![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
The field has really battened down the hatches here in the last level. There are very few contested pots being played right now, and the vast majority of the hands are being won with a single raise pre-flop or a single continuation bet post-.
Even the short stacks have really shut it down with an eye towards limping into Day 2.
Ted Lawson was in a coinflip for his tournament life, and it ended up poorly. Lawson had either 
or 
(we were too far away to tell when the dealer killed his hand), and he was trying to hold against an opponent's ace-king.
There was an ace on the flop and nothing resembling a set for Lawson, and he has now joined Mrs. Lawson on the rail.
Sam Simon just hit the rail after committing the rest of his stack with king-queen and running into Mikael Thuritz's aces on an ace-king-rag flop.
Thuritz is up to 120,000.
Level: 8
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 0
Annette Obrestad has been moving in the wrong direction for this whole level, and she's finally been felted and sent to the exit.
There was 3,800 already in the pot when the flop came down 
. Phil Hellmuth checked, Martin Kabrhel bet 2,400 and Hellmuth called. Hellmuth checked dark before the 
fell on the turn. Kabrhel bet 3,800.
"Did I mention you're a funny guy?" said Kabrhel as Hellmuth thought over his decision.
"I feel like I'm being milked like a cow," replied Hellmuth as he made the call. Both player checked the 
on the river.
Hellmuth turned over 
for ace-high, but it was no good against Kabrhel's 
for a pair of sevens.
Kabrhel is up to 200,000 while Hellmuth is down to 38,000.
Rob Hollink was all in for 11,500 before the flop, and he was in rough shape with 
to Jason DeWitt's 
.
The dealer worked some magic for the Dutchman, though. The board ran out 
and Hollink found his pair to earn the double up. He's back to 26,000 now, crippling DeWitt all the way down to just 8,000 lonely chips.
John Juanda was riding the short stack for most of the night, and he's just been relieved of his final few thousand chips.
It's no matter to him though; Juanda is currently riding a top-ten stack in Event #37, and you can head over to that event's blog to keep track of Mr. Juanda in the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.
With the board reaading 
on the turn, Phil Hellmuth led out for a 2,200 bet into the 5,000-chip pot. Jonathan Aguiar called and Martin Kabrhel called on the button. The river was the . Hellmuth checked, Aguiar checked and Kabrhel bet 12,600. Hellmuth folded and with the action on Aguiar, he paused for a moment before moving all-in for 24,000. Kabrhel made the call.
Aguiar showed 
for the nut flush and Kabrhel mucked. Aguiar is up to 62,000 thanks to his crafty play, while Kabrhel is down to 205,000.
Matt Giannetti got the rest of his chips in on a 
flop holding 
, but ran into Tom Marchese's 
. The turn was the 
, the river was the 
and Marchese gave a little fist-pump as he raked in Giannetti's chips.
The hand catapulted Marchese into the chip lead with 275,000.
