In between hands, a chuckler of a conversation broke out over on Table 3. John Tabatabai was the one leading the talk, and he began by asking his table what the hand-for-hand policy was. "Is this the only time we do this?" he asked. "Or do we go hand for hand at every pay jump, or what?"
The table reminded him that this is the only stage in a WSOP event when hand-for-hand play is dealt, and we'll breeze right through from here on to the final table.
"Thanks," Tabatabai said to end things. "I just forget. It's been so long..."
The short stacks squirmed in their seats like frogs in a blender as "all-in and a call" was announced on a near table. The man with his tournament life on the line was Ilari Tahkokallio, the Finnish pro who finished second to Kevin MacPhee in the Berlin EPT.
On this occasion, however, it appeared as though Tahkokallio's hunt for bracelet gold was about to come up short as his three-bet shove from the big blind with was snap-called by Andrew Pantling's .
The flop was blankety blank, but a spiked the turn to put Tahkokallio in front. And after a river, the pot, and the double through were his.
Meanwhile, the rest of the room released a collective sigh.
The action folded around to the blinds, and Daniel Colman got his last 36,500 chips into the middle with . Big blind David Peters found another pocket pair in the hole, and he called with the inferior , poised to ship a double right back to Colman.
Sure enough, the board ran , and Colman is back up close to 75,000 and out of the danger zone.
David Peters has managed to double up to about 125,000 after he got into a raising war against the agressive youngster Daniel Colman. Peters held against Colman's and the board came a paint-free and Colman's sizeable stack took a big hit on the bubble.
It's unusual to pause hand-for-hand play for a level break, but that's what's happened here. T.D. Jack Effel announced that we'd be playing on until we crack the bubble, but a few complaints from around the room changed his mind. Getting outside to smoke is apparently more important than £5,600 right now.
Our final player has turned up for the event just as the money bubble has hit. He would much prefer to have the 94,200 chips his stack held when the rest of the players began their day, but he's been blinded down to around 60,000, and he now has far less ammunition for this crucial bubble (and post-bubble) period.
With the elimination of Soteris Charlambous, WSOPE Event #1 has arrived squarely on the money bubble with 25 players left. The next lady or gent out of the room will walk away with empty pockets, while the final 24 will all be guaranteed more than double their money back as a reward for surviving as long as they have.
We're dealing hand for hand until we find our unlucky bubbler.
Soteris Charlambous stepped into the whirlwind that is Willie Tann's upsurge, and didn't live to tell the tale. Moving all in for 14,000 with , Tann picked up one seat down and moved all in for 40,000. the rest of the table side-stepped out of the way and hands were revealed.
The combined preflop holdings equated to the dead man's hand, and with a board hitting the felt, Charlambous was pushing up the poker daisies. Tann, meanwhile, now has over 60,000 and a smile the width of the M1 motorway.
was snap-called by Andrew Pantling's 
.
flop was blankety blank, but a 
spiked the turn to put Tahkokallio in front. And after a 
river, the pot, and the double through were his.
. Big blind David Peters found another pocket pair in the hole, and he called with the inferior 
, poised to ship a double right back to Colman.
, and Colman is back up close to 75,000 and out of the danger zone.
against Colman's 
and the board came a paint-free 
and Colman's sizeable stack took a big hit on the bubble.
, Tann picked up 
one seat down and moved all in for 40,000. the rest of the table side-stepped out of the way and hands were revealed.
board hitting the felt, Charlambous was pushing up the poker daisies. Tann, meanwhile, now has over 60,000 and a smile the width of the M1 motorway.
