It looked like it was going to be another great hand for David Zhang. There were a lot of chips in the pot, he had read his opponent correctly, he got his chips in and was ahead… all except for one thing: the river.
The hand began with an UTG raise by Marc Etienne McLaughlin to 7,000. David Zhang re-raise it to 22,000 from mid-position, and the table folded back around the Marc Etienne. He thought for a minute and then called. It would later turn out that Marc Etienne had pocket Aces, and that any hesitation on his part was pure posturing.
The flop was dealt 
and Marc Etienne checked, hoping David would bet. He did, 15,000. Unsurprisingly Marc Etienne called. The turn was a 
, which totally changed the calculus. With flush and straight possibilities on the board now, any conservative behavior on Marc Etienne’s part was conceivably very real. He checked.
This time David bet 25,000. Marc Etienne threw caution to the wind and jammed for his stack, which was larger than David’s. His bet was called, and the players flipped their cards.
David: 
Marc Etienne: 
David had made another great call! His flush dominated the board, and there was nothing that could stop him from doubling up once again, this time late in the game. Well, almost nothing.
Unfortunately for him a 
dropped like a stone, smashing his celebration to pieces. Marc Etienne had made his boat and David’ night was done. With Day 1B now only 10 minutes away from its conclusion, Dave was so close!
Oh well, that’s poker. With 50 players remaining, the tournament director has just announced that the remaining players have only four hands left. Good luck to them all as they make their way across the finish line and onto Day 2.
