The surviving 27 players will return at 2pm PST Wednesday to continue play. Only 18 of them will get paid. Here they are with their chip counts and day 2 table and seat assignments (to see this list sorted by table and seat, go to the day 2 blog):

The 28th place player disappeared while I was making that last post, so play has stopped with 45:28 remaining in level 12. Players are starting the bag-n-tag process now. Chip counts will be posted shortly.

On the turn, the board read K 7 3 5 D. Archer moved all-in and big stack Kenny Bedoya insta-called. Archer held KsJ for top pair. Kenny held K Q for the same pair with a better kicker. River was the K and Archer was busted. Kenny added a bunch more chips to his mountain. He is now up to about 446k.

Marco Johnson and Francis Cagney have also busted out. 

28 players remain.  Play will continue until one more is busted or until the end of this level, whichever comes first.

Level 12: Blinds 1,500/3,000 with 400 antes. Play continues. This will be the last level of the day.

Here are some rough chip counts for the leaders and a few others:

Danny Smith opened for a raise and Ray Henson moved all in for 28k from the big blind. All folded back to Danny who called, showing pocket Queens. Ray's A9 offsuit was trailing and he would need help to survive. The board came 8 6 3 K K and Ray was busted.

Bill Edler moved in for 35k over the top of an opening raise and got looked up by the small blind. Bill's pocket Tens were leading his opponent's AQ, but a Queen hit the board and Bill was busted.

Level 11: Blinds 1,200/2,400 with 300 antes. Play has resumed.

That's the end of level 10 and the remaining 36 players are on break.

On the last hand before the break, Brannon Rees got all-in for 22,600 and got called by seat 6. Brannon held AK off and was trailing seat 6's pocket Queens. Brannon needed help to survive and he got it -- the board came A T 4 K 6 and Brannon doubled up.

On a flop of Q 8 5, Jon Eaton got all-in for 38,100 against Marco Johnson. Jon's 75 (bottom pair) was ahead of Marco's AK (two overcards). Last two cards were Q 7 and Jon doubled up. Marco was left with about 22k.

	Tom Schneider - denied

In a battle of the short-stacks, Tom Schneider got all-in against Bill Edler. Tom's AQ offsuit was trailing Bill's pocket Jacks. Tom would need help to survive, but the board came K 8 3 5 8 and Bill took the pot. Tom was felted.

36 players remain.

After all folded to him in the cutoff, Ryan Young shipped his last 13k in. It folded all the way to Francis Cagney in the big blind who made the call, showing pocket 6s. Ryan was trailing with his K4 offsuit. Board came K 6 4 7 7 and Francis took the pot with a full house. Ryan took the long walk to the rail.

37 players remain.

At the river the board read T 8 4 A A . Seat 4 bet 25k and Michael Pickett went into the tank for a bit. He finally made the call. Seat 4 was reluctant to show his hand, so Michael showed his 8 7 (pair of 8s). Seat 4 showed his 7 6 -- nothing but a busted double-gutter. Michael took a nice pot after making an amazing call.

On a flop of Q J 7 , Ryan Young got his short-stack all in with Q 8 (top pair) against Vanessa Rousso's A J (middle pair). Last two cards were T 3 and Ryan doubled up to about 17k.

Eileen Kelly got her last chips in against Ray Henson and couldn't catch a break. With Eileen's elimination, Vanessa Rousso is the last woman sitting in this tournament.

After a raise from seat 6, Theo Tran moved in and then Ryan Young moved in. Again seat 6 folded. Theo held AK off and Ryan was ahead with pocket Queens. Theo would need help to survive. He got more than he needed as the board came K 8 5 K 2 and Theo doubled up.

38 players remain.

Level 10: Blinds 1k/2k with 200 antes. Play continues. 40 players remain. Average is 74k.

On a flop of T 6 x, Mark Bonsack got all in against Vanessa Rousso. Mark's T6 (two pair) was ahead of Vanessa's KT (top pair) but the river was a King giving Vanessa the better two pair and the pot. All Mark got was the boot.

	Theo Tran

On a flop of Q 8 2 , Vanessa Rousso got all in against Theo Tran. Theo held AQ for top pair/top kicker. Vanessa held 9 7 for the flush draw. Turn was the 5 which gave Vanessa a gutshot draw to go with her flush outs. River was the 4 and bingo for Vanessa, completing her flush and doubling her up to about 110k.

After seat 6 raised to 3,900 utg, Mark Bonsack moved all in and then Ryan Young moved all in. Back to seat 6 and he bowed out. Mark held pocket Queens and saw the cooler when Ryan rolled over his pocket Kings. Then the flop came A K Q giving both players a set. Then the last two cards came 7 9 putting a flush on the board -- and neither player held a spade. Split pot!

	Jerry Buss - buss-ted

Jerry Buss had been nursing a short stack for a long time today. He said he finally got a pair and pushed -- and was called by a player holding T7. The result was not a good one for Jerry and he was Buss-ted.

	Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler - cut

After seat 6 raised from the cutoff, Ryan Young moved all in from the small blind for 17,900 more. After about a minute, seat 6 called, showing pocket 6s. Ryan held AJ off and it was a race. The flop came 7 5 4, giving seat 6 an open-ended draw to go with his pair. Turn was the J which gave Ryan the lead with a pair, but he had to fade any 8, 6, or 3. River was the 2 and Ryan doubled up.

Allen Kessler got his last ~15k in with AK and ran into pocket 8s. Allen got no help from the board and was busted.

After Vanessa Rousso raised from the cutoff, Marco Johnson moved in from the big blind for 45,400 more. Vanessa tanked for a couple of minutes, then finally surrendered her AK offsuit. Marco showed AJ offsuit. Vanessa announced that she was calling anything and everything Marco bet from that point on.

After making an early run up the leader-board, Layne Flack has flacked-out. He got his chips in with pocket Jacks and ran into the pocket Queens of chip leader Kenny Bedoya. The Ladies held up and Layne is out the door. Kenny is now over 200k.

Level 9: Blinds 800/1,600 with 200 antes. Play has resumed.

Before the break, Durwood Murray called a raise from Gavin Smith. On the Ace-high flop, they got all the chips in the middle and Gavin's pocket Aces were crushing Durwood's A2. Gavin doubled up on that hand. Then Durwood got his chips in against Michael Katz and was butsed.

Here are some chip counts from the break:

End of level 8 and time for a 15-minute break.

	Erick Lindgren - gonzo

Alex Jacob and Erick Lindgren have departed -- an no one knows who let the e-dog out.

Down to 53 players now. Average is almost 56k.

On the river with the board reading K J 3 9 7 , seat 7 bet 21,600 (about the size of the pot) and Gavin Smith went into the tank for a few minutes. He finally made the call and seat 7 showed KJ off for top two pair. Gavin mucked his hand.

Ray Henson moved in for 15k and the player on his left moved in over the top for 26,400. Everyone else got out of the pot and Ray showed pocket 9s -- he was racing against AQ offsuit. The board came T T T 6 8 and Ray doubled up.

	Kenny Bedoya

Here are the chip leaders and a few others:

Just after I took those chip counts, Jeffrey Davidson got all in against chip leader Kenny Bedoya. Jeffrey's pocket Queens were in good shape against Kenny's AQ. Board came 7 7 6 6 T and Jeffrey doubled up to the tune of about 30k, so take that amount off of Kenny's count and he's still the chip leader.

Level 8: Blinds 600/1,200 with 100 antes. Play continues.

On a flop of A T 8 , Anna Wroblewski got all her chips in the middle with A7 (top pair). Unfortunately for Anna, her opponent held AT for top two pair. Anna needed a miracle (running seven) but didn't catch and was busted.

60 players remain. Average stack is approaching 50k.

In a move reminiscent of Victor Ramdin, Bill Edler got into a raising war with another player, getting all the chips in the middle. His opponent held pocket Kings and Bill held 98 offsuit (I don't make this stuff up, folks). This is when I started experiencing deja vu, because Victor did this to Bill in thePCA/Bahamas event in January, except Victor held 54 offsuit. in that case, Victor flopped a straight. Bill caught an 8 on the flop and another 8 on the river to make trips and double up.

	Chad Brown - chipless

In a bizarre 3-way all-in, Bill Edler held pocket Kings and had the biggest stack. Seat 3 held pocket Aces and the next biggest stack and seat 8 had the short stack and A9 offsuit. Guess which hand won this one? The A9, of course. The board came 9 6 2 9 7 and the A9 tripled up, the pocket Aces took a small side pot, and Bill Edler was left with about 25k.

Kenny Bedoya has taken the chip lead with about 140k. Layne Flack is next with ~125k. Lee Watkinson is third with ~106k and Vanessa Rousso is fourth with about 100k.

Chad Brown and Ted Lawson have busted out.

Level 7: Blinds 500/1,000 with 100 antes. Play has resumed.

	Nolan Dalla's Laptop

That's it for level 6 and it is time for dinner. About 81 players remain. Play will resume at about 7:45pm PST.

	Vanessa Rousso

On a flop of T 5 3 , Theo Tran fired ~35k at the pot, which was enough to cover Vanessa Rousso's remaining stack. Vanessa took a few moments to consider her action and decided to call, saying she thought Theo was on a flush draw. Vanessa held A 5 for middle pair. Theo held pocket 7s and was out in front, but the last two cards were J A and Vanessa caught her card on the river to survive and double-up. She said today is her birthday, so Happy Birthday!

	Layne Flack

Layne Flack has vaulted into the chip lead with 110k. His table was just broken and he landed at the table with Jeffrey Davidson, who has lost some ground and is down to about 50k.

Brandon Cantu and Jeff Madsen have both busted out.

	Anna Wroblewski

Anna Wroblewski got all-in pre-flop with pocket 5s against a player holding pocket Queens. Anna caught her set on the flop when a 5 landed and she doubled up. (In an interesting aside, they have refused to serve Anna alcohol here. She is using a passport for id and doesn't have her driver's license and they are not accepting that as adequate proof that she is 21. It must have been good enough for her to register for the tournament, however.)

Jeffrey Davidson has edged into the chip lead with 82k. Lee Watkinson is right on his heels with 81k.

	Jordan Rich - outta here

On a flop of 8 5 3, Jordan Rich got into a raising war with another player and all his chips ended up in the middle. Jordan held A5 for middle pair; his opponent was way ahead with pocket Kings. Jordan couldn't come up with the suck-out and was busted.

That's it for level 5.

Level 6: Blinds 400/800 with 100 antes. Play continues.

Damien Oborne ousts another player when his AJ outkicks his opponent's JT on a Jack-high flop. With that pot, Damien is up to about 65k.

After a raise from Steven Shanahan (utg) James Rouse moved all in for another 16,450. James Moriarty (big blind) called, as did Steven. The flop came A 6 5 and James let out a "Yes!", somewhat telegraphing the fact that he had an Ace. The other two checked and the turn was the 2 . Moriarty moved all-in (into a dry side-pot) and Steven called. Moriarty held pocket Jacks, Steven held pocket Queens, and Rouse held AK. The river changed nothing and Steven's Queens took the side pot and James Rouse's pair of Aces took the main pot, tripling him up.

After the cutoff limped and the small blind called, Jerry Yang moved all in for 11k from the big blind. The cutoff made the call, showing AK offsuit. Jerry held AQ offsuit and was in bad shape. He got no help from the board and was busted.

On a flop of 8 6 6 , seat 5 got all in against Damien Oborne. Seat 5 held A 5 for the nut-flush-draw. Damien held 6 4 for trips and the lead, but the turn was the T completing the flush. Then the double-reversal occured on the river when the 4 fell, giving Damien the full house and the pot. Another one bites the dust.  With that pot, Damien was up to about 36k.

Level 5: Blinds 300/600 with 75 antes. Play has resumed. Here are the chip leaders:

	Bryan 'Devo' Devonshire' - busto

Bryan 'Devo' Devonshire got short and had to push with AQ, only to run into Gavin Smith's AK. No help for Devo and he was busted.

End of level 4 and players are taking 15.

	Marco Johnson

Lee Watkinson has lost a bit of ground and is down to about 60k. Marco Johnson is now the chip leader with about 75,000 chips.

After Evan Schwartz raised from the hijack (2 off the button) Zachary Hyman moved all-in from the small blind for another 12,975 on top. Evan thought for a couple of minutes, then made the call, showing pocket 7s. Zach was way ahead with pocket Aces, but in a nasty turn of events, the flop came T 7 7, giving Evan QUADS and leaving Zach needing running Aces to stay alive. No joy for him, however, as the last two cards came 8 9 and he was busted.

	John 'the Razor' Phan - cut

John 'the Razor' Phan has been cut from the field. Damien Oborne just ousted another player when his pocket Queens held up against AQ.

126 players remain. Average is almost 23,500.

	Bill 'the Stunning One' Edler

On the river with the board showing J 9 4 5 8 , seat 5 moved all in, putting Bill 'the Stunning One' to the test. After a few moments of thought, Bill made the call and seat 5 insta-mucked his hand. Bill showed Q J for top pair. Someone else at the table asked to see the other player's hand - he was already out the door -- so the dealer turned them up: Q 7 nothing but air.

Bryan 'Devo' Devonshire gave me his up-to-the-minute chip count:  6,075.

Level 3 has ended.

Level 4: Blinds 200/400 with 50 antes. Play has resumed.

Level 3: Blinds 100/200 with 25 antes. Play has resumed.

	Lee Watkinson

End of level 2 and players are getting a 15 minute reprieve. Lee Watkinson is way out in front of the pack with 78,000 chips -- almost four times what he started with two hours ago. No one else is anywhere close.

	Jerry Yang

Jerry Yang's stack was crippled early in a battle of wills with Damien Oborne. He just got into a raising war with Matt Glantz, who was also short-stacked, and Matt moved in, putting Jerry to the test. After about a minute in the tank, Jerry made the call, showing A Q . Matt was ahead with K K but was at risk as Jerry had him covered. On the flop of J 6 4 Jerry picked up a lot more outs as he held the only , The turn was the killer A giving Jerry the lead with a pair of Aces and leaving Matt drawing to the single non- King. River was the J and no help for Matt, who was busted. Jerry was up to about 13k after that pot.

Registration closed at the end of level 1. The final player count is 148, creating a prize pool of $706,800. The final 18 will get paid as follows:

The winner will also get a $10k seat in the 2008 WSOP Main Event and $1,000 in travel money, plus the gold and diamond WSOP Circuit Championship ring.

Level 2: Blinds 50/100. Play continues (break every two levels).

John 'the Razor' Phan has arrived and taken his seat at table 1, just a tad late. I also spotted Roy Winston and Layne Flack seated next to each other over on table 10.  Matt Glantz, Jordan Rich, and Ryan Young are also in the house.

There are currently 17 tables playing 9-handed, with a few seats still empty. That puts the field in the neighborhood of 150 players. Here are the folks I spotted on the first pass through the room:

Zachary Hyman, Tom Schneider, LA Laker owner Jerry Buss, Jerry Yang, Lee Watkinson, Allen Kessler, Alex Jacob, Ted Lawson, last year's champ Peter 'nordberg' Feldman, Vanessa Rousso, Erick Lindgren, Bill Edler, Jeff Madsen, and Chad Brown.

Today's tough table draw is table 12, which currently boasts Anna Wroblewski, Gavin Smith, Brandon Cantu, Theo Tran, and Bryan 'Devo' Devonshire.

Vanessa made a tough call on the river with the board showing A 7 6 Q 4 . Her opponent bet 1,000 and after about a minute, Vanessa made the call. Seat 6 showed J 7 for a pair of 7s. Vanessa rolled over A T for a pair of Aces and took the pot.

Level 1: Blinds 25/50. Cards are in the air!

Players are starting with 20,000 chips and levels last one hour.

Kaelaine Minton Reporting

Kaelaine is one of the hardest working reporters on the tournament cicruit, and she can play poker, too!  She won the 2007 World Poker Open Media Tournament at the Goldstrike in Tunica, besting a field of 50 to win the event and the WPO gold bracelet!   Her motto is "will do anything poker-related for money".

Contact Kaelaine