Lost Their Gamble
The play has slowed to a crawl here at the final table, with the following series of hands representing the general vibe during the last level.
First, Jim Boyd came over the top of Joseph Stiers opening raise, making a sizable three-bet and bantering with the young semi-pro thirty years his junior.
"I'll show if ya fold Joe..." Boyd told Stiers. "I only bet big when I got it."
Stiers was convinced by the bluster and flashed an as he folded, saying "I lost my gamble somewhere" softly to himself.
Boyd returned the favor by turning his face up on the felt.
"I hate that hand," offered Boyd, glad to take down a pot without a fight.
A few hands later, the action folded around and Stiers received a walk in the big blind. Squeezing his hole cards, Stiers winced and grinned, showing the table the he had been waiting to wake up with.
The vast majority of hands during this level have been won by open-shoves from the shorties, or three-bets from the big stacks, and nobody appears willing to mix it up without a premium holding.