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Joe Clarkin just went bust after running his 
into the 
held by Attllio Bitondo.
The final board rained down 
and despite finding a few additional outs on the flop, Clarkin failed to find an ace or make the wheel.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
850,000 | 200,000 |
|
Busted |
The action folded around to Joe McKeehen on the button and he open-jammed for his last 103,000.
Joe Clarkin looked back at his cards a few times, apparently pondering the call, but he laid his hand down. Attilio Bitondo did the same to surrender his big blind, and McKeehen scooped the small pot.
Shortly thereafter he open-jammed once again a few hands later, putting his last 129,000 at risk. This time though, Clarkin made the call with his 
, only to find himself crushed by the pro's 
. The board ran out 
and McKeehen scored the double with his full house.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
130,000 | -20,000 |
Level: 21
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 2,000
Cards are back in the air with 6 players remaining.
The action folded around to Attilio Bitondo in the hijack and he opened for 7 times the big blind - making it 68,000 to play. Holding the button, Mike Sandler flatted the big overbet and both players watched as Michael Forca three-bet jammed for 86,000 on top.
After making such a large opening raise, Bitondo held onto his hand for a long moment, studying Sandler while contemplating his options. Eventually though, he released his hand and Sandler quickly called to put Forca at risk.
Sandler:
Forca: 
Both players had found premium hands to work with and they were off to the races, but Forca finished last when the board came down 
.
He earned $4,516 for the 7th place finish, while Sandler continued to dominate as the Day 1 chip leader attempts to put on a wire-to-wire performance.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,030,000 | 245,000 |
|
|
650,000 | -80,000 |
|
Busted |
The tournament is now on a 10-minute break.
Michael Forca was eliminated on one of the last deals before the break, so stay tuned for a recap of his bustout hand.
Take a look at the current standings.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
785,000 | 105,000 |
|
730,000 | 730,000 |
|
305,000 | -90,000 |
|
260,000 | -30,000 |
|
|
230,000 | -25,000 |
|
|
205,000 | 51,000 |
|
|
150,000 | -85,000 |
Joe Clarkin saw Steve Saklad open for 20,000 and he liked the look of his 
enough for a three-bet to 60,000.
When Saklad four-bet jammed for 78,000 on top of that bet, Clarkin didn't appear to like his spot, but he was priced into calling and hoping for a flip. Unfortunately for him, Saklad had the goods with 
, and despite pleading for another five to hit the board, the runout came 
to send the pot to Saklad.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
290,000 | 111,000 |
|
|
255,000 | -270,000 |
Moments after tweeting his intention to late reg the Six Max event should he fail to mount a comeback, Joe McKeehen just doubled through Mike Sandler.
McKeehen's last 109,000 went into the middle before the flop, and he was flipping with 
against Sandler's 
.
The dealer produced a final board rolled of 
and McKeehen's fishhooks trumped Sandler's big slick.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
680,000 | -110,000 |
|
|
235,000 | 105,000 |
Joe McKeehen was the odds on favorite to take down yet another title here in Atlantic City - the home of the young pro's major scores, including a WSOP Circuit ring and a Borgata Winter Poker Open win - but a recent hand saw most of his stack slip away.
Attilio Bitondo held 
and decided to call bets of increasing magnitude on the flop, turn and river. The final board was all baby cards and a bullet - something like 
(we missed the exact cards in the dealer's rapid scramble) - and despite holding the lowest pair possible, Bitondo refused to find the fold button.
McKeehen tabled 
upon showdown, and when he saw Bitondo's cards the look of astonishment on the young pro's face was plain as day.
The shift in chips makes Bitondo the leader at this point, while McKeehen will have to regain his focus if he hopes to add another trophy to his parent's china cabinet. Although, from the looks of this recent tweet issued by McKeehen, he is already making contingency plans if he falls short here today:
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
780,000 | 615,000 |
|
|
130,000 | -115,000 |
