Level: 10
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 20,000
Level: 10
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 20,000
Eelis Parssinen was seen on his way out of the tournament area and his chips were pushed over to Philip Sternheimer. The Finn had been the first casualty of the tournament and re-entered twice, which is the maximum allowed in this high-stakes contest.
One table over, Richard Gryko check-raised the K♦J♥8♣ flop from 20,000 to 90,000 and Dylan Weisman called. Gryko bet the 6♠ turn for 175,000 and Weisman folded.
Robert Cowen limped from the cutoff and Kasparas Klezys called on the button. Santhosh Suvarna raised to 45,000 from the big blind, and both Cowen and Klezys called.
The 4♥6♠8♥ flop was bet by Santos for 150,000, and only Klezys called. A J♥ was turned, and Suvarna fired out another 180,000 quickly into the middle. Klezys mucked his hand.
Dong Min Sun was in the small blind and already on the Q♣5♣A♥ flop with a pot of 150,000. He was up against Eelis Parssinen on the button, and Sun was already all in for his last 105,000. Parssinen called and covered, and the pair went to showdown.
Dong Min Sun: A♣K♦Q♥10♥
Eelis Parssinen: A♠6♠4♣3♦
Sun was ahead with two pair, but Parssinen was hunting the flopped club flush draw and the straight draw.
A Q♠ turn saw Sun improve further, and Parssinen was left to pass Sun some of his stack after the Q♦ river was placed.
Daniel Negreanu got it started with a raise to 55,000 from under the gun. Artur Martirosian was the next to act and three-bet to 180,000. Youness Barakat called out of the cutoff before Negreanu made the call to make it three-handed.
The 2♠2♦Q♥ flop led to a check from Negreanu. Martirosian asked what the pot was before he continued for 240,000.
Barakat and Negreanu both folded as Martirosian's surge continued.
On the tail end of a 4♠4♣3♥Q♥6♥ board, Jason Koon bet 340,000 with very few chips behind and Artur Martirosian tossed in a single chip for the call. Koon tabled the K♠Q♠J♥4♥ for fours full of queens and earned the virtual double.
Martirosian then bet 300,000 on the 4♠2♠2♦ flop and called the all-in of Youness Barakat for 480,000.
Youness Barakat: A♦K♦3♠2♣
Artur Martirosian: A♠Q♣8♠3♣
The 8♦ turn and J♥ river were both blanks for Barakat to hold up.
Martirosian then three-bet an open raise by Koon, who four-bet before they got it in thereafter with more than 1.2 million each.
Jason Koon: A♣K♠Q♠8♣
Artur Martirosian: A♦A♥K♥4♠
This time, the aces held on the 10♣6♥4♥3♠10♠ runout and both stacks were briefly counted. Martirosian still had more than 1.5 million and it was enough to cover Koon's stack.
Stephen Chidwick opened from the cutoff and Biao Ding three-bet to 105,000. Action folded back around to Chidwick, who moved all in for his last 225,000, and Ding made the call.
Stephen Chidwick: K♣K♦Q♣8♠
Biao Ding: A♦A♠9♣6♣
Chidwick was behind when the cards were tabled as he ran into Ding's aces. The 10♦5♦K♥ flop saw Chidwick take the lead as he flopped the set of kings.
The 10♥ turn saw Chidwick sit comfortably with the boat. Ding missed on the 4♠ river and he passed nearly half his stack across the table.
Santhosh Suvarna and Stephen Chidwick limped from middle position and the hijack, respectively, before Alex Foxen went all-in for 80,000 total. Both Suvarna and Chidwick called to put Foxen at risk.
Suvarna and Chidwick checked all the way to the river on the 4♠10♣9♠2♣6♣ runout. Suvarna bet 110,000 and was called by Chidwick for the side pot.
Foxen tabled K♠Q♦Q♣8♠ for a pair of queens. Chidwick showed A♥9♣8♥7♣ for a flush, but it was no good as Suvarna revealed A♣K♣Q♥4♣ for the nut flush to take down the pot and eliminate Foxen.
Five ways to the Q♠5♦2♠ flop with 530,000 in the middle, the action checked to Sam Soverel in the cutoff. He bet the pot with a fraction of that behind. One opponent after the other folded to Youness Barakat, who eventually came to the same conclusion with a sigh.
Soverel chuckled when he exposed two of his cards, which happened to be the J♣3♦. Barakat was then moved tables since Nick Schulman had been eliminated by Daniel Negreanu.
Alex Foxen limped from early position before Youness Barakat raised to 80,000 from the middle position. Sean Winter pumped it up to 240,000, which led to a fold from Foxen. Barakat went all in for 335,000 and was called by Winter to be at risk.
Youness Barakat: A♣A♦A♥J♦
Sean Winter: A♠Q♣Q♠6♦
Barakat held on the 9♥3♥9♦10♠9♠ runout as he secured the double-up through Winter.