Donnie Peters
The remaining players in the field are surrounded by tons of spectators along the rail, two or three people deep. Media cameras and reporters are trying to gather information to cover the event in the aisles as other tournament players from the $1,500 event file in to take their seats at empty tables. Despite all of this, players in the pot-limit championship are staying focused and doing their best to play their A-game.
There also hasn't been much table talk recently. Everyone seems tense and studious as we grind out the levels here at the Rio. Occasionally, Humberto Brenes and Eli Elezra can be seen wondering over to one another to get an idea of how each other are stacking up to the rest of the field.
After an early-position raise, Matt Graham made the call and Chuck Pacheco moved all-in for his last 53,000. The initial raiser folded and Graham made the call. Graham turned over while Pacheco held the . The flop didn't offer Pacheco much hope but the on the turn gave him a flush draw--a draw he hit when the arrived on the river. He doubled up to 125,000 while Graham's stack fell to 79,000.
Humberto Brenes
In a battle of the blinds, Humberto Brenes opened for a pot-sized raise, Michael Pesek re-potted, and Brenes called all in for his last 68,000. Brenes turned up A-8 and found his hand dominated by Pesek's A-T. No miracle for the Costa Rican Shark on the board and he was eliminated, just short of the money.
Donnie Peters
Tuan Le
After Joe Sanders raised the action, Tuan Le reraised to 30,000 from the big blind. Sanders then moved all in for over 70,000 and Tuan made the call.
Le:
Sanders:
The flop came , giving Sanders top two pair. The turn gave Le two pair with the , giving him a slight hope. The river was the and Le was eliminated.
With the board reading Ryan Young checked and Patrik Antonius bet 55,000. Young made the call and Antonius showed , a hand that was in the lead until that six on the river counterfeited his pair and allowed Young's to take the lead. Young is now up to 230,000 while Antonius fell to 210,000.
Eli Elezra
With the bubble approaching, Jeremiah Vinsant and Eli Elezra traded raises until all the chips were in the middle. Elezra's trailed Vinsant's . "Couldn't lay it down, I was priced in," Elezra said, and it turned out the price was right because he hit his kicker on the flop. The board ran out and Vinsant was eliminated just short of the bubble. Elezra now has a towering 550,000 stack.
Mike Sexton
With play now hand for hand, Mike Sexton moved in and was called by Eli Elezra. In a previous hand Elezra cracked A-K with A-7, but this time he held Big Slick and was crushed by Sexton's aces. Elezra caught a king on the flop but the locked the hand up for Sexton and doubled him up to 110,000. It also kept him from going out on the bubble.
, Nikolay Evdakov checked, Lyle Berman bet 30,000, Evdakov raised to 61,500 and Berman called all in. 
, the river was the 
, and Berman could not improve his hand. He hit the rail, while Evdakov increased his stack to 300,000.
while Pacheco held the 
. The 
flop didn't offer Pacheco much hope but the 
on the turn gave him a flush draw--a draw he hit when the 
arrived on the river. He doubled up to 125,000 while Graham's stack fell to 79,000.
, giving Sanders top two pair. The turn gave Le two pair with the 
, giving him a slight hope. The river was the 
Ryan Young checked and Patrik Antonius bet 55,000. Young made the call and Antonius showed 
, a hand that was in the lead until that six on the river counterfeited his pair and allowed Young's 
to take the lead. Young is now up to 230,000 while Antonius fell to 210,000.
flop. The board ran out 
and Vinsant was eliminated just short of the bubble. Elezra now has a towering 550,000 stack.
