Timothy English got things started, but Martin Rowe was the one who finished them. English made it 75,000 to go preflop and was called by Saffioti on the button and by Rowe in the big blind. Rowe and English checked to Saffioti when the flop came down .
"I hit," said Saffioti as he bet 75,000. Only Rowe called.
When the turn came down , Saffioti bet 75,000 out of turn. Action was rewound to Rowe, who chose to bet 150,000 into Saffioti. He called.
Rowe bet another 150,000 on the river. Saffioti called that as well, tabling for a pair of aces. It was no good; Rowe had hit the flop and the turn with for two pair, aces and fives. He became the second player at the final table to pass two million chips with that pot.
After not having a single walk in the first two and a half hours of play, we've had four in the last ten minutes -- including each of the last three hands.
Tony Basile was the first person into the pot preflop, making it 80,000 to go. Antonio Fazzolari reraised out of the small blind to 160,000, with Basile making the call. The board was , with Fazzolari checking to Basile and then folding to a bet of 160,000. Basile flashed the , prompting Timothy English to lament that he had folded pocket eights.
Tony Basile may be onto Jason Gray's style of play. Gray has been very aggressive when folded to in late position. Basile seems to have picked up on that, as he has shown the willingness to three-bet or float in position several times in the last hour.
After two and a half hours of play, we've had our first walk of the day. The lucky recipient was Jason Gray. That brought some joking applause and whistling from a well-known face who has just arrived in the final table area -- last year's APPT Sydney champion, Grant Levy.
Three players -- Antonio Fazzolari, Timothy English and Frank Saffioti -- limped into the pot. English was first to act on the flop and bet 55,000. Fazzolari made the call there, and called another 100,000 from English on the turn.
The river fell . English quickly checked to Fazzolari, who shoved all in for roughly 2.6 million. He had English covered, but it didn't matter when English folded.
"Do you have queen-jack?" English asked. Fazzolari flashed only the by way of response.
Tony Basile has been quiet of late, but given that the players are taking turns winning pots, it was only natural that his turn should come. He opened for 80,000 from early position and was called by the button player and chip leader, Antonio Fazzolari, and Jason Gray out of the big blind.
The three players took a paired flop, . Gray checked to Basile, who fired out two-thirds pot and then took it down when both of his opponents folded.
Pots seem to come only in threes for Jason Gray. He took down the last three pots. Two were with preflop raises that went unchallenged. In the third hand, Gray raised to 80,000 and was called by Tony Basile. The flop came . Gray led out for 125,000. Basile asked for a count of how much more Gray had. When he found out it was 500,000, he folded.
Antonio Fazzolari may wish he had played his hand more aggressively. He raised to 80,000 from under the gun in front of a reraise by Martin Rowe to 200,000. Fazzolari was the only caller.
When the flop came , Fazzolari led into Rowe for 100,000, a quarter of the pot. Rowe called. On the turn , Fazzolari bet 100,000 again. Getting 7-to-1 on his money, Rowe called a second time. The river was the . Both players checked it down. Fazzolari showed for two pair, eights and sevens, but it was no good. Rowe's paired up on the river to win the pot.