We picked up a five-way pot just after the dealer scooped the preflop bets and burned the first card.
He spread out , and we had some action! Steve Zolotow checked from the small blind, and Andrew Brown made the first bet from the big. Robert Stevanovski made the call, and Eric Buchman raised to 4,000. Ville Wahlbeck cold-called in position, and Zolotow check-called both bets as well. Brown's play was an easy one, all in for 5,700 on a reraise. Stevanovski called again, and Buchman raised again, making it 7,700 total. Wahlbeck called (for almost all of his chips), Zolotow called, and Stevenovski called. Again. Got all that?
The turn came the , and Zolotow fired right out into the pot with a bet of his own. Stevanovski called (again), Buchman raised (again), and Wahlbeck called all in for less than 2,000. Zolotow raised, Stevanovski found the "Fold" button finally, and Buchman flatted the extra bet. On the turn, Zolotow check-called one last bet from Buchman.
Phew.
Buchman turned up to take the high half, and Zolotow's was the nut low to give him half of the big pot, too. We never got to see Wahlbeck's cards as he mucked and left, but Brown hung around for a while lamenting his miss. He flipped his around in between his hands for a bit, then slapped them down on the felt and shook his head. "I was in a lot better shape than I thought," he said. "Good luck, guys."
With that, another two players have hit the rail. Buchman moves back to the head of the class with about 185,000 chips, while Zolotow climbs to 72,000 himself.
David Benyamine was all in on the flop against Max Pescatori. "I hope you don't have the nut flush," said Benyamine as he turned over the for top pair, a straight draw and the second nut flush draw. Pescatori held the for a pair of sevens, a straight draw and a lower flush draw.
The turn and river were the and . Pescatori was able to back into a low while Benyamine scooped the high with a club flush. The two chopped up the pot and Benyamine was able to stay alive... for now.
Scott Seiver, Derek Raymond and Ted Lawson were all in action on the flop. Seiver was up first and checked. Raymond bet and Lawson called behind him. Seiver then got out of the way and left heads-up action to the turn.
The turn was the and Raymond bet again. Lawson tanked for a bit. In fact, he thought about the decision for about two to three minutes. Eventually, he gave it up and Raymond won the pot to hit six figures.
Daniel Negreanu was all in for 1,100 from the big blind, and he was up against three players. David Benyamine raised under the gun, Mike Sexton called next door, and the small blind called as well, though he would check-fold the flop.
The hit the board first, and Benyamine check-called a Sexton bet. Benyamine check-folded on the turn, and Sexton turned over . Negreanu still hadn't looked at his cards, and he peeled them over one by one, quick like a Band-Aid:
... ... ...
"I need a nine," Negreanu announced, though a four would have done it as well. Either way, the river was close but no cigar, and Negreanu is out of chips and out of Event #11.
When we reached the table, Tom "durrrr" Dwan was heads up with an opponent with the board reading . Dwan's opponent called a final bet, prompting Durrrr to tabled for the nut-low and a set of sevens.
His opponent chuckled and eventually mucked the worst hand.
Thor Hansen was all in for his last 2,200 before the flop with four mystery cards. There was live action between two players as the board ran , and one of the players took the pot with . Hansen couldn't beat it, and his day is done.
Shawn Buchanan had Jason Lester all in with the board reading . Buchanan's scooped Lester's , sending the fourth-place finisher in the 2003 Main Event to the rail.