Players are back and play has resumed. After playing four one-hour levels thus far, there will be four more levels before Day 1 concludes.
With the start of Level 5, registration has closed. The big board is showing the total has reached the 300-player mark, but we'll try to nail down those official numbers shortly to pass along.
Level: 5
Limits: 250/500
Ante: 0
We've pushed through four levels to reach the 30-minute dinner break.
A player under the gun raised, the cutoff called, and Event 10: $5,000 Seven Card Stud champion John Monnette thought a moment on the button before letting his hand go.
Daniel Negreanu then made it three bets from the small blind. The big blind folded, and the other two players called. The flop came 
and Negreanu bet. Both quickly folded, and Negreanu grinned and winced, looking as though he'd wished for some action. Monnette said he'd folded 
, although subsequent talk made it sound as though Negreanu would've had that beat.
In any case, Negreanu added a few more to his stack, and now sits with around 16,000 as we near the end of Level 4.
"Whenever I start talking about transhumanism, people look at me like I'm psycho."
So said Justin Bonomo to his table just now, who chuckled in response. He went on to explain the meaning of term, which involves entertaining different ideas of what it means to be human, including considering the possibility of incorporating technology into the human body (e.g., a computer chip in one's brain).
Far from considering the idea outlandish, Bonomo's table mates seemed intrigued.
"It makes for some interesting questions," said Brian Meinders, winner of last week's Event 25: $1,500 Limit Shootout. "Such as 'What are you?'"
"The definition of a human is definitely going to change in the next 30 or 40 years," Bonomo responded.
The conversation was interrupted momentarily as the Miami Heat-Oklahoma City game reached its conclusion on the television nearby. Many at several tables looked up to watch players hugging one another following the Heat having won the game and title. A most human scene, one might say.
The card game continued. As did speculation about the future.
Humberto Brenes was just now sharing sticks of gum with a couple of his table mates, including the player sitting to his right. With half the table smacking away, it folded around to the small blind who raised, and Brenes called the bet.
The flop came 
, and when checked to Brenes bet, and his opponent called.
The turn was the 
. This time both players checked. And chewed.
The river was the 
. Brenes' opponent checked, and when Brenes bet his neighbor raised his eyebrows and blew a bubble. He thought a little longer, then with a pained look let his hand go.
Brenes showed the table one card — the — which didn't do much to dissolve the pained look on his opponent's face. Then, just as he'd shared his gum before, Humberto shared a peek at the other card to his neighbor alone, and his reaction suggested the second card took away any bitter taste the hand had caused.
Level: 4
Limits: 200/400
Ante: 0
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