Just two spots from the money and Mateusz Zbikowski is tanking for several minutes in each and every hand. No-one at his table seems to mind or has complained, Sam Trickett and Jabran Zahid are both very short as well but they're not dwelling for very long in their hands.
On several other tables it's noticeable that one or two other players are doing the same but unless someone complains, the number of hands per hour will be very low - at least until the bubble bursts.
Jens Jose Obijn just moved all in under the gun for 52,500 chips and from his immediate left it was PokerStars Team Online Marc-Andre Ladouceur who pushed over the top.
"You have a big hand?" Obijn asked.
The other players quickly folded and while all the cameras were pointed at Obijn the showdown went as following.
"Pretty big," Ladouceur responded a bit delayed as he was waiting for the other players to have folded.
Ladouceur:
Obijn:
The board ran out and Obijn shook Ladouceur's hand before exiting the tournament area.
Bo Daniel Nilsson opened for 9,000 but when he faced a three-bet of 25,000 from Simon Higgins and it got back to him he sighed and folded. Higgins had more chips than him and he simply didn’t want to risk it all with his hand.
Higgins opened the next hand for 8,000 and perhaps PokerStars Team Online player Christian Favale, who had more chips than Higgins, thought he would do the same and raised him to 42,000. Higgins though decided to make the call and they went to a flop of .
Favale had position but Higgins led out for 32,000 and got called. The turn card was the and both players checked. When the river card came the Higgins bet 60,000 for about half his stack and Favale pushed his cards away.
Despite the constant tanking, high numbers of players still in and the general media scrum that makes a player feel like they're about to be afforded their own story in the British tabloid press, the bubble has burst at the first attempt.
Before going hand for hand, Ignat Liviu had moved all in over the top of a raise from Marco Caza, the Canadian making a call.
Liviu was all in for around 70,000 and Caza had the Romanian well-covered.
Liviu:
Caza:
The flop was - blank and unconnected enough that Liviu was now the clear favourite for the hand. The changed nothing and Caza needed one of six outs to knock out the Romanian. The then appeared on the river to an audible groan from the watching crowd. Everyone else is now guaranteed a minimum payout of £7,750.
Robert Haigh moved all in for his last 44,000 from the small blind and Martijn Ardon called out of the big blind. Haigh showed and was crushed by Ardon's .
Haigh found immense potential on the flop, however, as the dealer fanned and gave him a straight flush draw with the jack of diamonds. The turn bricked for him, pairing the board with the . The river ensured Haigh a double up, though, with the to give him a winning straight.
Haigh now has about 95,000 while Ardon has dropped to 220,000.
There will be plenty of all-in and calls over the next level and Frei Dilling was involved in one of them. He was at risk against the of Leo McClean but Dilling held the .
A final board of left McClean short and a smile playing across the lips of Dilling.
We just walked into a huge pot with fanned out in the middle of the table. The decision was on Adam Reynolds who was facing a shove big enough to risk his own tournament life. The shove was made by Daniel Erlandsson who kept his composure throughout the tanking process.
There was about 200,000 already in the middle when Reynolds eventually made the call for about 225,000 chips and Erlandsson immediately tabled for a straight.
Reynolds mucked his cards and hit the rail while Erlandsson is now among the chip leaders.
![[user76023]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and Obijn shook Ladouceur's hand before exiting the tournament area.
and both players checked. When the river card came the 
Higgins bet 60,000 for about half his stack and Favale pushed his cards away.
changed nothing and Caza needed one of six outs to knock out the Romanian. The 
then appeared on the river to an audible groan from the watching crowd. Everyone else is now guaranteed a minimum payout of £7,750.
and was crushed by Ardon's 
.
and gave him a straight flush draw with the jack of diamonds. The turn bricked for him, pairing the board with the 
to give him a winning straight.
fanned out in the middle of the table. The decision was on Adam Reynolds who was facing a shove big enough to risk his own tournament life. The shove was made by Daniel Erlandsson who kept his composure throughout the tanking process.
