Just before the break, Jesse Rios made a rather fine laydown to save himself over 7,000 chips.
The cutoff raised and the button flatted; the action moved around to Rios in the big blind who reraised to 2,300. The cutoff called -- but now the button made it 6,000 to go. Rio called and the cutoff folded, and they went heads up to a flop.
Rios checked it, and his opponent promptly moved all in for 7,450. "I have pocket queens," announced Rios, and folded. His opponent showed for top set.
"Oh! What a laydown!" Rios congratulated himself. He's sitting on a very creditable 42,000 now.
Dustin Woolf just check-called a river bet of a few thousand chips on a board of with to take a pot from his opponent holding just six-high with . Woolf is now at 40,000.
Laurence Grondin already has a final table under her belt at this year's WSOP and her Main Event campaign is off to a flying start thanks to one of the coldest flop situations you will ever see.
Holding , Grondin was ecstatic to see the flop fall to give her a straight flush! Even better was that she managed to see all her chips go in the middle against Jason Koonce who couldn't believe his misfortune as he held for the ace-high flush and amazingly found himself drawing dead.
A late position player raised to 500, "Amarillo Slim" Preston called from the cutoff, and the player in the big blind called as well.
The flop came . The big blind checked, the original raiser continued with a bet of 1,000, then Preston raised to 4,000. At which point one of the ESPN camera crews, roaming the relatively sedate Amazon Room looking for action, quickly showed up.
The big blind folded, and Preston's opponent thought a moment before calling. The arrived on the turn, putting a third heart on board, and both players checked.
The river was yet another heart -- the . Preston's opponent bet 5,000. Then Preston raised to 11,000, and his opponent let it go.
A player in middle position limped, the cutoff seat limped, and then the button raised to 1,000. The button wasn't just anyone though, it was Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Both players made the call against the seasoned professional.
The flop came down and the first player checked. The cutoff fired a bet of 1,400 and Ferguson smooth-called. The other player folded, leaving the action heads-up to the turn.
The turn was the and the cutoff bet 2,000 even. Ferguson again made the call.
After the river was the and the cutoff led for another 2,000, Ferguson popped it up to 7,000. The cutoff made the call and was shown from Ferguson's hole cards. The player mucked. Welcome to the Main Event, Jesus.
Catching the action on a flop of , Barny Boatman had the action and fired 700 into the middle from under the gun.
"It's only three chips!" he laughed with his opponent in the small blind, who obliged with a call.
The turn brought the and this time the small blind led out for 1,100. Boatman quickly called to see the fall on the river.
Action checked to Boatman, who tossed out a colorful array of chips worth 2,625. His opponent called and Boatman showed for the nut flush and his opponent sighed at missing an opportunity with his .