Shots of liquor at the ready in anticipation of the busting of the money bubble.
We just saw a waiter deliver some shots to table 300 in the Orange section and asked them what it was. Turns out seat 2 ordered Kamikaze shots for everyone at the table to take when the bubble bursts. We asked seat 7 where his shot was and he said that him and seat 1 were drinking beer instead. How unfortunate it would be if the bubble boy came from that table though but at least they would have something to drink their sorrow away.
Steve Rosen has gotten more attention than he really desires over the last 15 minutes. He started hand-for-hand play with just 12,000 chips, and has already had his photograph taken several times as media try to anticipate who the bubble boy will be.
After folding the first two hands of hand-for-hand play, Rosen is down to 11,000. He has a couple of supporters on the rail cheering him on. With the blinds coming, he's good for six more hands.
As his table waits to play another hand, Phil Collins is asking the dealer if she ever gets emotionally invested in players' fortunes -- e.g., when a player crumbles following a bad beat. She says she did before, but no longer is affected. Meanwhile, Rosen is just sitting quietly, not participating in the conversation.
Hard not to be a little affected by Rosen's plight as he waits anxiously to hear if someone has been eliminated from another table. Stay tuned.
A player on the button opened to 12,000, and Jake Cody moved all in for 41,000 in the big blind. His opponent instantly called, and a crowd began to grow around the table.
Opponent:
Cody:
Cody was well ahead, but the flop fell , giving his opponent a leading pair of tens. Cody did nothing, rather he sat silently.
The turn was the , a blank, and Cody was down to one last card for his Main Event life. Fortunately for him, the spiked on the river to give him Broadway and keep him alive.
His opponent was none too happy, while Cody remained generally emotionless while stacking his new chips.
On the bubble, Zohair Karim made it 12,000 from the button and then called Patrick Poirier's big blind three-bet to 30,000. Poirier fired out 37,000 on the flop and then another 60,000 on the turn, Karim called these bets before both players cautiously checked the river.
Poirier flipped but shook his head in disgust upon seeing Karim's flopped set holding of .
Daryl Jace raised on the button and Dylan Linde moved all in from the small blind for around 110,000. Darus Suharto called from the big blind to put Linde at risk and Jace folded.
Suharto:
Linde:
Linde was behind with his under-pair and stayed behind when the flop came . The on the turn meant that Linde would have to hit either of the two remaining eights in the deck to survive and double up. Unfortunately for him, the river was the and Suharto’s tens up would win the hand and knockout Linde. It hasn’t been announced that the bubble boy gets their main event buyin paid for next year but if that’s the case as it has been for the past few years, then Linde will be the last player to leave without any sort of prize.
During the second hand-for-hand session, we caught a rather sizeable hand over on one of the tables in the Purple section. The action folded to Brian England who raised to 11,000 befor the flop from middle position; Casey Diener then re-raised all-in for 85,500 from late position and the others got out of the way before England snap-called.
England:
Diener:
The ESPN camera crew crammed into every square inch of space available, but the crowd on the rail moaned, as if they knew that this chopped pot was inevitable. They got a slight sweat with the flop of , but the the on the turn killed off all hope of that. The river was purely for aesthetics.
The player in the hijack raised to 16,000, Mario Silvestri called on the button and Daniel Negreanu called from the big blind. The flop came , Negreanu checked, the hijack bet 21,000, Silvestri called and Negreanu went all in for 43,000.
The hijack called and Silvestri folded. Negreanu tabled and his opponent held . The board finished . Negreanu chipped up to 162,000 and gave his supportive rail a round of high fives.
All nine players at Table 364 have either a Patron or a Jägermeister shot ready to go once the bubble bursts. They all have very healthy stacks, and are ready to toast once hand-for-hand play ends.
With the final board reading , Matthew Wantman fired 23,000. His opponent was Scott Smith and he raised to 77,500. Wantman came back with a reraise all in, having Smith covered. Smith tanked. t one point he asked, "Did you hit the straight flush on me?" He then tanked a little bit more before finally making the call and putting himself at risk.
Wantman showed the for a straight flush. Smith held the for the ace-high flush, but it was no good. Smith, who began the day with nearly 900,000, is now out thanks for running into Wantman's straight flush.