With the registration officially closed as of the start of Level 5, the numbers have been verified and just announced. There were a total of 876 players and the top 90 spots will share the prize pool of $394,200. A min-cash is worth $886 and the winner will take home smooth $82,835.
The field has already dwindled down to 324 players and we just saw yet another big stack emerge in Corey Emery. The last player he eliminated wasn't for that much, though, after Emery raised from under the gun and then called his opponent's all-in reraise for less than 10 big blinds.
Emery held 
and won the flip versus 
to push his stack close to 30,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
29,000
29,000
|
29,000 |
Ken Jones raised to 750 from the hijack and Cameron Tullis reraised to 2150 from the small blind. Jones made the call, leaving him with only a couple thousand behind.
Before the flop even came, Tullis bet dark enough to put Jones all in. The flop was 
and Jones snap-called with 
. Tullis had 
and no help came, with the board completing 
.
Jones also won the next two pots to put him up above average.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
18,800
1,200
|
1,200 |
|
11,500
11,500
|
11,500 |
Rocky McNatt is getting plenty of respect from Ty Stewart on the same table. Stewart just called us over to get an updated count of McNatt's stack, but before that could happen we watched as McNatt opened for 750 and got a caller in late position.
The blinds folded and it went heads up to a flop of 
. A check from McNatt saw his opponent reach for chips, but as they hit the felt so did McNatt’s cards.
McNatt then provided an exact chip count of 27,325. One to watch.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,325
27,325
|
27,325 |
After a raise to 700 from early position and a cold call from Ray Cluever in middle position, the big blind moved all in for 3,300. The initial raiser isolated by moving all in himself for more than 10,000 and Cluever folded 
face up.
Mike Connors was the beneficiary of that fold, as he subsequently doubled up with 
versus 
on a 
board.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
21,000
21,000
|
21,000 |
|
|
8,500
8,500
|
8,500 |
Billy Carter got the last of his 1,500 chips in the middle and got a caller. Carter showed 
and was up against .
When the board ran out 
Carter’s pair was good and though he remains short he was glad to be alive. “Yeah I got lucky," he said. "Those races are hard to win.”
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,200
3,200
|
3,200 |
Cameron Tullis has been very active all day and it has paid dividends so far. In an hand after the break Tullis called an early position raise from Alexander Sun who opened for 650. The cutoff called as did the big blind.
Four players saw a flop of . The big blind checked to the raiser who continued for 1,350. Tullis sized up the situation before he slipped his cards from beneath his protector and sent them back to the dealer. The other players followed suit and folded, too, as the pot was pushed to Sun.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,000
6,500
|
6,500 |
In the last minutes of the previous level, Bernard Lee enjoyed a double-up. He raised to 475, got an opponent to three-bet to 2,000, and then jammed while holding . His opponent snap-called with , then an ace as well as a queen showed up within the first three community cards. Lee's hand held, and he returns from the break to a stack of about 10,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
10,000
7,100
|
7,100 |
Up until the start of Level 5, players still had the opportunity to join the action in the Casino Employees Event until the first card was dealt. It looks like nobody bought in for 10 big blinds and registration has been officially closed. Final numbers and prize pool information will come soon.
Level: 5
Blinds: 150/300
Ante: 25
