I love a big pair: T J Cloutier

by Simon Young

T J Cloutier has just risen to the dizzy heights of 170,000 chips after finding K-K and then A-A in successive hands. The K-K saw off A-K, then the bullets allowed him to get all in with England's Nick Slade, who held Q-Q. Two huge pots, then, have changed the face of the big man's tournament.

Slade went from riches to rags - doubling up with aces an hour ago, then losing it to aces after being moved on to the TV table. "I couldn't lay down the queens to T J," he said, "especially as he had kings the hand before."

And now for the curse of the blogger. No sooner had I posted gleefully about ElkY's seemingly unstoppable rise - a bit like a container ship - he was, er, stopped. The Frenchman has now fallen back to about 90,000 after being up to 185,000 not too long ago. No details of his downfall yet.

PokerStars qualifer Magnus Pettersen from Sweden is joining the race for the top spots, and now sits on 130,000.


On a roll: Magnus Petersson

Players are now on a dinner break, and 44 remain. It's more or less bubble time, but there has been no sign of a slowdown in the pace of the knockouts.