Pius Heinz, winner of the 2011 World Series of Poker, just sat down in the Amazon Room and started with 7,500. We're not sure if he played an event yet this summer, but this is the first time we see him. Welcome back mister Heinz!
A lot of late registrants just sat down as well. Lot's of regular players register late so we recognized a lot of the people sitting down:
The players return in twenty minutes, and so will we. There's a bracelet ceremony first for three winners, and then the players will continue with level 3.
Two quick sound bites from poker blogger Marc Convey shine enough light on the developments on their table. Convey said Naoya Kihara already had quads this tournament. Convey himself was down a bit, but had a set over set situation to get back in it. That was all we needed to know.
A player at Jason Duval's table checked to him on the river with a board of . Duval bet 1,450, and his opponent thought for about a minute before releasing his hand. Duval, who took down his first career bracelet in Event #28 this year, looks to be on the recovery path after dropping some chips early on.
With about 6,500 already in the pot, Annette Obrestad was involved in a hefty hand. On the table were all five community cards already: | | . Obrestad had checked from the small blind and the player on the button had bet 3,000. Obrestad tanked for quite some time. She might have been Hollywooding but would have had us fooled with that is she was because it looked like she had a real decision. Eventually she folded, sliding her cards in to the muck.
Obrestad still has about 5,000 left so nothing is lost yet.
We found Allyn Jaffrey Shulman contemplating a river bet from Jonathan Little. He had fired 3,500 from the button after she checked a board of . Shulman thought for about a minute before tossing out calling chips. Little tabled for ace-high, and Shulman paused before turning over for jacks up.
When we walked up to the table in the orange section of the Amazon Room, we saw three people check to Pieter Aerts (the Belgian poker player, not to be mixed up with Peter Aerts). He bet out 500 on a | board and Nancy Birnbaum in the small blind made a raise to 1,125. The two other players involved in the pot quickly folded, but Belgian player Aerts made the call.
Aerts, who won the Heads-Up tournament during EPT Deauville this year, and Brinbaum saw the fall on the river. Birnbaum bet out 1,500 but Aerts folded after just about five seconds of thinking.