Mercier Flexes His Muscle; Catapults to 340K
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In the first hand, Wahlbeck, Sami Kelopuro and Mercier all checked the
flop and saw the 
hit on the turn. Wahlbeck then bet the pot (13,200), Kelopuro folded and Mercier made the call. The 
fell on the river and Wahlbeck fired again -- this time making it 15,000 to go. Mercier then opted for a raise, kicking it up to 45,000 and subsequently putting Wahlbeck all in. After some considerable thought, Wahlbeck made the call and Mercier tabled 
for the nut straight to send Wahlbeck packing.On the very next hand, Mercier tangoed with Williamson on a board strangely reminiscent of the hand prior:
. Williamson passed the first option to Mercier on the flop, who led out with a 10,500 bet. Williamson then check-raised with a pot-sized bet and Mercier just called. The turn brought the 
and Williamson open-shoved for his last ~16,000 in chips. Mercier made a quick call, announcing, "King-high flush," as he turned over the 
(
). Far from dead, Williamson flipped over a pair of aces and pleaded for help on the river:
"Pair the board for once in my life!" he said.
The river did not comply. When the dealer flipped over the
-- a losing card for Williamson -- he rapped the table and wished his now former tablemates good luck.Mercier's successive eliminations skyrocketed him to ~340,000 in chips and he's now far and away the tournament chip leader.