Action folded around to Scotty Nguyen's button and he made it 2,500 to go. Joseph DeLuca three-bet to 6,500 from the small blind and the big blind folded. Nguyen flat called to see a flop.
The dealer fanned on the table and DeLuca continued out for 7,400. Nguyen stuck around and both players checked the on fourth street. The board completed with the and DeLuca checked for a second time. Nguyen announced a 12,000-chip bet and DeLuca went into the tank for about forty-five seconds. Eventually DeLuca decided to call but mucked his cards after Nguyen showed for top pair. Nguyen scooped up the pot and now has about 105,000 in chips.
With just minutes to go before the dinner break, they are down to 44 players — just two away from the money. Play has slowed at all tables, with short-stacked players on more than one checking the placards to see which games are coming up as they contemplate their strategy to try to last into the cash.
There are 49 players left at the moment — just seven off of the money — and so the drama surrounding the stort stacks' hands has increased a touch now that the money bubble is nearing.
Just now came an interesting stud hand between two-time WSOP bracelet winner Jose-Luis Velador and Alex Rocha in which the latter was all in by third street showing and Velador held .
Velador drew another heart — the — right away on fourth to get a step closer to a flush, then was dealt and . Meanwhile Rocha picked up to sit with trip queens with one card to come.
They each squeezed their seventh street cards, and Velador turned over his first — the . He'd made his flush, but Rocha was still drawing live. He, too, squeezed, then flipped over his final card — the . Rocha had filled up, and survived albeit still with a short stack.
We arrived at fourth street to see David Chiu all in and at risk against Sebastion Saffari. Chiu was in the lead with his queens in the hole and Saffari would need to improve without Chiu improving to send him home. By seventh street, Saffari had made tens up and was ahead of Chiu. Chiu squeezed his final card and was looking for a queen, a card to make a better two pair, or a diamond. In the end, he did not find it as he dejectedly flung the on the table and made a gracious exit from the tournament area.
After absorbing Chiu's stack, Saffari is now sitting on about 49,000 in chips.
Kenna James opened with a bet from middle position and got a single caller in Howard Smith from the small blind. When Smith only asked for one card on the first draw, James pretended to be taken aback.
"Only one, eh?" said James. "Okay, I'll take two… if you had taken two, I'd have taken one," he added.
"I've gotta check," grinned Smith, and James promptly fired a bet. Smith then check-raised. "Whoa!" said James. "I knew you were creative… okay, I'll be seeing you at showdown." James called.
On the last two draws, Smith stood pat and James drew one card. After the second draw Smith bet and James called, but on the end Smith just checked and James checked behind as well.
James tabled , and the dealer explained he had a 3-card hand. "I have a seven," said Smith leaning forward, turning over .
"The old Badugi check-raise!" said a smiling James as postscript to the hand. "You gotta love it!"
on the table and DeLuca continued out for 7,400. Nguyen stuck around and both players checked the 
on fourth street. The board completed with the 
and DeLuca checked for a second time. Nguyen announced a 12,000-chip bet and DeLuca went into the tank for about forty-five seconds. Eventually DeLuca decided to call but mucked his cards after Nguyen showed 
for top pair. Nguyen scooped up the pot and now has about 105,000 in chips.
and Velador held 
.
— right away on fourth to get a step closer to a flush, then was dealt 
and 
to sit with trip queens with one card to come.
. Rocha had filled up, and survived albeit still with a short stack.
, and McLoughlin was behind with 
(kings) versus Abrams's 
(sevens and sixes plus a straight draw).
, giving McLoughlin a better two pair and he survived with the double-up.
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