Play has slowed to a crawl here in the Whiskey Roadhouse. Min-raises seem to be the norm, but there haven't been many defenses of the blinds. It might take a cooler to get the chips moving.
In the meantime, Ma Hinkle and Mason Hinkle are in the house to cheer on Blair, who is seeking to win this title for the second time in three years.
After dwindling a bit, Sean Small moved all in under the gun for 800,000. Blair Hinkle folded the small blind, and then Brendan Waite squeezed out his cards in the big. "Call," he said as he rolled over the 
. Small's face dropped a bit and he tabled the inferior 
. Both players had a king, which meant Small's best chance of survival was a ten.
The 
flop was dry, though Small's supporters began calling for a diamond. "Three of diamonds," Small requested. The dealer put out a three, but it was not a diamond. Instead, the 
turned. Small began to rise in preparation for his exit, which he made in third place after the 
blanked on the river. Small earned $54,716 for his performance here in Council Bluffs.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
The remaining two players are each battling for their second WSOP Circuit ring. As previously mentioned, Blair Hinkle won this very event two years ago, while Brendan Waite won his ring here at the Horseshoe Council Bluffs back in February 2010 in Event #14 $345 No-Limit Hold'em for $11,094.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,350,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
2,950,000
930,000
|
930,000 |
|
||
A big hand just went down that saw the chip lead change hands. Stay tuned for details.
![[user249964]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
A few hands into heads-up play a huge hand started to develop. It began with a min-raise and call preflop, but once the 
came on the flop, fireworks ensued. Waite check-raised Hinkle's 100,000 bet to 300,000. Hinkle took his time, but decided to fire out 600,000, and when Waite four-bet to 1,100,000, the room started to stand and gather around the table, in anticipation of a possible all-in situation. Hinkle eventually made the call and the 
peeled off on the turn. Waite checked and there was a long pause, now about ten minutes into this hand, before Hinkle checked behind. The
came on the river and Waite put out a bet of 800,000 and Hinkle quickly called.
Waite: 
Hinkle: 
Hinkle had flopped trip sevens and took down the massive 3,800,000 pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,105,000
2,155,000
|
2,155,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,240,000
-2,110,000
|
-2,110,000 |
The two players have agreed to a short break. Action will resume soon.
Level: 31
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 10,000
The players have returned to the table and cards are back in the air. There's a good rail sweating the action as both of these men look to capture their second WSOP Circuit gold ring.
With a raise to 130,000 from Blair Hinkle and a call from Brendan Waite, the 
appeared on the flop. Waite check-called Hinkle's bet of 90,000 and again check-called Hinkle's bet of 175,000 after the peeled off on the turn. The river brought the pairing the board and making three to a flush. Waite once again checked and Hinkle bet 350,000. This time Waite decided to muck his hand leaving him with 1,625,000 in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,720,000
615,000
|
615,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,625,000
-615,000
|
-615,000 |
Blair Hinkle opened for 130,000 on the button only to have Brendan Waite three-bet to 360,000 from the big blind. Not to be outdone, Hinkle four-bet all in and Waite, who is sipping on a martini, flicked his cards to the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,845,000
125,000
|
125,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,500,000
-125,000
|
-125,000 |
