As we get closer to the bubble, bets and raises are shrinking in size. Many players have adopted a "small ball" strategy, not wanting to wind up bubbling the biggest poker tournament in the world.
The stacks are big at Peter Jetten's table and caution is definitely ruling the day. Two recent hands reflect that fact. in the first, Hasan Habib raised to 10,500 pre-flop and was called by Brandon Cantu on the button and Jetten in the blinds. Habib's bet of 18,500 on a flop of ended the hand.
A short while later, Jetten raised pre-flop to 11,000 and was called by the big blind. Both players checked an ace-high flop, . The big blind also checked a board-pairing on the turn, then called a bet of 16,000 from Jetten. After the river came , both players checked again. The big blind showed , aces and tens, to claim the pot.
Day 1b chip leader David Assouline seemed to have fallen on hard times - he was down to 139,000 when we saw him go all in with . His opponent called with , but failed to hold up on the board, doubling Assouline up to a more respectable 300,000.
By the by, the gent with the jacks had Assouline covered by just 1,500. "Chip and a chair!" cried the table, as the unfortunate gentleman became one of the most likely people in the room to bust out before the bubble.
Don Himpele shoved with a relatively short stack and and he ran them right into the of the player directly to his left. Himpele had his opponent barely covered, so it was the pocket aces that were at risk as the dealer ran out the board:
... !
The river gave Himpele the pot with his set, and we've lost one more player from the field. The board shows 828 remain.
Jackie Glazier had been battling with a short stack for most of the day as she patiently waited for a spot to commit her chips into the middle. She found it when she moved all in for her last 84,000 in a preflop clash against an opponent who tabled . However Glazier was in good shape as she opened .
The board was spread to give Glazier the double up to 175,000.
If ever there were a time I'd release a few expletives, it would be a bad beat on Day 4. On this occasion, however, the unfortunate victim bit his lip, wished his opponents "good luck" and exited stage left with the poise of a gentleman.
The man who dealt the crushing blow was early pace-setter Filippo Candio. He'd raised it up to 11,000, and after being three-bet to 34,000, slid in a stack of Oranges before the action had barely reached in. His opponent, who had around 115,000, immediately called.
On their backs, and, not for the first time today, Candio would be playing catch up with versus . The flop looked safe, but I could see the all-in man's face grimace as the turn came the . Once the river arrived, it was like someone had put a lemon between his teeth.
"Sorry," came the instant reply, and as the wounded left, Candio added yet more chips to what remains a near uncountable stack. A rough guestimate? I'd say 875,000.
Three players, including Jean-Robert Bellande and Vince Van Patten, saw a flop come , and all three checked. The turn was the . The first player bet out, Bellande folded, and Van Patten made the call.
The river brought the and a check from the first to act. Van Patten promptly fired a bet of 50,000 -- around the size of the pot -- and his opponent folded. Van Patten showed his hand as the chips were pushed his way: .
"Vince!" said Bellande at the sight of Van Patten's cards. "I made a couple of what I thought were nice laydowns to you before... now I'm not so sure," he grinned.
Jesper Hougaard should be a familiar name to poker fans as he not only won two bracelets at the 2008 WSOP (one in Las Vegas and one in London), but he got a good amount of face time on ESPN's 2009 "November Nine" broadcast, leading a rowdy group of his fellow Danes in a chorus of the nonsensical "Ooba Ooba" song each time their countryman Peter Eastgate took down a pot.
In a pot worthy of his own serenade, the action was folded around to the button, who opened for 10,000. The small blind flat-called and Hougaard three-bet to 36,000. The button folded and the small blind called. The small blind checked the flop over to Hougaard, who bet 30,000. The small blind called and they went to the turn, which fell the . Both players checked. The river was the and the small blind check-called Hougaard's 62,000 bet.
Hougaard turned over for two pair queens and sevens and took down the pot. He's up to a very healthy 680,000.
Shannon Shorr opened the pot with a 10,500-chip raise and next to speak, Team PokerStars Online, André Coimbra, called. The action folded to the player in the small blind and he popped it to 40,000. Shorr tank-folded and Coimbra moved all in. The player in the small blind called for less.
Showdown
Coimbra:
Opponent:
The board ran out and Coimbra slipped to 540,000 chips.
![[user75032]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
ended the hand.
on the turn, then called a bet of 16,000 from Jetten. After the river came 
, both players checked again. The big blind showed 
, aces and tens, to claim the pot.
. His opponent called with 
board, doubling Assouline up to a more respectable 300,000.
and John Kabbaj moved all in. One of his opponents called.
and his opponent showed 
.
and the river brought a 
to the table.
... 
to give Glazier the double up to 175,000.
river arrived, it was like someone had put a lemon between his teeth.
, and all three checked. The turn was the 
earned him the knockout and pushed his stack to 1.03 million.
