Shortly after coming back from the break, Stephen Boots and Neil Channing went to war. It was raised to 25,000 preflop by Boots from the button before Channing shoved the small blind for 160,000 total. Sean Keeton folded, but Boots called!
Boots:
Channing:
After all this time, it boiled down to a race. Channing won the race by rivering the nuts, . That crippled Boots to 8,600. He was all in on the next hand and called by both players, but it wound up as a three-way chop. The board of played for all three players.
That gave Boots a stay of execution for one hand. He was all in for 8,600 again the very next hand with . Channing raised to 25,000 to isolate Boots, with Keeton complying by folding. Channing showed and took down the pot on a board of .
We've seen a few instances now where Stephen Boots has taken all of his allotted twenty seconds to act and let them expire without making a decision. It happened in a hand against Neil Channing, with Channing raising to 17,000 preflop and Boots calling. The flop was checked by both men. On the turn, Boots bet 20,000 and was called. He then checked the river to Channing, who bet 45,000. Boots let his twenty second time bank expire without acting. His hand was declared dead and mucked.
It was a three-way limped pot among Sean Keeton, Stephen Boots and Neil Channing. As the dealer prepared to burn and turn, Channing chanted, "Jack, jack, deuce!" He was close; the flop was . Boots was first to act and checked to Channing, who bet 16,000. Keeton raised that bet to 32,000, drawing quick folds from Boots and Channing.
Ben Delaney wandered by the table at about the same time to chat with Channing about what was taking so long. He then wished each of the players good luck and retreated from the rail. We're told that, because this table has gone on so long, the final table will most likely be moved back to 9pm local time.
Small pots and no flops is the rule now at Table 26. Thus we were surprised to see a hand between Sean Keeton and Neil Channing go all the way to the river. Keeton tabled the best hand, showing down ace-king on a board of for a running two pair. Channing mucked his hand in disgust, dropping to about 154,000 in the counts.
A silent groan went up from everyone situated on and around Table 26 -- everyone, that is, except Neil Channing. Channing moved all in preflop for about 92,000 chips and was snap-called by Stephen Boots. Boots showed against Channing's . The curtain was coming down on Channing after the flop came and the turn was the , but Channing found new life when he spiked the on the river to win the hand. He doubled up to about 190,000. Boots is down to 175,000.
Sean Keeton: 185,700
Stephen Boots: 269,500
Neil Channing: 92,000
They players are playing very cautiously. Channing recently moved in preflop on back-to-back hands but neither Keeton nor Boots was willing to take him on.
Tournament staff have informed us that the final table is scheduled to commence at 8pm local time. That assumes that we'll have an elimination on Table 26 some time in the next forty minutes. None of the three remaining players on that table seems in any particular rush to leave.