In the first hand of hand-for-hand play, five players found themselves all in with two at-risk players playing from behind, while the other three got it in good. Three eliminations were needed for the bubble to burst, and that's exactly what happened as four players busted, thus splitting the prize for 666th place.
Bubble Elimination #1: Steve Rosen open-shoved for his last 85,000 from under the gun. The action folded to Gwennael Grandmougin, who called out of the small blind. The big blind released, and the hands were tabled.
| Rosen |   |
| Grandmougin |   |
"I folded an ace," Alexander Beck said while the players were waiting for the cameras.
"This is a sick sweat," someone added.
Finally, when all other hands were completed, WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel came over, and the board ran out 
.
Bubble Elimination #2: Roberto Riva raised to 11,000 under the gun only to have Desmond Portano three-bet to 32,500 from middle position. When action folded back to Riva, he simply moved all in and put the pressure in Portano, who began the hand with about 160,000. The latter tanked for a long time, and Riva eventually called the clock. At the end of it, Portano called off:
Showdown
Portano:
Riva: 
Portano was ahead, but had to wait for the ESPN cameras before the board would be run out. It was a long wait, and made all the more excruciating when the flop fell 
to give Riva a set. The 
turn gave Portano a flush draw, but the 
blanked and he became one of 2012 Main Event bubble boys.
Bubble Elimination #3: Dane Lomas was one of the players looking to double up during hand-for-hand play, being all in holding against the of Devin Looney. When the play was paused, Lomas said, "I'm gonna lose." Minutes passed before the dealer spread out a 
flop. Lomas looked shattered and with a 
on the turn and a 
on the river, it was all over.
Bubble Elimination #4: Another of the all-in-and-a-call situations happened over in the Purple section, involving Christina Lindley and David Kelley. Lindley had 
and Kelley 
. When we first arrived at the table, we'd thought perhaps Lindley was the one at risk as she started the day on a short stack. But in fact she had 69,000 to start the hand, while Kelley had 67,000, meaning he was the one in danger.
After the long wait — lasting nearly 10 minutes — the flop was finally dealt, coming out 
to give Lindley a set. The 
then arrived on the turn, making the no matter.
Lindley has made it safely to the money, while Kelley became one of the four to tie for 666th.
After all the eliminations, Tournament Director Jack Effel took all the bubble boys to the stage and announced they would all be splitting 666th-place money ($19,227) and take home $4,806.75 each; in addition, all four men would participate in a four-handed single-table tournament to play for a $10,000 seat into the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
and Schoder was able to double up on the bubble to stay alive. He's currently at 420,000 while Shwartz has been crippled to 40,000. Good news for Shwartz, however, is that the bubble burst during the rest of hand for hand play so he was able to make the money despite his bad situation.
completed the board, Law checked once more. Moorman took another peek at his cards, winced and checked behind.
with 25,000 already in the pot. Kashani moved all in and Cheong insta-called and tabled 
and needed Broadway cards to straighten out. The turn fell 
which changed nothing.
, and after Peters checked, Smith bet 52,500. Peters called. Both then checked the 
and another check from Peters. Smith considered for a few moments, then bet 85,000. Peters then sunk deep into the tank, waiting three minutes before asking Smith how much he had left. Smith stood and counted out the rest of his stack, showing he had about 170,000 behind. Peters sat for another minute, then announced he was all in.
against Paul Volpe.
. Joseph doubled to 65,000 as we approach the money bubble.