It's not often a player makes a big hand in five in stud and manages to get value for it. Scott Seiver recently made a straight in five against Alessio Isaia and had the opportunity to put a fourth bet into the pot on sixth street. Isaia called the last raise, then check-called one bet on the river. He mucked after seeing Seiver's hand.
Isaia is down to 105,000, while that sizable pot gave Seiver a boost to 110,000.
Phil Ivey completed to 4,000 only to have Eric Buchman make it 8,000. Doyle Brunson made it three-bets and Ivey instantly made it 16,000 with both Buchman and Brunson calling.
Ivey led the betting on every street with Buchman passing on fourth while Brunson called down each bet until Ivey checked seventh street.
Brunson paused for a few moments before tossing out two pink 5,000-denomination chips leaving himself just 5,000 behind.
Having only 4,500 and staring at a pot in excess of 110,000, Ivey just sat there emotionless looking back at his three down cards several times before eventually folding his hand to see Brunson scoop the pot and climb to 120,000 in chips.
The following hand Ivey found himself all in on third street against Brunson with the following boards falling.
Ivey: / / (X)
Brunson: / /
With Brunson tabling his trip tens, Ivey looked down at his seventh street card and tossed into the muck before making a quick exit to the rail.
It was a case of bad timing for Todd Barlow. He caught buried queens at the same time that Brandon Adams caught split aces. Adams, however, was a short stack and was all in by fourth street. Barlow called, but lost the hand to Adams' two pair, aces and sixes, which he made by sixth street.
The hand gave Adams the tiniest bit of breathing room. He now has 38,000 chips. Barlow is down to 130,000.
We noted at the start of the day, after Eric Buchman made quads in the first fifteen minutes of play, that it might be his day. We're standing by that assertion after he made a well-played aces-up against defending champion Freddie Ellis.
The players were three-way to fourth street, where Greg Mueller's hand was the lead. Mueller bet and was raised by Buchman. Ellis called through the raise, and Mueller called as well.
On fifth street, Mueller checked to Buchman. Buchman's bet was only called by Ellis; Mueller folded. The action was the same on sixth and seventh streets. At showdown, Buchman turned up for two pair, aces and sevens, to take down the pot.
Buchman now has 280,000. Ellis, who was extremely short before dinner, has made an impressive comeback to 155,000.
Kiril Gerasimov completed for 4,000 on third street only to get two-bet by Ray Dehkharghani. Gerasimov called that bet, along with a fourth street one before committing his last 4,500 on fifth street.
Gerasimov: / /
Dehkharghani: / /
With Dehkharghani’s wheel making the best hand, Gerasimov hit the rail as Dehkharghani climbs to 280,000 in chips.
Earlier in the day, Daniel Negreanu asked me how tall I am. Why? Who can say. But Negreanu was quite short for a hand against John D'Agostino. D'Agostino was even shorter, by 1,500 chips, and was the one who took the worst of the confrontation. Negreanu made three queens against D'Agostino's pair of kings. D'Agostino did not draw out on the river. He flipped his hand into the muck and quickly left the tournament area. He's out. Negreanu, meanwhile, is up to 32,000.