Saturday, June 11, 2011 7:51 PM Local Time
Level: 23
Blinds: 12000/24000
Ante: 6000
Saturday, June 11, 2011 7:51 PM Local Time
Prior to resuming play, Ty Stewart made an announcement inviting everyone around to come on down, grab a beer, and watch poker superstars do their thing on the incredible ESPN set. Cards are now back in the air as we resume three handed play!
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:54 PM Local Time
We've reached the appointed time for dinner, and the players are off for a one-hour break. Look at how the chips stack up as they walk off the stage:
| Phil Hellmuth | 2,662,000 | 212,000  |
| Richard Ashby | 700,000 | 20,000 |
| John Juanda | 409,000 | -251,000  |
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:54 PM Local Time
We caught up with the action to see Phil Hellmuth draw two cards and John Juanda take one. Hellmuth checked to Juanda who fired out a bet of 200,000. After about four minutes in the tank, Hellmuth announced call, flipping up . Juanda announced that he hadn't looked at his drawn card yet. He squeezed it out but then announced that he made a pair of fours, leaving Hellmuth to scoop yet another pot.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:49 PM Local Time
John Juanda opened to 52,000 under the gun, and Steve Sung wanted to play for more. In the small blind, he shoved in for 270,000 total, and action came back around to Juanda. He'd spend a few minutes considering, eventually cutting the chips out of his stack to eye up the potential damage. He'd have 85,000 chips left if he made the call, and he eventually made the decision. He slid the 218,000 chips forward to put Sung at risk.
Sung patted, and Juanda drew one. "You have a good hand?" Juanda asked, and Sung's shrug wasn't much confirmation. "Jack?" Juanda tried again, and Sung showed his . Juanda tabled his as he threw a king into the discard pile. Let the squeeze begin.
Juanda put his head at table level to sweat, and he liked the start of it. "It's not picture," he said with a smirk. A moment later, he added, "Two across. Fifty-fifty." Then again a moment later, "Hearts." Finally, he peeled it over, and the was not the one Sung wanted to see. It spells his elimination in 4th place, good for nearly $100,000.
After the pot, Juanda and Sung shared a long handshake and a few words and nods with each other. With that knockout, Juanda moves up to 660,000, and we're down to our final three players.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:39 PM Local Time
| Phil Hellmuth | 2,555,000 | 955,000 |
| Richard Ashby | 680,000 | -270,000 |
| John Juanda | 360,000 | -40,000 |
| Steve Sung | 185,000 | -315,000 |
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:39 PM Local Time
Phil Hellmuth is on an absolute tear through this event.
Nick Schulman opened the last pot to 50,000, and Phil Hellmuth three-bet to 340,000. That had Schulman covered, and he didn't waste any time calling all in for 250,000 total. Hellmuth patted, turning up the hand to beat: . Schulman needed one card to improve his . He squeezed it out, and it was no good. He sent the spiraling onto the felt face-up, and a pair is not going to get it done.
With that, the 2009 champion of this event is eliminated in fifth place. He'll take home nearly $70,000, pausing to wish the table luck as he headed off to the cashier.
Hellmuth is up to about 2.4 million now with just about 2/3rds of the chips in play.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:38 PM Local Time
After Steve Sung made it 60,000 to go from the button, Phil Hellmuth casually dropped some pink chips in the pot to make the call. Each player took one card and Hellmuth led out for 58,000.
Sung threw in a raise, making it 150,000 total and after about a minute of deliberation, Hellmuth announced a call, tabling . Sung threw his cards into the muck and Hellmuth scooped yet another pot.
Hellmuth is now sitting pretty with 2.1 million chips.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:38 PM Local Time
Action opened when Phil Hellmuth made it 55,000 to go from middle position. Richard Ashby three-bet Hellmuth to 150,000. Hellmuth asked how much Ashby had behind before announcing a reraise, four-betting to 400,000. Ashby quickly made the call.
Both players decided to stand pat leaving action up to Hellmuth first. Hellmuth arranged stacks of pink 5,000's with a couple of green 25,000's on top for a bet totaling 550,000. Ashby went into the tank for quite some time. Schulman and Juanda got up from the table during this time and exchanged some chatter about the hand in progress.
Eventually a dejected Ashby dropped his cards in front of the dealer, and Phil Hellmuth was able to scoop the biggest pot of the tournament thus far, boosting his stack up to 1,900,000.
When asked about what he and Schulman were talking about, Juanda replied "One of us thought you had it and one us didn't." Regardless of whether he had it or not, Hellmuth now holds a commanding chip lead over the table.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:25 PM Local Time
| Phil Hellmuth | 1,600,000 | 525,000 |
| Richard Ashby | 950,000 | 0 |
| Steve Sung | 500,000 | -90,000 |
| John Juanda | 400,000 | -160,000 |
| Nick Schulman | 300,000 | -55,000 |
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:23 PM Local Time
Action folded around to Phil Hellmuth in the small blind, and he raised the action. John Juanda three-bet to 120,000 from the big blind, and Hellmuth decided to make a stand, announcing a four-bet all in for Juanda's remaining chips. Juanda threw away his cards and Hellmuth scooped the pot, bringing him up to about 1.5 million. Juanda's stack has fallen to 400,000.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:22 PM Local Time
Steve Sung opened to 50,000, and David Baker three-bet all in for his last 61,000. Phil Hellmuth called from the big blind, and Sung added the extra few chips to the pot to go drawing.
Sung and Baker took one card apiece, while Hellmuth plucked two. He must have liked it, because he led out into the pot with 50,000. Sung folded, and Hellmuth tabled his . Baker was once again drawing live with , and he needed to pull lucky one more time.
He could not. The landed face-up on the felt, and it was no good at all.
The defending champ has thusly been sent off in sixth place, another fine run in the event he won last year. This one's good for $51,485 -- a fine consolation, but not exactly what he was looking for today.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:15 PM Local Time
David "Bakes" Baker would prefer not to be eliminated here in sixth place. He was all in for 9,000 from the small blind, and Nick Schulman opened the pot with a raise. Phil Hellmuth and Richard Ashby called, and they'd check it down post-draw. Ashby patted, Baker and Hellmuth took one apiece, and Schulman drew two.
Schulman paired, turning up . Neither he nor Hellmuth couldn't beat Ashby's , and it was up to Baker. He tabled , drawing live to a ten-low. He drew lucky, flipping up the to drag a quadruple up and move back to 66,000.
That's still dangerously short, obviously.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:12 PM Local Time
| Phil Hellmuth | 1,075,000 | -25,000 |
| Richard Ashby | 950,000 | -50,000 |
| Steve Sung | 590,000 | 240,000 |
| John Juanda | 560,000 | -5,000 |
| Nick Schulman | 355,000 | -165,000 |
| David Bakes Baker | 14,000 | -306,000 |
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:11 PM Local Time
The table folded around to the blinds, and Steve Sung raised all in for 283,000. In the big blind, David Baker had just about that many chips left himself, and he quickly called to put one of the two men at risk. Nobody was sure which one yet.
Sung patted, and Baker took one card. Sung showed , and Baker's had him drawing live. He couldn't find a card, though, peeling over the to ship the pot to Sung. When the stacks were counted down, Baker was left with just 14,000.
Sung doubles, and he's all the way up to 590,000 courtesy of Baker's chips.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 6:06 PM Local Time
Nick Schulman made it 50,000 from the cutoff and was called by Phil Hellmuth on the button and Richard Ashby from the big blind. Ashby began the draw by taking two cards, while Hellmuth and Schulman both opted to take one.
The action went check-check to Phil Hellmuth who slowly and deliberately counted out a raise. After peeking at his hand once more, Phil shoved in a stack of pinks totaling 140,000. Richard Ashby made the call with little hesitation as Schulman sent his cards to the muck.
"I have an eight," remarked Phil, flipping up . Ashby tossed his cards away and Hellmuth scooped a pot big enough to propel him back into the chip lead. Hellmuth is now sitting with 1,200,000 while Ashby is down to 960,000.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 5:56 PM Local Time
We'll be taking a one-hour dinner break at the conclusion of this level -- just about 45 minutes from now.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 5:53 PM Local Time
With such a high-profile final table, we're a bit surprised at the sparsity of the rail right now. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that nobody's allowed even a bottle of water here in the arena. As a result, there are a few dozen people lined up along the ropes outside the table, choosing a longer sight line and a cocktail over a seat in the stands.
A few souls have braved the no food or drink rule to come rail their pals or significant others. Most notably, Maria "Maridu" Mayrinck is here in the front row, and she looks infinitely more nervous than her beau David Baker. Maridu is joined in the row by Thayer Rasmussen, Carter King, and Melissa Hayden. We also saw Eugene Katchalov kicking around that section a while ago.
Chino Rheem is here on the rail too; he finished in 14th place last night. We also spotted Jean-Robert Bellande duck in and out a while back, and we spy Neil Channing and Keith "The Camel" Hawkins up in the nosebleeds keeping an eye on Richard Ashby.
The bleachers are less than half full, but we'd expect to see those empty seats fill in as Phil Hellmuth continues to march toward his twelfth bracelet.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 5:49 PM Local Time
From the cutoff Nick Schulman made it 42,000 to go. Phil Hellmuth called from the button and Richard Ashby also made the call from the big blind.
Ashby drew two while Schulman took one and Hellmuth stood pat. Action started on Ashby after the draw and he moved out a stack of 20 pinks, or 100,000. Schulman sat thinking for about two minutes before finally making the call. Hellmuth threw his cards away and Ashby flipped up .
Schulman's cards were sent sailing into the muck and Ashby scooped a pot that brings him up to 1,450,000 in chips. Schulman is down to 280,000.
Saturday, June 11, 2011 5:44 PM Local Time
Level: 22
Blinds: 10000/20000
Ante: 5000