We're just about to enter level seven, meaning blinds at 200-400 and a 50 ante. There are 162 left from the 279 who started today and, predictably, some a faring better than others.

In the happy category, we find the likes of Daniel Stern, from the United States, who is not only sitting on the same table as Isabelle Mercier and Liz Lieu -- worth the buy-in alone -- but also has about 65,000 in chips.

His tablemates aren't quite so chirpy: Mercier has about 12,000, even after winning a decent pot with A-J just before the break. Lieu has slightly more, but not so much that she's troubling the chip leaders.

Most definitely among those -- probably at the very top -- is Patrick Antonius, the Finnish high-stakes player and glittering EPT alumnus. Antonius has at least 60,000, possibly much more.

He makes up at least one component on the undoubted table of death here: to his immediate left is Martin Wendt, also chipped up to about 24,000, and Marc Goodwin, a poor relation on about 8,000.

Table of death: (l-r) Patrick Antonius, Martin Wendt, Marc Goodwin

That table also happens to feature Ross Boatman, the solitary Hendon Mobster in today's field, sitting with a meagre 5,000, as well as Eric van der Burg, the Dutch player who just missed out on the final table at the Monte Carlo Grand Final earlier this year.


Ross Boatman

And it doesn't stop there: EPT watchers will probably remember Anton Bergstroem, from Sweden, who made the final table here in season two. He has 22,000. Oh, and there's Dag Mikkelsen, a PokerStars Supernova from Norway, who led the World Series after day four, sitting behind 13,000 or so.


Dag Mikkelsen

Elsewhere, Theo Jorgensen, from Denmark, always a contender when the EPT comes to town, has about 41,000, recently doubling up with Q-Q against A-K. The queen on the flop was overkill. Alexander Stevic, another EPT star from Sweden, has 22,000. And while we're in the Nordic countries, Stig Top Rasmussen, from Denmark, has 25,000.

Johnny Chan's domination is waning somewhat. He's down to about 21,000.

As far as Team PokerStars goes, well, it isn't really at the moment. Luca Pagano just shipped most of his stack elsewhere and has about 1,100; Humberto Brenes is also likely to be moving his shark forward fairly soon: he has about 8,000. Daniel Negreanu isn't necessarily panicking yet, however. He has 11,000.

On the rail, we find Dario Minieri, Marcel Luske and Terence Chan, among many others.

Update: Isabelle Mercier just busted. She had 3-3, her opponent had J-J and Isabelle missed her backdoor straight draw on the turn. She's out.