The Tanking Begins
While the money bubble is within sight, there are still quite a few eliminations needed until the hand-for-hand progress begins. However, that results in many of the short stacks taking their time to make a decision. At Table 17, there are quite a few short stacks and nobody seems in a rush to play a hand.
In fact, the first at the table just completed. Tzai Wei Phua raised to 16,000 on the button and Jack O'Neill defended from the big blind. The flop came 
and O'Neill check-called a bet of 11,000 from Phua. The turn brought the 
and both players checked to the 
on the river.
O'Neill checked again and Phua announced all in, for roughly 250,000 effective. That is when the tanking began for O'Neill as he sat still for well over 10 minutes. Other players at the table stood up and walked around while O'Neill deliberated on what to do. Everyone at the table refused to call the clock until the tournament director finally showed up.
After another 30 seconds, O'Neill's hand was declared dead and the table was given a warning. "Just so you guys know, stalling is not allowed. If we believe you are stalling, we will look at your cards and you will be susceptible to a severe penalty."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
548,000
33,000
|
33,000 |
|
||
|
248,000
-35,000
|
-35,000 |