Shulman Gets on the Board

Jeff Shulman opened for 300,000 and Joe Cada called from the small blind.

Cada checked the flop over to Shulman, who made a continuation bet of 550,000. It was enough to chase away Cada and Shulman won his first pot of the day.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Story Time

"I lost my voice. It hurts to talk," said Antonio Esfandiari a little while ago. "Yet... I can't shut up."

Actually, Esfandiari and his eight tablemates have been very quiet in the early going, with hardly any noise emanating from the table but the quiet riffling of chips and the dealer's announcements of action.

"Tell me a story, Steve," said Antonio to Steven Begleiter, with whom he'd opened a brief dialogue a little while ago following that cheer for Begleiter from the rail.

From the looks of things, the only stories this group will be telling in the near term will be told via the cards and chips.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Nick Maimone Doubles Through Phil Ivey

Nick Maimone open-shoved for his remaining 1.03 million and Phil Ivey made the call from the button.

Maimone
Ivey

The flop favored Ivey, coming down , but Maimone spiked the on the turn to take the lead. The river was the and he doubled up to 2,360,000.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Calderaro Moves First

Sometimes he who fires first wins the pot. Tommy Vedes was the first aggressor preflop, raising to 335,000.

He was called by Ian Tavelli on the button and James Calderaro from the small blind. All three players checked an ace-high flop, .

When the turn came , Calderaro had first action and made the first motion, leading out for 800,000.

Each of his opponents folded.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Francois Balmigere Eliminated in 25th Place ($352,832)

Francois Balmigere raised to 330,000 from middle position, Steven Begleiter called behind him, and it folded around to Billy Kopp who also called from the big blind.

The flop came . Kopp led with a bet of 700,000, then Balmigere pushed all in for 2.785 million total. Begleiter folded, and Kopp went into the tank.

After a minute, Kopp counted out the chips needed to call and stacked them in a single column. Finally he picked up the stack and set it down before him with a thump. The players' cards were revealed:

Kopp
Balmigere

The turn was the , and Balmigere's jacks were still good. But the river brought the , giving Kopp the straight.

Balmigere stood with a pained look for a moment, then shook hands with the others as he departed.

Kopp is now up to 17.5 million.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

No Stopping Kopp

Ben Lamb raised to 285,000 from the hijack seat, and it folded to Billy Kopp who raised to 860,000 total from the small blind. The big blind folded, and Lamb called.

The flop came , and both checked. Both also checked the turn.

The river brought the , putting four spades on board. Both checked again. Kopp turned over for the straight, and Lamb mucked.

Kopp is now up over 18 million, and Lamb at 7 million.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Another Hit for Akenhead

James Akenhead had scrabbled his way back to about 4.5 million in chips but has suffered another setback.

He opened the button for 310,000 and was called by big stack Darvin Moon from the small blind. Moon checked a flop of , then raised to 1.0 million after Akenhead bet 380,000.

Akenhead snap-mucked to the raise, preserving his stack at 3.3 million.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Kopp to the Top

Billy Kopp continues to amass a dazzling collection of orange, green, lavender, and almond colored chips stacked in columns before him.

He was in action again just now, raising to 275,000 from under the gun and getting a caller in Steven Begleiter from the button. The flop came .

Kopp continued for 600,000, and Begleiter called. Both then checked the turn and river.

Kopp showed , and Begleiter mucked. Kopp has moved into the chip lead now with 19.1 million. Begleiter currently has 11.35 million.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Nick Maimone Doubles Through Justin Smith

Jordan Smith made it 320,000 to go from middle position, Nick Maimone reraised to 825,000 on the button, and Smith made the call.

Smith moved all in on the flop and Maimone snap-called.

Maimone
Smith

The stands surrounding the feature table exploded as Maimone hit the on the turn. The river was the and Maimone scored a double-up to just over 4 million.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.

Dangerous Board Ahead

Phil Ivey opened for 320,000, Jordan Smith raised to 1,000,000 and Ivey made the call.

Smith checked the flop over to Ivey, who checked behind. The fell on the turn and both players checked again.

The on the river prompted an excited "oooh" from the crowd, but they checked it down again.

Smith turned over for two pair and Ivey mucked.

Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

And meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.