Blake Slade has not won himself many fans in the room today with his brash, loud style of table talk. No doubt several of the players in his vicinity were thrilled to see him take a huge beat in a recent pot against Mikhail Lakhitov. Slade checked dark on the turn , then check-raised all in after Lakhitov bet 25,000. Lakhitov made a double-fist-pump-snap-call.
"Do you have a set?" Slade asked. Lakhitov did not -- he had for the nuts.
"Oh my God! I have aces up," said Slade. Slade opened top and bottom pair, . The river did not give him a full house. He's been crippled to about 50,000 chips.
A few hands later Lakhitov knocked out Lee Childs when Lakhitov's pocket queens held strong against Childs' . Lakhitov know has about 600,000.
David Diaz is back to more than 400,000 chips, and they've come at the expense of Michael Meyers. Meyers raised pre-flop with Diaz calling in position, then made a continuation-bet of 31,500 on a flop of . Again Diaz called.
The bet from Meyers got bigger, to 33,000, when the turn fell . Meyers called yet again, taking the two players to the river. Meyers moved his whole stack in with an unimproved ace; Diaz called all in with a king-high straight, .
Meyers is down to 170,000 after that mis-timed bluff.
It was a tale of two big hands at Conrad Monica's and Jordan Morgan's table. Monica opened pre-flop with and was raised by Ray Henson's . Monica moved all in (naturally). Henson had to think a moment before calling.
"Hold up," said Monica upon seeing Henson's hand. His kings did indeed hold up, , to double Monica to 490,000. Henson dropped to 100,000.
On a nearby table, the action was much the same between Jordan Morgan, with pocket aces, and Craig Bergeron with pocket queens. Perhaps the only difference was that Morgan did not ask for his hand to hold up, and it didn't. A queen spiked on the turn to give Bergeron the pot and eliminated Morgan from the tournament.
Bryan "the Icon" Micon made a final table last year in the $1,500 HORSE event. He was looking for another final table in this event but fell a few tables short. Conrad Monica limped into the pot in front of Micon, who shoved . Monica snap-called with pocket jacks, a very, very bad spot for Micon. The board did not bail him out; he finished in 29th place.
After crippling Blake Slade, Mikhail Lakhitov delivered the finishing blow from the big blind.
Slade shoved all in from the small blind and Lakhitov called. Lakhitov had , a favorite over Slade's . The board came and Slade was eliminated in 31st place.
After that Lakhitov's table broke. When he moved to his new table, Carter Phillips asked Lakhitov if he knocked out Slade. Lakhitov nodded and Phillips just smiled.
Earlier we mentioned that there's never really a bad time to be dealt pocket kings -- unless one of your opponent's has pocket aces. That's what happened to Nicholas Davies on his final hand. He shoved his kings into Ryan Snickles' aces and did not get any help from a jack-high board. Davies busted; Snickles now has 350,000.
It came down to one last card for Hugo Perez. He was all in against Eric Bolinder's pocket sixes with . There was no help for Perez after the flop or the turn. His tournament could only be saved by a river ace or ten, and that's exactly what he got. The river fell to save a double-up for Perezz. He still is very short-stacked with 130,000, but it's better than being out of the tournament.
The next hand it was Bolinder's turn to be all in, with against Sanghyon Cheong's . Bolinder caught a king on the turn to preserve his own tournament.
"I'm back in it," said Steven Tabb after he doubled up through Russell Thomas. The chips got in before the flop and Tabb's was a favorite over Thomas' .
The board confirmed Tabb's double up and he now has 200,000. Despite taking a hit, Thomas still has 400,000 chips, well above the average.
About a half hour ago, Ray Henson lost a critical pot when his pocket queens couldn't overtake Conrad Monica's pocket kings. That left Henson hoping to flip to re-build a stack. He got his chips in with pocket sixes against . A jack on the flop was the last thing Henson wanted to see.
, then check-raised all in after Lakhitov bet 25,000. Lakhitov made a double-fist-pump-snap-call.
for the nuts.
. The river 
did not give him a full house. He's been crippled to about 50,000 chips.
. Lakhitov know has about 600,000.
. Again Diaz called.
. Meyers called yet again, taking the two players to the 
river. Meyers moved his whole stack in with an unimproved ace; Diaz called all in with a king-high straight, 
.
. Monica moved all in (naturally). Henson had to think a moment before calling.
, to double Monica to 490,000. Henson dropped to 100,000.
flop or the 
turn. His tournament could only be saved by a river ace or ten, and that's exactly what he got. The river fell 
to save a double-up for Perezz. He still is very short-stacked with 130,000, but it's better than being out of the tournament.
. Bolinder caught a king on the turn to preserve his own tournament.
was a favorite over Thomas' 
board confirmed Tabb's double up and he now has 200,000. Despite taking a hit, Thomas still has 400,000 chips, well above the average.
