Kevin Saul has been doing some good work today, steadily increasing his chip count and keeping pace with the leaders. It looks like he's the leader now.
In the last hand, A.P. Phahurat opened to 8,000 before Saul three-bet to 19,500 on the button. After a minute of deliberation, Phahurat four-bet shoved for 83,500 total. Saul double-checked the count, then made the call with his covering stack.
Showdown
Phahurat:
Saul:
There was no funny stuff on the board, and that knockout propels Saul up over 300,000 and onto the biggest stack in the room. He's actually closer to 350,000.
We've put another two levels in the books, and the players are off for a 15-minute break. While they're gone, the staff will be coloring off the black T100 chips.
A player under the gun open-shoved all in for a less than average chip stack. Jim Devaney looked down and reshoved all in. The rest of the table folded and the hands were turned up.
Devaney:
Opponent:
The board ran and Devaney's boat sent his opponent to the rail
The big board shows that we've whittled our field down to just 49 players. The money hits at 30, and we're playing on down to a final table of nine (if we can get there) tonight.
Well, Becky Makar has done it again. She was sitting with 79,300 chips when she got it in with against Drazen Ilich. She was in awfully bad shape as Ilich tabled his dominating . No worries for the lady.
She reacted with a shrill, "Yessss!" as the appeared right in the window. The board ended up showing , and Ilich was less than impressed by the beat.
"I'm just tired of folding all the time," Makar admitted.
"That's a great excuse to get all your chips in bad," Ilich couldn't help himself. He's still got about 130,000, but that pot was for a top-three stack had it gone his way.
Leonel Contreras limped into the pot from early position and it folded all the way around to Alexandru Masek in the big blind. Masek rapped the table and the flop came . Masek checked and Contreras min-bet 3,000. Masek raised to 9,500 and Contreras raised an eyebrow before calling.
The turn came and Masek led out with 12,500. Contreras furrowed his brow, shook his head and folded with an audible sigh.
We've been trying to catch Jeff Banghart involved in some pots today, but our timing has been off so far. A moment ago, we went out to try again, but Banghart was missing in action. His chair and the felt in front of it are empty except for a seat card waiting for the floorman's collection.
Huy Nguyen just earned back the 30,000 or so he just lost. He was heads up with Mike Holm and the board showed when we got to the table. Holm check-called 8,500 from Nguyen to see the river. Both players checked and Nguyen tabled and Holm mucked.
We noticed a double-up pot just finishing up at the near table, so we hustled over just in time to catch the cards and the amount of the double. Drazen Ilich noticed us scribbling down details, so he helped us out.
"I got it in bad," he admitted with his sitting face-up in front of him. Indeed he did get it in bad on a four-bet shove against an opponent across the table who had turned up in front of his seat. But the board showed , giving Ilich the winning set of jacks.
From 92,000, Ilich has doubled his way up to about 190,000 with that come-from-behind double.
board, and that knockout propels Saul up over 300,000 and onto the biggest stack in the room. He's actually closer to 350,000.
and Devaney's boat sent his opponent to the rail
against Drazen Ilich. She was in awfully bad shape as Ilich tabled his dominating 
appeared right in the window. The board ended up showing 
and Masek led out with 12,500. Contreras furrowed his brow, shook his head and folded with an audible sigh.
when we got to the table. Holm check-called 8,500 from Nguyen to see the 
sitting face-up in front of him. Indeed he did get it in bad on a four-bet shove against an opponent across the table who had 
, giving Ilich the winning set of jacks.
