Kurtis Boutelle led for 35,000. Ryan Rivers three-bet, making it 80,000, before David Battaglia jammed in from the big blind for 185,000 total.
Boutelle folded, but Rivers made the call with the . Battaglia was ahead with the but needed to fade an ace.
The gave Battaglia a sweat, but a double.
The very next hand saw Tyler Phillips run queens into Boutelle's kings all in preflop, busting in this classic cooler on a board of bricks and allowing Boutelle to extend his lead with 11 left now.
Kurtis Boutelle raised it up and Ryan Rivers three-bet the button to 60,000. Boutelle called and checked the flop.
Rivers led for 70,000 and Boutelle called. They both checked the turn, but Boutelle led for 150,000 on the river. Rivers called and mucked when Boutelle showed the .
"I got lucky on the turn," said Boutelle, taking the lead on 1.5 million now.
Ryan Rivers made it 26,000 and Mike Hallmark called in position. Rivers led for 35,000 on the flop and Hallmark called.
Rivers fired again on the turn, making it 45,000. Hallmark raised to 120,000 and Rivers called. Rivers checked the river and Hallmark moved in for 287,000.
Rivers tanked for an eternity, but emerged with a call. His was better than Hallmark's and Hallmark is out.
In the meantime, Alex Visbisky is close to one million now after making a straight on the river and getting the suddenly reeling Pat Tighe to pay him off.
The players redrew for seats at the final two tables, and in just the first hand, they went from 18 to 16 with Alex Visbisky coming back from the dead to pick up aces over kings over jacks.
Aces held and with Kyle Rzeszutek and Aaron Obstein busting, here's how the final 16 stacks look:
Kurtis Boutelle and Nathan Torrance are now threatening Buck Ramsay's lead.
Boutelle climbed the counts after picking up aces twice, fading an open-ender and flush draw the first time, then pocket eights the second.
In the meantime, Joe Ciffa got it in huge with on the turn of a board against Torrance's , going broke when the river was not a queen and allowing Torrance to book a spot near the top of the counts.
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Battaglia was ahead with the 
but needed to fade an ace.
gave Battaglia a sweat, but a double.
. Torrance had the 
board without a sweat.
flop.
turn, but Boutelle led for 150,000 on the 
.
flop and Hallmark called.
turn, making it 45,000. Hallmark raised to 120,000 and Rivers called. Rivers checked the 
river and Hallmark moved in for 287,000.
was better than Hallmark's 
and Hallmark is out.
into Phillips' 
board against Torrance's 
, going broke when the 