Mayer is the First Casualty
Manuel Fritz raised to 32,000 from early position, with Mikita Badziakouski calling in the cutoff and Aleksejs Ponakovs calling on the button. Thomas Alfred Mayer jammed for 178,000 from the big blind, which got Fritz to fold J♦9♦.
Badziakouski decided to call for around half his stack, while Ponakovs folded the snowmen, and the players went to showdown with Mayer at risk.
Thomas Alfred Mayer: K♥K♦
Mikita Badziakouski: A♠Q♥
Mayer was ahead with two kings, and Badziakouski added a few extra outs on the Q♣3♣3♦ flop by hitting a queen.
The dealer rolled off the A♣ on the turn to put Badziakouski into the lead with two pair, meaning Mayer needed a two-outer on the river to survive.
It never came as the 9♥ completed the board, and Mayer became the first to be eliminated from the final table in ninth place.