The first three pots played after the break have all gone to Janar Kiivramees. First, he open-raised all in for about 350,000 when action passed to him in the small blind. Big blind Rep Porter passed.
The next hand, Rony Jazzar opened the action from late position with a raise to 50,000. Again Kiivramees moved all in and again he found no callers.
The hand after that Uri Keidar was the first aggressor, opening to 47,000. This time Kiivramees re-raised less than all in, to 134,000 total, but the result was the same -- everyone folded.
Several of the players at this unofficial final table know a thing or two about what it takes to go deep in a World Poker Tour event. Layne Flack has been in this position before. He has two WPT final tables to his name. Each time he finished in 2nd place.
Nenad Medic has had more success. He has three final tables on his resume, managing to win one of them, the 2006 World Poker Finals. Medic banked $1.7 million for that victory.
Jonathan Little, however, has had the most success of any of our last ten players. He has reached four WPT final tables, winning the 2008 World Poker Finals and the 2007 Mirage Poker Showdown. Each of those wins netted Little just more than $1.0 million.
Layne Flack opened with a raise to 65,000 from early position before Uri Keidar moved all in for exactly 400,000. The table folded back around to Flack, and he would sit anxiously in the tank for several minutes, his leg bouncing up and down furiously as the gears in his head turned. Finally, he slammed in the calling chips to put Keidar at risk.
Showdown
Flack:
Keidar:
Salvation came right in the door for Keidar as the dealer spread out a flop of . The turn was a safe rag, and the on the river meant two pair and a big double up for Keidar.
After doubling Keidar up to 860,000, Flack has left himself with just about 150,000 to play with.
"All in," said Layne Flack, moving 266,000 chips into the middle from late position. "For the first time in four days." Action passed to Steven Fung in the small blind. He called and showed .
"I'm in bad shape," said Flack. He tabled . He managed to pair his jack but couldn't do better than that on a board of . And just like that Flack, who led or was near the top of this tournament for most of four days, is the first player eliminated on Day 5. He leaves with $20,760 in prize money for his tenth-place finish.
Under the gun, Rep Porter made it 55,000 to play, and the table folded around to the blinds where both Rony Jazzar and Janar Kiivramees made the call to see a flop.
The dealer spread out , and Jazzar led out into the pot with a bet of 100,000. Kiivramees quickly ducked out, but Porter would wait patiently until Jazzar started talking and joking around before he decided his best course of action was to let it go as well.
Nenad Medic came into the day in 10th chip position, the bottom of the barrel. He outlasted Layne Flack but will run no further. After Medic opened for 55,000, the newly resurgent Uri Keidar re-popped it to 210,000, clearing out everyone else. Medic seemed stuck, and could be seen counting the chips up for grabs to decide if it were possible for him to fold his hand. In the end he decided it was not, and called all in for less than the 210,000.
Medic:
Keidar:
Keidar was in a dominating lead and took a stranglehold on the pot with a by making a pair of kings. Medic was left with only a few runner-runner draws. The on the turn gave him half of one of those draws; any heart on the river would give Medic the nut flush. The river was red, but it was the , bouncing Medic to the rail in 9th place.
Thomas Bichon moved all in for 160,000 from the button and was called by Steven Fung in the big blind. At the showdown, Fung tabled , not too far behind Bichon's .
The board filled out by the turn, and Fung had outs to make a straight, a flush and even a pair, but the completed the board, missing Fung completely and allowing Bichon to double up to 354,000 in chips.
"You hit all kind of crap hands and then you miss that one," joked Jonathan Little. "84 outs you had."