Hand #85: Baldassari won some more blinds and antes with a preflop raise. It's true: everyone has seemed reluctant to take him on.
Hand #86: James Bord raised to 95k. Over to small blind Roland de Wolfe, who last time they were in this position threebet Bord and won preflop. This time he just flat called, and they saw a flop of . Check to Bord, who fired 115k and de Wolfe gave it up.
The crowd went wild (the rail is one foot from the bar) shouting what must be "BORD-Y BORD-Y!" for an acceptable length of time before quietening back down.
Hand #87: Ronald Lee raised to 85k and that won him his own set of blinds.
Hand #88: 110k to go courtesy of button Nicolas Levi. Big blind Steinberg made the call. the flop, which was checked to Levi who bet 75k. Steinberg called. The turn brought the and another check from Steinberg. Levi checked behind. The river was the . A final check from the big blind, and Levi just mucked when he saw Steinberg's .
The rail are starting to get rowdy here at the Empire Casino, chants for James Bord now becoming customary after every pot he scoops. The fact that they are seated just a yard or two in front of the bar might, just might, be a factor.
Hand #82: Daniel Steinberg received a walk in the big blind
Hand #83: Ronald Lee opened from under the gun to 85,000. No callers.
Hand #84: Nicolas Levi raised to 95,000. Daniel Steinberg asked for a rough count before three-betting to 235,000. Levi took one glance at his stack and flat called.
Hand #80: Fabrizio Baldassari opened up the action for 90,000 from under the gun. Nicolas Levi relinquished his hand in the big blind.
Hand #81: Roland Lee took his turn to raise, this time to 85,000. The action folded around to Baldassari who reraised to a cool 300,000. Lee made the fold.
Baldassari is like the Mike Tyson of poker; no one wants to mess with him.
Hand #77: Roland de Wolfe made it 95,000 and Nicolas Levi reraised to 255,000. His three-bet worked as everyone, including de Wolfe folded.
Hand #78: Action folded to Danny Steinberg on the button and he raised to 90,000. James Bord reraised from the small blind to "what looks like about 270,000" according to tournament director Jack Effel and won the pot.
Hand #79: Levi raised to 100,000 from under the gun. Ronald Lee was in the small blind and reraised to 195,000. Levi made the call and the flop came down . Lee was first to act and fired out 230,000. Levi made the call.
The turn brought the and Lee checked. His adversary, Levi, checked behind.
The river completed the board with the and Lee checked. Levi reached for chips and bet out a hefty 665,000. Lee tanked for a couple minutes and then gave it up, allowing Levi to scoop a nice pot.
Hand #74: The blinds are creeping upwards, slowly but surely. Fold to James Bord, who raised to 90k. De Wolfe in the small blind counted out a raise and put in 345k which prompted an instafold from Bord.
Hand #75: Ron Lee made it 85k to go preflop, which was enough to win the blinds and antes. Opposition-less raises are, however, getting harder to come by...
Hand #76: Lee made the same raise once more, but this time Dan Fleyshman moved all in for his 250k. Instant call and
for Lee vs. for Fleyshman.
Flop: .
Turn: ("Nineball!" came a shout from the rail)
River:
And with that, Fleyshman, once challenging the lead, heads out of the Main Event with six sterling figures to console him.
Hand #73: Last hand of the 15k/30k level. After the drama of the preceding river, Levi made it 75k preflop and picked this pot up preflop with not a whisper of resistance from the blinds.