Over at Table 76, the lineup is perhaps the toughest in the room. Dennis Phillips is seated there along with Roland Isra, Mark "Pegasus" Smith, and chip-leader Harris Paroya. This is certainly one table we'll be giving a little extra attention.
Roland Isra three-bet all in from the small blind with the and received a call from the Nick Jivkov in late position. It was a classic race, but Isra needed to improve to stay alive. The flop was no help and neither was the turn.
Things looked bleak for Isra, but he found salvation on the river when the spiked. He doubled on the hand to 70,000 while Jivkov dropped to 190,000.
Brandon Steven limped only to have Aaroon Massey raise to 11,100. Steven made the call and the two watched the flop fall . Steven checked, Massey bet 15,500, and Steven made the call, leading to the on the turn. Both players checked and the hit the river.
Again, Steven checked to Massey, who fired out 17,000. Steven called and simply mucked as Massey rolled over and chipped up to 210,000.
Players have taken their seats and cards are in the air. We've already seen a few short stacks bust, which is a good indication that there will be some fast action and big hands.
Yesterday, World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s, St. Louis got under way and drew 449 entrants who created a prize pool of $646,762. About 12 hours later, at the end of Day 1, only 92 players remained in contention for the $142,290 first-place prize. Leading the way is a man named Harris Paroya, who bagged up an impressive 314,100 in chips.
Other names still left in the field are Mark “Pegasus” Smith (tied for the most WSOP-C rings with four), Kyle Cartwright (Harrah’s Tunica Casino Champion), "Cowboy" John Land, Aaron Massey, and Nadya Magnus. However, all eyes are going to be on two players today: St. Louis native Dennis Phillips and 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, who start Day 2 with 197,600 and 133,000 chips respectively. Both players have found WSOP success in the past, and they're no doubt hoping to step into the spotlight once again.
The plan for the day is to play to a final table, breaking the money bubble at 45 players in the process. Day 2 action is set to resume at noon CDT (1700 GMT), just over 20 minutes, so be sure to join the PokerNews Live Reporting Team as we bring you all the action, eliminations, and stories straight from the tournament floor.