Three ways to the 6♣5♥4♣ flop, Hennie Appel checked in the small blind and Vygandas Simuntis bet 7,000 in the big blind. Caleb October called from an early position, as did Appel.
The K♠ turn was checked and the Q♣ fell on the river. Appel bet 5,000 for Simuntis to call and October then raised to 17,000. A reluctant call by Appel forced out Simuntis and October revealed A♣3♣ for the nuts to win the pot.
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/1,500
Ante: 1,500
Vygandas Simuntis raised to 3,700 and was called by Hafiz Juma on the button as well as Anders Hellstrom in the small blind.
The K♣8♦4♥ flop was checked to the preflop raiser and Simuntis continued for 5,700, only Juma called. They headed to the A♣ turn on which Simuntis check-folded when Juma made it 10,500 to go.
Nearing the end of level eight, the field has already been culled down to just 25 players across three tables and the late registration remains open for another two levels. Among those to bust as of lately were Vinay Lala, Pano Giannakopoulos, and Huawei Sun.
Wesley Wiegand was responsible for an elimination on table six to climb on the leaderboard, which currently features Sheldon Grove on top. Grove tangled with Okkie Fourie in a three-bet pot in which some 18,000 chips went into the middle prior to the J♠8♦2♣ flop. Fourie in the hijack check-called Grove's bet of 7,500 on the button and they checked the 8♥ on the turn.
Fourie bet the 2♥ river for 15,000 and Grove called to win the pot with the A♦K♠, as Fourie only had the 10♥9♥ for a missed straight draw.
Tanith Rothman was all-in with a shorter stack and tabled the Q♣J♣. She had two live cards against the A♠8♠ of Wesley Blom and found an open-ender on the K♦10♠6♣ flop. The Q♠ turn gave her the lead with a pair while Blom needed a jack or spades.
Blom asked for the deuce of spades and celebrated once he got there with the 6♠ on the river.
Shawn Smith took a flip with his shorter stack and his 7♣7♠ was up against the A♥K♠ of Human Bergh.
On a board of K♥Q♦6♦8♦10♣, the overcard came right away and Smith could not escape.
Sugen Singh vanished while Mariette Language jumped up on the leaderboard. Huawei Sun only played two hands after max late registering the High Roller, then entered right away into Day 1a of the Main Event.
Harold Brooks raised to 2,800 and was called by Vygandas Simuntis as well as Quintin Heather-Clark in the big blind. On the A♠8♠5♠ flop, it checked to Simuntis and he bet 3,700. Heather-Clark folded whereas Brooks quickly called.
They checked the 9♠ turn and Brooks' bet of 11,500 on the 5♦ river forced a fold. He showed the 10♠ before raking in the pot.
Alvin Pillay raised to 3,400 in the hijack and called the shove by Kyle van Blerk in the big blind for 19,500 after short consideration.
Kyle van Blerk: K♦J♦ 
Alvin Pillay: Q♥J♥
"You are ahead," Pillay had said when van Blerk got out of his seat immediately. That still remained to be the case on the 6♣4♠2♦ flop but Pillay took the lead with the Q♣ turn. The river was a blank A♠ and satellite qualifier van Blerk was eliminated.
At almost the same time one table over, Harold Brooks sent Rajeev Poonhath to the rail as well. Before the dinner break, Brooks had declared that they were playing "donkey poker" on the table. His 6♣5♥ had flopped an open-ender and turned a straight on K♠7♦4♥8♦ to crack the Q♠Q♣ of Poonhath to reduce the field by one more hopeful.
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