Polish PokerStars player Kamil Czarniecki continues to assert himself here in Manila.
He was recently moved to chip leader Eric Sia's table and found himself embroiled in a pot with another player. Czarniecki made a raise preflop that only the big blind called. The flop fell and after a check, Czarniecki made it 1,400.
The big blind made the call and the turn came the . Both players checked, but on the river, the big blind fired out a bet of 2,500. Czarniecki thought long and hard, but couldn't find a fold. He called and the big blind instantly mucked his hand, handing the pot to Czarniecki.
There's a new sherriff in town and his name is Gerald Casey.
Casey limped and was joined by another player before the small blind made it 1,975. Casey called, as did the third player and they all joined together in checking the flop. The turn was a different story, however, as the small blind shipped it in for 5,200 total.
Casey looked him up and after the third player in the hand tanked excessively, he folded. It was for the small blind while Casey had played sherriff holding and needing a heart or an ace to bust this foe.
Neither came through on the river and Casey put his six gun back in the holster.
After Ronald Dimaano limped under the gun and two others joined in the fun, Jose Medina made it 1,050 from middle position.
The blinds folded and Dimaano made the call, only to see one of the other limpers decide to push for 13,000. Medina re-shipped and after Dimaano let it go the race was on. It was Medina's against his opponent's and the flop gave his lead away.
The turn left Medina drawing to two outs, but the river was one of them. Medina made a boat and floated away with all his opponents chips and then some.
Since cracking aces early on to climb up the early leader board, things have not exactly gone well for Bae Sung Sik.
Faced with a raise that committed most of his opponent's stack to the pot on a flop, Sik put him all in. His opponent made the call with and Sik was in deep trouble holding .
The board ran out and Sik is quickly running out of chips now below the starting stack.
Eric Sia is having a great day at the tables here in Manila.
First he hit a three outer with spiking a king on the river against one opponent who flopped the joint on a [ board.
Then he got real tricky, calling a three-bet preflop with and blind betting at the pot. The flop came and Sia ended up in a raising war with his opponent on . They eventually got it all in and Sia's flush held to give him a place among the early leaders.