With 18 players left, we were ready to redraw to the last three tables. The only thing holding it back was Russell Thomas and Steven Tabb. Tabb had moved all in for 190,000 from under the gun and Thomas was contemplating calling from the big blind.
"Don't do it man," said Tabb. "I want to do it," replied Thomas. Thomas smiled and looked at his cards again. "Alright, I'll call," he said.
Thomas showed , Tabb flipped over and stood up. If he lost he'd be out, if he won he'd have to move to a new table. Either way, sitting down was unnecessary.
The board came , letting Thomas keep the lead and all of Tabb's chips. Tabb was eliminated in 18th place, good for $17,488. Thomas now has 580,000 in chips.
For once, the action wasn't all in pre-flop. In fact, Daniel Johnson and David Diaz didn't get the chips into the pot until the river. On the turn of a board, Diaz checked and then called a bet of 36,000 from Johnson. The river came , putting a straight on board and bringing a third club. Diaz checked again, then moved all in after Johnson bet 120,000. Johnson called with a strong hand, , the second nut flush. But Diaz had a stronger hand -- the nut flush, with . That made Johnson the 19th-place finisher and gave Diaz 620,000 chips.
The tournament is now paused to do a three-table re-draw. We'll have the new seat assignments momentarily.
Steven Fenic needed to win a flip against Carter Phillips in order to continue his run in this six-handed event. The two got the chips in pre-flop, with Fenic's pocket sevens taking on Phillips . A jack hit the flop, and held for Phillips the rest of the way through the river. He's back up to 690,000, while Fenic is on his way to collect $13,739 for a 20th-place finish.
For every step forward in poker there is often a step backwards. Hugo Perez's chip stack is feeling those steps. Perez moved all in for 192,000 after Steven Tabb opened the button for 23,000. Tabb called with and was facing Perez's two live cards, . Perez caught a queen on the turn to double-up to about 400,000.
A few hands later Ryan Snickles moved all in from middle position with -- the Doyle Brunson. Perez called with . This time it was Snickles' live cards that paired by hitting a ten on the river.
After those hands, Perez's count is 320,000. Snickles is up to 165,000, and Tabb is sitting behind 210,000.
Mikhail Lakhitov is under the gun and raises to 22,000. It's folded to Feming Chan in the small blind who, in typical six handed fashion, immediately shoves all in. Lakhitov makes the call with and faces Chan's .
Lakhitov needs an ace and the flop gives it to him. The board ran and Chan is eliminated in 21st place.
Mikhail's stack is now bordering the million mark with 980,000.
The tournament has had a speed bump to the point where the average stack is starting to look really small. We expect most of the significant action to be pre-flop for a while, as it was between Matt Zoorob and Jesse Martin. Zoorob got all in with against Martin's . Zoorob flopped a king, but Martin had a straight draw and a backdoor flush draw on a board. The on the turn filled half of the running flush draw, but the river blanked . Zoorob collected a pot worth 215,000, while Martin sank to just 120,000 in chips.
There were three players to a flop of : Steven Tabb, Hugo Perez and Mark Flowers, the pre-flop raiser. Perez led into Flowers for 27,000 after Tabb checked. Flowers folded, but Tabb called to see the hit the turn. Both players checked.
The river was a blank, the . Tabb made a small bet of 24,000 that Perez decided to call. Tabb ha only one pair, , but it was enough to take down the pot. He's up to 415,000 in chips.
Kevin Iacofano has sitting in front of him, Mikhail has . They're all in, waiting for the flop.
The flop comes , giving both players a straight draw. Coincidentally, the card each player needs to hit a set will give the other a straight. What a dilemma. The suspenseful flop is followed by an anticlimactic turn, , and river, .
Iacofano doubles up to 640,000 and Lakhitov is left with half of that, 320,000.
Carter Phillips had the chip lead for a few moments there coming out of the dinner break, but he's taken a significant step backwards at the hand of Mikhail Lakhitov. Lakhitov opened for 22,000 and was called by Kevin Iacofano before Phillips, sitting with the button, re-raised to 69,000. When action came back to Lakhitov he moved all in for 284,000 total, folding Iacofano. Phillips made the call with . Lakhitov tabled pocket jacks.
Both players hit the flop, but Lakhitov hit it hardest -- made two pair for Phillips and quads for Lakhitov. Phillips was drawing dead by the turn . His stack fell back to about 375,000, while Lakhitov is up to roughly the same amount.
Players are in their seats, ready to begin the last two levels of the night. 21 remain. When I told AlCantHang after the first level of the day that the over/under for players left at the end of the night was 10, he laughed at me. Who's laughing now?
![[user153515]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, Tabb flipped over 
and stood up. If he lost he'd be out, if he won he'd have to move to a new table. Either way, sitting down was unnecessary.
, letting Thomas keep the lead and all of Tabb's chips. Tabb was eliminated in 18th place, good for $17,488. Thomas now has 580,000 in chips.
board, Diaz checked and then called a bet of 36,000 from Johnson. The river came 
, putting a straight on board and bringing a third club. Diaz checked again, then moved all in after Johnson bet 120,000. Johnson called with a strong hand, 
, the second nut flush. But Diaz had a stronger hand -- the nut flush, with 
. That made Johnson the 19th-place finisher and gave Diaz 620,000 chips.
. A jack hit the flop, and held for Phillips the rest of the way through the river. He's back up to 690,000, while Fenic is on his way to collect $13,739 for a 20th-place finish.
and was facing Perez's two live cards, 
. Perez caught a queen on the turn to double-up to about 400,000.
-- the Doyle Brunson. Perez called with 
. This time it was Snickles' live cards that paired by hitting a ten on the river.
and faces Chan's 
.
. Zoorob flopped a king, but Martin had a straight draw and a backdoor flush draw on a 
on the turn filled half of the running flush draw, but the river blanked 
. Zoorob collected a pot worth 215,000, while Martin sank to just 120,000 in chips.
. They're all in, waiting for the flop.
.
made two pair for Phillips and quads for Lakhitov. Phillips was drawing dead by the turn