Dan Shak limped in on the button and Chris Bell checked his option - no particular change there. They saw a flop.
Flop:
Bell checked and Shak bet pot. Bell called after just a shortish pause.
Turn:
Bell checked again and Shak bet pot once more - this time pot constituted 360,000. Bell tanked up for several minutes before he flat-called, leaving himself just 465,000 behind. Everyone held their breath.
River:
Bell moved all in. Shak called, and then promptly announced, "Unbelievable," and walked away from the table.
Shak: for two pair on the flop
Bell: for a higher two pair on the river
When Shak returned to the table he paid up. "How'd you make that call?" he said. "Nice hand."
Said Bell, "You don't have to have the nuts every time."
A short discussion ensued about what various draws and outs they had both had, but the upshot was the same - the stacks are even once again and we could be here a long while yet.
Dan Shak's lead is up to 3-to-1 now after a little trickery from the button. He limped his button (rather standard in this heads-up match) before Chris Bell raised to 160,000. Shak then re-raised pot to 480,000. Bell gave Shak a glance before calling the raise.
The flop came . Bell checked to Shak, who quickly bet pot, 960,000. "You win," said Bell. He folded and dropped in the counts to 1,030,000.
As the action has slowed down, the rail are looking for ways to amuse themselves. One of Shak's rail was just now striding quite purposefully across the floor when he tripped on the carpet and fell over really very spectacularly. That kept the rail amused for some time - they're still talking about it now.
It's going to take a number of pots, at the current small-ball approach, for one player or the other to close out this final table. Dan Shak has a leg up on Chris Bell and just extended his lead. In a limped pot, Bell checked and then called a bet of 120,000 from Dan Shak on a flop of . Both players checked the turn. Bell took a stab at the pot with a bet of 100,000 on the river but Shak called. Bell's nines and sixes, made with , were no good against Shak's nines and sevens, made with . Neither player had a qualifying low, allowing Shak to drag the pot.
Our heads-up-onauts had limped and checked their way to the river of a board before Dan Shak bet 100,000. Chris Bell called, but mucked when Shak turned over a pair of eights for a full house.
While the small-ball PLO8 continued up on the table - virtually every pot limp/checked preflop and going to the first bettor - the rail were amusing themselves.
"Hey BJ!" - Gavin Smith was calling to photographer BJ Nemeth, crouched on the floor by the final table. "Hey BJ! Go take a picture of my favorite Binger!"
Both Binger brothers, Michael and Nick, are at the rail to support Dan Shak.
"Yes," replied Nemeth.
"Do you know which one it is?" Smith went on.
Called over James "Flushy" Dempsey, seated with the Bingers, "How can you choose one?"
![[user46392]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
for two pair on the flop
for a higher two pair on the river
flop, and Bell checked the 
turn as well. Shak, however, bet pot again, and Bell gave it up.
. Both players checked the 
turn. Bell took a stab at the pot with a bet of 100,000 on the 
, were no good against Shak's nines and sevens, made with 
. Neither player had a qualifying low, allowing Shak to drag the pot.
