Watching the table he's joined (along with Arnaud Mattern) for five hands in a row saw three of them, the biggest, go to Brandon Cantu. He siphoned off 5,800 of the Frenchman's stack on the turn of a board reading before betting big - 22k - on the river and getting a fold from Mattern. He then turned his attention to Huck Seed in the big blind, who'd repopped him to 4k preflop, only to find Cantu throwing in enough red 5k chips to cover him (25k). Seed got to his timebank the moment it opened and stayed until closing time, calling the clock on himself before finally throwing his hand.
"You've got to show now after all that," he threw out there, but Cantu was in no mood to cooperate. Still, worth a try.
Ted Lawson made it 1,100 to skate from late position, and the action came to a shortish-stacked Jason Mercier in the blinds. He grabbed the rest of his chips and stuck them across the line, and Lawson quickly called to put his fellow American at risk. Cards on their backs, gents:
Lawson:
Mercier:
The action was held while the cameraman came hustling across the room and downstairs, and everyone was more or less just hanging out, waiting to see the result of this flip. Lawson was trying to eye up how much Mercier was all in for.
"Ten thousand two hundred is how much you'll be paying me," Mercier said with a smirk. From the adjacent table, Dan O'Brien stood up to sweat his buddy Mercier's fate.
"What'you have, Jason?"
"The two nines."
"Oh jeez," O'Brien said, taking a step back. "I was about to root for the wrong cards."
Finally, the cameraman found a spot he liked, and in rather short order, the dealer ran out a board of . Mercier cringed at that scary looking river card, but it was safe for his nines and secured his double up. That puts him back up to 21,000.
From the button, Jake Cody made it 925 to go. Ted Lawson was in the small blind and three-bet to 4,000. Cody thought for a bit and then folded his hand.
On the very next hand, action folded to Cody in the cutoff and he raised to 900. Lawson three-bet him again to 4,000 with Cody again folding his hand.
Lawson is up to about 47,000 while Cody is on 61,000.
Phil Hellmuth's stack took possibly a critical hit after calling 10k on the river of a board. He thought for a good while before tossing in the two red chips which totalled over half his stack... but his opponent showed for the flopped set.
Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger has just enjoyed a sumptuous double through, his spiking two pair on a flop of a and being paid off by . A turn and river changed nothing and the American doubled up to 23,000.
The online titan finished 18th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Vegas, but he's never cashed in Leicester Square. Perhaps this week could break that duck.
Nicolas Levi opened to 1,000 from UTG+1 and it was passed around to Scott Montgomery in the big blind who checked his hand before making it 3,200. Levi wasn't too impressed with this though, he now 4-bet to 8,100 putting the heat back on the former Main Event finalist.
Montgomery then reraised again, making it 19,000 with just 39,000 behind. Hoyt Corkins got up out of his chair and whispered to us, "This is going to be a big one..."
After more dwelling Levi pushed his entire stack of orange 5k chips in the middle, making it 68,100 - in effect setting Montgomery all-in. This time, Montgomery tanked for around 30 seconds, recounted his stack and folded. Levi flipped just adding 20,000 to his stack without even a flop.
Djinn might have got the meat of Phil He11muth's downfall, but I managed to get the money shot, He11muth's demise coming just a hand or two after he ran into his neighbour's set.
All in from the small blind for around 6,000 with , He11muth found himself in water hotter than the sun as Leo Margets made the call and showed .
The board rolled out an uneventful , and like a sneeze in the wind, the 11-time bracelet winner was gone.
Pascal Lefrancois has eliminated Scott Fischman. A preflop hand was already getting frisky as Toby Lewis did something under the gun (a small raise of some sort), Pierre Canali re-raised and Lefrancois made it 3,200. These little incremental raises abruptly ended as Fischman moved all in. Speedy passing until back to Lefrancois who immediately called with his . Fischman remained cool as he shrugged that his was so obviously behind.
Flop: Despite the set of Kings, this was a ray of sunshine for Fischman who laughed that it was the best he could have hoped for.
Turn: And the cloud of inevitable exit blocked it out again.
River: For a bit of rubbing-it-in sleet.
"Good luck," said Fischman as he headed out into the now buzzing casino.
Brandon Cantu has been eliminated, Arnaud Mattern raised the button with and Cantu called in the big blind. The flop came and it was checked to Mattern, who bet 1,400. Cantu made it 4,000 before Mattern 3-bet to 11,000. Cantu replied by setting him all-in for 60,000 effective and Mattern quickly called with his set against Cantu's straight drawing .
The board bricked and Mattern won a 122,000 chip pot. Soon after he finished of Cantu when his got there against the latter's .
From the cutoff seat, 2010 Aussie Millions Main Event winner Tyron Krost raised to 1,100. Harry Kaczka reraised to 3,600 from the small blind and the big blind called. Krost folded.
The flop came down and Kaczka bet 3,900. His opponent called.
The turn brought the and paired the board. Kaczka took a minute or two while being comfortably massaged before checking to his opponent. The player checked behind.
The river completed the board with the and Kaczka thought for a bit before firing 21,500. His opponent flung his cards into the muck and Kaczka improved to 50,000.
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
before betting big - 22k - on the river and getting a fold from Mattern. He then turned his attention to Huck Seed in the big blind, who'd repopped him to 4k preflop, only to find Cantu throwing in enough red 5k chips to cover him (25k). Seed got to his timebank the moment it opened and stayed until closing time, calling the clock on himself before finally throwing his hand.
. Mercier cringed at that scary looking river card, but it was safe for his nines and secured his double up. That puts him back up to 21,000.
board. He thought for a good while before tossing in the two red chips which totalled over half his stack... but his opponent showed 
for the flopped set.
spiking two pair on a flop of a 
. A 
turn and 
adding 20,000 to his stack without even a flop.
, and like a sneeze in the wind, the 11-time bracelet winner was gone.
. Fischman remained cool as he shrugged that his 
And the cloud of inevitable exit blocked it out again.
and it was checked to Mattern, who bet 1,400. Cantu made it 4,000 before Mattern 3-bet to 11,000. Cantu replied by setting him all-in for 60,000 effective and Mattern quickly called with his set against Cantu's straight drawing 
.
got there against the latter's 
.
and paired the board. Kaczka took a minute or two while being comfortably massaged before checking to his opponent. The player checked behind.