Yesterday, Young Ji was very pumped up, shouting in excitement, when he won a pot towards the end of the night. A player at a neighboring table told him to calm down, that it was a long way to go to the money. They were prophetic words.
Ji moved all in for his last 21,200 on a board of . His lone opponent, Jordan Stone, thought and thought and thought some more. Finally he made the call.
"Nice hand," said Ji. He tabled a lone pair of kings, , which he sensed were no good against Stone. He was right. Stone turned over for two pair, tens and sixes.
"Wow," said Ji. It was the last thing he said before he left the tournament area.
With the recent eliminations of James Bord, Martin Corpuz and Stephen Van Dalsen, 87 players remain. The field is now six eliminations away from bursting the money bubble. That should happen before they reach the next break.
All of the action was pre-flop for Miguel Rodriguez's final hand of the tournament. Daniel Kim opened pre-flop with a pot raise. Paul Johnson then moved in for 9,000 and Rodriguez followed suit with his last 9,100. Kim called for a three-way pre-flop showdown:
Kim:
Johnson:
Rodriguez:
Rodriguez was the only player to make a pair on a flop of . His two treys were out-turned by both other players when the turn fell to give them each a six-high straight and the nut low. Rodriguez went busto with the river, while Kim and Johnson chopped the pot.
Matthew Green raised to 5,500 from the cutoff seat and Ryan Karp called from the big blind. The flop came down and Karp fired the pot for 12,000. Green said, "All right, I call, I think that puts me in."
Now although Green said that, Karp's bet was for 12,000 and Green had 22,500 left in his stack. Either way, the rules were pretty much thrown out the window and the cards were turned over.
Green held the and Karp the .
The turn came the and the river the . Those eights paired the board and counterfeited Karp's two pair, giving Green kings and eights with an ace. Green also made a low on the turn and wound up scooping the entire pot. The chips were counted down and Green doubled his stack of 28,000 to 57,000 in chips.
Jason Brice was under the gun and opened for a just-less-than-pot-sized raise of 6,000. Action passed to Kenneth Coppens in late position. He raised pot to 21,000, which was enough to put Brice all in. Brice did indeed move all in after everyone else folded. His was looking quite strong against Coppens' , but the board developed to give Coppens a king-high straight.
Brice is out. Coppens, who started the day with 7,600 chips has earned the "Climber of the Day Award" as he has crested 100,000.
Alan Cutler has first action on a flop of . He bet 4,500, prompting Kyle Burnside to raise to 14,500. Cutler called and then checked the turn. Burnside, with only 12,300 left in his stack, quickly put it in. Cutler called with , a pair of queens and a low draw. Burnside tabled , a pair of eights and the same low draw. The that hit the river gave each player two pair, but Cutler's queens and treys were best. He dragged the whole pot to send Burnside to the rail achingly close to the money.
Ahmad Abghari was down to his last 18,200 and facing a bet that would put him all in. The board showed . On the money bubble of the tournament, Abghari decided to go for broke and called all in with , a pair of jacks and the nut low draw. His opponent, Anders Taylor, turned over , a pair of kings and the same nut low draw. Taylor caught a third king on the river, but just two were enough to bust Abghari.
Quentin Krueger opened the last pot of his tournament for 6,000 from early position. Action passed to Ben Lamb, who raised pot to 21,000. Krueger decided to go with and called all in. Lamb opened and flopped great, . But the turn was a very dangerous card for Lamb and a hopeful one for Krueger -- it gave Krueger a nut-nut draw. That draw failed to materialize when the river paired kings, .