Jon Friedberg is the champion. He takes 1st place, $526,185 and the spoils of the beautiful WSOP bracelet.

	John Friedberg

John Phan moved all in preflop and Friedberg called. Phan showed the Qs 4s and Friedberg the Ah 7h. The flop came the Th 9d 3s. The turn came the 2h. John is in deep trouble. He has 4 outs to stay alive. The 7s was not one of them.

John Phan takes 2^nd for $289,389.

	John Phan

Phan limped in and Friedberg checked. The flop came the Kh 6s 4c. Friendberg bet 80K and Phan folded.

Friedberg limped in and Phan checked his option. The flop came the Qs 8d 8h and Phan bet 40K. Friedberg called. Turn was the As. Phan bet 100K and Friendberg made the call once again. The river was the 2d. Phan checked and Friedberg checked and showed the Q 7 for two pair and Phan showed a 2 for a smaller bottom pair and he mucked.

Phan raised to 120K and Friedberg moved all in. Phan folded.

Updated chip count

Jon Friedberg 3,570,000

John Phan 760,000

Phan raised to 120K and Freidberg called. The flop came the 8c 7h 2h. Checked. Turn is the 4s. Friedberg checked and Phan bet 120K. Freidberg called. The river came the Kd. Friedberg bet 350K and Phan folded.

Level 23. 5K antes with 20K / 40K blinds.

John Phan increases his chip stack.

Jon Friedberg $3,240,000

John Phan $1,090,000

We wait while the "TV" money arrives.

Updated chip count.:

Jon Friedberg 3,435,000

John Phan 895,000

	Been a long hard day...this one couldnt finish it out!

Pomeroy limped in from the small and Friedberg checked his option. The flop came the As 9d 5h. Pomeroy checked and Friedberg bet 40K. Pomeroy called. The turn was the Qs and Pomeroy checked. Friedberg moved all in and Pomeroy called and showed the Q 3. Friedberg showed the 5 5 for a set and we lost Mike Pomeroy in 3^rd for $157,322.

Jon Friedberg raised to 90K on the button and Mike Pomeroy called in the big. The flop came the Kc Jh 2h. Checked. The turn was the 9s. Checked. The river is the 4h. Checked. Friedberg holds the A Q and Pomeroy the A 5. Friedberg takes a nice one.

Approximate Chip Count

Jon Friedberg 1,700,000

Mike Pomeroy 1,445,000

John Phan 1,160,000

Phan raised to 90K on the button and Pomeroy raised to 180K from the small blind. Phan called and the flop came the 7h 5s 4s. Pomeroy checked and Phan fired 120K into the middle. Pomeroy moved all in and Phan called and showed a set with the 5 5. Pomeroy showed the As Qd. The turn is the Ad and the river the 2h. Phan doubled through Pomeroy.

Phan limped from the small blind and Pomeroy checked his option. The flop came the Ad Kc 4d. Phan bet 45K and Pomeroy mucked.

Friedberg limped in from the small blind and Phan exercised his option to raise from the big blind to 105K. Friedberg called and we saw the flop of the 5d 3d 2h. Friedberg checked and Phan bet 100K. Friedberg raised to 400K and Phan mucked.

Approximate Chip Count

Mike Pomeroy                     2,065,000

Jon Friedberg                      1,740,000

John Phan                          750,000

Pomeroy raised to 90K on the button and Hawkingberry in the small blind moved all in for 415K. Pomeroy called and showed the Ad Jd. Hawkingberry had the Ah 4h. The board brought the Qd 9d 6c and then the 6d to seal the deal. Tom Hawkingberry took 4^th for $122,596.

Phan raised to 80K on the button and Pomeroy rerasied to 200K on the small. Phan mucked showing the K Q. Pomeroy took the pot and showed the Ad Td.

Folded around to Friedberg, he limps in from the small blind. Phan checked his option (What????). The flop came the Kc Th 6c and Friedbert bet 45K. Phan folded.

Friedman moved all in from the small blind and Phan called showing a pair of eights. Friedberg showed the 8c 7h and the board came the K K 4 3 3. Phan doubled up.

 Approximate Chip Count

Jon Friedberg               2,090,000

Mike Pomeroy               1,395,000

Tom Hawkingberry       520,000

John Phan                    350,000

Let's get rollin'. Level 22. 5K ante with 15K / 30K blinds

Players take a dinner break until 8:45 PST.

Pomeroy raised to 75K on the button and Hawkingberry called from the small blind. Flop came the Ac 8c 2c. Checked. Turn was the Js. Hawkingberry bet 200K and Pomeroy mucked.

Pomeroy limped in from the small blind and Hawkingberry raised him for another 100K. Pomeroy called and the flop came the 9c 4c 4d Pomeroy checked and Hawkingberry popped 200K in front of him. Pomeroy called. The turn was the 3h. Checked by both. The river came the Qh. Pomeroy moved all in and Hawkingberry mucked.

Pomeroy raised to 75K UTG and Phan called from the big blind. The flop came the Kc 6d 3d. Checked. The turn came the 2d. Checked. The river was the 3c. Checked. Pomeroy had the Ah 8h and Phan tossed his hand to the muck.

Phan raised to 75K and Hawkingberry reraised to 275K. Away went Phan.

John Phan raised to 60K from the button and Mike Pomeroy called from the small. The flop was the Jc 6h 3d. Both checked. The turn was the Ks. Pomeroy checked and Phan fired 75K into the middle Pomeroy raised to 150K and Phan mucked.

John Phan limped in from the small blind and Mike Pomeroy checked his big blind. The flop came the As Kd 5h. Phan bet 25K and Pomeroy mucked.

Approximate Chip Count

Jon Friedberg 1,920,000

Mike Pomeroy 870,000

Tom Hawkingberry 700,000

John Phan 700,000

Jon Friedberg took it to 67K out of the small blind and John Phan made the call from the big. The flop came the Ad Ac 5h. Friedberg bet 75K and Phan jumped right in with the call. The turn was the 3s. Friedberg checked and Phan bet 90K. Friedberg came way over the top to raise to 340K. Phan mucked.

Mike Pomeroy raised UTG to 70K and Tom Hawkingberry called on the button. The flop came the Jc 6d 5h. Pomeroy checked and Hawingberry moved all in for 500K. Pomeroy gave it up.

Mike Pomeroy raised to 65K and Tom Hawkingberry called from the small. The flop came the Kc 9s 6s. Checked. The turn brought the 2d and it was checked again. The river came the Jh. Hawkingberry made a play for 100K and Pomeroy folded.

Tom Hawkingberry limped in from the small blind and Jon Friedberg checked his option to raise. The flop came the Js 8c 6c and Hawkingberry checked. Friedberg bet 36K and Hawkingberry scooted.

THe players just completed their 50th hand.

Approximate Chip Count

Jon Friedberg 1,800,000

John Phan 1,050,000

Mike Pomeroy 1,000,000

Tom Hawkingberry 475,000

From the small blind Jon Friedberg limped in and John Phan raised to 70K from the big blind. Friedberg called and the flop came the 9h 8c 4h. Nice blind flop. Friendberg bet 130K and Phan raised to 300K. Friedberg moved all in for a little over a million and Phan mucked. Friendberg is smiling.

John Phan raised to 60K UTG. Jon Friedberg called from the big blind. The flop, the 6s 6h 2h came and Friedberg checked. Phan bet 60K. Friedberg folded.

Tom Hawkingberry raised to 80K UTG. Mike Pomeroy called. The flop came the Jc 9c 4c. Pomeroy moved all in and Hawkingberry made the call showing the As 9h. Pomeroy had the Js 6s (gutsy) and is ahead. The turn is the Ts, the river the Qs and Mike Pomeroy regains some chips.

Level 21. 4K ante with 12K / 24K blinds.

Approximate Chip Count

Jon Friedberg 1,500,000

John Phan 1,400,000

Tom Hawkingberry 975,000

Mike Pomeroy 515,000

Players take a 15 minute break.

Jon Friedberg limped in from the small blind and John Phan raised for another 75K from the big blind. Friedberg moved all in and Phan made the call. Phan had the Ts Th and Friendberg had an oops…the stone cold bluffaroonie with the Tc 4c. LIVE CARDS! The board came the Kc 8s 3s Kh 4h and John Phan takes it down to double up.

Jon Friedberg raised UTG to 65K and Mike Pomeroy reraised to 200K from the small blind. Friedberg called and we saw the flop of the Jc 9d 7h. Pomeroy bet 200K and Friedberg moved all in. Pomeroy called and showed the Ah 9s. Friedberg had the 8c 8h. He has two eights and four tens to make his hand. The turn is Td and the straight arrived to keep him not only alive but rake a huge pot.

Again Jon Friedberg raised, this time to 100K from the small blind. John Phan moved all in from the big. Friendberg called. He had the Kd Qc (trouble hand) and Phan a made hand, the 5c 5d (presto). The board kept presto lookin’ good and Phan doubled through Friedberg.

Jon Friedberg raised to 60K UTG and Mike Pomeroy reraised to 120K out of the small blind position. Friedberg called and we saw the 3h 3d 2d hit the board. Checked. Qc on the turn. Checked. 4d on the river. Pomeroy checked and Friendberg made it 140K to stay in the hand. Pomeroy made the call and showed pocket sevens. Friedberg showed the gutshot he caught, the A 5 for a wheel and he took the pot.

John Phan just limped from the small blind and Mike Pomeroy checked his option to raise. Heads up with the blinds, the flop came the Kd 9d 4c. Phan bet 20K and Pomeroy called. Turn was the Ad. Phan fired 40K this time and Pomeroy called. Dejavu. The river came the 7d. This time Phan checked and Pomeroy bet 100K. Weakness in the air???? Phan mucked.

Approximate Chip Count

Mike Pomeroy 1,900,000

Jon Friedberg 1,100,000

Tom Hawkingberry 960,000

John Phan 344,000

Folded around to Kevin O’Donnell in the small blind, he made a raist to 50K. Jon Friedberg, in the big blind called. The flop came the Js 8h 4c. O’Donnell bet 75K and Friendberg moved in over the top. O’Donnell called all in and showed the Ah Jc for top pair huge kicker. Friedberg showed the 8d 6h for a pair of eights. The turn was the 2c. Just one more card and O’Donnell is safe…..NOPE….the 8s hit the river giving Friedberg three of a kind and the win. Kevin O’Donnell takes 5^th for $105,232.

Approximate Chip Count

Mike Pomeroy 1,900,000

Tom Hawkingberry 810,000

Kevin O'Donnell 640,000

Jon Friedberg 569,000

John Phan 353,000

Corey Chaston found a hand he could live or die with and raised to 50K in early position. Kevin O’Donnell raised to 100K and Mike Pomeroy made the call. Chaston moved all in for another 20K. He was called by both. The flop was the Ks 3c 2s. Checked. The turn came the 8c. Checked. The river the Kh. Once again it was checked. It was two against one. Lets see em…..Kevin showed the Ah Qs for a pair of kings with the ace kicker. The other two dumped their hands and we lsot Corey Chaston in 6^th for $88,132.

Approximate Chip Count

Mike Pomeroy 2,050,000

Tom Hawkingberry 727,000

Jon Friedberg 557,000

Kevin O'Donnell 422,000

John Phan 392,000

Corey Chaston 123,000

Level 20 goes to an ante of 3K with 10K / 20K blinds.

Mike Pomeroy raised to 60K UTG and Humberto Brenes moved all in. Pomeroy did call. He showed the As Qh and Brenes the Ac Kd. The board was brutal as it came the Ah Qc Jc right of the bat. Humberto needed help in the worst way. The turn and river came the 9s 7s and we lost Humberto Brenes 7^th for $74,715.

	Humberto Brenes

Approximate Chip Count

Mike Pomeroy 1,500,000

Tom Hawkingberry 730,000

Jon Friedberg 570,000

Humberto Brenes 480,000

Kevin O'Donnell 425,000

John Phan 415,000

Corey Chaston 126,000

Players take a break between Levels. Back in 15.

Once again, John Phan jammed the pot by raising it to 45K UTG. Kevin O’Donnell was the one he was to dance with this round. The flop came the Tc 9d 7c. O’Donnell checked from the small blind and Phan made it 90K to play. O’Donnell made his game changing move and pushed all in. Phan called and showed the Qh Th for top pair and a gutshot for a straight. O’Donnell showed the Ac Jc for for a straight draw, straight flush draw and nut flush draw. He had outs…that’s for certain. The turn came the 6c and badabing…he hits the flush. Phan is drawing dead. The river is the 4h, but who cares…..Kevin O’Donnell just doubled through John Phan.

Mr. Aggressive (aka John Phan) rasied to 44K from early position and Mike Pomeroy called him. Heads up we saw the flop of the Kh Qh Tc. Again, Phan bet, this time for 45K. Pomeroy made the call. The turn, the 8c. No one bet. The river brought the Ah. Phan took 78K and tossed it into the middle. Pomeroy…made the call. Pomeroy showed the Ad 8d for two pair and Phan mucked. Tricky boys!

Mike Halford moved all in UTG for 41K and John Phan made the call from middle position. Corey Chaston decided to call from the big blind as well. The flop came the Qh 7h 6c. Chaston checked and Phan said oh no and fored 60K to the middle. Chaston folded. Phan showed the Ah 3h for the nut flush draw. Halford showed the Js 7s for middle pair. The river brought his a pretty card, a teaser if you will as it came the 7d. But, as luck would have it, Phan caught his heart, the 9 and the flush overruled the trips and we lost Mike Halford in 8^th for $61,561.

Here he goes….with his one chip and a chair…Thang Luu is all in for the ante. John Phan made a raise to 42K (his favorite number???) from the cutoff and Mike Pomeroy reraised to 84K from the button. Phan called with ease. The flop came the As Kd 9s. Both players check. The turn came the 8s and Phan made the move to bet for 40K. Over the top came Pomeroy for all in status. Phan showed the Ah 9h and folded. Pomeroy showed the Ks Qc for a pair of kings and the nut flush draw. Luu showed the Jd 2c and there were no cards left in the deck to save him. Pomeroy took Phan off the winning hand and took down the pot. Thang Luu is out 9^th for $49,772.

Big hand. Jon Friedberg raised to 45K and Thang Luu moved all in from the cutoff for 272K. Friedberg called all his chips and showed the Kd Ks. Luu had satan, the Ad Js. I smell trouble. The board came the Qc 8h 6d 6h 8s and Friedberg doubled up and crippled Luu to one thin chip.

Chip leader Mike Pomeroy raised to 60K UTG and John Phan called from the big blind. The flop brought the Jc 7s 5s. Checked by both. The turn came the Js and Phan bet 100K. Pomeroy lets his hand go and Phan recovered his lost chips from the hand before.

John Phan raised to 42K from early position and received a call from Jon Friedberg. The flop, Kh 7c 4c. Friedberg checked and Phan fired 42K again at the pot. Friedberg made his move all in for another 93K. Phan didn’t fool Friedberg…good read. Phan mucked.

This time Humberto Brenes limped in from the small blind and Tom Hackingberry exercised his option in the big blind and raised for another 50K. Brenes mucked and Hawkingberry is two for two.

Tom Hawkingberry made the first raise of the day by taking it to 40K UTG. Thang Luu called from the cutoff and we saw a flop of the 9d 7c 3s. Hawkingberrty fired 80K at the pot and Luu mucked. Can win them all if you don’t win the first one eh Hawkingberry?

We have 39 minutes left of level 19. 2K ante with 8K / 16K blinds. Shuffle up and putt'em in the air!

The final nine are taking their chips out of their hermetically sealed bags and are preparing for a day long battle of the fittist. They all look so spiffy, ready for TV and all.

Play will resume at 2pm PST July 12, 2006

Here are the 9 final players and their Chip Count:, with current Chip Leader; Michael Pomeroy.