Sitting two seats along from Kara Scott on the feature table is PokerStars player Owen Crowe. The 26-year-old is one of those bigger stacks at the table, starting at close to 900K. Famed for a monster year on PokerStars in 2006, including a Sunday Million win, it’s been a good World Series for the Canadian who took over $81,000 last month in a $1,500 no limit hold’em event for his eighth place finish. Now, going into the break, he’s on a comfortable 1.3 million.

The break in any event that’s edging closer to the business end can be a mixture of worry and pent up excitement. Some players walking out of the Amazon Room are dialling a buddy or a loved one as they stride for the door. That then turns into either yelling (which echoes all the way back up to the casino floor) or pleas for reassurance, the promise that something good is bound to happen, from a distance voice of sympathy.

Then there are those busy doing interviews, those seeking sanctuary among a couple of railbird buddies, and those looking for a tranquil place to refocus on the task at hand.

Talking of the latter I’d place PokerStars player Ylon Schwartz well and truly within that category. Ylon, who we talked about yesterday as part of our Day 4 coverage, is the quiet type, preferring some peace and quiet between levels as he contemplates what lies ahead. It could be a profitable future. At last count he had 1.1million.

“It’s still early. You really need to get to the last two tables to make a lot of money.”

It’s a good point. For most a ‘double-your-money’ scenario (the first to bust out in the cash made $21,230) would sit nicely in a bank account. But the field has thinned and is made up of the kind of players that are thinking bigger, daring to picture a greater prize. Ylon is right, there’s still a lot of poker to play.

Tell that to Kara Scott, who came bounding up to me in one break after yet another interview with a TV outlet from somewhere. The contrast couldn’t have been more different.

“This is so much fun!” she said, clapping her hands together and then punching the air – all the calm exterior she shows at the table temporarily going up in smoke. “It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm up to 374,000. I’m having a great time.”

After confessing that I’d expected her to be out by now (based on the colossal chip monsters surrounding her on the feature table) she hurried off in good spirits to take her seat back on stage. Soon after she was up to over 700K.

Stop press: Ylon just took a big hit going into the break, an ironic smile on his face as he left the Amazon Room, now down to less than 300K.