WPT Cambodia Championship ($3,500)

Kevin Ewald loses a small pot to Hugues Girard when he check-calls the river of a J♠ 9♣ 7♦ K♣ 8♠ river for 50,000 and mucks against the 8♠ of the Frenchman.

Two hands later, he more than makes up for it by sending Michael Gathy to the rail.

They get it in after a 9♦ 5♦ 4♥ flop and Gathy needs a lot of help with the Q♥ 9♥ for top pair, as Ewald is miles ahead holding the 4♣ 4♠ for bottom set. The T♥ turn opens up the flush draw but the 3♦ river is a blank.

Ankit Ahuja had previously won a healthy pot by betting out Yukako Hiroi. She then jams over the top of the short stack all-in of Shmuel Snir Bechor, who is at risk for 101,000 only.

Kevin Ewald in the blinds happily calls all-in for 717,000 as he has the A♥ A♦

Bechor with the A♣ K♠ and Hiroi with A♠ K♥ need a lot of help. They actually have the chance for an unlikely chop after the J♥ 6♣ 4♠ 3♦ turn but the wheel never completes, instead it is the 9♣ that follows on the river.

After the hand is over, Hiroi asks if she should have just called the first all-in preflop. The answer from several players is yes, but as Michael Gathy points out "you just saved time", referring to the likely call of Ewald's reshove.

With the final board showing K♠ 8♦ 3♣ 7♥ J♦ , and nearly 400K already in the pot, Michael Gathy bets 180,000 from the big blind.

Yoon Kang thinks for a while in the cutoff before he raises to 470,000, and Gathy folds. Kang takes the pot.

A scan of the field during the break turned up 14 players with at least 700K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

Down to 99 players, all remaining eleven tables are balanced and the money bubble is looming near the end of the penultimate level on Day 2.

Martin Sedlak raises to 12,000 on the button for both blinds to call including Azizjon Rakhimov and Juyeol Lee. They check to the J♦ 8♠ 6♠ 3♦ 4♠ river on which Lee bets 24,000. Sedlak mulls it over for a short while and folds, as does Rakhimov.

A scan of the field during the break turned up 18 players with at least 600K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

Yoon Kang opens to 10,000 and earns two callers in Michael Gathy and Azizjon Rakhimov, the latter of which is in the big blind.

The T♣ 7♦ 3♠ flop is checked to Kang, who bets 11,000. Only Gathy calls and then does so for another 40,000 on the 4♦ turn. They check the 4♥ river and Kang tables A♥ 9♠ , Gathy takes the pot with the Q♥ T♥ .

Joshua Figuerres is all in from the cutoff for 71,500 with Q♠ J♠ , and he needs to improve to stay alive against the A♣ Q♥ of Michael Gathy on the button.

The board comes 9♠ 9♣ 7♥ 3♦ 2♥ , and Gathy wins the pot with his ace to eliminate Figuerres from the tournament.

Short stacked Akash Malik kicks off the hand with a shove of 51,000, Manuel Carvalho calls, then several spots over his nemesis Michael Gathy shoves his big stack that covers both. Carvalho doesn't hesitate to snap-off his big stack as well.

Akash Malik: A♦ T♦

Manuel Carvalho: A♣ Q♥

Michael Gathy: Q♣ Q♠

When the board lands 5♦ 4♦ J♥ 7♥ 3♣ , Carvalho and Malik go bust as Gathy scoops it up.

Manuel Carvalho opens 8500, Juyeol Lee calls, then cutoff Michael Gathy three-bets for 32,000. Action back on Carvalho, he tanks then sends out a four-bet of 75,000. This gets a fold from Lee while Gathy tanks. After a minute or so, Gathy five-bets 138,000 and this time Carvalho tanks. He takes a couple of minutes before giving up his hand and near 19 bigs.

Next hand, Yoon Kang opens 8000 from under the gun and is called by both Gathy and Carvalho. They all check to the turn 9♣ K♦ 7♣ 6♥ . Carvalho leads out 18,000, Kang folds, Gathy calls. The river J♣ sees a larger 53,000 bet from Carvalho, Gathy folds.

Egidijus Digrys raises under the gun to 8,000, Joshua Figuerres calls from the small blind, and Michael Gathy reraises from the big blind to 35,000. Digrys and Figuerres both call.

The flop comes 9♠ 6♥ 5♦ , Figuerres checks, and Gathy bets 30,000. Digrys folds, and Figuerres calls.

The turn card is the 4♦ , Figuerres checks, and Gathy moves all in for about165,000. Figuerres has a nearly identical stack, and he goes into the tank for a very long time.

After several minutes, somebody calls for a clock, and a short while after a floorperson arrives, Figuerres folds. Gathy takes the pot.

Action folds around to the small blind Hongru Zhang, he raises 3500 and big blind Michael Gathy defends. More chips go in the pot as Zhang continues for 4500 at the flop T♠ 8♦ 3♦ and Gathy making the call. On the turn A♦ , Zhang checks, Gathy bets 9000, Zhang raises 18,000, Gathy gives it up.

Yiannis Liperis raises under the gun to 1,800, Hun Tae Choi calls from the button, and Michael Gathy reraises from the big blind to 8,800. Liperis and Choi both call.

The flop comes 6♦ 4♦ 2♣ , and Gathy bets 10,000. Liperis folds, and Choi thinks for a while before he raises to 25,000. Gathy folds, and Choi takes the pot.

Hun Tae Choi raises from the cutoff to 1,100, Michael Gathy reraises from the small blind to 4,500, and Choi calls.

The flop comes K♣ 2♣ 2♥ , Gathy bets 3,500, and Choi calls.

The turn card is the J♠ , Gathy bets 8,000, and Choi calls.

The river card is the Q♣ , Gathy bets 15,000, and Choi tanks for a while before he folds. Gathy takes the pot.

Day 1a is now up to 93 entries and among the next casualties is Anton Johnson over on table one seat one, replaced by Nariman Yaghmai soon after. Also in the mix now are Koen Breed, Graham Cowan, Asish Ghosh, Yiannis Liperis, Arun Sriram, Thomas Boivin, Mike Falcon, Michael Gathy, Adrien Berger and Marius Kudzmanas.