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Matt Jarvis opened to 33,000 on the button, Robert Merulla three-bet to 81,000 from the small blind, and Hafiz Khan four-bet to 211,000 from the big. Jarvis mucked, Merulla moved all in, and Khan snapped it off.
Merulla: 
Khan: 
Khan was crushed, and could not find a king, club flush, or straight as the board ran 
.
Merulla now commands a massive stack with over 2.3 million chips.
Kevin Iacofano was all in preflop for his last 200,000 or so, and Dan O'Brien had him at risk.
Iacofano: 
O'Brien:
Iacofano found no help on the 
flop, or the 
on the turn, but dropped on the river, giving him a winning pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
450,000
210,000
|
210,000 |
|
340,000
-180,000
|
-180,000 |
Matthew Vengrin raised to 37,000 from under the gun, and Justin Filtz, sitting to Vengrin's left, called the raise. It folded to Massimiliano Martinez on the button who very deliberately carved out a stack of chips and set them forward -- a reraise to 109,000.
The blinds got out, then Vengrin reraised to 279,000 total, forcing Filtz to step aside. Martinez sat quietly, staring ahead at the empty felt, then after several seconds said he was all in. Vengrin quickly called.
Vengrin 
Martinez
Vengrin stood with a knee in his chair to watch the cards come while Martinez stayed in his seat, continuing to strike a solemn pose. The flop came 
and the turn 
, those three diamonds reducing the possible outs for Martinez. Then came the river -- the ! As our tourney director Robbie Thompson would say, "BANG!"
That saving king meant Martinez had not only survived, but he now has about 1.45 mllion chips, one of the biggest stacks currently. Vengrin meanwhile slips to just 260,000.
Robert Merulla opened to 36,000 from under the gun, Kevin Iacofano three-bet shoved for 308,000 on the button, and Mauro Stivoli tanked before re-shoving from the small blind. Merulla mucked, and the hands were opened.
Iacofano: 
Stivoli: 
It was a race, but Stivoli jumped out to a massive lead when the flop fell 
. The on the turn ended it, and the 
on the river was but a formality.
Stivoli's rail was boisterous as always, and the Italian is now over a million chips.
Level: 24
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 3,000
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 
.
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.
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
|
-460,000 |
|
710,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
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).
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
|
-220,000 |
|
790,000
530,000
|
530,000 |
