11 players made it to the end of the day. They will resume play at 2pm on Sunday. Betting on the remaining players will be available on the Blue Square sportsbook first thing in the morning.

Player  - Chips
Tony Phillips  - 316,500
Henning Granstad  - 212,500
Steve Jelinek  - 140,500
David Clark  - 131,000
Colin Wu  - 125,500
Finn Stewart  - 123,500
Andreas Hoivold  - 109,000
Laurence Houghton  - 99,000
Peter Smithson  - 94,500
Mohamed Muse  - 88,000
Syed Zaidi  - 71,500

Surinder Sunar was eliminated when he reraised all-in with A-J against Steve Jelinek’s K-T and the board ran out T-x-x-T-A, a bullet coming too late for the former WPT winner.

Willie Haughey raised all-in on the other table and former Luton winner Dave Clarke moved in behind with everyone else running for cover. Haughey showed Qs-7h and Clarke Ah-Kh, benefitting the most from the Kd-4s-8c-8d-Kc board. But Haughey wasn’t out yet, he still had about 2,500 behind which went in blind the next hand only to discover Henning Granstad picked up As-Ac in the very hand of the day, Haughey flipped 8d-5s and the board came 4c-Qh-6s, “Seven!” shouted Granstad, “No seven!” replied Haughey, who probably would have mixed feeling about coming back tomorrow with a microstack, another 6c came on the turn and the 9h on the river meant we finish today with 11 players.

Players will restart tomorrow at 2pm and the chip counts will follow shortly.

Toodlepip!

It’s become tense again as we get into the last fifteen minutes of play. Haitao Wu pushing over the top of Willie Haughey’s raise, the latter showing the Ac and Wu then showing Ah-Kd. Meanwhile Peter Smithson has pushed Andreas Hoivold off a raise by moving all-in.

However there are many short stacks left now and it can only be a matter of time before we approach our final nine.

Sam Trickett pushed with 8d-6d from the button and Laurence Houghton called all-in with 5h-5s. The flip was crucial for both as whoever won would have a real shot of finaling and the board came out 3c-Th-4h-Qc-2h in Houghton’s favour.

Soon after Trickett pushed blind for a few hundren and Houghton raised to 16,500 in the small blind before Finn Stewart made it 50,000 from the big blind. Houghton flashed Ah-Jc as he threw it into the muck and Stewart flipped Ad-Kc against the live 4h-3d of Trickett which couldn’t win out on a 3c-5s-7d-Ks-Kd board.

Meanwhile Mark James went on the other table with Qd-2d running into Haitao Wu’s Ac-Jh, an ace sealing the deal.

Just one hour left to play tonight and there are 15 players left, all in the prize money.

Table  - Seat  - Player  - Chips
2  - 8  - Tony Phillips  - 278000
3  - 1  - Colin Wu  - 173900
3  - 6  - Henning Granstad  - 141700
2  - 5  - Finn Stewart  - 122000
2  - 7  - Andreas Hoivold  - 120400
2  - 2  - Peter Smithson  - 95000
3  - 2  - Mohamed Muse  - 90100
2  - 4  - Laurence Houghton  - 84100
2  - 6  - Steve Jelinek  - 83800
2  - 1  - Samuel Trickett  - 81000
3  - 9  - Mark James  - 72300
3  - 8  - David Clark  - 67800
3  - 4  - Syed Zaidi  - 52900
3  - 7  - William Haughey  - 27500
2  - 9  - Surinder Sunar  - 17800

Last hand of the level and Haitao Wu doubles through Willie Haughey.

Wu had raised preflop and Haughey called in the big blind and they saw a As-Qs-Kh flop, Haughey checked, Wu bet 25,000 and Haughey announced all-in. Wu called with Ah-Qh, dominating Haughey’s Kd-Qd, with the turn 7d and river 3c completing his double up.

Still fifteen players left as we go into the last level of the day. Players are on a short break.

Laurence Houghton raises all-in, Tony Phillips agonises and folds and Surinder Sunar calls quickly.

Houghton: Jh-Jc

Sunar: Ks-Kh

Jh-Ah-6h-7s-4d provides Houghton with some relief though not without a scare and he allows himself the first little glimpse of a smile with a pot that puts him on about 100,000. Sunar is now short.

Meanwhile on the other table and Henning Granstad raises to 11,000 only for Willie Haughey to push for 76,400 more. Granstad takes a couple of minutes before lifting his cards high enough just for us to see his Ad-Kc which he then mucks.

“I’m such a wuss,” he says to me. “He has only been all-in with Aces, Kings and Ace-King today, he told me he had Kings and I believe him.”

George Geary pushed the small blind and Syed Zaidi quickly called from the big blind with Ad-Qh, Geary’s Jh-3h behind but live.

The board ran out 7h-4c-3d and suddenly Geary took the lead, which he held on the 4d turn, but the river was the Qc and they had to countdown stacks. Zaidi had him just covered and hence everyone else is now in the money.

George Geary

Mark James doubled through Tony Phillips with Qd-Jd against 6d-5d, the board ran out K-K-8-2-K and Queen-high was enough.

My, my, my, Andreas Hoivold really has been drinking all the lucky spirits today.

He called a 22.1k check-raise all-in from Paul Gardener on a Kh-Td-4h board with Qs-Qd and found himself against 4c-4d, then turn was the 8h but a groan came from the table on the Qc river meaning we’re now on the bubble.

Andreas Hoivold