Pierre Neuville opened for 23,000 under the gun and Mel Judah called in the cutoff to see a flop. Neuville checked, Judah shoved for 77,000, and Neuville quickly called.
Carsten Joh raised to what looked like 80,000 with just 40,000 back; Kevin Eyster made the call. The rest of Joh's chips went in on the flop, and Eyster called that too.
After doubling up two short stacks, Irish Open champion James Mitchell found that he was short himself and therefore shoved with . Andrew Chen holding made the call, Mitchell failed to spike, and he duly headed for the payout desk.
We found Roger Hairabedian (under the gun) checking the river of a board to Matt Perrins (cutoff) who bet 105,000. Hairabedian dwelled long and hard, and pushed the call right up to, but not across, the line, before dwelling up some more. Then he called.
Hairabedian:
Perrins: for a straight
Perrins moved up to 1.1 million. Hairabedian meanwhile dropped back to 400,000.
We walked up to the table when Claudiu Saizu and Omar Baioumi had already pushed all their chips in the middle.
Saizu:
Baioumi:
The flop came down . But it wasn't until the hit the turn that Baioumi let out a cheer. The was no help to Saizu and Baioumi raked in the chips and the double up.
Davidi Kitai open-shoved, not for the first time, and to his immediate left Juan Manuel Pastor called. However, Alexandre Gomes reshoved for another 150,000, forcing Pastor to make a tough decision. He took some time, huffing and puffing with indecision, while Kitai, already standing, bounced up and down by the table. Eventually he passed, and Kitai and Gomes went to showdown.
Kitai:
Gomes:
"Aiiiiaiaiai!" said Gomes to the poker gods, "Please one time!"
Board:
Gomes' jacks held, and Kitai hit the rail. Pastor, by the by, said he'd folded tens.