There comes a time in every player’s tournament when he knows that a specific hand was the game changer. Mohammadamin Khalilian will no doubt know exactly which hand that was for him tonight…
Our attention was already on table #34, where Evie Karoubalis had been seen desperately trying to find herself on the receiving end of any all-in-worthy cards, for the last stretch of the tournament. With only 21,100 chips left, Evie made her move. Her all-in was instantly called by her neighbor, chip leader Griffin Mason, which left Mohammadamin left to act. In a quiet voice, Mohammadamin voiced his action: “all-in”. This left Jean-Francois Stoycheff, who obviously was struggling with his decision. As soon as Stoycheff folded, Griffin Mason called with lightning speed, tabling his hand immediately.
Griffin: 
Evie: 
Mohammadamin: 
The flop was unveiled, with a window that put a smile on Griffin’s face: 
, 
, 
. As everyone was getting ready to say goodbye to Evie and Mohammadamin, a gradual hush came over the table when the turn came out 
. When the 
hit the table in the river position, Mohammadamin’s jaw dropped to his chest, mirroring everyone’s thoughts of disbelief. Straight!
Adding Evie’s chips to his stack might not have a been a big affair for Mohammadamin. But the extra 105,000 that Griffin Mason reluctantly pushed towards him put a wide smile on his face.
