Over the course of the bubble, there were a couple of double ups worth mentioning.
Kenneth Mcfarlane limped from middle position and Niall Farrell went all in from the big blind. Mcfarlane's tournament life was on the line but he still made the call. Mcfarlane held vs Farrell's . The board ran out dry and Mcfarlane was able to secure the double up.
On another table, Nipun Java raised from middle position and Lawrence Leblanc moved all in from the button for 690,000. It wasn't much more for Java to call so indeed he did. Leblanc was in good shape with vs Java's . The board ran out securing the win for Leblanc.
Tensions have been high around the room with everyone sweating the CA$10,000 money bubble.
Steven Warburton had just folded his small blind, leaving himself with just 20,000 in chips, good for less than the 25,000 ante. On the button, Warburton was forced all in. "I got the all in button before I even got my cards!" he laughed.
Action folded around to Tim West in the cutoff, and he raised to 700,000. Sam Trickett was in the big blind and thought for about a minute, then opted to fold. "I was thinking if you raised I would just pile it in", laughed West. Trickett laughed and said, "You wouldn't have piled it in there."
There were two players all in at other tables, so everyone was waiting for the tournament director to give the go-ahead.
Warburton hadn't looked at his cards yet, and when it was time, he first flashed the and then slowly peeled the for his second card. West held , and took a commanding lead when the flop came . The turn was the and Warburton was drawing dead to the on the river.
Warburton is the official bubble boy, and all remaining 119 players are guaranteed a payout of CA$10,000.
James Romero was under the gun and raised to 470,000. David Eldridge was to his immediate left and called. Griffin Benger was on the button and three-bet to 4,800,000, leaving himself about 800,000 behind.
Romero went into the tank and thought about it before deciding to call. Eldridge folded. Before the flop came down, Romero piled a stack of chips in the middle in front of him, putting Benger to the test for his remaining chips.
The flop came and the action was on Benger. The tournament clock showed 122 players, just three players away from the money. Benger went into the tank for a few minutes before one more player dropped, putting the tournament just two players from the money. After a few more minutes, the tournament director announced that hand-for-hand play was being implemented. Several minutes later, a player from another table called the clock. Benger had 60 seconds to go before he was forced to make a decision. Just a few seconds in, Benger called.
"Ace king", he said, tabling . Romero tabled , and the dealer put the on the turn, and the on the river. Benger was eliminated in 121st place, just two spots from the money.
Hand-for-hand play will continue, as all remaining players are on the bubble.
Stephan Chartrand raised to 475,000 from early position, and Vlad Mezheritsky three-bet to 1,150,000. Christopher Dowling was on the button and four-bet to 2,600,000. Chartrand got out of the way, and Mezheritsky moved all in for 11,800,000. Dowling called. To his disappointment, he found himself on the wrong side of a massive cooler, just before the money. Mezheritsky was the player at risk.
Mezheritsky:
Dowling:
The board ran out and Mezheritsky did a little fist pump, doubling up in a massive pot.
Mike McDonald has been waiting patiently throughout the first two levels and he finally found a spot to get all his chips in the middle. The action was folded around to him on the button and McDonald shoved for his remaining 820,000. Wesley Hickey was in the small blind with just over a million chips and he too moved all in. The big blind had both players covered and quickly called after looking at his cards.
McDonald:
Hickey:
Big Blind:
The board ran out , giving McDonald the full triple up, and sending Hickey to the rail.
The player in the hijack raised to 400,000, and Armand "Oyster King" King three-bet to 1,400,000 on the button. Jean-Philippe Piquette was in the big blind and four-bet to 2,600,000. The hijack folded, and King moved all in for 6,885,000. Piquette called.
"You wanna run it twice?" asked King. The entire tabled laughed as King tabled . Piquette showed and had just three outs to pull ahead.
The flop came , giving King a full house and Piquette trip queens. There was just one queen left in the deck, but the turn was the and the river was the , giving King the double he was looking for.
Julian Milliard-Feral opened for a raise on the button and Sasan Mehrabian three-bet him from the big blind. Milliard-Feral called and the two players went heads-up to the flop with around 2,000,000 in the pot.
The flop came and Mehrabian chose to check his option. Milliard-Feral bet 975,000 and Mehrabian called.
The turn was a and once again Mehrabian checked. Milliard-Feral bet 2,225,000 which sent Mehrabian into the tank. After a couple of minutes of thinking, Mehrabian slid out enough chips for a raise to 5,000,000. Milliard-Feral threw his hand in the muck and Mehrabian took over the lead on his table.
vs Farrell's 
. The board ran out dry and Mcfarlane was able to secure the double up.
vs Java's 
. The board ran out 
for his second card. West held 
, and took a commanding lead when the flop came 
. The turn was the 
and Warburton was drawing dead to the 
on the river. 
and the action was on Benger. The tournament clock showed 122 players, just three players away from the money. Benger went into the tank for a few minutes before one more player dropped, putting the tournament just two players from the money. After a few more minutes, the tournament director announced that hand-for-hand play was being implemented. Several minutes later, a player from another table called the clock. Benger had 60 seconds to go before he was forced to make a decision. Just a few seconds in, Benger called. 
, and the dealer put the 
on the turn, and the 
on the river. Benger was eliminated in 121st place, just two spots from the money. 
and Mezheritsky did a little fist pump, doubling up in a massive pot.
, giving McDonald the full triple up, and sending Hickey to the rail.
and the river was the 
, giving King the double he was looking for.
and once again Mehrabian checked. Milliard-Feral bet 2,225,000 which sent Mehrabian into the tank. After a couple of minutes of thinking, Mehrabian slid out enough chips for a raise to 5,000,000. Milliard-Feral threw his hand in the muck and Mehrabian took over the lead on his table.
