Event 9: Top Prize

$630 + $70 (NL)

With 197 players in the field, first place will be more than $37,000, paying 18 spots (16th-18th earn approx $1,800). The players were three short from adding another pay level (19-27).

Mike Beasley (Hollywood, FL) is off to a good start and is the unofficial chip leader with 80k. Mike Summers (Charlottesville, VA), who finished 12th in the September, 2009 Borgata Poker Open says, "tell everyone Beasley keeps getting aces and his opponents have ace-king."

Also at Beasley's table is Eric "Clown Face...er, Clown Fish," who has 50k.

Table 8 has a lot of action, as Summers is joined by James Boyle (Maryland, via Scotland) and Ted Geier (Sunnyside, NY) who's perfectly timed "stall," buys him an extra minute before break. "I have two emergency phone calls to make," he says. "There's no way we play another hand," as there's less than a minute on the clock.

80 players remain with an average stack of 30k.

Players are back from break and Level 7 (300/600/75 ante) is underway.