Every tournament day has one of these levels, it seems. With the chip average sitting around 45 big blinds, there just isn't much happening right now. The vast majority of the pots are being won before the flop, and pots that are contested to further streets are mostly heads-up and passively played. The short stacks are doubling up or going broke, but big pots are hard to come by right now.
With the chip average ticking down toward 40 big blinds, this trend shouldn't continue for too long.
Well, not that we jinxed him or anything, but Kyle Cartwright can't win every tournament he plays. He was sent to the rail by Dwyte Pilgrim just a few minutes ago.
We've been paying close attention to that unique table pairing over in the corner. When Dwyte Pilgrim's table was broken very early in the day, he was moved to the direct left of Kyle Cartwright. They look and sound nothing alike -- except for the near-matching hoodies -- but you'd be hard pressed to find two players in the room with more in common.
In 2008, Pilgrim broke onto the mainstream poker scene with many thanks to the World Series of Poker Circuit. In December of that year, he tore through the Circuit stop in Atlantic City, picking up two final tables and four cashes to start his poker career about $50,000 in the black. In March of the following year, Pilgrim tasted victory for the first time, winning a ring on the other side of town. Later that same month, he snagged one for the other finger, taking down the $5,000 WSOP-C Main Event in Rincon. Since that fast start, Pilgrim has gone on to collect a third gold ring and amass more than $1.7 million in tournament earnings. If the World Series of Poker Circuit had a poster boy, it'd be Dwyte Pilgrim.
But Kyle Cartwright might have something to say about that. With no cashes on record until this year, Cartwright is making Pilgrim-like waves on the Circuit here in 2011. In February, he picked up two rings at the stop in Tunica, both victories in $345 side events. He wouldn't be the next Dwyte Pilgrim without a Main Event ring, though, and Cartwright managed that feat last month in St. Louis, winning the Main Event to boost his career cashes over $200,000.
Like Pilgrim's, Cartwright's career is off to a blistering, gilded start, and the two men are sitting right next to each other as the race to ring number four continues.
A player in middle-position raised to 2,400 and action folded to Aaron Massey in the small blind. He three-bet to 7,100, putting the pressure on the raiser. After asking for a count and seeing Massey had about 25,000 behind, the middle-position player four-bet to 13,400. Massey five bet jammed and quickly his opponent got out of the way.
"Thank you," said a delighted Massey as he stacked up his newfound chips.
Dwyte Pilgrim was left with just about 4,000 after his fell to a shorter-stacked opponent's when the board ran out .
However, he is back up to roughly 24,000 after first finding a triple up. With a crowd gathering around to watch, Pilgrim (with ), was all in against Kyle Cartwright's and another opponent's . It looked bleak for Pilgrim, but he survived after the board fell to give him Broadway. "Pilgrim does it!, he laughed.
Cartwright, meanwhile won the side pot to stay alive as well.
The number on the clock shows 189 players left as we're now ticking down into Level 11. That means we've lost more than half our starting field, and the action is increasing if anything.
Our bloggers' intuition (and a little bit of chip math) tells us we should finish the night with just about 80 players left.
From under the gun, Adam Lippert raised to 2,100. Adam Levy called on the button to see the flop come down .
Lippert checked, Levy bet 2,800, and Lippert called. When the hit the turn, Lippert checked once again. Levy bet what looked to be 6,300 and again Lippert was right there to make the call. The fell on the river and Lippert led out 9,100. Levy quickly called, prompting Lippert to say, "King and you've got it."
"Flush," said Levy while showing . Lippert rolled his eyes, showing as he tossed in his hand.
With ten levels in the books, all nine of the players who began at Table 72 are still sitting in their same seats. Suffice it to say they know a lot about each other by this point. They've even taken to calling themselves "The May Nine". While we were standing there, however, another chance to shake a player presented itself.
It was Nadya Magnus open-shoving all in for 9,600, and it was the second consecutive hand she'd shoved in. It went uncalled the first time, but this time around, Linda Fredericks made the call to put Magnus at risk. It was a flip:
Magnus:
Fredericks:
Salvation came for Magnus on the flop, and she faded the two-outer as the turn and river secured her double up. She's back to her starting stack now, while Fredericks falls back to about 10,000 as the two women at the table essentially trade stacks.
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
fell to a shorter-stacked opponent's 
when the board ran out 
.
), was all in against Kyle Cartwright's 
.
hit the turn, Lippert checked once again. Levy bet what looked to be 6,300 and again Lippert was right there to make the call. The 
fell on the river and Lippert led out 9,100. Levy quickly called, prompting Lippert to say, "King and you've got it."
as he tossed in his hand.
flop, and she faded the two-outer as the turn 
and river