John Juanda called an all-in bet from a short-stacked Matt Perrins with his , but found that he was dominated by the .
When the flop fell the hand appeared to favor Perrins' big slick, but a on the turn suddenly provided Juanda with additional options. He now needed any spade to make the nut flush, or any jack to make the Broadway straight.
River:
Poker can be a cruel game, and Perrins found this out in the worst way, losing to a runner-runner flush after the flop made him a 92% to win the hand.
After the big blind reraised his opening bet to 4,200, Jonathan Jaffe bumped it up to 16,800. His opponent flatted to see the flop fall .
Jaffe then bet 9,800 when it was checked to him, and once again the other player flatted. On the turn, both players tapped the table, and the completed the board on the river.
On fifth street, his opponent led out for 18,500, and Jaffe responded with a power move, raising it up to 42,000. The other player became a believer, and his hand went into the muck, while Jaffe flashed the to plant the seeds of doubt into his opponent's mind.
Moments after claiming Trevor Pope's entire stack on a virtual freeroll, Stephen Chidwick turned the trick again, felting an opponent who was drawing dead after a ridiculous raising war on the flop.
The drama began with the flop showing , and Chidwick having checked to the preflop raiser. His opponent obliged with a c-bet of 3,300, and Chidwick pumped it up to 7,700. The other player paused for over a minute before cutting out a raise, four-betting to 16,300. Chidwick was undeterred by this aggression, however, and he hoisted a single stack of 20 yellow T1000 tournament chips forward for a five-bet to 27,500.
Chidwick's move sent the opponent into the tank, and he waited for more than two minutes before calmly moving his entire stack of 55,000 or so chips forward.
Chidwick snap-called and rolled over the , hoping the other player would not show up with the dreaded . Instead, the all-in player sheepishly turned over his for pure air. He had been on a stone cold bluff the entire time, raising preflop and barreling hard with eight-high, but ultimately running into a hand that had flopped perfect.
On the turn, the all-in bluffer picked up four outs to the wheel straight, but fortune did not favor the bold on this day, and the river ended his tournament.
Chidwick, meanwhile, catapulted to over 370,000 with the win, giving him the chip lead by a wide margin with more than four times the average stack.
John Hennigan's stack had drifted into what Dan Harrington has termed the "Red Zone," and with his he made is stand.
The man known as "Johnny World" opened for 4,400, and his opponent moved all in to put Hennigan at risk. The longtime pro called off with his pocket pair, but found he was trailing badly to the .
When the final board ran out , Hennigan's tournament came to an end, and he headed to the payout desk for his fourth cash of the 2013 World Series of Poker.
After Rodney Steven II moved all in for his last 20,000 or so, Maria Ho quickly announced herself all in as well.
Showdown:
Ho:
Steven II:
"Wow," was all Steven II could say when he saw the bad news, and with his inferior pocket pair he knew he was in bad shape.
After the flop fell , Steven II stood in anticipation of his imminent departure, still muttering "wow" to himself as the dropped on the turn. When the completed the board on the river, he told Ho "nice hand" before heading for the payout desk.
Ho built her stack up to nearly 80,000 with the win, but with chip leader Nick Schwarmann on her immediate left to start the day, she will have to pick her spots carefully.
The second day of play here at Event #38 ($2,500 No-Limit Hold'em Four-Handed) is set to begin shortly, with 64 players returning from the initial field of 566, and after yesterday's exciting shorthanded action today should provide plenty of fireworks.
Returning as the chip leader is Nick Schwarmann, a national tournament circuit grinder who celebrated his birthday yesterday by giving himself the gift of a 193,500 stack. Schwarmann went on a serious heater midway through day, moving from 100,000 to 150,000 chips in just a few hands, and with his overwhelming chip lead he is definitely a threat to post wire-to-wire performances.
John Hennigan (68,400), John Juanda (67,200), Jon Turner (58,600), Faraz Jaka (31,200), and Maria Ho (24,900) are just a few of the notable names who bagged and tagged last night, and today every four-handed table will be home to a dangerous pro or two.
Check out the PokerNews daily update video to get ready for the action, and then keep it here for continuous live coverage of the World Series of Poker's showcase for shorthanded play.