Monday, September 5, 2016 4:43 PM Local Time
Sean Yu opens to 200,000 under the gun, and Daniel Needleman three-bets to 500,000 on the button. Yu calls.
The flop is . Yu checks, Needleman continues for 600,000, and Yu check-raises all in for 1,795,000 total. Needleman considers for about a minute, then surrenders his cards into the muck. Yu wins the pot. It's a significant one for both players, as it's the first time in several levels that anyone has been within a million chips of Needlman's big stack.
Sean Yu - 3,555,000 (44 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 4,500,000 (56 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:32 PM Local Time
Level: 30
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 10,000
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:19 PM Local Time
Players are now on a 15 minute break. Here's how they'll stack up when the new level begins with 40,000/80,000 blinds:
Daniel Needleman - 5,600,000 (70 bb)
Sean Yu - 2,465,000 (31 bb)
Eli Elezra - 1,275,000 (16 bb)
Arianna Son - 1,220,000 (15 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:19 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra opens the button to 150,000, and Arianna Son three-bet shoves for 560,000 in the small blind. Sean Yu asks for a count from the small blind, but he eventually folds. "I wish you'd called," Elezra laments. "I got nothing," he says, calling the remainder to put Son at risk.
Elezra:
Son:
Elezra finds the only pair on the flop, taking a significant lead with one to come. The turn is the dramatic , giving Son a jack-high straight but Elezra an open-ended straight-flush draw. The river is the blank , though, and Son doubles up with a straight. Elezra, who began the day as the chipleader, is now the table short stack.
Arianna Son - 1,220,000 (20 bb)
Eli Elezra - 1,150,000 (19 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:13 PM Local Time
Hand #1:
Arianna Son raises to 150,000 on the button, Sean Yu calls in the small blind, and Daniel Needleman calls in the big blind.
The flop comes . Both blinds check and Son continues for 175,000. Only Yu calls.
Both players check the turn.
The river is the . Yu bets 300,000 and Son pauses before mucking her cards.
Sean Yu - 2,350,000 (39 bb)
Arianna Son - 750,000 (12 bb)
Hand #2:
Sean Yu raises to 150,000 from under the gun and Daniel Needleman calls on the button. Both players check the flop.
The turn is the . Yu bets 225,000 and Needleman calls, prompting Yu to peek back at his cards.
The river is the . Yu bets 375,000, and Needleman folds.
Sean Yu - 2,900,000 (48 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 4,900,000 (81 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:06 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra opens the button to 170,000, and Sean Yu defends his big blind.
The flop is . Yu checks, Elezra continues for 175,000, and Yu calls. The turn is the . When you checks again, Elezra moves all in for 1,125,000. Yu asks for the count, squirms in his chair for a few moments, then surrenders his cards into the muck. Elezra wins the pot, moving back into second place on the leaderboard.
Everyone's still trying to chase down Daniel Needleman, though.
Eli Elezra - 1,885,000 (33 bb)
Sean Yu - 1,800,000 (30 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 4:00 PM Local Time
Action folds around to the blinds, where Daniel Needleman moves all in from the small blind. That puts the decision on Eli Elezra in the big blind, and he needs some time to ponder.
Elezra cuts down his stack, seeing that he has 740,000 chips left. He takes a look at the clock, glances around at his opponents' stacks, and starts to talk through the spot. "Just all in, all in, all in, huh?" he addresses Needleman. "I might not get a better hand than this. It costs me 130,000 per round..." After another few seconds, he makes up his mind. "Yep, time to go home," Elezra finishes, sliding the rest of his chips into the middle to put himself at risk.
Needleman:
Elezra:
The board runs out , and Elezra doubles up with two pair, aces and queens.
Eli Elezra - 1,520,000 (25 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 5,675,000 (95 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:52 PM Local Time
Kevin Calenzo
After a recent hand that left Kevin Calenzo very short stacked, he shoves all in on the button for 130,000, and Daniel Needleman reshoves in the small blind.
"I was gonna call dark, but now I gotta look," Eli Elezra says in the big blind. He looks at his cards and then mucks face up.
Needleman shows , and Calenzo turns over . "Come one hearts," Calenzo says.
The flop comes with one heart, but the turn and river fail to improve Calenzo's hand, and he is eliminated in 5th place, taking home $42,879.
Daniel Needleman - 6,050,000 (101 bb)
Kevin Calenzo - Eliminated in 5th place for $42,879
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:44 PM Local Time
Sean Yu open-shoves the button for 940,000, and Kevin Calenzo re-shoves from the small blind, having Yu slightly covered. Daniel Needleman folds his big blind, and Yu is at risk against Calenzo as the cards are turned up.
Yu:
Calenzo:
The flop gives Calenzo the lead with second pair, but Yu picks up an open-ended straight draw. He fills that draw promptly with the on the turn, leaving Calenzo drawing dead. The river is the meaningless , and Yu doubles up with his ten-high straight. Calenzo is left with less than three big blinds after paying off his debt.
Sean Yu - 1,990,000 (33 bb)
Kevin Calenzo - 175,000 (3 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:34 PM Local Time
Action folds to Eli Elezra in the small blind who completes, and Arianna Son checks her option.
The flop comes . Elezra bets 60,000 and Son raises to 200,000. Elezra calls.
The turn is the . Elezra bets 230,000, and Son announces that she is all in and moves her remaining chips forward. Elezra thinks for a few minutes, counts out his chips, and opts to muck.
Arianna Son - 1,500,000 (25 bb)
Eli Elezra - 1,050,000 (17 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:25 PM Local Time
Level: 29
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 10,000
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:25 PM Local Time
Daniel Needleman opens to 110,000 in middle position, and Eli Elezra three-bets to 255,000 on the button. Needleman gives it just a cursory look before surrendering his cards into the muck.
"Don't do that," Elezra laments.
"You wanted to hear that, 'All in,'" Kevin Calenzo chimes in.
"If I didn't want to hear it, I would have just moved all in," Elezra says, shaking his head. "You have good timing today, Daniel."
"Thank you," Needleman answers.
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:16 PM Local Time
Sean Yu raises to 125,000 on the button, and both Kevin Calenzo and Daniel Needleman call in the blinds.
The flop comes . It checks to Yu who continues for 150,000. Both players call.
The turn is the . Calenzo checks, Needleman bets 600,000, Yu calls, and Calenzo pauses before folding his hand.
"I'm all in," Needleman says, and everyone pauses.
"He's all in dark," the dealer specifies after about ten seconds.
The river is the , and Yu goes into the tank. After nearly two minutes of thinking he slides his cards forward and says to Needleman, "You had a ten huh?" Needleman nods his head yes as he moves his cards forward into the muck.
"I had . I played it terribly," Calenzo says.
"You both had tens? That's amazing," Eli Elezra says as the chips are passed to Needleman.
Yu stands up and walks away from the table quietly.
Daniel Needleman - 5,300,000 (106 bb)
Sean Yu - 1,100,000 (22 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:07 PM Local Time
Kevin Calenzo opens to 100,000 under the gun, and Daniel Needleman three-bets to 275,000 next to act. In the small blind, Arianna Son cold four-bet shoves for 735,000 total, which is enough to fold Calenzo quickly. Needleman asks for the count, then folds as well, and Son wins the pot with no showdown.
Arianna Son - 1,185,000 (24 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 4,175,000 (84 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 3:02 PM Local Time
Eli Elezra raises to 115,000 in the cutoff, and Sean Yu calls in the small blind.
The flop comes . Yu checks, Elezra bets 100,000, and Yu calls.
Both players check the turn.
The river is the . Yu checks, and Elezra pauses before checking behind.
Yu turns over for trip aces to take the pot.
Sean Yu - 1,425,000 (28 bb)
Eli Elezra - 1,375,000 (27 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 2:48 PM Local Time
Action folds around to the blinds where Daniel Needleman (pictured) raises to 150,000 in the small, and Eli Elezra defends his big.
The flop is . Needleman continues for 200,000, and Elezra calls. The turn is the , and Needleman bets 400,000. Elezra calls without delay, and the river is the . Needleman moves all in for 1,435,000, just less than the size of the pot. Elezra spends many minutes in the tank, counting down his stack and staring down at the pot, which he'd asked the dealer to spread. Eventually, he calls.
Needleman tables for top pair, top kicker. Elezra nods in acknowledgement, flashes his inferior , and mucks. Needleman wins the pot, taking over the top spot on the leaderboard in the process.
Daniel Needleman - 4,395,000 (88 bb)
Eli Elezra - 2,090,000 (42 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 2:42 PM Local Time
Kevin Calenzo raises to 125,000 on the button and Eli Elezra calls in the big blind.
The flop comes and both players check.
The turn is the . Elezra checks and Calenzo bets 125,000. Elezra opts to muck, and Calenzo shows the for a straight.
"One time," he said as he tossed his other card into the muck.
Kevin Calenzo - 2,100,000 (42 bb)
Eli Elezra - 3,975,000 (79 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 2:39 PM Local Time
Daniel Needleman raises to 110,000 in the cutoff, and Sean Yu calls in the big blind. Both players check the flop.
The turn is the . Yu bets out 150,000, and Needleman calls.
The river is the . Yu checks, and Needleman checks behind.
Yu shurgs his shoulders, and Needleman turns over for a pair of sevens. Yu mucks his cards, and the pot is passed over to Needleman.
Daniel Needleman - 2,050,000 (41 bb)
Sean Yu - 1,100,000 (22 bb)
Monday, September 5, 2016 2:18 PM Local Time
Level: 28
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 5,000
Monday, September 5, 2016 2:02 PM Local Time
The first two levels are complete, and the five remaining players are on a 15-minute break. Here's how they'll stack up when they return to the new level with 25,000/50,000 blinds:
Eli Elezra - 4,025,000 (81 bb)
Kevin Calenzo - 2,590,000 (52 bb)
Sean Yu - 1,520,000 (30 bb)
Daniel Needleman - 1,520,000 (30 bb)
Arianna Son - 905,000 (18 bb)