After an under-the-gun raise to 900, David Toneman announced all-in for 12,000 in middle position.
On the button, Mark Montgomery just called, before David Inselberg reshoved all in from the big blind. Montgomery was visibly unpleased but finally called it off for his last 6,000. He was covered and also at risk.
David Toneman:
Mark Montgomery:
David Inselberg:
The dealer spread out to keep Inselberg' aces in the lead, who subsequently eliminated two players in one hand.
Action was picked up when Eddie Mirabelli was all in and at risk against Brett Brucaleri in a 42,000 pot.
Eddie Mirabelli:
Brett Brucaleri:
The board came down and Mirabelli's aces held up.
In the very next hand, a player opened but made a mistake with the sizing. It was ruled he had to open to 10,000. Mirabelli was in middle position and pushed his stack all in. The opener was visibly unhappy, but elected to call it off.
Opponent:
Eddie Mirabelli:
It was back-to-back aces for Mirabelli, who raked in another stack after the board ran out .
Over at table 503, Dan Casetta flagged down PokerNews to tell about Linda Larson, who has been running good in the early stages of today's tournament and has amassed one of the biggest stacks in the room.
"Clean Living is your title," Casetta said, "Let it be a lesson to the degenerates, you give up the drinking and the smoking and you start running good."
Casetta told us that during level 2, he played a hand against Larson. He had aces against Larson's jacks. "I tricked her into getting it all in preflop," he told us. Larson then turned a jack to make a set and bust Larson's aces to double up.
Not too long after, Larson ran queens into kings, and once again made a set when a queen came on the turn. This time, she delivered a knockout blow to her opponent.
This isn't Larson's first run in the Senior's Championship, as she placed 271st for a cash of $3,074 in the 2017 iteration of the tournament, the largest cash of her career. She'll look to match and exceed that level of success this year, and has positioned herself well in the early going to do just that.
Bill Hansen tossed his last 300 chips into the middle from under the gun and Randy Levin bet from late position. Phil Rigby raised from the cutoff and Levin called.
The flop came and the two eventually were all in with nearly 80,000 chips (200 big blinds) in the middle with Levin at risk.
Bill Hansen:
Randy Levin:
Phil Rigby:
While Hansen had flopped a straight for the few chips in the main pot, Rigby was lightyears ahead for the big sidepot and could only lose against running queens.
Despite having over 98% equity against Levin and being nearly a 97% favorite to win, a rolled off on the turn and an came on the river to put a straight on the board, resulting in max pain for Rigby and a second chance at life for Levin.
Hansen would be forced into the big blind the very next hand and was rivered to see him go bust with his first bullet of the day.
Action was picked up as Robbie Betancourt, on the button, called the small blind's shove of 11,500.
Small blind:
Robbie Betancourt:
Betancourt pulled way ahead when the flop gave him trip aces, leaving his opponent drawing incredibly thin. The turn changed nothing before the on the river needlessly improved Betancourt to aces full of kings. Betancourt scooped the pot while his opponent departed for the rail.