$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

Mahmut Urkun is all in from the cutoff for 600,000 with , and he’s dominated by Mark Darner’s on the button. But the board comes , and Urkun pairs his ten on the flop to win the pot and double up in chips.

Mahmut Urkun  –  1,370,000  (23 bb)
Mark Darner  –  565,000  (9 bb)

A short while later, Darner got it all in with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against Ivan Barbuto’s . The flop brought a third five to give Barbuto a set, and the board didn’t give Darner anything to root for as he was eliminated in 30th place.

Ivan Barbuto  –  2,500,000  (42 bb)
Mark Darner  –  Eliminated in 30th Place  ($5,197)

Over on the next table, Tom Nguyen got it all in for 390,000 with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against Mukul Pahuja’s .

The board came , and Nguyen paired his king on the flop to win the pot and double up in chips.

Tom Nguyen  –  950,000  (16 bb)
Mukul Pahuja  –  2,200,000  (37 bb)

With 29 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 2 million (34 big blinds). The two biggest stacks in the field appear to belong to Cong Pham and Tony Delacruz.

Cong Pham  –  4,900,000  (82 bb)
Tony Delacruz  –  4,150,000  (69 bb)

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

Mark Darner raised from the hijack to 125,000, Nichole Stringer moved all in from the small blind for 730,000, and Ivan Barbuto moved all in over the top for about 1,060,000. Darner folded.

Stringer turned over , and she needed to improve to stay alive against Barbuto’s .

The board came , and the pocket sixes held up for Barbuto to win the pot, eliminating Stringer from the tournament.

Ivan Barbuto  –  1,985,000  (33 bb)
Nichole Stringer  –  Eliminated in 33rd Place  ($5,197)

Lisa Albrecht was eliminated a short while ago, and that leaves Nancy Birnbaum as the last woman remaining. Birnbaum has a roughly average stack of 1.65 million.

Nancy Birnbaum  –  1,650,000  (28 bb)

With 32 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.83 million (31 big blinds). Action will continue tonight until 3:00 am, unless they are down to the final table and all the remaining players agree to continue playing down to a winner (which rarely happens).

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000/5,000 Ante

Charles Simon wins the Short-Stack Survivor award today, as he’s been down to miniscule stacks several times but keeps bouncing back. According to players at his table, he’s been down below a single big blind.

He just doubled up again when he got his short stack (<3 bb) all in with against another player’s . The board came , and king high was good enough to win it. That took Simon to about 200,000 in chips.

Then Simon got it all in yet again, this time with against the of T.J. Shulman. The board came , and Simon won the pot with two pair, jacks and tens, to double up again.

Charles Simon  –  500,000  (10 bb)

With 35 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.67 million (28 big blinds). The remaining players are all guaranteed at least $5,197, and first prize is worth $254,659.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000/5,000 Ante

With 41 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.43 million (29 big blinds). Here is a look at the top of the leaderboard from the break before the blinds increase to 25,000-50,000 and a 5,000 ante:

1.  Viktor Lavi  –  3,615,000  (72 bb)
2.  Cord Garcia  –  3,200,000  (64 bb)
3.  Mukul Pahuja  –  3,120,000  (62 bb)
4.  Larry Hirschfield  –  3,040,000  (61 bb)
5.  Peter Walsworth  –  2,895,000  (58 bb)
6.  Eric Becks  –  2,875,000  (58 bb)

Those were the only six players with at least 2.5 million in chips. The remaining 41 players are all guaranteed at least $4,392. Here are the remaining payouts:

1st:  $254,659
2nd:  $165,139
3rd:  $108,146
4th:  $91,939
5th:  $76,274
6th:  $60,756
7th:  $45,384
8th:  $30,744
9th:  $21,960
10th-12th:  $14,640
13th-15th:  $9,882
16th-18th:  $7,540
19th-27th:  $6,149
28th-36th:  $5,197
37th-41st:  $4,392

Action will continue tonight until 3:00 am, unless they are down to the final table and the remaining players agree to continue playing to a winner (which rarely happens).

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

Pablo Ortiz raises under the gun to about 300,000, Larry Hirschfield moves all in from middle position for more than 2 million, and Ortiz calls all in for about 700,000 with . Hirschfield turns over , and Ortiz needs to improve to stay alive.

The board comes , and Hirschfield rivers an unnecessary queen-high straight to win the pot and eliminate Ortiz in 45th place.

Larry Hirschfield  –  2,900,000  (73 bb)
Pablo Ortiz  –  Eliminated in 45th Place  ($4,392)

A minute or two later, David Nefzger was all in preflop with A-Q against the A-K of Viktor Lavi. The board blanked out, and Lavi won the pot with his king kicker to eliminate Nefzger and catapult to 3.8 million to contend for the chip lead.

Viktor Lavi  –  3,800,000  (95 bb)
David Nefzger  –  Eliminated in 44th Place  ($4,392)

Mahmut Urkun raised from the hijack to 120,000, Nichole Stringer reraised from the big blind to 390,000, and Urkun quickly moved all in for 680,000. Stringer thought for a while before she called with , and Urkun turned over . Urkun needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Urkun paired his king on the river to win the pot and double up in chips. When the king hit, Stringer said, “Oh my God, are you kidding me?!” She was knocked down to fewer than 5 big blinds, but still alive.

Mahmut Urkun  –  1.4 million  (35 bb)
Nichole Stringer  –  195,000  (5 bb)

The next hand, Stringer moved all in for 190,000, and the big blind called with . Stringer turned over — . Somebody at the table said she really sold that she didn’t have much of a hand when she shoved, and she said with five big blinds, she was pretty much shoving with anything anyway.

The board came , and Stringer won the pot with a set of kings to double up in chips.

Nichole Stringer  –  420,000  (11 bb)

With 43 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,360,000 (34 big blinds).

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

Mukul Pahuja opened under the gun, the small blind moved all in with 8-8, and Pahuja called with .

The board came — the small blind flopped a set of eights to Pahuja’s gutshot straight draw, and then Pahuja caught a runner-runner heart flush instead to win the pot and bust his opponent.

That takes Pahuja up near the top of the leaderboard with 2.7 million in chips.

Mukul Pahuja  –  2,700,000  (68 bb)

There are currently 46 players remaining, with an average chip stack around 1,275,000 (32 big blinds). Action will continue tonight until 3:00 am, unless they are at the final table and all remaining players agree to keep playing (which rarely happens).

$350 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 17: 2,500/5,000/500 Ante

The bubble has burst simultaneously on two tables here in Event 11.  Vincent Fiorenza had his kings cracked and Phil Wasserman’s jacks could not hold up either.  Because both players were on different tables, the two of them will split the 27th place money.

Play is now back to normal for our remaining 26 players.

$350 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 17: 2,500/5,000/500 Ante

Our 28 remaining players are now hand-for-hand here in Event 11.  We’re one player away from the money as all the tables will play one hand at time together waiting for someone to fall.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000/5,000 Ante

A player got it all in for 1,050,000 from the small blind, and he was poised to double up with against the of Cord Garcia — but beware painful river cards.

The board came — Garcia turned a pair of tens and rivered trips to win the pot and bust his opponent, who slammed the table when he saw that river card. That pot propelled Garcia back into the chip lead as the first player with at least 3 million in chips.

Cord Garcia  –  3,100,000  (103 bb)

But Garcia’s time at the top of the leaderboard was about as brief as it could be. The next hand saw a three-way all-in situation between Garcia, Nancy Birnbaum, and a short-stacked player in the hijack. Here were their hands, in descending order of chip counts:

Cord Garcia:  
Nancy Birnbaum:  
Short-Stacked Hijack:  

The board came , and the board never brought much hope to anyone but Birbnaum — her aces held up for her to more than double her stack of 765,000 to nearly 1.8 million. And Garcia lost his chip lead.

Nancy Birnbaum  –  1,780,000  (59 bb)
Cord Garcia  –  2,345,000  (78 bb)

Birnbaum is now one of three women remaining in the field (including Lisa Albrecht and Nichole Stringer), as Michelle Shah was just eliminated.

There are now 53 players remaining, with an average chip stack around 1.1 million (37 big blinds).

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000/5,000 Ante

There is a quick color-up of the orange (1K) chips after Level 24, and it gave us a chance to get official chip counts on all the stacks with at least 1.5 million in them. There are 66 players remaining, with an average chip stack of 888,000 (30 big blinds).

1.  Larry Hirschfield  –  2,650,000  (88 bb)
2.  Eric Becks  –  2,425,000  (81 bb)
3.  Josh Hillock  –  2,185,000  (73 bb)
4.  Peter Walsworth  –  2,060,000  (69 bb)
5.  Mukul Pahuja  –  1,990,000  (66 bb)
6.  Cord Garcia  –  1,980,000  (66 bb)
7.  David Nefzger  –  1,825,000  (61 bb)
8.  Theodore Prystal  –  1,625,000  (54 bb)
9.  Jason Prest  –  1,585,000  (53 bb)

With 66 players remaining, there are four women left in the field. Here are their counts from the break:

Lisa Albrecht  –  925,000  (31 bb)
Nancy Birnbaum  –  775,000  (26 bb)
Nichole Stringer  –  715,000  (24 bb)
Michelle Shah  –  315,000  (11 bb)