Play wraps up at 6 am., and the players still haven't made it down to the final table. One of poker's most recognisable pros is still in contention though.
Tuesday 3rd June 2008
You would have guessed that the fourth largest live poker tournament ever would take a while to get to its conclusion. So it has proved, as the 3,929 player field has been thinned down to just 18.
A total of 447 made it through their respective Day ones, and yet not all of them had made the money, another 68 destined to go home penniless for their efforts in this monster field.
Some of those who didn't make the money were well known players, with Michael Binger, Daniel Alaei, Mike Wattel and Joe Bartholdi all missing out. As the field became more laden with amateurs, the remaining pros in the field prospered, taking down many pots pre flop with a simple opening bet as others around them hoped to make the money. Two players who collected more than their fair share of pots were Shane Schleger and Todd Witteles.
Once the bubble had burst, the action kicked back into life, with some of the notable casulties including David Singer, Cody “thugmoneymkr” Slaubaugh, Ryan Daut, Matt “AllInAt420” Stout, Jon Friedberg, Todd Brunson, Marco Traniello, Gavin Griffin, Mark Gregorich, Rami “ArbianNight” Boukai, Mark Vos, Kenny Tran, and Erica Schoenberg.
Those who remained battled well into the morning, with play wrapping up at 6 am, with 18 players remaining. One in particular is a well known face in WSOP No Limit Hold'em tournaments, as Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson ploughs on in his quest for sixth bracelet. Other recognisable faces include David Bach, Theo Tran, Minh Nguyen and Perry Friedman.
The final 18 players will return today at 1:30 p.m. to battle down to a champion. The sales of the numerous energy drinks the pros are promoting at the moment should be ok, anyway...
