Marc Inizan has had an excellent start to the day, doubling through his 70k to give him some real play and denting Daniel Steinberg in the process. It was actually a fairly swift, simple process - he picked up and found Steinberg pushing forward a stack of 5k chips more than equal to his stack. He called immediately and found the favourable looking back at him. The King paired to secure the hold on the turn: . Although Steinberg called for the Ten, the river was the harmless and he had to count off and give over a quarter of his stack.
Table 21 was playing five-handed after those back-to-back eliminations, and we were anxiously waiting to see who would fill those vacant seats. We'd like to think Ivey was anxiously awaiting that information too, but he didn't barely gave them a gaze as the new players joined up. A rack packed with more than 200,000 chips arrived in Schulman's old seat, carried by Dan Shak.
Welcome to the worst seat in the field, Dan. Good luck.
Paul Byrne moved all in for 51,600 and action moved over to Alex Keating. He asked for a count and then took a minute to fold. Simon Persson then called all in for 37,500 and everyone else folded. Persson held the and Byrne the .
The board ran out and Persson won the pot to double to about 80,000. Byrne was left with about 14,000.
Keating claimed that he folded pocket jacks. He had about 175,000 in his stack while making this claim.
The hand after sending Nick Schulman home early, Phil Ivey opened the next pot to 6,000. Across the table, Matt Stout got his last ~80,000 into the middle on a three-bet shove, and Ivey instantly called when it came back around to him. He didn't have a copy hand this time, but he was racing against Stout for the back-to-back knockouts:
Ivey:
Stout:
Stout made a quick comment about Ivey finding hands to get it in with, and the two men chuckled as the dealer pulled the cards in.
"This is the first one I feel like I'm gonna win," Ivey said. You know that utterance can not be good news for Stout. The flop came to vault Ivey into a huge lead in the hand. The on the turn was a tiny sweat for Stout, giving him four lonely outs to stay in this thing.
The river sealed his fate, though, and Stout wished Ivey and the rest of his table luck as he made his way to the door.
Phil Ivey. Chip leader once again. 510,000 chips towering in front of him. Yikes!
Nick Schulman had the worst seat in the house today, sitting to Phil Ivey's immediate right. The two men have been chatting like old pals for two days now, as they were seated together for the bulk of Day 2 as well. But the table talk is over now.
Nick Schulman got his ~160,000 chips in preflop with , and Ivey looked him up with the . You can probably figure out the rest of the story from the not-so-clever foreshadowing. The flop came to leave Ivey freerolling to the win with two cards to come. And he only needed one. The peeled off right on the turn, and just like that, Schulman was drawing dead and out the door before his coffee had even cooled to sipping temperature.
That knockout moves Ivey up to about 430,000, but he's involved in another big pot that's brewing at his table right now...
Early decision for Huck Seed, it appears, as he raised in early position and picked up Thomas Bichon. He bet out 12k on the flop, and Bichon called promptly. On the , turn, however, Seed checked and Bichon bet 24k. Now into the tank with him, as he counted out his 120k-ish stack, taking the red 5k chips and cutting them in stacks of four, three, two, sometimes taking 25k and giving the impression of calling, sometimes taking hold of his face-down hand in the way people about to fold often do. His table waited patiently as he deliberated, before finally folding at which point his table was promptly moved.
Over on the other side of the room, and Patrik Selin, out of position vs. Andrew Pantling, was facing bets on all three streets, and calling them as if he had a chess clock ticking down. He check-called 8,200 on the flop, 17,300 on the flop and 23,200 on the turn in quick succession, only to shake his head and muck seeing Pantling's .
Hot girl-on-girl domination action down in the Poker Room as Barbara Martinez got her last in with but found herself up against Almira Skripchenko's . The board ran out a completely unhelpful and Martinez was no more.
By the by, down in the Poker Room (which involves actually leaving the casino, going around the reception, through a different reception, through the slots area and a bar and down a corridor into the Poker Room itself) we are still missing a few players - probably they've just become lost on the way down here, but if anyone sees Mark Thurgood or James Bord, please send them down here.
Roland de Wolfe's was another early empty seat, but he's since found his way down here.
Anton Wigg and Jean Paul Seatelli found all the money in preflop with Seatelli at risk holding the . Wigg held the .
The board ran out and Wigg was forced to send over the 52,900 chips that Seatelli was all in for.
When the cards were turned over, Hoyt Corkins chimed in and said he had an ace. Wigg said after the hand was over, "Don't say that, I don't want to hear that." It only makes things worse to know it was a two outer and not a three outer. Wigg is down to 81,500 chips.
Thomas Bichon has taken a bit of a hit and is not looking very happy about it.
He raised to 5,200 in the cutoff and got a call from David Baker in the big blind to see a flop. Baker checked and Bichon bet 6,800; Baker now made it 15,900, but Bichon re-popped to 42,000. A flat-call later and they were at the turn.
The turn was the and Baker checked again. After a long pause, Bichon checked behind.
The river came down the but we got the feeling that Baker's 53,000 bet had nothing to do with it. Either way, Bichon folded, and the pot went to Baker.
"Welcome in the game," said Bichon rather loudly, some frustration evident as he dropped to 220,000.
"I play about as bad as is possible, Baker told him, I flopped the nut high."
![[user46298]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and found Steinberg pushing forward a stack of 5k chips more than equal to his stack. He called immediately and found the favourable 
looking back at him. The King paired to secure the hold on the turn: 
. Although Steinberg called for the Ten, the river was the harmless 
and he had to count off and give over a quarter of his stack.
.
and Persson won the pot to double to about 80,000. Byrne was left with about 14,000.
on the turn was a tiny sweat for Stout, giving him four lonely outs to stay in this thing.
, and Ivey looked him up with the 
peeled off right on the turn, and just like that, Schulman was drawing dead and out the door before his coffee had even cooled to sipping temperature.
, turn, however, Seed checked and Bichon bet 24k. Now into the tank with him, as he counted out his 120k-ish stack, taking the red 5k chips and cutting them in stacks of four, three, two, sometimes taking 25k and giving the impression of calling, sometimes taking hold of his face-down hand in the way people about to fold often do. His table waited patiently as he deliberated, before finally folding at which point his table was promptly moved.
turn in quick succession, only to shake his head and muck seeing Pantling's 
.
but found herself up against Almira Skripchenko's 
and Martinez was no more.
. Wigg held the 
.
