End of Day 2 chip counts and seating assignments:

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

There was a slight change of plans.  Instead of taking a 20-min break at the end of level 20, staff gave the players 10-mins off so they could sneak in some more hands before 3 a.m.  If they could trim the field from 20 to 18, they'd be done prior to 3 a.m.

Just before the last break, the highest profile player was bounced from the field.  Michael Binger, who finished 3rd in the Main Event in 2006, finished 22nd today in the $2K No Limit event.  

Binger had been hovering around 100K for quite some time, before eventually making a move with 8 5.  He got looked up by a player holding AQ.  Binger would pick up some outs to a river gutshot, but the ace in the window was just too much to overcome.

Peter Feldman looked to be following Binger to the door, but the Full Tilt patched player is up to 350K after having his aces paid off.  Ken Lennard opened with a raise to 40K and Feldman shipped.  After Daniel Makowsky pained over his hand, he got out of the way to let the others fight it out.  

Lennard called the 99K more while flipping over KK, only to cringe after "Nordberg" tabled his AA. Makowsky gave himself a pat on the back after seeing that he made a good laydown with TT.  Makowsky would then let out a yell and jump out of his seat after he found out his tens would have spiked a set to take out both.  But no suprises on the ten-high board meant Lennard was down to 50K and "Nordberg" was back in business.  A few hands later, Lennard handed the rest of his chips off the Feldman and exited in 20th.

The clocked ticked away and the last player couldn't be dispatched.  The bags came out and staff ruled Day 2 over at 3 a.m.  Day 3 begins at 1 p.m. PDT.  Chip counts will be posted shortly.

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

We're halfway thru level 20.  The floor went as far as to say this will be the last level of the day, but there is a chance a few extra hands will get played.  After level 20 comes another break, which should take us right up to 3 a.m., or quitting time.

Some notable hands I caught:

Shan Jing busted in 27th at the hands of Alexander Meidinger.  Jing gave up a hand to a Meidinger all in just moments earlier, but decided to make a stand with A9.  Meidinger looked him up with AQ, and after the board came A T 3 7 A, the queen kicker booted Jing from the tourney.

Phillip Yeh has also been eliminated.  Yeh's run came to an end after he ran his weak J8 right into QQ.  After failing to suck out, Yeh headed towards the payouts to collect 24th-place cash.

Angel Guillen is up to 600K.  Guillen, searching for his second final table of the Series, had his last 300K-ish in preflop with AK, racing with QQ for his tourney life.  Guillen would find a king on the flop to double and join the big stacks.

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

We're now in the 5K/10K level, with 1K antes, and only 29 still hold onto bracelet hopes.  Play is still at a crawl, probably because a pay jump from $11,893 to $13,819 is just two spots away.  Or if you make the final two tables, that's worth $19,012 on your $1,500 investment.  Let's not forget the $530,548 for first.

Daniel Makowsky was throwing aroung pocket eights.  Makowsky would cripple Ed Chang after Chang shoved the K Q 8 flop to see Makowsky's set.  On the next hand, Chang was all in, as was another player holding AQ, against Makowsky, who again held 88.  The board would run out J 9 7 Q 4 and Chang never showed.  Makowsky's eights would have to double up the other player, but the table was one player lighter.

Some chip counts from around the room; Peter Feldman (240K), Clark Hamagami (305K), Michael Binger (145K), Daniel Makowsky (350K), Eric Ladny (425K), Phillip Yeh (110K), Neng Lee (800K) and Mika Paasonen (510K).

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

Getting close to the 40 player mark.  Blinds are at 4K/8K with 1K antes.

Jim McManus is out.  McManus, down to about 80K, shipped from the cutoff after picking up deuces.  He was looked up by A9 and after an ace fell in the window, McManus was done.

Phillip Yeh is up to almost 200K after a double knockout.

Yeh was all in holding AK, up against the JJ of David Fox and another player's 99.  The pairs would hold all the way through the rag turn, but after finding a king on the river, Yeh was back in business.  Fox, along with the other player, were done for good.

Clark Hamagami is up to 300K after a big three-way all in of his own.  Hamagami got it in with A9, up against both AK and KT.  But after the board ran out A 9 4 Q 5 Hamagami had made two pair to send the KT packing.  The player holding AK still had about 50K to fight with.

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

Level 17 has just come to a close.  Forty-four players will now pay 4K/8K blinds and 1K antes.  Play has really slowed as they make their way up the payout ladder.

Chip counts; Phillip Yeh (120K), Daniel Makowsky (280K), Clark Hamagami (290K), Peter Feldman (250K), Angel Guillen (175K), Michael Binger (320K), Eric Landry (420K) and Mika Paasonen (460K).

Peter "Nordberg" Feldman was able to pick up a 100K pot after knocking out a victim.  Feldman had called the extra chips, meaning he had about 50K on the line with Q J.  His opponent held A 8.  After the A K X flop, which came with two diamonds, Feldman's opponent had a stranglehold on the hand with top pair and a flush draw.  But after the turn brought a ten, Feldman had found Broadway.  Once the river didn't bring a diamond, Feldman added to his stack as his opponent slammed the felt on his way to payouts.

Angel Guillen, who came up one spot short of a bracelet vs. Keven Stammen in Event #13, picked up a huge pot a while back when he had a player ship 99 right into his QQ.  Guillen's queens held up and he hasn't looked back.

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

The board is showing 53 players.  Those players have been sent on another 20-min break as level 16 closed.  Blinds will jump to 3K/6K when play resumes.

Cash-wise, players bowing out now will take home $ 8,208.  The next pay jump is at 45th-place, where players will pocket an extra $1,507.

Team PokerStars Pro Andre Akkari exited when his JJ was outflopped by 77.  

Michael Binger held 99 to his opponent's QQ.  But after the board ran out J J 4 7 9, Binger was able to watch his opponent call off his last 70K to show his nines full.  After the hand, Binger was up over 300K.

Eric Ladney has over 450K and looks to be the chip leader as of break time. 

Ladney got most of his chips after his T 9 made the low end straight on the K Q J flop.  Ladney's shove was snapped off by his opponent, who tabled AT for Broadway... the nuts.  But after turning the Q and rivering the 4, Ladney had sucked out with a club flush to assume the chip lead.  

(Aaron Angerman reporting)

The price of poker has just went up.  There are less than 60 players remaining, now battling in level 16, with 2,000/4,000 blinds and 500 antes.  Since the last update, we've lost short stacks Kelly Kim, Chau Gian and Tony Cousineau.

Kelly Kim was in 10 BB range, sitting behind just 33K for a while.  The November Niner would ultimately ship with tens and fall short in a race with AQ.  Also in shove range, Giang couldn't pull out a double with KJ and Cousineau ran AJ into AQ to go broke.

Daniel Makowsky is up over 300K after getting his aces paid off.  Makowsky saw the BB call his button raise to see the Q 9 7 flop.  The BB decided to check-raise the rest of his stack and Makowsky didn't go anywhere, calling to table his AA.  His opponent showed JT for the open-end draw.  The turn and river would brick out and Makowsky doubled thru.

Peter Feldman saw his massive stack cut in half after a sick turn.  Feldman held 99 and flopped mid set on the T 9 6 flop.  "Nordberg" had his 15K bet called to see the turn bring a J.  This time Feldman moved out two double-stacks of yellow for a bet of 40K.  His opponent quickly went all in and Feldman called to table his set of nines.  Unfortunately, his opponent had turned a set of jacks.  The river bricked and "Nordberg" was left with about 100K. 

Michael Binger is up to almost 200K.  Binger took a 60K pot from his opponent after calling flop and turn bets from the BB.  By the river the board read Q Q 9 9 6 and a bet of 28K from Binger was enough to take it down.

Phillip Yeh was sitting behind a tower of 170K, but lost 70K of that just moments later when his AQ couldn't suck out on QQ.

(Dane Young reporting)

The players have returned from dinner to grind down to a final table.

(Dane Young reporting)

Noah Schwartz is a goner. Andre Akkari joined the table directly in front of Schwartz and the two got into together right away.

Schwartz was all in with KQ against Akkari's A8 of spades and the board bricked out.

Michael Binger was involved in a small blind vs. big blind battle with 13,000 chips in the pot on the river. The board was 9  5  4  A  3  and Binger led out for 7,500. His opponent thought for a couple of minutes before making the call.

"No club," Binger said, tapping the table. He was taken aback when his opponent showed Td 2d for the straight, more than a gutshot to have beaten him.

Everyone is on dinner break now. The 81 remaining players will come back to play 1,500/3,000/400

(Dane Young reporting)

Chau Giang had gotten pretty short, but managed to double up after getting in preflop. His 77 got called by A4 and was on his way out the door when the flop came A 4 9. The turn brought Chau the miracle two outer with a 7 and he faded the boat on the river to win the hand.

Jan Van Halle is gone after getting it all in preflop with 33 against the big blind's Kings. The big blind flopped a set and Van Halle was dead on the turn.

There are 98 players remaining in level 14.

(Dane Young reporting)

The event is on hold for a break, but with the field has thinned out a lot since the last update.

As per usual, the money was reached and the short stacks stopped holding on for dear life. We're down to 139 players after all of the casualties. Scott Clements was one of the pre-break victims, running A T into A J and failing to come up with a winner.

(Dane Young reporting)

The money bubble has burst after a bit housekeeping by the tournament directors.

Here's what happened: Daniel Neilson raised the button and got three-bet by Eric Ladny in the big blind. Undaunted, Neilson shipped and Ladny called with Kings. The board ran off J J Q K 3 and Neilson's AK was no match for Ladny's full house.

In other parts of the room, Peter Feldman has a huge stack, over 150,000, and Chau Giang has over 60,000. Theo Tran is also trying to make his move as he has been chipping up of late.

(Dane Young reporting)

Play restarted at 2 p.m. today near the money, which pays out to 171st. We started with 220 players, but only 204 remain.

Kelly Kim, a member of last year's Main Event final table, quickly doubled up against Scott Clements as they got all in preflop. Kim's A  7  needed some help against Clements' 88 and it came right away as A Q T hit the board. 2 5 ran off and Kim picked up the pot.

Noah Schwartz is getting busy early, splashing around in a lot of pots. He came into today around the chip average, so he is looking to make his move as the money bubble approaches.