As predicted, Pete Linton was the first man to have to survive a bubble time showdown, and with versus he was in superb shape. But the Poker Gods are tricky customers, and although a relatively raggy board threatened to give Linton the pot, the river came a to deal the Nottingham based player the very cruelest of blows. He exits in 46th.
Table (and tournament) big stacks John Dwyer and Daniel Nutt aren't avoiding each other's company in pots, even on the bubble. Cutoff Dwyer wasn't going anywhere on a flop of , but when he checked to button Nutt on the turn, he faced a bet of 13,500 into a pot which had reached 20,000. He thought for quite some time before letting the bumblebee-shirted Nutt have it.
With 46 players remaining, we are now at the dreaded bubble meaning the next exit "goes home with nothing," as Anne Robinson would say.
There are a number of short stacks, all looking over their shoulders, praying for a cooler on a neighboring table, but most eyes are on Pete Linton who has just several thousand left.
The atmosphere is so tense at the moment, that if the whole PokerNews charged through the cardroom butt-naked, no one would even batter an eyelid.
Since we're now at 46 players, we're dealing hand for hand until the bubble bursts. Strong bubble boy candidates at this point are Surinder Sunar (5k), Peter Linton (5k), and Ben Grundy (7k)
Yevgeniy Timoshenko
Young Russian Yevgeniy Timoshenko has been on a bit of a heater in the last 15 minutes, and is up to 142,000 - at or near the top of the board.
Ken Corkery has endured more suffering than a decade of being a Newcastle fan today, his nails gnawed down to the bone on numerous occasions. His latest jittery encounter was against fellow short-stacker Pete Linton. All in with versus , the flop appeared clinical at first, and after the inevitable gasp at the turn, the table erupted as the dealer popped out a climatic on the river.
Corkery was clearly elated, and emotionally exhausted at the same time as he dropped his head to the felt. Linton, meanwhile, wore a face like a firmly spanked bottom as he shook his head dismissively at the board.
Corkery now on over 30,000, but Linton is in dire straits with just 6,000.
Andy Bloch Doesn't Believe You
Small blind Andy Bloch and big blind John Dwyer tangled tentatively - with an interesting showdown. Not much interest from either player until the turn, the board: when Dwyer bet out 3,000 after Bloch checked.
The river: Check to Dwyer again, who fired 5,000, called after the briefest of pauses by Bloch. Dwyer flashes his hand to his opponent in a way that says, "Oh dear, I probably can't be winning, but you can have a sneak peek."
But Bloch tabled the and Dwyer's hand sprang back over - the chopping the pot.