2,379 players will return to the Rio today to chase down Main Event glory and the $9.1 million first-place prize. It will be nearly a full house today, with almost twice as many Day 1 survivors playing in today's flight as yesterday's.
Henning Granstad comes into play today with the chip lead at 242,950. Also returning to play today are David Singer, Victor Ramdin, Evelyn Ng, Gus Hansen, Chris Moneymaker, Phil Gordon, Jeff Madsen, and Mike Matusow.
Cards will be in the air in about 20 minutes. Stay tuned.
Over in the blue section at table #11, a crowd of media and observers began to gather before the cards were even in the air. There was a lot of chatter but one voice stood out amongst them all...that of Mike Matusow.
Matusow, one of the few players who enjoys playing the role of both table captain and class clown, seems focused and rejuvenated. His great play combined with his table antics should keep the players, spectators, and media alike on their feet today.
On one of the first hands of the day Joe Hachem doubled up when he moved in for his last 15,000 after there was a raise in front. He got the call and Hachem's pocket queens held up against his opponent's pocket eights. He's now up to 31,000.
On a flop of , John Juanda moved all in against Chris Miranda. Miranda made the call. Juanda showed and Miranda showed . The turn and river missed both players, and Juanda is eliminated from this Main Event.
Just as Joe Hachem did a few minutes ago, Caroline Cooper doubled up with pocket queens. She moved in after an opponent raised with and when Cooper flopped a set that pretty much brought an end to the drama. She's now up to 21,000.