Young UK players are dominating the behind-the-bar tables at the moment, with James Mitchell consolidating the lead he received right at the beginning of the day and building up to a stack threatening the top of the leaderboard. Right behind him is Sam Trickett, fresh from winning the World Poker Open, with 75k of his own.
Dmitry Bayramov opened with an early-position raise to 600, the minimum. Steven van Zadelhoff three-bet to 1,775 a couple seats over, and the table folded back around to Bayramov. He asked how much it was, then plunked his whole stack in the middle, 22,100 worth. Van Zadelhoff quickly called with the covering stack, and Bayramov flipped up .
"That's a nice hand," van Zadelhoff said flatly. He turned up , needing some help.
There was none on a board of , and Bayramov has doubled up over 45,000. That's just pushed him ahead of van Zadelhoff who has dropped to 43,000 now.
Richard Ashby needn't worry about multi-tabling later tonight, as he's just been eliminated from this year's WSOPE Main Event. According to former table mate Tony Bloom, Ashby got it all with a pair and a flush draw, but lost to a bigger flush. Still, a potential WCOOP win in tonight's final will surely soften the blow.
Vanessa Rousso is also pushing up the poker daisies. She'd lost a couple of big pots to leave herself with 8,000 and in need of a double through. She then pushed queens into Big Slick, but didn't live to tell the tale.
Marc Inizan raised to 800 from middle position and Steve Sung called from the hijack seat. Danny Wong called from the button and then the two blinds came along.
The flop came down and action checked to Inizan. He fired 2,225. Sung was the only caller.
The turn brought the and both Inizan and Sung checked to see the fall on the river. Inizan checked and Sung fired 4,500. He won the pot after Inizan folded and moved to 42,000 in chips.
Daniel Negreanu opened to 900 from the hijack and Neil Channing called on the button. Negreanu continuation bet for 1,200 on the flop and Channing made the call.
Both players then checked the turn and river and Negreanu flipped to Channing's .
"I'm chopping! Yay!" said a happy Negreanu. As the dealer began to split the pot, Channing quickly mixed up his cards in an attempt to give himself aces against . He then pointed out his cards to dealer and said, "What are you doing? I won!"
Temporarily confused the dealer almost began to believe him for a second but continued to split the pot.
David Levi is not to be pushed about preflop, as John Tabatabai discovered when threebetting out of the big blind over the top of cutoff Levi's 800. The longest think about this preflop action was undertaken by big blind Tom Marchese, though. He gave every impression of being disconnected IRL, but finally gave up his hand and the chance to get involved.
Levi now repopped it (from 2,500 to 7,200) very quickly, like he'd just been waiting for the cloth-capped NAPT sensation to get out of the way. Back to Tabatabai who silently thought about these new developments, before giving up his 2.5k and moving on to the next hand, and the button.
Just moments before players dispersed for the break, Nenad Medic was treated to a double up courtesy of the American Airlines.
Although, at first glance, it looked like a simple 'raise, three-bet, all in on flop' affair, table mate Ludovic Lacay elaborated on the intricacies of how the hand developed.
According to the Frenchman, Heather Sue Mercer opened the hijack, Medic called in the cut-off, McLean Karr called on the button and James Akenhead three-bet the small blind.
Back round to Mercer who folded, leading to calls from the other two players.
On the flop, Akenhead led, Medic moved all in, Karr folded and Akenhead called.
.
, needing some help.
, and Bayramov has doubled up over 45,000. That's just pushed him ahead of van Zadelhoff who has dropped to 43,000 now.
and action checked to Inizan. He fired 2,225. Sung was the only caller.
fall on the river. Inizan checked and Sung fired 4,500. He won the pot after Inizan folded and moved to 42,000 in chips.
flop and Channing made the call.
turn and 
river and Negreanu flipped 
to Channing's 
.
