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Justin Filtz opened on the button to 62,000, and Daniel Hirleman moved all in from the small blind for 637,000. Filtz tanked for a bit, but eventually called.
Filtz: 
Hirleman: 
Filtz had Hirleman dominated, and held when the board ran 
, eliminating him from the tournament in 9th place.
Level: 25
Blinds: 12,000/24,000
Ante: 4,000
The players are now on a 60-minute dinner break.
Massimiliano Martinez started the action, raising to 45,000 from the cutoff seat. Wesley Pantling called on the button, and Justin Filtz defended his big blind.
The flop came down 
, Filtz checked, and Martinez continued for 71,000. Pantling called, and Filtz check-raised to 171,000. Both Martinez and Pantling called.
The turn was the 
, and Filtz checked. Martinez fired 136,000, Pantling called, and Filtz check-raised again - this time to 336,000. Martinez moved all in, Pantling folded, and Filtz sweated his cards one more time before calling.
Filtz: 
Martinez: 
Martinez needed a ten to win or a seven to chop, but the river was the 
, eliminating him from the tournament. Filtz is now our massive chip leader with over 3 million in his stack.
Matthew Vengrin opened to 40,000 on the button, Justin Filtz moved all in for effectively 368,000 from the small blind, and Vengrin snapped it off.
Vengrin: 
Filtz: 
Filtz was dominated by Vengrin's kings, and did not improve as the board ran 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,330,000 | -220,000 |
|
790,000 | 530,000 |
Current chip leader Robert Merulla has tasted success at the World Series of Poker before. Last summer the New Yorker made an impressive run in the Main Event, ultimately finishing 303rd for a $41,967 payday. The previous year Merulla had three cashes at the WSOP, the largest being for a 24th-place finish in a $1,500 no-limit hold'em event.
His largest win overall, comprising the majority of his lifetime tourney earnings, came in early 2009 in the $3K NLHE Championship Event at the Borgata Winter Open in Atlantic City. Merulla's third-place finish in that event (out of 1,107 entrants) earned him $236,452. He'll top that amount if he were finish in the top three here.
First prize for this event is $808,538. That's the third-biggest through the first 40 events of this summer's WSOP, topped only by the $874,116 won by Allen Bari in Event No. 4 ($5,000 NLHE) and the $851,192 by Jake Cody in Event No. 2 ($25,000 Heads-Up NLHE Championship).
Daniel Hirleman opened to 45,000 from under the gun, and the action folded to Wesley Pantling on the button who moved all in for 331,000. Hirleman made the call, and the hands were opened.
Hirleman:
Pantling: 
The 
flop was safe for Hirleman, but the spiked on the turn, giving Pantling the lead. The 
bricked on the river, and Pantling shipped the double.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
940,000 | -460,000 |
|
710,000 | -10,000 |
Tore Lukashaugen was down to just 205,000 when he open-pushed from the button with 
and got one caller in Mauro Stivoli who held in the big blind.
Lukashaugen stood and watched as the dealer delivered the five community cards: 
. "Good game," he said as the river was dealt, and took one step away. Then he realized he'd made a straight. "Can't even read the board!" he said sheepishly as he was delivered his double-up. That one left Stivoli with about 780,000.
A few hands later Lukashaugan was all in again against Stivoli, having shoved the 432,000 he had from the cutoff with 
and gotten called by Stivoli holding 
in the small blind. This time the board came 
… ! Another saving river card for Lukashaugan, who had no trouble identifying it as such the second time.
Now Lukashaugan is up around the 900,000-chip mark, while Stivoli has fallen to about 400,000.
Mauro Stivoli opened to 44,000 from the cutoff, Tore Lukashavgen moved all in from the big blind for over 300,000, and Stivoli called.
Stivoli:
Lukashavgen:
Stivoli didn't catch a five, but the two chopped when the board ran 
.
Level: 24
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 3,000
