So far it's been a pretty unhappy experience for Tom Dwan actually being in the tournament.
He opened for 1,550 under the gun and it folded right around to the gentleman in the big blind who looked suspicious but made the call.
They saw a flop and Mr. Big Blind tanked up for a little while before betting out 2,500. Dwan expressionlessly called, and they saw also a turn card - the - which they both checked.
The river came down the and this time Mr. Big Blind, no longer looking suspicious, bet out 3,025. Dwan quickly and quietly folded, and is now down to 18,000.
Paul Testud made it 1,450 to go preflop and picked up a number of callers, two in position and one in the big blind. On the flop he led out for 1,500 but the button now made it 8,000, scaring off the others. Testud, however, thought for a good while before putting enough of his stack across the line to signify all in. The button (who might be Claudio Simaldoni again) made a, "And the rest of it," raise and they were on their backs.
Testud:
Button:
Although the Frenchman pointed to the Jacks in the direction of the dealer as if to request one be fished from the deck, the turn and river were sending him to the rail.
Khiem Nguyen made a play for a pot which Alexia Portal was unwilling to concede just now. She alone called his standard preflop raise in the big blind and saw a flop of . Check to the raiser, who bet 1,800, again called. The turn was checked by both players and Portal bet out 3,400 on the river. He now raised to 11,700 and sat staring fixedly into the middle distance. She, meanwhile, stared at him and considered this unexpected development. Finally she found the call with and he announced, "Good. Ace high," before throwing his hand away.
Table 17 is taking shape with two rather large stacks dominating the rest. One of them stomping up the leaderboard is in the shape of Stjepan Jokic. Jokic is a very tall gentlemen and he now has a stack to suit his own personal stature - in part helped by this particular hand where he flopped a set of Jacks.
Jokic opened the action by making a 1,300 raise from under the gun and the action folded around to the big blind who made the call. The flop was . The Big Blind checked and Jokic made a continuation bet of 1,500 and the Big Blind called. The turn was the and again the Big Blind checked and again Jokic bet - this time 3,000. The Big Blind again made the call. The river was the and for the third time in succession the Big Blind checked and Jokic fired his third barrell - 5,050 and the Big Blind again called. Jokic revealed his two black jacks and the big blind disgustingly mucked.
A somewhat short-stacked Tobias Reinkemeier opened to around 1,600 in the hijack and got one caller in the shape of the gentleman in the big blind, who then proceeded to check the flop. Reinekemeier bet 1,750, and the big blind gentleman gave it some thought before check-raising to 6,000.
It was now Reinkemeier's turn to tank, before he eventually moved in for 11,750 total. A call, and a showdown.
Big Blind Gentleman: for top pair and a dodgy flush draw
Reinkemeier: for top pair, better kicker, and the nut flush draw
It's kind of a shame that our friends at Dutch PokerNews aren't here, because their reporting lives would have been fantastically easy this evening.
Over in the far corner of the main ballroom, no fewer than three members of Team PokerStars Pro: Netherlands are seated together - Noah Boeken (34,000), Marcel Luske (32,000) and Pieter de Korver (55,000) can all now be checked up on in one convenient swoop. Also of particular note at that table is fellow Team PokerStars Pro (but not Dutchie) Salvatore Bonavena, and also young Norwegian Thor Drexel.
Double takedown for Adam Jerney now, and a stack of over 90k (possibly, when he finishes counting the lake, even 100k). Threeway to the turn, and already 23k in the middle, the board was - pretty unassuming, you might think. But no! Liviu-Georg Ignat made the all-in move to try to snag this chunky pot, and came up against all manner of resistance. First up Javier Garcia in the cutoff had a long dwell and finally called the <15k. Then button Adam Jerney moved all in over the top. This was clearly not part of Garcia's plan, and he looked ruefully at his remaining 20k before committing it too.
Ignat -
Garcia -
Jerney -
The set was about as ahead as could be, and stayed that way on the river. Double elimination and a new big stack for him.
Just a brief update on some of the big stacks in the room.
Brian Green the Costa Rican who recently finished 6th at the APPT in Macau has got his stack back up to 137,000. Daniel Drescher's former large stack has been reduced somewhat after his nut flush was crushed by quad jacks earlier. He now sits on a stack of 73,000. Peter Betson continues to be one of the bigger stacks with a haul of 104,000 and Team Pokerstars Pro Daniel Negreanu is making solid progress, despite his jet lag he now has 102,000.
Last but certainly not least Giacomo Maisto has taken the chip lead and has a stack of 200,000.
flop and Mr. Big Blind tanked up for a little while before betting out 2,500. Dwan expressionlessly called, and they saw also a turn card - the 
- which they both checked.
and this time Mr. Big Blind, no longer looking suspicious, bet out 3,025. Dwan quickly and quietly folded, and is now down to 18,000.
flop he led out for 1,500 but the button now made it 8,000, scaring off the others. Testud, however, thought for a good while before putting enough of his stack across the line to signify all in. The button (who might be Claudio Simaldoni again) made a, "And the rest of it," raise and they were on their backs.
sending him to the rail.
. Check to the raiser, who bet 1,800, again called. The 
and he announced, "Good. Ace high," before throwing his hand away.
. The Big Blind checked and Jokic made a continuation bet of 1,500 and the Big Blind called. The turn was the 
and again the Big Blind checked and again Jokic bet - this time 3,000. The Big Blind again made the call. The river was the 
and for the third time in succession the Big Blind checked and Jokic fired his third barrell - 5,050 and the Big Blind again called. Jokic revealed his two black jacks and the big blind disgustingly mucked.
flop. Reinekemeier bet 1,750, and the big blind gentleman gave it some thought before check-raising to 6,000.
for top pair and a dodgy flush draw
for top pair, better kicker, and the nut flush draw
- pretty unassuming, you might think. But no! Liviu-Georg Ignat made the all-in move to try to snag this chunky pot, and came up against all manner of resistance. First up Javier Garcia in the cutoff had a long dwell and finally called the <15k. Then button Adam Jerney moved all in over the top. This was clearly not part of Garcia's plan, and he looked ruefully at his remaining 20k before committing it too.
river. Double elimination and a new big stack for him.
