Mercier Flexes His Muscle; Catapults to 340K

Chip leader Jason Mercier has eliminated Ville Wahlbeck and Robert Williamson III from the tournament in back-to-back hands and now holds a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

In the first hand, Wahlbeck, Sami Kelopuro and Mercier all checked the {6-Spades}

flop and saw the {3-Spades}

hit on the turn. Wahlbeck then bet the pot (13,200), Kelopuro folded and Mercier made the call. The {9-Hearts}

fell on the river and Wahlbeck fired again -- this time making it 15,000 to go. Mercier then opted for a raise, kicking it up to 45,000 and subsequently putting Wahlbeck all in. After some considerable thought, Wahlbeck made the call and Mercier tabled {7-Diamonds}

for the nut straight to send Wahlbeck packing.

On the very next hand, Mercier tangoed with Williamson on a board strangely reminiscent of the hand prior: {6-Diamonds}

. Williamson passed the first option to Mercier on the flop, who led out with a 10,500 bet. Williamson then check-raised with a pot-sized bet and Mercier just called. The turn brought the {5-Diamonds}

and Williamson open-shoved for his last ~16,000 in chips. Mercier made a quick call, announcing, "King-high flush," as he turned over the {K-Diamonds}

(

).

Far from dead, Williamson flipped over a pair of aces and pleaded for help on the river:

"Pair the board for once in my life!" he said.

The river did not comply. When the dealer flipped over the {8-Spades}

-- a losing card for Williamson -- he rapped the table and wished his now former tablemates good luck.

Mercier's successive eliminations skyrocketed him to ~340,000 in chips and he's now far and away the tournament chip leader.

Tags: Jason Mercier

2008 World Series of Poker Europe

2008 World Series of Poker Europe

Mercier Flexes His Muscle; Catapults to 340K