A player limps in and Philip Sparta calls. Another player raises to 1,200 and the limper folds. Sparta re-raises to 3,000 and the raiser calls. The flop is . Both players check. The turn is the . Sparta checks. The opponent bets 3,200. Sparta puts him all in for about 10,000 more. The opponent deliberates and tries to talk to Sparta but he does not respond. Eventually, the opponent calls with A-K and Sparta turns over A-A. The river is a blank, the opponent is busted and Sparta is up to 32,000 - good for fourth in chips.
The prize pool is $556,450. Eighteen places will be paid, and first place will receive $180,289, the $10,000 WSOP main event buy-in, $1,000 in spending money for that event, and the WSOP Circuit gold and diamond ring.
Preflop, one player raises to 3,200 and Louie Esposito re-raises him 6,525 more all in. The opponent agonizes over the decision. "Bad way to go," he says to himself. Finally, the opponent folds. "Not gonna go out that way," he says. Esposito is up to 10,375.
Robert Cheung is still leading this field after a temporary stay at the top by Jody Shadbolt. Cheung has 39,000 in chips, followed closely by Philip Sparta with 35,000.