The first few hands of heads-up play saw Joshua Budin attacking and Daniel Laidlaw gave up two hands. Then, Budin raised to 32,000 and Laidlaw called. On the flop , Laidlaw check-called a bet of 35,000 and then check-folded the turn to a bet of 80,000.
One hand later, the flop was checked through. Laidlaw bet the turn for 16,000 and Budin called before facing another bet of 44,000 on the river. Budin called and Laidlaw showed deuces only, giving away the pot to the of his opponent.
Both players ran through the numbers but ultimately didn't agree to a deal. Daniel Laidlaw scooped the first small pot with two pair, nines and sixes, but a decision is not in sight with both opponents quite deep at 40 big blinds and more.
Xen Xenofontos raised from the button and both opponents came along to generate a pot of 192,000 to the flop . Joshua Budin in the small blind and Daniel Laidlaw in the big blind checked and Xenofontos then moved all in for around 100,000. Budin folded and Laidlaw snap-called.
Xenofontos:
Laidlaw:
The turn and river changed nothing whatsoever and Xenofontos was sent to the rail in third place for AU$33,750. The remaining two players took a short break to calculate some possible deal numbers.
Joshua Budin has been the dominating chip leader for quite some time, but just lost the top spot to Daniel Laidlaw when the two big stacks clashed. Until the turn, a pot of 260,000 emerged and Budin fired a bet of 150,000. Laidlaw moved all in for more than double of that and Budin called.
Laidlaw:
Budin:
Laidlaw was in the lead and even made a full house with the river double into the lead.
In a limped pot, Daniel Laidlaw fired three streets on the board and Nikolaos Solomos called him down until he was all in after the river. Laidlaw showed the for a flopped set of fours and Solomos only held the inferior .
Solomos has been eliminated in fourth place for a payday of AU$26,715.
After a limp, Billy Argyros raised the pot and Daniel Laidlaw repotted to put Argyros all in and at risk of elimination.
Argyros:
Laidlaw:
The flop improved Argyros to two pair, but he then needed an eight or king once the fell on the turn. It was all over after the river and Argyros headed to the rail in 5th place.
Xen Xenofontos limped from the button, Billy Argyros called in the small blind and Joshua Budin checked his option in the big blind. On the flop all three players checked. Budin then bet the turn for 25,000 and his opponents folded.