2010 PCA: Day 3, level 16 live updates

Live updates from Day 2, level 16 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event brought to you by Stephen Bartley, Howard Swains, Brad Willis, and Simon Young.

Blinds: 2,500-5,000-500

3.35pm: Level over
It was an extraordinarily long level, owing to the bubble shenanigans, but now it’s over. We’ll be back for level 17 momentarily.

3.30pm: Welcome to Paradise, day three

Watch PCA 2010: Day 3 Introduction on PokerStars.tv

3:28pm: Richard Gryko scores ball, scarf, scalps
The UK’s Richard Gryko has recently sent two well-known players to the rail. The first came when he sent MLB great Orel Hershiser out (and scored his signed baseball). Next came Dario Minieri. The Italian raised pre-flop with five-nine offsuit and got the Gryko call. When the flop came down king-high, they got it all-in. Gryko’s king-queen was too good for Minieri and the man with the scarf is out (and, no, he did not award the neck wrap to Gryko).

3.25pm: Medina explains his day
Team PokerStars Pro Luis Medina from Portugal was the shortest stack of all at the start of play today. Just 27,000 chips were in his bag when he sat down. But a double up on his first hand with 10♠ J♠ was followed a few hands later with another nice pot that took him to more than 70,000.

“Unfortunately, after that it all stopped,” he said after reporting in to PokerStars Blog HQ. “I had been short stacked for the whole tournament and that was the case today, despite moving up to 70,000. Eventually I pushed with A-5 and got called by another short stack at the table, who covered me. He had A-8 and what perhaps should have been a split pot ended up with him making a straight. So I finished in 212th place, and that means I was in the money for $15,000.”

3.20pm: For the record

There are four players still in the field who have previously made PCA final tables:

Hafiz Khan (2nd, 2008)
Robert Mizrachi (4th, 2007)
Steve Paul-Ambrose (winner, 2006)
Bill Gazes (8th, 2004)

There are five former EPT champions remaining:

Carter Phillips (Barcelona season six)
Joao Barbosa (Warsaw season five)
Jens Kyllonen (Copenhagen season five)
Victoria Coren (London season three)
Christoph Benzimra (Warsaw season six)

There are two former WSOP Main Event champions remaining:

Huck Seed (1996)
Carlos Mortensen (2001)

3:18pm: Passport stamped
Chalk up a cash for PokerStars Passport winner Philip Byers. He just went out in 197th place for $15,000.

3.15pm: Team Pros out, but in the money
Two Team PokerStars Pros fell in the period after the bubble, both picking up $15,000. The first was Luis Medina from Portugal, and the second Victor Ramdin. “I pushed with A-5 for around 60,000, and got called by Q-2 and the queen came on the flop.” He was our 199th place finisher.

3.10pm: White knuckling the bubble
The amount kept getting smaller: 30,000, then 20,000 then 10,000. Hand for hand is a slow process at the best of times but for Dave Gutfreund it was an excruciating one too, this number being the size of his stack. But if it’s going to be a painful and potentially costly experience Gutfreund’s plan seemed to be to enjoy it.

Sitting with just two blue chips, Gutfreund, an American horse racing journalist who now lives in Teddington, London, paid his 500 ante and waited to squeeze his cards once more, hoping that somewhere nearby someone was feeling a little more reckless.

Whilst players around him were folding blind Gutfreund at least looked before folding. But then John Leathart burst the bubble a few tables away. While some cheered and some clapped, Gutfreund called for cocktails -his white knuckle escape complete.

“Let me let you in on a little secret of how I play,” said Gutfreund to the rest of his table. “My range just changed dramatically!”

As he swigged the first Kalik beer, one likely to be accompanied by a few more later tonight, he waited to move all-in. Not surprisingly it didn’t take long, a three-way deal with A♥ 6♦ against Michel Cats’s 7♦ 7♣ and Francisco Hernandez’s K♦ K♣ . A seven on the flop sent the chips to Cats (himself a white knuckle bubble rider) and Gutfreund to the rail, $15,000 to the good. Not bad for a steps spin up on PokerStars.

3.05pm: Million dollar man, temporarily
Bryce Yockey recently became our first million dollar man. In the hands just after the bubble, Yockey’s stack soared north of the million chip mark. A couple of hands later, he played his queens a little slow and ended up doubling up the short-stacked Nicolas Levi. Nonetheless, Yockey is probably still in good shape for the chip lead.

3pm: Representative of the next few levels
Daniel Smith is out. He got his chips in with pocket tens against Owen Crowe’s pocket fives. Crowe flopped nothing but turned a five and Smith, who had got his last 46,000 in good, is out. There’s going to be a lot of hands like that as the short stacks put their chips to work.

2.55pm: Bust outs aplenty
As expected, the passing of the bubble has sparked a number of bust outs as the short stacks push, knowing they have made the money. Head on over the the prizewinners’ page, which will be updated as soon as their identities are known.

2.50pm: John Leathart is the bubble boy
It’s never a nice moment to see – the last person to be busted before everyone else makes the money. That person today, who will be the only one in the room not to make at least $15,000 hard cash, is John Leathart.

The PokerStars qualifier from the US, who got here in a $33 rebuy satellite, was knocked out by Justin Bonomo after a hand-for-hand stretch that lasted nearly an hour.

Bonomo made it 12,000 from the button, and Leathart came along from the small blind. On the 7♥ 7♣ 8♥ flop, Leathart checked and called Bonomo’s bet of 20,000. The turn of 10♥ followed the same pattern, with Leathart check-calling Bonomo’s 45,000 bet. Finally, on the A♦ river, Leathart checked, Bonomo moved all in, and Leathart called for his last 150,000.

Bonomo had 7♠ 8♦ for the full house, and that was good enough.

Afterwards, a forlorn Leathart told me he had a flush, but “that’s the way it goes”.

Unlucky, sir.

2.45pm: Applause means bubble
There’s a familiar smattering of applause from the other end of the room. That can mean only one thing: the bubble is burst. The identity of the unfortunate faller will be with us shortly.

From hereon in, the prizewinners will be listed on the prizewinners page.

2.40pm: Some pre-bubble play
Robert Mizrachi and Wayne Bentley both have plenty of chips to play with, and play with them is precisely what they’re doing. Four cards are out – 5♠ 8♥ K♣ 5♥ and Mizrachi check-called Bentley’s 30,000 bet. The river is 9♦ and Mizrachi checks again. Bentley bets 35,000 and then Mizrachi puts in a huge re-raise – about 120,000, which is most of his stack. Bentley folds.

2.05pm — 2.35pm: Hand-for-hand
The recent slowdown in coverage is owing to a slowdown on the tables. We have 225 players remaining, which means it’s hand-for-hand until one more elimination, which will give us our bubble boy/girl.

As yet, all of the small stacks are clinging on, while the monsters are locking horns to give themselves a foot up in the post-bubble period. It’s intriguing, but we have to be out in the field, rather than on media row, to make sure we don’t miss the crucial pot. Keep refreshing. It won’t be long now.

1.55pm: Dyer wins blind battle with Shulman
Greg Dyer has made pocket sevens his signature hand at the PCA this week and he has just made another terrific call with them to win a massive pot from Barry Shulman. It was a battle of the blinds, Shulman in the small raising Dyer in the big. Dyer called – about 20,000 total. The flop came 10♥ 2♠ 6♦ and Shulman bet 40,000. Dyer called. The turn was 10♣ and Shulman bet 70,000, Dyer called. The river was K♣ and now they both checked. “Ace high,” said Shulman. Dyer showed his pocket sevens and put his stack up to around 420,000.

1:51pm: Bubble up
Brad Stebeleski came in for a raise to 15,000. In the blinds sat two short stacks–Vicky Coren and PokerStars Passport winner Philip Byers. Neither of them looked happy with the raise. Coren looked even more unhappy when she had to put in her full stack, 52,000. Byers looked less happy to peel up A♣ 10♣ . He eventually folded, and good thing. Stebeleski held 9♦ 9♠ . Coren, tortured, turned up A♠ K♣ . It turned out well for her, though. The board gave her a king and a double up to more than 100,000.

1.50pm: Bubble soon, folks
We’re down to 229 players, and tournament staff have announced we will go hand-for-hand at 226 until the bubble bursts. That means very soon 224 players are going to be getting at least $15,000. Nice.

In preparation for the moment a big line appears in front of the cash out desk, the chairs are already being aligned.

1.45pm: More for Lodden
Johnny Lodden adds more to his stack. He and Maciej Mazur see a Q♣ 6♣ 4♦ 10♦ board and Lodden check calls Mazur’s 17,500 bet. On the 10♥ river, Lodden makes it 45,000. After thinking for a moment, Mazur makes what looks like a crying call… and is shown Lodden’s 10♣ 8♣ . And that’s good.

1.40pm: Keep it brief
Only 140 characters to work with but Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren still uses correct spelling and punctuation. We salute you. Here’s her level 15 tweeted:

“Oh dear, just lost a cruel pot, I couldn’t really afford that. Need some help now. Down to 250 players.”

“Phew, won a pot. Not a big one, but nice to remember it’s possible.”

“Break time. I’m in precarious shape, but Phil Ivey just wished me luck. That must mean a next-level double up?”

1:36pm: A chat with Wayne Bentley
We’ve written a lot of about Day 1A chip leader Wayne Bentley thus far. We think it’s time you hear from him.

1:35pm: Money, danger approacheth
We’re starting Level 16 and just ten players off the money bubble. Expect things to slow down, then speed up a lot. The 225th player out gets nothing. The 224th player out gets $15,000. Time for the fun part.