Michael Addamo opened 320,000 in the hijack and only Joey Weissman came along on his immediate left.
When the Q♣9♠6♦ flop hit the felt, Addamo checked and Weissman put out a bet of 350,000. Addamo responded with a check-raise to 1,050,000 and that was enough to earn the pot as Weissman mucked his hand.
Jeremy Dan was all in for 3,500,00 from the big blind, Andrew Park had his last 9,400,000 in the middle from the button, while Ermo Kosk in the cutoff put both players at risk to create a pot worth more than 22,000,000.
Jeremy Dan: A♠Q♣
Andrew Park: K♦K♣
Ermo Kosk: A♣A♥
Kosk had woken up with aces and was poised to take the tournament chip lead as the board ran out 10♠6♣9♣4♥J♣, giving him the pot and sending both Dan and Park to the rail.
"That's ludicrous. How do they pick up those hands? God's favorite," a frustrated Dan said as he spent a few moments muttering to himself before heading for the rail.
"Can I get some change?" Kosk called over to the tournament floor as he raked in the massive pile of chips.
The next hand at this table, Michal Wywrot shoved for 2,285,000 under the gun and Darren Elias called on the button.
Michal Wywrot: A♦2♦
Darren Elias: A♠J♦
Both players hit a pair on the J♣2♣4♣ flop, but Elias remained in the lead through the 3♥ turn and 6♥ river to send Wywrot to the rail.
Joni Jouhkimainen opened to 325,000 in middle position and Chris Hunichen three-bet to 990,000 in the hijack. Alex Foxen stuck in a four-bet to 3,000,000 from the big blind which got Jouhkimainen out of the way. Hunichen five-bet shoved all in and Foxen called off roughly an additional 2,000,000 chips.
Alex Foxen: A♦K♠
Chris Hunichen: A♥A♣
Foxen was up against it with Hunichen holding the number one in Hold'em. The board ran out 10♥9♥4♦3♦7♣ and Foxen was left drawing dead by the turn, sending a healthy amount of chips across the table.
With about 900,000 in the middle the flop read 10♣6♣6♦, and Curtis Knight who was in the big blind check-raised a bet of 200,000 from Taylor Wilson on the button to 600,000. Wilson called.
The 9♣ fell on the turn and Knight cut out a bet of 700,000 and dropped it across the line. Wilson snap-mucked and the dealer pushed the pot the other way.
Mikhail Iakovlev moved all in for 2,240,000 from the button and Andre Marques put him at risk in the cutoff.
Mikhail Iakovlev: J♦J♥
Andre Marques: K♣Q♠
Iakovlev, wearing a shirt with the GGPoker "One Time" emoji, took out his phone and began filming the action as the flop came 5♠9♥2♠. The 10♦ turn gave Marques a straight draw, but Iakovlev held on through the A♥ river to earn the double up.
The action folded to Matas Cimbolas in the small blind who just limped in. Nick Petrangelo raised to 450,000 from the big blind and Cimbolas called to see a flop of J♠10♥3♠.
Cimbolas checked to Petrangelo who continued his story with a bet of 800,000. Cimbolas called and the 9♣ landed on the turn. Both players checked and the J♦ paired the board on the river. Two more checks and Cimbolas tabled K♠9♦ for two pair but Petrangelo had the best two pair with A♠A♣.
The death of musician, recording engineer and poker player Steve Albini hit the music world with a force like that of the incendiary device aimed at Earth pictured on Big Black's 1986 debut album Atomizer. It may have hit one group of Chicago poker players the hardest.
Albini, a two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner who recorded landmark works by bands like Nirvana and Pixies and who The New York Timesdescribed as "one of the most admired, and most divisive, figures in rock," was a key figure in a friend group that bonded, joked and supported one another over the poker table. For 20 years, they played in a weekly low-stakes Chicago home game often held in Electrical Audio that included bracelet winners like Jason Gola, Eric Rodawig and Brian Hastings. Now, the game is on hiatus after Albini's death in May as the group of poker pros, musicians and audio engineers adapts to a world without its figurehead.
PokerNews spoke with two of Albini's closest friends who were regulars in the game, Brandon Shack-Harris and Andrew Kosinski.
Heads-up on a flop of Q♠4♣Q♣, Pablo Melogno bet 340,000 from under the gun and John Ripnick called in the cutoff.
The turn was the 4♠ and Melogno bet 385,000. Ripnick again called and the 6♠ fell on the river.
Melogno then bet 1,685,000, sending Ripnick deep into the tank. He ended up burning through multiple time banks until ultimately deciding to fold. "Nice bet," he told Melogno.
Alexandre Pruneau was seen all-in from under the gun for about 3,500,000, and Chinwei Lim had his entire 4,490,000 across the line as well on the button while Roman Hrabec was in the tank with 1,250,000 already committed from the small blind. After some time, Hrabec mucked his hand and both hands were tabled.
Alexandre Pruneau: A♣J♥
Chinwei Lim: A♦K♥
Pruneau was dominated as he looked for a jack to stay alive. He did indeed hit the jack on the Q♣10♠6♣J♠ turn, but it was poor timing as it improved Lim to Broadway. Pruneau was unable to find a king for the chop as the 3♣ rolled off on the river, sending him out the door.
Ermo Kosk raised it up from the cutoff and Darren Elias called from the big blind. The flop came K♣6♥5♥ and Elias check-called a bet of 210,000 from Kosk.
The K♦ paired the board on the turn and Elias checked again. Kosk sized up a bet of 540,000 and Elias stuck around for the 2♦ on the river. Both players tapped the table and Elias tabled 10♠5♠ which was good enough to win the pot.
