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Jeff Saunders put his last 240,000 or so into the middle before the flop with a suited ace, but his 
would need to come from behind against 
.
Flop: 
Overkill to be sure, but the flop connected perfectly with Saunders' hand, and his full house held up through the turn (
) and river (
).
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
485,000 |
Level: 24
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 4,000
There are just 30 players remaining in contention for the title, and soon enough the final three tables will be set.
All of the players left with chips are guaranteed to cash for at least $914, but everybody has their sights set on the $48,895 prize up top.
David Silverstein continues to chip up, after coming from behind to snatch another stack from the ether.
According to Silverstein, he opened for 50,000 from early position holding 
and an opponent three-bet jammed for his last 240,000 or so.
Silverstein made the call with more than enough chips to afford the gamble, and after flopping a queen and rivering another, he notched the knockout to move above the 1 million chip mark.
"It's my birthday on Saturday," he told us as he stacked the spoils of war. "I can get lucky once in a while."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000 | 565,000 |
Rick Ruffman came out on top of a titanic three-way confrontation, after his held up over 
and 
.
His cowboys connected on the 
flop, and another on the turn cinched the win.
Ruffman now holds an above average chip stack with the final table in his sights.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
675,000 | 395,000 |
Level: 23
Blinds: 12,000/24,000
Ante: 3,000
The clock is stopped and the 36 players remaining have headed off for a short 15-minute break.
A player open-shoved for his last 82,000 from under the gun, and next to act Joe Cable three-bet to 175,000 for the isolation move.
The rest of the table folded around dutifully, leaving Cable to roll over his 
looking to flip a coin. Sure enough, his opponent tabled the 
for suited overcards, and when the flop came down 
it appeared he had called the right side of the coin.
"Seven of diamonds..." called another player at the table, looking to sweat the action vicariously.
Turn: 
"My bad, my bad..." offered the interlocutor. "I'm sorry..."
Knowing he had summoned the deck's demons, the player who called for a sweat cringed as the river card fell 
to complete Cable's runner-runner flush. For his part, the player who just went bust could only hold his hands to his head in shock, before heading to the payout desk to collect his cash.
"I was trying to give you action," offered Cable, trying to console the man whose dream he had just torn asunder. "Sorry man."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
375,000 | 375,000 |
Whenever several players simultaneously scream aloud, chances are the rare two-out suckout has just been sighted.
Sure enough, after hearing one player shout out "oh my God!" while his tablemates buzzed excitedly around the scene, we headed over to find a 5 percent miracle had been delivered.
The final board read 
and Dom Carlo has what appeared to be the winner tabled with his . Despite flopping trip aces though, Carlo's hand was second-best, what with Dom Gaccino holding the 
.
According to Gaccino, his appropriately named opponent had shoved his last 100,000 or so into the middle before the flop, coming over the top of Gaccino's open to 60,000.
Gaccino called to bring on the race, but he stumbled out of the gates when Carlo flopped trip aces. Carlo's lead was lengthened when the turn came down , but he tripped over the last hurdle on the track when the river fell 
.
With the win, Gaccino extended his chip lead to a staggering 1.35 million, which is good for more than three times the current average at the moment.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,350,000 | 1,350,000 |
|
|
Busted |
After helping to burst the bubble during an earlier incident, David Silverstein has quietly amassed one of the largest stacks in the room.
Silverstein currently holds about 535,000 at the moment, well over the average of 383,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
535,000 |