1,251 combined Day 1A and 1B players returned on Day 2A to continue the fight. When the dust settled, only 465 of those players remained. Bill Edler, Svetlana Gromenkova, Robert Varkonyi, Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Kathy Liebert and Blair Hinkle are some of the bracelet holders who were sent home early today. Brian Schaedlich, who was second in chips at the end of Day 1B, ran away with the chip lead late in the day. He finished with about 750k, roughly 350k ahead of his closest rival. The 465 survivors will get a day off and return Thursday at noon PDT for Day 3.

On the turn with a board of A Q 4 3, Brian Schaedlich bet 75k. Martin Klaser went into the tank for quite a while, then eventually made the call, saying “this is so bad,” and showing AJ offsuit. Sure enough, he was behind Brian’s A4 suited (two pair). Martin said “I knew it” and called for a Jack. The river was a blank, however, and Martin will leave with just the one WSOP bracelet he won earlier in event #43, Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low.

After adding Martin’s chips to his own, Brian was up to nearly 750k. When the floorperson brought racks to the table and told them it would be breaking, the players broke out into applause. They couldn’t wait to get away from Brian’s monster stack.

Brian Schaedlich landed on Green 1 with Darrell ‘gigabet’ Dicken and Jeff Bryan. They will only have to deal with him for about 25 minutes and everyone will get new seat assignments for day 3.

Haralabos Voulgaris got all-in with KQ offsuit only to get looked up by Vimy Ha who held AQ. The board came 4 3 2 2 J and Harala-Bob hit the rail.

On a final board of J 9 4 7 A, Craig Gray bet 20k. Jason Lester thought about it for a while, then raised another 30k on top. Craig took about 30 seconds to fold.

Over on the feature table, Hoyt Corkins raised and got one caller. After the flop of K J T, Hoyt moved in and got called down by a player holding AK (top pair). Hoyt held A8 offsuit, needing running 8s to win or a Queen to chop. The last two were blanks and Hoyt doubled up the short-stack, leaving himself with 107k.

David ‘Chino’ Rheem’s table broke and he landed on Blue 25 with Weikai Chang. Chino wasted on time trying to establish his dominance. After seat 2 raised to 6,500, Chino re-popped it to 20,500. Seat 2 made the call and the flop came J T 4. Both checked. Turn was another 4. Both checked. River was a King – both checked. Seat 2 showed AJ suited for Jacks-up. Chino mucked.

Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew got his last chips in with pocket Queens, only to have Dominic Prunko call him down and show him pocket Aces. Tahoe could not scare up a Queen to save his tournament life – the board came 4 3 2 2 6 – and Tahoe was done.

Back over on Green 1, Brian Schaedlich tried the same thing. He raised to 5,200 from the middle and both blinds called. On the flop of 9 7 6, all three checked. The turn was a 3 and the small blind checked, Darrell Dicken (big blind) fired 9k and Brian mucked. The small blind also opted out and Darrell picked up the pot.

Level 10 came to a close and the 465 survivors began the bag & tag process. They will return Thursday at noon to join the day 2B survivors for day 3. When the end of day chip counts are available, they will be posted here. There is only one thing we know for sure. Brian Schaedlich is the chip leader with about three-quarters of a million chips.

Days 1C and 1d survivors will report for duty at noon for day 2B.

Play resumed at 11:12pm with Level 10: Ante 200, Blinds 600/1,200. This will be the last level of play today.

Jim Pechac fired all the way to the river, getting called by Andrew Li in seat 5. The final board read A 7 2 T 8 and Jim tabled pocket 9s. Andrew showed pocket Queens to take the pot.

Peter Gould ran his pocket Kings into pocket Aces and the bullets held up to send Peter to the rail.

David ‘Chino’ Rheem is holding court over on Orange 6. He seems to be running the table and has chipped up to ~350k.

PSO member John ‘dealmein’ Dobbs is down to ~38k and just holding steady. His table was broken and he was relocated to Blue-9, so perhaps the new locale will suit him better.

Brandon Adams sent another short-stack packing when his pocket Jacks held up against pocket 3s.

After a raise and re-raise, Eric Crain put in the third increase to 45k, only to have the first raiser fold and the second one shove. Eric made the call with AK, only to see Eric Bremond’s pocket Aces. The Aces held up and Eric B doubled up. Eric Crain was down to 225k.

The dealer cries of “All-in and Call on table ##” are slowing down somewhat as players approach the last hour of play for the day. Everything seems to be moving a wee bit slower with just about 60 minutes left to go.

On the river with a board showing 6 5 2 4 4, a player shoved for 22k and Farhad Sinaei spent a while considering his decision. He finally decided to call, and his opponent showed AK. Farhad rolled over his pocket 7s and took the pot, chipping up to ~300k.

On a flop of K J 8, Maya Geller-Antonius fired 5,500 and got the call. Turn was a Queen and Maya fired 8k, again getting called. River was an Ace and both checked. Maya showed pocket 8s for the set. Her opponent held KQ for two pair and Maya took the pot, chipping up to 125k.

On the turn with a board of Q T 9 9, Stefan Mattsson fired 25k. Jeremiah Smith moved in, having Stefan covered. Stefan tank for a little while, then folded. Jeremiah showed his pocket 7s as he pulled the pot. Stefan claims he folded pocket Jacks. Jeremiah is back up to 275k.

Kellen Hunter called Billy Baxter’s all-in on a flop of 4 3 2 . Kellen held pocket Queens and was leading Billy’s A 9 (flush draw, gutshot, and one overcard). The last two came T J missing all of Billy’s outs and sending him home. Kellen was up to 282k with that pot.

Today just was not JoeytheB’s day. After Joseph Brooks ran his pocket Queens into pocket Kings earlier, he got his chips in good with pocket Aces against pocket Queens, only to see a Queen hit the river, washing Joseph right out of this tournament.

On the river with the board showing T T 6 3 A, chip leader Brian Schaedlich fired 32k at the 50k pot. His opponent called, forcing Brian to reveal his 87 suited bluff. His opponent held pocket Jacks to take the pot. Brian dropped down to 375k, but still leads the field.

On a turn of 6 5 2 2, Michael Graydon shoved for 19k and Jeff Bryan looked him up, showing A5 suited for 5s-up. Michael’s AQ needed a Queen and only a Queen to save Michael. The river was a 9, however, and Michael hit the door. Jeff was up to ~260k.

Sverre Sundbo fired 7k on a flop of J 9 6 rainbow. Brian Schaedich made the call. Turn was a 4 and Sverre checked, Brian fired 16k, and Sverre raised to 40k. Brian kicked it on up to 80k and Sverre called. River was a 5 and Sverre checked. Brian moved in and Sverre called all-in. Brian showed 95 suited for two pair. Sverre mucked as he headed for the rail. Brian is back up to half-a-million chips.

After a raise and a re-raise, Nick Schulman shoved for 20k from the button. The first raiser mucked, but the other one looked him up, showing pocket Kings. Jeff’s pocket Jacks were in bad shape. The board came K Q 7 7 A and Nicks Jacks were cut down by Kings-full, sending Nick home early.

On the river with a board of T 8 7 5 6 with three hearts, Walter Hall bet 31,600. Stefan Mattsson called quickly, showing 98 offsuit for the straight. Walter showed AT suited for just top pair. Stefan took the pot, chipping up to 210k.

Hal Lubarsky, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa and has a reader who looks at his cards and whispers them in his ear, got his last chips in with pocket 8s, only to run into John Weinbach’s pocket Aces. No help for Hal on the board and he was busted.

Andrew Li ran his pocket Kings into the pocket Aces of Shane Warne, who doubled up to 109k.

Rami Boukai’s pocket Aces held up against pocket Queens and Rami has doubled to ~80k.

Toto Leonidas opened for 3k and Martin Klaser called. On the flop of K T 5, Toto moved in and Martin called, showing pocket Aces. Toto held K5 suited for two pair and the lead. Then the last two came Q Q and Martin made a better two pair than Toto to take the pot, doubling up to 110k. Toto was down to 70k.

Ray Romano got his chips in with A3 against pocket 9s. Although he picked up a straight draw on the flop, Ray was unable to find any of his outs and he was ousted.

A short-stacked Dario Alioto doubled up with two pair, then got all in again with pocket 8s, racing against AK. An Ace hit the board to ship the pot to his opponent and send Dario to the door-io.

On a flop of 9 8 6, Walter Hall shoved for 80k and Jeremiah Smith insta-called.  Walter's pocket Kings were de-throned by Jeremiah's 75 for the straight.  It would take two runners to save Walter, but no such miracle occured and he headed for the door.

John Hennigan has busted out, as have Richard Fohrenbach, Tyler Meierotto, James Kisowski, Don Toporowski, Jean-Claude Moussa, and Julian Powell.

About 549 players remain. Brian Schaedlich still leads the field with about 500k. Jeremiah Smith is second with ~400k.

Level 9 came to a close at 11:02 and the significantly reduced field swarmed out of the Amazon room to stretch their limbs and feed their needs. They’ve got 20 minutes to accomplish both.

On a board of Q J 5 2 J , Bill Gazes was all-in against Mark Garner. Mark’s AQ (Queens-up) was beat by Bill’s 6 5 for the flush. Bill doubled up to ~80k.

Minni Ridakorpi was all-in with pocket 9s and James McBeth was happy to get all his chips in the middle with pocket Aces. Then the board came T 5 3 5 9 and the river reversed their fortunes and shipped the pot to Minni. James hit the rail after giving Minni a hug. She was up to 53k.

Dario Alioto’s AQ just doubled up an opponent holding AK. Dario was down to only 23k.

On a flop of T 9 6, the player in seat one got all-in and called by Joseph ‘JoeytheB’ Brooks. Seat 1 held pocket Kings and was way ahead of Joey’s pocket Queens. The last two were 3 3 and Joey shipped 50k across the table, leaving himself with less than 20k.

In a three-way all-in, the players held pocket Kings, pocket Queens, and pocket Jacks. The board came Q 7 5 5 9 and Phi Nguyen, proud owner of the pocket Queens and the pot, chipped up to 123k. The other two players hit the rail.

Brian Brubaker got all-in pre-flop against Erick Lindgren. Brian’s pocket Kings had Erick’s pocket Jacks crushed. The board changed nothing and Brian doubled up, leaving Erick short. Erick moved those chips in on the next hand holding AJ offsuit, only to get looked up by none other than Brian Brubaker. Brian held pocket 7s and it was race time. Erick came up short when the board brought him no help. The 2008 WSOP Player of the Year has busted out.

On a K 8 2 flop, John Goossens got all in against Pat Pezzin. John’s pocket Aces were cracked by Pat’s pocket 8s for the set. No miracle suck-out for John and he hit the road.

Kathy Liebert moved her last ~11k in on a board of Q Q 2 J A and got looked up by the player on the button. Kathy held QT for trips, but her opponent showed KT for the Broadway straight to take the pot, sending Kathy home.

Ray Romano just survived an all-in over on the ESPN feature table. His 98 suited was about a coin-flip against his opponent’s pocket 6s. The board came T 8 5 Q 3 and Ray’s pair of 8s doubled him up to ~20k.

After Donald Norton opened for 3,500 from the cutoff, Barry Greenstein moved his last chips in from the small blind, showing AJ suited. Donald was ahead and had Barry dominated with AK offsuit. The board came T 8 4 A 8 and the Bear hit the rail after autographing his book, Ace on the River, and presenting it to Donald.

Billy ‘the Croc’ Argyros raised to 3k and Mark Owens jacked it on up to 8k. Billy called and the flop came J 9 5. Mark bet 11k and Billy raised to 20k. Mark shoved and Billy called all-in, showing pocket Jacks for top set. Mark showed pocket Aces and was drawing slim…until an Ace hit the turn, giving him the bigger set. Now it was Billy who was drawing to a single card, the case Jack. River was a 4, however, and the Croc was busted.

On a flop of 4 4 2, Mark Vos fired 10k and his opponent moved all-in. Mark called, showing pocket Aces. His opponent, who was at risk for his tournament life, showed J5 offsuit (zip, nada). The last two were T J and Mark took the pot, chipping up to 186k.

Patrick Fortin just busted another player on a K 9 2 rainbow flop. Patrick’s KJ (top pair) had his opponent’s KT off out-kicked. Last two were Q Q and Patrick chipped up to 285k.

Play resumed after dinner at 8:52pm with Level 9: Ante 100, Blinds 500/1,000.

1,251 players returned at noon for day 2A and as of the dinner break, only about 665 of those have managed to hang on to some chips. They have now returned from dinner break to get back down to business.

Keith Hawkins’ pocket Aces held up to eliminate another short-stack who made a desperation-shove. Keith chipped up to ~240k.

On the turn with a board of J 7 6 T , Dale Pinchot (small blind) fired 10k. Chris Bell (big blind) tanked for a bit, then made the call. River was the A . Dale took about a minute, then bet another 10k. Chris tanked again, counting out the call, then counting his remaining chips – he would have ~20k left if he called and lost. Chris finally called and Dale showed pocket 6s for the set. Chris tapped the table and mucked his hand.

Jeremiah Smith’s pocket Jacks held up against a short-stack’s pocket 9s to send another player to the rail and add more chips to Jeremiah’s growing stack.

Eight limpers saw the flop for the minimum: A 3 3. One player opened for 6k, then one called, and Hunter Frey kicked it on up to 17,500. All the rest ducked out of the way and the other two called. Turn was a Queen and the first bettor shoved for 90k. The caller folded, then Hunter called, showing 32 suited for trips, which was crushing his opponent’s AK off for top pair. River was a 9 and Hunter dragged the huge pot, chipping up to ~370k, good for the chip lead.

On a Jack-high flop, Andre Boyer got all in with KJ against Tim West, who held AJ to out-kick Andre. No King appeared to save Andre and he was busted.

Three limpers took a flop of Q 9 6 . It was checked to Dario Alioto (button) who bet 14,500. One limper folded and Noah Boeken (hijack) shoved. Dario tanked for a while, then called, showing 6 3  for bottom pair. Noah’s K J  was actually behind, but had a lot of outs with the flush draw, gutshot, and two overs. Turn was the 9  and river was the J , giving Noah the bigger pair and the double-up to 97k.

On a flop of 8 4 2, Salomon Cohen (small blind) bet 4,500 and Patrick Fortin raised to 15k. Salomon shoved and Patrick made the call, showing 42 for bottom two pair. Salomon held T9, nothing but two overs. The last two came 3 8 and Patrick chipped up to 237k.

Michael Craig shoved with A5 off and William Burdick looked him up with JT suited. A Ten on the board ended Michael’s tournament.

Marc ‘myst’ Karam raised to 2k and Tony Hachem re-popped it to 6,500. Marc made the call to see the flop of 6 4 3. Marc shoved and Tony called with pocket Queens. Marc held 85 suited for the open-ender, but the last two were blanks and Marc myst all his outs and disappeared into the myst.

On a flop of 9 7 2 , Pat Pezzin got all in and Hasan Habib looked him up. Pat held the two black Aces. Hasan held T 8  for the open-ended straight-flush draw. Last two were Q 8  and Hasan missed all his outs, doubling up Pat to about 46k.

On a board of Q Q 2 8 J, Sverre Sundbo fired for the third time and Brian Schaedlich called for the third time. Sverre showed T 9  for the back-door straight. He chipped up to ~140k.

Blair Hinkle got his chips all in against Ben Sarnoff, who held pocket Tens. Blair’s KQ suited was a coin-flip, but the board came J J 7 9 3 and Ben’s pocket Tens were good to take the pot and chip up to 163k. Blair hit the road and will have to be happy with just the one bracelet for now.

Darrell ‘gigabet’ Dicken turned a set and rivered a flush to chip up to 53k, back from ~4k earlier today.

On the river with a board of T 5 4 K 8, Jeremiah Smith fired 25k and Dan Assor looked him up showing K J  for the second-nut flush. Jeremiah mucked his hand and was down to 211k. Dan chipped up to ~195k.

Brandon Adams was all-in on a flop of 7 5 3 rainbow. His opponent’s pocket Tens were crushed by Brandon’s pocket Jacks and third Jack on the river sealed the double-up for Brandon, who now has ~215k.

On the turn with a board of 9 4 3 9, Jeff Williams checked, his opponent fired 15,500. Jeff tanked, then moved in for 44k. His opponent insta-called, showing pocket 3s for 3s-full. Jeff slammed his pocket Queens down, launching a loud F-Bomb. The river brought Jeff a two-outer Queen, giving him a bigger full house and the double-up to 120k.

On a flop of Q 4 2 , Brian Schaedlich moved in. His opponent called, showing A T  for the nut flush draw. Brian showed pocket Kings, including the   which was useless, except that it tied up one of his opponent’s outs. The last two were 8 5  and Brian’s pocket Kings held up to chip up to ~330k. Shortly after, Brian got a short-stack all-in with AQ off. Brian’s pocket 8s were ahead and stayed that way as the board bricked out. He chipped on up to ~370k.

On the turn with a board of A K 4 7, an opponent moved in for 30k and Brian Schaedlich made the call, showing 53 suited for the double-gutted straight draw. The at risk player held AJ for top pair. The river brought one of Brian’s eight outs, a 6, to complete his straight and drag the monster pot, chipping up to about half-a-million chips, good for the chip lead.

Ousted: Adam Friedman, Denise Molloy, Richard Burns, and Silvio Formica.

End of level 8 and players have been sent on a 90-minute dinner break.  That means our next update will be at 9pm.

Players just returned from a 40-minute break to Level 8:  Ante 100, Blinds 400/800.  The play is definitely slowing down. There are 810 remaining in the field, and the trend has switched from gutsy calls to considered lay downs.

Mizrachi on the Move

Robert Mizrachi hasn't been slowed down by the change of pace. His tablemate moved all in, and Mizrachi called him with pocket 9s. Robert outraced his opponent's A-K when the board ran out 8-high. Mizrachi scooped the pot and sent his opponent to the rail, taking over the chip lead in the process.

With 243,000, Mizrachi becomes the first Day 2A player to pass overall Day 1 chip leader Henning Granstad, who will begin Day 2B with 242,950.

Bearly Alive

Barry Greenstein dropped a big pot to sink to just 4,000. After several hands of antes, he moved in for 3,100 and caught two callers. Greenstein tabled A-J suited, and the flop fell Q T 5, giving him a straight draw. The King on the turn had Barry singing Broadway tunes, and the 2 on the river didn't make anyone else's hand. Greenstein chipped back up to 10,300.

Cesar Romero wasn't so lucky. He got it in with Aces and looked good to double up when Thor Hansen called him with pocket cowboys.  The T 9 3 flop was safe, but a King on the turn had Romero in trouble. The 6 on the river wasn't what he needed, and the suck-out sent Romero on his way. Hansen now has 134,000.

Alex Bolotin and Lars Kurstjens also busted since the break.

Thierry van den Berg chipped up to 55k when his QJ morphed into quads on a board of Q Q 7 Q 9. Sylvester Geoghegan flopped a set of 4s to crack Bryan Colin’s pocket Jacks and chip up to 84k. Susie Isaacs ran her pocket Queens into pocket Aces and has been bounced.

On a final board of J 4 4 9 7, Patrik Antonius shoved and Gaetano Buda looked him up. Patrik tabled 74 suited for the full boat to double up to 64k. He picked up another pot soon after and was up to 90k.

Barry Greenstein shoved his last ~6k with A7 and Richard Burns called with KJ suited. Barry caught a 7 to pair up and double up to ~13k.

Ray Romano ran his pocket Kings into Christopher Bonita’s pocket Aces. The Aces held and Christopher doubled up, leaving Ray with only 10k.

Jason Gray flopped a set of 9s to bust a player, then on the next hand, flopped quad 9s to send another player packing. Jason is up to 150k.

Shaun Deeb (no relation) was all in with pocket Jacks against pocket Kings and it looked like Shaun was headed for the rail, but his J  got help from the Q T 8 9  on the board to make a straight flush and double up.

Jeremiah Smith called his opponent to the river, where the board showed Q J 7 T A. His opponent checked and Jeremiah bet 20k. The other guy made the crying call and Jeremiah showed 7 5  for the flush to take the pot. His opponent claimed he held AQ. Jeremiah was up to 235k.

On a Jack-high flop, David Grey moved in and got looked up by Adam Hudson. David’s AK (two overs) was already beat by Adam’s KJ (top pair). David couldn’t find a pair and was busted.

Paul Wasicka got his last chips in with K5 off and Jeff Rubic looked him up with AT off. The board came A 6 3 A 7 and Paul was busted.

Robert Varkonyi got his last 23k in pre-flop with pocket Tens and Donald Georgeme looked him up with AK. Robert lost the race when the board came 7 7 2 A 8 and the 2002 main event champ headed for the door.

PSO member John ‘dealmein’ Dobbs is sitting on 58k thanks to a very good laydown. After a player opened for 1,800, John raised to 6,800. His opponent re-raised and John tanked for a bit, then released his pocket Queens. His opponent showed pocket Aces and John dodged not one, but TWO bullets there!

Gonzo: Steve Brecher, Rainer Meyer, and Jeremy Ausmus.

Hunter Frey is out in front with 234k. Brian Schaedlich and Jeremiah Smith are tied for second with 230k each.

Level 7 came to a close at about 4:38pm and players were sent to enjoy 40 minutes away from the felt. This break is extra-long as they are coloring up the green 25 chips. Play will resume about 5:18pm.

FBT Straightened Out

The room is missing Greg "FBT" Mueller's large presence after he was runner-runnered out of the Main Event. Mueller limped in, and the CO bet 3,600. Mueller called, and they were heads up to the flop. It came A Q T, and Mueller checked the action to his opponent, who fired out 6k.

Greg slid his whole stack across the line, and the CO called, tabling A-K for top pair, top kicker. Greg turned up Q-Q for a flopped set. A 9 on the turn gave the CO a gutshot straight draw, and with a Jack on the river, he hit it to eliminate Mueller.

Lee Markholt is out after getting it all in with A-K against pocket Tens and failing to connect with the board. He's joined on the rail by John Shipley, Loi Phan, Thomas Wahlroos, and Zachary Clark.

Hunter Frey is still the chip leader with 240,000, and Brian Schaedlich is next with 218,000. Kellen Hunter and Michael Johnson are also above 200k.

PSO Member Schools Shulman

Poker School Online member John "dealmein" Dobbs made it to Day 2 with just over 30,000 in chips, but he caught a cold deck in the first hour to drop to around 23k. No problem for Dobbs. He waited for a hand, then used it to take out bracelet-winner Barry Shulman.

Shulman halved his stack in one big pot, and on the next hand, he raised to 1,800 pre-flop. Dobbs made it 4,800, and Shulman called. Barry checked the J T 2 flop, and John fired out 6k. Shulman paid to see the 7 on the turn, then moved in for around 7,000. Dobbs looked him up, tabling pocket Queens to Barry's A-Q. The river was a safe 3, and Shulman took his break a little early. Dobbs headed off to the first break of the day with 54,700.

Busted, Baby

Ladies and gentlemen, the Prince of Poker has left the building. Nguyen was down to his last 4k when he moved in with pocket 9s.  Alexandre Schwab called with a pair of cowboys, and things didn't look good for Scotty.  But the flop fell A 9 4, giving Nguyen a set.  Schwab still had plenty of outs, though, since he had the K. The turn was the harmless 5, but the 7 on the river was enough to felt Nguyen. For this year, the Prince will have to settle for his $50k H.O.R.S.E. bracelet and the nearly $2 million that came with it.

Jimmy Fricke is also gone. Left with only 8k, he got it in good with A A, and a tablemate called with Q 9. Fricke looked good for the double up until the board brought three s, making a flush for Jimmy's opponent and ending Fricke's tournament run.

Now that Perry Friedman's WSOP is over, maybe he'll go visit a barber for an emergency Full Tilt intervention. Tony Licastro, Anna Wroblewski, and Jens Voertmann are out as well, though less in need of post-poker makeovers.

The remaining 1,000 players have just returned from a 20-minute break to start Level 7,with blinds at 300/600 and an ante of 75.

Hunter Frey is the current chip leader with 210,000, followed by Michael Johnson with 201,000. Kellen Hunter and Robert Mizrachi are nearly tied for third with 194,000 and 193,000 apiece.

Newsflash: GlumGirl Cracks Smile Gets Aces Cracked

Svetlana "GlumGirl" Gromenkova began the day with a well-above-average 98,000, but she's already gone to spread her sunshine elsewhere. On a 9 7 4 board, Hornet Stephanie (yup, that's the name) checked the action to Gromenkova, who bet 5,000. Stephanie called to see a 5 on the turn, and checked again. Gromenkova fired out 9,000, and Stephanie moved all in for 29,000. GlumGirl made the call, tabling pocket Aces. Stephanie flipped over 9-9 for the set. No help on the river dropped Gromenkova to only 9,000.

She got her last chips in with A-7, and Marc Karam called with A-Q. The board blanked for both, and Svetlana leaves the WSOP with a shiny new bracelet but no Main Event cash.

Double-Up Department

Aces weren't so good for Gromenkova, but they held up for Noah Boeken and Paul Wasicka, both of whom really needed the help. Boeken was all in with A-A against pocket 9s, and he doubled to around 32,000.

Paul Wasicka's Aces stood up against A-J, but he still has a lot of work to do to get back in the game. Wasicka doubled to 9,500.

Patrik Antonius began Day 2 with more than 64,000 chips, but he took several big hits in the first hour to drop to around 12k. With his tournament life on the line, his Jacks stayed ahead of his opponent's pocket 8s, doubling Antonius to 21,000. His wife, Maya Geller-Antonius, is representing the family a little better with 74,000.

Shaun Deeb also doubled up to 28k when his top pair was good against a busted flush draw. A few hands later, he flopped top pair again with A-Q to chip up to 38,000.

Welcome to the Party...

We're one hour into Day 2A, and the mood is tense, quiet, and still a little sleepy. Noon is early in Vegas, even if you're playing the Main Event. Many players were at the PokerStars party at Rain last night, and some may have stayed a tad bit too late. Scotty Nguyen arrived at his table 40 minutes late. But it's all good, baby.

...If You Can Get Past the Bouncers

While some were making late entrances, others got their chips in the middle right away, wasting no time after waiting five days to play. The starting field of 1,251 has already lost 107 players.

William Exelby was the first to bust five minutes into play. His pocket Kings couldn't hold up against big slick when the flop brought an Ace.

Bill Edler moved in for his last 12,000 pre-flop, and Rajiv Buden looked him up. At the showdown, Edler discovered that his A-9 was dominated by Buden's A-K. The board ran out Q 5 3 2 3, and Edler headed for the exit.

Dustin Sitar's A-K was busted by the pocket rockets of Alexander Kravchenko, boosting the Russian to 60,000.

Grigore Adamescu, Thomas Swensen, Zacharias Simeon, and Stuart Paterson are also done for the day.

Phillip Hilm doubled his 7,175 starting stack in the first few hands, racing his Jacks against A-Q and making quads on the river. But even with twice as many chips, he couldn't last the hour. Herold Cromwell limped in, Thomas Fougeron made it 2,000 to go, and Hilm shoved from the button. Cromwell called, and Fougeron moved in with his larger stack. Cromwell called all in to make it a three-way showdown.

Hilm picked a really bad time to risk it all with pocket 5s, because Cromwell tabled Kings, and Fougeron flipped up Aces. The board fell 9 7 2 3 4, sending both Hilm and Cromwell to the rail. Fougeron is up to 122,000.

The Main Event is off to an explosive start.  A total of 6,844 entrants played in the four Day 1s.  The 636 players who survived Day 1A will meet the 615 who made it through Day 1B to fight for a chance to get a piece of the more than $64 million prize pool. Mark Garner begins the day as the chip leader, and Mark Vos, Robert Mizrachi, and Erick Lindgren are also high on the leader board.  Be sure to stay right here at PokerPages.com as we bring you all of the live wire-to-wire action from the 2008 WSOP Main Event!

Official chip counts and seat assignments for the start of Day 2A: