As the late registration and re-entry period ticks down on Day 2A, each pot becomes more and more important. So it comes as no surprise that the players are doing all they can to muscle opponents off their chips. A hand that just played out between Shang Dai and Naseem Kteily offers a good example.

Kteily, the first to act, fired a big river bet of 1.1 million on a  board. Shang Dai, in position, took plenty of time to consider his options. Both players had huge stacks at the start of the hand so all options were still on the table. In the end, he elected to call and waited for Kteily to table his hand. When Kteily opened for ace high, Dai grinned and pushed forward his to take down the big pot.

When we got to the table, the turn was out and Jordan Knackstedt bet 405K into it. Craig Mccorkell called the bet. Surely, he had no intention of folding the river, but the card that appeared on the last street cemented his plan.

Jordan Knackstedt pressed it, going all-in for his remaining 700K or so. Mccorkell snapped, and Knackstedt got the bad news.

Knackstedt:
Mccorkell:

Board:

The flop, for Mccorkell, was a nightmare, but the freshet brings all kinds of news; this river came in roaring and Knackstedt’s boat was sunk.

The players have just returned to their tables following the first break in the action on Day 2A. The number of players in the room has stayed relatively stable today, with the bust outs being off set by the growing number of re-entries and direct buy-ins.

With all the added chips in play, it comes as no surprise that many players have been able to run up stacks well beyond the current chip average. One such player is Philippe D’Auteuil who currently holds the chip lead.

At the mid-point of level 10 on Day 2A, the players are doing their best to pressure their opponents and steal chips whenever they can.

Michael Dellabarca just found himself on the wrong side of that situation and had to make a big decision with his tournament life at stake. Dellabarca was in the small blind in a heads-up pot against Soksu Lee when he led out for 275K on a flop of . Lee then put in a raise to 650K. Dellabarca made the call after some deliberation and quickly checked the turn. Lee continued his story with a bet of 900K on the turn, ramping up the pressure on Dellarbarca. After several minutes in the tank, Dellabarca slammed his chips in the middle, and Lee flipped over his in frustration. Dellabarca triumphantly tabled his and watched the irrelevant hit the river.

The first level is now behind Day 2A players, and the number of entries has climbed up to 432, which includes 70 Day 2 direct buy-ins. Late registration will remain open through until the end of level 12.

Photographs from level 9: