Brian Powell raised, and Arnaud Mattern, with 5,000 of his 12,000 remaining chips already in the pot in the form of an ante and a small blind, called all in. On their backs.
Powell:
Mattern:
Board:
The sixes held, and a smiling Mattern doubled to 37,000.
Next hand, Mattern pushed from the button and got looked up by Anthony Newman in the big blind. It looked bad this time...
Mattern:
Newman:
But wait! Board: ("Woah!" came the chorus at the table, "Chip and a chair!")
Mattern doubled up again, to 83,000 this time. He turned to the dealer.
"If I make the final table, you're invited to the party, and you can bring all your friends and family."
Brian Powell made it 26,000 under the gun and Daniel Steinberg made it 53,000 from the button; Powell made the call and they were at the flop.
Both players checked the flop, and they saw the devil's own turn - the . Powell bet out 55,000, and Steinberg gave it up there. "I don't want to lose my white chips," he giggled - although his stack was still at an impressive 725,000 after that, only 100,000 of it is in the white T25,000 chips. Powell increased to 425,000.
Steinberg got most of his chips back the next hand (no white ones, though) when he raised to 18,000 in the cutoff and picked up a call from Anthony Newman in the big blind. They both checked the flop before Newman bet out 30,000 on the turn. Steinberg, his hand shaking rather suspiciously to our eyes, called.
Newman checked the river and Steinberg tanked up for a while. Eventually he went to bet - but Newman had folded before the chips had left his hand, and Steinberg took the pot to put him back up to around 780,000.
Continuing an aggressive trend that he has displayed throughout this Series, Andrew Pantling raised to 18,000 from under the gun but found resistance from short(ish) stack Dan Fleyshman who announced all-in from the cut-off for around 300,000.
Pantling gave him the same look that my girlfriend gives me when I've forgotten to do the dishes as he attempted to delve into the very soul of his opponent. Fleysham, meanwhile, seemed fidgety, rocking in his seat whilst shaking his leg vigorously beneath the table.
"This is sick," sighed Pantling releasing his stare. After much deliberation, he finally declared, "All right, let's play," before pushing his columns of red 5,000 chips across the felt.
It was now showdown time as the camera crew flocked in like moths to a light:
Fleyshman:
Pantling:
Fleyshman rubbed his cards on the felt as if trying to will fortune into the upcoming coin flip.
After production apologised for the delay, the community cards hit the baize: . Then the turn: . Ace from space! And the river... .
Double up for Fleyshman who exhaled a breath of relief that almost burst his cheeks! He now has over 600,000 and is right back in contention.
From the cutoff seat, Nicolas Levi raised to 19,000. David Peters called on the button, Andrew Pantling called from the small blind and Barny Boatman called from the big blind.
The flop came down and everyone checked. The turn brought the and no one wanted to take a stab at it still. The river then completed the board with the and everyone checked again.
"I have a king," said Boatman, showing the . Everyone else mucked and Boatman won the hand.
Down to just 78,000 lonely chips (and the shortest stack in the room), Roland de Wolfe got his money in before the flop with . He found action from Marc Inizan and his , de Wolfe needing some help to stay alive.
The flop gave de Wolfe a draw, and the on the river was just what he was looking for. A blank river secured his double up, moving him up to about over 175,000.
Clint Coffee raised to 19,000 under the gun, and Fabrizio Baldassari wanted to play for more. Two seats over, he three-bet to 63,000 sending the decision right back to Coffee. It didn't take long for a four-bet to come as Coffee slid out 135,000. Instantly, Baldassari announced an all in, and the dealer broke down his 416,000-chip wager. Just as she finalized the amount, Coffee decided to cut his losses, and he surrendered his cards back into the muck.
We'll give you the short version of this one, since the action is pretty heavy down here at the main featured table. Roland de Wolfe got his last 89,000 chips into the pot with , and Bojan Gledovic looked him up with , a copy hand.
The flop came down with no suits, and the two men will chop it up and move on to the next hand.
("Woah!" came the chorus at the table, "Chip and a chair!") 
and after a final count, Bord was awarded all but 12,000 of Mattern's chips. He's now up to 920,000.
. Powell bet out 55,000, and Steinberg gave it up there. "I don't want to lose my white chips," he giggled - although his stack was still at an impressive 725,000 after that, only 100,000 of it is in the white T25,000 chips. Powell increased to 425,000.
river and Steinberg tanked up for a while. Eventually he went to bet - but Newman had folded before the chips had left his hand, and Steinberg took the pot to put him back up to around 780,000.
.
and no one wanted to take a stab at it still. The river then completed the board with the 
. He found action from Marc Inizan and his 
on the river was just what he was looking for. A blank river secured his double up, moving him up to about over 175,000.
