The PokerListings Daily 3-Bet is a last-minute red eye, a quick spritz in the taxi and a fresh stack just before registration closes in the afternoon poker news SHR.
Got a hot tip for a future edition of the 3-Bet? Tell us about it below.
Today in the 3-Bet we find a river demise for ElkY in Monaco, Dan Cates rides the big-money roller coaster and some big hitters play big in Montreal.
1) ElkY Out 12th
It was always going to be an uphill battle for Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier to make the final table today at PSC Monaco.
ElkY of old returns.
Coming in as one of the short stacks with 16 players left, there were a lot of players he'd have to leapfrog to get to the final six.
Still it was hard not to root for him - at least a little bit - to make a big dash up the leaderboard.
Watching ElkY soar this week was a fun reminder of those glory days of 2007-2009 when he couldn't be stopped in any tournament, anywhere.
It wasn't meant to be, though, as he got his last 440k in with 88s only to lose to Maxim Panyak's AJ when a jack hit the river.
As the PokerStars blog reported, his 'head drooped a little at the sight of the jack' but it was still a deep run to savor and watch ElkY in the spotlight again.
His take was 'just' €33,600 this time but, we hope, it's a springboard to more at this summer's WSOP. He's also got that new nose he can enjoy.
As for the rest of the survivors, they're now down to just 8 players left with the infamous Davidi Kitai the short stack and clinging to an 11 BB stack. Watch it all play out below:
2) Jungle Drops In, Tells of New Games & Huge Losses
As fans of poker know there's never a dull moment, on or off the felt, when Dan 'Jungleman' Cates is around. It's just the 'when and where' that's usually hard to pin down.
Never a dull moment.
As writer Alex Villegas notes in the PokerStars blog there was no sign of Cates this week in Monaco for any of the big action so far - the €100k SHR, the €50k HR or even Day 1 of the €25k yesterday.
Then, ta da. Here's there today for Day 2.
The reason? He's been busy in Macau, Hong Kong and the Philippines playing in the highest cash games on the planet.
Oh, and also having his biggest losing day ever ($5m!) and indulging a new game popular with the VIPs there - Short-Deck No-Limit.
What that you ask? Just like No-Limit Hold'em but with all of the 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s removed. How does it play?
"It's for sure more gambly," Cates says. "In terms of action, it's way more action." See? Never a dull moment with the Jungle. Check out the latest on his international travels here.
3) Trickett, Esfandiari Square Off in $100/$200 Cash Game
Like the sounds of those big cash games? While the PokerStars Championship winds down in Monaco the $5m partypoker Million North America is just getting started at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal.
Along with Phase 1 of the main event a $10k High Roller and $100/$200 Cash Game are going off today. The cash game, in fact, is a continuation of yesterday's which featured Sam Trickett, Antonio Esfandiari and more throwing chips around.
Watch a replay of yesterday's action below and tune in here in about 30 mins for today's action. Great commentary by Jeff Gross, too
