If anyone has ever played in a live tournament, they will understand the tension involved in just waiting around to play. Sometimes you want to speed it up, lay the cards down and win – or lose. Even when folded pre-flop, simply watching the other players is enough to chill you to the very core.

I don’t envy the remaining 18 players over at the 2007 North American Poker Championship in Niagara Falls, Canada. October 31 was forced to become a “day off” when enough players were eliminated to reach the final 18 on Day 3 of the tournament. The schedule of play wasn’t expected to move along so quickly, but a few brazen shots during Day 3 action caused the bubble to pop extremely quickly.

When the field reached 47 players, hand-for-hand play began. The top 45 places will all finish in the money, so naturally at this stage the focus would be to stay in the game and survive! Money bubble play can sometimes extend for hours, but within 15 minutes two players were eliminated and the rest are guaranteed to walk home turning a profit. Every time the payout cutoff increases, players become that little bit more cautious, given the opportunity to score several thousand of dollars more, guaranteed.

By the time the day was officially called to end, 18 players were drawn to two tables with play set to resume on November 1. The final table was always scheduled to be played on November 2, and regardless of speedy earlier stages, this is exactly what will happen.

Speedy play is always a key advantage when competing online, and for those who have the nuts to make it all the way, CarbonPoker offers regular Satellite tournaments which can lead all the way to World Poker Tour live events! We can certainly accommodate the strongest of players in our online rooms and on the world circuit and ease the pressure of making the big time.

So, what to do on the day off? Sure, the professionals might be used to the action, but there’s no denying it’ll be an eerie situation over at the hotel for the top 18. Don’t walk the halls alone!

– Phil @ Carbon Poker