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PokerStars Caribbean Adventure -- Day 3

The Money Bubble Burst and then the Field Quickly Played Down to 63

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Praz BansiDay 3 at the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure welcomed a group of 280 players back to their seats this afternoon and the first stretch of play was dominated by the money bubble. The bubble hit during the second level of play and it took a long time before John Leathart was busted by Justin Bonomo (see hand below) in 225th place to burst the bubble. Most of the field had tightened up during the process, so 45 minutes was added to the tournament clock once the money was reached so the players could get the correct amount of play for the level.

Two players that didn’t play it safe during the bubble were Phil Ivey and Praz Bansi (pictured right). They were seated at the same table to start the day, and they clashed early and often in huge pots (see hands below). They traded victories back and forth and put on an entertaining show before their table was eventually broken. By the end of play, Bansi was alive and kicking with 2,003,000, while Ivey did not survive day 3.

The two titans mentioned above grabbed most of the attention early in the day, but as the night progressed multiple players surged and positioned themselves for a deep run in this huge event. Players that charged up the leader board late in the day to become millionaires included day 3 chip leader Harrison Gimbel (who finished the night with 2,625,000), Matthew Haugen, Ryan D’Angelo, Jeff Madsen, Mandy Baker, Eric Froehlich, and Card Player’s own Barry Shulman, who finished the night with 1,665,000.

The growth of these stacks came at the expense of many players that hit the rail. The field shrank quickly late in the day as the blinds and antes escalated, and just 63 players remained when the tournament clock expired. Tune in tomorrow at noon EST for day 4 action from the Bahamas. CardPlayer.com will bring you all of the big hands in our live coverage of the event.

Here is a look at the top 10 chip counts from day 3:

Harrison Gimbel — 2,625,000
Matthew Haugen — 2,149,000
Ryan D’Angelo — 2,092,000
Praz Bansi — 2,003,000
Barry Shulman — 1,665,000
Eric Froehlich — 1,331,000
Mandy Baker — 1,306,000
James Tolbert — 1,284,000
John Duthie — 1,210,000
Tom Koral — 1,129,000

Here is a look at the highlights from the day as featured in Card Player’s live updates:

Phil IveyBansi vs. Ivey

Phil Ivey (pictured right) raised to 11,000 from the cutoff preflop and Praz Bansi made the call on the button. The flop was dealt KDiamond Suit 10Diamond Suit 7Heart Suit and Ivey bet 16,000. Bansi raised 26,000 more and Ivey reraised an additional 50,000. Bansi then moved all in and Ivey made the call. Their cards:

Ivey: 7Spade Suit 7Club Suit
Bansi: ADiamond Suit 7Diamond Suit

Turn and River: 8Heart Suit and KClub Suit

Ivey grew his stack to 630,000.

Bansi vs. Ivey II

While the rest of the room has tightened up during the money bubble. The two big stacks seated at the same table have accounted for most of the action during the slow stretch.

In a recent hand Phil Ivey raised to 14,000 from the cutoff preflop and Praz Bansi made the call from the small blind. The flop was dealt JSpade Suit 9Heart Suit 7Heart Suit and Bansi checked. Ivey bet 20,000 and Bansi called.

The turn fell 5Spade Suit and Bansi checked. Ivey bet 55,000 and Bansi made the call again. The turn fell 3Diamond Suit and Bansi bet 90,000. Ivey thought about the call for a moment but eventually mucked. Bansi won the hand and he grabbed the advantage back in their ongoing duel. Bansi now has 820,000 while Ivey is down to 590,000.

Justin BonomoHow the Bubble Burst

Justin Bonomo (pictured left) raised to 12,000 preflop on the button and John Leathart made the call from the small blind. The flop was dealt 8Heart Suit 7Heart Suit 7Club Suit and Leathart checked. Bonomo bet 20,000 and Leathart made the call.

The turn fell 10Heart Suit and Leathart checked again. Bonomo fired out 45,000 this time and Leathart made the call. The river fell ADiamond Suit and Bonomo moved all in. Leathart made the all-in call and Bonomo flipped over 8Diamond Suit 7Spade Suit. Leathart mucked his hand to the full house and he was eliminated from the tournament.

Barry ShulmanBarry Shulman Busts Greg “FunkiiMunkii” Dyer

Ty “PuffinMyPurp” Reiman raised to 21,000 in the cutoff and Barry Shulman (pictured right) repopped it to 76,000 from the small blind. Greg “FunkiiMunkii” Dyer took about a minute before deciding to reraise to 150,000 from the big blind.

Shulman asked the dealer to pull in the bets and quickly called when he realized how little it was to him. The flop came down JHeart Suit 5Heart Suit 4Diamond Suit and Shulman checked to Dyer, who moved all in for about 210,000.

Shulman insta-called and Dyer let out an expletive as he turned over AClub Suit 6Spade Suit. Shulman revealed JDiamond Suit 8Diamond Suit for top pair and Dyer got even more upset, wondering where that hand came from.

The turn and river came down 9Spade Suit 3Club Suit and Dyer was eliminated, visibly frustrated by the entire hand. Shulman happily raked in the massive pot, increasing his chip stack to 1.18 million.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

Phil Ivey has been eliminated, losing most of his chips in a big pot with Bill Gazes. Apparently, Gazes and his K-J were able to outrun Ivey’s A-Q on the river.

Left with just 2,000 in chips, Ivey was eliminated on the next hand by one of the blinds.

Harrison Gimbel Eliminates Justin Bonomo and Takes the Chip Lead

Justin Bonomo raised to 35,000 and Harrison Gimbel made the call. The flop came down 9Club Suit 6Club Suit 4Club Suit and Bonomo bet 70,000. Gimbel called and the turn was the 7Heart Suit.

Bonomo bet 190,000 and Gimbel called once again. The river was the 9Diamond Suit and Bonomo shoved. Gimbel called with AClub Suit JClub Suit for the nut flush and Bonomo mucked. Gimbel eliminated Bonomo and held 2.5 million after the hand for the chip lead.