Ben Grundy has never been among the chip leaders today, but this level seems to be able to do no wrong. He's taken down pots at showdown with pretty much nothing at all, and won bigger ones with the biggest hands.
Example 1: Winning with rubbish
This hand was only caught on the river, but that was the entertaining bit as Ben Grundy sort of accidentally slowrolled the winning hand which he was almost positive wasn't the winning hand on a board.
"You got me," he sighed at in-position opponent Jan Jachtmann. Jachtmann, however, wasn't about to turn over his hand and just waited until Grundy flipped the (for two pair, fours and sixes with his backing it up). It didn't matter that his diamonds had missed, however, as the pot was soon heading to him as Jachtmann mucked - although he got a very mini lecture on how he should play differently next time.
Example 2: Winning with the Nuts
Fast forward a few minutes and a pot of 5,600 has grown around a board of with the deuce recently arrived. Two checks to Ben Grundy, who thoughtfully bet 3,625. Two slow folds and he showed them .
Who knows what Phil Ivey gets up to in dinner breaks? Whatever it was he was doing, it must have been really awesome (in our minds, everything that Ivey does when we can't see him is totally awesome) because it sucked up not only the hour allotted for dinner, but also the entirety of the first level back. He's just now appeared to reclaim his 10k stack and alleviate the worries - or possibly make the lives hell, depending on whether or not you are at his table - of everyone else in the room.
"That's what, an hour?" said tablemate Dan Shak, referring to how late Ivey was.
"Don't worry, don't worry," called a giggling Ivey over to another table where similar comments were being made.
"What do you want me to do once I've seen that flop?" responded as newly doubled -up Robin Keston to the Joe Beevers above rant.
"You've got the worst hand with the worst draw" continued Beevers as he slid 7,600 more chips over to his fellow Brit.
This tension erupted after Keston moved all-in for the said amount on a flop after Frank Kassela led for 1,000 and Beevers had raised to 3,000. Beevers called the extra saying "You never listen do you?"
Keston: for bottom set and flush draw.
Beevers: for top set.
The turn came a safe for Beevers but Keston made his flush on the river. Beevers down to 14,000 whereas Keston is up to 17,000.
Table Channing/Hellmuth/Rutter/Rober ts/Madsen etc. is winning the Chattiest Table Prize - and in a pretty good-natured banter-y way too. The recent addition of Phil Hellmuth (inserted between Jeff Madsen and Stu Rutter) may have changed the dynamic slightly but it's pretty entertaining to watch in a dull patch.
An example: Stu Rutter raised preflop and Ben Roberts made the call. The flop came with little interest from either of them. The turn: a free . Now Roberts bet out 1,100 and Rutter quickly passed. Not so interesting, yes? But then Madsen admitted, "I had the A-3-5-T of hearts!" for the straight flush, as it turned out.
"I'm not sure what Ben was betting," laughed Hellmuth.
"Ben was bluffing," insisted Channing, "He's always bluffing!"
Ben Roberts, meanwhile, kept an amiable and probably sensible silence.
Theo Jorgensen got his last in (he had just 6,500 to his name at the start of the hand) on a flop. "I am ahead," he said cheerfully as he and his opponent Erik Friberg turned their cards over.
Jorgensen: for the straight
Friberg: for top set
Turn: bringing Friberg the full house
River: making Friberg quads
There was some good-natured chuckling and a polite, "Good luck," from Jorgensen, and with that, the 2008 champion left the building.
A decent pot for a pretty short-stacked Tim Flanders just now as he saw a 3+-way flop of , remaining, however, the only caller after Alfonso Amendola bet out 2,100. Both players checked the turn, and on the river out bet Amendola again - 4,000. Flanders swiftly minraised him (leaving himself just 2,600 behind) and with the warning lights flashing Amendola gave it up then and there, although he didn't look happy about it.
Ilari Tahkokallio is up 29,000 after rivering a flush against John Juanda. There was some betting on the turn before the river came to leave a board. The Finn checked from the SB to face a 5,000 bet from Juanda. "Straight" said Juanda once called but it was no good as Tahkokallio tabled for a flush. Juanda down to just 3,000 now.
[user46392]
David Ulliott - gone to find a girl in the park?
Wow, the Table Of Death has seen more than enough casualties to warrant its title.
Ted Lawson disappeared from there at some point with very little fuss, and then the aforementioned Richard Ashby succumbed. As Ashby left the table, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott attempted to diffuse the tension by telling a dirty joke about a girl in a park. And then a few minutes later, we heard the cry of, "Another one gone!" from the dealer signifying that Ulliott himself had also kicked the tournament bucket.
[user46298]
Annette Obrestad: no more bracelets today
A stack of 6,200, such as was in front of inaugural WSOPE Main Event Champion Annette Obrestad five minutes ago, often doesn't last long in this game, and so it was in this case - her seat is now vacant.
Elsewhere another empty chair sits where Marty Smyth used to, and the second table of the day has been broken and the players spread round the Empire Casino.
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
board.
(for two pair, fours and sixes with his 
backing it up). It didn't matter that his diamonds had missed, however, as the pot was soon heading to him as Jachtmann mucked - although he got a very mini lecture on how he should play differently next time.
with the deuce recently arrived. Two checks to Ben Grundy, who thoughtfully bet 3,625. Two slow folds and he showed them 
.
for bottom set and flush draw.
for top set.
for Beevers but Keston made his flush on the 
river. Beevers down to 14,000 whereas Keston is up to 17,000.
. Now Roberts bet out 1,100 and Rutter quickly passed. Not so interesting, yes? But then Madsen admitted, "I had the A-3-5-T of hearts!" for the straight flush, as it turned out.
flop. "I am ahead," he said cheerfully as he and his opponent Erik Friberg turned their cards over.
for the straight
for top set
bringing Friberg the full house
making Friberg quads
, remaining, however, the only caller after Alfonso Amendola bet out 2,100. Both players checked the 
for a flush. Juanda down to just 3,000 now.
