In early position, Matthew Smith raised to open the pot, and Jamil Wakil three-bet to 80,000 next door. Smith wanted to play for 188,000, though, but his reraise was answered with another Wakil raise to 298,000. That drew the shove from Smith for about 760,000 total. Wakil made the call with a chance at the knockout, and it was a big coin flip for his opponent's tournament life.
Showdown
Smith:
Wakil:
The flop was just what Dr. Smith ordered, and his pair of queens pulled him into a big lead with two to come. The turn gave him two pair but changed nothing, and he needed to dodge a six-outer on the river. But he could not.
The ripped off the deck, and Smith was gunned down on Broadway. He's out in 18th place, receiving a pay bump up into five figures with $11,512.
This huge chip boost for Wakil came exactly one hand after his monster double, and he's suddenly closing in on the 3-million chip mark and into a commanding lead.
Jamil Wakil opened the pot to 32,000 from the hijack seat, and Chet Farrell made a three-bet to 81,000. Wakil called pretty quickly, and off they went to a heads-up flop.
The dealer spread out , and it brought all the action. Farrell continued out with 92,000, but Wakil came back with a raise to 192,000 straight. Farrell shoved in on him with the covering stack, and Wakil asked to make sure he heard correctly before snap-calling his last 850,000 total.
"Flop a set?" Farrell astutely inquired.
Showdown
Wakil:
Farrell:
Farrell was less than pleased with the spot he'd found himself in, and there'd be no recovering. The turn and river were blanks, and Wakil has found a monster double to claw back into contention for the chip lead.
Roman Valerstein came into the pot raising, and Robert LeBeau three-bet shoved for 173,000 total. When it came back to Valerstein, he called rather quickly, and it was a pair-versus-pair situation as the cards were turned on their backs.
Showdown
Valerstein:
LeBeau:
The flop was money in the bank for LeBeau, and he could be forgiven for celebrating a bit prematurely. The on the turn gave him a big sweat as he now needed to fade the hearts left in the deck to stay alive. The river was a red card, too, but the was scary-safe for LeBeau to secure his double.
He's back up to 386,000 and back into the game thanks to that trio of ladies.
Brian Hastings shoved from the hijack for 136,000 and was called by Jeremy McLaughlin in the big blind.
Hastings:
McLaughlin:
The flop had Hastings all but out the door as he stood from his chair ready to make his exit. The hit the turn and gave him five outs to survive and sure enough, the landed on the river to give Hastings two pair to prolong his tournament.
We missed the preflop action, but it appears to have been a three-bet pot between Dave Stefanski (early position) and Jamil Wakil (big blind). When we joined the pot, Wakil was leading the betting with 80,000 into a pot of more than 150,000 on the flop. Stefanski spent just a few seconds considering before flicking the call into the pot, and the hit fourth street.
Wakil took a long pause now as he stared down at the board and shuffled the top four chips in one of his orange stacks. It must have been three minutes or so before he finally stuck out a bet of ~137,000. Stefanski gave it a long look himself, but he eventually cut his losses and surrendered his cards into the muck.
First in from the cutoff seat at his six-handed table, Jerry Payne opened the pot to 34,000. In the small blind, Rob Williamson looked down at and stuck in a three-bet to 80,000 flat, and Payne took pause to consider. After just a few moments, he announced his all-in shove for about 575,000 total, and Williamson quickly called to put him to the test. At showdown, Payne was pained to see that his was dominated and in jeopardy of sending him off.
The flop opened up the door just a crack for Payne, but that's as close as he'd get. The turn even provided some chop outs, but the river was a blank.
That's the end of the line for Payne, and he'll exit in 19th place with $9,588. That reduces our field to 18 players and the final two tables, and their racking up and redrawing as we speak.
Action folded to Walid Maddah on the button and he moved all in for about 63,000. Jeff Silverstein isolated the pot with a shove from the small blind and tabled .
Maddah was in bad shape with and though he found a little help from the flop, the turn and sealed his fate with a 20th-place showing in the Main Event.
Jerry Payne came into the pot raising to 34,000 from early position, and the table folded all the way around to the big blind. There, Bruce Yamron looked down at his cards, grabbed all 154,000 of his remaining chips, and stuck dumped them into the pot. "All right young man, I'm all in."
Payne made the quick call with , and Yamron's had him as a small favorite to double. The dealer had other plans, however.
The flop was no good at all for the at-risk player, and Yamron was unable to catch back up. The turn and river completed the board, and two pair earn Payne the knockout. The table wished Yamron the best as he departed, and he'll stop by the payout desk to pick up a check for $9,588 on his way out the door.
Under the gun, Chet Farrell opened to 33,000, and Nabih Zaczac defended his big blind to go heads-up to the flop. It came out , and Zaczac check-called 30,000 more from the raiser. The turn brought the and another check from Zaczac, and Farrell quickly stuck out 95,000.
Zaczac double-checked his cards, but they weren't good enough. He tucked and mucked, and Farrell chips his way up to about 1.6 million with that little pot.
![[user66118]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop was just what Dr. Smith ordered, and his pair of queens pulled him into a big lead with two to come. The turn 
gave him two pair but changed nothing, and he needed to dodge a six-outer on the river. But he could not.
ripped off the deck, and Smith was gunned down on Broadway. He's out in 18th place, receiving a pay bump up into five figures with $11,512.
, and it brought all the action. Farrell continued out with 92,000, but Wakil came back with a raise to 192,000 straight. Farrell shoved in on him with the covering stack, and Wakil asked to make sure he heard correctly before snap-calling his last 850,000 total.
and river 
were blanks, and Wakil has found a monster double to claw back into contention for the chip lead.
on the turn gave him a big sweat as he now needed to fade the hearts left in the deck to stay alive. The river was a red card, too, but the 
was scary-safe for LeBeau to secure his double.
flop had Hastings all but out the door as he stood from his chair ready to make his exit. The 
hit the turn and gave him five outs to survive and sure enough, the 
flop. Stefanski spent just a few seconds considering before flicking the call into the pot, and the 
and stuck in a three-bet to 80,000 flat, and Payne took pause to consider. After just a few moments, he announced his all-in shove for about 575,000 total, and Williamson quickly called to put him to the test. At showdown, Payne was pained to see that his 
flop opened up the door just a crack for Payne, but that's as close as he'd get. The turn 
had him as a small favorite to double. The dealer had other plans, however.
and river 
