Alex Foxen had his last 8,000 or so in the middle out of the big blind, and he was at risk against Jack Salter, who had the button. Salter had , giving him a dominating spot against , and the board ran out clean for the U.K. pro.
Justin Liberto and Tobias Peters were staring at a board of . Liberto was acting in middle position after Peters checked from the blinds, and he put Peters all in for about a pot-sized bet of 13,000. Peters thought only briefly before calling.
Liberto turned over for a flush. Peters flashed a and mucked.
Mike Watson just showed some true poker guts. The Canadian sicko was in an early position, playing a heads-up pot against the player in the big blind.
They were on the river of the board with roughly 30,000 in the middle. The big blind moved all in, covering Watson's stack of 31,500.
Watson processed the situation, and while he didn't have any ace in his hand, he had all aces up his sleeve. More precisely, he had good heart, calling with just .
Watson's instincts proved correct, as his opponent had only for a missed open-ender, rewarding Watson's savage call with glory and a double.
It took some hard work to get the chips, but Watson worked his way to the 95,000 he's now controlling.
Ben Heath checked a flop from the big blind, and Joe Serock bet 3,000. Jan Schwippert called, as did Serock. Everyone checked the turn, and the completed the board on the river. Serock bet 9,500, getting a fold from Schwippert. Heath quickly called with , though, winning a showdown against .
The board read as Alexander Ivarsson faced a pot-sized shove from his opponent, who slid in his last 22,850.
Ivarsson leaned back in his chair, indicating he was in a tough spot. He spent about a minute thinking, then he asked the dealer for a clarification of the amount.
Ivarsson then called with , and he was right, as his opponent had for a stone bluff.
Ivarsson still had to avoid a queen on the river to get a reward for his good call. The dealer obliged, pulling out the on the river.
With the latest knockout, Ivarsson's chip count moved into six figures.
Players are on the final 20-minute break. Registration is closing at the end of the break, with two more levels scheduled for Day 1. Phil Hellmuth checked in at the end of the last level.