Orpen Kisacikoglu raised to 32,000 from under the gun and Aleksejs Ponakovs three-bet to 120,000 from the small blind. Kisacikoglu then jammed for 155,000 and Ponakovs made the call.
Orpen Kisacikoglu: Q♠Q♦
Aleksejs Ponakovs: K♥K♦
Kisacikoglu's queens were outclassed and remained so on the 5♠3♠J♦6♣A♥ runout.
He would be the final player to leave the tournament before the final nine players converged onto one final table.
Following the elimination of Niklas Astedt, Daniel Dvoress suggested that play should go hand-for-hand until the final table was reached. No one objected and tournament officials agreed to start the process.
A few hands later, Stephen Chidwick raised to 35,000 in the hijack, Jean-Noel Thorel three-bet to 75,000 in the cutoff, and Chidwick called.
The flop came 7♦3♠A♥ and Thorel continued with another 75,000. Chidwick called and the 5♠ fell on the turn.
Thorel bet 110,000 this time, but Chidwick came back with a raise to 275,000. Thorel gave up his hand and Chidwick took the pot.
Jesse Lonis raised to 45,000 from the small blind and Orpen Kisacikoglu called from the big blind. Lonis then continued for 27,000 on the K♠A♥2♥ flop, which Kisacikoglu called as well.
The 5♣ turn was checked by both players before the J♥ river completed the board. Lonis grabbed 105,000 chips and put them in the middle, sending Kisacikoglu into the tank.
After a few time bank extensions, Kisacikoglu shook his head and slammed in a call. Lonis tabled J♣5♦ for runner-runner two pair and took down the pot as Kisacikoglu's cards hit the muck.
Action folded to Niklas Astedt who pushed all in for 175,000 in the small blind. Stephen Chidwick quickly called from the big blind.
Niklas Astedt: Q♣10♣
Stephen Chidwick: 3♦3♣
Astedt took the lead as the board came J♦J♠6♥10♠, giving him two pair heading to the river and a card away from a double up. But the river brought the 3♥ and Chidwick hit his set to make a full house and send Astedt to the rail.
During the final hand of the previous level, Sam Greenwood raised to 25,000 from the hijack, which Aleksejs Ponakovs three-bet to 75,000 from the cutoff.
The action folded back to Greenwood, who four-bet to 150,000. Ponakovs weighed his options for a bit before jamming all in, covering the 475,000 chips in Greenwood's stack.
Greenwood quickly folded, shipping the pot Ponakov's way without the need for a flop.
Level: 16
Blinds: 10,000/15,000
Ante: 15,000
Alex Kulev raised to 24,000 in the cutoff and Stephen Chidwick defended his big blind.
Both players checked the 9♦7♦4♣ flop before Chidwick led out for 20,000 on the 10♠ turn. Kulev called.
Chidwick checked the 5♥ river and Kulev bet 106,000. Chidwick called and Kulev showed K♥6♥ for a bluff. Chidwick turned over A♥8♥ as he took the pot with ace-high.
Atanas Malinov moved all in for 90,000 from the cutoff and Mike Watson called from the big blind.
Atanas Malinov: A♥Q♣
Mike Watson: A♠4♦
Malinov was in a dominating position to double up and stood up from his seat to await the flop, which came J♦3♣7♦. The turn, though, was the 4♠ and Malinov flung his arm in the air in frustration as Watson pulled into the lead.
The river was the 9♠ and Watson sent Malinov to the rail.
"He knew it," Niklas Astedt said following the hand.
"I'm never standing there," Alex Kulev added.
"Maybe with the ace-four, I'm like, I'm never getting there. But never with the best hand," Astedt said.
Jean-Noel Thorel raised to 30,000 from the cutoff and Aleksejs Ponakovs defended the big blind. Both players checked through the 5♦2♣7♠ flop before Ponakovs led out for 22,000 on the 9♦ turn.
Thorel made the call, but quickly folded the 10♠ river once Ponakovs made a larger bet of 115,000.
The next hand, Thorel raised to 30,000 again, and this time it was Jesse Lonis who defended the big blind. On the 10♠5♠2♥ flop, Thorel fired 50,000 chips more, to which Lonis quickly check-folded.
PokerStars photographers quickly picked up their cameras and surrounded the table as Sam Grafton announced he was all in from the hijack. Jesse Lonis called in the cutoff.
Sam Grafton: 5♥5♠
Jesse Lonis: J♣J♠
Grafton was dominated by Lonis' jacks as the board ran out K♦7♦9♦8♣10♠ to secure the pot for Lonis. The stacks were counted down and Lonis had 180,000 remaining. He barely had Grafton covered, sending the PokerStars Team Pro to the rail.
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