That's the number so far for the Day 1b flight, and the board is still ticking up by a runner every few minutes.
We should note that we won't have a final tally on entrants tonight as registration remains open until noon tomorrow. Anyone who has played just one flight so far (and busted) will have the option to buy back in before Day 2.
From across the room we heard a few "Oh my gods!" and "He got there!" We ran over to see what happened and the board showed 
. We saw one player with his head in his hands holding 
.
Then we saw Shawn Lawrence we a relieved look holding 
, making his straight on the river.
Mark Kroon has been acting the role of the fish this evening, trying to convince his table he's new to the game. Well lubricated with Bacardi and Diets by now, Kroon was just heard saying, "It's my first tournament, and I have no idea what I'm doing."
A moment later, though, he slipped up. "When I won my second bracelet," he began, clearly fibbing.
Drew Caseri caught him: "I thought you said this was your first tournament."
"I didn't say poker bracelets," Kroon was right there with the quick counter. "I'm a big hopscotch guy."
For his first tournament, Kroon is sure doing a good job of keeping his table -- and us -- entertained.
We're taking a ten-minute break, the last of the evening. When the players return, they'll play another three levels before bagging up for the night.
Level: 7
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 50
Returning from the break, we see that we have a new notable in the field. Again.
Captain Tom Franklin went busto during the morning flight, but he's decided to give it another go here tonight. He's taken his seat to the direct left of Mark Kroon, and he's waiting patiently for the big blind and his Day 1b chip stack to arrive.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
||
Lake Tahoe has been kind to Drew Caseri in the past three year, and this casino is responsible for all three of his cashes on record. The latest was a runner-up finish in a prelim for about $20,000.
Unfortunately for the 2010 finalist, his run in this 2011 Main Event has come to an end. Caseri was down under 10,000 when he shipped it in with ace-ten from middle position. It was Mark Kroon who looked him up, waking up with the superior ace-king to put Caseri in a bad way. A board full of blanks later, and Kroon dragged the knockout pot to move himself up to about 93,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
93,000
46,000
|
46,000 |
|
Busted |
We didn't catch the action on the hand, but we did see Sean Frame raking in a pot with the board reading 
. Frame had 
tabled in front of him and his opponent was gathering his things to make his exit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
67,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
Level: 8
Blinds: 300/600
Ante: 75
A player in late position raised to 1,600, and Mark Kroon three-bet to 6,100 from the small blind in an uncounted pile of reraising chips. His opponent responded by shoving all in for 18,675, and Kroon asked for the count. His opponent had his cards in his hand, waiting anxiously to turn them over. Kroon noticed, and he asked the dealer if he could ask if his opponent would show to a fold. The dealer nodded, and Kroon turned to his opponent, chuckling now. "Will you show if I fold?" he went ahead and asked. His opponent shrugged and nodded.
"Oh my god," he said. "He can't even wait to show his hand. I mean, there's no way my hand can be good. But there's no way I can fold, either."
Finally, though, Kroon did talk himself into a fold. True to his word, Mr. Opponent flashed his 
, and Kroon said that he'd folded two jacks.
