With three hours of play under our belts, we've been witness to an action-filled day thus far. While no headlines to match Ivey's elimination came up during this level, there was plenty of noteworthy happenings.
Only one person can win the Main Event, and while we don't know who's going to be crowned champion, we do know some players who won't be making it that far. Philip Hilm, Andy Bloch, Todd Brunson, Hevad Khan and David "Bakes" Baker are all amongst our most recent eliminations and will have to wait until next year to try to win the Main Event.
Others had a little more luck in Level 6. David Benyamine's pocket twos managed to crack kings and aces when he made quads, sending him to 150,000. While Steve Billirakis spent much of the level in the chip lead, David "Doc" Sands caught up with him and both players are sitting with about 230,000 chips. However action is close with Vanessa Rousso, Jason DeWitt and Matt Keikoan in the hunt.
Some players were able to avoid elimination by hitting some crucial double-ups, including George Lind, who was down to just 7,500 before doubling to 15,000. Robert Varkonyi also doubled to about 72,000 when his queens held against an opponent's big slick. Jason Mercier was amongst the player to get over 100,000 but slipped to 85,000 just before play was paused, while Frank Kassela rode a flush to 135,000 before losing some of it back before the level concluded.
Jean-Robert Bellande had been quietly working with a short stack for most of the afternoon, but was able to bust a player and get his chips up to 20,000 just before we went on break.
Level 6 treated Vanessa Rousso very kindly and ended with Rousso eliminating one more opponent before the break. A late-position player opened for 1,500 and was called by the small blind. Rousso, in the big blind, re-raised to 7,200. That action prompted the initial raiser to jam all in for 27,500. Once the small blind folded, Rousso called and showed . She was up against and took down the pot on a board of .
With those chips, Rousso's stack is at about 200,000.
Turns out that the player complaining had been involved in a hand with Freddy Deeb, and the player in question had attempted to push his hand into the muck. Deeb asked to see the hand, it turned out that he had a right to see it, and the dealer turned it over. This is the point at which Deeb called his opponent a "f***ing idiot". And the opponent told Deeb he had "no etiquette".
The player, whom we didn't recognize, called for the floor and complained that Deeb had called him a "f***ing idiot."
"Clearly a penalty," he declared.
The floor asked the dealer what happened and she said that the unknown player had pushed his cards into the muck, and both players had called each other names. The unknown player became rather angry, claiming that only Deeb had been at fault. He was issued with a one round penalty.
He continued to loudly complain at the rail - Deeb was also called up on a one round penalty, but as the complaining from the unknown player increased, his penalty increased to two rounds, and then three. Eventually TD Jack Effel got involved.
"You wanna go for disqualification? I'm not far off," he announced. The player trudged off to serve his penalty elsewhere.
Jean-Robert Bellande has been trying to grind up a short stack all afternoon and when ESPN's cameras swarmed his table just how, we were sure we'd find him all-in.
Actually, it was his opponent who was the player at risk, open-shoving with and getting a call from Bellande with . Bellande's hand held up on the board and he increased his stack to 20,000.
"You played great, man," said Bellande as his opponent made his exit.
With the board reading , Jason Mercier bet 5,150 with only for another player to move all in for 20,500. Mercier took a minute before commenting, "This might be a really bad call" and, naturally, making the call.
If anything, it was certainly bad timing as Mercier was shown , leaving him searching for two outs which failed to arrive on a turn and river.
With 17,000 chips already in the pot, Bryn Kenney bet 9,450 on a flop of . That was exactly the number of chips his opponent, the button player, had left in his stack. That player called with top pair, , a hand behind Kenney's cowboys, . Two eights peeled off on the turn and river, no help for Kenney's opponent. That player was eliminated while Kenney chipped up to about 170,000.
Following some preflop action, Dag Palovic entered into a betting war on a flop as his lead of 2,000 was min-raised to 4,000, triggering Pavolic to make it 8,000. As his opponent was dwelling - at which point the clock was called - Pavolic commented, "If you fold, I'll show you my hand for $100." Despite this tempting offer, his opponent opted to call.
The turn was the , and after betting 4,000, Pavolic then put his opponent all in for 9,400 on a river. Again, a dwell, and again, a clock was called, and, again, a call was made, Palovic scooping the pot with . Consequently, he's just shy of the 100,000 mark.
![[user123189]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. She was up against 
and took down the pot on a board of 
.
spiked against her opponent's 
board. The chips all went in preflop.
against an opponent's 
.
board was not favorable for Khan however, and he promptly bulldozed his way out the door.
board and he increased his stack to 20,000.
turn and 
. That was exactly the number of chips his opponent, the button player, had left in his stack. That player called with top pair, 
flop as his lead of 2,000 was min-raised to 4,000, triggering Pavolic to make it 8,000. As his opponent was dwelling - at which point the clock was called - Pavolic commented, "If you fold, I'll show you my hand for $100." Despite this tempting offer, his opponent opted to call.
river. Again, a dwell, and again, a clock was called, and, again, a call was made, Palovic scooping the pot with 
. Consequently, he's just shy of the 100,000 mark.