Champ David Daneshgar (ImageMasters)

In the last hour of play David Daneshgar has been a bit more active than his counterpart Scott Sitron. With what looks like the perfect combination of hitting cards and making solid moves, Daneshgar has been able to capture the chip lead from Sitron.

The spectators area has been unusually quiet for a final table. Generally the participants have a small to large cheering section looking to support every move. Today however, both players and their fans are quite calm. It's almost as both players are looking at it as a 9-5, and the time clock is reading 9:15. They packed lunches, put on their hardhats, and look to be in it for the long haul.

ESPN announcers just mentioned that we have played 46 heads-up hands. We've seen a few of these 2008 final tables play upwards of 100 heads-up hands, so it is very possible we have a ways to go.

And just a few short minutes after writing the last sentence David Daneshgar took his pockets tens against the prelop all-in of Scott Sitron to win Event 52 and $624,443.

Runner-up Scott Sitron had the chip lead at the onset of heads-up play, but was unable to leverage that momentum. He will take home $385,974 for his second place finish.

Dan Heimiller has been eliminated in third place and has earned $275,695 for his time and efforts.

Heimiller got it all-in preflop with the Ac3c only to have Scott Sitron make the call and table the As10c. The 10 on the flop pretty much sealed Heimiller's fate, and his tournament run has ended. We are now into heads-up play.

So far in heads-up play there have been a number of flops seen, but anytime a player bets, the other folds. For now it's a battle of the blinds.

Players have retaken their seats after returning from the hour long dinner break. Play is just now resuming after a short 'technical delay'.

The final three players are off on a 60-minute dinner break to refuel and come back ready for battle. In the first few hands after they began playing three-handed, Dan Heimiller couldn't be stopped. He took over the chip lead with 3,355,000.

Then David Daneshgar doubled through Heimiller to knock him back to third. Daneshgar raised to 225k from the button, Heimiller made it 800k, and without a second of hesitation, Daneshgar moved in for a total of 1.3 million. With so much in the pot already, Heimiller couldn't get out of it and called with A-T suited. Daneshgar's pocket Jacks held up to double his stack.

Dinner-time chip counts:

Scott Sitron - 3,655,000

David Daneshgar - 2,750,000

Dan Heimiller - 1,690,000

King Cole Dethroned

Corwin Cole left in 5th place for a payday of $189,311.

The deck had been good to Cole, but the poker gods finally changed their minds. After a raise from Farzad Rouhani, Corwin Cole moved all in for 940,000. Rouhani called to race his A-Q against Cole's pocket 5s. The A K 7 flop put Rouhani in the lead and left Cole with only two outs. And he hit one with a 5 on the turn. The 6 on the river was just a formality, and Cole was up to 1,935,000. But he didn't keep them for long.

On the next hand, Cole shoved from the SB, and BB Dan Heimiller immediately called. Heimiller's A-K was far ahead of Cole's A-3, and the deck didn't produce any miracles this time. The board ran out T 8 5 9 9, doubling Heimiller.

Down to 870,000, Cole moved in from the CO, and BB Scott Sitron looked him up. Sitron's A-8 left Cole's 9-8 with only one live card, and when the flop came A 6 3, he was in tough shape. The King on the turn had him drawing dead and heading home in 5th.

Sitron Ruins Rouhani's Day

}I'm willing to wager that Farzad Rouhani doesn't like Scott Sitron so much right now. Rouhani raised to 155k pre-flop, and BB Sitron called to see the A 7 6 rainbow flop. Rouhani bet out 230,000, and Sitron called. Rouhani checked the 5 on the turn, and Sitron bet 350,000. After a moment of thought, Farzad called. He again checked the 3 on the river, and without blinking, Sitron moved in for 1.3 million, more than enough to cover Rouhani. After a trip to the tank, Rouhani tossed his cards into the muck. And before he scooped the pot, Sitron showed Farzad his T-9 for Ten-high. That's gotta hurt.

After that hand, Rouhani was down to 670,000. He moved in with A-9, and Sitron called with pocket Tens. The T 4 2 flop looked pretty bad for Rouhani, and a 4 on the turn filled Sitron's boat and sent Rouhani packing. He'll have to wait for the Main Event if he wants to pick up a second bracelet in 2008.  In his fourth WSOP cash of the year, Rouhani gets $231,584 for 4th place.

Trips Double Dan

The final five had only been back from break for two hands when short-stack Dan Heimiller moved all in UTG. Corwin Cole called from the BB, and his A-9 was leading Heimiller's A-6. Of course, that changed a bit after the 6 6 2 flop. Cole was dead after the J on the turn, and Heimiller doubled his chips. He's still the shortest at the table with 900,000.

The top three are within 400,000 of each other, and the bottom two aren't that far behind. Here's where they stand now:

Scott Sitron - 2,215,000

Farzad Rouhani - 1,930,000

David Daneshgar - 1,830,000

Corwin Cole - 1,260,000

Dan Heimiller - 900,000

Matt Down

Matt Matros left in 6th place, earning $148,875. Corwin Cole raised to 125k UTG, and Matros shoved for 690,000. Cole called to see that his A 9 was behind Matt's A Q, but the K 9 4 flop changed things. Cole was far ahead with a pair of 9s and the nut flush draw. The T on the turn made Cole's flush and had Matros drawing dead. The J on the river gave him a flush too, but it wasn't enough to keep him in the game. This is the 10th WSOP cash for Matros. He is the author of The Making of a Poker Player: How an Ivy League Math Geek Learned to Play Championship Poker, which was published in 2005.

Scott Sitron is the chip leader of the moment with 2,195,000. Corwin Cole and Farzad Rouhani are also above 2 million. Dan Heimiller is the short stack with 700,000.

Contempt of Court(ney)

Jeff Courtney finished in 8th place, taking home $84,546. Farzad Rouhani raised to 105k, and Courtney shoved from the button for another 475,000. After standing up and pacing while considering his options, Rouhani called. It was a standard race with Courtney's pocket Jacks against Rouhani's A-Q. A Queen in the door had Courtney in trouble, and with no other help from the board, he departed in 8th. This is his first tournament cash.

Zaionara

Andrey Zaichenko was the next to go, picking up $112,116 for 7th place. Zaichenko picked a bad time to make a move, pushing in his 770,000 from the button. SB Scott Sitron snap called, showing K K. Zaichenko turned over a monster...9 6. After the K Q 2 flop, Zaichenko was drawing dead. He watched the 9 and A come next and headed for the exit.  This is Zaichenko's fourth WSOP cash this year.  He took 2nd place in the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final in April.

David Daneshgar made trip Aces to double through Corwin Cole, and Daneshgar is now the chip leader with 1.91 million. Scott Sitron is close behind with 1.82 million, as is Farzad Rouhani 1.725 million. Cole slipped to 1.5 million after doubling Daneshgar. Matt Matros and Dan Heimiller are the short stacks with 545,000 and 530,000 respectively.

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

There have been double ups aplenty in the last hour, leading to a constant shuffling of the chip counts. Farzad Rouhani was the first to double his stack. Jeff Courtney moved in on a Q 3 2 Q board, and Rouhani called him all in. Courtney showed K-Q for trip Queens, and Rouhani's tournament life was on the line with A J for the nut flush draw. To the screams of his formidable fanbase, the river brought the 8, doubling Rouhani to 809,000. Jeff Courtney is still slightly ahead of him with 895,000.

Andrew Zaichenko then doubled through chip-leader Corwin Cole. Zaichenko's K-J was trailing Cole's A-T at the start. Cole kept the lead through the A K 5 flop and the 9 on the turn, but a King on the river saved Zaichenko with trips. Zaichenko chipped up to around 970,000, while Corwin Cole was knocked back to third with 1,293,000.

It was Dan Heimiller's turn to double up. The action worked its way around the table with several raises, and when it got to Heimiller in the SB, he came over the top with all of his chips. Only David Daneshgar made the call, learning that he'd run his pocket Kings straight into Heimiller's bullets. The Aces held up to put Heimiller over the 1 million mark and leave Daneshgar short stacked with 434,000.

As the players leave on a 20-minute break, Matt Matros is the chip leader with 1,417,000, followed by Scott Sitron with 1,308,000.

Players are in their seats at the ESPN final table, and spectators are in the Milwaukee's Best Light lounge for the very last time. This is the final WSOP event that will determine it's bracelet winner in the stadium that beer built.

Despite the momentous occassion, there was little fanfare surrounding the departure of the first player.

Finnished

Viotto Rintala left in 9th place, earning $57,712. The player from Helsinki, Finland began the day with 553,000 in chips, but on the second hand, he ran pocket 7s into Scott Sitron's pair of Queens. When the board ran out J 4 2 J A, Sitron was above the million mark and Rintala was left with less than 50,000.

Two hands later, Rintala risked the rest of his stack, and both Farzad Rouhani and Jeff Courtney called. The flop came 9 5 5, and both checked to see the Queen on the turn. Rouhani bet out 40k, and Courtney called. The river brought a 5, and Rouhini shoved. Courtney mucked, leaving Rintala and Rouhani to show down. Rintala tabled pocket 6s for a full house, but it wasn't good enough when Rouhani flipped up a Queen and the case 5. This is Rintala's first WSOP cash. He has several cashes in European tournaments.

After two long days of play, the last $1,500 NLHE tournament of the 2008 WSOP has reached the final nine players. Corwin Cole will begin the final table as the chip leader with 1,625,000 in chips. Matt Matros is close behind with 1,447,000. Farzad Rouhani, with only 212,000, is extremely short stacked and will have to double up quickly to stay alive. The final table begins at 2 p.m. PDT on the last day before the Main Event.

Official chip counts for the start of the final table: