Craig Marquis probably impressed me more after his elimination than he did during his play. While he is a fantastic poker player, he is an equally effective commentator. I listened to him on Bluff Magazines audio coverage and was very impressed with what I heard. He was very articulate and could explain concepts and action to listeners in such a way that would be interesting even to the non-poker player.

Kelly Kim impressed me with his ability to hand on with the short stack. It was perfectly clear that Kim’s only goal was 8th place or better money. He could care less about winning the event. Of course, I do not blame him. Many people have criticized him for the way he played the final table. In my opinion, Kim has the right to play the table in any way that he wishes. If he wanted to blind down time and again until he was forced to push, that would have been fine with me. I also think that Kim was waiting to only move in with big hands. His pocket kings win was not the only time he moved in. One of the other times, he ran into a chop with Chino Rheem.

Chino tried the best he could but he just didn’t really get the cards to cooperate with him. He did complain a bit about all the noise etc in regards to the crowd, but I don’t really begrudge him on that point. There is a big difference in playing in the Amazon Room and in the Penn & Teller theatre. I would have liked to see Chino get more cards in this event.

Darus Suharto was by far the tightest player at the table. Unfortunately for him, he picked a bad time to push all his chips in the middle and he got snapped off. His tight play could have cost him a legitimate shot at winning it all, but then again, with the structure of the event, I can’t fault him for playing tight.

Scott Montgomery played fairly decent but his tendency towards hyper aggressive play bit him in the end. I was thinking that the way he was going to go out was to have someone wake up with a huge hand against him, and that’s exactly what happened.

Ylon Schwartz played an excellent, if not unconventional game. His prowess as a chess champion showed as he was able to navigate his way through the field. Unfortunately, he made a shove bluff against a made hand and he went home. Phil Hellmuth actually said he did not want to see Schwartz win as Schwartz had said he would leave poker if he won. I don’t think that was fair. If someone wins the Main Event and wants to go into the sunset, let them. It’s their money. People think that just because someone wins the Main Event that it is their obligation to give some of the money back to the poker world. I don’t hold that belief. If he wants to play, great. If not, let the man go off into the sunset.

Dennis Phillips showed a lot with his play at the final table. Early on, he showed that he is truly inexperience with some of his moves. It almost became a train wreck for him early, but then he showed us that he can play a little bit. He came back from being 2nd short stack with 9 left to finishing in 3rd place. While he didn’t win the event, Phillips should be proud of his finish. He is truly a nice guy and I hope to see this player do well in the future.

I must admit that I wanted to see Ivan Demidov win this title. It would have been great to have him finish 3rd at the WSOP Europe and then win the WSOP Main Event in Vegas. Of course, it was not meant to be. Early on, his aggression got him somewhat short. He was able to battle back some, but I don’t really think he could find the “slow down” gear in his play. Aggressive poker is indeed winning poker, but the adverse is also true. “Speed kills.” With that said, I think Demidov played a fantastic final table overall. If you put him in the same situation 10 times, I think that he would come out on top 6 to 7 times due to his ability alone. He was by my estimates the best player at the table. The cards just didn’t cooperate with him.

Peter Eastgate was about as aggressive at times as Demidov, but the main difference between him and Demidov was that he was able to slow down and counter Demidov’s style. I honestly think that Eastgate and Demidov are very similar in styles with Demidov being better overall. However, I do think that Eastgate is better at countering his own style than Demidov, and that is what I think won him the bracelet. After he got the big chip lead over Demidov, he let Ivan be the aggressor and make back some chips. After the way things went down, I believe that Eastgate was waiting for a big hand to strike back with or for Demidov to make a mistake. Of course, when Demidov got really short, he then pounced and put on the pressure. While Eastgate wasn’t the better overall player in my opinion, his ability to counter Demidov’s style was enough to put him in the driver’s seat and eventually win him the bracelet.

I’m eagerly waiting to see what Harrah’s has to say about next year’s WSOP Main Event final table. While I do not agree with the delay, the result of it was good for TV. Whether it’s good for “poker in general” remains to be seen in my opinion. I still think they should go back to having the final played in July as normal. However, after watching this final table, I can see why Harrah’s would choose to delay the table again if they choose to.

After coming back from 200,000 to pull even, Binger pulled ahead of Stewart after a big hand between the two. Pre-flop, Stewart raised to 30,000 and Binger re-raised to 160,000 total. Stewart made the call and the flop fell 7h-5d-3d. Action was checked around and the flop fell the Jc. Stewart bet out 250,000 and Binger called. The river fell the Kd and both players checked. Binger flipped over Qs-7d for a pair of sevens and Stewart showed Ac-6h for air. After the hand, Binger moved up to 1.3 Million in chips and Stewart dropped to 680,000.

Binger would move up to around 1.39 Million in chips a couple of hands later. He would take down a pot worth around 400,000 after turning a full house with his pocket sixes.

A couple of hands later, Stewart raised to 40,000 pre-flop and Binger made the call. The flop fell 9d-8c-4h and Stewart moved all-in. Binger called and showed Q-9 for a pair of nines. Stewart showed A-8 for a pair of eights. The turn fell the 10d, giving Binger a straight draw. The river fell the Qs to give Binger two and the win. Ty Stewart finished as our runner-up in this circuit Main Event. He will take home $112,675.

132 players came out to Harvey’s Lake Tahoe to take their shot at this WSOP Circuit Championship. This field would prove to be the strongest of the circuit season with several big name pros entering the event and several making the final table. After being down to just 200,000 chips at one point, Michael Binger would storm his way back and win his first WSOP Circuit title, the $181,379 in prize money, and his seat into the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Congratulations to Michael Binger, winner of the Lake Tahoe WSOP Circuit Championship.

The next WSOP Circuit event is in Atlantic City, NJ at Harrah’s Resort. The first event kicks off on December 5th. The championship event will start December 14th. The Atlantic City stop will be the last stop for 2008. TheWSOPblog.com will bring you updates from the Circuit Championship and any other relevant information from the circuit stop. Until then, good luck at the tables.

After pulling within even of Ty Stewart, a big hand developed between Michael Binger and Stewart. Stewart raised pre-flop to 26,000 and Binger raised over the top to around 90,000 total. Stewart called and the flop fell Qs-Jd-10s. Binger checked and Stewart bet 90,000. Binger called and the turn fell the 3h. Binger checked again to Stewart who bet out 200,000. Binger again made the call. The river fell the 7d and Binger checked for a third time. Stewart then declared all-in and Binger tanked for a while before finally letting it go. Stewart told Binger that he made a good laydown, but only Stewart really knows the truth there. After the hand, Binger is left with only 500,000 in chips.

Stewart would continue to win pots off Binger after his big laydown and extended his lead to around 1.6 Million. A hand then developed between the two that would leave Binger nearly crippled. Stewart raised to 25,000 pre-flop and Binger called. The flop fell Qs-5d-3c and Stewart bet out 40,000. Binger called and the As fell on the turn. Action was checked around and the 9s fell on the river. Stewart bet out 75,000 and Binger made the call. Stewart showed Ah-Qc for top two pair and Binger mucked his hand. Stewart moved up to around 1.75 Million. Binger dropped to under 200,000.

Binger would then take down a couple of pots to double to around 450,000. Stewart still held a 3 to 1 chip lead with 1.53 Million. Players decided to forgo their dinner break and play the event out.

At the beginning of round 22, Stewart raised to 48,000 pre-flop and Binger made the call. The flop fell 5h-4d-3d and Binger checked to Stewart. Stewart bet out 50,000 and Binger then check-raised all-in. Stewart laid it down and Binger moved up to 635,000 in chips.
Binger would then move up to around 730,000 total a couple of hands later when his A-6 paired on the turn. After the pot, Binger would start to on a little bit of a run and would pull back up to 950,000 in chips, which would put the match back at about even.

After it appeared that Binger would go down to Stewart it appears that the momentum may be shifting back his way. Stay tuned to see how this event concludes.

1 Allen Kessler 196,500
2 Scott Clements 66,500
3 Michael Binger 403,500
4 Bill Bostick 100,500
5 Tay Nguyen 132,000
6 Mike McClain 283,000
7 Jake Solis 302,000
8 Ty Stewart 275,500
9 Travis Erdman 224,500

It didn’t take long to lose our first player. Scott Clements, Allen Kessler, and Ty Stewart all saw a flop of Ah-Kc-10. Clements and Kessler checked to Stewart, who placed a bet of 10,000. Clements was the only caller. The 4h fell on the river and action was checked to Stewart, who pushed in 25,000 in chips. The river fell the 5c and Clements checked to Stewart. Stewart bet enough to put Clements all-in. Clements made the call and Stewart showed Qc-Jc for broadway. Clements mucked his hand and became our 9th place finisher. Scott Clements will take home $13,444 for his strong finish.

A while later, Michael Binger raised to 17,000 and Bill Bostick made the call. The flop fell 6h-3h-2d and Binger bet out for 100,000. Bostick moved all-in and Binger called showing Ad-5d. Bostick held 7h-7d. The turn fell the Ah to give binger the lead but Bostick a redraw to the flush. The river fell a harmless 3c and Bill Bostick became our 8th place finisher. He will take home $18,566 for his strong finish.

A while later, Ty Stewart raised to 18,000 and Travis Erdman re-raised to 45,000. Stewart made the call. The flop fell 9s-5s-4s and action was checked to Erdman who bet out 60,000. Stewart then moved all-in and was called by Erdman. Erdman showed Kc-Ks for a pair with a flush draw and Stewart showed 6s-3s for the flopped flush and straight flush redraw. Both the turn and river missed both players and Travis Erdman finished in 7th place, taking home $24,968. This is the third straight year that Erdman has made the final table of this circuit event. While he did not win the event, he can still be proud of his accomplishment.

A big hand developed at the end of level 18. Tay Nguyen raised to 20,000 pre-flop and Ty Stewart re-raised all-in. Allen Kessler called and was all-in for around 140,000. Nguyen got out of the way and Kessler showed pocket aces. Stewart held pocket sevens and needed a seven to win. The flop and turn missed both player, but the river fell the 7d to give Stewart the set, the win, and to send Kessler packing. Allen Kessler became out 6th place finisher, taking home $31,370.

Shortly after the start of level 19, Tay Nguyen moved all-in and was called by Mike McClain. Nguyen held Kc-10c and McClain held pocket aces. Nguyen had some hope when the flop fell with two clubs on it. The turn and river both brought blanks for Nguyen and he became our 5th place finisher. Tay Nguyen will take home $40,653 for his strong finish.

Ty Stewart would then get tangled in a big pot with Michael Binger. Stewart raised pre-flop to 16,000 and was called by Binger and Mike McClain. The flop fell 5h-3c-2c and Binger bet out 28,000. McClain got out of the way and Stewart raised to 75,000 total. Binger called and the Qd fell on the turn. Binger checked to Stewart, who bet 75,000. Binger called again. On the river of the Qh, Binger checked for a third time to Stewart, who bet 150,000. Binger let the hand go and Stewart moved up to 850,000 in chips. Binger dropped to around 480,000.

A couple of hands later, Mike McClain raised pre-flop to 44,000 and Ty Stewart made the call. The flop fell Js-10d-5h and McClain bet 50,000. Stewart made the call and the 7d fell on the turn. McClain moved all-in and was insta-called by Stewart. McClain showed pocket queens for an overpair and Stewart showed 9c-8c for the straight. McClain was drawing dead, making the As on the river meaningless. Mike McClain became our 4th place finisher, taking home $53,777.

After knocking out Mike McClain, Ty Stewart was the monster chip leader with 1.2 Million in chips. He would lose a few of them to Jake Solis a few hands later. On a flop of Ks-Kh-5s, Solis moved all-in and was called. Stewart held Kc-Qh for trip kings and Solis held As-7s for the nut flush draw. The turn fell a blank to both players, but the river fell the 2s to give Solis a flush and double him up to 340,000 in chips.

A couple of pots would go back and forth between Binger and Stewart, but Stewart would come out on top of them to move his stack up to over 1.3 Million. Binger would move back over the half million chip mark in a hand against Jake Solis. The board showed Ac-Ks-8s-7s on the turn. Binger bet out 15,000 and Solis made the call. The river fell the 9d and Binger bet out 40,000. Solis made the call only to see Binger turn over 6d-5c for the straight. Solis mucked his hand and Binger moved up to 540,000 in chips. Solis is left with around 100,000.

The very next hand, Binger raised to 30,000 pre-flop and Solis pushed. Both Ty Stewart and Binger called. Binger and Stewart checked it down until showdown. At the river with the board showing Ac-Qs-9c-10c-5s, Binger showed Kc-Qc for middle pair. Solis showed pocket eights and Stewart showed pocket sevens. As a result, Jake Solis became our 3rd place finisher. He will take home $77,464 for his strong finish.

Heads up play began between Ty Stewart and Michael Binger with Stewart leading 1.156 Million and Binger with 824,000.

The very first hand of heads up play about evened up the chip count. Stewart raised to 26,000 and was called by Binger pre-flop. The flop fell Kd-8d-5c and action was checked around. The turn fell the 4c and Binger bet out 35,000. Stewart raised to 90,000 and Binger made the call. The river fell the 6s and Binger checked to Stewart. Stewart bet out 100,000 and Binger snap-called. Binger showed pocket fours for a set of ours while Stewart showed Js-9c for air.

Heads-up play will continue at this final table as we find out who will win this circuit title. Will it be Stewart or Binger? Tune in to find out.

Two of the chips leaders were involved in a big pot that resulted in a new overall leader. Travis Erdman raised pre-flop to 10,000 and Jake Solis made the call. The flop fell 6d-3d-4s and Solis bet out 15,000. Erdman raised to 36,000 and Solis called. The turn fell the Qd and Solis checked to Erdman who bet out 40,000. Solis then check-raised to 100,000 and Erdman sat to consider his options. Finally, he let the hand go. Jake Solis is now the new overall chip leader with around 375,000 chips.

Preston Derden would be the next player to be eliminated from the event. He moved all in pre-flop for his remaining 35,000 and was called by Michael Binger. Derden was in the lead with Kh-Qd and Binger held 9h-7h. Derden would catch a king on the flop to take the lead, but Binger would catch both a 9 on the turn and 7 on the river to make two pair. Preston Derden became our 12th place finisher, taking home $9,603.

Chris Ferguson’s quest to win his 4th Circuit Championship is looking to be in jeopardy right now. He doubled up Scott Clements after calling Clements all-in bet with Ah-2c. Clements held As-10s. Ferguson could not catch a deuce and after the hand, he is left with only 57,000 chips. Clements isn’t in much better shape as he sits with only around 83,000 in chips.

Ty Stewart would then double up through Jake Solis. Pre-flop, Stewart raised to 12k and Solis moved all-in. Stewart called with Jh-8h and Solis Kh-2h. Solis would spike a deuce on the flop, but Stewart would catch a river jack to double up to around 140,000.

A few minutes after Ferguson doubled up Clements, he was all in against Mike McClain. Ferguson held As-Js and McClain held Ah-Qs. The board would end up missing both players and Ferguson would be eliminated in 11th place. The defending champion will take home $9,603 for his efforts.

After Ferguson’s elimination, the remaining players were all consolidated onto one table but one player had to still be eliminated before the final nine would be set.

It didn’t take long before we had our last elimination of the evening. Jason Sanders raised pre-flop for 15,000 and Ty Stewart moved all-in. Sanders called showing pocket threes. Stewart held A-9. Stewart would spike a nine on the flop and Sanders was unable to catch a queen. As a result, Jason Sanders became our 10th place finisher and will take home $9,603.

We now have our final table for this WSOP Circuit Main Event. A strong final is expected tomorrow as Allen Kessler, Scott Clements, Michael Binger and Mike McClain all will take their shot at this Circuit Championship. Below are the final nine and their chip counts. Play will resume tomorrow at 2 p.m. Pacific Time and we will play until we get our champion. Join us tomorrow as we bring you recaps of all the action. Hope to see you then.

1 Allen Kessler 196,500
2 Scott Clements 66,500
3 Michael Binger 403,500
4 Bill Bostick 100,500
5 Tay Nguyen 132,000
6 Mike McClain 283,000
7 Jake Solis 302,000
8 Ty Stewart 275,500
9 Travis Erdman 224,500

It didn’t take long to get our first elimination from dinner break. On the very first hand, Glenn Uchibori moved all-in pre-flop for 40,000. Jake Solis made the call with pocket kings. Uchibori held pocket tens. The board missed both players and Glenn Uchibori became our 18th place finisher and will take home $7,042 for his strong finish.

James Marks was the next person sent packing as he moved all in with Kd-10d and was called by the pocket sevens of Jake Solis. Marks flopped a straight draw, but was unable to complete his straight. Marks finished the day in 17th place and will also take home $7,042.

Chris Dombrowski moved all-in pre-flop for 51,000 total and was called by Travis Erdman. Dombrowski held pocket jacks and Erdmand A-K. Erdman would spike a king on the flop and catch an ace on the river to eliminate Dombrowski in 16th place. Chris Dombrowski will take home $7,042. Unfortunately for Dombrowski, his aggressive bubble play resulted in his being one of the first out after the bubble burst.

Michael Cooper was the next to go out. He moved all-in pre-flop for around 36,000 and was called by Travis Erdman. Cooper held Kh-8c and Erdman held Ac-7s. Erdman would catch an ace on the flop and that would be enough to win him the hand and eliminate Cooper. Michael Cooper finished in 15th place and will receive $8,323.

Emilio Porcalla moved all-in after a raise from Bill Bostick pre-flop. Bostick made the call and showed pocket aces. Porcalla held A-K and would need next to a miracle. The flop fell 10s-8s-2s and Porcalla would need running kings or running straight cards to win the hand. The turn fell the 2d and that sealed his fate. Emilio Porcalla was our 14th place finisher and will take home $8,323.

It didn’t take long after that to lose our next player. Rick Troendly moved all-in pre-flop for around 57,000 and Bostick made the call. Troendly got caught trying to steal with 6c-5c and Bostick held pocket jacks. Troendly would catch a little help when the flop fell Kc-2d-6d to give him a pair of sixes. The turn and the river would bring no help for him and Rick Troendly was eliminated in 13th place. He will take home $8,323 for his deep run.

After being down to around 40,000 chips earlier in the day, Michael Binger has moved up to 2nd in chips. On the turn, the board read Qd-9h-2s-7d and Preston Derden bet out 14,000. Both Binger and Bill Bostick made the call. The river fell the Kd and action was checked to Binger who bet out 30,000. Only Derden made the call and Binger showed Jc-10h for the straight. Derden held As-Qc for middle pair. After the hand Binger moved up to 318,000 chips.

A couple of players are left on relatively short stacks right now. Preston Derden is down to 38,000 and Scott Clements is down to 43,000. Three more players need to be eliminated before we reach our final table. Stay tuned and see who makes it.

Scott Roberds become the 21st place finisher when he moved all-in pre-flop with his A_K and was called by the pocket kings of Preston Derden. The board missed both players as we approach the bubble.

Travis Erdman was the first player to eclipse 200,000 in chips. With 20 players left he was the chip leader with 208,000.

Carol Hampton put up a great fight but came up just short of the money today. On the board of Jd-10h-5s, Michael Binger bet out 13,000 and Hampton moved all-in. Binger flipped over pocket jacks for a set of jacks and Hampton flipped over As-Ks for the gutshot straight draw. The turn and river would miss both players and Hampton was eliminated. With Hampton’s elimination, Kathy Liebert is the lone woman standing in the field. Also, Binger moved up to around 203,000 with this pot. Nice little comeback Mr. Binger has put together.

With Hampton’s elimination, we moved on to hand for hand play. This time around we are doing what is known as action for action play. What will happen is that each table will deal the flop, turn, and river at the same time. This will help to reduce on slow play that sometimes occurs at the bubble period.

Scott Clements was down to his last 20,000 during the bubble period and moved all-in against Travis Erdman. Erdman showed pocket jacks and Clements Ks-Qs. The flop spiked a queen for Clements and the turn gave him trip queens. The hand was meant to be won by Clements as he caught the case queen on the river to give him quads on the river. Quads at the bubble doubled Clements up to 44,000.

Chris Dombrowski had been pushing the action at the bubble, raising several times to 6,000 pre-flop. After one of those raises, Allen Kessler re-raised to 20,000. Dombrowski moved all in and was called by Kessler who was holding Ks-Kd. Dombrowski held pocket eights. The flop would hit both players when it fell As-8s-9s. Dombrowski hit his set but Kessler picket up a flush draw. The turn fell the 9s to give Kessler the flush. The river fell the 2s, but since Kessler had a spade in hand, the board flush was irrelevant and Kessler moved up to 170,000 in chips. Dombrowski slipped to 47,000.

Ty Stewart doubled up through Rick Troendly at the bubble. He moved all-in on the flop of 10s-6c-5h. Stewart held 10d-7c and Troendly held 5c-3c. The remaining two cards helped neither player and Stewart moved up to 37,000 after the hand.

After an extended bubble period, the bubble finally burst. Chris Dombrowski made a minimum raise pre-flop and Kathy Liebert made the call in the big blind. The flop fell Ac-Qc-3d and Liebert moved all-in for her last 5,000. Dombrowski called and flipped over Kc-Qd for a pair of queens. Liebert turned over pocket nines. The turn fell the Jc on the turn and now Liebert could only catch one nine to win her hand. The 9c would give Dombrowski a flush. The river fell the Jh and Kathy Liebert became out bubble girl, finishing in 19th place. Now the remaining 18 players will receive a minimum of $7,042.

Players went on dinner break after the money bubble burst. We will be back after dinner to bring you the final nine bustouts as we march to the final table.

Robert Cheung was left with almost just a chip and a chair after a big hand with Dustin Gomes. Pre-flop Cheung moved all-in and was called by Gomes. Cheung had him covered by 800 chips. Cheung held As-Qd and Gomes held pocket kings. The board missed both players and Cheung was left with only 800 chips. Gomes would vault to among the chip leaders with 130,000 in chips. Cheung would be eliminated shortly afterwards

Aaron Kanter was eliminated shortly afterwards by Emilio Porcalla. Kanter pushed pre-flop with pocket sixes and was called by Porcalla and his pocket aces. The board blanked out and Kanter his the rail.

Marty Wong moved all-in for 56,000 on a flop of Kd-10h-9d. Tay Nguyen made the call with pocket tens. Wong held Ad-Kh. He would need running straight flush or full house cards to win. The turn fell the 4c, which left Wong drawing dead. Nguyen moved up to 140,000 in chips after the hand and Wong went home.

A redraw of seats was held at 27 players. Shortly after the redraw a new chip leader emerged. Pre-flop, Dustin Gomes came over the top of Bill Bostick and made it 15,000 to go. Bostick moved all-in and Gomes made the call. Bostick had him covered. Gomes held A-K and Bostick held pocket aces. The board missed both players and Gomes was eliminated. After the hand, Bostick moved up to 165,000 in chips.

Michael Binger made a nice rebound from being down to just under 40,000 in chips. At the turn, the board read As-Qd-3h-10s. Jason Sanders bet out 13,000 and Binger called. The river fell the 7d and action was checked around. Binger showed Ad-Jd for top pair and Sanders mucked his hand. After the hand, Binger moved up to around 120,000 in chips.

Ty Stewart has free fallen from among the chip leaders. In a hand against Chris Dombrowski, the board at the river read Qh-Qs-10s-4s-Ah. Stewart bet out 15,000 and Dombrowski moved all-in. Stewart made the call and showed As-5s for the nut flush, but Dombrowski showed Ad-Qd for queens full. After the hand, Dombrowski moved up to 130,000 in chips and Stewart was left with only 25,000.

Kathy Liebert was getting short stacked when she moved all-in pre-flop and was called by Preston Derden. Derden held pocket sevens and Liebert pocket kings. The board missed both players and Liebert doubled up to 44,000.

Scott Clements eliminated Shawn Bessey when he turned a full house against Bessey’s trip threes. Clements moved up to 60,000 in chips, which was below the average stack at this point. Neal Cooke was eliminated shortly afterwards by Chris Dombrowski. Cooke was all in with pocket nines against the pocket kings of Dombrowski. The board missed both players and Cooke went home. Dombrowski moved up to around 145,000 in chips after the hand.
The elimination of Cooke left us with 21 players left. Stay tuned as we approach the money bubble and then the final table.

Chris Ferguson moved up to 60,000 in chips early on in today’s action after eliminating David Paul with a straight. Shortly afterwards, Tim Vance moved all-in pre-flop with J-8. He was called by Tom Masinter who was holding K-6. The flop fell 7-7-6 and Masinter took the lead. The turn and river both missed Vance and he had a short Day 2.

Players dropped out quickly as we were down to 45 players within the first 40 minutes of play. Tom Masinter started to approach six digits in chips after taking a pot off Neil Cooke. The board had two jacks and four hearts on the river and Masinter bet out 7,000 chips. Cooke made the call and Masinter showed Ah-Kc for the nut flush. After the hand Masinter moved up to 96,000 in chips.

Carol Hampton was the only woman left in the field besides Kathy Liebert and early on she took a nice pot off James Marks. At the river, the board showed Ks-Qh-9h-Jc-10s and action was checked to Hampton. She bet out 6,000 and Marks made the call appearing disgusted. Hampton turned over Ac-4h for Broadway and moved up to 69,000 in chips.

Michael Binger at one point during the day was over 100,000 in chips, but after that point started to freefall. First, he doubled up Preston Derden when Binger’s As-Kc ran into the pocket Queens of Derden. Binger was left with just 51,000 in chips after the hand. Next, he called an all-in bet from Neal Cooke. Binger had A-K against Jd-5d of Cooke. Cooke had flopped a flush draw and Binger two pair when the flop hit Ad-10d-Kc. The turn missed both players, but Cooke caught the Qc on the river to double up to around 103,000 in chips. Binger slipped to 24,000. Binger was able to get some chips back a little while later when he was all in with A-9 against the A-K of Thomas Galusha. This time Binger would get lucky on the river when he caught a 9d to move up to 38,000 in chips.

Ty Stewart was able to move back into 2nd in chips after taking a big pot off Jake Solis. Solis re-raised Stewart pre-flop to make it 12,000 to go and Stewart called. Action was checked around on the flop of Qh-Qs-3h. The turn fell the Jh and again action was checked around. The 6s fell on the river and Stewart led out for 15,000. Solis quickly made the call and Stewart showed pocket jacks for jacks full. Solis mucked and Stewart moved up to 124,000 in chips.

Action continues from this WSOP Circuit Main Event as we make the march to the money and the final table. Stay tuned!

The two chip leaders were soon sitting at the same table.  Ty Stewart and Chris Dombrowski were both at the same table and soon got involved in a pot together that would drop Stewart out of the chip lead.  After several raises pre-flop, both saw the flop of Ac-Jh-6d.  Action was checked around the turn of the 9s fell.  Stewart bet 3,500 and Dombrowski raised to 8,500.  Stewart made the cal.  The Ad fell on the river and action was checked to Dombrowski.  He bet out 20,000 and Stewart released his hand.  After the pot Stewart dropped to around 80,000 and Dombrowski moved up to around 90,000.

At another table, Scott Clements limped into the pot pre-flop only to be met by a raise from the cutoff.  Clements and the big blind made the call and the flop fell 8s-5s-3h.  The big blind bet out 1,500 and only Clements made the call.  On the turn of the Jd, the big blind checked and Clements bet 2,500.  The big blind called and the Qh fell on the river.  The big blind again checked to Clements and he bet around 20,000 in chips.  The big blind folded and Clements moved up to 78,000 in chips.

Cathy Liebert has been relatively quiet today but made a little noise in the last level.  On the turn, with the board showing 10s-4s-5d-6c, Liebert pushed for around 11,000 chips.  Her opponent got out of the way and Liebert moved up to around 25,000.  A few hands later, she took a nice pot from Rick Troendly when she moved all in on a king high flop.  Troendly folded and she showed pocket aces.  She would move up to 38,000 to put herself in contention for Day 2. 

59 players would survive to make Day 2 of this event.  Scott Clements finished as the high pro with 65,200.  Michael Binger was right behind with 59,800 and Chris Ferguson would finish with 51,800.  Allen Kessler, Kathy Liebert and Robert Cheung all made Day 2 and will come back tomorrow as we play down to the final table.  Chip counts are below for the remaining players.  Tune back in tomorrow as we continue to bring you updates from this event.  Hope to see you then.

Chris Dombrowski                   104,100

Ty Stewart                               95,000

Tom Masinter                           75,800

Tay Nguyen                              71,700

Travis Erdman                          71,300

Marty Wong                             67,700

Scott Clements                         65,200

Neal Cooke                             60,300

Michael Binger                         59,800

Carol Hampton                        59,000

Joe Fernandez                          56,000

Rick Troendly                           52,200

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson              51,800

Jason Sanders                          48,400

Scott Roberds                          48,200

Michael Cooper                       46,400

Preston Derden                        44,400

Kenneth Fitzgerald                    44,000

Shawn Bessey                          43,100

Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler          41,200

Thomas Galusha                       40,800

Kathy Liebert                           38,300

Robert “RCW” Cheung             37,900

Kevin Archbolah                      35,000

Fred Lopez                              34,800

Emilio Porcalla                          33,500

Bob Herman                             32,900

Mark Bonsack                         32,500

Shayne Heinz                            32,200

Jango Broomfield                      32,200

Scott Paust                               31,500

Patty Sodja                              27,400

James Drew Marks                  27,100

Jake Solis                                 27,000

Bill Casey                                 26,400

Bill Bostick                               26,000

Aaron Kanter                           22,000

Jason Adler                              20,100

Mike Harvey                            19,400

Jacobo Fernando                      19,300

John Neitzel                              18,600

Robert Fitzgerald                      17,000

Steve Friedlander                     16,800

Mike McClain                          16,400

Glenn Uchibori                         15,100

Jeff Wakamiya                         14,900

Yosh Nakano                           14,800

Dustin Gomes                           13,300

Steve Lewis                              12,000

Lori Smith                                11,900

Deryz Taylor                            11,400

Tim Vance                               10,300

Mark Muchnik                         9,100

Robert Brown                          6,800

David Paul                                6,500