Nicolas Levi slipped a bit early, but had a prime opportunity to double up through another short-stacked player; Joshua Tieman.
Unfortunately for him, it wasn't in the cards.
Tieman opened to 60,000 and the action folded to Levi who three-bet to 189,000 in the big blind. Tieman four-bet to 465,000, Levi moved all-in and Tieman made the call:
Tieman:
Levi:
The dealer wrapped the table, dealt three cards face down and then fanned them out: .
Levi's rail groaned at the two-outer. He now needed running spades or another jack for the win or the board to straighten for a chop.
The on the turned ruined any chances of a flush or straight, and the on the river ended it all for Levi. He will have to settle with a 5th place finish and $92,543.
Tieman now sits with the chip lead:
Tieman - 2,750,000 chips
Joseph Elpayaa - 2,500,000 chips
Stuart Rutter - 2,000,000 chips
Neil Channing - 1,740,000 chips
Stuart Rutter isn't afraid to make big bets preflop.
He was sitting in the big blind when Neil Channing limped in from under the gun and Joshua Tieman completed in the small blind. Rutter raised to 99,000 and Channing re-raised to 259,000.
Tieman got out of the way and after tanking for a few minutes, Rutter reached for a couple of stacks and put in another raise to 659,000.
Channing tank-folded, and his stack slipped to 1,640,000 chips. Rutter's agression has him up to 2,350,000 chips.
In three of the last couple of hands, Neil Channing lost a pot to each one of his opponents.
Against Joshua Tieman, Channing called an open to 60,000 from the big blind then check-folded to a 70,000-chip bet bet on a flop.
Channing also called a raise in the blinds from Stuart Rutter. He again check-folded after the flop.
The hand against Joseph Elpayaa was a blind-for-blind battle. Channing completed from the small blind, Elpayaa checked his option and the flop fell . Channing check-folded a third time when Elpayaa bet 40,000.
Neil Channing limped in from the button and Joseph Elpayaa made the call from the small blind as Joshua Tieman checked his option.
Elpayaa checked the flop as Tieman fired out 43,000. Channing called and Elpayaa passed as the landed on the turn.
Tieman led out for 108,000 and Channing took a little longer before making the call to see the land on the river and a 188,000-chip bet follow from Tieman.
Nearly two minutes passed before Channing laid his hand down as the players headed to break.