Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:41 PM Local Time
is the latest flop seen on the final. Small blind Praz Bansi bets out 62k, called by Daniel Negreanu.
Turn:
Bansi now checks, and Negreanu checks behind.
River:
Check to Negreanu a second time, and he bets 120k. Another decision for Bansi, who opts for the fold. As the pot is swept over to Negreanu, he offers, "Left or right?" pointing at his cards, but then gives the spectators what they want i.e. both of them:
.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:29 PM Local Time
Markus Ristola raised, but then gave it up to a reraise from Negreanu.
We can only imagine how ludicrously fascinating this is for the Guys In The Van, who get to see the hole cards. For our part, we'd love to get to see a bit more of what's really going on. Just going to have to wait for it to air...
Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:28 PM Local Time
Matt Hawrilenko just took down some more uncontested preflop chips - he's not going to accept the bottom chipstack position lightly, it seems. No flops for 10 mins, no showdowns since last level - we're seeing stacks increase 50k a hand - sometimes up to 100k if the winning raise is a threebet...
Anyhoo, Mr. Hawrilenko has at least one supporter willing to actually get the pen and ink out to show the world what he thinks of him. After the last break, this gentlement produced a sign saying, "MATT'S ALL THAT!" for waving when he wins chips, and beneath it, another one saying, "HOSS IS BOSS!"
The table all turned round, secretly wishing, I imagine, that there were equally pithy signs waving for them. "Matt Is A Calling Station one under there?" joked Negreanu, while probably realising that wouldn't make the cut as it's more than three syllables.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:18 PM Local Time
Antoine Saout raised to 80,000 but Jason Mercier made it 173,000 from the small blind. Saout passed, and the chips went to the Merciertron.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:14 PM Local Time
...Apart from the first one of the new level which was taken by Matt Hawrilenko with a preflop raise.
Daniel Negreanu has been involved nonstop since then, calling preflop raises from Markus Ristola (and then folding on the turn to a 90k bet with the board
) and Chris Bjorin (and then folding on a
flop). One hand he did make some chips from big blind Antoine Saout, however, by limping in the small and then betting out 40k on a
flop to win the pot.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 3:03 PM Local Time
Come on boys, let's get those chips in the middle this level.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:41 PM Local Time
Seat 1: Barry Shulman - 1,524,000
Seat 2: Jason Mercier - 2,255,000
Seat 3: Praz Bansi - 866,000
Seat 4: Markus Ristola - 1,051,000
Seat 5: Chris Bjorin - 572,000
Seat 6: James Akenhead - 815,000
Seat 7: Daniel Negreanu - 1,758,000
Seat 8: Antoine Saout - 739,000
Seat 9: Matt Hawrilenko - 516,000
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:38 PM Local Time
The last hand finished promptly as the clock struck End-of-Level Break. Back in just under 20 mins to restart play on this gripping, if still complete, final table.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:36 PM Local Time
James Akenhead raised in early position and Daniel Negreanu called behind; everyone else folded and they were presented with a
flop.
Akenhead checked to Negreanu, who bet 100,000. A call, and they now saw a
turn. Again, Akenhead checked, and now Negreanu bet 162,000. A brief moment of chip riffling from Akenhead before he called.
The river was the
and both players checked. Akenhead turned over
, but Negreanu had pipped him with
for a pair of nines, and he took the pot.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:36 PM Local Time
Markus Ristola just increased his stack to the tune of over 250k after two players (Akenhead and Negreanu) called his 63k preflop raise. On the
flop, however, only Negreanu called Ristola's bet of 130k, and on the
turn even he declined to pursue the pot any further after Ristola bet out 240k.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:33 PM Local Time
Some thought is going into the players' decisions now - and well might they consider, with so much money at stake with a bucket-load of prestige sprinkled on top.
Jason Mercier's early aggression seems to have been used against him now and then, with Barry Shulman the most recent check-raiser of a
flop, to the tune of 200k. Mercier spent more time than usual considering what to do with this situation, sitting very still and eventually letting his 73k he'd bet on the flop make its way over to Shulman.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:19 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu limped in on the button, only for Antoine Saout to raise from the small blind. Negreanu called, and they saw a
flop.
Saout stared at the felt for a while, looking sleepy and bored, before quietly announcing all in. With a smile and a "Chhh," noise, Negreanu tossed his cards dealerwards, and Saout took the pot.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:16 PM Local Time
Barry Shulman raises to 55k, called by Markus Ristola and small blind James Akenhead. Big blind Daniel Negreanu, seemingly not content with that bet, and in no mood this afternoon for folding, made it 173k more to play. It was some good timing on his part if he had a little, or some bad timing if he had a lot - all his would-be opponents mucked their cards as fast as I've ever seen on a table where filming is taking place.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:10 PM Local Time
Daniel Negreanu raised to 48,000 and Matt Hawrilenko called; over to Praz Bansi on the button who re-raised to 160,000. Back to Negreanu, and a four-bet. Hawrilenko passed, and the action moved back to Bansi.
Bansi took his time, while across the table Negreanu looked very innocent and occasionally furrowed his brow. Bansi eventually looked at his hole cards again in case they had changed into something else; they hadn't, and he went back into the tank. He said something we couldn't hear, and eventually folded.
"Wah! Best card in the deck," said Negreanu, flashing the
. Bansi's expression was unreadable.
Bansi - 929,000
Negreanu - 1,549,000
Thursday, October 1, 2009 2:06 PM Local Time
It's fallen on Matt Hawrilenko to take up the worrying mantle of short stack now (although with nearly half a million in chips even he's still got room to play). He decided to ship his remaining 421k in preflop over the top of James Akenhead's 62k just now, and although he got a bit of an eyeroll he also got a quick fold from Akenhead and a nearly 20% increase in his stack.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 1:53 PM Local Time
Some of Great Britain's finest have turned up to rail their buddies James Akenhead and Praz Bansi.
Currently seated ringside are Karl Mahrenholz, who narrowly missed out on cashing in this event, as well as well-known British circuit favourite Maria Demetriou who caught a ridiculous late-night train from Grantham to be here; also fearsome-at-the-felt brothers Sunny and Chaz Chattha, and two time bracelet winner JP Kelly.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 1:52 PM Local Time
The very next hand Praz, seemingly invigorated by that pot, takes the blinds with a preflop raise. Then it's Markus Ristola's turn, again with no resistance.
Finally another flop:
after Antoine Saout tried his turn with the old preflop raise. This time it took a further bet of 70k on the flop to take the pot down.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 1:46 PM Local Time
Matt Hawrilenko raised to 60,000 and Praz Bansi called, as did James Akenhead in the big blind. Interesting.
Flop:
As TD Jack Effel said, "Check's good."
Turn:
Once again, checks all round.
River:
Hawrilenko now bet 90,000 -- and all of a sudden, Bansi raised to 300,000. Akenhead lost all interest and passed, and Hawrilenko was left with a serious decision. He stared intently, before his face melted into a an expression that suggested he wasn't going to call. Nevertheless he tanked up for a good long while -- but made the fold, and the first really convincing round of applause we've heard during this tournament echoed around the rail.
Hawrilenko is now our official shorty, on 513,000.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 1:38 PM Local Time
Barry Shulman, quiet since winning Hand One of this final table, just made it 50k to go preflop. Jason Mercier repopped him on the button (total bet now 156k). Action back to Shulman, who was having none of it - he made it 506k to get any further and Mercier relinquished the hand without a flop.
Thursday, October 1, 2009 1:36 PM Local Time
Every day of this tournament, Jason Mercier has ordered the same tableside lunch from casino staff -- a mouthwatering plate of that great British classic, bangers and mash -- and said delicacy has just made its Final Table appearance. We can smell the gravy from here. Cocktails!