PartyPoker Big Game Live Blog – Day 2

19.48

The final whistle has been blown, and although stacks fluctuated with the unpredictability of Andy Black’s facial hair, there’s no doubt as to who the winner is: David Viffer with a whopping £147,275 profit.

Despite some considering him to be a ‘soft spot’ in the game prior to this week, and maybe too generous with his chips, Viffer proved that his reputation was little more than a tool in extracting money from opponents as he bashed players up like Mike Tyson in his prime.

He was entertaining throughout, and as the most aggressive player at every eviction, Viffer was continually creating the action at the table and making the Big Game IV one of the most thrilling yet. What’s more, he made a disciplined fold with the bullets against Phil Laak’s rivered boat and despite returning to the table with a ‘Phil’s bitch’ sign hanging around his neck, was determined enough to make back all the monies he’d lost in the pot.

A deserving winner if ever I saw one.

And on that Viffer praising note, I leave you with one of the true Trojans of the Big Game, Jesse May, who although didn’t quite match the feats of Neil Channing and David Viffer, certainly earned his wages for the week. Tony G and Roland De Wolfe might be kings of the table talk, but nobody spoke more words than this chap. Arise, Lord May.

19.35

It wasn’t the best of finishes for Neil Channing, who, with just two hands remaining, managed to lose them both. But despite this, he maintained his discipline on both occasions, refusing to get his fingers sticky despite being stuck in the game.

The penultimate hand was a simple affair, Channing’s raise with being reraised by Phil Laak’s , and the Vic stalwart being forced to fold.

Then, on the final hand, Channing and M B Mahmood reached a flop with versus where the latter led out for £1,600. The turn improved both players’ hands, and again Channing check-called, this time £2,400. The river came a and Channing was keen to sedate his opponent: “You’re not going to go crazy on the last hand, are you?” Ignoring his foe, Mahmood bet £6,000.

Channing looked understandably aggrieved but fought off fatigue and chase-itus to find a disciplined fold.

19.18

I was spending a penny in the Gents at the time, but I returned to hear that Roland De Wolfe and Phil Laak had clashed in the final hands, Laak reraising De Wolfe’s £5,000 bet all in on a raggy flop. De Wolfe folded fives, whilst Laak was making a brave play with ace-king.

A hand or two later, Viffer stacked De Wolfe, no good against David Viffer’s on a flop. The betting went £2,000, £7,000, all-in. call, and a turn and river later and De Wolfe was £60,000 down.

19.02

Roland De Wolfe tried a move on Phil Laak, reraising him preflop with jack-four suited. Laak made the call with pocket fives. On the queen-queen-rag flop, De Wolfe continuation bet before folding to a raise from Laak. “Never misses,” complained De Wolfe. “I’ll show you for £150,” offered Laak. “£150?!” said Channing with a raise of an eyebrow. “You can read it on the Internet for 10p.”

19.00

Phil Laak was just forced to pay off an £8,000 river bet with versus on a board, meaning the scores on the doors are now as follows:

Seat 1: Bodo Sbrzesny — £54,250 (+£14,250)
Seat 2: Barny Boatman — £14,225 (+£4,225)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £62,475 (+22,500)
Seat 4: M B Mahmood — £21,425 (-£28,375)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £152,375 (+£102,575)
Seat 6: Neil Channing — £32,750 (-£12,050)
Seat 7: Roland De Wolfe — £34,650 (-£25,350)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £69,550 (+£24,550)

18.52

Three players reached a , David Viffer the preflop aggressor with . Three checks led to a turn where Ellis Reuben led for £2,000 with . M B Mahmood called with , only for Viffer to two-bet to £6,000. Reuben was in no mood to mess around, a raise to £24,000 seeing both opponents fold.

The Reubenator now boasting a profit of £22,650 after a turbulent last hour or two.

18.41

I joined the action with the board reading and Neil Channing was facing a bet of £15,000 from David Viffer with versus . “That’s the worst card,” sighed Channing. “I think I’m going to make a really big laydown, wow.” And that’s exactly what he did, although somewhat reluctantly.

Viffer now on a profit of £99,625, whilst Channing is back to losing £11,650.

18.35

The whole table reached a flop where Phil Laak bet £700 with . Barny Boatman called with .

On the turn, Laak bet again this time to the tune of £2,100.

Boatman huffed and puffed as he mulled over his decision, giving Jesse May time to ask, “Is Isaac Haxton going to look like Barny when he’s older?”

Just as I was thinking, ‘Well, at least we know he’s not folding’, Boatman slid his cards across the felt. “What just happened there?” asked Dusty Schmidt in the commentary booth. “I thought he was thinking about how he’d spend his money.”

Laak showed his hand.

Has Boatman decided to lock up his £5,000 profit?

18.28

Remember that song by D-Ream: “Things Can Only Get Better”? Well, they were lying, as Mahmoud’s stack continues to dwindle. He’s now losing £22,675, some of which has just found it’s way over to David Viffer. With Viffer raising it up to £400 preflop with , Tony G ( ), Barny Boatman ( ) and M B Mahmood ( ) all called.

Viffer decided to continuation bet the flop, casually dropping £1,500 across the line. Mahmood flat called, before checking down the turn and river.

“I’ve got a flush,” announced Viffer sheepishly. Mahmood showed his pair of knaves to his neighbour before throwing them into the muck.

18.17

Tony G in the thick of it straight away, reaching a flop with versus Phil Laak’s . The hand was played cautiously, Tony G making the final call preflop, and Laak checking the flop, either attempting to disguise his hand or thinking pocket jacks is in Tony G’s range. Nevertheless, after Laak check-called a bet of £5,000 on the turn, the river went check, check and Laak took it down.

18.11

The spirit of Davina McCall runs rampant through the room as we stumble upon eviction time once more. And what an intriguing one it was, Ellis Reuben brushing aside his life-long conflict with Neil Channing to punish Barny Boatman for straddle-gate, whilst newcomer Roland De Wolfe hopes for a quiet night by voting for neighbour Phil Laak. But, alas, despite two votes for Neil Channing, it’s Bodo Sbrzesny who feels the wrath of the vote, David Viffer, Channing and Laak (“Sorry, buddy, you’re too smart) sending him home.

Meanwhile, is that the clinking of a bicycle chain I can hear?…

18.05

With Paul Zimbler quitting while he’s ahead, there’s a spot free, and only one man to snap it up…

Who let the dogs out? Roland De Wolfe halts mid stride and releases an onslaught of howls reminiscent of my childhood Collie when she got locked outside during family dinners. But De Wolfe isn’t out in the rain, he’s in the game, thirsty for blood and ready to ambush the graveyard shift like a rabid wolverine in a cage of three-legged cats. If ever there were a time to pounce and enter the fray fresh-faced, then this is it.

17.53

Poker Wars: The Viffer Strikes Back

Raising it up to £500 preflop, David Viffer received five callers:

Neil Channing
Phil Laak
Bodo Sbrzesny
Ellis Reuben:
M B Mahmoud

The flop came and Viffer had no intention of playing it slow, leading out for £1,700. Local boys Reuben and Mahmood both called.

On the turn, Rueben made a surprise bet of £10,000. What was perhaps even more intriguing was that Mahmood flat called, only for Viffer to min-raise to £20,000. Reuben ummed and aahed before folding, but Mahmood was going nowhere and made the call.

“As long as it’s not quads…” said Jesse May. “Ooooh.” River: . A check, bet, call later and the chips were across the line. “Queens full,” announced Viffer. Mahmood’s expression suddenly turned sour as if he just sipped on last month’s milk by mistake and Viffer scooped the pot.

The Viff now back to being the big winner is this year’s Big Game with a total profit of £83,825.

17.26

Neil Channing raised it up preflop with the marginal holding of before folding to a three-bet from Barny Boatman’s .

“I only raised to get my aggression percentage up,” joked Channing. “I don’t want to be evicted with just an hour to go or something.”

Eviction looms, yet David Viffer will be exempt for aggression, not Sensei Channing.

17.19

Well, there’s been a change in two stacks at least…

Seat 5: David Viffer — £87,150 (+£37,150)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £68,375 (+£23,375)

17.01

During the aftermath, Phil Laak dropped in for a visit, his adrenalin still running high from the last pot (although sometimes it’s hard to tell) despite his foe making the fold. Like most, the little Unabomber devil was tapping frantically on his shoulder, sadistically suggesting the possibility of modifying those hole cards. “Say he had aces,” came one shout. “No, give him queen-jack of clubs,” said another. In the end, it was decided that misreporting the hand was just too cruel, and that Viffer was so tortured by the pot that making him think he had his man beat might finish him off.

But ahead or behind, Viffer took defeat in good spirit, and during the break utilised all those Blue Peter skills to create a label to hang around his head. What was even more impressive was that he remembered the apostrophe, proving that even poker players have good grammar skills.

16.45

“This is the pot we’ve been waiting for!” boomed the commentary booth. “If Viffer calls and loses, he’s back down to even!”

Phil Laak was the nemesis, raising to £225 with . David Viffer was having none of it, and with everyone passing, made it a total of £1,200 from the small blind. Of course, it helped that he was on board a first class flight with the American Airlines, .

Laak flat called the raise and we saw a seemingly dry flop: . Out of position, Viffer led for £1,000. “He’s not going anywhere,” predicted Dusty Schmidt from the commentary box as Laak made the call.

The turn was a killer, and you could just sense that a monster pot was just moments away. Not surprisingly, Viffer fired £5,000 with the nonchalance of someone who is 99 percent sure they’re ahead. Again, Laak made the call.

The river didn’t seem to change much, except filling an open-ended straight draw, and so Viffer spent little time in putting a bet of £9,000 onto the felt. Laak, his oversized woolly hat shadowing his face, put one column of yellow chips on top of another, paused, and then pushed his chips across the line, his stack crumbling as it slid across the felt.

Viffer was clearly unhappy, not necessarily because he thought he was losing, but because he knew a tough decision lay ahead: “Motherf***er,” came the knee-jerk response.

“I play so bad,” claimed Viffer as Laak remained statuesque, his chin resting on his hand as Viffer continued to mull. “I’m just Hollywooding,” he joked. “I don’t have anything, I just want you to think I do.”

Viffer rose from his seat, wondering if he could call the £39,525 bet and risk losing all that profit. “God you’re so dumb, I don’t know what to do.” Viffer sunk his head into his hands, proving that even the wealthiest of pros can squirm in their seat like a three-legged ferret when faced with a nightmare decision.

“God this is gonna hurt. It’s gonna hurt no matter what. It’s a no win situation. Fuck my life. This is f***ing insane. Why did I bet this?” Viffer stared his foe down as if he’d entered his house and urinated on his carpet. “I have two aces, just to let you know. If I call, will you give me a job at Unabomber Poke?.” Laak, uncharacteristically quiet, remained stoic under questioning – the Spanish Inquisition would have struggled to prise an answer out of him.

In the end, Viffer finally made a decision, saying “Can someone tell me the direction to the bathroom so I can change my tampon?” before making the most reluctant of folds. Laak scooped up the pot in near silence, and everyone rushed over to the commentary booth to check out the hand. Some of the more sadistic onlookers were secretly hoping that Laak had goo, but they were disappointed on this occasion as the Unabomer was on a boat, a “motherf***ing” boat.

16.09

Channing raised to £250 with and received three callers in Phil Laak ( ), Reuben Ellis ( ) and M B Mahmoud ( ). Everyone checked the flop, but Channing took it down on the turn with a bet of 750. As we’ve seen several times, Channing announced his hand.

Channing is currently £12,650 down and has been gradually dribbling chips for the last couple of hours. Maybe poor cards, maybe fatigue, but with a £17,350 stack he may now be considering topping back up to the £20,000 mark.

“That time when you guys all thought I was losing my marbles,” starts Channing. “I check-raised like three times and lost a load of money. I then had to go for a walk.”

15.48

Phil Laak has just folded to three-bets on two consecutive hands. On the first, he raised to £525 from the button, before folding to Barny Boatman’s reraise to £1,550 in the big bind. On the second hand, he made it £1,200 with after Neil Channing had limped with . Bodo Sbrzesny bumped it up to £3,200 with and both players folded.

Despite this, Laak remains in profit, although only just with plus £3,725 and a current stack of £48,725.

15.35

Bodo Sbrzesny raised to £300 with and received two callers: Barny Boatman with and David Viffer with . After all three players checked the flop, Sbrzesny led for £500. Boatman called and Viffer folded. The river caused Sbrzesny to grind to a halt, but after mulling over his options, he still bet, making it £1,000 to go. Boatman quickly called.

After the hand there was much discussion about whether Boatman should have raised, and also why Sbrzesny didn’t check, the thinking being that if he was definitely check-calling, then he might as well take the lead and be the one to determine the size of the bet.

15.18

It’s eviction time once again, and this time the favourite to depart is Isaac Haxton: “He might be losing overall,” reports Jesse May, “But he’s beating them up. Look at that triple barrel bluff against Phil Laak, and the against Viffer. He’s just played so good.”

“Bodo, Barny, you are both exempt,” confirms Tatyani, “and as the most aggressive player, so is David.”

“Oh, come on!” argues Viffer. “You’re rigging it so I don’t leave.”

“You can’t vote for yourself,” continues Tatyani scuppering the plans of those looking for a quick escape, “and you must vote.”

The first couple of votes went as expected:

Bodo Sbrzesny votes for Isaac Haxton (who he called ‘Seat 4′)
Barny Boatman votes for Isaac Haxton

The next vote also seemed certain; this time it’s personal:

Ellis Reuben votes for Neil Channing

Isaac Haxton votes for Neil Channing
David Viffer votes for Nel Channing (although he actually wrote Niel)
Neil Channing votes for Isaac Haxton

It’s all level with two votes to go!

Paul Zimbler: “I’m glad that hand stood up. Isaac Haxton.”
Phil Laak: “I love him, but I can’t beat him. Arghhhhh. Isaac Haxton.”

And so, we lose Isaac Haxton to the brutal vote system.

15.03

Seat 1: Bodo Sbrzesny — £34,850 (+£19,950)
Seat 2: Barny Boatman — £10,775 (+775)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £64,525 (+25,025)
Seat 4: Isaac Haxton — £38,625 (-£6,375)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £103,725 (+£53,725)
Seat 6: Neil Channing — £26,925 (-£3,075)
Seat 7: Paul Zimbler — £30,350 (+£15,350)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £51,525 (+£6,550)

14.55

Neil Channing comments on Phil Laak:

14.40

Once again, the PokerNews pot has sent the table potty, straitjackets at the ready as they risk life and death to win what must surely be a magic £1,000 chip. This time around it was Paul Zimbler with his stack on the line, pushing for £10,100 with after action before him. Channing and Ellis both folded weak holdings, but David Viffer fancied a gamble and made the call with ahem… .

“I don’t have much,” confessed Viffer. “That’s what I’m worried about,” replied Zimbler. “I have a feeling,” added Viffer.

The flop will have had Zimbler’s exit hole pulsating like a piston, but with a following an turn, he could rest easy, thankful that the Poker Gods weren’t in a sadistic mood.

Meanwhile, the table are trying to convince Reuben to play the seven-deuce game, but Reuben is standing firm. “I give enough action.” “Come on, Ellis,” prodded Viffer. “Don’t be a vagina.”

14.30

As soon as he returned to the felt, David Viffer was immediately involved in a big pot with neighbour Isaac Haxton. It was Barny Boatman who lit the first spark, raising to £200 with . Haxton three-bet with and Viffer called with the same hand in the small blind, . Boatman folded.

Viffer then proceeded to check-call bets of £1,700 and £5,000 on an flop and the turn before checking for a third consecutive street on the river. This was enough to convince Haxton to move all in for £23,100. “Sick f***,” grimaced Viffer.

The three-barrel bluff he witnessed from the commentary booth will certainly have played on his mind, but despite this, he opted for a fold, telling Phil Laak, “I’m going to be a coward like you and fold.” in the process.

14.18

We were briefly joined in the commentary booth by David Viffer, but having watched Isaac Haxton three-barrel bluff Phil Laak off top pair with ace high, and seeing Barny Boatman bluff Ellis Reuben with , he decided to rejoin the game and raced back down to the table like jet-propelled whippet. The game is clearly looser than he thinks.

14.08

With a flop waiting patiently on the felt, Phil Laak decided to check-raise Ellis Reuben’s lead of £1,800 to £5,025 with just . Reuben called with , and David Viffer, who’d called inbetween, released his hand.

Both players then proceeded to check down a turn and river, Reuben taking down the hand with a flush, but surprising the other players with his hospitable manner on the end. “I really gotta quit when you start checking flushes,” observed Viffer. “He’s either playing for a full house or has the flush, come on, man,” barked the Reubenator. “It’s my money, I intend to look after it, I’m Israeli.”

13.50

The opening hand could have been a monster, but fizzled out like of flat can of coke. It was Neil Channing who kick-started the action, raising to £200 with . Paul Zimbler reraised to £700, which led to calls from Barny Boatman and Ellis Reuben , as well as Channing with .

Despite the potential, the flop missed everyone, Zimbler holding the best hand with third pair. With two checks in the dark, the Londoner led for £1,000, which was enough to pick up the pot.

“I’m going to let you have it,” offered Channing before folding. “There’s no chance my hand’s winning.” “You’re right,” answered Zimbler. “I flopped a set.”

Good to see the tradition of lying about your hand still runs rampant in poker.

13.40

We’re back, and so is Bodo Sbrzesny, along with his £32,475 stack. You might think that ridding the table of Justin Bonomo would be a welcome change, but Sbrzesny played so well on his first outing that I doubt anyone will be happy to see him. In fact, the only reason he left us last time was because he was evicted by the table as soon as they got the chance. Now he’s back for a sequel and out for revenge.

13.11

Phil Laak taking a rest during the dinner break. Light-weight!

12.22

The scores on the board as we head into the one hour dinner break are as follows:

Seat 1: Justin Bonomo — £26,875 (-£43,025)
Seat 2: Barny Boatman — £8,650 (+1,350)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £47,300 (+7,300)
Seat 4: Isaac Haxton — £30,425 (-£14,575)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £139,075 (+£89,075)
Seat 6: Neil Channing — £32,625 (+2,625)
Seat 7: Paul Zimbler — £10,600 (-£4,400)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £63,000 (+£18,025)

12.13

I missed the build up, but Barny Boatman and David Viffer reached the river of a board where Viffer made an unusual bet of £3,000 into a pot of £2,375 with .

This decision had an extra dynamic to it as the two players had been involved in a minor squirmish earlier on when Barny refused to pay the straddle, Viffer taking offense that he was going against the consensus of the rest of the table and making the game smaller.

Although Viffer had reportedly played the hand in a “non traditional manner”, Boatman found a fold with , only to be shown the ace. “I had a jack with it,” admitted Viffer. “Yeah,” came the response. “I thought if you were going to go for the wind up, that there’d be a jack with the ace.” “I can’t needle you,” sighed Viffer.

12.00

The game must be enduing a dry patch, as Neil Channing has resorted to joke-telling:

“A mother was getting onto a bus,” started Channing with a straight face, “when the bus conductor said, ‘That’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen.’ Distraught, the woman took her seat and started crying. Someone in the next seat asked what had happened, and upon learning of the conductor’s comment, said, ‘That’s terrible. You should go back up there, get his address and report him to the bus officials. In the meantime, I’ll hold your monkey.”

11.49

“What can you do?” seems to be Paul Zimbler’s new catchphrase as he spoke it during his last all-in. On this occasion, he was rather premature as the river came to save his pessimistic bacon.

All in with versus the of Isaac Haxton (Laak made an initial raise with , but escaped when the the kitchen got hot), Zimbler wasn’t too fond of the flop, but a turn followed by a river made a last-ditch straight and awarded him the pot.

Zimbler now on £11,250 and has reduced his loss to minus £3,750.

11.38

It’s interesting to see Neil Channing in action, as he plays such an unorthodox game that the ‘Internet kids’ would likely frown upon his every move. But it seems to work for him, and has done for many years, and certainly makes him an unpredictable entity at the table.

Limping under the gun with , Channing started a domino effect that saw five other limps behind him including Barny Boatman who resisted the temptation with .

It wasn’t until play reached Isaac Haxton that the price of poker increased, the American making it 850, ironically with the worst holding of . Channing called, but after Haxton continuation bet £1,300 on a flop, Channing lay it down.

The next hand, Boatman mistimed his first move, a button raise of £275 from the button running into a three-bet from Ellis Reuben in the small blind with . Boatman didn’t do anything rash and relinquished his hand.

11.22

It took a while to fill the seat, but Barny Boatman has now been released from make-up and is braced, and ready for action. Entering to ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’, the Hendon Mobber entered with his usual smile before taking his seat between Justin Bonomo and Ellis Reuben. “Jokers. Clowns,” he said at the appropriate point in the song, pointing vaguely to various players at the table.

Current stacks are as follows:

Seat 1: Justin Bonomo — £25,075 (-£44,875)
Seat 2: Barny Boatman — £10,000 (+0)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £48,975 (+8,975)
Seat 4: Isaac Haxton — £34,300 (-£10,700)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £150,100 (+£100,100)
Seat 6: Neil Channing — £34,700 (+4,700)
Seat 7: Paul Zimbler — £4,975 (-£10,025)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £50,375 (+£5,400)

10.52

Disaster for Paul Zimbler as he’s one-outed for his stack! With David Viffer folding a jack preflop, Zimbler was in cracking shape with versus and Bonomo looked odds on favourite to continue his losing streak.

However, the case jack hit the board on a flop, and after a kingless turn and river, Bonomo scooped an unlikely pot. Zimbler, meanwhile, looked disgusted, and has been looking rather disgruntled ever since.

A tough beat, but it hasn’t deterred him; Zimbler’s rebought for £5,000.

10.44

Almost as quickly as he earned them, Isaac Haxton has lost his Bonomo chips to Reuben Ellis in what was somewhat of a strange pot. Raising it up prelfop with (as you do), Haxton received free callers, including limper Ellis Reuben who held .

The looked as dry as the Sahara desert, but smacked the Londoner square in the face and led to him betting out for £1,000. Haxton just flat called.

On the turn, Reuben bet again, this time £3,000, and, again, Haxton just flat-called. The river, however, triggered an all-in overbet from Reuben which clearly took Haxton by surprise. The bet was £18,975 into a pot of £10,125, and although the new generation players are adding thin value bets to these situations, I think Haxton was pretty sure that his opponent’s range was polarised to air or nothing.

Haxton made the call and was quickly told the bad news. He’s now down £13,975.

10.28

I wish I’d caught the entire line of this hand, as by the river of a board, things really began to get interesting as Isaac Haxton made a boat with and pushed all in for £26,000.

Justin Bonomo only had half that amount, but it was a potentially costly decision nonetheless. He peeked back down at his and pitched up tent in the think tank, dwelling for longer than a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestant. I’m unsure as to what the final straw was, but after a few minutes, Bonomo simply said, “OK, I call”. “Kings full,” came the immediate response, and Bonomo called for chips.

Bonomo now stuck £50,000 and competing with Luke Schwartz for that unwanted wooden spoon.

10.21

Limpathon as Neil Channing, Phil Laak, Justin Bonomo and Ellis Reuben all called preflop with , , and respectively. But to their dismay, David Viffer decided to implement a touch of limpers’ tax, raising it up to £700 with . Channing and Reuben called.

The flop will have had Laak wallowing in self pity (Zimbler too, having also folded ), but not with too much regret as it went check, check, check. On the turn, Viffer took a stab by leading for £1,500. Reuben called, and once both players checked the river, bottom pair was enough to take the pot.

10.10

Robert Williamson III has decided to call it a day, £8,775 to the good.

“Robert’s leaving, game over,” joked Justin Bonomo. “No point in playing.”

09.56

The PokerNews hand may contribute just £1,000 to the pot (“just” in terms of the money at the table), but the players scrap over it like rabid wolverines on a raw piece of meat.

Ellis Reuben was the last suspect, and it cost him his stack. After a preflop raising war, Reuben and David Viffer saw a flop, Viffer holding his man by the short and curlies with versus .
When Reuben checked, we thought he’d come to his senses and given it up, but as soon as Viffer bet, he announced all-in for around £20,000. Viffer called quicker than Linford Christie on speed.

“Ah, I’m well behind,” was probably the understatement of the millennium, as the turn sealed the deal. “£20,000,” requested Reuben calmly as if playing a £5 rebuy.

Viffer may now have a stack of £144,600, but the man with the widest smile might just be Justin Bonomo who got away from preflop.

09.47

There’s a bit of tension evident between Ellis Reuben and Neil Channing, and likely even more so after their last encounter. Reaching a flop, Channing bet £2,500 and Reuben check-called with .

After both players checked the turn (the commentary team were surprised that Channing didn’t bet for value), Reuben took a shot at the river with a big bet of £7,000. Channing reached for chips and surprised us all by raising to £17,000, confident that his aces were ahead enough of the time to try and induce a call from an inferior hand. On this occasion, however, Reuben was just testing the water, and made the inevitable fold.

“The timing of Neil’s aggression is certainly unique,” commented Dusty Schmidt. “He can definitely confuse people with the way he plays.”

09.36

It looked rather innocuous at first, but by the river, Isaac Haxton was announcing all-in. The board read and Haxton’s post-match commentary of his own hand filled me in: “I bet £1,400, he raised to £3,000 and I moved all in for £30,000.”

Incredibly, Haxton only had , but upon analysing the hand, you begin to realise that it was a clever move rather than a crazy, knee-jerk shove. David Viffer had checked the turn, which was enough for Haxton to believe that he was definitely ahead, and that an overpush on the river could be profitable in the long run. But despite Viffer’s fatigue and any suspicions he might have had (“You sick fuck,” he smiled), he only had and had to make the fold.

Haxton showed the jack and said, “Well, I can beat that. I suppose calling would have worked out too.”

09.18

The action has really slowed down since yesterday with various stoppages breaking up the game. Some of those who are stuck are therefore slightly frustrated as it’s becoming increasingly difficult for them to get back in the game. Of course, fatigue is also playing a part and may be the reason why we’ve witnessed a bit of needling and off-table quarrels.

09.11

I made the assumption when he arrived that Ellis Reuben was a local whale, splashing his money around the London nosebleeds and feeding the likes of Channing, De Wolfe and co. However, I may be wrong, as he’s played a highly credible game thus far and boasts an admirable profit of £15,975.

His last hand showcased a discipline that you’d associate with a seasoned pro rather than a wealthy, fun-seeking amateur, but then again, perhaps Phil Laak’s reputation as a “nit” has finally caught up with him.

I joined the action on the turn of a board, Laak having caught trips with . Unabomber led for £2,150, and Reuben made the call with . A river didn’t seem to change much, but after Laak fired again, this time to the tune of £5,450, Reuben managed to find a tough, but justifed fold.

09.00

Fresh off a good night’s sleep, Justin Bonomo has reentered the game. Having lost almost £30,000 on his last visit, he’ll be looking to take advantage of some of the tired faces out there and pull himself back to even.

Seat 1: Justin Bonomo — £20,225 (-£29,775)
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III — £12,525 (+£7,625)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £35,700 (+16,150)
Seat 4: Isaac Haxton — £30,800 (-£14,100)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £117,300 (+£67,400)
Seat 6: Neil Channing — £31,950 (+£2,400)
Seat 7: Paul Zimbler — £9,425 (-£125)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £56,625 (+£11,625)

Meanwhile, Isaac Haxton appears to be yawning, despite only being in the game for an hour. Dusty Schmidt believes it’s “boredom” rather than fatigue, Haxton perhaps not as accustomed as the others to playing just the one table.

08.35

He may be the fresh meat, but Isaac Haxton couldn’t avoid the wrath of David Viffer’s form, the young Internet whiz losing his entire £20,000 stack in what was basically a coin flip, despite it going in on the flop.

With Viffer three-betting Haxton’s open of £400 to £1,300, Haxton bumped it up to £1,300 and Viffer made a surprising call, perhaps representing a lack of confidence in his hand.

was a nightmare flop for Haxton, and you could almost see his face sagging as it hit the felt. Nevertheless, he followed through with the story, continuation betting for £6,000. Viffer, clearly intending to make up his mind on the flop rather than pre-, held his head in his hands, unsure as how to proceed, but, as expected, he eventually did the right thing (after all, Haxton’s four-betting range is wider than most) and put his foe all in. Although there may have been an argument for folding, Haxton was confident he had two overcards and made the call.
“Run it twice,” was the call, but it certainly didn’t iron out the variance, as Haxton missed both times, running jacks on the first hand followed by on the second awarded the entire pot to Viffer. Haxton looked slightly stunned at first, but was soon calling for a refill.
Viffer now £68,225 up in the game!

08.14

As I relieve my partner in crime of her duties and step back into the blogging booth for shift number two, there are a number of things that have emerged since my departure. Firstly, Neil Channing and David Viffer are both battling on like Trojan warriors, perhaps reaching the point where pride in terms of completing the 48 hours is beginning to get in the way of their performance at the table. Channing, in particular, is looking particularly fatigued, and rather downbeat, and his current mood certainly doesn’t match that of his jovial judo suit. Even Phil Laak, who has been here almost as long after following his other, more-successful-thus-far half is far from his charismatic self.

There’s definitely a contrast between the permanent fixtures and the new meat, and it can’t be a pleasant sight to see someone of the calibre of Isaac Haxton arriving at the felt. In fact, within just a few hands, Haxton was all in, finding a good spot to come over the top of Phil Laak preflop with . His timing matched that of a Rolex on this occasion, as Laak was ‘at it’ with four high. As Dusty Schmidt correctly observed in the commentary booth, “This is a classic example of the Internet style; Haxton knows that Phil’s range is wide, and that at the worst he still has 30 percent equity if he’s called by a big hand like kings or ace-king.”

07.55

It’s Eviction Time again! Only super short-stacked Andres Ruiz, Zimbler and Viffer are exempt, so who will the vote remove from the Big Game IV?

And… although a couple of players were still gunning for Channing to get re-evicted, it ended up being Guy Steele, admirably grinding for many an hour with nerves and patience to match his name, who takes his leave.

07.44

Viffer plays Kings and loses the minimum, pretty much… he’d raised to £1,700 preflop and picked up the ever-present Ellis Reuben wtih . On the flop, Reuben checked his trips, and Viffer kept the pot from escalating wildly, checking his behind. The turn brought the , a bet of £2k from Reuben, and a call from Viffer. Likewise on the river, Reuben bet out and got paid his extra £5k, although Viffer didn’t look thrilled about making the call.

07.33

for Andres Ruiz – he flat calls and gets a raise from Williamson III, who has a perfectly dominated … Ruiz doesn’t move his last £1,900 in there over the top, which encourages this pot to become fourway to a flop: . Viffer with the is the one who bets, though, only to be raised by Channing holding . Viffer calls.

The turn: – no action. The river: – no action. Viffer breaks the £100,000 chipstack mark!

07.24

Paul Zimbler takes the open seat… and joins the game at nearly hour 36. Zimbler is no stranger to lengthy spells at the felt, having broken the record for consecutive hours of heads up play (for charity, too) – making it something like 80 hours without sleep. He wasn’t playing for money like this, though – Neil Channing and David Viffer Peat have been gambling for big stacks for a day and a half and are intending to go for another 12 hours. Probably two days isn’t enough to send them a little loopy (Zimbler was slightly bonkers after breaking the record) but it’s definitely enough to make this last stretch somewhat tricky for these two.

07.18

Game gone slightly Limp? More five and sixway pots get to the flop, but the fireworks aren’t going off – they’re not even getting unpacked from the box often.

Six players made the flop on a Viffer-straddled hand, including Ruiz with and button Williamson III with .

The flop came and it checked allllll the way round to Williamson III on the button, who threw in £350. Channing called with and Ruiz just flatted too with his flush draw…

The turn and river saw less excitement than a paint-drying convention, as the and were both checked round, letting Williamson win with his pair of Nines with a slightly surprised expression.

07.06

Ellis Reuben has been heavy on the preflop involvement, lighter on the postflop and river-showdown type stuff for many hours. But he just pulled off a river bluff that made Channing look at him twice… and then wander off for the ten minute break along with all the others.

Channing held and bet the turn with the board standing . Reuben called holding – true, a five gave him a straight, but the rivered gave him the perfect card to bluff Channing which he duly did, betting £4k and taking it.

07.00

All that hard work, and Schwartz hits rock bottom again! Reuben kicks off action yet again, raising to £400 with . Viffer with made it £1,300, and Reuben along with Schwartz holding and Laak with pocket Sevens.

The flop was disastrous for Schwartz – . Out bet Schwartz (£2k) and Viffer quickly made a huge raise, to £13,000. This provoked the exact reaction he got (after a bit of a think though) a move all-in, which was called. They ran it twice, but Schwartz won neither and with an eyeroll he left the table for the second time, bumping Viffer’s stack up to £92,125, giving him total profit of £42,425 which sends him into the Biggest Winner spot above Jennifer Tilly, who up til now has held onto it with superglued fingers. Will she return late in the day to take them on again? Or who will be the next player on?

06.49

“When you call preflop with the , there’s no better flop,” admits commentator Dusty Schmidt, as Phil Laak sees just such a flop: . Also seeing it were Ellis Reuben (with ) and Luke Schwartz (with ). I think it was Schwartz who bet the £850 on the flop, called by the other two.

The turn was the , now check round to Laak who bet £3,200. Back to Reuben who raised big, prompting quick folds – all the promise of the flop come to nothing.

06.43

Viffer may be getting too tired to spread his cards out properly on the glass over the camera, but he’s not too tired to get involved a bit (but not to the level he was at earlier today…yesterday… it’s all blurry). Just now he took away a five-way pot on a flop by betting with his . Super(comparatively)shortstacked Ruiz had called preflop, but now passed his .

06.32

Taking the seat left by de Wolfe is going to be Andres Ruiz – nicely rested, probably well fed, full of information and ready for 12 hours, in all probability. The guys sitting here are not all of these things, and this could make for a lineup he wants to join at 6:30am…

Finally! Someone chooses the theme from Rocky to come to the table.

Seat 1: Andres Ruiz – £5,000
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III – £23,150 (+£18,150)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £23,975 (+£3,975)
Seat 4: Guy Steele – £7,075 (+£2,100)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £60,550 (+£10,550)
Seat 6: Neil Channing – £50,325 (+£20,325)
Seat 7: Luke Schwartz – £29,850 (-£25,150)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £51,475 (+£5,475)

As you can see, there hasn’t been a huge shift, apart from Laak going up while everyone else went slightly down…

06.24

Roland de-voured.... Ellis Reuben opens (with , among a whole bunch of hands he’s been getting involved with recently), opening also a huge can of worms which saw Laak with eventually calling Roland de Wolfe’s sudden all in shove with (he’d put in £1,100 at this point and de Wolfe’s stack was £8,775 total). They agreed to run it twice, but even given two full boards to hit, de Wolfe failed to pair above Laak’s Tens, giving him the pot and giving up his seat.

06.18

Decision made for Roland de Wolfe, decision tough for Williamson III…

Roland de Wolfe sort of made a stab at a pot on the turn, with the board standing , raising to £3k on the button with , which drove out all opposition apart from Phil Laak with his . When the river came the Laak bet out and de Wolfe immediately passed, saying, “Thank you for betting!”

A little later and WIlliamson III hits a set with vs. Neil Channing with . Not so much on the flop, but definitely on the turn, there was potential for fireworks… however Channing just check-called Williamson III’s £800 here, hastening the river – . Now Channing bet out £1,500, and although he clearly wasn’t wild about this river, Williamson III called and took the pot.

06.10

Williamson III playing slowly gave Guy Steele an opportunity for squeezing four players paying £350 each pre with out of the blind (not taken), which would have put him in bad shape until he hit his set on the river. We know this happens because all four players in the hand checked it down until the board was all out: . Now finally £300 bet from Williamson III, quickly raised to £1,300 by Steele – at which point he passed.

05.54

Update on stacks:

Seat 1: Roland de Wolfe – £12,775 (-£7,225)
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III – £22,425 (+£17,425)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £22,725 (+£3,125)
Seat 4: Guy Steele – £3,425 (-£1,575)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £64,100 (+£14,125)
Seat 6: Neil Channing – £52,925 (+£22,925)
Seat 7: Luke Schwartz – £29,850 (-£25,150)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £36,025 (-£3,875)

05.44

Phil Laak now picks up a small pot with , collecting another tasty round of £500 chips. This is taking its toll on short-stacked Guy Steele, whose £5k stack can’t take too many of these (and in fact is now a £3,500 stack).

The next hand also adds money to the Laak stack: Reuben repops it preflop out of the big blind with , getting called by Laak with and Channing with .

The flop of doesn’t get any interest, Reuben only betting when the hit the turn. Both his opponents made the call. The river brought the and two checks to Laak, who bet £8,400 – no call.

05.37

A couple of minor pots scurry towards their conclusion in the aftermath of that odd one, where Williamson III tells the table he’ll let them know what he had, also that, “I’d like my hand back without three people to act behind me.” “I had an Ace.”

“Black Ace,” adds Roland de Wolfe, pointing at where his neighbour’s cards had lain.
“I’m not feeling real comfortable with you sitting there now,” jokes Williamson.

Finally, Phil Laak tilts everyone by saying he had King-Five (which he did). “You’re lying,” insists Roland de Wolfe, which prompts much hilarity on the table and in here, where we know that’s not true. “I bet you lied,” he continues, “I bet you didn’t have King-five off. Take my free money! I bet! I’ll give you the bet!”

Meanwhile, the two who’ve been here since the very first hand (we’re now on hand 487, out of interest), Viffer and Channing, are looking like they may be fading somewhat. Over 14 hours still left to play.

05.28

“Over here we allow one hour five minutes for a one hour show, to allow for the cutting out of Roland de Wolfe blowing his nose.” You wouldn’t believe how loud that is over a mic and through headphones. Also allow twenty minutes for a big decision (see below):

Attention immediately refocuses as a £1k Pokernews Pot (gift to the middle every now and then) gets the straddle going nuts – Williamson III has put the live £800 straddle on to cap it all!

Viffer calls with , as does Channing with , Schwartz with … now Phil Laak, holding , spots quite a lot of money in there, and moves his whole stack in. That’s £20,200.

Williamson III tries to do some kind of bartering – “Before I look will you buy me dinner if I call,” or something – and he has , a hand, “He’ll want to call with but won’t,” according to commentator Dusty Schmidt.

“God hates a coward, don’t talk about it, be about it,” says an American voice I will attibute to Viffer as Williamson really goes into the tank with his hand. Consideration of the 2-7 game, as was just pointed out, may be having some kind of effect, as will consideration of Laak and how he’s been playing today. Plus he has three players behind him.

This dwell goes on for probably 10 minutes, with TD Marty Wilson quietening discussion and reassuring Williamson III that he’s not being harried/hurried. Channing can’t quite keep quiet, muttering something about suited connectors, and he doesn’t get a warning – something which is pounced on for comedy value – “The don’t tell off the British guy, but when it’s an American…”

Williamson III apologises, and admits he’s really torn…sometimes reaching for chips, sometimes towards his cards like he wants to muck… This would be a huge gamble, of course, and it’s just not the kind of gamble he’s been up for so far.

Phil Laak’s head hits the table, where he remains facedown for the rest of this mammoth dwell.

On the clock, finally, Williamson III has the decision pretty much taken away. The others pass, Luke Schwartz giving it his own think with his Sixes! No go, though. Whew. The dissection commences with vigour!

05.06

Laak starts Schwartz’ quest to un-stick himself from his earlier losses with a picked-off river bluff. Another pot which was multiway to a flop was checked round, bringing the on the turn. This was an interesting card for Laak, with his , and also for Schwartz with his … Check to Laak who bet this card, called by Schwartz (£2,025). The river came the and again Schwartz waited to see what Laak would do. What he did was bet £4,450, which after a break to consider Schwartz finally called and was rewarded with a muck.

Luke Schwartz now sitting on a £27k stack, which is almost exactly what he’s still stuck from his earlier session. He could be doubled up by Channing, Viffer or Reuben and be back to even for the game…

04.58

So many pots are kickstarted by Phil Laak raising (with a much wider range than those at the table will be thinking as not many of his hands have been shown), and Roland de Wolfe re-raising. Sometimes someone else gets involved, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes Laak folds, sometimes he raises, sometimes he calls. But the base, like the biscuit at the bottom of cheesecake, is often a Laak-de-Wolfe preflop combo.

This time a third player, Viffer, came in, flat calling out of position, while Laak didn’t call, leaving Roland de Wolfe playing against Viffer’s dominating . Not so much interest in the flop, but the turn saw a check from Viffer, bet from de Wolfe, and just a call. The river bricked and Viffer checked again. De Wolfe moved all in for £7,600, and after a bit of a think, Viffer folded.

04.48

Schwartz walks the tightrope towards a possible double up (thanks to the 7-2 game) but falls off at the end. It happened when Schwartz picked up , opened for £600 and picked up caller Ellis Reuben with . Many hours ago, this very hand won a huge pot for him vs. Viffer, plus the sweet bonus chips from every player at the table for winning with it… this time the flop came , and Reuben came out betting big – £3,000. Call from Schwartz. The turn came the . Now Reuben checked, Schwartz now betting £3k… it really looked like a raise was possible – Reuben asked how much Schwartz was playing, and counted out a stack of yellow £1k chips, but didn’t pull the trigger. Fold and a more modest pot to Schwartz.

04.35

First showdown sees Viffer win a nearly £10k pot, seeming to be having as little trouble staying awake and playing as Neil Channing, whom he won it off. £1,700 in preflop from each player, Channing holding and Viffer . Channing on the button the re-raiser, whose smaller pair made a set on the flop. Viffer checked it, and then called Channing’s £2,600 bet. The turn brought a third club – the – and another check to Channing, who checked it back. The river was the which Viffer had seen for the price of his flop call, but there was no action here either – it went check-check and the pot went to Viffer while Channing said, “How annoying is this?”

04.27

A brief break has brought a new chip count and Neil Channing back to the table:

Seat 1: Roland de Wolfe – £10,675 (-£9,325)
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III – £26,100 (+£21,100)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £32,600 (+£12,600)
Seat 4: Guy Steele – £4,300 (-£700)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £62,625 (+£12,625)
Seat 6: Neil Channing – £61,250 (+£31,250)
Seat 7: Luke Schwartz – £16,225 (-£38,000)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £32,025 (-£12,975)

04.07

Quickest re-seat ever for Neil Channing! Having only just got into his stride whingeing about being voted off in the commentary box instead of paying attention to the action without him, he has been recalled to the table, having told everyone that Tony G is leaving because he has an early-morning ballroom dancing lesson.

Curiouser and Curiouser… Overheard – Between Neil Channing and Jesse May:

“You should try some of this, it’s great for tiredness, eye bags – before you go back on.”
“What is it?”
“Hydra Energetic Anti-Fatigue Cream. It’s great!”
“What made you get this?”
“It was six quid in Boots. How can it not be great?”

How indeed.

03.52

No action for de Wolfe’s trips now, as the ebb and flow of the game means that sometimes even with volatile players like him and Viffer getting into it preflop with and respectively, nothing further happens. In fact, as the flop came down , de Wolfe covered his eyes saying he wasn’t going to look, and could Viffer read it to him… Viffer totally didn’t oblige by betting out, instead opting for a fairly rare check-fold.

03.41

There have been five and six player flops aplenty this half hour, but, with some notable exceptions, very few result in big pots or showdowns. Hands are being increasingly ended on the flop, after a succession of limps or a couple of calls of small initial raises pre build a modest but not hugely newsworthy pot. The variety of hands being limped with though is increasing – Robert Williamson III did so with the highly unexpected just now (although the interest abruptly ended when Tony G raised to £700 with his Aces – picking up only Roland de Wolfe with who passed on the flop).

Ellis Reuben, too, has been calling the occasional raise with hands such as the , in with lots of others who sort of follow like dominos falling. He won that one, by the way, hitting a King, betting it, and getting a swift round of folds.

03.33

Keeping this table together, paying its blinds and sitting down is like herding cats for dealer Amanda and TD Mad Marty Wilson. Every time the deck is being shuffled, a combination of Roland de Wolfe, Luke Schwartz and Tony G all get up and wander off. This has happened about three times so far in this session, with the last dispersal actually ended by physical shepherding back to the table. Some of these guys have waited over a day for a seat in this game to open up, you’d think they’d stick to it once they got there.

03.24

Steele tempered – his stack has dropped back to £5k, but he’s in good shape to benefit from picking up something genuine on a table where people’s drinks appear to have been spiked with raise-juice. He did, however, pay off £750 to Phil Laak, who’d called his preflop raise with and then waited while Steele checked back all the streets (holding ) until the board stood . He surmised that this little bet could be called by an Ace, which it was.

03.14

Laak and Reuben play unorthodox Snap for £45k! Adrenaline is swirling like nobody’s business after Laak and Reuben get a little aggressive.

Preflop, Laak found himself threebet by Reuben (on the button, with ) and called – £1,800 – with his .

The flop: . Laak checked. Reuben bet £4,000. Now what? Check-raise to £10,400, that’s what! A split second later and an eye-brow lifting shove occurred as Reuben moved all in for £20,425 total. Back to Laak who now looked pretty ill but made the call. The whole table held their breath as the nausea-inducing appeared on the turn, but the pot was split with the river.

03.00

So with the vote-off of Neil Channing, winner of £31,250 in the game, here from the very first hand over a day ago, intending to see it through to the bitter end but instead leaving due to the tactical voting of his peers, the open seat is filled by a keen reappearing Luke Schwartz…

Incidentally, Roland voted for Hellmuth, but changed it at the last minute… their voting cards are often unintentionally hilarious too, upside down, miss-spelled and sometimes just “Seat 2″ when people can’t remember each other’s names…

Table is Now:

Seat 1: Roland de Wolfe – £17,050 (-£2,925)
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III – £24,150 (+£19,200)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £22,775 (+£3,075)
Seat 4: Guy Steele – £6,350 (+£1,350)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £58,700 (+£9,600)
Seat 6: Tony G — £72,850 (+£32,850)
Seat 7: Luke Schwartz – £20,000 (-£38,000)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £36,725 (-£8,275)

02.49

Political intrigue regarding the forthcoming elimination – with Roland stirring it all up by pressing Channing and Laak for reasons why he shouldn’t vote for them… with Williamson III and de Wolfe too new for voting off, and Viffer safe as houses still, these two are the ones the fickle finger of fate might poke off their seats…

Meanwhile we’ve been reminded that everyone apart from Laak and de Wolfe are winners at this table (and they’re not down a whole bunch either). However, after getting bigger flush vs. smaller flush vs. Reuben, and taking down a few £8k and £10k pots, Tony G has climbed to the top at the moment, while the £20k+ Reuben was ahead has dropped to just £3k!

02.40

Viffer bluffs off nearly £10k to Robert Williamson III, who nevertheless takes a long time to call the river… Viffer had gone for it right from the start, raising like it was, say, … Williamson III with wasn’t going anywhere – and he was well in front all the way, as the board emerged . The £6k Viffer bet on the river sat there for a couple of minutes as RW3 contemplated the Nine which he clearly didn’t like a whole bunch, but he made the call and upped his stack – his total profit for his two shifts on the table is now £19,600.

02.30

Tony G has been playing a good number of hands, some with more success than others – although his overall profit/loss isn’t huge – around £8k up – he’s one of those players who’s always giving the threat of big action. Sometimes he fails to deliver, though, like just now when Viffer eked out a fold from him. Viffer held vs. Tony G’s – not looking good preflop, or on the flop. This threeway pot was checked here, though (Robert Williamson III was also in with ) and on the turn everyone checked to button Tony G. He bet £1,000, Williamson III passed, but Viffer now raised – it looked like £3k or so total now. Tony G passed – probably not what anyone at the table might have expected him to do considering 20 minutes ago he snapcalled a £3k river bet with Ace high on a board where all draws appeared to have hit and his opponent’s pair took it down – giving Viffer the benefit of the doubt.

Mr. G has also had the benefit of a permanent massage, pretty much since dinner, but whether this is a little too relaxing for 2:30am remains to be seen. He seems to be concentrating on the game, though, and he’s definitely participating in it!

His most recent hand involved his , a flop of and Ellis Reuben with the out of position. Tony G took over the aggressive role on the turn on the button, which paired the , getting a call from Reuben for £3k. On the river, he did check behind, finding his pair of fours ahead, and discovering the flush wouldn’t have been all he may have hoped…

02.01

What the Queens take, The Fours return, via Queens again: Laak doubles to £45k!…Fours are seemingly magnetic, drawing sets on the flop during this 48 hour megasession. They worked their magic for Channing twice earlier, and now Phil Laak gave them a raise preflop, only to find an in-position Roland de Wolfe, with , no less, re-raising. In between, Ellis Reuben made the call with which stopped any further preflop shenanigans. Laak just called, catching a nice flop. All three checked though… and got the on the turn. Now Laak bet out £3k, raised by de Wolfe quickly to £10k. Reuben got out of the way and Laak now had what he wanted, just £9,100 further left after the £10k and a situation where de Wolfe was unlikely to pass – and he didn’t. One card to come (and they only ran it once) – and it wasn’t a Queen. Sudden reversal of fortune from the top of the hour!

01.50

Guy Steele, with a name so punnable it’s actually impossible to pick one, just doubled through to £7,100. Having started with £5k – or, in truth, £300, as he’s got in through a spin-up side game, this represents a profit, and a couple of thousand sterling is always good to add to your stack…

Ellis Reuben had opened and Steele re-raised (all in) with . Reuben tossed in the extra to get it up to Steele’s £3.5k with . This time there was barely a sweat, as the flop brought no excitement and the turn the leaving Reuben drawing dead. Still with £42k I don’t think he’ll be too anxious, while there’s everything to play for for Steele.

01.40

Tony G’s Grand Entrance to the Big Game…

01.37

No Laak of confidence, however… he’s right back in the saddle vs. de Wolfe moments later, raising (incidentally, Channing says he’s been needling him about his likelihood of being voted off for being nitty if he doesn’t open up a bit – having an effect?). De Wolfe 3bet him with , and fairly swiftly Laak 4bet his random cards! Not suspecting this, de Wolfe let go almost immediately. “Show the Six!” wished Jesse May in the commentary booth, but Laak refrained.

01.18

Laak and Pop – Phil Laak and Roland de Wolfe immediately get involved in an all-in coup which sees a surprise felting for Laak! There is apparently real history between these two players, and everyone on the table took a deep breath when de Wolfe got back into it, but one off decision meant hours of considered play went out the window along with nearly £20k.

Laak slowplayed his preflop, calling de Wolfe from the big blind when he raised with . On the Jack-high flop, Laak check-called £1,400, and the deadly fell on the turn. Now Laak checked, de Wolfe bet £4,000, and Laak raised to £12,000! Back to de Wolfe, who set him all in. No choice now – his unconventional play had him now in real trouble…

“Run it four times?” asked Laak, and run it they did, but no Queen on any of those rivers which ran dry, leading Laak to rebuy for £20k and instantly propelling Roland de Wolfe, who’s been on the table for about five minutes, up among the biggest winners in the 48 hour cash game!

01.09

New Look Lineup for hand 410 at the PartyPoker Big Game!

Entrances complete, and a £5k top up from Phil Laak later, we’re looking at these players kicking off again after a sandwich/pizza type break which will have them feeling either refreshed or exhausted…

Seat 1: Roland de Wolfe – £20,000
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III – £19,075 (+£14,100)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £40,600 (+£20,650)
Seat 4: Guy Steele – £5,000 (he qualified for this last night in the last chance tournament!)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £66,650 (+£16,650)
Seat 6: Tony G — £26,875 (-£13,125)
Seat 7: Neil Channing — £56,550 (+£26,550)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £16,625 (-£8,375)

00.06

WOW – big hand opens another seat – that of Roberto Romanello! He’s gone, total loss the full £20k he came tonight armed with!

Tony G was his opponent, calling his bet out of £2k on the flop.

The turn: . Now Romanello led out £1,200, which small bet was upped to £6,000 by Tony G. Call.

The river: . Now Romanello checked, Tony G moved all-in, and the rest of Romanello’s stack – £15k or so – found its way in! He turned over – no good against Tony G’s rivered flush with his !

And with that monster pot and exit of another player, everyone is off on a dinner break, which may last anywhere from 20 mins to an hour. Updates will resume when the cards return to the air, and two new players take their seats.

23.59

Dixie Dean puts the profit van in reverse once more, dropping back below his previous short stack – in fact, over the cliff of busto. Two hands alone are really responsible for this, the first being a case of right idea, terrible timing, as somehow he put Channing to the test with just when his opponent had the very genuine raising hand of . The flop of didn’t shake him, and although I’m afraid the action was missed a bet was made on this street and they headed to the turn (If I had to say, I’d say he carried on with a bluff) – another . With Dean having just £3,975 left, when he checked Channing was probably expecting his £7k bet to simply get the lot in, but he did fold, leaving himself short once more.

Possibly rattled by this experience, and the exhausting time he’s probably he dusted off almost half his stack calling a raise and then a re-raise with – he was up against Romanello with and o.r. Ellis Reuben with . Nothing happened on the flop but two checks, a Romanello bet and two folds.

The last stand of Dean came after he saw exactly the kind of flop he was waiting for with his and his remaining c.£1,200 – . He simply moved in in front of three players – Viffer was the first of the three to react and he called straight away with his .

No luck for Dean as the turn and river came … and it looks like that seat Roland de Wolfe and Luke Schwartz were arguing over might have just become available…

23.44

Respect for Reuben – he’s ahead over £30k, unafraid to go for it with the 7-2 (although other than that not playing in the same park as Viffer et al.), and getting the laydowns when he bets. However, his open for £600 (really pretty hefty) with the picked up no fewer than four callers, including neighbour Dixie Dean with and then Tony G with pocket Threes and Phil Laak with, er, .

The flop came , and one more bet from Reuben took it down with no resistance.

He then picked up £650 from Roberto Romanello, who’d raised with but quickly passed when Reuben re-raised him with in position. He’s challenging Day One’s Jennifer Tilly for the title of most won here at the Big Game at the moment, and I can pretty much guarantee he won’t get the vote-off either.

23.34

Whistling Dixie: Dean finally plays a big(ish) pot – and gets a triple up+! Dixie Dean, having dwindled to under £4,000, took his for a spin preflop, and was glad he did when the flop came , and Viffer bet with his , raised by Channing to £5,700 with his straightening . Quickly, his chips were all in the middle, and Viffer left them to it. Two blanks later and he’s up to £10,650, back to the start. He’s still playing with the least money on the table, however, although as we’ve seen before this doesn’t necessarily stop a player leaving with a juicy profit. Williamson III did just that yesterday, and he’s back for more today.

Stack update:

Seat 1: Roberto Romanello — £20,275 (+£375)
Seat 2: Robert Williamson III – £20,000
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £50,950 (+£30,950)
Seat 4: Dixie Dean — £9,950 (-£50)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £59,925 (+£9,925)
Seat 6: Tony G — £26,875 (-£13,125)
Seat 7: Neil Channing — £51,900 (+£22,200)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £12,575 (-£7,425)

23.22

Press Room Hijacked! Not really in a serious fashion (you’ve got to be careful saying this sort of thing after Berlin etc.), but by the tracksuited combo of Luke Schwartz and Roland de Wolfe, who briefly took over the mic from Jesse May with a frankly scary impression of the Commentary Master himself. For a while the decibel level in the room rose so much they probably had to make adjustments in the tech truck, and they sort of squared off as they left over who was next on the list. “I’m down 40k! I’m next!” “I’ve been here two days!” “I’m not even joking, I’m next!” Bets on who would win in a fight over this?

Actually, the player filling the seat vacated by Feldman is the unexpectedly returning Robert Williamson III. I wait for shots of furniture being overturned by Schwartz momentarily.

23.08

We’re coming up to another eviction, a guilty pleasure for the audience and a cruel way out of the game for players, but a way to keep the lineup varied and awake, perhaps…

Sickest of the lot Tony G was just overheard saying that if the vote is unanimous, the player should also lose all their money. I think he’s serious.

With Roberto and Dixie Dean immune due to their fairly recent arrival, and Viffer still immune for having the highest aggression, there’s really only one player riding the bus home (or waiting at the bar to get back in) – yep, Andrew Feldman is leaving the game.

22.50

USE THE FOURS, NEIL! It’s lucky the commentary booth is down a corridor and up some stairs and in a little room, because there was shouting aplenty in the latest Neil Channing coup- this time vs. Andrew Feldman. Channing wasn’t going anywhere on the button with – the same hand which won him the largest pot of the night with quads – even though the tight playing Feldman had shown strength preflop. Fair enough – he had … which looked to be in trouble when the flop gave Channing a set – . Feldman just check-called Channing’s £700 bet.

The turn: That peaked interest from both players. Feldman bet out £1,700, and it was tough to predict whether Channing would raise or not, but he just called, a choice which in the end worked out for him.

The river: which was the worst card in the deck for Feldman, who went into contortions when he checked and Channing bet £3,500. Channing’s odd bet was the convincer, and Feldman passed his Kings face up, which must have come as a shock. Not as much as when Channing showed his Fours, which sparked a flurry of whingeing and rubdowns and general winding-up. I can’t hear the table-talk on the monitors in here, but whatever these two were saying back and forth to each other sent Jesse May and Dusty Schmidt into a frenzied giggling fit.

22.36

The thunder subsides, lightning stops punishing Viffer, pots stay small and stakes stay the same. We’ve entered a bit of a lull half hour here, with a couple of thousand pounds being the most changing hands in a number of pots which mainly fizzle out before showdown.

One shown down involved Roberto Romanello again tangling with Viffer, with a negative result. He check-called Viffer on all streets with as the board came out . The river was fairly interesting, Viffer, holding opting for a small bet of £1,500 into about £5k when it was checked to him the third time. The thin value bet got another payoff and Romanello was left shaking his head and saying something which trailed off as, “Not really happy about that…” according to the tuned-to-the-table commentators.

22.21

Andrew Foldman? The young player, who’s been getting dealt filth and looks a bit tired (in general and of folding) gives up a hand on the river after sneaky Viffer check-raises a with his , slicing through the six players who’d got to the flop but finding resistance from button Andrew Feldman with his . Both players checked the turn, and now Viffer bet out full pot – £7k – on the river. A brief think, but a pass from Feldman resulted.

22.15

Losers’ Corner – the stats for who’s up and who’s stuck overall just flashed on the screen long enough to jot down the top finishers in the red:

Luke Schwartz – -£38,100
Bodo Sbrzesny – -£30,000
Simon Munz – -£24,950
Paul Marrow – -£15,000

It wouldn’t surprise me if some time in the next few hours a couple of these guys give the Big Game another shot, even if they went through what Dusty Schmidt describes as, “The brutal process of getting stuck then getting voted off,” as happened to him and Sbrzesny, among others.

22.05

Tony G Wants More… More money to be allowed on the table in the form of the max sit-down being raised from £20k, More action to be generated with higher blinds, dinner at the table and the moon on a stick, probably.

Possibly this has something to do with Tony G’s down swing in fortune recently, as he attempted to bluff Ellis Reuben who’d flopped a set with his on a flop, which turned into a house on the turn. Reuben check-called the £4k on the flop, but then moved all in when Tony G bet the turn as well – for a good chunk more than Tony G had in front of him. No customer or potential bluffer (with his ) for the river.

Then a few thousand went from Tony G to Neil Channing who called him in position with and saw a flop of . Tony G had picked up a draw with his and wasn’t going anywhere just yet. Similarly on the turn, where Tony G bet out and Channing raised, getting called quickly. However, the river saw Tony G check-fold to Channing’s £4,500 bet.

It doesn’t look like the up-sizing is going to happen just at the moment, however (although if all the players ask for something, it will probably happen – like the ability to run it twice, which was brought in for the first time last night).

21.47

Chips – who’s sitting where with what, as we hit hand #363 and hour 26?

Seat 1: Roberto Romanello — £14,750 (-4,800)
Seat 2: Andrew Feldman — £23,975 (+£3,975)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £59,050 (+£39,050)
Seat 4: Dixie Dean — £5,650 (-£4,350)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £45,575 (-£4,375)
Seat 6: Tony G — £17,200 (-£22,700)
Seat 7: Neil Channing — £59,475 (+£29,475)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £17,150 (-£2,850)

21.30

More PAAAIN for Viffer! It’s gone about as wrong as mullets for Viffer this hour, and his latest tormentor is Ellis Reuben who just took over £15k off the man. With .

Viffer threebet preflop with on the button, and picked up Phil Laak in the big blind with pocket Nines, as well as Dixie Dean and O.R. Reuben who stayed in with his hand in the hope of the glory and the £500 payoffs from the table. In fact, he got more than that – the flop came which saw a bet (not sure whether from Laak or Reuben) and a raise to £6,000 from Viffer. Fold to Reuben, who then moved all-in for £15,850! Call. The turn was a blank but the river a non-blank . Tough breaks for Viffer – but he’s not looking ready to quit just yet.

21.21

Little pots are adding up for Phil Laak now, who’s just gone into profit after calling a Viffer 7-high bluff with on a board. The previous pot he picked up with a quarter-pot bet when the other three players (with very similar, not-very-good, totally flop-missing hands) showed no interest in the flop and checked to him. No huge stack vs. stack stuff with Laak so far, but he’s a good bet to make a profit if he can stay awake…

21.12

Roberto Roma-dwello in the wringer the first hand he plays – Viffer on the button put him to the test on every street as Romanello check-called the flop, the rag turn and the river. He held [Q], and had a genuinely tough decision with the river bet – it was £7,000, but it was also from Viffer, and Romanello will have been keeping an eye on the action and where it’s been coming from. The river gave him a good five minutes’ worth of agonising, and at one point he had the £7k ready and really looked like he was going to make the call. But no, a final fold and another pot to Viffer.

21.05

New players haven’t played a hand, but have lost £500 anyway! Roberto Romanello and Dixie Dean, the new entrants, just had to pay off Neil Channing for winning with the . He bet Viffer off his King-high on the turn when he caught a flush draw to help his bad hand, and rubbed some lemon juice in the paper cut of his earlier victory by showing it and collecting from everyone.

20.52

Invincible Knaves double Tony G! Jacks are the nuts in hour 25 of the Big Game. It looked like he was heading into danger when Tony G repopped Ellis Reuben preflop with his and received a flat call from Reuben’s . The popped out on the flop (along with ) and honestly, the action was too quick to follow on the monitors as the stacks flew in right there. Tony G still had a sweat when the came on the turn, but the river was the harmless giving him a full double up to £35k.

20.45

All-change as Sam Trickett and James Mitchell come to the end of the line. Trickett, who’s been playing just over 12 hours, is up a pleasant £24,265, while Mitchell’s little dip of just under £3,000 won’t be bothering him, probably, considering he just won the Irish Open, plus is pretty used to the vagaries of live cash, having cut his teeth in the same live arena as the lucky Channing – the Vic in London.

Two seats empty for a few minutes, and the extra short-handedness might favour some over others, depending on their online predilections. But little action so far. Viffer, amazingly, genuinely appears to be in control and playing (and winning) a couple of pots to start the climb back up the mountain having slid all the way back to base camp just minutes ago.

The biggest claw-back came from nemesis Neil Channing, who for a while looked to be on the way to taking another bite out of Viffer, calling his raise with and spiking to outdraw his . Unaware of this, Viffer bet out with his Jacks on the Queen-high flop and brick turn, only for the to save his bacon on the river. Channing called the final £3k too, handing a total pot of just under £10k back to David Peat.

20.33

The Seven-Deuce Game gets Channing now, as Tony G takes him on preflop with the vs. his . The board came perfectly nasty for Channing, and there was no action until it emerged . Tony G bet £2,000, pulling the full Derren Brown by saying something like, “I could have Seven-Deuce,” and getting the fold. Wham, over it went, Channing covered his head in his hands and made a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp. That just never stops being funny to watch.

20.21

Most Eye-watering Hand of the Day (and Night) and Following Day! One Out Crushes Viffer and Raises Channing Sky-High!

The two players who’ve been in it to win it right from the start yesterday just clashed in a monstrous £68,850 pot. Ellis Reuben picked a bad mix-it-up spot for his not-featuring-any-more , but the fireworks went nuclear for the others on a flop. Viffer held for the current nuts, top set, while, yes, Channing held . Two deep stacks, one super-aggro image and one tight one… it all got in after Viffer raised to £10,400 and Channing simply shoved for his £30k plus. The instacall brought the rail up to the table and the commentators’ hearts in their mouths.

The turn… and now with one card left in the deck, the sympathy train was heading for Channing’s depot, but made a huge 180 as the river…

….. ! A shell-shocked looking Viffer handed over the giant pot, knocking him back to just a few thousand up, where he’d thought seconds earlier his chips would probably be approaching the stratosphere. Sick.

19.57

Limping seems the order of the day with few willing to raise reasonable holdings up in early position, perhaps wary of playing a big pot out of position against tricky opposition. On the last hand, Tony G limped with , as did Channing with . Sam Trickett called with , James Mitchell made up the small blind with and David Viffer checked his option in the big blind with . Tony G took a shot at the flop with a bet of 1,000, but after Viffer called, the turn and river were both checked down. Very cagey stuff here at Les A.

19.44

Regardless of his vocal skills, the presence of Tony G has certainly increased the size of the average pot. The last hand seemed to be dominated by connectors, four players seeing a flop with various raggy holdings.

James Mitchell decided to take a stab, betting out £2,000 with . David Viffer folded and Laak , but Tony G ( ) and Ellis Reuben ( ) were going nowhere and both made the call.

Mitchell gave up on the turn, which opened the door for Tony G who made a bet of £6,000. Reuben, now with a pair to go with his open-ended straight draw called, whilst Mitchell stepped out of the way.

The river filled the straight, and with little hesitation, Reuben announced all in for £20,850 and pushed his stack across the line. Tony G folded quicker than Ben Johnson on the way to the drugs store.

19.30

The monitor went bananas at a crucial time and didn’t display the action, but the bottom line is that Tony G and David Viffer aren’t given each other an edge, and after just a half a dozen hands have somehow got it all in for a £41,875 pot on a flop. They’re clearly happy to play for stacks with marginal holdings, as Tony G was actually ahead with to Viffer’s .

However, we still had two cards to come, and after a harmless arrived on the turn, the river came the for a dramatic ace of space. Tony G waved his hand in the air in dismay and reached for his orange juice (hopefully laced with Vodka), whilst Viffer, who’d previously had his head in his hands, was busy stacking a now £81,950 stack.

The problem with watching from the commentary booth is that when a charismatic individual like Tony G hits the table, you can’t hear what they saying, but on this occasion, the disgruntled expression on his face spoke volumes.

19.15

Officially, we are now on Day Two as we wait for the game to recommence. Tony G is now in da house, and looks eager to liven up the table, so we could be in for an eventful few hours or so. Incredibly, and with Munz departing prior to the break, not one person is losing money.

Seat 1: Sam Trickett — £44,750 (+£24,800)
Seat 2: Andrew Feldman — £27,025 (+£7,025)
Seat 3: Ellis Reuben — £25,050 (+5,150)
Seat 4: James Mitchell — £11,500 (+£1,500)
Seat 5: David Viffer — £65,350 (+16,250)
Seat 6: Tony G — £20,000 (+0)
Seat 7: Neil Channing — £32,325 (+£2,325)
Seat 8: Phil Laak — £22,225 (+£2,250)