Blinds 2.5k/5k/500 ante 67 players remaining, 191k avg (38 bb)
Every decision is magnified as the bubble approaches.
We pick up the action on Table 8 with a player deep in the tank for what is essentially his tournament life. Less than 20 spots from the money the anonymous player is facing an 89k all-in bet from Ryan Hittel (Boca Raton, FL).
On a flop of , Hittel c-bets 12k, a second unidentified player makes it 28k, a bet the anonymous player calls.
Hittel moves all in for 116k total, the raiser folds and the action is back on the anonymous player.
After doing the math and counting down his stack, the player calls.
Hittel: (set of Jacks) Anonymous: (nut flush draw)
“That’s not what I wanted to see,” says Hittel, knowing he needs to dodge diamonds.
Turn:
River:
“My heart can’t take it,” says Hittel who gets more than a full double-up and is at 270k.
The anonymous player is crippled and out a few hands later.
Blinds 2k/4k/500 ante 82 players remaining, 156k avg (39 bb)
Players are back from their first break of the day and Tony March (Tampa, FL) has taken over the chip lead with 653k.
Start of day chip leader John Cofhlin (Fort Pierce, FL) has lost 40% of his 419k starting stack, but is still healthy at 250k. Meanwhile Joe Boulais (Cocoa, FL) is climbing the chip counts and is at 370k.
We’re less than 30 spots from the money as the top 54 cash.
“I had a lot of fun,” says Cunix, who has $2.1 million in career tournament earnings, “I had a blast.”
Cunix started the Day with a top 15 stack (159k), but lost two big hands to Ricardo Rodriguez (Tampa, FL) who is up to 300k.
Rodriguez gets a double-up with JJ on a Ten-high flop with Cunix holding KT. The two tangle again with Cunix looking for a flush.
“I hit my flush, but he flopped quads,” laughs Cunix who quickly sits down in a $2/$5 cash game.
Cunix who has business ventures in Florida loves to play at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, but unfortunately won’t be here for the Championship Event (Dec 18-21).
“My daughter has an ice skating competition I don’t want to miss,” he says, “Family comes first.”
As for Rodriguez, he has a healthy stack after his pocket 6s flop quads to knockout Cunix.
The hits the turn, but it’s the wrong black ten and the river is no help sending Wasserman home.
John Holley (Niceville, FL) & Rob Manjura (Heathrow, FL) witnessed the carnage and help fill in the blanks. They say Wasserman lost a chunk of his stack on a missed flush draw earlier in the level, which put him just below March’s count.
March is up to 345k after starting the day with 104k.