We noticed Jason Smith was standing on the rail as players came back from break. Sure enough, a quick check with his former table revealed that he had been eliminated in Level 9.
According to Justin Rice, who did the deed, it happened when an under-the-gun player opened for 1,800 and another player called. Rice then three-bet to 7,200 from the button, Smith four-bet jammed for right around 25,000 from the big blind, and action folded back to Rice, who made the call.
Rice:
Smith:
Smith was in dire straits, and while he paired his jack on the flop, Rice also paired his ace. A on the turn was no help to Smith, and neither was the river. Smith was eliminated from the tournament while Rice chipped up to 75K.
Last August, Elliott Hebden finished sixth in this event. He no doubt had high hopes of another deep run, but they were just cut short due to a nasty river.
We missed the hand as it unfolded, but we learned after the fact Hebden had gotten the last of his chips all in preflop holding the and was racing against the of Mike Ermie.
A jack on the flop gave Hebden a pair and made him a massive favorite to double, but then the spiked on the river to send him packing. Whether or not he opts to rebuy either today or tomorrow remains to be seen.
Denny Robinson is continuing to get involved in big pots. We walked up to a three-way pot with 11,000 in the middle preflop. After a flop of , Robinson bet 4,000 and Roger Isaac moved all in for 15,675. The third player folded and Robinson made the call. Isaac had flopped a set of fours and was ahead of Robinson's .
Isaac dodged the two outs as the board finished with . In the last level and a half, Robinson has yo-yoed from over 50,000 to near starting stack, then back up to over 50,000 and now down to 34,000.
Action folded to a player in the cutoff and he opened for 2,000. The button and small blind both folded, and then Mike Holm defended from the big. When the flop fell , Holm checked and the cutoff continued for 3,000. Holm responded with a check-raise to 9,000, and his opponent thought long and hard before releasing his hand.
"You show me, I'll show you," Holm offered. The cutoff did not show, but Holm couldn't resist and tabled the .
Meanwhile, Bruce “The Hammer” Swart has been eliminated from the tournament.
With 6,275 in the pot and a flop of , the two players in the blinds checked to Justin Rice, who bet 3,500 from the under-the-gun position. Jason Smith then raised to 8,500 from middle position, the blinds folded, and Rice called the additional 5,000.
After the dealer burned and turned the , Rice checked and Smith wasted little time in betting out 6,700. It did the trick as Rice snap-folded his cards.
flop, Rice also paired his ace. A 
on the turn was no help to Smith, and neither was the 
and was racing against the 
spiked on the river to send him packing. Whether or not he opts to rebuy either today or tomorrow remains to be seen.
, Robinson bet 4,000 and Roger Isaac moved all in for 15,675. The third player folded and Robinson made the call. Isaac had flopped a set of fours and was ahead of Robinson's 
. In the last level and a half, Robinson has yo-yoed from over 50,000 to near starting stack, then back up to over 50,000 and now down to 34,000.
, Holm checked and the cutoff continued for 3,000. Holm responded with a check-raise to 9,000, and his opponent thought long and hard before releasing his hand.
.
