Pulford Propels Himself to the Chip Lead
Ray Pulford and James Routos have been fixtures at the top of the leaderboard all day, and the two just tangled in a big pot. Action folded to Pulford on the button, and he raised to 26,000. Patricia Baker called out of the small blind, and it was on James Routos in the big blind. He announced raise, and slid a bet of 55,000 into the middle. Both Pulford and Baker came along, and we had a rare three way pot.
The flop came down 
, and Baker checked to Routos, who kept his foot on the gas, betting out 70,000. Pulford thought for just a few moments before putting the chips in for the call, and Baker folded fairly quickly. The turn brought the 
, and this time, Routos checked. Pulford saw the opportunity to strike, and fired out 85,000 into the middle. After 15 seconds in the tank, Routos announced "fold" and Pulford's rail celebrated as Pulford showed his hand, 
for just third pair . That hand gives him the chip lead, while Routos is still plently healthy, sitting comfortably in 2nd place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
740,000 | 340,000 |
|
495,000 | 155,000 |