EPT11 London: No double for Cody, out in fifth

The tournament room on the Grand Connaught is a quieter place right now, for the closest thing it needed to an area hero is out.

Jake Cody is the fifth place finisher, the Team Pro falling agonisingly just about a second EPT title, but too hurt by a pot against Kevin MacPhee's flush to make it those previous couple of steps. He departed a little while ago with £133,800, and a couple of dozen friends able to cheer him up, or help him drink through it.

Jake Cody moves all-in

His girlfriend Alex was also looking ahead to him at the rail. She knows the drill in these instances, and understands that, while he'll beat himself up for a while, going over every conceivable thing that he will have done differently, it's going to soon dawn on him that it was an excellent performance and a really perfect result. For her it was not about what may have been, but an afternoon to be greater than proud.

And now--like an accidental mark of respect--the noise from the rail is suddenly muted. Cody brought with him the majority of the support and the majority of the noise. Now, while a couple of hands get polite applause, there may be not one of the boisterous cheers and cat calls that had propelled Cody through nearly eight hours of play. It was a perfect performance whatever the result, and to observe it, well, bliss was it that dawn to be alive.

And now the primary Event plays on without him. Those searching for history to be made will look instead towards MacPhee, the tall exhausted looking American whose anorak makes him appear to be he's able to leave at any moment, but who plays like he'll be here forever.

MacPhee and Cody (foreground)

He's now three places clear of that very same double that eluded Cody, as play continues.

Follow the action from the EPT London Main Event this week at the PokerStars Blog. You can too watch live coverage at the EPT Live webcast between October 14-18 on PokerStars.tv.

Stephen Bartley is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.

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