A Champion Will Be Crowned
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A full day of action on the felt yesterday saw 194 entries and reentries recorded in Event 10, generating a total prize pool of $112,908 with $33,873 waiting up top for the eventual winner.
From the original field just 14 players remain in contention for the title, and Mike Sandler leads the way with 355,000 to work with when play resumes today at noon local time.
Sandler will be trailed closely by Joe Clarkin (336,000), while Jeremy Stein (295,000), Brian Correro (239,500), Erkut Yilmaz (223,000) and Bruce Yamron (219,500).
The terror of Atlantic City will also be back looking for another trophy for his parent's china cabinet, as longtime pro Joe McKeehen bagged 186,000 heading into this final day of play.
McKeehen is a local legend of sorts, racking up over $888,000 in reported live earnings over his four-year career on the felt, with more than a dozen cashes coming right here in the East Coast's own poker hotspot. McKeehen took down a title last January at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, and he will have a definitive edge in terms of experience when play resumes.
A number of notable names and professional players took their shot on Day 1 of this event, as Joe Kuether, Anthony Zinno, Luke Edwards, Eric Baldwin, Aaron and Ralph Massey, Dan Heimiller, Kevin Saul, Amnon Filippi, Keven Stammen, Matt Salsberg, Justin Young, Emad Alabsi and She Lok Wong all fell short of the money.
Keep it here throughout the day as PokerNews proudly provides live continuous coverage of Day 2's race to the final table - and the finish line.
and dragging in the blinds and antes, and according to the Philadelphia-based pro he has already held aces in the hole twice now. He also won an uncontested pot with a preflop raise holding 
in the hole, but of course two more bullets hit the board and he won yet another early pot.
to find himself crushed by Yilmaz and his 
.
(giving Correro's folded walking sticks a set for good measure), but the turn card came 
to give Bitondo his own set. The river was the 
and with that the first elimination of the day occurred, leaving Yilmaz with a 14th place finish.
in the big blind, and an open to 13,000 from chip leader Mike Sandler in the hijack already made, his decision was an easy one.
to put him at risk. The final board ran out 
and Sandler called the right side of the coin to notch the knockout, sending Jeffrey to the rail with a 13th place finish.
for an overmatched underpair, and after the board came down 
he made an abrupt exit from the tournament in 12th place.
and the final board of 
, and the final board ran out 
to leave the snowmen out in front.
and the flop came down with an ace to put Thompson on the brink. He failed to catch the two-out shot he needed to survive, and hit the rail with an 8th place finish.
