Joseph Cheong will have to wait until November to play for a bracelet. We had two November Niners in our starting field today, and both of them have had far less success in this London version of the WSOP Main Event.
Cheong has just become the latest victim of Day 1a after a steady slide down and out the door. He had just 3,750 chips when he shipped it in preflop with king-jack. Ted Lawson found ace-king and made the call, and a board full of blanks is all she wrote for Cheong.
The good news for the young man is that, unlike the rest of this field, he still has one more chance to snag a bracelet this year. We'll see Cheong and the also-busto Michael Mizrachi in November at the final table of the main Main Event.
"I did most of the damage," Jason Mercier informed us with a smirk as we walked away. "... Just so you know."
The tables behind the bar have begun to break since Ross Boatman, Arnaud Mattern, John Eames and Andrew Lichtenberger have all arrived in the Flame. They are sitting for long though as we're about to go on a 90 minute dinner break.
Mainly movers - another table has broken and the whole downstairs area has been cleared in preparation for the Heads-Up final which is coming up in a short while. As new people fill in gaps which are slowly appearing, the tables have to adjust to one new face and the new faces to entire new tables. One such newcomer downstairs was James Keys, who came 9th in the 2007 first WSOPE £10k main event here. No sooner was he reseated then he was moving all in over the top of Dan O'Brien's 2,500, bet on the turn of a board. O'Brien declined to call and Keys is up to around 19k.
Despite a promising start since his late, and somewhat flamboyant arrival, it looks as though "Poker Brat" Phil Hellmuth will be heading into the 90-minute dinner break with a less than satisfactory stack.
I joined the action of the turn of a board where Hellmuth had led for 4,500. After a moment or two of deliberation his opponent made the call.
The river was the , and deliberately and meticulously, Hellmuth counted out 10,500 and chucked it across the line. A brief pause later and the call was made, his opponent tabling to scoop the pot.
Hellmuth, clearly disgruntled, shook his head and waved his hand in the air in frustration before throwing his cards into the muck.
As a result of this last-minute crash, Hellmuth will return with a depleted stack of 20,500. It's a shame the break arrived; the media could have been treated to some fireworks.
Four levels are in the books, and we've got two more to play. But first, dinner! Everyone's getting a little hungry (or at least we are), and we'll take a 90-minute break for some munchies.
See you back here at 8:50 p.m. for some after-dinner pokering!
With 20,000 in the middle and a board waiting patiently on the felt, Scott Montgomery (small blind) slid enough chips across the felt to put Jeff Lisandro (under the gun) all in.
Lisandro instantly pushed his stack across the line, almost beating Montgomery into the pot, and added, "If you've got me, then good luck to you."
But Montgomery didn't "have" him, his one rung down from Lisandro's to award the Italian/Australian the pot.
and was called in one spot.
to end Dempsey's WSOPE campaign.
board. O'Brien declined to call and Keys is up to around 19k.
board where Hellmuth had led for 4,500. After a moment or two of deliberation his opponent made the call.
to scoop the pot.
board waiting patiently on the felt, Scott Montgomery (small blind) slid enough chips across the felt to put Jeff Lisandro (under the gun) all in.
one rung down from Lisandro's 
to award the Italian/Australian the pot.
