Bill Klein raised to $6,000 in the cutoff, and Antonio Esfandiari made it $15,000 from the button. Klein repopped to $29,000 after the blinds mucked and a scary flop hit the board: . Esfandiari bet $29,000 after Klein checked, and Klein called. He check-called $51,000 more on the turn, and the hit the board. Klein checked again and Esfandiari fired $118,000. Klein cut out calling chips and slid them forward after a brief thinking period.
Esfandiari showed for a whiffed straight draw, and Klein took a pot of over $450,000 down with .
"Antonio, you and I can have a conversation in the back after this," Jean-Robert Bellande said with a laugh. "We can talk about trying to bluff the rich guys."
"Don't you know I'm a nit, Bill?" Esfandiari asked.
Klein's now one of the biggest winners with more than $700,000, and Esfandiari is down $400,000.
Antonio Esfandiari raised to $8,000 from the cutoff, and Jean-Robert Bellande defended from the $2,400 straddle. Bellande check-called $11,000 on the flop, and $21,000 on the turn. He checked the river, and Bellande thought things over after seeing Esfandiari bet $50,000.
"Alright Antonio, you're just better than I am, that's all there is to it," Bellande said, mucking what he later said was a ten.
"You can turn one over," Esfandiari said. Bellande asked him to repeat it, and he did.
Bellande turned both over: .
"You said it twice," he pointed out, which got plenty of laughter.
Even Esfandiari had to admit it was a good ploy and said he couldn't be mad. He did, however, get Bellande to admit it wasn't an original trick - JRB admitted someone had pulled it on him years ago.
Bill Perkins opened to $3,000, Bobby Baldwin made it $15,000, and John Morgan, Antonio Esfandiari, and Rick Salomon all called. Perkins blasted out $50,000 after the latter two checked the flop, and only Baldwin called. "The Owl" called another $100,000 on the turn, and Perkins fired the same on the river. This time, Baldwin immediately folded.
Rick Salomon opened for $10,000 on the button, and Bill Perkins called from the big blind, as did Jean-Robert Bellande from the $2,400 straddle. Everyone checked the flop, and the hit the turn. Perkins checked, Bellande bet $15,000, and both of his opponents called. Everyone checked to Salomon on the river, and he bet $30,000. Perkins called, while Bellande folded.
Perkins showed and took the pot.
"I had five-high," Salomon said. "You have five-high, you have to bet."
Antonio Esfandiari decided to come in for $1.7 million now.
On a flop, Rick Salomon made it $20,000 from the small blind, Bill Perkins clicked it to $40,000, and Esfandiari, facing the two bets on the button, popped it to $75,000. Salomon reraised again to $220,000, chasing away Perkins.
"I know I had the best hand," Esfandiari said after tank-folding.
Antonio Esfandiari just sat in, coming in for the minimum of $250,000 in the spot vacated by Al DeCarolis. "The Magician" was one of the biggest winners on Day 1 before sitting out of Day 2.
In the meantime, Bill Perkins and Rick Salomon played a three-bet pot in which Perkins opened and then called a three-bet to $33,000 from Salomon, who was straddling to $2,400. Both checked the flop, and Salomon bet the turn and got called. He bet $50,000 on the river, and Perkins made it $100,000. Salomon called with but lost to .
Catching up on the river, an board was on the felt between Al DeCarolis and Rick Salomon. DeCarolis checked and called off his last $290,000 or so. DeCarolis showed but that wasn't near enough to beat Salomon's , and Salomon collected a pot of more than $800,000, pushing his stack into seven figures, while DeCarolis headed for the hills.
Expect Salomon to get even more loose and aggressive, if that's possible, now that he has a huge stack.
. Esfandiari bet $29,000 after Klein checked, and Klein called. He check-called $51,000 more on the 
turn, and the 
hit the board. Klein checked again and Esfandiari fired $118,000. Klein cut out calling chips and slid them forward after a brief thinking period. 
for a whiffed straight draw, and Klein took a pot of over $450,000 down with 
.
flop, and $21,000 on the 
turn. He checked the 
river, and Bellande thought things over after seeing Esfandiari bet $50,000.
.
flop, and only Baldwin called. "The Owl" called another $100,000 on the 
, despite a pot of just about $30,000 in the middle. Bill Klein came out with a raise to $115,000. 
for the airball and took the pot.
flop, and the 
river, and he bet $30,000. Perkins called, while Bellande folded. 
and took the pot. 
flop, Rick Salomon made it $20,000 from the small blind, Bill Perkins clicked it to $40,000, and Esfandiari, facing the two bets on the button, popped it to $75,000. Salomon reraised again to $220,000, chasing away Perkins. 
river, and Perkins made it $100,000. Salomon called with 
but lost to 
.
board was on the felt between Al DeCarolis and Rick Salomon. DeCarolis checked and called off his last $290,000 or so. DeCarolis showed 
, and Salomon collected a pot of more than $800,000, pushing his stack into seven figures, while DeCarolis headed for the hills.