[user46298]
Christopher Chau: Wins Fingernail-Holding Award
Quite extraordinary, this day two. The stacks which were so deep in the danger zone you might worry they'd get the bends if they started rising have all gained at least double-throughs!
Most dramatically was Christopher Chau (pictured) whose three-way big pair matchup with Queens (vs. Kings and Aces) spiked a set to come back from 6k to 22!
Then Andrew Miles, too, the second most life-supported, doubled up with , his 16k being isolated by Samuel Stein preflop with his but holding up nicely on the board to give him 36k.
After four hours plus, and some extraordinary hanging-on displays on his table, it's John Kabbaj, not a super short stack, who finishes 19th and gets no monetary reward for his hours of struggle at the poker tables over the last two days. He threebet habitual button raiser John Racener from the small blind (22k) and after a pause Racener re-raised - this was effectively all-in for Kabbaj and he made the call/small extra raise necessary to get the cards on their backs.
Racener with had picked the wrong time to test Kabbaj who wasn't going anywhere with . The board had other ideas, though:
and the baby flush is what kicked Kabbaj from the tournament in the cruellest spot. His reaction said it all - barely a flicker of irritation and a pensive stare and then a wander off almost with a shrug - he's been here before and he'll get here again.
Sean Dempsey, one of the shortest stacks, has doubled up to 58,000 through John Kabbaj. Dempsey raised to 6,000 from UTG and then moved all-in for 25,600 after Kabbaj three-bet to 19,200 from the BB. Kabbaj called to create a showdown:
Kabbaj:
Dempsey:
The board ran Kabbaj flopped the nuts but lost out to a flush on the river.
John Racener has used his advantageous position as an already big stack on a table with three short ones (Andrew Miles, Christopher Chau and Sean Dempsey) to punish the bubble and raise his stack to the leading one. Raising all the time, Racener gives and takes small pots on his table, but mostly seems to take. Occasionally he gives one up - like when John Kabbaj called his button raise and proceeded to check-call him on the flop (8k) and check the turn before betting pot (30,400) on the river. This met with a long think from Racener, and a count out of the call which was a significantly smaller proportion of his stack than Kabbaj's. But in the end he decided against it, and bubble play, amazingly, continues.
It seems as if Jeff Madsen and Justin Smith have really enjoyed mixing it up with each other today. Since they were drawn together at the final 27 players stage they have played many high level, deep thinking pots against each other and are two of the players not afraid to commit chips during this endless bubble phase.
The last round of their bout went to Madsen. The flop was out reading and Smith bet 4,300 when checked to him in the hijack. Madsen was the only caller to the turn where he himself led for 8,700. Smith called as he did when faced with a 14,600 bet on the river.
Madsen tabled for a full-house and the pot as Smith mucked.
Willie Tann and Michael Schwartz are the dynamic duo on their table, battling in several small pots in the last 20 minutes. This was the largest, down to Tann check-raising a turn from 8,200 to 28k. Schwartz made the call and they both checked the river.
"Two pair," shrugged Tann, but Schwartz showed this one: (with ) and that took the pot down.
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, his 16k being isolated by Samuel Stein preflop with his 
but holding up nicely on the 
board to give him 36k.
had picked the wrong time to test Kabbaj who wasn't going anywhere with 
. The board had other ideas, though:
and the baby flush is what kicked Kabbaj from the tournament in the cruellest spot. His reaction said it all - barely a flicker of irritation and a pensive stare and then a wander off almost with a shrug - he's been here before and he'll get here again.
for a full-house and the pot as Smith mucked.
turn from 8,200 to 28k. Schwartz made the call and they both checked the 
(with