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6.10pm: Not a bad comeback
It wasn’t long ago that Johnny Lodden was struggling on 16,000 chips. Oh how things change. He now sits with a 90,000 chips! A player under-the-gun raised to 1,100 before the next seat along re-raised to 3,000. The player on the button then moved in for 7,375 but the action wasn’t finished there as Lodden bumped it up to 13,000. Under-the-gun folded but his neighbor called to create a side pot.
Both players checked the J♠J♥ 3♠flop before Lodden led out for 12,500 on the 2♠turn. Call. He then moved his last 15,350 in on the 6♦ river and was called once again. The button player revealed pocket kings, the second position player revealed pocket queens but Lodden took the lot with pocket aces.
5.48pm: Deeb cracks Aces
Freddy Deeb has been waiting patiently for good spots and he eventually found one. A four-way pot brought a J♠K♠7♥ flop and the small blind, who had raised pre-flop, fired 2,650 into the 4k pot. Deeb stalled, studied and finally shot a hefty 23,000 into the middle raising the small blind all-in who grimaced and groaned and then called his tournament life away with Aces. Deeb tabled KJ and the board held pumping Deeb up to a very healthy 54,000.
5.45pm: King Swissy
Claudio Rinaldi has just doubled up to 41,000. His pocket kings found two more buddies along the way to make quad kings! Easy game this sometimes.
5.35pm: Shock news-Mercier runs bad in Europe
Team PokerStars USA Jason Mercier has been eliminated. He opened the pot with a raise from the high-jack and was called by both blinds. The small blind led out for 1,400 on the 9â™ 7♥ 3♦ flop before the big blind raised to 4,200. Mercier then jammed for 24,000 and was snapped off by the small blind. The big blind folded ace-six as he realized it must be behind. He was right too as Mercier had top two-pair and the small blind had pocket fours for bottom set. The board ran out blank and we’re a team member down.
Jason Mercier
5.22pm: Robinson folds quads (kind of)
A huge hand in the making just fizzled into a chopped pot when PokerStars qualifiers Jose Vazquez Ortega and David Robinson got involved in some big pot poker with Johnny Lodden. Robinson made a very tough fold by passing Queens pre-flop convinced one of the other two had Aces but both showed Big Slick. Robinson was hugely relieved when the dealer’s window card was a King, but relief quickly switched to dismay as the rest of the flop came running Queens. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a tournament changing hand that never was.