keating's . The turn came and river to keep Young in this.
Ian Johns said he passed pocket fours and would've eliminated Young if Keating hadn't bet. Some scathing looks were aimed at Keating who defended his actions by say "I thought I was going to hit a king!"
This may be the saddest hand I have ever witnessed as a chronicler of poker.
After sitting tight all night, Douglas Young raised and Jared O'Dell called from the big blind.
O'Dell checked the flop, Young bet and O'Dell called.
Again on the turn, O'Dell checked, Young bet, leaving himself 18,000 behind, and O'Dell made the call.
The river:
This time O'Dell bet out. The look on Young's face could make a hardened criminal cry. "You got a straight?" he asked. No answer, obviously. He squirmed for a while. Then: "This is sick! That is the worst board in the world. Unbelievable." He threw his hands up, entirely uncertain as to what to do, while the rail merely returned his exasperation with looks of mild sympathy.
To make matters worse, the level went up at just that time. "Blinds are up next hand," announced the impassive floor lady.
He sighed. "Well, you know if I call I've got two chips left, that's funny too," said Young, now giggling kind of maniacally. Then very quietly, he pushed the call across the felt.
O'Dell didn't have the straight. He flipped for the flush.
Young mucked. "I had aces," he said, unnecessarily.
Jameson Pumpkin, I mean Painter, has clawed his way up to over 200,000 in chips, half of it courtesy of Tommy Hang and the other half the gift of Marc Naalden -- all of this to the absolute delight of Painter's dedicated friends at the rail. "You're the only one here with fans," commented Alex Keating.
1. Jared O'Dell - 195,000
2. Danny Qutami - 300,000
3. Ian Johns - 85,000
4. Marc Naalden - 620,000
5. Tommy Hang - 285,000
6. Douglas Young - 55,000
7. Steven Cowley - 350,000
8. Rep Porter - 260,000
9. Jameson Painter - 95,000
10. Alex Keating - 360,000
Just like that we lose our last lady standing. The turn had been dealt giving us a board. Tommy Hang led out from the SB to see Nancy Blaustein move all in. He asked her "Do you want me to call?"
"No, I rather win the pot here" was her reply.
He called anyway with and saw he was behind to Blaustein's . That all changed when the river fell to make two pair for Hang and leave us with our final ten players.
It was folded around to Rob Burke in the SB who raised and saw Tommy Hang call from the BB to see a flop. Burke led out, Hang raised, Burke moved all in and Hang called.
Burke --
Hang -- .
The turn and river confirmed we lose Burke in 12th.
With a lot of chips already in the pot by the turn of the board, Tommy Hang checked and Jameson Painter bet, leaving himself just 5,000 behind. Hang dwelled up for an impressively long time -- and then he folded.
Painter's buddies at the rail celebrated by chanting, "Pumpkin! Pumpkin! Pumpkin!" at high volume, to Painter's gross embarrassment.