As the clock wound down to the end of level 16 (the fourth 60-minute level of the day), we remain only four busts away from the money. With 115 players left, the pressure was on for two players in particular, Faisal Al Qutub and Toby Joyce.
When we joined he hand, the clock on level 16 had already expired, and all the other tables had left for the dinner break. However, this table took another five minutes of hard-thinking poker to finish.
With about 40,000 chips in the pot, the board was showing 
. Faisal bet 15,000, but was raised to 45,000 by Toby. Eventually Faisal called, after much thought. The river was dealt a 
.
This time Faisal checked utg, which prompted an all in by Toby of almost 160,000 chips. His stack easily covered what was left of Toby’s, and Toby was left with an agonizing decision. Should make the call and risk missing the money by only three spots? Or live to fight another day?
He ended up using all of his 30-second time chits thinking about what he should do, but ultimately he folded, staying alive for at least one more hand. Both players went off to dinner break, one significantly happier than the other. Only time will tell if it was the right decision, and you can bet we’ll be keeping on eye on table 26 as soon as the players return from their meals.