Eric Rodawig's dream of capturing this title for the second time in three years came to an end in the last hand before the break courtesy of Mike Leah.
It happened when Leah completed showing the and Rodawig raised. Leah made the call and then bet when he paired that seven on fourth. Rodawig called off his last 17,000 and showed , which gave him a good shot at a low. Leah showed the .
After the board ran out, Leah received the on seventh to make an eight-seven low to go with his pair of sevens, but it wasn't needed as Rodawig somehow missed everything and ended with king high after receiving the on seventh. Rodawig exited in tenth place for $21,190, which is a far cry from the $442,183 he won two years ago in this event when Phil Hellmuth in heads-up play.
We just lost someone in the last hand before the break. We'll be bringing you those details shortly, but in the meantime the remaining nine players are on a 20-minute break. When they return they will be combined to one table and moved to the secondary feature table in the Blue Section of the Amazon Room.
David "Bakes" Baker checked on fourth and then called when Matthew Ashton put out a bet. The latter took the lead on fifth by pairing fours, and he wasted little time in betting 24,000. Baker made the call and then bet after Ashton checked sixth. The Brit then woke up with a check-raise to 48,000, Baker called and it was off to seventh street.
Ashton bet again but he couldn't shake Baker. "Pair of fours," a resigned Ashton said before showing . Baker then tabled the for a pair of fives for high and an eight-seven low to scoop.
We picked up the action in fourth street when Eric Rodawig bet and Tony Cousineau called. That same action repeated itself on every street thereafter and the cards were tabled.
Cousineau:
Rodawig:
Cousineau had the best high with kings and nines while Rodawig took the low with an eight-six. Chop it up.
It wasn't the most exciting hand, but then again things have slowed quite a bit as the players have gotten a little deeper.
Tony Cousineau: / Fold
Mike Leah: / /
Gavin Smith: / /
Tony Cousineau completed with the up and both Mike Leah and Gavin Smith called. Smith his an ace on fourth an bet out, Leah called and Cousineau got out of the way. Leah proceeded to call bets from Smith on every street and the cards were turned up.
Leah:
Smith:
Smith had a pair of aces with a six-five low, and it was good enough to scoop the pot as Leah flashed two of his cards and ten sent his hand to the muck.
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We caught the action on fourth street when Jose-Luis Velador and Matthew Ashton both checked. The latter then checked fifth, Velador bet and Ashton woke up with a check-raise. Velador called and then watch Ashton fire out a bet on sixth. Velador raised his last 17,000 and Ashton called.
Ashton:
Velador:
Ashton was ahead with his pair of queens, and that's what he ended up with when the failed to improve him on seventh.
"That what I needed," Velador said knowing that card would have given him a straight and a low. Instead he got the useless . Velador, from Corona, California, was sent to the rail in 11th place for $17,025.