Big One for One Drop - €1,000,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Bad beats hurt period. In a €1,000,000 tournament, they must sting like crazy and it's a feeling Bob Safai is going through right now after losing a monster pot to Andrew Pantling to bust the Big One For One Drop.

Elton Tsang lit the touch paper, making it 600,000 to go from under-the-gun, Pantling called from middle position and Safai did likewise from the big blind. The     flop was checked through and the   fell on the turn. Safai bet big, leading out for 1,500,000, Tsang folded and action was on Pantling. He took a look at his opponent's stack (it looked like Safai had about 9,000,000 total) and then slid out enough orange 500,000 chips to set Safai all-in. He almost beat him into the pot.

Pantling:   
Safai:   

It was a turned straight against turned two pair, Pantling still had four outs for the win and the   river made him a full house. "So sick," said Antonio Esfandiari, who's here coaching Safai. Even Pantling winced as the river card hit the table, it was that kind of beat. A shell shocked Safai wandered away from the table to the bleachers, while Pantling, with a stack of 34,370,000 has almost 25% of the chips in play.

Andrew Pantling	34,370,000	14,270,000
Bob Safai	0	-12,300,000

Andrew Pantling raised to 450,000 from the hijack, and Haralabos Voulgaris three-bet to 1,225,000 from the cutoff. Pantling called.

The flop came     and Pantling checked. Voulgaris continued for 1,300,000, and Pantling then check-raised to 3,000,000. Voulgaris thought for a minute, then mucked his cards.

Andrew Pantling	20,100,000	2,325,000
Haralabos Voulgaris	6,000,000	-4,500,000

Nice flop James!

The James in question was James Bord, he intended to raise but threw out just a single 500,000 chip and it went as a limp. No worries as Pierre Garand, who was in position, did the raising for him by making it 525,000 to play and when it folded back to Bord he called.

The flop fell     which elicited a few raised eyebrows and chatter at the table. There was no action though as it checked through to the   turn. Bord came out firing, betting 400,000, Garand raised to 1,200,000 and Bord tanked before jamming. He had Garand covered, the Canadian had about 2,150,000 back and faced with a tournament-defining decision he understandably took his time. A couple of minutes passed and he decided that all-in was the play.

Bord showed    for quads and Garand was drawing dead with   . The   completed the board and Garand shook hands with his opponents and wished them luck before heading on his way.

James Bord	15,600,000	4,040,000
Pierre Garand	0	-4,000,000

Jason Strasser raised to 450,000. David Einhorn then three-bet all in for about 2,800,000. Strasser called and the hands are tabled.

Strasser:   
Einhorn:   

The board came      . Strasser won with his ace king, and Einhorn was eliminated.

With Einhorn's bustout, there are now 16 players remaining, and they will redraw to the final two tables.

Jason Strasser	6,700,000	2,125,000
David Einhorn	0	-3,110,000

A 20-minute break for the players.

Rick Salomon raised to 425,000 from the hijack, then Cary Katz three-bet to 1,200,000 from the cutoff. Alfred De Carolis was on the button, and he studied Katz's stack for a minute before electing to fold. Paul Newey was in the small blind, and he goes into the tank. After thinking over his options, he moved all in for 2,160,000. Salomon quickly folded, and Katz reluctantly called.

Katz:   
Newey:   

The flop fell    , giving Newey top set and a virtual stranglehold on the hand. The turn was the  , giving Katz outs to a straight, but the river was the  , a complete blank. Newey won with his set and doubled up.

Paul Newey	5,000,000	2,600,000
Cary Katz	4,300,000	-1,920,000

Anatoly Gurtovoy, Dan Shak and Bob Safai all stuck in 325,000 apiece pre-flop and were greeted with a     flop. It wasn't to their liking and everyone checked. On the   turn Safai led for 600,000 and Shak was the only caller. The   river was checked through and Safai's    was the winner. A visibly frustrated Shak mucked his cards and went off for a conflab with Scott Seiver (his coach). He returned to the table and said: "I know you're betting the river if you miss too."

Over on Table 9 Paul Phua raised it up and Andrew Pantling defended from the big blind. The       board was checked all the way to the river, at which point Pantling bet 575,000. Phua tank called and mucked when Pantling showed   .

"I've found a new hero," said James Bord applauding Pantling's thin value river bet. "Phua you've been replaced temporarily," he joked.

"You've no loyalty," joked Phua to Bord.

Rick Salomon moved all in from the hijack for 2,280,000, and Alfred De Carolis quickly called from the button.

De Carolis:   
Salomon:   

The flop rolled out    , keeping De Carolis in the lead. The turn was the  , and Salomon stood up to leave. But the river was the  , pairing Salomon's king to give him the double up.

Alfred De Carolis	13,900,000	-3,300,000
Rick Salomon	4,900,000	2,645,000