Thursday, October 1, 2009 8:21 PM Local Time
Play has restarted with a Barry Shulman raise to 125k. Negreanu takes a peek at the
flop with him, but goes no further than that when Shulman bets 200k.
Then...
Praz Bansi makes it 130k to go, called by Negreanu, again. Flop:
. Same sort of end to the second hand i.e. a bet out at Negreanu and a swift fold.
Then...
Bansi raises to 130k next hand. Barry Shulman raises a further 250k - and Bansi calls.
Flop:
Out bets Shulman (300k) - this time with a call.
Turn:
Now Shulman checks to Bansi. He has brief think, and checks behind.
River:
Again both players check, and Bansi's pocket
are good to win the pot.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 8:16 PM Local Time
Post-dinner play has resumed, although it was prefaced with Jack Effel re-introducing the players to the crowd with a kind of cheering contest where the crowd was invited to holler for their favourite player.
Local boy Praz Bansi won by a mile.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:45 PM Local Time
Praz Bansi - 2,925,000
Daniel Negreanu - 2,865,000
Jason Mercier - 2,320,000
Barry Shulman - 1,925,000
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:39 PM Local Time
Well, this has been an eventful level. Our four remaining runners agreed to take a 20 minute break and skip dinner altogether, but there are union rules and major penalties in place that make it difficult for the TV production crew to work longer than 10 hours continuously, without a break.
A compromise was offered, but the players seemed to prefer one extreme or the other.
Daniel Negreanu was overheard saying, "It's either no break, or a real break," and thus, a real break it is.
Back in 90.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:38 PM Local Time
It seems like sneaking up on the chip lead isn't satisfying enough for Praz Bansi - he's taking a lot of opportunities to take on Negreanu especially heads up. Just now he bet out 80k on a
flop, and Negreanu raised to 180k. Bansi made the call.
Both players checked the
turn, but on the
river Bansi bet out 400k.
"I have a real decision," smiled Negreanu, leaning back in his chair and suddenly aware, like everyone, that the dinner break was officially starting. He thought for a few moments more, then gave up the pot to Bansi, to a cheer from his rail which I think is consuming a good fair amount of beer.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:31 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu opened for 100,000 under the gun and everyone folded, except for Markus Ristola who went all in from the big blind. Some gentle dwelling from Negreanu...
And a call! Again! What's going on here? Monsieur Negreanu, weeth all thees action you are really spoiling us!
Ristola:
Negreanu: a rather surprising call with
Flop:
Turn:
to put Ristola in a fine position to double up. "Ace!" requested a pro-Negreanu railer feebly.
Duly, river:
ROAAAAARRRRR!!!! went the crowd, as the luckless Ristola busted out in 5th place and we continue four-handed, the stacks virtually even.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:26 PM Local Time
A strange hand just now, where button Daniel Negreanu and under the gun Praz Bansi saw a flop of
. Check to Negreanu, who bet the flop (it looked to be between 100 and 160k). Bansi thought for a good long time before making the call. Both players checked the
, and then did the same on the
river.
Once more these same two guys didn't seem to want to show each other their hands, even though they had to... but Bansi showed
for a pair of fours, eliciting a laugh from Negreanu. It became clear this was good, and Negreanu showed that his four was outkicked (he held
).
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:21 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu raised to 100,000, and over to Praz Bansi in the small blind, who shoved.
Some tanking...
And a call!
Bansi:
Negreanu:
Board:
A roar of approval rose from the assorted British pros railing their buddy, and Bansi is now looking pretty comfortable on 2,375,000.
Negreanu meanwhile is not in any trouble, but has lost the chip lead by a whisker -- the title of Chip Leader returns to Jason Mercier.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:17 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu may be about to break some unexpected records here today.
If he finishes in first or second place, he will pass both Phil Ivey and Jamie Gold in the all-time money list ([url=http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/]statistics courtesy of the Hendon Mob Poker Database[/url]), and if he only makes third place, he'll be within $16,000 of the top.
Having said that, we're not sure if that list takes into account the minimum 9th-place money that Ivey will take home from the WSOP final table this November. Maybe there is a way for Negreanu to go yet...
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:14 PM Local Time
Praz Bansi's million chips have all crossed the line in the last ten minutes...and come back again untested, and having collected one of Markus Ristola's preflop raises.
Daniel Negreanu, meanwhile, faced a truly huge shove (2,235,000) from big blind Jason Mercier when he'd come in on the button for 100k. One other caller clearly had an easier decision for their cards were mucked before I could identify them, but Negreanu really looked like he was thinking about continuing with the hand. Asking for a countdown of Mercier's stack, he said, "Boy. A lot!" before eventually laying it down.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:10 PM Local Time
Markus Ristola raised and big blind Barry Shulman called; they saw a
flop. Shulman now announced all in to cover, and Ristola dejectedly passed.
After five hours of cagey nothing, it is 100% action here at the Empire now.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 6:02 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu opened for 100,000 and Barry Shulman called from the small blind. Over to Jason Mercier in the big blind, and he reraised to 395,000. Negreanu called, Shulman passed, and they saw a flop.
The flop came down
and Mercier checked. Negreanu bet 350,000, and Mercier passed. Negreanu showed him the
for his efforts.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:59 PM Local Time
And you know what that's tended to mean on this final table! Tension so thick you could almost see it like heat shimmer was surrounding Bansi as he tortured himself over a threeway
flop. Negreanu had bet and he was counting down his stack, in between shaking his head like he had something horrible stuck to it. This thinking period amounted to about five minutes, but ended with his suddenly pushing his stack in, and Negreanu snapcalling. There was some shrugging, and reluctance on both sides to show, but eventually show they had to:
Bansi:
Negreanu:
"There's no freeroll," Mr. Effel helped the crowd, and indeed there wasn't. Chop Chop.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:49 PM Local Time
Like any good kids' party entertainer, Daniel Negreanu has taken control.
Barry Shulman - 2,225,000
Jason Mercier - 2,450,000
Praz Bansi - 985,000
Markus Ristola - 1,265,000
Daniel Negreanu - 3,110,000
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:49 PM Local Time
This has really been the level to consolidate the many's chips in the hands of the few. And just now Daniel Negreanu picked up Chris Bjorin's stack after an all-in-preflop call.
Negreanu's
was comfortably pipping Bjorin's
.
Bjorin stood up as the flop came down an audience-pleasing, but not really state-changing
...the turn was the
and the river the
so we've lost yet another player to the voracious Level 25!
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:45 PM Local Time
Every time we've seen these two in a pot today, Barry Shulman has had the better of Jaosn Mercier.
This time Mercier made it 100,000 under the gun and it folded right around to Shulman in the big blind, who called to see a
flop. Shulman checked and Mercier bet 120,000. Shulman quietly pushed out a stack of white 25,000-denomination chips by way of a raise, and Mercier tossed his cards away with a puff of resignation.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:38 PM Local Time
And hand no. 3 involved locals' favourite Praz Bansi. Right after Saout left the table, Bansi moved all in preflop for about 500k over Jason Mercier's raise to 90k. He was called so swiftly the hands were on their backs before Mr. Effel really had time to speak:
Bansi:
Mercier:
The flop brought some "Oooooh"s from Bansi's considerable rail (the whole front row):
but there were no upsets on the
turn and river so Bansi now has over 1.1 million and more.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:33 PM Local Time
The very next hand, Antoine Saout shoved to a raise from Daniel Negreanu. Negreanu made the call, and they were racing for the Frenchman's tournament life.
Saout:
Negreanu:
I don't believe we've seen Mr. Saout look so awake this whole tournament.
Board:
Proving that, in spite of all TD Jack Effel's earlier attempts to get the rail to make some noise, nothing gets a crowd worked up like some good old-fashioned gambling action, a chorus of, "Ooh!" accompanied every street, and a round of applause at the end signified the end of the line for our Last November Niner Standing.
We are down to six.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:29 PM Local Time
Finally, someone looked up Matt Hawrilenko when he moved in preflop in the big blind - and it was preflop raiser Barry Shulman. Shulman called relatively fast with
and Hawrilenko, showing
made a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp mixed with one of a bulldog who knows he's at least live...so far.
But the board came a ragtastic
meaning that we lose Hawrilenko and are down to seven suddenly.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 5:22 PM Local Time
Chris Bjorin makes a raise to 110k preflop on the button. Small blind Daniel Negreanu uses two hands to push forward enough chips to signify a setting-him-all-in... and reluctantly, it looks like, Bjorin folds.