Stud is not traditionally a spectator sport - the nature of the game means that the casual observer can't really follow what's going on from behind the rail.
Nevertheless the presence of Dan Heimiller and Richard "Chufty" Ashby at the final table has drawn a few interested onlookers to the rail.
Ashby is currently being sweated by two-time bracelet winner Praz Bansi and fellow British circuit favorites Martins Adeniya and Karl Mahrenholz, as well as the sartorially daring Paul Parker in purple trousers, a paisley shirt and a rakish straw hat.
Heimiller has a few fans too - we don't recognize any of them ourselves, but they periodically shout out his name in an encouraging manner.
Also there is a man with a huge afro. We don't know whom he's railing, but we thought his 'fro worthy of mention.
Presumably all calls of nature have been returned or at least sent to voicemail; either way players are back at the table and cards are back in the air.
Richard Ashby: /
Dan Heimiller: /
Darren Shebell: /
The pot was limped on third street and checked on fourth street. On fifth, Darren Shebell bet out and Richard Ashby called all in for 9,000. Dan Heimiller called too.
The two live players checked on sixth street.
"Gimme a heart, dealer," said Heimiller.
"Give him a heart, dealer," agreed Shebell.
They both checked on seventh, and Ashby's straight was good to take the main pot, tripling him up to around 100,000 - still very much the short stack.
However, Ashby won the next two pots as well. They weren't biggies, but they were enough to bump him up to a considerably healthier 200,000 or so.
Although we just reported on Richard Ashby's newfound riches, he was almost immediately involved in a couple of hands that saw him lose a large percentage of his chips.
In the first hand he made two pair but was outdone by Darren Shebell's two pair.
Ashby: /
Shebell: /
Both players had limped in on third street. Shebell check-called a bet from Ashby on fourth street, and check-raised on fifth street, getting a call. Sixth and seventh streets were checked down and Shebell had a better two pair.
Ashby: (XXX) /
Pietsch: /
A few hands later he lost a large number of chips to Christine Pietsch. Most of the action took place on third street when Pietsch raised and later called Ashby's re-raise. Pietsch bet on fourth street and Ashby called, but that was all the betting that was to be done in the hand as the two checked it down the rest of the way.
Richard Ashby bet every street until he was all in on sixth; Shebell called all the way and they turned the cards over.
Shebell was holding a pair of nines and an open-ended straight draw, but he blanked on seventh and Ashby's pair of aces was good enough to double him to around 250,000.
"Get in there!" said Ashby as he raked in the pot.
Dan Heimiller bet out on streets three and four and Darren Shebell called; Heimiller bet out again on fifth and this time Shebell raised. Heimiller called.
Heimiller bet out once more on sixth street, and Shebell raised again ("Raise!!!"). Heimiller now tanked up for a long, long time. Eventually he called.
Heimiller checked seventh street and to no-one's surprise Shebell bet.
"You don't have three aces," Shebell declared. "You probably just have two aces."
"I was drawing good," sighed Heimiller as he folded. "Ow."
Shebell moved on up to 470,000. Heimiller dropped to 200,000.
Rich Ashby had to make the bring it and was called by Owais Ahmed and Darren Shebell before Christine Pietsch completed. Ashby got out of the way, but the other two stuck around.
Pietsch: /
Ahmed: /
Shebell: (XXX) /
Pietsch led out with a bet on fourth street and Shebell raised. Ahmed made the call and Pietsch followed suit. Shebell also bet on fifth street, getting calls from both of his opponents. On sixth street he would bet once more with both players calling. Ahmed didn't have enough to make a full call, and was all in.
Shebell checked the river in the dark saying "He's all in." But Pietsh wasn't interested in checking it down and fired one more bet, which was called by Shebell.
Ahmed was looking for outs, which he was unable to find. Meanwhile, Shebell mucked upon seeing Pietsch's straight.
A brief raising war on third street resulted with Richard Ashby and Owais Ahmed turning their cards over, Ashby all in.
Ashby turned over and was up against Ahmed's . Ashby had made a heart flush by fifth street and although he got a bit of a sweat - Ahmed had four diamonds showing by the time his last down card was dealt - the outdraw never came and Ashby doubled up to around 170,000.
He looks a lot happier now than he did when he headed off on his dinner break.
On the other hand Ahmed is now looking a bit more nervous - he is our short stack on 130,000.
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