Connor Drinan had a question for his tablemates.
"Strategy question for you guys," he said, "should I lower my opening raise since I have a lower effective stack?"
After a brief discussion, Drinan thought he might have figured it out.
"I guess it depends on the hand right, aces min raise, pocket three two-and-a-half times," he said with a smile, "maybe I should just not open."
Thomas Ward has been flexing his big stack. On two different occasions, Ward has three-bet Qi Luo and gotten a fold.
The first time Luo opened to 100,000 and Ward three bet to 270,000. Luo folded and Ward wasn't sure if he saw one or two tens as Luo mucked.
The next time Luo opened for 100,000 again and Ward shoved all in from the small blind. Luo took a brief moment to consider his options and then decided to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,300,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
850,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
Zhou Zhou's chip lead only last a few hands after he lost a pot to Thomas Ward.
He opened to 90,000 from the button and Ward peeled from the big blind to see a 
flop appear. Zhou continued for 60,000 and Ward check-called to the 
river where Zhou bet another 160,000. Ward called again before both checked the 
river.
Ward opened 
for trips and Zhou smiled as he mucked. "Bomb it, come on!" pleaded Ward. The chip lead is changing every few hands right now.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,100,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
1,550,000
-350,000
|
-350,000 |
Zhou Zhou has been the biggest mover today and has now taken the chip lead after a series of hands, one of which saw him double through former chip leader Connor Drinan.
Zhou and Drinan were all in after Drinan raised the button to 100,000. Zhou shoved for 760,000 from the big blind and Drinan called.
Drinan had 
and it looked like he was going to eliminate Zhou, but the 
of Zhou would be the best hand at the end. The board ran out 
, giving Zhou a flush and the pot.
On the next two hands hand, Zhou was at it again.
Hand #1: After an opening raise from Thomas Ward for 90,000. Zhou reraised from the small blind to 230,000. Ward folded.
Hand #2: This time Zhou was the opener for 85,000 on the button and Ward defended his big blind. The flop came 
and Ward checked to Zhou. Zhou bet 55,000 and Ward called. The turn was the 
and Ward checked again. Zhou then bet 150,000 and Ward quickly folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,900,000
1,080,000
|
1,080,000 |
|
950,000
-805,000
|
-805,000 |
|
||
Xixiang Luo couldn't get anything going today and has become the first player to bust.
He moved his last 275,000 in from the cutoff and Thomas Ward smooth called from the button.
Luo: 
Ward: 
The board ran 
to see the aces hold, but Ward had to survive a little sweat.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,010,000
675,000
|
675,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 27
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 5,000
As level 26 comes to a close, things have slowed down a little. Within the first hour there were a few shoves, one double and it looked as though the eliminations would come quickly.
However, things slowed down. There were a lot more check folds, and barely, if at all, contested preflop raises.
Nan Tu's playing aggressively early on and, so far, it's working out for him. He three-bet three hands out of four and won them all.
Xixiang Luo raised his button but folded to Tu's big blind shove. The very next hand, Thomas Ward opened his button to 65,000 but folded to a small blind three-net from Tu. The man from China took a hand off when on the button but was back at it the very next hand.
Qi Luo opened to 75,000 from under the gun and called after Tu three-bet to 175,000 from the cutoff. The flop fanned 
and Luo check-folded to Tu's 135,000 c-bet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,550,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
|
1,050,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
Hsien Yuan Yang just doubled up through Xixiang Luo after reraising Luo all in from the button.
One hand before, Connor Drinan opened for 75,000 from the button and Yang shoved all in over the top from the small blind. Drinan took a few moments before deciding to fold.
The next hand Luo opened from under the gun for 70,000 and the action folded to Yang on the button. He shoved all in again, for 385,000. Luo looked like he considered folding, but decided to call. He showed and was in a race against Yang's .
The race was over pretty quick when Yang hit an ace on the 
flop and the rest of the board 
didn't bring Luo a ten. Yang started the day at 370,000 and well below the rest of the pack. After the double up, he is right in the thick of things about one hour into play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
820,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
|
785,000
-395,000
|
-395,000 |
|
|
||
After taking down the first pot of the day with an under-the-gun raise, Zhou Zhou lost two pots in a row.
On the first hand he defended his big blind after a raise from Xixiang Luo. The board read 
and Zhou checked. Luo bet 160,000 and Zhou called. Both players checked the river when the 
hit and Luo took down the hand with for a pair of nines, which was one better than Zhou's 
, giving Zhou a pair of of eights with a busted flush draw.
The next hand the action folded to Zhou in the small blind. He raised to 70,000 and Qi Luo called. The flop came 
and Zhou checked to Luo who bet 70,000. Zhou called. The turn was the and both players checked. The river was the and Zhou checked for a third time. Luo bet 95,000 and Zhou folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,180,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
980,000 | |
|
|
820,000
-390,000
|
-390,000 |
