The action has finally slowed down somewhat, and there were just four further casualties in the past few minutes to reduce the field to the last 77 hopefuls. They are spread among 10 tables in the fourth level of Day 2.
Viacheslav Zhukov opened in the hijack, and Mike Wattel made it three bets from one seat over, which Zhukov called. On the flop, Zhukov check-called a bet, and he did so again on the turn. The river was checked through, and Wattel showed as the winning hand.
Steven Sobel defended his big blind to a raise by Francisco Hernandez in an Omaha hi-lo hand at a different table. Sobel ended up turning a wheel with to take down a nice pot.
Wayne LaMonica: / /
David Diiorio: / /
Karim Bevans: / / muck
David Diiorio was reduced to less than a big bet after his four-card straight and low could not improve, as he only picked up the on seventh street. Wayne LaMonica caught the on seventh to make a better low and a straight, and Karim Bevans mucked.
"I want to call my Ian Johns," Diiorio joked, referring to the chip-and-a-chair story of the defending champion who started Day 2 with a tiny stack. Bevans added, "I had a better low draw than him," but could noit claim either half of the pot.
David Diiorio and Viacheslav Zhukov were among five casualties that busted towards the end of the level and John Monnette will require a miracle to make an even deeper run. His table was the only one still playing and Monnette was spotted betting seventh street after having invested the vast majority of his stack until that point already.
Jacobo Fernandez raised and that saw Monnette with just 2,000 behind. After some consideration, he sighed loudly and mucked his cards. Fernandez flashed for rolled up aces and a set on seventh street and Monnette stormed off into the break with the words "I guess some guys win it all, and some lose it all."
The remaining players have been sent on their second 15-minute break of the day. After the next two levels, the dinner break will follow, and the screens show 72 hopefuls still in contention.
John Monnette immediately busted after coming back from the break and he was soon joined on the rail by Ashish Gupta and Dylan Linde to reduce the field to 69 hopefuls.
Frederic Moss had the showing and called the completion of Daniel Negreanu, as did Adam Dickson. Walter Treccarichi had the and jokingly grabbed into his stack, but folded. On fourth street, Negreanu checked, and Dickson bet to force out Moss, while Negreanu called.
On fifth street, Dickson spiked the last ten in the deck, and Negreanu joked, "Ah, now you got the pair of tens," before calling. He did so on sixth street, as well, before reluctantly folding seventh street. "I am trying to find a hand that I can beat," he added, and Dickson replied, "I don't think there are many."