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The tournament director has just informed the players that they will be skipping the upcoming 20-minute break in order to burst the bubble.
"But I need a break," Nacho Barbero objected.
"Bust somebody then," the tournament director responded with a wry smile. "We'll take it after the bubble bursts."
Jared Bleznick raised to 11,000 from middle position, Matt Giannetti called from the cutoff, Lasell King called from the button, and it folded to Jamie Pickering in the big blind who checked his cards, looked over his small stack — the smallest of the remaining 46 players at the moment — and called as well.
The flop came 
. Pickering checked, Bleznick bet 6,000, and both Giannetti and King folded. Pickering again studied the situation, and again he called, this time leaving himself but 5,500 behind.
Bleznick expressed amazement at Pickering hanging on to his final chips, and after the 
fell on the turn and Bleznick set out chips to bet. The action was back on the Australian.
Pickering — who once finished second in a WSOP PLO event (the $1,500 event won by Vanessa Selbst in 2008) — hemmed and hawed a bit, then finally decided to fold his hand face up — 
.
The table all laughed and Bleznick continued to express awe at Pickering, then the latter reminded him about the pair having played a tournament before and Bleznick immediately launched into a story of Pickering folding 
on the bubble of a previous PLO tourney they'd played.
"This guy's a money bubble legend!" cried Bleznick.
It looks like Pickering folded his small blind on the next hand, meaning he has just 3,000 left and a whole orbit's worth of hands still to look for a spot to avoid becoming the 46th-place finisher.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
Numit Agrawal raised to 15,000 from the cutoff, Keith Lehr and Daniel Alaei called from the blinds, and the flop fell 
. Lehr and Alaei checked, Agrawal continued for 15,000, and only Lehr called.
The turn was the 
, Lehr check-called another 30,000, and the 
completed the board. Lehr checked, and it looked like Agrawal announced pot.
"Pot?" Lehr asked.
Agrawal seemed to nod, but when he put chips out, he only put out 40,000. Lehr, who had 100,000 behind, went deep into the tank, muttering something about a straight flush. He eventually folded, and Agrawal showed 
for just a pair of kings.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
400,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
100,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
||
They have been on the money bubble for more than half an hour now, with Level 16 getting stretched out further until the next elimination. All are fully aware of Jamie Pickering's situation now, counting the hands until the big blind comes back around to him and his 3,000-chip stack.
"Everyone limp!"
So said Jared Bleznick as the hand finally arrived in which Jamie Pickering was all in from the big blind for his last 3,000. Pickering grinned in response and as the action folded to Bleznick he joked about raising to protect Pickering. Meanwhile a huge rail had gathered as had many others around the table, a development of which Bleznick made note.
"Look at the rail!" he said. "They're in love with you… they're smiling!"
Indeed they were smiling, and there were more grins to be had after Bleznick made a speech about be unable to raise with his hand. It folded to Matt Giannetti in the cutoff who limped, Lasell King limped from the button, and Gjergj Sinishtaj completed from the small blind. The dealer readied to deliver the flop, but Pickering held up his hand.
"Hold on, hold on," he said. "I might want to raise."
All laughed, then the dealer delivered the 
flop, the 
turn, and the 
river, with the three active players all checking on all three streets.
Pickering had already begun to put on his jacket, a signal that he'd failed to connect with the board. He turned over his hand — 
— and the others all showed their cards as well. Sinishtaj's full house-making 
was the winner, and Pickering bid all adieu as the final 45 players all finally went to break knowing they were in the money.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Busted |
After the extra-long Level 16 finally ended with the bubble bursting, players are now taking a 20-minute break.
Level: 17
Blinds: 3,000/6,000
Ante:
Soon after players returned from the break, Daniel Fuhs became the first casher of Event #61 after losing the last of his short stack to Keith Lehr to fall in 45th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
148,000
48,000
|
48,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Joseph Cheong limped in from early position, Marcel Luske called behind him, and so too did four other players. The dealer fanned 
, both blinds and Cheong checked, and Luske fired out 18,000. Mihails Morozovs called, the button and both blinds released, and Cheong went all in for 82,000.
Luske and Morozovs both folded, and Cheong picked up the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
154,000
72,000
|
72,000 |
|
|
||
Peter Jetten just found himself all in for his last 6,000 chips from the big blind and facing three opponents in Andy Miller (small blind), Mark Davis (hijack), and Stephen Wolfe (button).
The other three all checked the 
flop. The 
then fell on fourth street, earning a bet of 16,000 from Miller. Davis folded, then Wolfe raised to 60,000. Miller paused a few beats, then reraised all in and Wolfe called.
Miller: 
Jetten:
Wolfe: 
"A queen," called Jetten, hoping to improve on his two pair and catch up against his two opponents' Broadway straights. But the river was the , and Jetten was eliminated in 44th as Miller and Wolfe chopped.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
98,000
-32,000
|
-32,000 |
|
92,000
-61,000
|
-61,000 |
|
Busted |
