One Step Closer

November Nine. It's an alliterative phrase that rolls off the tongue. It offers the potential of life-changing money and the opportunity to serve as a poker ambassador for a year or more. It's what every one of the 205 players left in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event is surely starting to think about this morning as we prepare for Day 6.

Last night, 205 players were still in their seats at the end of the night when the chip bags were brought out for the sixth time (well, tenth if you count all the multiple Day 1 and Day 2 flights). Five of them managed to bag up more than 3.0 million in chips: Theo Jorgensen, Duy Le, Joseph Cheong, Michael Skender and Evan Lamprea.

Lamprea is the leader with 3,564,000 chips, but at limits of 8,000 and 16,000 a difference of a few hundred thousand chips isn't as large as it seems. Beyond that, starting the day as the chip leader doesn't guarantee anything for anybody. Just ask Day 4 overnight chip leader Tony Dunst, who went from the pole position at the start of Day 5 almost all the way to what we like to call the Dank Position (last in chips) by the end of the night. Dunst started Day 5 with 1.5 million in chips, 1st of 574 players. He ended Day 5 with 327,000 chips, 182nd out of 205 players. A lot can happen during a long day of poker.

We're not sure how many levels are going to be played today. The schedule calls for five levels, but the schedule has been very fluid the last few days as TD Jack Effel has sought to ensure that the field plays down in a timely fashion to reach the November Nine Saturday night. If we need to play an extra level or two, you can be sure Effel will add them to today's schedule.

Cards will be in the air in about twenty minutes.

Tags: Evan Lamprea