Heads up on a turn reading 8♠2♣7♠6♣, Sean Fitzpatrick bet 7,500 and got a call from Pierre Neuville.
The river snapped off the 5♠ and Fitzpatrick sized up to 24,000. Neuville pushed forward a green chip to call but relinquished his hand when Fitzpatrick showed the Q♠J♠ for a flush.
Nan Min, a member of Pocket Queens, a poker community for women, had a little over 20,000 chips to start the hand. As she tells the story, she looked at her cards in early position to find the perfect hand - pocket queens.
She raised and got four callers, including Benjamin Hu directly to her left.
The flop came 7♣Q♣7♦. When it checked to her, Min checked, as she says, to trap, because the hand was too good. All other players also checked.
On the 2♦ turn, Min checked again, this time Hu bet. After everyone else folded, Min went all in and got snap called.
Nan Min: Q♠Q♥
Benjamin Hu: 7♥7♠
Min had queens full of sevens but was drawing very thin, down to a single queen. She commented that, since she is one of the Pocket Queens herself, she thought there was a decent chance she would catch the case card to save her tournament lif. But the queens ultimately let her down, as the 4♣ rolled off on the river and she was sent to the rail.
The player in the cutoff limped, and Doug Paxton almost limped out of turn in the small blind and joked, "Is that a tell"? Charles Mast limped on the button but the big blind was having none of that limping nonsense and raised to 12,000. Everyone folded except Mast who moved all in with 30,000 and the big blind called.
Charles Mast: Q♦7♦
Big blind: A♣K♠
The board came out with 8♦5♠Q♠5♣4♠ and Mast doubled up with his two pair.
While PokerNews was at the table many dealers and people walked by and acknowledged Paxton who has been playing poker since the fourth grade and started with toothpicks. He is still playing despite wearing two heart machines and has won the World Poker Tour - WPT Choctaw Championship twice.
Scott Kateian moved all in from the small blind for about 52,000 and the the big blind instantly called to put "The Bronx Bomber" at risk.
Scott Kateian: A♠K♠
Big Blind: 10♥10♣
The flop came 9♠6♥7♥. Kateian was looking for an ace or king as the turn came the 5♠ to create a flush draw and the river came the 7♠ to bring in the flush and give Katein the winner the hard way.
At the same table, Maurice Hawkins was eliminated when his small remaining amount of 6,000 was evaporated after an all in.
Shaun Colquhoun raised from under the gun to 6,000 and Tracie Osborn who was sitting in an awkward position to see the action announced raise in middle position and put in 5,000. The dealer held her to her raise so she raised to 10,000 and the player on the hijack called and Colquhoun called.
The flop came out as 10♥K♣A♠ and Colquhoun bet 7,000 and Osborn three-bet all in for about 30,000 and Colquhoun made the call after the hijack folded.
Tracie Osborn: A♦Q♦
Shaun Colquhoun: A♥5♥
The turn was the 9♥ and the river was the 10♣ which created a chopped pot, keeping Osborn alive.
Jorge Kiriakidis in the small blind and his opponent on the button both had relatively short stacks to start the hand. They got it all in preflop. Kiriakidis slightly covered the button’s stack of 36,500.
Button: A♠J♥
Jorge Kiriakidis: A♦10♦
Kiriakidis was dominated but the flop 2♥6♦9♦ gave him life with a flush draw. The turn 4♦ brought in the flush and Kiriakidis, who would have been crippled had he lost the hand, got an extension to his tournament.