 From PokerStars Blog:
Even the neutrals seemed ready to concede that this would be the week of Dario; this pocket battleship of a player who scampered his way through the field even when hands had backfired on him, leaving him in a hole. When they did his style was to lob in some dynamite and blast a way out; getting the crowd on their feet once more in the process.
To play a hand against him seemed to those watching like a gut-wrenching ride for whoever was involved - like waiting for your test score after a math exam. But one hand would change all that, actually carried out by a former math teacher. Jason Mercier again, setting the test that ultimately Dario would fail, silencing those bedecked in flags and thick accents in the process.
“I was planning on staying out of Dario’s way until I got down to three-handed or heads-up because obviously you have to take a chance on that.” Jason would say later.
The two went into the hand with over five million chips between them, a colossal chip lead making this an unexpected clash that would leave everyone asking ‘what happened?’ The pot was already 719k high when they saw a flop – 2h-7d-8d. Antony Lellouche must have been wondering what was going on.
Dario made it 200k and Jason moved all-in. Time to throw out the script - Dario insta-called.
“He raised from the button and I looked down and saw an ace and was planning on three betting all the way as standard.” Said Jason. “When he flatted I really wasn’t sure what he had. I was pretty much planning on giving up unless I hit an ace or a flush draw and a wheel or something like that. When I hit the flush draw I decided it was more profitable to check raise all in so then I get value if he bluffs. Then also I didn’t want to have to call the all in if I bet out 500k.”
Dario looked worried. He was ahead but not as far as he’d like to have been, showing pocket queens to Mercier’s A-4 of diamonds. There were two diamonds on the flop but also the threat of an ace. The turn added to that, a four of hearts. With the appropriate dramatic pause for television, the crowds and enough tension to bring the players to their knees, the river card was dealt – a three of diamonds and a flush for Mercier. Sudden elimination for Dario Minieri.
The crowd made a noise, kind of the exact opposite of a loud roar. Suspended in disbelief the colour drained from Dario’s face as behind him his friend Luca Pagano looked the same. From a sense of jubilee at the start today to a horrid anti-climax, the Italian dream of a home winner was over and it had catapulted Jason Mercier into a position of total domination. The shock of the week, the shock of the season.
 Jason Mercier, a PokerStars qualifier from Florida wins in San Remo.
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