Play has ended for the day after Manny Minaya was busted out in 10th place with eight minutes remaining in level 18. The tournament had a field of 1592 players, and the final nine return Friday for their chance at a gold bracelet.

Blinds: 6000/12000 with 1000 ante.

Players Left: 9

Chip Count:

Theo Tran - 1,884,000
Mihai Manole - 1,020,000
Matt Keikoan - 1,011,000
Carter Gill - 652,000
Shannon Shorr - 627,000
Mike Lisanti - 358,000
Alex Bolotin - 345,000
J.C. Tran - 273,000
Chris Bjorin - 205,000

Eliminations: Manny Minaya, Thong Tran, Tim Taft, Issam Abbas.

Big Hands:

Tran Busts Minaya in 10th

Theo Tran was already sitting as chip leader, but padded his count at the expense of Manny Minaya when play was 10-handed. Tran raised to 40,000 and Minaya moved all-in from the big blind for 185,000 more. Tran was in trouble, his AK up against Minaya's KK, but the flop proved product falling A98. The 4 came on the turn and 10 on the river wrapped up play for the day.

Bolotin Survives All-in

The previous hand to Minaya's exit, it was Alex Bolotin's turn to sweat. Bolotin raised from early position, going all-in for 159,000. He drew a call from Matt Keikoan, who showed 1010. Bolotin was ahead with QQ, and dodged the flop when the AK3 hit. Bolotin hit a set with the Q on the turn, but that also gave Keikoan a straight draw. But the 4 came on the river and Bolotin doubled up to 345,000.


Final Table Familiar Territory for Tran

Two final tables in the 2007 World Series of Poker, and already a final table appearance in the 2008 WSOP. And Theo Tran is worried.
"I hope it's not a trend," said Tran, who will be the runaway chip leader when his second final table of the 2008 WSOP begins Friday. "I was second in the ($1000 w/rebuys) last year, fourth in the ($3000 limit), and this year I was fourth in the $1,500 two days ago. I hope this is the one. I want it pretty bad."
If he catches cards like he did in Day 2 of the $2000 tourney, his chances are pretty solid.
"I ran like God today," said Tran. "I had kings six times, aces once, ace-king about five times. I've never run like this in my life. But to my credit, I felt I played them really well. All my kings, I played them different. Once I knew the other guy was steaming, so I just smooth called and acted weak. I knew it was going to be a good chance to squeeze."
Tran entered the second day of play as the chip leader but spilled a significant number of chips in the early going when his pocket sixes fell to pocket eights. From there he turned on the aggression.
"I stumbled bad there at the start, but I was able to double up. I knew I was going to try to get those chips back. I wasn't going to sit around with a short stack."
One player at the final table who is short stacked is J.C. Tran, but the veteran nursed it through the final four tables and remains an imposing presence at the final table.
"It's great," says Theo. "He's been like a big brother to me. I'm very happy he's going to the final table with me. And he's a player who can adjust to any situation. He's great, I've learned so much from him."

Blinds: 6000/12000 with 1000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 1592

Average Stack: 636,800

Storylines:

The remaining 10 players have been moved to one table, with one more elimination needed to determine the official final table.

Big Hands:

Tran Takes Bite of Shorr Stack

Theo Tran continues to hover near the chip lead, thanks in part to a showdown with Shannon Shorr. The flop came AQ5, with a turn of the 6 and river of the 2. Shorr bet 77,000 on the river, and Tran raised another 125,000. Shorr called, and Tran showed the QJ for the second nut flush. Shorr fell to 500,000 in chips.
Shorr gained that back near the end of the level, when he eliminated Thong Tran to create the final 10-handed table. Tran pushed all-in preflop and Shorr had to call another 159,000. Shorr had AJ while Tran had 65. The flop hit both players, coming AJ7, giving Shorr top two pair and Tran the flush draw. The turn came 10 and the river was the 8 to give Shorr the pot.

Gill Begins His Climb

Carter Gill is beginning to benefit from his stack. First he drew a 65,000 call-and-muck from Mike Lisanti on a board of J9982 when Gill had KQ. Gill then called a 65,000 raise from Shorr and won a showdown with ace-six on a board of 97622.  Then the next hand after Lisanti raised to 45,000 preflop, Gill came over the top and drew another muck.

J.C. Tran Holds Firm

J.C. Tran has been nursing a short stack ever since three tables remained, but he managed to double up to about 300,000 when his ace-nine outlasted the flush draw of Manny Minaya after a flop of AJJ.


 

Blinds: 5000/10000 with a 1000 ante

Players left: 17 of 1592

Average Stack: 374,5888

Eliminations: Kai Danilo Paulsen, John Phan, Phil Seigel, Shawn Hattem, Richard Monroe, Keith Carter.

Storylines: The tournament is down to two tables, 17 players, and will continue until just nine remain. Theo Tran, Shannon Shorr and Manny Minaya are the current chip leaders with about 700,000 each.

Big Hands:

Shorr Wins Mental Showdown

Shortly after being condensed to two tables, a showdown developed between chip leaders Theo Tran, who began the hand with over 1,000,000 in chips, and Shorr who had 800,000. Tran raised preflop to 28,000 and drew a call from Shorr. The flop came K65, and after Tran checked, Shorr bet 39,000. The 2 on the turn brought another Tran check, and Shorr stepped out for 77,000. Again Tran elected to make the call. The 9 on the river brought a third Tran check, and Shorr pushed out 181,000 in chips. Tran tanked, twice he reached for chips and seemed on the verge of calling, but in the end he made a reluctant laydown.

Tran Busts Carter

Theo Tran had earlier added to his chip stack when he made a 164,000 call of Keith Carter's all-in from the button. Tran showed AQ while Carter held A10. Both players hit the flop of AJ3, but Carter didn't get the help he needed from the 7 on the turn or the J on the river. Carter finished in 18th place.

Minaya Hits Lucky 7s

Manny Minaya made a 23,000 call from the button, after Carter Gill raised. Richard Monroe called from the small blind, and the flop came down KK7. It was checked to Minaya who bet 50,000, before Monroe check-raised to 150,000. Gill folded, and Minaya declared "all-in", and Monroe called his remaining 270,000. Minaya triumphantly showed 77 for the flopped full house, while Monroe held KQ. He failed to get any held from the 3 on the turn or the 6 on the river.

J.C. Tran Still Alive

Darren Nelson raised to 30,000 and J.C. Tran made the call from the button, leaving himself with just 56,000 in chips. The flop came 1064 and Nelson checked, which allowed Tran to push all-in. Nelson folded while Tran showed the 10 for top pair.


Payouts for the $2,000 NL hold'em event can be found at the link given below:

www.cardplayer.com/tournaments/payout/14405

Players have gone on a 20-minute break and will return with blinds at 5000/10000.

Blinds: 4000/8000 with 1000 ante

Players Left: 23 of 1592

Average Stack: 276,860

Chip Leaders:

Theo Tran - 606,000
Mike Lisanti - 515,000
Shannon Shorr - 512,000
Carter Gill - 385,000
Yan Chen - 375,000
Mihai Manole - 369,000
Issam Abbas - 280,000
Manny Minaya - 265,000
Richard Monroe - 260,000
Shawn Hattem - 260,000

Eliminations: Robert Ackerman, Joe Brandenburg, Michael Scott, Phil Collins, Joseph Cutler, Pawel Andrzejewski, Jeff Neuman, Nick Romano, Rocco Pace, Mattais Kuerschner, Andre De Montequiou, Derek Harrington, Larry Gurney, Nancy Todd Tyner.

Big Hands:

Theo Tran Maintains Lead

Theo Tran remained atop the chip count for the tourney when he busted Nick Romano. After a flop of J107, Romano moved all-in for his final 125,000 in chips. Tran called and showed KK, which held up after the QQ filled out the board. Tran pushed past the 600,000 mark in total chips, while the average stack was shy of 300,000.

Lisanti Busts Two Short Stacks

Mike Lisanti sent both Derek Harrington and Larry Gurney to the rail on the same hand, when Lisanti was dealt QQ. Gurney pushed for 70,000 and held pocket jacks, while Harrington was all-in for 40,000 and held pocket 10s. The board ran out A-A-8-4-8, shipping the pot to Lisanti. Chip leader Theo Tran confessed he would have scooped everything had he played his A2.

Kings Eliminate the Lady

Yan Chen held pocket kings and was able to eliminate Nancy Todd Tyner in 24th place. Todd Tyner was all-in with A8.

Seigel Makes Aces Hold Up

Philip Seigel doubled up at an opportune time, when he held AA against a board of 986. Manny Miniya called the 92,000 all-in bet from Seigel, after flopping top pair with 10-9, but couldn't improve.

Montgomery Catches Undercard

Scott Montgomery pushed past the 400,000 mark when he called the all-in of Jeff Neuman. Montgomery had ace-jack to Neuman's ace-king, but a jack on the flop gave Montgomery the pot.

Andre a Giant No More

Once among the tournament chip leaders, Andre De Montesquiou was eliminated when his short stack of 26,000 was committed with QQ. His opponent called with 44, and spiked the flop of 1064. The 9 and 5 finished the board.
 

Players Remaining: 27 of 192

Average Stack: 128,000

Notable Chip Counts:
Tom Dwan - 250,000
William McMahon - 215,000
Lee Watkinson - 210,000
Johnny Chan - 208,000
David Oppenheim - 195,000
Tony Rivera - 185,000
Gus Hansen - 182,000
Matthew Glantz - 180,000
Scott Seiver - 172,000
Michael DeMichele - 165,000

Recent Eliminations:
Mike Sexton
Marcel Luske

Big Hands:

No Limit Hold’em: An Exciting Round at Table 47

Among spectators, the talk of level 13 was the no-limit hold’em round at table 47, which found Sammy Farha all in on three separate occasions. In an early hand, Tom Dwan raised to 6,300 from under-the-gun. Farha called from the small blind and checked dark before the flop fell 997. Dwan bet enough to put Farha all in, and Farha instantly called while flipping over the T9. Dwan turned over the KQ, and was drawing thin to overtake Sammy. The 8c on the turn locked it up for Farha, and Dwan mucked his cards before the river fell.

Several hands later, Farha raised from the cut-off and all folded to Vanessa Rousso in the big blind. After taking some time to count her chips, Rousso announced that she was all in. Farha called and turned over the AQ. Vanessa was in front with the AK, and the T75 did nothing to improve Farha’s hand. However, the Q on the turn meant that Rousso would need to catch a king or a jack on the river to win the pot. The 8 on the river sent Rousso to her feet and she began a tirade about her unfortunate luck. While stepping away from the table, she lamented, “How many bad beats do I have to take in one tournament?” Rousso had Farha covered, and she vowed to rebuild her stack.

Farha continued to play aggressively throughout the other rounds, and eventually eliminated both Marcel Luske and Mike Sexton.

2-7 Triple Draw: Eli Elezra Vs. David Oppenheim

After raising from the button and being called by Eli Elezra, David Oppenheim drew one card to match Elezra during the first draw. Elezra bet before receiving his new card, and Oppenheim called. Both players drew one during the second draw, and the action was checked around. Again both players drew one card on the third draw, with Oppenheim discarding the Ks face up. The action was checked, and Elezra turned over T7642. Oppenheim mucked.

Blinds: 3000/6000 with 500 ante

Players Left: 37 of 1592

Average Stack: 172,100

Eliminations: Brent Roberts, Fred Goldberg, Steven Etoch, Ryan Franklin, Robert Morgan, Jonathan Tare, Jason Campbell, John Chadwick, Eric Lui.

Big Hands:

Something They Ate?

Players didn't waste any time after returning from their dinner breaks, with nine players eliminated in the first 40 minutes of the level. It began when John Phan sent Brent Edwards packing on the first hand to increase his chip stack to 165,000. Phan then stole the blinds on the next hand, but then near the end of the level he made a raise of 23,500 from the button, only to have Shawn Hattem move all in for 94,000. It would have cost Phan the majority of his stack, but after a lengthy delay he folded and now sits at 96,000. He earlier dropped 33,000 on the river when his ace-six was behind an opponents ace-four after a board of 55452.

Cruel Rivers Sink Wiggins

Once is a bad beat. Twice? It was enough to send Christopher Wiggins to the rail. He was faced by a 70,000 all-in play from Shannon Shorr in the big blind. Wiggins felt confident enough to make the call, and found his KQ in a dominating position to Shorr's QJ. The flop missed both players, coming 1064, and the 8 on the turn left Shorr with seven outs. The J on the river saved him.
Wiggins was then dealt an even crueler fate later in the level. There was one limper in the pot when Wiggins raised to 25,000. Carter Gill in seat 1 then raised to 46,000, which drew folds until play came back to Wiggins who pushed all-in for 92,000. Gill made the call and showed A10. Wiggins was again dominating, now holding ace-queen. He even hit the flop of QJ7, and the turn was the harmless 2, but the K on the river filled Gill's gutshot straight draw and a stunned Wiggins was eliminated in 38th place.
Wiggins had earlier made an impressive call to eliminate Robert Morgan, who raised all-in and forced Wiggins to call 64,000. Wiggins called with A7 and saw Morgan had pushed with three-five offsuit. Morgan flopped a gutshot straight draw with the 1074 appearing, but the AQ made Wiggins the winner.

J.C. Tran stays alive

Tran moved all-in for 48,000 after a flop of 934. Scott Montgomery made the call with two overcards, AQ, but failed to hit when the 5 came on the turn and K on the river. Phan had 109 to stay alive.

Calzadillas crippled, then eliminated

Mark Calzadillas made an 81,500 call on the river, only to see Theo Tran had flopped top two pair with ace-nine. Calzadillas was soon eliminated in 39th place.


 

Players are returning from their 60-minute dinner break, with blinds now set at 3000/6000 with a 500 ante. There are 53 players remaining in the field, down from the 152 that began the day. Players are to play tonight until the final nine are determined for the final table.

Chip Leaders:

Issam Abbas - 290,000
Yan Chen - 282,000
Alex Bolotin - 262,500
Thong 'Jimmy' Tran - 260,000
Scott Montgomery - 243,000
Mihai Manole - 238,000
Manny Minaya - 237,000
Pawel Andrzejewski - 198,000
Shawn Hattem - 184,000
Andre De Montesquiou - 180,000
 

The players have gone on a 60 minute dinner break. When they return the blinds will be at 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante.

Shannon Shorr will definitely be a player to watch as he moved from one of the short stacks at the beginning of level 14 to one of the chip leaders by the dinner break with around 208,000.

It will be the stretch run as the remaining 53 players will play down to the final table of nine.

Blinds/Antes: 2,000-4,000 with a 500 Ante

Players Left: 56 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Issam Abbas: 290,000
Mihai Manole: 280,000
Manelic Minaya: 226,000
Thong Tran: 220,000
Yan Chen: 210,000
Shannon Shorr: 208,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 198,000
Kai Danilo Paulsen: 195,000
Andre De Montesquiou: 165,000

Average Stack: 113,714

Eliminations: John Myung

Big Hands:

Don't Get to Close to the Shorr, You May Drown

Level 14 belonged to Shannon Shorr. He entered the level with around 60,000. Through the next hour, he would gain a lot more.

With a flop showing 768, Pawel Andrzejewski moved all in, essentially putting Shorr all in. Shannon Shorr made the call and showed J7 for second pair. It was enough for the lead as Andrzejewski showed J10 for a gutshot straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. The turn brought the K, helping no one. The river was the 4 and Shorr doubled up to more than 150,000 in chips. Andrzejewski was down to just under 95,000 but would eventually get back to around 198,000.

A few hands later, Shorr called his opponent's all in bet after the flop came 6-7-8. Shorr showed 4-5 for a straight on the flop and eliminated another opponent, but he was not finished yet.

Neil Scott raised preflop to 8,000 total. Shannon Shorr had the button and reraised 21,000 more. Scott called and the flop came 533. Shorr bet 20,000 and Scott folded. That left Shorr with 207,000, nearly tripling what he had to start the level. Scott was eliminated a short time later.

J.C. Tran Steals the Blinds

The action folded around to Tran on the button who raised to 13,000. The blinds folded and Tran took the blinds and antes, improving his stack to around 60,000.

Goldberg Down

Andre De Montesquiou bet 25,000 after a flop of J64. Fred Goldberg went into the tank and decided to fold. His stack was down to around 50,000.