We're one step closer to the money. Bodo Sbrzesny has left the building after running his pocket fours into Sorel Mizzi's pocket aces. Sbrzesny had fewer than 50,000 chips, leaving him with little choice but to push with fours and hope they held up. They didn't, and so he has been eliminated in 67th place.
Two more players will leave the tournament empty-handed. We'll be hand-for-hand after the next elimination, so expect the pace of play to slow down significantly.
The short stacks are clawing for air at this point, desperately trying to squeak their way into the money. Ali Ghezelbash was one of the shortest left in the field. He moved all in from middle position for 31,000 after Brett Daphne opened for 12,000. Daphne made the call.
Daphne:
Ghezelbash:
The flop was perfect for Ghezelbash. It came to give him top pair and eliminate any flush or straight possibilities for Daphne. Daphne was drawing dead by the turn , although he did spike a pair when the river fell .
Ghezelbash is still short. He has 67,000 chips. Daphne is on 135,000.
The action folded around to Daren Yoon on the button, who moved all in for 40,000. Jonathan Plens made the call in the big blind with and had Yoon in trouble with a dominated .
Yoon spiked a ten on the flop but the fell on the turn and Plens regained the lead. The river was the to send Yoon to the rail within sight of a cash finish.
Scotty Nguyen opened the betting, but folding saved his tournament. He put in the first raise before Andy Church moved all in on the second raise and Michael Tureniec put in the third raise. Nguyen decided to get out of the way, leaving Church and Tureniec to fight it out.
Church:
Tureniec:
The dealer spread out a flop of that improved neither player. The turn gave Church a bit more of a sweat. He needed to dodge the three remaining aces and four tens on the river, but couldn't do it. The river fell to give Tureniec the nut Broadway straight. Church's chips moved into Tureniec's stack, and Church moved out of the tournament area.
After the hand was over, Scotty Nguyen mentioned that he had folded pocket nines. His nines would have flopped a set, but would also have finished in third place behind the straights of the other two players.