Thursday, September 30, 2021 4:07 PM Local Time
Richards Folds to a Shove
Connor Richards, a member of the PokerNews team, three-bet to 7,500 from the button after the under-the-gun player opened to 2,600. His opponent made the call, and they saw a flop with already 15,000 chips in the pot.
The flop came and Richards's opponent shoved for 13,000.
"I want to call," Richards said before mucking as his opponent showed to take the pot.
| Connor Richards | 12,500 | -13,300  |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 4:02 PM Local Time
Garver Contending for Chip Lead After Break
Jerry Garver, a poker dealer in Lake Elsinore, California, has built up a stack of 124,000 coming back from break and is near the top of the chip counts.
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:50 PM Local Time
Stevens Hits a Royal Flush This Time
Tricia Stevens made a straight flush earlier in the tournament. Just before the break, she did it again, hitting the rarest hand in poker: a royal flush.
According to her and her tablemates, her opponent had two pair with on a board of and got his last 15,000 in the middle on the turn. Stevens made the call holding an open-ended straight flush draw with .
The river brought the miracle , giving Stevens a royal flush and knocking out her opponent.
| Tricia Stevens | 41,000 | 16,000  |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:49 PM Local Time
Some Counts After the Break
| Jimmy Miller | 125,000 | |
| Willie Coleman | 105,000 | 18,300 |
| David Boulis | 91,800 | 16,300 |
| Garry Gates | 25,500 | -500 |
| Chad Holloway | 14,600 | -5,400 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:36 PM Local Time
Balfour Eliminates Two with Flopped Boat
According to players at the table, three players including Sean Balfour had gotten all their chips in the pot on a flop of . The hands were revealed.
Opponent 1:
Opponent 2:
Sean Balfour:
A very attractive flop had shown up for Balfour, and although one opponent was drawing very slim, needing running aces or straight flush cards, he still had to fade a jack from his other opponent. The board ran out and Balfour scooped up the pot as two players were gone, leading Balfour to express his wishes of it being a knockout tournament.
| Sean Balfour | 90,000 | 90,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:30 PM Local Time
Thompson Chops With a Straight
Jason Thompson, who was on the losing end of the aces vs. kings cooler against Jason Walker earlier, has re-entered and is back in action.
He was just involved in another big pot where he bet 14,000 on the river with the board showing . His opponent made the call and Thompson showed for a straight. The other player revealed for the same straight and they split the pot.
Thompson is currently sitting around the starting stack on his second bullet.
| Jason Thompson | 25,400 | 25,400 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:26 PM Local Time
Break
Players are now on a 20-minute break.
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:20 PM Local Time
Walker, Reyna Chat it Up on Table Silver #32
Tablemates Jason Walker and Robert Reyna have been two of the biggest stacks in the silver section of the Brasilia room for a while. They're also two of the most talkative, constantly exchanging friendly banter between them.
Their recent conversation centered around food, with Reyna recommending huevos rancheros. "I'm a pescatarian, what do I do now," said Walker.
Both are hovering around the 75,000 chip mark.
| Jason Walker | 77,000 | -8,000 |
| Robert Reyna | 75,300 | 11,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:06 PM Local Time
Fullen Knocked Out
PokerNews' Jesse Fullen was no longer in his seat when we walked by his table.
According to his former tablemates, Fullen got his last 10,900 in the middle with but couldn't win the race against the of Joy Fernandez.
| Joy Fernandez | 57,100 | |
| Jesse Fullen | 0 | -13,700 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 3:05 PM Local Time
A Few Chip Counts
| Willie Coleman | 86,700 | |
| David Boulis | 75,500 | |
| Tyler Foran | 62,000 | 25,500 |
| Garry Gates | 26,000 | 3,100 |
| Chad Holloway | 20,000 | -5,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:57 PM Local Time
Mejia Shoves the Turn and Forces a Fold
Monica Mejia was in early position and facing a 1,600 bet by the big blind on a flop of . She raised to 6,000, and her opponent made the call.
The big blind checked the turn, and Mejia pushed forward a stack of 5,000 lavender chips to put her opponent all in. He quickly folded and Mejia stacked the chips as the table prepared to break.
| Monica Mejia | 67,000 | 67,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:49 PM Local Time
Bowman Rivers Flush to Make Meza's Flopped Set No Good
One hand after flopping a set and making quads on the river, Ruben Meza flopped another set, but this time the river wasn't so favorable to him.
With 6,000 in the middle and the board showing , Meza was sitting in the hijack and bet 4,000. Bryan Bowman was sitting in the big blind and made the call.
The river was the and Bowman led for 8,000. Meza raised to 16,000 and was called. Meza showed for a flopped set but it was no good versus the flush of Bowman.
| Ruben Meza | 55,000 | -23,000 |
| Bryan Bowman | 53,500 | 53,500 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:42 PM Local Time
Walker Strikes the Turn to Bust a Player
Jason Walker and another player got into a pre-flop raising war that ended up with his opponent all-in for his last 27,000.
Walker showed while his opponent found himself in a classic cooler with two kings. With his tournament life on the line, he found new hope when a king popped up in the window.
That hope got taken away just as quickly when Walker hit an ace on the turn, sending his opponent home. He is now up to 85,000 and has one of the bigger stacks in the room.
| Jason Walker | 85,000 | 27,900 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:38 PM Local Time
Meza Makes Quads
There were three players on the river with the board showing . Ruben Meza was in the cutoff and fired out a bet of 11,000. The player in the big blind called, and another player folded.
Meza turned over , showing he improved his flopped set to quad fives on the river, and his opponent mucked with no possibility of beating the nuts.
| Ruben Meza | 78,000 | 78,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:37 PM Local Time
2019 Finalist Ruiz Hits Quads
With showing on the board, Jorge Ruiz, who finished third in this event in 2019, check-called a bet of 3,000 from the player under the gun.
The river came , and this time Ruiz fired out 7,200, which his opponent called.
"Quads," Ruiz says as he turns over . He's now up over 30,000.
| Jorge Ruiz | 31,000 | 31,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:22 PM Local Time
Martinez Loses to Kings and Wins with Kings
Randy Martinez called his opponent's pre-flop all in with and was up against . The board ran out and Martinez scored a knockout.
A hand earlier, Martinez had been on the losing side with the same cards, his doubling up Jeri Lee with kings.
"Half of those chips are mine," he said to Lee while stacking his new chips.
| Randy Martinez | 28,900 | |
| Jeri Lee | 13,600 | |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:12 PM Local Time
Boat Over Nut Flush for Chang
With the board showing and around 22,000 chips already in the pot, Joe Chang was all-in for his remaining 22,300, and his opponent called.
Joe Chang:
Opponent:
His opponent had flopped the nut flush, but Chang turned his flopped two pair into a boat on the turn and raked in the pot.
| Joe Chang | 67,000 | 67,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 2:10 PM Local Time
Mosher Shows Aces to Take Big Pot
With around 15,000 already in the middle by the turn, Drew Mosher bet 9,000 from under the gun on a board of .
His opponent called from middle position, and they saw the fall on the river. Mosher bet again, this time 10,300. After a brief tank, his opponent made the call, but mucked when Mosher showed to win the huge pot.
| Drew Mosher | 41,000 | 41,000 |
Thursday, September 30, 2021 1:59 PM Local Time
Monrovia Makes Trips to Oust Opponent
With 35,000 chips in the middle, a player in the cutoff was all-in and at risk against Marilyn Monrovia in the big blind.
All-in player:
Marilyn Monrovia:
Monrovia was behind and was calling for hearts, and although she didn't get that, she jumped ahead on the flop. The turn left her opponent drawing to a queen, but the river was another to give Monrovia trips and send her the pot.
Thursday, September 30, 2021 1:56 PM Local Time
Reyna Drops a Pot with Nines
Robert Reyna has gotten off to a fast start on Day 1 before losing a few chips on this last hand.
Facing a pre-flop raise to 1,000, Reyna came along from the cutoff as did the big blind. The flop came and both opponents checked before Reyna put in a bet of 1,800; only the big blind called.
Both players checked the turn before the big blind led out for 1,500 on the river. Reyna called but mucked when his opponent turned over for top pair, saying he had two nines.
| Robert Reyna | 64,300 | 4,300 |