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More gags than a Bob Monkhouse notebook on one table here today as Devilfish and Neil Channing keep the table amused with their endless banter.
"I bought my son an ipod recently," regaled Devilfish, "my daughter an iphone, and myself an ipad. I didn't want to leave the wife out thought so I got her an iron."
Neil Channing - 3,100
Devilfish - 4,500
My spider senses inform that this is could be one of the more entertaining tables.
"I wish I could move to that table, that's dead money right there, 3,000 chips worth," said Mke Matusow as Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi sat down on the table adjacent to him.
"I'll tell you what, I'll swap 5% with you if you make it through to the fourth level, if you make it through to there then you're probably good, just don't try and Chino me."
Matusow then regaled a tale of when he offered to swap 5% with Chino (we're assuming Rheem) if the latter made it through the first four levels, Matusow went on to win the tournament but Rheem never got 5% because he did not make it through the fourth level.
Nicolas Levi, occasionally known to us as the "Hatpimp" just scooped up a nice little pot, getting paid off on the river of a 
board when his flopped full house holding of 
was paid off by his opponent's 
Levi up to about 3,500. Slow and steady wins the race.
Willie Tann just laid down top pair to Rob Cooper saying it was "Too early". After a 125 raise four players saw a 
flop where Tann led for 225 from the SB. The two other players involved folded but Cooper moved all-in for his last 2,000. Tann tanked but folded, flashing the 
. Cooper did him the good service of showing the 
before raking in the pot.
With a 3,000 starting stack, it doesn't take too long for the chips to hit the middle, as was the case for online sensation Justin Smith. On this occasion, however, it was an intriguing overbet against Nikolay Edvakov that led to the all-in.
With the Russian opening for 100 from the hijack, Smith made the call from the button leading to a 
flop where Edvakov made a continuation bet of 100. Smith called.
Both players checked the 
turn, but after Edvakov had checked the river, Smith moved all in for 2,550! Despite his suspicions, Edvakov made the fold.
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3,000 | |
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3,000 | |
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3,000 | |
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3,000 | |
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3,000 | |
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3,000 | |
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Apart from the British bulldog table, there is another table with few value spots down here in the nucleus of the Empire Casino. Dan Shak will have to contend with two more British pros in the shapes of Paul Zimbler and Ash Hussain. There a certain Men Nguyen sat in the middle too.
Richard Ashy has just taken his seat and one table along from him are Freddy Deeb and Phil Laak, who are sat next to each other.
Upstairs there are a number of familiar faces including Steve Jelinek, Nikolay Edvakov, Joe Beevers, Richard Hawes, Stuart Rutter, and Bluff Europe editor Philip Conneller.
Chris Bjorin has also returned to the grind, the silent assassin looking to make it an unprecedented trio of final tables.
Finally, we have Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler who, I kid you not, was discussing 'structures' with tournament director Jack Effel as I passed. "I really liked the structure you had in Iowa," he declared, giving it the Kessler seal of approval.
Both Willie Tann and Chris Bjorin, who both finalled the 6-max and the Pot-limit Omaha event are both in the field today. Three consecutive WSOPE finals? Surely not...
The year of 2010 and see the emergence of young British Poker Talent. It started in January with Jake Cody's EPT win and the success continued through Liv Boeree, James Dempsey, Sam Trickett, Toby Lewis and beyond. These guys owe a lot to original trail blazers who made the path an easier walk for them. If you were to ask someone to name three of these trail blazers then it is very likely the first three names to roll off the wound would be Willie Tann, Neil Channing a Dave Ulliott.
It just so happens that these three amigos have been drawn right next to each other today. Tann is out of position to his old adversaries but he's the one they need to fear as he's bang in form with two final tables out of two already this week.
For 80's and 90's "good old days" stories, see back here later.
