To go out on the "soft bubble" is really no more pleasant than the pure bubble, everyone here having played nearly 12 hours of intense tournament poker to get to this point. One exit in the recent past was that of Marle Cordeiro, her short stack at risk with 
vs. the 
of Christopher Soyza. She drew a paint-free 
board and headed out.
A completed board of 
was spread across the felt with over 110,000 already in the middle. Ryan Olisar and Baitai Li were heads-up in the hand and Olisar announced all in for 115,000 from the big blind.
Li put his hands on his head and leaned back in his chair like he couldn't believe what was happening. He thought for less than a minute and then dropped in a call. Olisar turned over 
for a straight to beat Li's 
. Li sent over a good portion of his chips and Olisar moved into the chip lead.
Though he has lost a few pots, Baitai Li is still chip leader as the blinds rise to 1,000/2,000/2,000 with over 300,000. He was drawn for Day 2 on a table of mostly short or at least under-average stacks, on whom he can put maximum pressure as the bubble approaches. Just now he saw a flop of 
vs an in-position player who bet 6,200 (with 28,000 behind) when Li checked to him. Li took little time to plonk down a stack of pink 5,000 chips - enough to cover his opponent - and pick up the pot.
Niveau: 12
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 2,000
Stefan Ivanov raised it up from early position and was called by Justin Conley in the cutoff. The two players saw a flop of 
and Ivanov continued for 3,500. Conley called and the landed on the turn.
Ivanov fired out another bet of 13,000 and Conley still called to see the on the river. Ivanov checked this time and Conley quickly checked it back. Ivanov turned over 
for a missed straight and flush draw while Conley held 
for the only pair.
A double to average chips for Carlos Reis just now, in a flopped set-over-set cooler vs. Richard Bai. The pocket pairs in question: 
for Bai and 
for Reis on a 
board. The running 
changed nothing, and Bai drops abruptly into short stack status.
Benjamin Dobson came into the day with only seven big blinds but has quickly turned things around in the early going. Following a triple up, Dobson opened to 3,200 in middle position and was called by two players. Baitai Li, who came into the day as the chipleader, three-bet to 13,200 on the button. The action was back on Dobson who shoved all in for 35,200 and Li looked him up.
Benjamin Dobson:
Baitai Li: 
The flop of 
was safe for Dobson who was just looking to avoid an ace. The 
on the turn and the on the river changed nothing and Dobson more than doubled up to a stack of around 50 big blinds.
Andy Spears was picking up his jacket having just busted while the table looked on at his , all in preflop vs. button (and initial raiser, subsequent caller) Stefan Ivanov's 
. The queens had held until the river, the board 
and Ivanov was in the process of absorbing Spears' chips into his own healthy stack.
"You have trust issues," joked tablemate Justin Conley.
"I played with him yesterday," responded Ivanov, "He's capable of it."
dans Safari
