[user66118]
We just caught the tail end of a big pot at Table 237 between Steve Zolotow and Al Barbieri. Walking up after the final card was out, we saw Zolotow turn over trip kings. Barbieri had a jack showing on board, and he rolled over his first two down cards, revealing two more jacks that had been hiding in the pocket, leaving his seventh card face-down.
"What do you got?" asked Zolotow, who was a little impatient for Barbieri's liking. "I don't know. I'm sweating it," he said, as he very slowly squeezed his last card. He needed to pair any of his cards to make a winning full house (or quads), but it appeared he missed as he slapped his cards onto the table face-down.
Barbieri wanted one more look though; he gathered his seven cards into his hands as if playing Rummy, giving them one last long staredown before once again slapping them down on the table and shaking his head.
With his bigger trips, Zolotow raked in the pot worth about 18,000 chips. He has climbed up to 44,000, bumping Sugar Bear down to 28,000.
[user75032]
It was all Eli Elezra until sixth street. He was the aggressor the whole way until David Benyamine made an open pair of eights, (X-X) / , and bet out. Elezra called with (X-X) / . At the river, Benyamine bet again. Elezra thought it over and then open-mucked , a pair of aces. Benyamine opened in the hole for sixes full of eights!
[user75032]
Daniel Negreanu is in a joking mood.
The new table of comedy is Table 244. Daniel Negreanu recently ran out of the room at full speed to use the bathroom. He came running back in time not to miss the next hand.
"Did you wash your hands?" Shawn Sheikhan asked.
"Yep! They're all wet," replied Negreanu.
"Prove it to us," Matt Glantz dared him. "Lick your hands."
After the laughs died down, Negreanu completed a and was called by an older player named Freddie Ellis who had the . Ellis took over the betting lead the rest of the way, drawing a board of (X-X) / / (X). Negreanu's board came (X-X) / / (X).
At the river, Elllis peeked at his cards, then said, "I'm gonna respect you and check."
"I gotta see what I've got," replied Negreanu.
"Be careful even if you've got something."
Negreanu looked at his own river card, then said, "Well this is probably stupid but I'm gonna bet."
"I call," said Ellis.
"Kings up."
"Kings and jacks," Ellis announced proudly.
"I know," Negreanu replied sheepishly. "That's why it was stupid."
[user75032]
Finally, after five-and-half hours of play, we've had our first table break. Unfortunately, it was table #232 -- the table of jolly Russian-speakers. They've been scattered to the four corners of the tournament. Let's hope they get back together before the end of the tournament.
[user66118]
Max Pescatori and Dario Minieri
The Italian Duo is still in tact over on Table 236. Max Pescatori and Dario Minieri have been seated next to each other since the start of play, and they appear to be having a good time. The two men are laughing and joking with each other during and in between hands, occasionally table talking in their native language. Pescatori is sitting on just about 27,000, while Dario has climbed back up to 19,500 after an early slide.
[user75032]
It was kings up for Andy Bloch and kings up for Eli Elezra. In the battle of second pairs, Andy's was "king" -- his sixes trumped Elezra's fours to take down a pot worth 12,000 and pump Bloch's stack to 58,000. Elezra is at about 22,000.
Interestingly, Barry Greenstein posted to Twitter that he is very impressed with the play of the "unknown" at that table, Pawel Andrzejewski. Remember, in addition to Greenstein, Bloch and Elezra, the rest of the table line-up is Yuval Bronshtein, David Benyamine, Jen Harman and Nick Schulman. Greenstein wrote, "Everyone at my table is a well-respected player, except for an unknown Polish kid, and he's better than most of them."
[user75032]
Well, Bill Chen gets props for trying. He started with split sevens and caught another on fourth street for trips, then led the betting on every street against Rob Hollink. At the river, Chen still hadn't improved and couldn't have been thrilled to see Hollink raise him with (X-X) / / (X). Chen called and was shown the bad news: Hollink started rolled up , then filled up with a river . It was a brutal beat for Chen.
[user75032]
We just saw Perry Friedman stand up, shake the hands of the players at his table, and head for the rail. It looks like his day is done. We're finally starting to get to the point in the tournament when players are becoming legitimately short-stacked; looking for the eliminations to quicken at the next level (in ten minutes).
Annie Duke twittered that she had a $1 last longer with Friedman, which he promptly paid with a signed one-dollar bill.
[user66118]
Jerry Buss
We pick up a multi-way pot on one of the near tables, number 245. The player in Seat 5 called the bring-in bet, and Hoyt Corkins and Jerry Buss followed along with the call as well. On fourth street, Seat 5 bet, Corkins raised, Buss called, and the original bettor folded, making it heads up the rest of the way.
Corkins: (X-X) (X)
Buss: (X-X) (X)
On fifth and sixth streets, Buss check-called bets from Hoyt Corkins, 1,000 each. Both players checked seventh street. Corkins revealed in the pocket, giving him a naked pair of tens. Buss could do better, showing for queens up. After dragging in that pot, the owner of the Lakers is up to 37,000, while Corkins has slipped back to a respectable 43,000.
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, and bet out. Elezra called with (X-X) / 
. At the river, Benyamine bet again. Elezra thought it over and then open-mucked 
, a pair of aces. Benyamine opened 
in the hole for sixes full of eights!
and was called by an older player named Freddie Ellis who had the 
. Ellis took over the betting lead the rest of the way, drawing a board of (X-X) / 
/ (X). Negreanu's board came (X-X) / 
, then filled up with a river 
. It was a brutal beat for Chen.
for queens up. After dragging in that pot, the owner of the Lakers is up to 37,000, while Corkins has slipped back to a respectable 43,000.