Jim Bechtel has moved into contention in a big way, by eliminating start-of-day chip leader Carlos Mortensen. The two got it in after an flop, with Mortensen��s dead against Bechtel��s after the turn. Bechtel had Mortensen outchipped by 3,100 and moved all the way up to 51,000 after the meaningless river.
Mortensen finished in fifth, his edifice of grey chips no more.
Tournament director Brooks Turk is a veteran of doing the ��live call�� at featured final tables, and makes a point to also call out for the fans the noted players in attendance at major finals during slow moments in the action. Among those who��ve visited the feature table area so far are Mike Caro, TJ Cloutier, Amarillo Slim Preston, Mike Sexton and Phil Hellmuth, whose one-hand stay at this feature table meant for little camera time.
...and Carlos Mortensen will stack them up in an unusual manner. At the moment he's amassed enough of the 100-denom greys through his active play to build a mini skyscraper.
Jim Bechtel mixed it up in another big hand, this time against Robert Varkonyi. Bechtel opened to 2,400 from the cutoff, and Varkonyi called from the small blind. The flop came , Varkonyi bet 4,000 and Bechtel called. Varkonyi slowed down on the turn, and quickly folded after Bechtel pushed all in for his last 11,000.
Jim Bechtel took a hit in an earlier hand, but just doubled through Carlos Mortensen to stay alive. Bechtel reraised all in over Mortensen��s opening raise, and the two were off to the races when Mortensen called. Bechtel showed to Mortensen��s , and notched the double-through when the board ran out .
The two tangled again in the next hand, with Mortensen claiming back a few of his chips by making his own all-in push over the top of a Bechtel 2,400 opening raise.
A card-dead Huck Seed watched and waited as big hands landed elsewhere, but trimmed down to under 6,000, he finally had to make his stand. Seed got his last 5,800 in with but was dominated by Carlos Mortensen��s .
The flop all but slammed the door on Seed��s tournament, giving Mortensen top pair and a flush draw. Seed needed running straight cards or back-to-back jacks to stay alive, and indeed, the came off on the turn. However, the river quietly ended Seed��s day.
Drawing hands haven��t been good today. Berry Johnston just exited the final after getting the last of his chips in with against the of Carlos Mortensen, following a flop. Johnston picked up gutshot-straight outs on the turn, but the river missed, and the final is down to six players.
Berry Johnston pushed all in for his last 6,300 over the top of a Robert Varkonyi raise. Varkonyi folded and Johnston chipped up a bit in the first hand of the level.