Level 16 brought us an ICM-defying clash with 36 players remaining:
The action opened when Muthu Veerappan (205K) raised to 40K from UTG+2 and Brian Devany, wielding a commanding stack of 520K, pushed all his chips forward, putting Veerappan to a tournament-life decision.
After deep thought, Veerappan made the call to put himself at risk.
Veerappan: 9♠9♣
Devany: A♣K♥
It was a sweat through the board of 5♦3♣4♦T♦T♠ but Veerappan's pocket nines held strong to secure a crucial double up to over 400K. A massive pot that could shape the trajectory of both players' tournaments!