The second day of the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em (Event #3) featured plenty of action and several delays that tested the patience and endurance of the players. Featuring the largest non-Main Event field in WSOP history, this event brought out the biggest names in the game and featured plenty of alternates, all with their sights set on bringing home a WSOP gold bracelet.
With all surviving players already in the money as Day Two play began, the event started off with a bang as three players were eliminated by Leon 'Chino325' Kunkel on the first hand of the day. Quickly following the trio of busted players to the rail were professionals Thomas Wahlroos of Finland and former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker.
Almost as soon as the first group of busted players arrived to collect their cash from the payout window, the tournament experienced the first in a series of delays that occurred throughout the day. Thanks in part to a small group of players who believed that their chip stacks were short, plus the large number of players that busted within the first 20 minutes of play, the tournament paused for nearly 20 minutes as Harrah's staff tried to catch up with the action.
Once the cards were finally back in the air, the tough times continued for the game's biggest names. It wasn't long before two of the game's brightest stars made hasty exits from the tournament's featured table. WSOP Main Event winner Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer fell victim when his pocket aces were cracked by his opponent's flopped straight, and Erick 'E-Dog' Lindgren needed just one hand to bust after his A-3 ran into two players that holding A-Q. Showing very little emotion, both players calmly walked over to the Stud/Omaha tournament and took their seats for the recently started event.
After another 45-minute delay due to an extensive color-up by the Harrah's staff, players reached the next tier of payouts upon busting out. With the remaining players earning at least $4,297, the action picked up and play continued at a breakneck pace for the next several hours. Several players among the Day One leaders, including Arnold Spee and Jeff Cabanillas, saw their sizeable stacks evaporate, while others such as David 'The Dragon' Pham continued to improve their position with aggressive play.
Pham wasn't the only one gaining ground, as Las Vegas resident and the 2006 U.S. Poker Championship winner Alex Jacob continued to annihilate the competition. Building on an impressive Day One run that saw him vault to the chip lead after being seated as an alternate, Jacob's Day Two play saw him pick up right where he left off the night before. Battling opponents with a mixture of made hands and wily tactics that left many at his table frustrated and on the verge of tilting, Jacob continued to pick up speed throughout the day and unlike Pham, who busted in 64th place, Jacob would make the final table holding a monster lead with 3,100,000 in chips.
Here's the list of players at the final table, with chip counts:
PLAYER — CHIPS
Alex Jacob — 3,100,000
Paul Evans — 1,690,000
Jeff Yoak — 965,000
Matt Vengrin — 930,000
Ciaran O'Leary — 610,000
Thad Smith — 555,000
Craig Crivello — 495,000
Andreas Krause¬ — 490,000
Bart Hanson — 210,000
Make sure to check back with PokerNews' Event #3 'Live Reporting' today at 3pm PT, when play continues and the final-table players battle it out for the first-place prize of $727,012 and a WSOP bracelet.
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