[boondockst]

A lot of the "stupid" plays you see are advanced tournament concepts that you apparently can't grasp. If you think you can survive through a tournament of 5000+ people by playing TPTK, you're sorely mistaken. Steals and resteals and reresteals are thus common, as seen in the A2s vs. K5s hand between Ivey and Black. Saying they can't beat Party NL25 from what you saw of their play is highly naive. First, it's a tournament, not a cash game. Second, there's probably just a touch (read: sarcasm) more hand reading in a tournament like that than Party NL25. If you have a read that you're ahead (Kanter's Q6) and have significant FE, why not make a move? You don't seriously feed off the commentary ESPN has about Kanter's luckboxing do you? (I mean i'm sure he got cards but someone has to)

Take two of the VERY FEW that ESPN shows you of Raymer. In his big hit, he is betting with pocket kings and Kanter tries blowing him off the hand. It doesn't work, and by the time he realizes this, he's pot-committed to his 20% chance of a flush hitting on the river. While not likely, his two overcards could have been outs as well if Raymer had a holding like 99/TT. People see this as absolutely a horrid play.

Yet in the hand where Raymer has QJ vs. Black's TT, Raymer makes a continuation bet on a king high board and gets check-raised by Black's TT. This could be seen as equally reckless, especially if Raymer had something like AK and Black hit a ten on the turn/river.

You need to put the few hands you get to see in perspective.