$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
End of Level 18: 3,000/6,000/1,000 Ante

The 40 remaining players are on a 15-minute break.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 18: 3,000/6,000/1,000 Ante

Jason Mercier moves all in for 58,500 from late position, and T.K. Miles calls on the button. The action is held while the other tables finish up, and Mercier and Miles exchange information about their hands. Mercier doesn’t like the news he receives, and he begins packing up to leave.

“Hey, that’s bad luck,” Scott Efron admonishes from across the table.

Mercier just laughs. “It’s bad luck to have the hand I have against the hand he has,” he says. When the rest of the action is complete at the surrounding tables, the cards are turned over.

Mercier:
Miles:

The board runs out , and Miles wins the pot with aces up. Mercier is eliminated on the bubble, and the 45 remaining players are all in the money.

T.K. Miles – 365,000 (61 bb)
Jason Mercier – Eliminated

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 17: 2,500/5,000/500 Ante

There are 46 players left, and only 45 of them will finish in the money. The field is now on the direct money bubble, and the game is being dealt hand-for-hand until the next elimination.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 17: 2,500/5,000/500 Ante

Javier Zarco opens to 12,000 in middle position, and Neil Blumenfield three-bets to 29,000. Zarco calls.

The flop comes , and Zarco check-calls a continuation bet of 34,000. The turn is the . Zarco checks again, and Blumenfield checks behind.

The river is the , and Zarco leads for 89,500. Blumenfield tanks and folds. The pot is pushed to Zarco, and he’s now nipping at the heals of the chip leader.

Javier Zarco – 390,000 (78 bb)
Neil Blumenfield – 410,000 (82 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 17: 2,500/5,000/500 Ante

The players are back in their chairs, and the cards are back in the air. There are five players who’ve crossed the 300,000-chip mark:

Neil Blumenfield – 527,000 (105 bb)
Jean Gaspard – 381,500 (76 bb)
Matt Affleck – 363,500 (73 bb)
Scott Efron – 329,000 (66 bb)
Javier Zarco – 315,000 (63 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
End of Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

The 58 remaining players are on a one-hour dinner break. Play resumes at 9:30 PM.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

Neil Blumenfield opens to 10,500 in early position, and James Brown calls on the button. Both blinds call as well, and it’s four ways to the flop.

It comes , and Blumenfield continues for 16,000. Brown calls, the blinds fold, and it’s heads up to the turn. It’s the , and Blumenfield checks. Brown now takes leads the betting for 27,000, and Blumenfield calls. On the river, Blumenfield check-calls another 35,000.

“One pair,” Brown announces.

Blumenfield shows , and Brown mucks.

That pot moves Blumenfield very close to the half-million-chip mark, and it looks like he’s ticked just above that milestone as he stacks the pot.

Neil Blumenfield – 510,000 (128 bb)
James Brown – 270,000 (68 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

Aaron Mermelstein (middle position), Tristan Wade (hijack), and the player on the button check through a flop, and the turn brings the . Mermelstein, who appears to have been the preflop aggressor, leads for 13,000. Wade calls, the button folds, and it’s heads up to the river.

It’s the , and Mermelstein bets 22,000. Wade notices the reporter writing the hand, and he goes on the record as wanting to raise. He doesn’t though, instead electing to call.

“Just a flush,” Mermelstein says.

Wade has a flush too, and his is the better one, giving him the pot.

Tristan Wade – 280,000 (70 bb)
Aaron Mermelstein – 170,000 (43 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

Corey Burbick opens to 8,000 in early position, and the player in the cutoff three-bets to 18,000. Burbick moves all in for 72,000, and his opponent calls.

Burbick:
Opponent:

The board runs out , and Burbick doubles up.

Corey Burbick – 154,000 (39 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

This level should see a little more action that the last. We have 66 players remaining as they hit the last level before the dinner break with the average stack dropping to 31 big blinds.

One more hour, then an hour away from the tables for a bite and breather.