Mainly movers - another table has broken and the whole downstairs area has been cleared in preparation for the Heads-Up final which is coming up in a short while. As new people fill in gaps which are slowly appearing, the tables have to adjust to one new face and the new faces to entire new tables. One such newcomer downstairs was James Keys, who came 9th in the 2007 first WSOPE £10k main event here. No sooner was he reseated then he was moving all in over the top of Dan O'Brien's 2,500, bet on the turn of a board. O'Brien declined to call and Keys is up to around 19k.
The tables behind the bar have begun to break since Ross Boatman, Arnaud Mattern, John Eames and Andrew Lichtenberger have all arrived in the Flame. They are sitting for long though as we're about to go on a 90 minute dinner break.
Joseph Cheong will have to wait until November to play for a bracelet. We had two November Niners in our starting field today, and both of them have had far less success in this London version of the WSOP Main Event.
Cheong has just become the latest victim of Day 1a after a steady slide down and out the door. He had just 3,750 chips when he shipped it in preflop with king-jack. Ted Lawson found ace-king and made the call, and a board full of blanks is all she wrote for Cheong.
The good news for the young man is that, unlike the rest of this field, he still has one more chance to snag a bracelet this year. We'll see Cheong and the also-busto Michael Mizrachi in November at the final table of the main Main Event.
"I did most of the damage," Jason Mercier informed us with a smirk as we walked away. "... Just so you know."
From under the gun, Andrew Lichtenberger raised to 800. The next two players called and then action fell on Andy Bloch in middle position. He reraised to 3,200. Arnaud Mattern called the three-bet from the cutoff seat and play folded back around to Lichtenberger. He thought for a bit and then folded, as did the two players behind him who had called the opening raise.
With play down to just Mattern and Bloch, the flop came down . Bloch fired out 5,000 and Mattern made the call.
The turn brought the and Bloch opted to check. After a few moments, Mattern announced all in. Bloch asked if he was all in and then asked that if Mattern was all in, if he could push his stack forward. Mattern did just that and started to break it down when Bloch announced a call.
The cards were on their backs and it was Bloch's ahead of Mattern's .
The river was a big, fat lady in the form of he and Mattern spiked his two-outer to double up. He was all in for 13,350 and Bloch sent over the chips. Bloch was knocked down to 2,900.
Daniel "Jungleman12" Cates is going to have plenty of time to focus on the Durrrr Challenge after crashing out of today's event. He got all his chips in on the turn of a board, calling for his tournament life with after Filippo Candio had put him all in.
"Do you have spades?" inquired Candio nervously as he revealed for the straight.
He was half right, as he still needed to evade a spade (and the higher straight) on the river, which he indeed did as the final card came the to award him the pot. "Yes!" he yelped with a clench fist as the bullet hit the felt.
Cates, meanwhile, leaned across the felt with a bemused look on his face before declaring, "I misread my hand, I thought I had a set." Either way, it was academic, as the Candio's straight held to send the online titan home.
Jason Mercier is now down to just 9,575. Adam Fletcher, whom he called down earlier, just got called down again - but this time he'd flopped, and subsequently slowplayed, a set of Eights and was happy to get the call.
The flop had been checked threeway: while the turn saw Mercier betting out 1,250. Just a flat call from Fletcher. On the river Mercier bet again (some part of a 5k chip with was less than or equal to 4k) and Fletcher quickly raised to 8,000. Back to Mercier who looked like he was going through another painful decision, which ended in his flipping in another red 5k chip, seeing the in Fletcher's hand and mucking his own.
A reraised pot between Almira Skripchenko and Chris Bjorin saw the latter lead out for 4,000 on a flop. Skripchenko quickly raised to 12,000 and Bjorin moved in instantly, Skripchenko made an equally speedy call.
Bjorin:
Skripchenko:
The turn gave the French Chess Master a couple of additional outs and the proved an unlikely way to her to achieve the double up. Skripchenko is up to 75,000 while Bjorin who has finalled two of the WSOPE events here, dropped to 17,500.
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
board. O'Brien declined to call and Keys is up to around 19k.
and was called in one spot.
to end Dempsey's WSOPE campaign.
. Bloch fired out 5,000 and Mattern made the call.
and Bloch opted to check. After a few moments, Mattern announced all in. Bloch asked if he was all in and then asked that if Mattern was all in, if he could push his stack forward. Mattern did just that and started to break it down when Bloch announced a call.
ahead of Mattern's 
.
and Mattern spiked his two-outer to double up. He was all in for 13,350 and Bloch sent over the chips. Bloch was knocked down to 2,900.
board, calling for his tournament life with 
after Filippo Candio had put him all in.
for the straight.
in Fletcher's hand and mucking his own.
flop. Skripchenko quickly raised to 12,000 and Bjorin moved in instantly, Skripchenko made an equally speedy call.
