Angel Guillen watches his elimination hand play out.
We're on the exact money bubble now after the elimination of Angel Guillen two off the money. Guillen got it in as good as you can get it in -- he moved 135,000 in pre-flop through a series of raises holding . Javier Martinez took him on with .
Guillen was standing on his feet as the media materialized four deep and two ESPN cameras positioned themselves. When the flop came , he turned to someone at a different table and crooked his finger into the shape of a "J", signifying that the dreaded jack had come. No ace on the turn. No ace on the river. Guillen goes home having come ever so close.
Jason Ramirez was down to 4,000 chips after posting his big blind and ante. The table gave him a walk and Ramirez picked up some chips to survive for another hand.
Tony Dunst commented after that if he knew the table was going to fold, he'd have played.
I don't know if she limped or raised preflop, but one lady found in middle position and ended up checking down a board, each time tapping the table with a subliminal nod. Much to her relief, her opponent mucked her hand and she picked up the pot without having to risk any chips.
"I folded kings," declared another player with a look of relief on his face.
With over 100,000 in the middle and the board reading , Neil Mcfayden moved all in against Patrik Antonius. Antonius folded.
The very next had Antonius opened to 14,000 in the cutoff, Mcfayden three-bet to 42,500 and Antonius went deep into the tank. Finally, after three or four minutes, Antonius called.
The flop fell and Mcfayden instantly moved all in for effectively 125,000. Antonius folded even quicker.
Mcfayden is abusing the bubble and is up to 990,000 chips while Antonius is struggling, 125,000.
The flop read when we found the gentleman in the small blind checking to Nick Niergarth, who bet a chunky 50,000. The small blind tanked up for a while and then called.
Both players checked the turn and they saw a river, on which the small blind - after a period of considerable tankage - bet out 90,000. Niergarth thought about it for only a few seconds before folding, and neither of these gentlemen look like they are going to be the bubble boy any time soon.
The player on the button limped into the pot, and Kevin Boudreau moved all in for 41,000 from the small blind. In the big, Joe Parish was contemplating, and the camera crews and media swarmed the table like a school of sharks to a wounded tuna. Parish eventually called, and the limper folded, and the cards were on their backs with Boudreau at risk:
Boudreau:
Parish:
The flop came down to pull Boudreu into an even bigger lead with two to come. The on the turn was a bad card, though, opening up the flush outs for Parish to tally the knockout. The river was as blank as it gets, though, and Boudreau has doubled himself out of bubble danger for the time being.
Tim McDonald shakes Ismail Erkenov's hand after being eliminated.
"Let's give a nice warm round of applause to Tim McDonald," said TD Jack Effel moments ago. McDonald, you see, is the bubble boy of the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.
On McDonald's final hand, Ismail Erkenov opened for 10,000 from the hijack seat. McDonald was on the button with only 67,500 chips left in his stack. He re-raised to 30,000, driving the blinds out of the hand. Erkenov called to a flop of and checked. When McDonald moved his last 37,500 into the middle, Erkenov quickly called.
McDonald showed absolutely no emotion. He simply rapped the table, "Nice hand," before Erkenov even opened his cards. Then McDonald tabled , aces and queens. Erkenov revealed that he hadn't just hit the ace -- he'd also hit the deuce with for a flopped full house, aces full of deuces.
"You wouldn't have two queens in there, would you?" McDonald asked the dealer. But he seemed resigned to his fate. Things ended swiftly with a on the turn. As McDonald bent down to pick up his possessions, he didn't even notice that the river came a salt-in-wound .
McDonald had to wait a few moments to make sure no other player busted. He immediately started texting on his phone, presumably disseminating the bad news. He soon received a call from "Greg". McDonald answered it and simply said, "I'm out."
Once it was determined that no other player busted, the floor staff walked McDonald to the stage in the center of the Amazon Room. That's where Effel introduced McDonald to the crowd.
"Because of you Tim, 747 players are now all in the money. You, my friend, have an automatic $10,000 entry into the 2011 WSOP Main Event on behalf of the World Series of Poker."
We're now on a short break while the staff prepare to process a stampede of eliminations.
As expected, the words "all-in and a call" rippled through the room like dominoes in a gale, with one of the first to be caught in the whirlwind being UK pro Priyan de Mel.
All in with for 54,000, de Mel came up against the of Jason Kotpin but was unable to survive a teasing board.
After the hand, the dealer stood up from his seat and ceased dealing, only for the other players to look on in confusion and eventually inform him that hand-for-hand was over.
As my fellow reporter commented, "Jeeze, that would turn an eight-day tournament into an eight-week tournament."
Bryn Kenney sent a short stack to the rail holding against an opponent's . The board ran out and Kenney now sits with 750,000.
Meanwhile all the attention was two tables over as the ESPN cameras flocked to the table of Humberto Brenes as his usual antics begun when he was all in for his tournament life with against the of Renato Almeida. Brenes' shark was trying to scare some help from the dealer but the board bricked . Brenes heads to the cashier.
. Javier Martinez took him on with 
.
, he turned to someone at a different table and crooked his finger into the shape of a "J", signifying that the dreaded jack had come. No ace on the 
turn. No ace on the 
river. Guillen goes home having come ever so close.
, Neil Mcfayden moved all in against Patrik Antonius. Antonius folded.
and Mcfayden instantly moved all in for effectively 125,000. Antonius folded even quicker.
when we found the gentleman in the small blind checking to Nick Niergarth, who bet a chunky 50,000. The small blind tanked up for a while and then called.
river, on which the small blind - after a period of considerable tankage - bet out 90,000. Niergarth thought about it for only a few seconds before folding, and neither of these gentlemen look like they are going to be the bubble boy any time soon.
to pull Boudreu into an even bigger lead with two to come. The 
on the turn was a bad card, though, opening up the flush outs for Parish to tally the knockout. The river 
was as blank as it gets, though, and Boudreau has doubled himself out of bubble danger for the time being.
on the turn. As McDonald bent down to pick up his possessions, he didn't even notice that the river came a salt-in-wound 
.
board.
against an opponent's 
against the 
