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John Juanda opened to 90,000, and Phil Hellmuth made the call.
Hellmuth drew one, and Juanda patted the table with his knuckles. Check-check.
Hellmuth called, "Jack," and Juanda nodded as Hellmuth tabled 
.
It's back to shoving time for John Juanda.
Phil Hellmuth opened the last pot to 80,000, and Juanda three-bet shoved. Hellmuth had about 1.15 million left in front of him, and he spent some time mumbling and wincing, and he was forced to fold his cards.
John Juanda raised to 80,000, and Phil Hellmuth three-bet to 280,000. Juanda flatted, and he stood pat while Hellmuth drew two cards. It went check-check, and Juanda's 
was good. Hellmuth is sliding a bit, down now to about 1.4 million. Maybe just a tick less, even.
After Hellmuth raised it to 90,000 from the button, Juanda made the call and both players took two cards at the draw. Juanda checked to Hellmuth who led out for 215,000. Juanda made the call quickly and Hellmuth practically jumped out of his chair tabling 
.
Juanda threw his cards into the muck and Hellmuth smiled as he raked a pot that brings him up to 1,700,000. Juanda is still leading the match with 2,100,000.
As we expected, the rail has filled in nicely as the night has progressed. The entire bottom bowl is filled in with fans, and there are a couple dozen in the standing-room-only top tier. Even better, maybe 50 people are stacked up along the far rail that's open to the Amazon Room, with security keeping a wide perimeter around the table. A few minutes ago, T.D. Robbie Thompson spotted a familiar face up on the perch.
"Well, they must have lifted the prohibition, because I see Gavin Smith is here."
The reference was to a new rule banning drinks and food from the ESPN featured table area. Smith appears to be holding a frosty beverage of some sort.
We've seen a number of pros come and go including Chino Rheem, Tom McEvoy, and Allen Kessler. It's actually a bit sparse on pro railbirds, now that we think about it, as most of the faces in the crowd are unknowns, as far as we're aware. Randos, if you will. The entirety of the poker media is camped out here, though, and most of the senior members of the WSOP staff are also here watching history unfold.
A few of them were here back when Hellmuth won bracelet number one. That's quite an achievement on both sides of that equation, and it's doing this 2011 Series good to have a marquee heads-up matchup on the main stage tonight.
After John Juanda took two at the draw and Hellmuth drew one, Hellmuth pushed out a bet of 250,000 into the pot. Juanda repopped Hellmuth, making it 650,000 total And Hellmuth folded a ten low face up.
"F***king wheel!" exclaimed Hellmuth. "You beat a lot of seven draws, don't you JJ?"
It was at this point that Hellmuth took his glasses and hat off and paced around the tournament area, throwing his arms up in the air.
"If I pull a three or four, match over! No, I hit a ten and lose 250!"
"You shouldn't have bet 250. Bet less." retorted Juanda with a smile.
This hand brings Juanda up to 2,400,000 and Hellmuth down to 1,300,000.
Phil Hellmuth raised to 80,000, and John Juanda was the one doing the three-betting this time. He made it 240,000 straight, and Hellmuth called. He needed two cards, while Juanda took just one. Action was on Juanda, and he has been acting a bit more carefully this level. He paused to ponder, scratching his chin and turning the gears. Eventually, he put out 475,000, and Hellmuth couldn't call it.
He spun his cards into the muck, and Juanda flashed with a wry smile.
Juanda pulls in front once again, stacking up about 2.2 million chips.
John Juanda opened to 80,000 from the button, and Phil Hellmuth three-bet to 230,000. Juanda spent a long while staring a hole through the felt, then called and took two cards. Hellmuth took just one. Hellmuth checked quickly, and Juanda eventually checked it back.
Hellmuth announced his, "King," and Juanda nodded in acknowledgement. The hand opened 
, and Hellmuth draws the match back to even once again.
Phil Hellmuth opened to 110,000 on the button, and John Juanda called for a draw. He and Juanda both took one card, and Juanda fired out 250,000. Hellmuth quickly called, and he announced his cards first. "Ten-nine-five," he called, and he'd not like what he saw next. Juanda tabled 
, and his better ten-nine drew a brief, frustrated reaction from Hellmuth.
The Brat falls back to about 1.7 million now.
The past two hands:
Hellmuth raised to 110,000 on the button and was called by John Juanda. They both stayed pat during the draw and Juanda checked to Hellmuth who fired out 150,000. Juanda mucked and Hellmuth took the pot.
In the next hand, Juanda made it 90,000 from the button and Hellmuth went into the tank for a while before flat calling. Both players stood pat at the draw again and this time Hellmuth fired out 200,000. Juanda made the call and tabled which was ahead of Hellmuth's .
Both players are about even in chips at 1,900,000 each.
