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The players are now on a 20 minute break. We officially have 729 players remaining, 648 of whom will be paid. Eliminations are still coming quick, and the money bubble will loom large in the next level.
Level: 12
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 200
A late-position player raised to 2500 pre-flop, and Victor Ramdin 3-bet to 5,200. His opponent thought for a moment before calling. The flop fell 
. The original raiser pushed all-in, and Ramdin quickly releases. As the dealer shuffled for the next hand, Ramdin said he head two queens, with no spade.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
42,000
-4,200
|
-4,200 |
|
||
There are now only 671 players remaining. This event pays 648 players, and the tournament staff is preparing for hand-for-hand play soon.
Dan Kelly check his option in the big blind when the cutoff limped in. The flop came down 
. The cutoff bet 1200 and Kelly called. They both checked the turn of 
. THe river came the 
and this time Kelly bet 3,500. His opponent called and Kelly showed 
for a pair of sevens. Kelly is living large and boasts a stack of 130,000
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
130,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
A recent double up by Jay Nair revealed an interesting example of statistical probability defied. After getting his last 6,800 into the middle with 
against his opponent's 
, Nair survived five board cards to score the double. This win pushed his stack just over 21,000 chips, after he had recently fallen to 1,700, or less than two big blinds.
Nair's remarkable comeback is not yet complete, but as he counted his chips and received congratulations from his tablemates, a more remarkable turn of events become apparent. Detecting a familiar accent among the voices, Nair soon discovered that among the thousands of players to enter the "Millionaire Maker" tournament, he found himself sitting two seats away from a fellow native of Kerala, India.
Nithin Eapen was also born in the beautiful Indian tourist destination, and he regaled this reporter with tales of his homeland's reputation and allure. According to Eapen, residents of Kerala speak a language known as Malayalam, which "is the longest palindrome in the English language," and he the statistical probability of two players from Kerala meeting at the poker table during the WSOP is astronomical.
Nair and Eapen are both in good spirits and seem to be enjoying their shared experience, conversing often to exchange stories and neighborhood notes. If both players manage to make the final table of this event, we will be sure to check in on their extraordinary story.
We came to the table on the turn, with the board showing 
. Action had folded to Dan Kelly in the cutoff, who also checked. The river was the 
, and both players checked again. Kelly's opponent showed 
, but Kelly just barely had him beat with 
.
We walked by Chris Hunichen table and saw he had a massive amount of chips. 244,000 to be exact. Hunichen is our new leader.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
244,000
24,000
|
24,000 |
|
||
The tournament staff just instructed dealers to complete the hand they're on and then stop. We are about to begin hand-for-hand play. There is a palpable buzz in the air in the Amazon room as we approach the money bubble, as all remaining players have their sights set on the seven-figure payout for first place.
In an unusual turn of events, there was no hand-for-hand play in this event. While the clock was stopped and players were preparing to begin hand-for-hand, we lost the last players who would not be paid. All remaining players are in the money and will walk away with at least $2,740 for their efforts. Expect eliminations to come quickly as play resumes.
