While the last level of the day starts, there are 657 players left in the tournament and 646 will be paid. That means that we need to lose 11 more players to be in the money. Hand-for-hand action will commence shortly.
The action folded to Matthew Elsby in middle position who went all in for about 71,000. It folded to the big blind who got a count and called quickly. Elsby was at risk going to a full board.
Matthew Elsby: 2♥2♠
Big Blind: A♠K♦
The full board ran out J♣7♣9♠8♣Q♠ and Elsby would get a full double with less than 50 players to bust before the bubble.
After an open under the gun by Steven Kim, the hijack moved all in for 56,000 chips. Everybody folded to Kim, who called.
Hijack: A♣K♣
Steven Kim: A♠9♠
Even though he was leading preflop and on the flop A♥4♣7♦, the hijack lost everything because of the turn 9♣. The river card was the 2♥, and Kim busted out the player. His stack increased to over 500,000.
On the very next hand, from the big blind, he called another player at risk for 44,000 chips.
Cutoff: A♣J♦
Steven Kim: J♣10♠
This time, Kim wasn't as lucky as in the previous hand because the button stayed in the lead and doubled up on 3♥5♥2♠K♥9♥.
At Martin Zamani's table, a player in middle position was at risk for his last 22,000 chips against Francis Pasqualino, who called from the big blind.
Middle Position: A♦8♥
Francis Pasqualino: 2♣2♥
The middle-position player had a hand with good odds on J♠J♦9♣10♥, as he was looking for aces and he had a straight draw. Unfortunately for him, the K♥ landed on the river to send him to the rail.
Action folded to David Kaye in early position who opened. It folded to a player in middle position who three-bet to 26,000. Action then made it all the way back to Kaye who went into the tank for a moment and then opted to jam all in for the remainder of his chips. The middle position player snap called.
David Kaye: J♦J♥
Middle Position: A♣K♣
The 5♦3♣Q♠10♠3♦ board ran out clean for Kaye and he would earn the full double.
On the button, David Schaerf had already flipped his cards as he called the 37,000-chip stack of another player.
David Schaerf: A♣K♠
Opponent: Q♥J♠
No sweat for Schaerf, who had no problem taking the pot on the board 9♣2♠4♣8♥7♠. As his opponent was leaving the room, he stacked up his chips and increased his total to 255,000.
"When players walk past the tables, their eyes stop at Adel Kabbani's mountain of chips. The French player has 980,000, "even if the day has not started well".
As players start to take fewer risks because the bubble isn't that far away anymore, Kabbani uses his stack to apply pressure. For example, during one orbit, he opened almost every hand, varying his bet sizes. Most of the time, it worked, but sometimes it didn't.
In one hand, he opened to 12,000 from middle position and was called by the big blind. On 9♣Q♦K♠, Kabbani bet another 15,000, and he was called once again.
But on the turn 10♠, both players quickly checked. Finally, on the river 7♣, the big blind took the lead, betting 25,000. Kabbani snap-folded and moved on to the next hand.