John Hewitt opened for 130,000 in middle position and action folded around to Kenny Shih in the big blind. Shih moved all in for 1.51 million and Hewitt, having Shih covered, called without hesitating.
Shih:
Hewitt:
The flop came out giving Hewitt an up and down straight draw. "I like the sweat," Hewitt said.
Shih was pleading for his hand to hold, calling for a deuce or a three. The turn came helping Shih's cause. With one card to come and with ten outs against him Shih was standing.
The river came and Shih's aces held, doubling him up to over 3.3 million and Hewitt slipped to just over a million.
Action folded to Phil Collins on the button and he raised to 150,000. Konstantinos Mamaliadis and Nelson Robinson called from the small and big blinds respectively, and it was three-way action to the flop.
All three players checked and watched as the dealer put out the on the turn. Mamaliadis decided to lead out for 125,000, Robinson called, and Collins raised to 550,000. Mamaliadis got out of the way while Robinson decided to make the call. Collins proceeded to check-call a bet of 675,000 on the river, and showed his , which was better than Robinson's .
Stephane Albertini raised to 135,000 to open the pot, and Hilton Laborda decided to play a pot with him out of position from the small blind. The flop brought for the two men, and Laborda check-called another 155,000. On the turn, though, he led right out into the pot with 260,000 of his own chips, and Albertini was the one doing the calling now. On the river, he faced one last bet of 360,000, and he tanked for a while before calling.
It looks like Laborda just mucked, but we can't quite tell from our vantage point. We did hear someone say, "I want to see a winning hand," and Albertini's was pulled into the middle. It was good, and it moves him up to 3.505 million.
J.P. Kelly, newly flush with chips after that early double through Matt Giannetti, opened with a raise to 150,000 from late position and it folded around to Minh Nguyen in the big blind. Nguyen checked his cards, then announced he was raising all in for the 795,000 he had left. Kelly made the call.
Nguyen:
Kelly:
The flop came , pairing Kelly's jack. The turn was the and river the , and Nguyen has been eliminated. Kelly's fast start continues, as he's now up to 8.4 million.
Per Linde opened for 130,000 from the cutoff, and Tri Huynh called from the hijack seat. Philipp Gruissem called from the small blind and Samuel Holden also called from the big blind. The flop came . Gruissem checked, Holden bet 275,000, Linde called, and Huynh folded. Then Gruissem check-raised to 725,000, forcing a fold from Holden. Linde responded by pushing all in over the top, and Gruissem called with the 1.69 million he had left.
Linde showed and Gruissem . The turn was the and river the , and Gruissem's pair of jacks were good. He bumps up to 4.255 million and Linde is down to 1.42 million.
Action folded to Per Linde in the small blind and he raised to 140,000. Khoa Nguyen was in the big blind and exercised his option with a three-bet to 385,000. Linde responded by moving all in for 1.84 million, Nguyen made the call, and the cards were turned up.
Showdown
Linde:
Nguyen:
Linde was in big trouble with his inferior pocket pair, and his fate was essentially sealed on the flop. The left Linde drawing dead, but the was put out on the river for good measure. Linde was eliminated from the tournament in 57th place and will take home $130,997.
Matt Giannetti opeend with a raise to 150,000 from the cutoff, and Fabio Sousa called from the button. J.P. Kelly then raised to 550,000 from the small blind. It folded back to Giannetti who repopped it to 2.65 million, forcing a fold from Sousa. Kelly then reraised all in for 3.64 total, and Giannetti called.
Giannetti showed and Kelly . The board came , and Kelly survives. He's doubled up to 7.42 million here at the start of play today, while Giannetti slips to 5.02 million.
Martin Staszko raised to 135,000 to open the pot, and Hilton Laborda gave him action in position. He tried to, at least. But David Bach squeezed in a big three-bet to 800,000 straight from the button, and both Staszko and Laborda folded in turn.
Nicolas Fierro opened to 125,000 from middle position, Eoghan Odea three-bet to 260,000 on his direct left, and Fierro made the call. The flop fell , and Fierro checked to Odea who fired 275,000. Fierro called.
Both players checked after the turned, and the completed the board. Fierro led for 415,000, and Odea tanked for nearly two minutes before folding.
The ESPN cameras have been busy all week capturing the action-packed Main Event, but they were also here earlier in the series to captured the $25,000 Heads-Up Event, $50,000 Poker Players Championship, and the popular "Grudge Matches." Here is a look at the upcoming 2011 WSOP schedule on ESPN: