Yang Zhang went all in and was isolated by a raise from Alex Keating. Keating joked that it was a friendly isolation raise.
Yang Zhang: K♣J♣
Alex Keating: Q♦7♦
It was true that Zhang's hand was best preflop but after the wheel spun 7♠6♦2♦, Keating surged into the lead with top pair and the flush draw. There was no sweat for Zhang as the Q♠ made it so he was drawing dead and the river didn't matter.
Punnat Punsri moved all in from the cutoff for 1,825,000. Nozomu Shimizu raised all in from the button with a covering stack, forcing a fold from all other players.
Punnat Punsri: A♣9♠
Nozomu Shimizu: J♦J♣
Shimizu was ahead with pocket jacks and remained so on the 9♦2♦8♠6♣8♣ run out. Punsri was sent to the rail just shy of the unofficial final table while Shimizu collected another large pot.
Massoud Eskandari found himself all in and at risk in a preflop confrontation against Marcello Delgrosso.
Massoud Eskandari: A♥J♥
Marcello Delgrosso: A♠K♣
Delgrosso was in good shape to secure the knockout with a dominating ace and remained ahead on the A♣8♥Q♥Q♠2♠ runout to take the pot down and put an end to Eskandari's deep run.
Eskandari's elimination marks the start of the official final table.
Josh Reichard raised from late position to 500,000 and was called by Christian Harder on the button.
Heads up they saw a flop of K♦Q♦8♠ and Reichard continued with a bet of 350,000 and Harder made the call.
The turn was the 6♥ and both players checked, revealing the 9♥.
After some thought, Reichard checked again; Harder declared all in. Reichard couldn't have called faster if he tried and Harder showed the A♥10♦ but Reichard was lying in the weeds with the K♠K♥.
"Someone turn up the A.C. because it's getting hot in here!" shouted Reichard's rail.
Alexandros Kolonias went all in from early position and was isloated by Jason Hickey to his left.
Alexandros Kolonias: Q♥Q♣
Jason Hickey: 10♥10♠
The flop kept Kolonias ahead with the 3♠9♣6♥, but there was no doubt for him when the Q♦ fell on the turn and Hickey had already paid the man by the time the 9♦ fell on the river.
Jason Hickey found himself all in and at risk preflop from early position for approximately 600,000 against Nozomu Shimizu in the small blind who covered him.
Jason Hickey: 10♠9♦
Nozomu Shimizu: K♠3♥
The board ran out 8♥8♦4♠3♠5♦. Shimizu's two pair, threes and eights, was good for the winner and Hickey became the first casualty of the official final table.
Nozomu Shimizu raised to 600,000 from late position and was shoved on by Alexandros Kolonias directly to his left. When it folded back around to Shimizu he made the call and the table was quick to needle him for his gamble.
Nozomu Shimizu: 9♥3♥
Alexandros Kolonias: K♠Q♣
The board pulled Shimizu ahead with the 10♠7♣9♣ and he was preemptively thanking the dealer, as the turn arrived the safe 4♠, but when the J♦ came it gave Kolonias the nut straight and another crucial double.
Hand 2
Marcello Delgrosso made the mistake of going to muck his hand before the dealer and table informed him that it was his big blind. As soon as it happened Alex Keating was quick to say, "That's going to cause a shit storm," and when it folded to him he went ahead and raised to 600,000.
It got back to Delgrosso and he kicked in a call, to which Keating said, "Really?"
Heads up they saw the flop of 7♣5♠4♣. Big blind checked and Keating quickly announced an all in which Delgrosso bemoaned before making the call.
Marcello Delgrosso: Q♥7♦
Alex Keating: Q♣4♠
Keating realized the bad news, as they both shared the queen but Delgrosso had the better pair. Keating picked up a flush draw on the 6♣ turn but it never came when the 9♥ bricked out on the river.
Delgrosso's mistake paid off handsomely for him in the end.
