There's a new chip leader in the building and his name is Roman Valerstein.
Just as we were counting up his stack, which was about 570,000, he became involved in a pot. Action folded to him in the cutoff and he raised to 10,500. The player in the small blind came over the top to what looked to be about 27,000. A call from Valerstein landed an flop.
The small blind bet 29,000 and after about 10 seconds, Valerstein re-raised to about 75,000. A shove from the small blind for about 170,000 came next and Valerstein shrugged as he called. He turned over , behind but favored to prevail against his opponent's .
The on the turn locked it up for Valerstein to send him to the top of the chip counts.
A couple hands ago, Aaron Massey shoved for 65,000 preflop, and his shove came all the way around to Jacob Viccellio in the big blind. He spent a long while soaking in the tank, but he eventually surrendered his cards into the muck and let Massey stick around.
Just a moment later — maybe even the very next hand — Massey got it all in again, this time for just over 70,000. This time, though, Viccellio had a big one, and he re-shoved to get heads-up with a chance at the knockout.
Showdown
Massey:
Viccellio:
The talkative Massey stood up to kneel on his chair, quietly saying, "One time for Mister Massey."
The flop was a good start for his double-up hopes, but he could not escape fourth street. The dropped off, and Massey quickly slipped his bag over his shoulder and tucked his chair under the table. The river failed to provide him any salvation, and he offered a deliberate, "Goodbye," as he quickly whooshed out the door.
There was nary so much as a hiccup of a pause for the bubble this time around. We go round-for-round here on the Circuit, and the staff was hurriedly preparing for an orbit of bubble play with 82 players left.
Suddenly, though, a dealer called a "Seat open!", and the unlucky 82nd-place finisher was off to the exit empty-handed. Forget about round-for-round, our 81 players have squeezed right into the money, and they're all guaranteed a paycheck upon their eliminations.
The poker gods must be angry at John Riordan. Since returning from dinner, he's found the going awfully tough, and we're not sure we've seen him drag a single pot.
In the last hand, a player in middle postion open-shoved for 54,000, and Riordan quickly called with his big stack. When the rest of the table folded, Riordan spun his out onto the felt, and that was bad news for the at-risk player. He sheepishly tabled his inferior , and he asked the dealer for a deuce.
The flop was more or less a miss, but the turn was right in Mr. All-In's neighborhood. Riordan barely reacted at that card or the river, and he quietly cut the debt out from his stack and passed it across the table.
The defending champ is finding things a bit more difficult here in the evening session, and that hit knocks him back down to about 455,000. That's the beauty of building a monster stack early on, though, as Riordan can well afford to take a few little dings like that one.
From the button, Jeremy McLaughlin opened with a raise, and the small blind flat-called. In the big, though, the short-stacked gentleman looked down at and squeezed all in for another 51,500 on top. That sent McLaughlin into the tank for a good while, but he eventually dropped the calling chips into the pot, and the small blind ducked out of the way. When the cards were turned up, McLaughlin saw the bad news that his was dominated.
"Maybe we'll chop," he hoped aloud.
The flop made a split pot a possibility, but that's all the closer McLaughlin would get. The turn and river were blanks, and the big blind has found his double.
McLaughlin has slipped back to about 160,000 with that loss.
Roman Valerstein opened to 13,000 in middle position and Raj Vohra three-bet all in for 107,000 from the cutoff. Action folded back to Valerstein who quickly called.
Valerstein:
Vohra:
The board ran out a safe for Vohra to give him the double.
flop.
, behind but favored to prevail against his opponent's 
.
on the turn locked it up for Valerstein to send him to the top of the chip counts.
flop was a good start for his double-up hopes, but he could not escape fourth street. The 
dropped off, and Massey quickly slipped his bag over his shoulder and tucked his chair under the table. The river 
failed to provide him any salvation, and he offered a deliberate, "Goodbye," as he quickly whooshed out the door.
flop was more or less a miss, but the 
turn was right in Mr. All-In's neighborhood. Riordan barely reacted at that card or the 
river, and he quietly cut the debt out from his stack and passed it across the table.
and squeezed all in for another 51,500 on top. That sent McLaughlin into the tank for a good while, but he eventually dropped the calling chips into the pot, and the small blind ducked out of the way. When the cards were turned up, McLaughlin saw the bad news that his 
was dominated.
were blanks, and the big blind has found his double.
for Vohra to give him the double.
