A couple of hours ago, OmahaEd was pretty much counting himself out. He was short-stacked going into the final table and didn't have many bets in his arsenal. In fact, he was already eying a $2,500 Omaha event scheduled to start at 5pm. That was his plan, anyway.

There are two final tables going on right now. A Pot-Limit Hold'em event is running on the main stage (featuring none other than last year's PokerStars qualifier turned bracelet-winner Jon Friedberg). At a side table, the finals of the Omaha Hi-Lo/Stud Hi-Lo are going on. Many poker TV start began at the final table and that has made the rail very crowded. I'd venture a guess that as many people are watching the OE event as are watching the one on the main stage.

Ed is fun to watch. In a cowboy hat and boots, he sits on the table next to David Benyamine. When Ed puts his his bets, he does it with force...enough to scare small children, I'd say. Then he sits back with a genial smile that says, "Call me if you dare."

Three people have dared so far. The first was John Phan who lost a sizable hand in the Omaha round. Later, in a Stud round, he got all-in versus Benyamine with a set of fives that improved to a full house and the wheel for the scoop. Benyamine made his set of eights on sixth street, and for a moment, there Ed feared he was headed for the rail.

"That's the first time my heart started beating like that in years. He hit that eight, and I thought...is there some kind of karma here?" he said. (Just yesterday, Ed laid a beat on a guy that might have led to Ed's feelings that he was a due a bad beat).

Just as the round ended, Ed scooped a big Stud pot and now, if he lets me, might be on his way to me calling him OmahaEd-Stud.

Now, with six players remaining, he sits third in chips behind Tom Schneider and Annie Duke.