Monday, August 28, 2017 4:32 PM Local Time
Level: 30
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 10,000
Monday, August 28, 2017 4:20 PM Local Time
The three remaining players are on their scheduled 15-minute break. Here's how they'll stack up when they return for the new level:
Sean Thomson - 5,610,000 (70 bb)
Jeremy Meacham - 2,815,000 (35 bb)
Bob Ricciuti - 1,295,000 (16 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 4:19 PM Local Time
Jeremy Meacham opens to 150,000 under the gun, and Sean Thomson three-bets to 355,000 on the button. From the small blind, Mike Azzaro (pictured) moves all in for 1,145,000 total, and Meacham quickly folds out of the middle. Thomson calls, though, putting the long-standing chip leader at risk.
Thomson:
Azzaro:
The flop provides the requisite sweat, as Thomson flops the only pair but Azzaro picks up nine outs to a flush. The turn adds three more outs for Azzaro with a gutshot straight draw, but he can not catch up. The river is the blank , sealing his elimination in fourth place.
Thomson is now the commanding chip leader with three players remaining.
Sean Thomson - 5,345,000 (89 bb)
Mike Azzaro - Eliminated
Monday, August 28, 2017 4:13 PM Local Time
After a limp from the small blind by Bob Ricciuti, Jeremy Meacham raises, making it 200,000. Ricciuti calls the raise and the two go heads up to the flop.
Ricciuti checks on the flop and Meacham continues with a bet of 200,000. Ricciuti calls.
Both players check on the turn to see the on the river. Ricciuti checks again. Meacham puts out a bet of 325,000 and after about a minute of thought, Ricciuti calls. Meacham shows and his pair of kings earns him the pot.
Jeremy Meacham - 3,050,000 (51 bb)
Bob Ricciuti - 1,525,000 (25 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 4:03 PM Local Time
Jeremy Meacham opens with a raise to 130,000 from the cutoff. Mike Azzaro reraises, making it 325,000 from the small blind. Action folds back to Meacham who moves all in for 1,210,000 total. Azzaro calls.
Azzaro:
Meacham:
The flop puts Meacham in the lead, although the on the turn gives him a sweat. Meacham fades all the diamonds though as the comes on the river and he's able to double up through Azzaro who drops to under 2 million chips for the first time today.
Jeremy Meacham - 2,500,000 (42 bb)
Mike Azzaro - 1,450,000 (24 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 4:00 PM Local Time
Most of the pots this level have been small and lightly contested, with the blinds and antes essentially being passed around the table.
In a recent preflop pot, Sean Thomson completes in the small blind, and Mike Azzaro raises to 180,000 in the big. Thomson re-raises to 475,000, though, and Azzaro surrenders his cards into the muck.
"You are crushing," Azzaro says to Thomson.
Monday, August 28, 2017 3:49 PM Local Time
Mike Azzaro opens with a raise to 120,000 from the cutoff. Sean Thomson calls from the big blind.
The flop is [10g,9h,5h] and Thomson checks to Azzaro. Azzaro continues with a bet of 115,000. Thomson calls.
On the turn, Thomson checks again. Azzaro bets 240,000. Thomson calls again.
Both players check the river. Azzaro shows for king high. Thomson groans and mucks his hand, making a statement about he also was holding king high.
"I was going to try to make you fold a ten, but you haven't been folding to me," Azzaro says.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be folding a ten," Thomson replies.
Azzaro scoops the pot and retakes the chip lead.
Mike Azzaro - 3,150,000 (63 bb)
Sean Thomson - 2,900,000 (58 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 3:20 PM Local Time
Level: 29
Blinds: 30,000/60,000
Ante: 10,000
Monday, August 28, 2017 3:19 PM Local Time
Mike Azzaro raises from the cutoff, making it 115,000. Sean Thomson calls from the big blind.
The flop is and Thomson checks to Azzaro. Azzaro bets 105,000 and Thomson check-raises to 240,000. Azzaro calls and the two head to the turn.
The turn is the and Thomson checks again. Azzaro bets 350,000. Thomson thinks about it for a couple of seconds then check-raises again, this time to an amount that looks close to 1,000,000.
Sean Thomson - 3,070,000 (61 bb)
Mike Azzaro - 2,650,000 (53 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 3:10 PM Local Time
Jeremy Meacham completes in the small blind, Sean Thomson raises to 125,000 in the big. Meacham calls.
The flop is . Meacham checks, Thomson continues for 60,000, and Meacham calls.
The turn is the , and Meacham leads out for 255,000. Thomson raises to 655,000, and Meacham calls.
The river is the , and both players check.
Meacham shows for a miss, and Thomson tables to win the pot with a set of jacks.
Sean Thomson - 2,800,000 (56 bb)
Jeremy Meacham - 1,200,000 (24 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 3:03 PM Local Time
From the cutoff, Mike Azzaro opens with a raise to 110,000. In the small blind, Jeremy Meacham reraises to 255,000. Sean Thomson is in the big blind and he thinks for a bit before cutting out a big reraise and pushing it into the pot.
Azzaro quickly folds, but Meacham thinks about it for a bit. He asks for a count and the bet is revealed to be 725,000, or 470,000 more for Meacham to call. He quietly tosses his cards forward in front of the dealer, folding, and Thomson takes down the pot.
Sean Thomson - 2,300,000 (46 bb)
Jeremy Meacham - 1,920,000 (38 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 2:48 PM Local Time
The four stacks had drawn nearly even over the course of the last couple orbits, but Mike Azzaro has just opened up a small gap on the pack once again.
The pot begins with Azzaro opening to 110,000 under the gun, and Sean Thomson three-bets to 280,000 in the big blind. Azzaro calls.
The flop is . Thomson continues for 175,000, and Azzaro calls. Both players check through the turn, and Thomson checks again when the river brings the . Azzaro bets 425,000, and Thomson folds.
"Did you have an ace?" Thomson asks.
"I did not have an ace," Azzaro admits. "Doesn't mean I didn't smash the board."
Mike Azzaro - 3,100,000 (62 bb)
Sean Thomson - 1,970,000 (39 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 2:42 PM Local Time
From the small blind, Sean Thomson raises to 125,000. Mike Azzaro calls from the big blind.
The flop comes and both players check to see the on the turn. Thomson bets 115,000 and Azzaro calls.
On the river, Thomson checks over to Azzaro. Azzaro bets out 260,000. After thinking about it for a bit, Thomson calls. Azzaro shows . Thomson has that beat with and that allows him to take down the pot with his ace high.
Sean Thomson - 2,455,000 (49 bb)
Mike Azzaro - 2,450,000 (49 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 2:31 PM Local Time
Mike Azzaro hasn't relinquished the chip lead in many hours of play, but his three remaining opponents are starting to catch him up a bit.
In a recent hand, Sean Thomson completes in the small blind, and Azzaro raises to 150,000 in the big. Thomson calls. The flop is . Thomson checks, Azzaro continues for 120,000, and Thomson calls. Both players check through the turn, and the river is the . Thomson bets 135,000, and Azzaro folds.
Two hands later, Azzaro opens the button to 110,000, and Jeremy Meacham defends his big blind. The flop is , and Meacham check-calls a bet of 85,000 from Azzaro. They both check through the turn, and the river is the . Meacham bets 255,000, and Azzaro folds.
Jeremy Meacham - 2,400,000 (48 bb)
Sean Thomson - 2,050,000 (41 bb)
Mike Azzaro - 3,425,000 (69 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 2:18 PM Local Time
Level: 28
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 5,000
Monday, August 28, 2017 2:06 PM Local Time
The final four players are on their first break of the day.
Monday, August 28, 2017 2:05 PM Local Time
Galen Hall opens the cutoff to 235,000, leaving just 5,000 behind. Bob Ricciuti sets him all in from the small blind, and Hall drops his last chip into the pot to put himself at risk.
Hall:
Ricciuti:
The board runs out , and Ricciuti's kicker plays to earn him the knockout. Hall is eliminated in fifth place, just in the nick of time to enter the High Roller at the last second.
Bob Ricciuti - 1,590,000 (40 bb)
Galen Hall - Eliminated
Monday, August 28, 2017 1:45 PM Local Time
From the lojack seat, Larry Greenberg shoves all in for roughly 450,000. Mike Azzaro just calls from the cutoff before Phil Stavrakis drops into the tank from the button. He thinks for several minutes about his decision, even asks the floor if he will receive a higher payout for going all in at the same time as Greenberg. After the floor clarifies that he will in fact receive a higher payout, Stavrakis moves all in as well. Azzaro calls again, putting both players all in and at risk.
Azzaro:
Greenberg:
Stavrakis:
The flop puts Stavrakis and Greenberg in a deep hole when it comes giving Azzaro the best pair. The on the turn and the on the river are no help and that allows Azzaro to take down the monster pot while Greenberg is eliminated in 7th and Stavrakis is eliminated in 6th place.
Mike Azzaro - 3,850,000 (96 bb)
Larry Greenberg - Eliminated
Phil Stavrakis - Eliminated
Monday, August 28, 2017 1:34 PM Local Time
Bob Ricciuti opens to 115,000 under the gun, and Larry Greenberg three-bet shoves from the button. Ricciuti calls all in for 890,000 total, putting himself at risk. It's a flip.
Ricciuti:
Greenberg:
The board runs out , and Ricciuti doubles up with jacks up. He's suddenly challenging for the chip lead.
Bob Ricciuti - 1,875,000 (47 bb)
Larry Greenberg - 370,000 (9 bb)
Monday, August 28, 2017 1:22 PM Local Time
Mike Azzaro opens to 85,000 in middle position, and Bob Ricciuti three-bet shoves for 465,000 on the button. Azzaro folds.
Azzaro opens the next pot to 85,000, as well, and Ricciuti three-bet shoves once again. This time, it's 640,000 from the cutoff, but the result is the same. "I wish I had this hand last time," Azzaro laments, sending his cards into the muck. Ricciuti flashes .
The next hand, Azzaro raises to 85,000 again. And, in an unsurprising turn of events, Ricciuti moves all in for 815,000.
"I give up," Azzaro says, quickly folding when the action returns to him. "I actually give up this time."
Ricciuti wins the pot again, and he suddenly has some breathing room in his stack.
"You doubled up the hard way," Galen Hall says.
Bob Ricciuti - 995,000 (25 bb)