Shortly after Brett Richey's bustout on one of the outer tables, Billy Baxter was finally cut down by John Monnette in a hand in which Monnette's 
proved best.
Baxter goes out in 20th, while Monnette now has 120,000.
Level: 16
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 1,000
George Danzer opened for 10,500 from the cutoff, then David Baker raised to 35,000 from the button. Tommy Vedes then pushed all in for 105,400 total, and Danzer got out of the way. Baker, however, made the call.
Vedes took one card, and Baker stood pat. Baker showed 
. Vedes showed ... and... a 
.
Vedes is out in 19th, while Baker now moves even further out in front with 505,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
515,000 | |
|
||
|
300,000 | |
|
245,000 | |
|
||
|
242,000 | |
|
||
|
205,000 | |
|
167,000 | |
|
||
|
165,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
163,000 | |
|
|
||
|
161,000 | |
|
|
160,000 | |
|
|
159,000 | |
|
|
143,000 | |
|
130,000 | |
|
|
||
|
126,000 | |
|
||
|
92,000 | |
|
|
||
|
65,000 | |
|
||
|
56,000 | |
|
|
||
|
20,300 | |
|
|
||
Erik Seidel raised to 11,000 from the cutoff, and a short-stacked Barry Greenstein reraised all in for 51,000 from the big blind. Seidel called.
Both players stood pat. Seidel tabled 
. Greenstein had -X-X-X-X, and he's out. Seidel moves up to 218,000.
A severely short-stacked Stephen Chidwick -- down below 25,000 -- was just all in before the draw against Peter Gould. Both drew one.
Gould picked up an ace, but Chidwick paired his and is out. 16 players are left, which means just two more eliminations until the cash.
Daniel Negreanu has been nursing a short stack for quite a while now, pushing all in from time to time but not getting callers.
Just now came a hand in which Eric Kesselman opened for 12,000 from the under the gun, and Negreanu reraised all in for about 44,000. It folded back around to Kesselman who thought a bit, then called.
Both players were drawing one, and they each tabled the four they were keeping: for Kesselman, and for Negreanu.
Kesselman turned his new card over first, a , giving him a pair. "Paint!" said Negreanu, and he got his wish, turning over a 
. Negreanu chips back up close to 100,000, while Kesselman now has 152,000.
Eric Cloutier raised to 12,000 from under the gun, and it folded around to Vincent Musso who reraised to 37,000 from the small blind. Cloutier called.
Both players stood pat. Musso tabled , and Cloutier mucked. Musso is up to 290,000, and Cloutier now has 125,000.
David Baker raised to 13,000 from the button, and got two callers from the blinds -- Anton Allemann (small) and Andy Bloch (big). All three drew a single card.
Allemann then bet 40,000, Bloch folded, then Baker raised to 320,000. Allemann called with his remaining chips (about 100,000), tabling . A good hand, but not as good as Baker's Number Two -- . Allemann is out in 16th, and Baker is up to 650,000.
With 15 players left, the tournament is now being played hand-for hand.
Interestingly, we made it to 15 players left with just a couple of minutes remaining in Level 16. A twenty-minute break was scheduled to follow the level, but now that break has been postponed since the tourney clock has stopped during hand-for-hand.
Not only does the tourney clock stop, but we will continue playing at the same blinds and antes until the cash bubble bursts. The short stacks -- including Daniel Negreanu -- were especially grateful to be able to continue at the current level.
Meanwhile, several players were anticipating that break, and we are seeing some bathroom dashes between hands, with some instances of players playing hands a bit more slowly than usual in order to allow their competitors a chance to return.