The most powerful security barrier in the world is not a concrete bollard. It’s not steel plated armour or even an electrified fence. It’s the invisible line between a tourist, and the person they are taking a photo of. It creates a virtual obstacle that none dare cross, with elaborate side steps, twists and lunges performed to avoid appearing in shot.
A line of chairs, turned backwards does not work anything like as well, as tournament staff discovered this afternoon as the money bubble approached in the Main Event. The PokerStars Blog reports.
The action folded all the way around to Shannon Shorr on the button who moved all in for 102,500 in chips. Miltiadis Kyriakides was on the big blind and made the quick call before both players tabled their cards.
Kyriakides:
Shorr:
The board ran out to see Kyriakides hold with his ace-high as Shorr was sent to the rail.
As expected the action has kicked in very quickly with many short stacks getting their chips in preflop. Wilfried Harig's bustout was slightly different. He defended his big blind with a tiny stack and to find a gutshot on a flop of only to join the rail two community cards later as his opponent held up with .
Marcin Chmielewski followed next after failing to improve with against on a board of . Adam Martinsson and Silvestros Chasilas also ran out of chips, the latter couldn't get there with the against Olivier Busquet's . The board ran out .
Last but not least Sandrine Rousseau was all in for her last 13,000 and got called by Bjorn Wiesler with out of the big blind. Rousseau was ahead preflop with but the German improved on the board.
Jeffrey Hakim got up from his seat, grabbed his iPad, and was about to get escorted to the payout desk. Before that happened, he told us how his final hand played out.
It was opened to 11,000 and the small blind had three bet to 30,500. Hakim woke up with jacks in the big blind als made it 54,000. The initial raiser folded but the small blind pushed. Hakim called it off and was up against ace-queen.
"Fout hearts on the board" said Hakim, indicating his opponent made a flush. Hakim left in 142nd place, netting him €9,610.
Tamer Kamel opened to 10,500 from the cutoff and Pascal Hartmann on the button made it 23,000. Both blinds, including a severely short stacked Jannick Wrang, folded, but Kamel pushed all in. Hartmann called if of for 113,000 total and showed . Kamel tabled .
The board didn't help Kamel and he handed 113,000 of his well earned chips to his neighbor.
Sam Grafton had quite a profitable bubble period, winning a couple of nice pots when he was dealt back to back aces. He joked with the French dealer that he was making it too obvious and he should mix it up a bit and deal him kings from time to time instead.
Grafton had earlier tweeted a picture of the player on his left, Dylan Linde, to find out more about him and then doubled him up. Since then they have been getting on famously but there are no friends at the poker table.
Grafton opened for 11,000 and Linde three-bet to 28,000. It folded back round to Grafton who asked how much he started with and heard it was around 230,000. A short time for Grafton to weigh up his decision and then he flicked his cards away.
Team PokerStars Online Pro Isaac Haxton raised to 10,000 from under the gun plus one. The action folded around to Stephen Graner in small blind who raised it up to 73,000 in chips. The big blind folded as the decision fell back on Haxton. The raise had him covered and he deliberated over his call for a few minutes. Eventually he made the call and the cards where tabled.
Haxton:
Graner:
“Wow! Glad I didn’t fold,” said Haxton, after seeing he was ahead of Graner’s cards.
Unfortunately, the board ran out to see Graner spike a seven on the flop to win the hand.
Remi Castaignon had been all in on the bubble with nines and now all his chips were in the middle again. Rafal Chojecki made the call to put him at risk again, though this time they were both in the money.
Castaignon had found another pair, this time and was against the of Chojecki.
The board ran out and Castaignon doubled up again while Chojecki was left short.
to see Kyriakides hold with his ace-high as Shorr was sent to the rail.
to find a gutshot on a flop of 
only to join the rail two community cards later as his opponent held up with 
on a board of 
. Adam Martinsson and Silvestros Chasilas also ran out of chips, the latter couldn't get there with the 
. The board ran out 
but the German improved on the 
board.
and was against the 
and Castaignon doubled up again while Chojecki was left short.