Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:38 PM Local Time
We've got two more levels for our eardrums to get through tonight, but we've got one more break first. We'll be back with a fresh round of counts in a moment.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:37 PM Local Time
The action folded around to the blinds, and Thomas Miller and Matthew Berkey got it all in. Berkey was the one at risk for 840,000 from the big blind, and he was in trouble with against Miller's .
The flop brought the ace, though, and Berkey (standing on the rail with his friends now) lowered his head and shook it back and forth. The board ended up showing , and Berkey has doubled up to 1.71 million.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:34 PM Local Time
Matthew Berkey moved all in from early position and action folded all the way around to Thomas Middleton in the big blind. Middleton called putting his short stack at risk with . Berkey held and the flop came .
Middleton paired his nine on the flop and his rail went nuts. He doubled up to 1.7 million and Berkey slipped below 1 million.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:27 PM Local Time
A very nice gentleman wearing a Harrahs badge displaying the name "Shawn" just walked over to the constantly screaming cheerleaders of Thomas Middleton and asked for their attention. He explained that there are other tournaments running in the room right now, and he asked them to be a bit more courteous of the others.
Good try, Shawn, but we'd be surprised if that polite talking-to lowers the decibel level for more than three minutes.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:27 PM Local Time
Mikhail Lakhitov opened for 100,000 from under the gun and Thomas Miller called from the button. The flop rolled out and Lakhitov led out with 150,000. Miller called and the turn came , which both players checked. The river came and Lakhitov checked. Miller cut out 175,000, pushed it forward and Lakhitov called. Miller showed but Lakhitov tabled for the win.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:16 PM Local Time
Thomas Miller opened to 110,000 from middle position, and Hassan Babajane gave him action from the big blind. The two went heads-up to a flop, and Babajane took the lead with 200,000 of his own chips. Miller flatted, and they saw the on the turn. Babajane checked now, and he called a bet of 350,000. On the river, both men checked.
Babajane showed up , and Miller's means they'll chop up the pot.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 11:03 PM Local Time
Thomas Miller opened for 110,000, Matthew Berkey called along with Eddy Sabat. The flop came , Berkey bet 175,000, Miller raised to 500,000 and Sabat folded. The turn came , Berkey checked and Miller bet 850,000. Berkey folded and Miller is up to 3.6 million.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:52 PM Local Time
Following Tom Dwan's departure from the feature table, a sizable crowd has gathered around the secondary feature table. A large group of Brits are cheering for Thomas Middleton and they're doing usual singing asking for waves and declaring their love for Middleton.
Eddy Sabat's crowd isn't as sizable as the Brit Rail, but three girls are capable of producing a high-pitched wall of sound. Daniel Negreanu and Hollywood Dave have joined them. And a dog.
Behind Matthew Berkey is Team Mercier and they're doing their best to compete with the Brits' cheers. But they're having a hard time clapping due to all the drinks they're holding.
Thomas Miller has a small group of friends cheering him on, but the one hoping the most for him is his beautiful fiancee. We're sure she has visions of a dream wedding dancing in her head.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:33 PM Local Time
Level: 28
Blinds: 25000/50000
Ante: 5000
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:32 PM Local Time
James St. Hilaire opened from the cutoff for 80,000 and Matthew Berkey raised to 200,000 from the button. Action folded back around to St. Hilaire and he moved all in. Berkey called and tabled and St. Hilaire held .
The board ran and with the ace in the window Berkey knocked St. Hilaire out.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:25 PM Local Time
When the action folded around to Eddy Sabat in middle position, he turned to the dealer, made eye contact, and told her he was all in. She nodded in acknowledgement, and T.D. Troy announced it over the mic. Three seats over, the action paused on Thomas Middleton, and he asked for the count before he too announced an all in. Sabat was at risk, and he was heads up in a coin flip.
Showdown
Sabat:
Middleton:
The dealer smacked three cards on the felt, and when she rolled them over, the appeared right in the door. The full board ended up running , and Sabat rushed over to the rail for a round of high fives from his cheerleaders.
That double pulls Sabat out of the basement and back up to 2.015 million, and Middleton drops to 1.16 million after paying his debt.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:19 PM Local Time
Matthew Berkey opened for 80,000 from middle position and Mikhail Lakhitov called from the button. The flop came and both players checked. The turn brought the , Berkey bet 110,000 and Lakhitov folded.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:12 PM Local Time
| Thomas Miller | 2,800,000 | 40,000  |
| Mikhail Lakhitov | 2,405,000 | 5,000 |
| Matthew Berkey | 2,400,000 | 90,000 |
| Thomas Middleton | 2,385,000 | 385,000 |
| Hassan Babajane | 1,300,000 | -350,000  |
| Eddy Sabat | 880,000 | -25,000 |
| James St. Hilaire | 780,000 | -130,000 |
Thursday, June 23, 2011 10:06 PM Local Time
Matthew Berkey has opened the last three pots to 100,000. In the first, he was in the small blind, and Eddy Sabat folded from the big. On the next hand, Berkey was three-bet to 270,000 by Mikhail Lakhitov in the big blind, and Berkey yielded.
He tried again on this third hand, opening to 100,000 from the cutoff. Lakhitov flatted this time, and the two men took a flop. Lakhitov checked, and Berkey continued out with another 150,000. Lakhitov took his time counting out a raise, and he made it 425,000 total. After some time in the tank, Berkey shoved, and Lakhitov snap-called. It was a cooler.
Showdown
Berkey:
Lakhitov:
It was set over set, and it was Lakhitov on the bad end of it. The two men were virtually even in chips with about 2.35 million apiece, and it wasn't clear who was covered. As it turned out, it didn't matter. The turn and river came and , respectively, and Lakhitov was spared from disaster. The straight on the board means the two men chop it up, and Berkey is none too pleased with that result.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:56 PM Local Time
Thomas Middleton opened for 80,000 on the button and Conrad Monica moved all in for 525,000 more from the small blind. Middleton called and tabled while Monica held .
The board ran and just like Barry Greenstein Middleton found an ace on the river to eliminate Monica.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:42 PM Local Time
Conrad Monica moved in on the button for 310,000 and James St. Hilaire called from the big blind. Monica held and St. Hilaire held . St. Hilaire saw a jack in the window when the flop came . But Monica was saved by the turn and the river didn't help either player.
Monica doubled up to 710,000.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:32 PM Local Time
Cards are back in the air following the 20 minute break.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:32 PM Local Time
| Thomas Miller | 2,760,000 | -290,000 |
| Mikhail Lakhitov | 2,400,000 | -30,000 |
| Matthew Berkey | 2,310,000 | -590,000 |
| Hassan Babajane | 1,650,000 | 585,000 |
| Thomas Middleton | 1,500,000 | -50,000 |
| James St. Hilaire | 1,210,000 | -1,025,000 |
| Eddy Sabat | 905,000 | -45,000 |
| Conrad Monica | 420,000 | -20,000 |
Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:32 PM Local Time
Level: 27
Blinds: 20000/40000
Ante: 5000
Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:16 PM Local Time
Players are going on another 20 minute break. Be back shortly.