[user67765]
Derek Leak has hit the rail after committing his final chips with against Steve Bouya's . The board fell and Bouya paired up to end the run of Leak. He'll collect AU$2,193 for a fine tournament.
[user75032]
We have our bubble boy. Daniel Mulgrew moved all in preflop for approximately 20,000 chips and was called by James Owens. Owens' was behind Mulgrew's but caught up on a flop of . Mulgrew couldn't find any of the remaining queens and was unceremoniously eliminated in 73rd place.
Scattered applause went up as the tournament staff announced that the remaining players were all in the money.
[user75032]
Seventy-three players remain in the tournament. That means the money bubble will burst with the next elimination. As a result, the tournament staff have commenced hand-for-hand play.
[user67765]
Mark Jacobson Eliminated
Mark Jacobson has been eliminated in cruel fashion. He was all in with and found that Paul Rochford held the same hand with .
The first four cards landed as the table called for a spade in jest. Wouldn't you know it, the peeled off to give Rochford a flush and a devastating elimination to Jacobson.
[user67765]
Steve Topakas
Steve Topakas opened with a raise to 12,000 from early position before Steve Bouya popped it up to 25,000. Mark Handmer then moved all in from the big blind, sending Topakas into the tank.
Topakas was cursing to himself as he obviously had a big decision. He eventually let it go as Bouya made the call.
Incredibly both players tabled pocket aces, much to the relief of Topakas. However Topakas obviously would have connected with the board as he stood and walked away in another outburst of expletives as the board was spread .
Meanwhile Bouya and Handmer quietly chopped up the pot.
[user67765]
The railbirds enjoy great access at the Aussie Millions
For those not familiar with the Crown Poker Room there is a natural divide down the middle of the room where spectators can walk through the room between the tables. One side of the room is generally used for cash games, while the other is generally for tournament tables and high-stakes cash games. The beauty of the setup is that the room is adaptable and capable of handling a massive tournament field such as we saw in this event.
However an interesting dilemma has just emerged for the tournament staff. With such a big field, there will still be nine tables in action as we approach the money stage of this tournament.
We have eight tables in the main tournament area of the Crown Poker Room but still have one table, the secondary feature table, which is situated on the cash side of the room.
As we approach the bubble we're going to test the communication skills of the TDs as they coordinate hand-for-hand play across the spectator aisle.
Also because we are now only one table away from the money stage, all players have been asked to remove headphones and iPods as they are no longer permitted for the rest of the tournament.
[user75032]
In less than an hour of play, we've whittled the 110 Day 2 starters down to 76 remaining players. Four of them will go home empty-handed. The rest are guaranteed at least AU$2,193.
[user75032]
Several notable names have all hit the rail in rapid succession including David Saab and Jamie Pickering. Pickering moved all in for 27,000 after Jim Ghobrial opened the pot for 8,000 from late position. Ghobrial made the call with . Pickering showed but found himself on the wrong end of the flop. When the turn and river came running sixes, he also found himself out of the tournament.