Phil Ivey was all in and at risk with the board showing holding and his opponent holding . "Deuce,
said Ivey, knowing he needed help to survive. The dealer put out the on the river which while it wasn't a deuce was good enough to give Ivey a low and keep him alive.
"I was so happy to see that card," whispered Ivey to his neighbor.
We found Chris Tryba scooping a large pot on a board where he had flopped a wheel with . He's now among the chip leaders after running hot early today.
Down to his last 1,600 in chips, Phil Ivey called on the button and four players saw a flop of . The player in the small blind bet, the other two in the hand called, and Ivey put in his last 400. The turn was the and the player in the small blind bet again. The other two players got out of the way and the hands were turned over:
Ivey
Opponent
Ivey was behind and would need a nine or diamond on the river to survive. The dealer put both out on the river as it was the to give Ivey a winning flush. If anyone can run up a stack, it'll be Ivey.
John Hennigan raised from early position and was called by a player in late position and Erik Seidel in the big blind. Hennigan bet the flop and was called by both opponents. He bet again on the turn, and only the late-position player stuck around. On the river, both players checked.
Hennigan's opponent showed for a low draw that backed into a straight, and Hennigan mucked.
With the board showing and three other players in the pot, Maria Ho bet and was able to induce folds from all three. Ho, who took 2nd in a WSOP event in 2011 for $540,020, is off to a good start today having added nearly 40,000 in chips since the start of the day.
Steven Wolansky opened for a raise, and only the small blind called. The small blind check-called the flop before leading the turn. Wolansky called, and the small blind checked the . Wolansky bet, and his opponent leaned back in his seat and thought for a bit before folding.
Wolansky came heart-wrenchingly close to a bracelet last year when he finished second for $139,034 in an eight-game event.