by Simon Young

In any given poker session you can only hope, often in vain, that you will flop a perfectly disguised set to win a huge pot. PokerStars player Josh Evans has done just that three times this afternoon - and is now vying for the chip lead in the Main Event.

Josh Evans: Fighting for chip lead

Josh, from Dallas, Texas, is looking extremely calm behind growing towers of chips that tot up to just under two million. He explained: "It's been about three hands really - each time I made the set on the flop. In the first hand I busted two guys at once, in the second I busted another, and in the last one I doubled up."

There's still a long way to go, but Josh is more than capable of dealing with the different sort of pressure that comes with being top of the tree at an event like this. Luckily he also has loads of people here to support him: "I've got seven or eight friends here - and then my family, who were on holiday in California for the July 4th holiday, showed up, which was nice."

Josh plays exclusively on PokerStars under the screen name pairDboard21. concentrating mainly on MTTs and cash play. He was a PokerStars qualifier at the Main Event last year, busting on Day 2. "So I've done rather better than that," he smiled.

Elsewhere, Mexican lawyer Daniel Elizondo, a PokerStars qualifier, is still in the tournament, but nursing a now shortish stack of 220,000. "I was going along nicely last night," he said, "and then we moved into the bubble period. I was not in danger of busting, but the lengthy hand-for-hand play ruined by momentum. I became frustrated, had no hands worth playing, and lost some chips because of my mood.

"I must just keep calm, I can still build from this."


Derek Thorpe: No luck of the Irish today
Earlier we lost PokerStars qualifier Derek Thorpe from Kildare, Ireland, in 311th place. He first played poker two years ago but has only really taken it seriously in the past six months, so to cash for $39,445 in the Main Event is quite an achievement, especially as he hardly ever plays live poker. Derek, an accountant, enjoyed his table which he shared with two other Irishmen, including pro Donnacha O'Dea.