We only caught up with the action on the river of a 
board with what looked like just over 24,000 in the pot. The big blind checked to Pat Pezzin who was under the gun and bet 7,100. The big blind laid his hand down as Pezzin chipped up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
51,800
7,800
|
7,800 |
|
||
It's official: 897 players started Day 1a. And as of now -- about 15 minutes into Level 4 -- 702 of them are still with chips.
We came upon this one on the flop. A small pot had developed involving three players -- the small blind, Vanessa Selbst sitting UTG+1, and Jason Alexander in middle position.
The flop came 
, and the player in the small blind checked. Selbst fired 1,300, then Alexander raised to 2,900. The third player stepped aside, and Selbst waited about a half-minute before declaring she was all in. A count of her chips showed the push was for 18,625 total.
Alexander paused a few seconds, then quietly said "I call." He turned over 
for a set of deuces, at the sight of which Selbst said "I'm dead." She turned over her 
. Two cards later -- the 
and the 
-- Selbst was out.
Alexander was enjoying a massage during that hand which has now completed. He certainly appears relaxed. And sitting behind a stack of about 105,000 at this point can only add to his comfort level.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
73,000 | |
|
|
64,000 | |
|
|
57,000
17,000
|
17,000 |
|
|
40,000
1,400
|
1,400 |
|
|
34,000
12,700
|
12,700 |
|
|
30,000
200
|
200 |
|
|
29,000
-525
|
-525 |
|
|
29,000 | |
|
|
25,000
-1,000
|
-1,000 |
|
|
18,000 | |
|
|
17,000
9,500
|
9,500 |
|
|
12,000 | |
|
10,000
-2,300
|
-2,300 |
|
||
|
6,000
-2,125
|
-2,125 |
|
|
||
Level: 4
Blinds: 150/300
Ante: 25
They've made it to the end of Level 3 -- well, the majority of them, anyway -- and those still with chips are now taking a 90-minute dinner break. See you back about 8:15 p.m. local time for more from Day 1a.
In the next-to-last hand before the break, Greg Raymer joined a group of limpers from middle position, then the big blind raised to 2,300. Raymer reraised to 5,300, forcing the rest of the crowd out. The action back on Raymer's opponent, he made it 12,300 to go, and Raymer called.
The flop came 
, and the big blind responded by shoving all in. Raymer -- covered by his opponent -- called with the 17,300 he had left.
Raymer showed 
for a flopped set of deuces, while his opponent had 
for the overpair and a flush draw. The dealer burned a card and dealt the turn -- the 
-- at which point the proceedings were halted for a moment while the ESPN camera crews got into place. They made it time for some drama, as the river brought the , giving Raymer's opponent the flush.
The 2004 Main Event champ signed a fossil to give to his vanquisher before heading out, not to return from dinner.
Not long ago, we saw Lex Veldhuis with a stack of around 90,000 but since then, he has been a pretty big downfall. With already 9,650 in the pot and the board reading 
, the big blind bet 7,000 and Lex Veldhuis made the call from middle position. The big blind showed 
and Veldhuis mucked as he continued to drop.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
53,000
-32,000
|
-32,000 |
|
|
||
We missed the hand that did him in, but according to his twitter, Matt Affleck shoved his last 9,000 in with tens against jacks and couldn't catch up, eliminating him from the tournament. Affleck is best known for his back-to-back deep runs in the main event the last two years. In 2009, he finished 80th, and last year, he finished 15th, losing to eventual champion Jonathan Duhamel in one of the most talked about hands in recent years. Matt Affleck's World Series is now over.
Three players, including Manuel Bevand in late position, had together built a pot of about 6,500 in the middle when the flop came 
. The early position player checked, then the next player over bet 5,000. Bevand inquired how much the bettor had behind -- about 9,000 -- then raised enough to cover his stack. The early position player got out, and Bevand's opponent called.
Bevand had , but was well behind his opponent's 
. Then came the turn and river -- 
-- giving Bevand a backdoor spade flush and sending his opponent to the rail.
"Better lucky than good," Bevand shrugged as he stacked up his winnings. He has about 53,000 as we approach the end of Level 3 and the dinner break.
