Receiving a massage doesn't equate to passive play for the Devilfish; he's playing just as aggressively as before. For his last encounter, the former jeweler raised it up to 4,200 preflop from mid position, and received a call from Tobias Reinkemeier who defended in the big blind.
As the flop was dealt out, Devilfish burst into song and nonchalantly continuation bet 7,000 once his German foe had checked. Reinkemeier made the call.
Both players checked the turn, but Reinkemeier turned aggressor on the river, betting 12,000 to take down the pot.
As Devilfish drops to 135,000, Reinkemeier increases his stack to 160,000. David Docherty, meanwhile, who is seat two seats to the left of the Hullonian, has more than both of them with 235,000.
Comer looked all but out when he found himself all in with versus Steve Zolotow's on the turn of jack high board, but - and in the absence of Barry Greenstein - an 'Ace on the River" saved his bacon and doubled him through. A fist-pump and high-five (not with Zolotow, but a member of the rail) later, and Comer was up to 23,900.
The tune right now (although we use the term 'tune' in the loosest sense possible, given who's singing it) seems to be Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. Other players are calling for a penalty.
A new big stack has emerged in the shape of one Craig Burgess.
It turns out that he raised with pocket queens and Doyle Brunson called to see a flop. Burgess bet the pot, Brunson raised to cover him, and Burgess called. Brunson flipped for a flush draw, but the turn and river blanked out and Mr. Burgess is up to 280,000.
Brunson, who gave us a sad smile across the table as Mr. Burgess retold the tale of his double up, has had a frankly dreadful Day 3 -- after starting the day as one of the big boys, he's in some serious trouble on just 30,000 now.
In what developed into a highly intriguing hand just moments before the break, Christian Harder raised it up preflop from middle position, James Akenhead three-bet the button, and Harder made the call.
On a flop, Harder checked, Akenhead bet 17,500 into a circa 25,000 pot, and Harder called.
A turn didn't slow Akenhead down; he bet 34,500. Again, Harder called.
The river was an interesting card, and one that led to Harder checking, and Akenhead making his third consecutive bet, this time to the tune of 47,500 which, with around 25,000 behind, accounted for the majority of his remaining stack.
With the cameras closing in, Harder rested his head on his hand and riffled his chips incessantly, the decision ahead evidently torturous. In the end, he trickled in the call, only for Akenhead to insta-table (new phrase coined?) for the rivered set.
Chunky pot for Akenhead, and the dreams of a Hit Squad final table (Praz: "Would be awesome if we could get heads-up") live on.
Thank you muchly to the friends and railers of David Docherty who are doing a fine job of field reporting in the side room.
They tell me that just before the break, Docherty moved on up to 270,000 after Todd Brunson moved in with pocket tens and Docherty woke up with pocket jacks. Brunson is busto, and Docherty creeps up the leaderboard.
With the action folded round, Marc Goodwin made it 5,000 from the small blind and Tommy Vedes called in the the big blind. The board was checked right down to the river where Goodwin took it down with a bet of 5,000.