Patrick Poels - 1st place

	TD Michael Cravatt and the winner!

They each got 5 bets in before the flop (20K) and the flop was 3 7 7 . They each re-raised until Paul was all in and he showed A 4 for the flush draw. Patrick had pocket Queens. Turn and river were 8 6 and it was all over for Paul.

	Paul Lee - 2nd place

Patrick Poels finished in 1st place, earning $48,189 and the gold WSOP Circuit Championship ring.

Paul Lee finished in 2nd place, earning $26,772.

Here's the complete payout chart for this event:

Patrick has quickly picked up the lead from Paul. Patrick is up to about 130K, leaving Paul with 101K.

Play has resumed at level 14, 2K/4K blinds, 4K/8K limits.

End of level - players are taking 10. Just before the break, Patrick had check/called Lee all the way to the river, where he check-raised. The board was 9 9 2 9 T and Patrick turned over 9 5 for quads.

Patrick has 76,000 and Paul Lee has 155,000.

Patrick has 40,000 and Paul Lee has all the rest (about 191,000).

	Paul Darden - 3rd place

Lee raised from the button and Darden put his last chips in from the small blind. Patrick called from the big. Flop was 8 2 T - all clubs. Lee & Patrick checked it down; turn and river were 3 and 3. Lee showed A4 offsuit; Patrick showed 8 2 for two pair and Darden mucked his hand.

Paul Darden finished in 3rd place, earning $14,725.

Paul Lee gets some back. From the button, he raised and was called by Patrick in the big blind. The flop was Q 5 4; Patrick checked, Lee bet, Patrick called. Turn was a 3, Patrick checked, Lee bet, Patrick raised, Lee re-raised, and Patrick called. River was a 2; check, bet call. Patrick showed pocket 5s for the set; Lee held pocket Aces for the rivered straight.

After that hand, Lee had about 177K, Patrick: 42K, and Darden: 12K.

Darden survives...he got his last chips in on a flop of A A 8. He had Q8 and was ahead of Patrick's KQ. His pair held and he's still teetering at about 20,000.

Chips moving around the table...Patrick took another chunk out of Paul Lee when he made another flush. He and Lee are about even now, and Darden is down to about 20,000 chips.

Darden and Patrick do battle all the way to the river, where the board shows 6 5 8 9 7 - a straight on the board. Patrick bemoans the river card when he turns over his pocket Queens. He suddenly shifts his opinion of that river card when Darden turns over his pocket Aces. Split pot.

Play has resumed in level 13 with 2K/3K blinds and 3K/6K limits.

Meanwhile, over in the black chip game, Sean has departed and Chau Giang has taken his seat.

Players are on break at end of level. In the previous round, it looked like Paul Lee was going to run away with it and it was just a matter of who would get 2nd and 3rd, but Paul Darden and Patrick have suddenly sparked back to life.

Darden took a chunk out of Lee when his slow-played pocket Queens turned into a set, even though there was a possible flush on board.

Patrick got his chunk when his suited King rivered a flush to beat Lee's top pair.

As of the break, here are the approximate chip counts:

Paul Lee has been chipping away at the two shorter stacks. He has about 150K and both other players have about 40K. With a $12,000 difference between 3rd and 2nd place, they may be trying to outlast each other to move up a step. Here are the payouts for the final 3:

Here are the updated approximate chip counts:

	Tam Ho - 4th place

In a replay of the previous hand, Tam got all his chips in against Paul Lee. This time Lee's hand was good and Tam was done.

Tam Ho finished in 4th place, earning $10,709.

Tam got his last chips in with A7 against Paul Lee's A6, but the board was A T 5 T 7 giving them both Aces up with a 7 kicker, so it was a split pot.

Play has resumed. Blinds are now 1K/2K with 2K/4K limits. Here are the approximate chip counts as of the break:

	Chris Tsiprailidis - 5th place

On the second hand, Chris got his last chips in and was busted.

Chris Tsiprailidis finished in 5th place, earning $8,370.

Nearing the end of the level -- still no big action. At the end of the level, they're going to color up the 500 chips and take a 15 minute break, so I'll get chip counts at that time.

Players are taking an unscheduled 5 minute smoke-break - burn 'em if you got 'em.

Paul v. Paul. Paul Lee managed to get all his chips in against Paul Darden. Lee's pocket Aces held up and he doubled through Darden.

Absolutely nothing to report. They're just pushing chips around the table - no big showdowns. Chris has made a little headway and has a little breathing room, so there are no dangerously short stacks.

Players just took a 5 minute break at the end of the level. Here are the approximate chip counts:

Play has resumed in level 10 with 1000/1500 blinds and 1500/3000 limits.

Jean-Robert Bellande has just joined the black chip game behind me.

If I seem a little distracted today, it is because our final table is set up in the 'high limit' area at Caesar's and right behind my media table is a "black chip" cash game table consisting of Billy Baxter, Eskimo Clark, Sean Sheikhan, and a couple of other players I don't recognize. They are playing games like Deuce-to-Seven, Badugi, etc. Sean has already told me that I should be writing about him, since he is "the best poker player in the world" -- his words, not mine.

	Kip Williams - 6th place

Meanwhile, back over at the final table, Kip had his last 500 chip in and was called by both blinds and the button. The board was checked down: 8 6 9 3 T; Patrick won the side pot with K8 for a pair of 8s, but Kip stayed alive winning the main pot with KT for a pair of tens.

A couple of hands later, Kip got his last chips in again and this time Patrick took him out.

Kip Williams finished in 6th place, earning $8,032.

	Chris Trotter - 7th place

Paul Darden raised and Chris Trotter got his last chips in from the small blind with Q T ; Paul had 9 7 . The board came 7 4 K A K giving Paul the flush and the win.

Chris Trotter finished in 7th place, earning $6,693.

	Manley Freid - 8th place

Manley got his last chips in pre-flop and was called by Chris "Syracuse" and Kip in the blinds. They checked down the board of T J 6 6 8 and Kip showed K8 of clubs for the pair. Manley turned over his AK offsuit and was done.

Manley Freid finished in 8th place, earning $5,354.

	John Corenz - 9th place

John had 1K in for the big blind and only 500 chips left. Paul Lee raised to 2K; Paul Darden called and John tossed his last 500 into the pot. Flop was 4 K 7 - all clubs. Lee checked, Darden bet 1K, Lee called. Turn was K ; again Lee checked, Darden bet 2K, Lee raised to 4K, and Darden called. River was the 5 . Lee bet 2K and Darden called. Lee turned over A 2 for the nut flush. Darden mucked his hand. John showed J T as he rose from the table.

John Corenz finished in 9th place, earning $4,016.

Chris Trotter raised under the gun; all folded to Manley in the small blind, who called. Flop was T 9 3 . Manley checked, Chris bet 1K, Manley called. Turn was a 7 ; Manley checked, Chris bet 2K, and Manley called with his last 2K in chips, and turned over QT of spades for top pair. Chris had pocket Kings for the overpair and the lead -- until the Q fell on the river to give Manley two pair and the double-up.

That level wrapped up without any fireworks. Here are the chips counts as of the break:

Play has resumed in Level 10 with 500/1000 blinds and 1K/2K limits. This level will be 90 minutes long.

Cards are in the air.

	Event #4, Day 1

The $1,500 Limit Hold'em event began yesterday at noon with 92 players. At 11:30 last night, they got down to the final 9:

This event only pays the final 9, so here's the complete payout chart:

Play will resume at 2pm or shortly after. There's 16:48 remaining in level 9 with 400/800 blinds and 800/1600 limits. The subsequent rounds will be 90 minutes long. Stay tuned!