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It's really nice to flop trips; just ask Lance Craig.
We picked up the last pot as the dealer spread a 
flop. Gary Herstein can't be faulted for getting his last chips in with 
, but Craig tabled the crushing 
to put his man two cards from the door.
The turn came the 
and the river the 
, and Herstein could not catch his card. He's out in 49th place, and Craig climbs to about 280,000 with that knockout.
Level: 19
Blinds: 2,500/5,000
Ante: 500
Peter Nigh has gone broke after a tangle with Arturo Alaniz. Nigh was flipping for his last 60,000 with 
against his opponent's 
, and the 
board failed to connect with his overcards.
That knockout moves Alaniz up to about 285,000.
Mstr Lynch raised from the hijack seat, and Douglas Lang made the call on the button. In the small blind Gregory Cohen shoved all in for about 53,000 total, and Lynch reshoved over the top with his covering stack. That forced Lang out of the way, and Cohen was heads up for his tournament life.
Showdown
Lynch: 
Cohen: 
The 
flop was just what Dr. Lynch was looking for as he needed only fade the four-out gutterball to earn the knockout. The turn was too little, too late for Cohen, and the river is the last card he'll see today. He's out, and his chips push Lynch up to 220,000 and back into contention.
Dwyte Pilgrim raised to 11,500 to begin this hand, and Douglas Lang three-bet to 24,000 out of position. Pilgrim's response was a four-bet shove for 77,500, and Lang released his cards into the muck.
It's a battle for Pilgrim today, but that little pot pushes him back over the 100,000-chip mark.
From the hijack seat, Billy McBrayer raised to 9,000, and Mederic Lemenager three-bet shoved for 51,500 total. McBrayer called with his big stack, and the race was on.
Showdown
McBrayer: 
Lemanger: 
It took all five cards for Lemanger to catch up, but he finally did so as the board ran out 
. With jacks up, Lemanger doubles to 111,500, knocking McBrayer down to a still-very-healthy 335,000.
Dwyte Pilgrim and Mstr Lynch are sitting next to each other, and their table is practically leaning on three legs under the weight of all that WSOP-C jewelry. The two aren't shying away from each other, either.
On the last hand, the two men were in the blinds when Pilgrim opened to 10,500 from the small. Lynch made the call to see a flop, and Pilgrim bet 12,500 on the 
flop. Lynch shoved all in for about 70,000 total, and Pilgrim was forced to surrender.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
70,000
-25,000
|
-25,000 |
|
||
We missed when the money went in (likely preflop), but when we approached the table, Joshua Evans was all in for 83,500. He was working with 
, and Mario Silvestri was looking to win a flip with to really stretch his chip lead.
The first four cards were safe on the 
board, but the river was the life saver for Evans. He's found his double to move back over 170,000, while Silvestri drops back to 440,000 -- still good enough to give him the chip lead.
The rich are getting richer here on Day 2.
We picked up the last pot as Robert Toye was opening to 8,500 from the cutoff seat. In the big blind, chip leader Mario Silvestri three-bet to 22,500, and Toye came along as the only caller. The dealer spread out 
, and Toye called another bet of 25,000 from the big stack. On the turn, Silvestri bet 42,500, and that finally shook Toye off his hand.
With that pot, Silvestri has climbed over a big milestone. He sits with 535,000 chips now, holding a big lead over the chase pack.
Level: 18
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 500
