"I'm a sniper," Anthony Zinno said right before the dinner break when we wandered over to check up on his stack, when we found him ducked away in the corner of the room sitting on a small stack.
Zinno just sniped one of his targets, as he raked in a nice double up, and one of our colleagues told us what had happened.
After a raise to 5,200 it was Jin Saft who called after which Zinno four-bet to 40,000, leaving himself with just 17,900 behind. The original raiser folded Saft made the call.
The flop brought out and Saft put Zinno all in, who made the call.
Zinno:
Saft:
The turn was the and Zinno hit a pair, and the river was the , keeping the World Poker Tour Player of the Year in the race for another title.
Not too long after doubling through Jin Saft, Anthony Zinno has taken his remaining chips.
Sylvain Loosli raised and two players called, including Saft in the small blind. From the big blind Zinno three-bet to 21,000 and the first two players involved folded after which Saft moved all in for 65,000 chips.
Zinno called holding and he was in great shape against . The flop gave Zinno two pair right away and he took this pot down.
Hossein Ensan and Thomas Brader have left the tournament. We ran into both of them on our way back to the media desk and they told us the details of their bust out.
Brader shoved with suited for his last 24,000. A player in middle position called and the big blind squeezed all in for 100,000. The middle player position folded tens, and the big blind had . Brader couldn't make a suck out and the Dutchman made his exit.
Hossein Ensan lost the most of his chips when he opened with for 4,000 under the gun. The big blind called and checked to Ensan on . Ensan made a bet, got check-raised and Ensan three-bet. Ensan's opponent called and a appeared on the turn. Ensan moved all in and his opponent called with, wouldn't you know it, pocket nines. No jacks on the river and Ensan was crippled.
Not much later Ensan shoved with , got called by , and lost the remainder of his stack. He flopped an open ended but wouldn't improve.
Paul Gresel played his first ever big tournament after qualifying, but just departed from the tournament area.
Gresel first lost a hand with where he, in hindsight, should've bet more on the turn instead of trying to keep his opponent in the hand, said Gresel himself. Gresel got rivered and lost a sizable portion of his chips.
Not much later he shoved his small stack to the middle with and ran into . With the on the turn all hope was gone, Gresel was drawing dead and headed for the exit.
Roman Valerstein just ended up all in against Elliot Smith and the showdown went as following.
Valerstein:
Smith:
The board ran out and Valerstein doubled up to 135,000 chips, while Smith was left behind with just 2,000. On the very next and Zack Wilson raised to 4,000 and Smith called all in. Three more players called, but folded when Wilson bet 6,300 on the flop.
Just 45 places will get paid, and with 80 players remaining that means we have to lose a little less than half of the players who are still in action. The average stack is 127,875 or 63 big blinds.
Joosef open shoved his last 10,600 from late position and Ramin Hajiev on the button made the call. Big blind Anthony Zinno squeezed and Hajiev folded.
Anthony Zinno:
Joosef:
The window card was the but it was closely followed by the and .
Joosef got up from the table, but he hesitated when the hit the turn. "Ohh, you're not dead yet" table mate Pim van Riet said. And indeed he wasn't, as the on the river gave him quads which beat out Zinno. Triple up time!
and Saft put Zinno all in, who made the call.
and Zinno hit a pair, and the river was the 
, keeping the World Poker Tour Player of the Year in the race for another title.
and he was in great shape against 
and Van den Berg picked up the pot with a bet of 12,000. 
suited for his last 24,000. A player in middle position called and the big blind squeezed all in for 100,000. The middle player position folded tens, and the big blind had 
. Ensan made a bet, got check-raised and Ensan three-bet. Ensan's opponent called and a 
appeared on the turn. Ensan moved all in and his opponent called with, wouldn't you know it, pocket nines. No jacks on the river and Ensan was crippled. 
, and lost the remainder of his stack. He flopped an open ended but wouldn't improve.
and ran into 
. With the 
and Valerstein doubled up to 135,000 chips, while Smith was left behind with just 2,000. On the very next and Zack Wilson raised to 4,000 and Smith called all in. Three more players called, but folded when Wilson bet 6,300 on the 
flop.
.
hit the turn. "Ohh, you're not dead yet" table mate Pim van Riet said. And indeed he wasn't, as the 
