I stood on the rail watching Humberto Brenes' face contort. It slipped from a smile, to a scowl, to something you'd find in Madame Tussaud's closet. I wondered from afar if it was more fun to watch Humberto Brenes or be Humberto Brenes. To be sure, there was one thing that was decidedly not fun. That was playing against Humberto Brenes.

Decked out in custom PokerStars Costa Rica gear, Brenes came into the day in the top ten in chips and stayed there for most of the afternoon and evening. The Costa Ricans, I've found, are a proud bunch. They fly their flag when they play. They want people to know they are playing against a Tico.

Brenes and his brothers long ago made a name for themselves in poker. Humberto has been here since the start of the WSOP and threatened to go deep a few times. This time, in Event #17 ($1,000 NL Hold'em), he went as deep as Day 2 would take him. Going into Wednesday, Brenes sits at 564,000 in chips at the ESPN televised final table.

Brenes fame should not overshadow Jon "pokertrip" Friedberg. He, too, has made the final table of Event #17. (Click here to see Event 17 Day 2 Updates)



Here's how they stack up going to the final table:

1. Mike Pomeroy 1,325,000
2. John Phan 747,000
3. Tom Hawkingberry 675,000
4. Humberto Brenes 564,000
5. Thang Luu 314,000
6. Corey Chaston 229,000
7. Kevin O'Donnell 222,000
8. Jon Friedberg 189,000
9. Michael Halford 89,000

Good luck, tomorrow, gentlemen.