It certainly seems like Phil Hellmuth is focused if nothing else. After arriving to a stack of less than 7,000 chips Hellmuth hasn't been all in once today and his stack is very slowly creeping upward.
In one hand he raised to 3,000 from under the gun and was called by the hijack. Both players checked after the flop came and when the turn brought the Hellmuth bet 3,800 and the other player folded.
In another hand not long later Hellmuth raised to 3,000 from early position and was called by the hijack. The flop came and both players checked. They both checked again when the came on the turn but when the hit on the river Hellmuth tossed out a bet of 4,800 and the other player tossed his cards into the muck.
Hellmuth's stack of 36,400 is still only about a third of the average stack at this point so he still has plenty of work to do.
... but for the other players over on table 289, it may have become hell. Nervous looks were exchanged as current chip leader Alexander Mozhnyakov arrived there to unrack 480,000 in chips!
Jason Mercier raised from middle position to 2,400 which opened the action preflop. The player to his left called, as did Mikhail Tulchinskiy on the button and both of the blinds.
The flop was and the players in the blinds checked to Mercier. He bet out 3,900 and the two players in position were the only callers.
The turn was the . Mercier checked this time, the opponent to his left bet 6,200 and Tulchinskiy raised to 16,000. Mercier couldn't get rid of his hand fast enough and action was back on the last remaining opponent. He decided to raise again to 41,200 and Tulchinskiy wasted little time moving all in for 90,000. The opponent had him covered and quickly made the call so that the hands were revealed.
Tulchinskiy:
Opponent:
Tulchinskiy was drawing a slim as it gets. The didn't do it for him and he hits the rail an hour short of Day 3.
Daniel Cates was in the big blind and an early position player opened for 2,700. The raiser picked up one caller and action passed to Cates. He called and went to the flop with two opponents.
The flop came and Cates sat silent. He quietly said all in and had to repeat it to the dealer. The original raiser thought for few moments before asking Cates how much he had.
An obviously annoyed Cates said, "I keep them (chips) in stacks of 20." And to Cates defense his stack was easily countable and pushed forward.
The original raiser called, the third opponent folded and Cates tabled . The raiser tabled and watched the board finish . Cates doubled with his pair of jacks is around 26,000.
Jason Mercier raised to 2,400 in the cutoff and Tom McCormick called on the button. Corrie Wunstel then raised to 7,500 from the big blind which got Mercier to instantly fold but McCormick stuck around.
On the flop, Wunstel led out for 8,600 and McCormick quickly slid in a raise to 18,600. After a bit of thought, Wunstel put in around 70,000 in orange T5000 chips that were almost his entire stack and which were enough to put McCormick all in who had 24,000 or so behind. McCormick then went into the tank...and tanked...and shuffled and counted out chips...and tanked. Finally, after what must have been at least five minutes, McCormick plopped the rest of his stack in and the players showed their hands.
McCormick:
Wunstel:
McCormick made the right call and was ahead with his over-pair of jacks against the top pair of nines with Wunstel. The on the turn was safe and McCormick gave a little “YES!” but then the fateful hit the river to give Wunstel trips. McCormick jumped out of his chair and nearly fell over as he cried, “NOOOO!” and ventured off near the other tables for a few seconds. As the pot was pushed to Wunstel who was stacking his chips, McCormick returned and said, “How can you do that?” He then went over to Mercier at the opposite side of the table to say a few things before he made his exit.
When we looked up, Tommy Le had Duane Wellnitz all in and at risk. The hands were tabled, and looked like this:
Le:
Wellnitz:
The on the turn changed nothing, but the spiked on the river, forcing a groan from the crowd, and eliminating Wellnitz from the 2011 Main Event. He left the Main Feature table swiftly, but returned a few minutes later to pick up the Dearfoam slippers he'd left behind.
"Forgot my $10,000 slippers," he joked to the tournament director.
Tommy Le opened to 2,900, and received four callers including Sorel Mizzi, Greg Vogelsong, Daniel Negreanu (button), and Duane Wellnitz (big blind).
The flop fell , Wellnitz checked, and Le continued for 6,500. Mizzi called, Vogelsong folded, and Negreanu raised to 19,500. Only Le called.
Both players knuckled after the turned, and Le led for just 16,000 after the fell on the river. Negreanu went into the tank with a pained look on his face, and after nearly a minute, he released.
"You throw ace-jack away?" Le grinned.
"We might've had the same hand," Negreanu returned.
No one will know for sure, but what we do know is that Le is flirting with 100,000 chips, while Negreanu is back down to 65,000.
Phil Hellmuth has been rather short-stacked for most of the day. However, he has slowly (but surely) increased his stack throughout today's levels.
In a recent hand, a player in the cutoff opened for 2,500. Right behind him, Phil Hellmuth re-popped it to 5,800 and action folded back around to the original raiser, who folded after some deliberation.
"I'd have snap-called you," Hellmuth said as he scooped the pot. "I only had ace-queen, but I read you as weak. In my mind you had ace-jack."
Regardless of his read, Hellmuth is up to 31,000 after having been as low as 6,500 earlier in the day.
With the board reading , Martin Kabrhel's opponent checked and Kabrhel pushed out a bet of 6,700. His opponent made the call and the river came .
Kabrhel's opponent checked once again and Kabrhel took a good long stare at his opponent. For about twenty seconds Kabrhel did not blink as he stared intently at his opponent. Kabrhel then reached for chips and pushed a stack of 20,600 into the middle. After the chips were in the middle he returned his unrelenting gaze to his opponent. After about a minute, his opponent mucked his cards and Kabrhel scooped the pot.
and when the turn brought the 
Hellmuth bet 3,800 and the other player folded.
and both players checked. They both checked again when the 
came on the turn but when the 
hit on the river Hellmuth tossed out a bet of 4,800 and the other player tossed his cards into the muck.
and the players in the blinds checked to Mercier. He bet out 3,900 and the two players in position were the only callers.
. Mercier checked this time, the opponent to his left bet 6,200 and Tulchinskiy raised to 16,000. Mercier couldn't get rid of his hand fast enough and action was back on the last remaining opponent. He decided to raise again to 41,200 and Tulchinskiy wasted little time moving all in for 90,000. The opponent had him covered and quickly made the call so that the hands were revealed.
and Cates sat silent. He quietly said all in and had to repeat it to the dealer. The original raiser thought for few moments before asking Cates how much he had.
. The raiser tabled 
and watched the board finish 
. Cates doubled with his pair of jacks is around 26,000.
hit the river to give Wunstel trips. McCormick jumped out of his chair and nearly fell over as he cried, “NOOOO!” and ventured off near the other tables for a few seconds. As the pot was pushed to Wunstel who was stacking his chips, McCormick returned and said, “How can you do that?” He then went over to Mercier at the opposite side of the table to say a few things before he made his exit.
held against the opponent's 
fell on the river. Negreanu went into the tank with a pained look on his face, and after nearly a minute, he released.
.