The action checked to Melanie Weisner in middle position on the double-paired board and Weisner set the price to play at 1,225. Her sole opponent, a gentlemen two seats to her right, counted out the required chips and called.
A brick landed on the river in the form of a and again it was checked to Weisner. A couple of seconds passed without movement before Weisner moved all-in for 4,650 in total. Her opponent went into deep thought before calling for his tournament life.
Gentleman:
Weisner:
"So you called to chop, wow!" said Weisner to her opponent who looked a little bemused at Weisner's comment.
Not a good start for one of the deep runners of the Employees Event. Aaron Henderson just missed the final table of Event #1 and is now down to about 2,500 in chips from 4,500 starting. The latest hand saw him bet 600 on a flop but he then folded when an opponent raised to 1,500.
Whilw walking into the Amazon Tan area, we noticed the last few tables of the Razz Event and the majority already occupied with this second flight of the Millionaire Maker. Among those faces that we recognized were Shannon Vezina and Sebastian Pauli, Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott has since also taken his seat in the nearby Orange area.
We just walked by the tables in the Orange zone of the Amazom room and heard an "oh my god" from table 387. Rushing by we noticed a massive pot in the middle and the board was already complete. Matt Hamlin had and his opponent left the table after his got cracked.
Three players checked the flop, but Matt Stout was not in a mood for checking and he bet 250. The small blind and hijack seat called, but the cutoff folded, wincing as he did so.
The turn brought the into play and it was checked around too Stout. Again, Stout took the aggressive line and bet 1,000. This time only the hijack called.
After burning a card, the dealer placed the onto the river to complete the board. The hijack checked, Stout moved all in for 2,025 in total and won the pot when his opponent mucked his cards.
This talented quartet of players are in their seats and playing their way towards a million dollars.
Grayson Ramage is one of the biggest winners in the online poker world, but has swapped the virtual felt for that of the Rio and is definitely one to watch out for as this tournament progresses.
Fernando Brito is a Portuguese businessman and a talented poker player, one who was crowned Player of the Year in Europe in 2011, while Tom Hall is an online grinder from the UK who is on a bit of a heater in 2014 and, like Ramage, is one to watch for.
Christina Lindley is one of the many players who has taken advantage of the new rule that allows players to buy into Day 1b if they bust Day 1a. She'll be hoping to make better use of her chips this time around.
We even have a waiting list at the seven star and diamond entrance, let alone the normal registration that has a queue all the way to the Pavilion and Brasilia Rooms. The 7,000 player mark is already eclipsed and will increase significantly in the hours to come.