[user46392]
Ian Munns raised to 2,600 in mid position and Richard Grace called in the small blind, holding pocket fives. The big blind came along for the ride as well, and they saw a flop.
Flop:
Nice for some.
Grace bet out 7,000 and the big blind folded. Munns made it 19,000, Grace made it 64,000, Munns pushed and Grace called all in.
Munns: that classic raising hand for the straight.
The turn and river were absolute blanks, and Grace hit the rail (actually the bar, but fair enough), while Munns became our new chip leader on over 250,000.
[user46392]
...And further fine fortune for Julian Thew, after he got his chips in with pocket kings on a king-high flop against Christian Harder's pocket queens. All three flop cards were hearts and Harder was holding the -- but a blank turn and river later, and Thew was up to 50,000. He's looking much more cheerful now.
[user4144]
James Akenhead
With James Akenhead joining the table, Amnon Filippi finds himself stuck between a hard place and hard place with fellow Hendon Mobber and early pace setter Praz Bansi completing the poker sandwich. There's no friends at the poker table, so expect fireworks.
[user4144]
Julian Thew, who's experiencing more grinding in the last two days than Tony Hawks has in a lifetime, has finally got his mitts on some juicy red 500 chips. With a lowly stack of 11,000, Thew pushed all in from the button with , only to run headfirst into the American Airlines. But two pairs later and Thew was back up to the nosebleed-inducing heights of 25,000.
[user46392]
Michael Chapman is busto after getting his last in with , the board reading . Jonathan Reynolds had him thoroughly beaten with though, and the on the river was the final nail in Chapman's tournament coffin.
[user46392]
Wow, a massive hand has left former big stack Martin Hansen in a spot of bother, meanwhile providing Tommy Vedes with a near double up.
We caught up with the action on the turn, the board reading . Vedes checked from the cutoff, and then called the chunky bet from Hansen on the button -- the pot was already heaving with chips by this point.
They saw a river and now Vedes bet out 20,700. Hansen raised another 30,000 or so -- but Vedes moved in for perhaps 35,000 more, and Hansen insta-folded, leaving himself on 40,000. He started the day near the top of the leader board with 150,000. He does not look very happy.
[user46392]
Christian Harder raised from the button and got himself called by Sami Kelopuro in the small blind and Michael Wang in the big. They saw a flop.
Flop:
All three checked it. They saw a turn.
Turn:
Now Kelopuro, barely glancing up from his magazine, bet out. Wang passed, but Harder wasn't falling for that sort of nonchalance -- he called.
River:
Kelopuro checked now, and Harder bet 11,700. Kelopuro now raised an eyebrow and thought about it for a moment. Eventually he passed and returned to his magazine. He did not look terribly bothered.
[user4144]
Ran Azol just doubled up off Thomas Bichon on the feature table, versus on an eight high board. Azol now on 48,100 whilst Bichon drips to 87,300.
[user46392]
It's usually the big stacks who get this sort of treatment, so in an interesting inversion of blogger convention, please enjoy this list of famous folks who are somewhat approaching the danger zone...
Sandra Naujoks - 40,000
Leo Margets - 30,000
David Williams - 10,000
Julian Thew - 12,000 ("I doubled up, but it doesn't last long...")
Ian Frazer - 17,500
Denis Phillips - 18,000
[user4144]
John Juanda
John Juanda is like Ray Mears in the jungle at the moment. With a raise (2,200) and a call (Sandor Demjan) in front of him, John Juanda pushed all in for around 20-25,000. Both players folded immediately, and the reigning champion survived.
![[user46392]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
for the straight.
-- but a blank turn and river later, and Thew was up to 50,000. He's looking much more cheerful now.
, the board reading 
. Jonathan Reynolds had him thoroughly beaten with 
though, and the 
on the river was the final nail in Chapman's tournament coffin.
. Vedes checked from the cutoff, and then called the chunky bet from Hansen on the button -- the pot was already heaving with chips by this point.
river and now Vedes bet out 20,700. Hansen raised another 30,000 or so -- but Vedes moved in for perhaps 35,000 more, and Hansen insta-folded, leaving himself on 40,000. He started the day near the top of the leader board with 150,000. He does not look very happy.
