Michael Vela Takes the Lead
Michael Vela has been entertaining his table all day and continues to do so as the day has flow by.
Vela raised to 5,500 from middle position and Francois Billard decides to three-bet to 14,900 from the hijack. Vela called.
The two players were sitting next to each other, so before the flop came down, Vela turned in his chair and looked Billard dead in the eyes, just a few inches from his face, and said, "I check (blind). You tell me if you hit that."
The flop came 
and Billard opted to check back to see a free card on the turn.
The turn was the 
. Vela wasted no time and fired out a bet of 20,000. Billard called.
The river was the 
. Vela reached into his stack and cut out a bet of 50,000. Billard thought about it for a moment and eventually tossed out a single chip, indicating a call.
Vela tabled 
for the nut straight and Billard tossed his cards into the muck.
Vela now leads the field as he approaches the half-million chip mark.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
455,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
||
|
150,000
68,500
|
68,500 |