Carter recorded his first cash in the WSOP in 1990, and picked up bracelets in 1991 and 1994. He has continued to experience success at the World Series every year since, adding three cashes in 2008 to his already impressive resume. In addition to his two bracelets, Carter finished 3rd in the WSOP Main Event in 1995, behind Howard Goldfarb and champion “Action” Dan Harrington.

A Las Vegas resident after moving from Oak Park, Illinois, Carter has shared the table with many of the toughest players in the world, so making a final table is nothing new to him. He felt good about the tournament in Event #11 right from the start, “I stayed kinda right in the middle in chips, benefitted from other people’s mistakes, just felt good about it.”

Carter currently sits 7th on the list of most WSOP cashes lifetime, with 48. He sits close behind Humberto Brenes and Chris Ferguson, and joked, “I’d probably be first, but I don’t play hold’em.” An Omaha specialist, Carter holds more Omaha final tables than any other player, and won a bracelet in Omaha in 1994. Interestingly enough, his friend weaktight won a WCOOP Omaha bracelet in Event #21 the same week that Carter won his in Event #11!

Even living in Las Vegas, Carter prefers the online game nowadays to going to a casino to play. With the ease of firing up a game on PokerStars, the convenience of the online game, coupled with no errors in splitting pots and lower rake makes it much more likely to find Carter on PokerStars than at the Bellagio these days!

Carter has been on PokerStars since a friend turned him onto the site 4-5 years ago, using his birth date at his screen name. With his 60th birthday coming up in a couple of weeks, a victory in WCOOP Event #11 is a pretty good birthday present!

What is it that attracts people to the game of omaha? Perhaps it is the optimism that is inherent in opportunity. Opportunity created by four hole cards instead of two or having 17 outs to the nuts (sometimes twice). Perhaps it is the satisfaction in pulling down three-quarters of a pot, while your opponent only gets one-quarter. That oft elusive scoop. The pleasure in announcing "nut nut." Perhaps it the possibility that it isn't really a thousand ways to lose, but a thousand ways to win.

Event #11 $320 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo of the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker kicked off with 1,733 entrants. Some of the names are already familiar to you: Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes, Barry "barryg1" Greenstein, Chris "Money800" Moneymaker, Dario Minieri, Gavin Griffin, Hevad "RaiNKhAN" Khan, Humberto “Humberto B.” Brenes, Isabelle "NoMercy" Mercier, Joe Hachem, Katja Thater, Luca Pagano, Marcin "Goral" Horecki, Steve "stevejpa" Paul-Ambrose, Tom McEvoy and Victor Ramdin. One of the names, familiar or not, will be forever known as the WCOOP Event #11 champion. To go along with the title was $88,383 in cash and a WCOOP bracelet.

The final table was set when the following players took their seats:

Seat 1: lucasino (1,278,017 in chips)
Seat 2: gillete (471,703 in chips)
Seat 3: 92848 (1,283,552 in chips)
Seat 4: The Omaholic (1,850,554 in chips)
Seat 5: a_zuzolo (423,716 in chips)
Seat 6: astarisborn (1,061,792 in chips)
Seat 7: Fedigan221 (168,409 in chips)
Seat 8: fazy4 (160,965 in chips)
Seat 9: A_Ivanovich (233,292 in chips)

First to the rail was Fedigan221. As the second shortest stack at the final table, Fedigan221 limped from the cutoff and was called by A_Ivanovich in the small blind. lucasino checked his option from the big blind. Was a short-stack double-up in store for Fedigan221, or would one of the blinds catch good in an unraised pot? lucasino bet 60,000 after the 2d-5c-Jc flop, and Fedigan 221 raised all-in to 213,409. lucasino made the call with top pair King kicker and a King-high flush draw. Fedigan221 flopped two pair and an open-ended straight draw with a low draw. The Jd on the turn gave lucasino trip Jacks to go along with his flush draw. The Tc fell on the river, giving lucasino not only a flush, but a runner-runner full house. Fedigan221's 9th place finish was worth $7,278.60.

Shortly after Fedigan221's elimination, the other short-stack met his demise in a battle of the blinds. astarisborn completed from the small blind and fazy4 checked his option. The flop came 8s-As-7s and astarisborn checked. fazy4 bet 30,000, astarisborn min-raised to 60,000 and fazy4 called. When the 7d hit on the turn, astarisborn led out for 90,000 and fazy4 called again. The 5d was the river card, prompting astarisborn to fire 240,000. fazy4 called all-in for less, showing Ad-7c-6d-6s for sevens full of Aces and an 8-7 low. astarisborn showed 8d-8h-4s-2c for eights full of sevens and a 7-5 low, beating out fazy4 in both directions. And with that, the first two eliminations took place at the hands of the big blinds who saw a flop for free. fazy4 collected $10,398 for the 8th place finish, but astarisborn collected a pot that propelled him to 1.5 million in chips.

The next player to go was A_Ivanovich, who led the field throughout the latter stages of the tournament but reached the final table as the third shortest stack. A_Ivanovich potted pre-flop from middle position, leaving himself only 82,764 behind. The rest of his chips went into the middle on the flop of 2s-8s-2c. A_Ivanovich held Ac-Qh-6s-5d for overcards and low possibilities. 92848, his sole opponent in the hand, held As-4d-4c-3d for two pair with the nut low draw. The last two cards were Th-8h, eliminating the possibility of a low. A_Ivanovich's 7th place finish brought him $15,597.

lucasino, who came to the final table third in chips, was sent to the rail in 6th place for a $20,796 cash. Pre-flop, lucasino raised from the cutoff to 140,000, and 92848 re-raised enough to put lucasino all-in for his last 438,202. lucasino picked a bad time to take a stand with an Ace in his hand (Js-Ac-Qh-8c), as 92848 already had two of them (Ah-Qd-As-Td). Throughout the tournament, we noted several big hands where Aces were cracked, but lucasino could not pull off the same feat even though he flopped top pair top kicker to go along with his emergency low draw. The board ran out 3c-Jd-7h-Ad-7c, giving 92848 Aces full and a 916,404 chip pot. 92848 moved to second on the leaderboard behind astarisborn.

The Omaholic, fresh off a $1,256.64 cash in Event #12 Mixed Hold'em, collected an even bigger cash in Event #11 for his 5th place finish - $25,995. After a raise from a_zuzolo to 120,000 and a call from astarisborn, The Omaholic re-raised from the big blind to the tune of a half million. a_zuzolo folded but astarisborn made the call. The Omaholic moved all-in for 171,800 after the Ks-Th-Jd flop, and astarisborn looked him up holding Ad-Kd-Qs-4c for the nut straight. The Omaholic held As-4s-2h-2d for a pair of deuces. He would need to catch perfect runner-runner to survive, but the 9c-7h on the turn and river weren't those perfect cards. The 1,483,600-chip pot won by astarisborn gave him a commanding chip lead over the four remaining players. He had 4,421,792, which dwarfed the next highest stack of 1,193,828 held by 92848.

Having both a monster chip stack and the button, astarisborn raised pot to 175,000. gillete then re-raised to 575,000 out of the small blind. After another raise from astarisborn, this time to 1,000,000, gillete made the call and was all-in before the flop. Based on the heavy pre-flop betting, we weren't surprised that one of the players had Aces. And based on all of the cracked Aces that we witnessed throughout the day, we weren't surprised when that player's Aces went down to a turned two pair. The hole cards of the players were as follows:

astarisborn: Tc-3h-2h-As
gillete: Ah-4h-Qc-Ad

The flop was Th-8c-6c, giving astarisborn a pair of tens and the nut low draw to gillete's Aces and worse low draw. The 2c on the turn gave astarisborn two pair and made his nut low. The 7c fell on the river, which was of no help to gillete and he was eliminated in 4th place for $36,393.

With astarisborn now up to 5,120,728, it put pressure on 92848 and a_zuzolo to make moves to accumulate chips. 92848 had 1,193,828 in chips to a_zuzolo's 617,444. a_zuzolo's bid fell short in a battle against astarisborn, but he collected $49,650.45 for 3rd place. a_zuzolo raised pot (175,000) from the button and astarisborn re-potted (575,000) from the small blind. a_zuzolo then moved in for 617,444 total and got the call. a_zuzolo showed Kh-Ks-9s-4d and was ahead of astarisborn's As-9h-8d-2c. That all changed when the flop came Qd-Ah-Qh, giving astarisborn Aces-up. a_zuzolo had no chance at a low and needed to catch one of two remaining Kings or two runners to make a straight. The last two cards were 5s-3s, which were of no help.

At the start of heads-up play, 92848 faced a 2/1 disadvantage. But after 92848 won a 1,900,000-chip pot without going to showdown, the two players were almost even in chips. The next big pot went to 92848, giving him a 4.3 million to 2.6 million chip lead. 92848 called on the button, and astarisborn checked. astarisborn check-called 92848's 100,000-chip bet after the Kd-Kh-2c flop and took the lead by betting 300,000 when the Ah hit on the turn. The Ac was dealt on the river, and astarisborn check-called 92848's bet of 600,000. astarisborn mucked when 92848 flipped over 2s-2h-6c-7d for a flopped full house.

astarisborn battled back to almost even in chips, but 92848 would make another big strike for a 3,240,000-chip pot. astarisborn raised to 180,000 on the button, and 92848 re-raised to 540,000. Both players saw a flop of 9d-2s-Kc. 92848 check-raised all-in after astarisborn bet pot (1,080,000), forcing astarisborn to fold. 92848 had an almost 3/1 advantage after that hand.

At this point in the tournament, 92848 started to apply significant pressure on astarisborn, forcing him to fold several hands in a row pre-flop. astarisborn was eventually whittled down to 628,688 in chips and was all-in pre-flop holding Ad-Td-7s-5s. 92848 held Ac-Kh-5h-4c. The board came 2h-Qh-2s-Tc-5c, making no low possible. 92848 made two pair, fives and deuces, but was beat by astarisborn's tens and fives. astarisborn doubled up to 1,237,376. Despite his failure to eliminate astarisborn, 92848 still had a considerable advantage with 5,694,624 in chips.

astarisborn was never able to recover the chip lead and eventually succumbed to 92848's pressure in the following hand. astarisborn raised pot to 180,000, followed by a re-pot by 92848 to 540,000. astarisborn went all-in for a total of 1,417,376 holding As-8s-7d-2h. 92848 had Ac-9s-6d-2s making it a very close hand. The board ran out 4d-Ad-Jc-Ah-Td with no low possible. Both players made trip Aces, but 92848 had the better kicker with his 9 to astarisborn's 8. Over 15 hours of omaha hi-lo action, it all came down to a single pip.

astarisborn's 2nd place finish was worth $66,547.20.

For first place, 92848 added $88,383.00 to his bankroll and a WCOOP bracelet to his wrist.

Congratulations 92848!

2008 WCOOP Event #11 Final Table Results

1. 92848 $88,383.00
2. astarisborn $66,547.20
3. a_zuzolo $49,650.45
4. gillete $36,393.00
5. The Omaholic $25,995.00
6. lucasino $20,796.00
7. A_Ivanovich $15,597.00
8. fazy4 $10,398.00
9. Fedigan221 $7,278.60

For coverage of Event #11 from start to finish, go to the Event #11 Live Blog. Action picks back up later today with Event #13 $215 No-Limit Hold'em w/Rebuys at 2:30pm ET and Event #14 $320 7-Card Stud at 4:30pm ET. To find out what other events are coming up in the WCOOP schedule, check out the WCOOP homepage. There is still time to qualify for the remaining events, and WCOOP satellites are running all the time.

8:07am--Pot, re-pot, all-in, call . . . and we have a winner!

astarisborn got his 1.4 milion in and was called by 92848 pre-flop, holding As-8s-7d-2h. 92848 held Ac-9s-6d-2s and it was very close. The board ran out 4d-Ad-Jc-Ah-Td with no low possible. Both players made trip Aces, but 92848 had the better kicker with his 9 beating astarisborn's 8. Just like that, it all came down to a single pip. astarisborn had to settle for 2nd place and $66,547.20. 92848 took first place, $88,383.00, and his first WCOOP bracelet.

7:55am--astarisborn still has some spark

The chips have been moving back and forth, but more forth to 92848 than back to astarisborn. He was down to 628,688 chips and got all-in pre-flop holding Ad-Td-7s-5s. 92848 held Ac-Kh-5h-4c. The board came 2h-Qh-2s-Tc-5c making no low possible. 92848 made two pair, fives and deuces, but was beat by astarisborn's tens and fives. astarisborn doubled up to more than 1.23 million.

7:28am--Chip counts at the end of the hour 15

Level 31
Blinds 30,000/60,000
Average chip count: 3,466,000
Players remaining: 2
First prize: $88,383

Chip counts:

1. 92848 3,562,656
2. astarisborn 3,369,344

7:23am--The last two standing

At the start of heads-up play, the chip counts are as follows:

Seat 3: 92848 (2,137,656 in chips)
Seat 6: astarisborn (4,794,344 in chips)

7:18am--a_zuzolo eliminated in 3rd place ($49,650.45)

a_zuzolo raised the pot (175,000) from the button and astarisborn re-potted (575,000) from the small blind. a_zuzolo moved in for 617,444 total and got the call. a_zuzolo showed Kh-Ks-9s-4d and was ahead of astarisborn's As-9h-8d-2c. That all changed when the flop came Qd-Ah-Qh, giving astarisborn Aces-up. a_zuzolo had no chance at a low and needed to catch one of two remaining Kings or two runners to make a straight. The last two were 5s-3s, which were no help. a_zuzolo finished in 3rd place, earning $49,650.45.

7:08am--gillete eliminated in 4th place ($36,393)

astarisborn was sitting on a stack of 4,146,792 when he decided to go to battle against gillete. From the button, astarisborn raised to astarisborn 175,000. gillete then re-raised to 575,000 out of the small blind. After another raise from astarisborn, this time to 1,000,000, gillete made the call and was all-in before the flop. Would you be surprised if we told you that one of the players had Aces? Would you be surprised if we told you that that player's Aces were cracked with a turned two pair? Here are the hands:

astarisborn: Tc-3h-2h-As
gillete: Ah-4h-Qc-Ad

The flop was Th-8c-6c, giving astarisborn a pair of tens and the nut low draw to gillete's Aces and worse low draw. The 2c on the turn gave astarisborn two pair and made his nut low. The 7c fell on the river, which was of no help to gillete. He was eliminated in 4th place for $36,393.

7:01am--The Omaholic eliminated in 5th place ($25,995)

a_zuzolo raised to 120,000, astarisborn called, then The Omaholic potted it from the big blind for a cool half million. a_zuzolo folded but astarisborn made the call. The flop was Ks-Th-Jd. The Omaholic moved in for 171,800 and astarisborn looked him up holding Ad-Kd-Qs-4c, the nut straight. The Omaholic held As-4s-2h-2d for a pair of deuces. He would need to catch perfect runner-runner to survive, but the last two were 9c-7h. The Omaholic finished in 5th place for $25,995.

6:50am--lucasino elminated in 6th place ($20,796)

Pre-flop, lucasino raised from the cutoff to 140,000 and 92848 re-raised enough to put lucasino all-in for his last 438,202 in chips. lucasino picked a bad time to take a stand with an Ace in his hand (Js-Ac-Qh-8c), as 92848 already had two of them (Ah-Qd-As-Td). The board ran out 3c-Jd-7h-Ad-7c, giving 92848 Aces full. lucasino left the final table in 6th place and will add $20,796 to his bankroll.

6:34am--A_Ivanovich eliminated in 7th place ($15,597)

After doubling up The Omaholic on a previous hand, A_Ivanovich was left short-stacked and got his chips in on the flop of 2s-8s-2c against 92848. A_Ivanovich held Ac-Qh-6s-5d for overcards with low possibilities. 92848 held As-4d-4c-3d for two pair with the nut low draw. The last two cards were Th-8b, eliminating the possibility of a low and eliminating A_Ivanovich in 7th place ($15,597).

6:20am--Chip counts at the end of the hour 14

Level 29
Blinds 20,000/40,000
Average chip count: 990,285
Players remaining: 7
First prize: $88,383

Chip counts:

1. The Omaholic 1,651,587
2. astarisborn 1,434,996
3. a_zuzolo 1,267,444
4. 92848 852,330
5. lucasino 748,202
6. gillete 679,468
7. A_Ivanovich 297,973

6:14am--fazy4 elminated in 8th place ($10,398)

astarisborn completed the small blind and fazy4 checked his option. The flop came 8s-As-7s and astarisborn checked. fazy4 bet 30,000, astarisborn min-raised to 60,000 and fazy4 called. Turn was the 7d. astarisborn lead out for 90,000 and fazy4 called again. River was the 5d. astarisborn fired 240,000 and fazy4 called all-in for less, showing Ad-7c-6d-6s for sevens full of Aces and an 8-7 low. astarisborn showed 8d-8h-4s-2c for eights full of sevens and a 7-5 low, beating out fazy4 in both directions. astarisborn chipped up to 1.5 million. fazy4 finished 8th for $10,398.

6:01am--Fedigan221 eliminated in 9th place ($7,278.60)

Our first casualty at the final table was Fedigan221. He limped from the cutoff, A_Ivanovich called from the small blind, and lucasino checked his option. It can be a risky move to give the big blind a free look at the flop, and Fedigan221 paid for that move with his tournament life. lucasino bet 60,000 after the 2d-5c-Jc flop, and Fedigan 221 raised all-in to 213,409. lucasino made the call with top pair King kicker and a King-high flush draw. Fedigan221 flopped two pair and an open-ended straight draw with a low draw. The Jd on the turn gave lucasino trip Jacks to go along with his flush. The Tc fell on the river, giving lucasino a runner-runner full house. Fedigan221 was eliminated in 9th place and will collect $7,278.60 for his efforts.

5:58am--Event #11 final table set

With MikeFarha's elmination, the final table was set.

Seating assignments and chip counts are as follows:

Seat 1: lucasino (1,278,017 in chips)
Seat 2: gillete (471,703 in chips)
Seat 3: 92848 (1,283,552 in chips)
Seat 4: The Omaholic (1,850,554 in chips)
Seat 5: a_zuzolo (423,716 in chips)
Seat 6: astarisborn (1,061,792 in chips)
Seat 7: Fedigan221 (168,409 in chips)
Seat 8: fazy4 (160,965 in chips)
Seat 9: A_Ivanovich (233,292 in chips)

5:55am--MikeFarha elminated in 10th place ($4,419.15)

MikeFarha re-raised all-in to 101,449 after lucasino raised to 90,000. MikeFarha held Ah-5d-Th-4c and lucasino showed Ac-3s-Jd-Js. lucasino flopped a set of Jacks, and MikeFarha could not catch up on the Jc-6s-Ks-5h-5s board. MikeFarha collected $4,419.15 for his 10th place finish.

5:28am--ballbanger eliminated in 11th place ($4,419.15)

ballbanger raised to 60,000 under the gun and fazy4 called from the button. The Omaholic also called from the big blind. The flop was 2c-8h-Qh, and all three players checked. The turn was the 5d. The Omaholic lead for 140,000. ballbanger called and fazy4 opted out. River was the 2d. The Omaholic bet the pot (420,000) and ballbanger called all-in for a bit less than 400,000. ballbanger held As-Jc-7h-4d for an 8-5-4-2-A low and just the pair of ducks on board. The Omaholic showed Ac-Qs-8d-3c for Queens-up to take the high and an 8-5-3-2-A low to just edge out ballbanger and scoop the pot. ballbanger finished 11th for $4,419.15.

The Omaholic jumped to 1,804,645 in chips and is the current chip leader.

5:14am--kenydalglish eliminated in 12th place ($4,419.15)

Fedigan221 raised to 56,000 under the gun. kenydalglish in the big blind was the only caller. The flop was Kh-Qd-5s. kenydalglish shoved for 115,317 and got the call. kenydalglish held Jh-6c-Ac-Kd for top pair. Fedigan221 held 8d-Ah-As-2s for a pair of Aces and the lead. The last two cards were 2d-9c and this time the pocket Aces held up. kenydalglish finished in 12th place, earning $4,419.15.

5:08am--kalounardo eliminated in 13th place ($3,379.35)

Fedigan221 raised under the gun to 45,000 and kalounardo called all-in for less. ballbanger called from the big blind, creating a small side pot. Fedigan221 and ballbanger checked down the board of 8h-Qc-3d-4d-Qd. ballbanger showed 9d-6c-5d-3s for a flush and an 8-6 low. The other two players mucked and ballbanger scooped both pots. kalounardo finished in 13th place, earning $3,379.35.

5:00am--zerberus73 eliminated in 14th place ($3,379.35)

lucasino catapulted to 1,152,514 after elminating zerberus73 in 14th place. And just how do you think he managed to win that big of a pot? You guessed it. He cracked zerberus73's Aces. zerberus73 raised to 56,000 from the cutoff, and lucasino called from the button. A raising war ensued after the 8s-Jd-9d flop, resulting in zerberus73 being all-in. lucasino flopped a straight and a straight-flush draw with the Td As 2h 7d in his hand. zerberus73 had a pair of Aces and a gutterball draw. The turn and the river didn't make a better hand for zerberus, and he was eliminatd in 14th place earning $3,379.55.

4:53am--mylo eliminated in 15th place ($3,379.35)

mylo had been nursing a short-stack for quite some time and decided to open raise all-in to 31,242 from middle position. ballbanger called from the button and fazy4 called from the big blind. mylo held Kh-Ts-6h-7s. He managed to make two pair (sevens and sixes), but fazy4 flopped a set of Aces and turned a 7-6 low. mylo earned $3,379.35 for his efforts.

4:48am--Jaguar eliminated in 16th place ($2,339.55)

After ballbanger raised to 24,000 from late position, Jaguar made the call from the cutoff. The flop came Kd-4s-2h, bringing a bet of 48,000 from ballbanger. Jaguar re-raised to 147,601 all-in, and ballbanger made the call. Jaguar flopped three pair holding Ah-Ks-4c-2c, and ballbanger had one pair and a low draw with 6d-7d-Ac-Kh. ballbanger hit his low draw with the 3c fell on the turn, and a better second pair when the 7h came on the river. Jaguar collected $2,339.55 for finishing in 16th place.

4:45am--$30K eliminated in 17th place ($2,339.55)

After everyone folded to him in the small blind, $30K raised to 36,000. zerberus73 called from the big blind. On the flop of Kh-3d-2d, $30K moved all-in for 40,273 and got the call. $30K held Ac-Ks-Qc-Ts for top pair; zerberus73 held 8h-7d-6s-4d for a flush draw with a gutshot and possible low. The turn was the Kd which completed the flush for zerberus73 while giving $30K trip Kings and outs to a full house. The river was the 6d, however, and zerberus73 scooped the pot. $30K finished in 17th place, earning $2,339.55.

4:41am--goose51982 eliminated in 18th place ($2,339.55)

astarisborn limped from the middle, as did a_zuzolo from the cutoff. Then goose51982 potted from the button. astarisborn called while a_zuzolo bowed out. Both checked the flop of Kh-9d-Ac. The turn was the 2d and astarisborn bet the pot (162,000). goose51982 called all-in and showed Ah-8h-3h-2c for two pair with a bad low draw. astarisborn held As-7s-6d-3d for top pair with a flush draw and better low draw. The river was the Kd, which completed the flush for astarisborn and eliminated the possibility of a low. goose51982 finished in 18th place, earning $2,339.55.

4:37am--MikeFarha survives all-in but gets quartered

On the turn with the board showing T-8-6-3, MikeFarha got all-in against lucasino. MikeFarha held A-7-5-2 for the nut low; lucasino showed A-6-3-2 for the same low, plus two pair for the high. The river was a Jack and changed nothing. lucasino chipped up to 839,233 and MikeFarha was left with only a quarter of the pot (207,972).

4:30am--Down to the final two tables

With the elimination of stackowak81 in 19th place, we are now down to the final two tables. The Omaholic is still our chipleader with 975,017. All remaining players are guaranteed to win at least $2,339.55.

4:07am--Chip counts at the end of the hour 12

Level 25
Blinds 6,000/12,000
Average chip count: 364,842
Players remaining: 19
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. The Omaholic 876,017
2. 92848 762,183
3. lucasino 572,261
4. a_zuzolo 552,580
5. ballbanger 513,084
6. astarisborn 483,236
7. MikeFarha 397,944
8. kenydalglish 314,468
9. Fedigan221 303,631
10. kalounardo 299,833

3:54am--gillete finds timely double-up with Aces

Sitting on a short-stack, gillete raised to 35,000 and called The Omaholic's re-raise to 80,000 pre-flop. This left him with only 27,741 behind, which he pushed in after the As-5d-5c flop. The Omaholic made the call and found himself in bad shape when gillete flipped over Ah-5s-Jh-Ac for the nut full house. The Omaholic still had live outs to hit a low, but he ended up counterfeited.

3:49am--92848 is moving on up

astarisborn raised to 30,000 from the cutoff and 92848 called from the button. On the flop of 7c-Kd-5h, astarisborn checked, 92848 bet the pot (75,000) and astarisborn called. The Ah hit the turn and again astarisborn checked. 92848 bet the pot (225,000) and after a few seconds, astarisborn surrenderd. 92848 picked up the pot, moving up to 722,183 in chips and second on the leaderboard.

3:40am--zerberus73 hanging on, robroy busted

Since doubling up MikeFarha, zerberus73 has gotten all-in twice. The first time, against fazy4, he made a flush to take half the pot. Then he moved in on the flop against astarisborn, but did not get called.

robroy got his chips in the middle with pocket Queens on a King-high flop. Unfortunately for him, 92848 held A-K-J-T and had him beat. robroy finished 21st for $1,559.70.

3:25am--robroy gets quartered, MikeFarha doubles

robroy potted (28,000) from the cutoff and 92848 called from the big blind. The flop was As-5h-Qs. 92848 checked, robroy bet the pot (56,000) and 92848 called. Turn was the 6h. 92484 bet the pot (172,000) and robroy called all in for 84,647. 92848 held 8h-5d-3d-2d for the nut low and a pair of fives. robroy held 5c-3c-2h-2s for the same nut-low and a pair of fives, but with an inqdequate kicker. The river was the 8d, giving 92848 two pair for the high and half the low. robroy got quartered, but managed to survive.

MikeFarha scooped a pot and doubled-up through zerberus73, moving up to 5th on the leaderboard with almost 500K.

3:12am--A million for The Omaholic

What's worse than getting quartered? Getting one-sixth. That's what just happened to both Jaguar and Fedigan221 in a hand against chip leader, The Omaholic. The Omaholic raised to 19,999 pre-flop under the gun, with Jaguar and Fedigan221 both making the call. On a board of 8d-4s-Qc, The Omaholic bet 48,000 and both opponents called. The turn brought another low card (5d). The Omaholic bet 215,997, Jaguar called, and Fedigan called all-in for less. After the river 9c, The Omaholic bet 208,000, putting Jaguar all-in. Jaguar made the call. Each of the players held A-2 for the nut low, but The Omaholic took down the high hand with a flopped two pair (Queens and eights). The Omaholic skyrocketed to 1,103,992 in chips after the hand. Just how good was The Omaholic's hand after the flop? Watch for the additional draw he picked up on the turn.

The Omaholic now has a commanding lead over the rest of the field, with the second place player, a_zuzolo, sitting with 608,019.

3:06am--Straight-flush, anyone?

MUCK IT! was under the gun and short-stacked. He potted it (28,000) and all folded to robroy in the small blind, who raised enough to put MUCK IT! all-in. With all his chips in the pot, MUCK IT! showed Ah-7h-7c-4h. robroy held As-6d-4c-2c. The board came 5c-6c-8d-6h-3c and robroy scooped with a 6-high straight-flush for high and a 6-5 low. MUCK IT! left with 22nd place and $1,559.70.

2:55am--Chip counts at the end of the eleventh hour

Level 23
Blinds 4,000/8,000
Average chip count: 301,391
Players remaining: 23
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. The Omaholic 667,741
2. ballbanger 551,084
3. a_zuzolo 564,898
4. Jaguar 535,028
5. astarisborn 523,238
6. 92848 414,536
7. lucasino 406,728
8. kalounardo 351,833
9. zerberus73 280,974
10. kenydalglish 269,138

2:43am--Just the flop, ma'am

The Omaholic is still the chip leader, with 655,741. With that many chips, he can afford to put pressure on the shorter stacks. He just forced gillete out of a pot when he re-raised gillete's 46,665 bet to 168,000 - enough to put gillete all-in - after the players saw a board of 7h-2h-Js.

2:41am--Pocket Kings doing much better than pocket Aces

goose51982 opened for 18,000 under the gun, then dudeoflife21 potted for 63,000 from the cutoff. goose51982 made the call to see the flop of 3s-Js-Ac. goose51982 bet the pot, which was enough to put dudeoflife21 all-in. dudeoflife21 complied, committing his last 48,437 to the pot. goose51982 showed Ad-Qh-4d-3d for top and bottom pairs. dudeoflife21 showed Kc-Kh-7h-2c for a pair of Kings with a low draw. He would need to improve to survive, which he did when the Ks landed on the turn. The river was the 4s, and dudeoflife21 scooped the pot with his set of Kings and 7-4 low.

2:30am--Still a chance

The Omaholic was recently elminated in 41st place in Event #12 Mixed Hold'em and will collect $1,256.64 for his efforts. He still has a shot at a WCOOP bracelet in Event #11. The Omaholic is currently in first place on our leaderboard with 604,966.

2:27am--ballbanger looks to improve on 9th place finish in 2005 WCOOP

ballbanger finished 9th in Event #11 $530 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo during the 2005 WCOOP for a $5,880 cash. He's still in the field today and just chipped up to 567,584 after this hand.

ballbanger is currently in 2nd place on the leaderboard with 27 players remaining.

2:20am--Falling star

MikeFarha raised pot (17,500) from the cutoff, then astarisborn re-potted from the small blind (57,500). MikeFarha shoved all-in for 84,361 and astarisborn called. MikeFarha held As-Ks-Jh-Th. astarisborn held, you guessed it, pocket Aces (Ad-Ac-3h-2d). A-A-3-2 double-suited is considered the best possible starting hand in omaha hi-lo and he was very close, just off by one suit. Then the board came Kh-6s-6d-9h-Qd, giving MikeFarha the scooper with a straight to the King (no low possible). With his Aces cracked, astarisborn dropped to 479,738 and second on the leaderboard.

2:15am--If you can't scoop, three-quarters will do

$30K just took three-quarters of a 201,500 pot when his two pair (eights and threes) and 8-4 low were good for both the hi and the lo. marty7 had the same 8-4 lo to win one-quarter. Not a bad result for $30K, as he moves to 295,540 in chips.

2:11am--astarisborn goes supernova

litered min-raised to 10,000 under the gun. All folded to astarisborn in the small blind, who called. Flop was Kh-Ac-4h. astarisborn bet the pot (25,000) and litered shoved for 77,092 smooth. astarisborn called, showing Ah-5c-3d-2s for a pair of Aces, nut-low draw, and gutshot wheel draw. litered showed Ad-Kc-6d-2c for top two pair, gutshot and weaker low draw. The turn was the Tc which gave litered a flush draw, but the river was the 5s, which completed the wheel for astarisborn, good for the scoop. litered finished 33rd for $1,039.80. astarisborn was up to 606,599 in chips and firmly in possession of the chip lead.

2:04am--Two chances for a WCOOP bracelet

The Omaholic doesn't just play omaha. He is currently sitting in 30th on the leaderboard in Event #12 $320 Mixed Hold'em. Only 49 players remain in that tournament. To follow the action, check out the Event #12 Live Blog. The Omaholic currently sits in 6th place on our leaderboard.

1:59am--The Omaholic gets scooped

MikeFarha limped under the gun and it was folded around to The Omaholic in the small blind, who raised to 20,000. MikeFarha called and the flop came Ah-6h-2d. Both checked and the turn was the 4c. MikeFarha bet 25,000 and The Omaholic called. River was the Tc and MikeFarha bet 70,000 into the 95,000 pot. The Omaholic made the call. MikeFarha showed Ac-Kh-5s-3c for a 6-high straight and wheel for the nut low. The Omaholic mucked and MikeFarha scooped the pot, chipping up to 361,381 (6th in chips). The Omaholic dropped to 360,966 in chips, right behind him.

1:56am--A light at the end of the tunnel?

We started play today with 1,733 entrants. Now that we're down to 34 players, only four tables are in action. Each player is now guaranteed to win at least $1,039.80. Who will emerge victorious? Stay with us over the next few hours to find out.

1:49am--Chip counts at the end of the tenth hour

Level 21
Blinds 2,500/5,000
Average chip count: 198,057
Players remaining: 35
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. astarisborn 492,007
2. The Omaholic 473,466
3. A_Ivanovich 466,502
4. ballbanger 375,916
5. Jaguar 375,781
6. zerberus73 355,058
7. lucasino 284,478
8. dudeoflife21 263,084
9. 92848 237,977
10. kalounardo 236,623

1:41am--A star is born, and cracks Aces

astarisborn raised to 12,--- under the gun and Grizzly51 called on his left. The flop came 6c-6s-9c. astarisborn led out for 30,000 and Grizzly51 moved in for 48,358 total. astarisborn made the call, showing Ac-Kc-4c-2d for the nut-flush draw. Grizzly51 held As-Ad-4d-2s -- those pesky pocket Aces again -- and was in the lead, temporarily. The last two cards came Qd-5c completing the flush for astarisborn, who scopped the pot. That pot moved him up to 6th on the leaderboard. Grizzly51 and his pocket Aces were thrashed in 41st place for $925.82.

1:31am--We may need to rename this blog "How to Crack Aces"

ballbanger scopped a 251,240-chip pot and eliminated TeamShizzz in what's quickly becoming classic omaha fashion - cracking pocket Aces. How did ballbanger manage the feat this time? Watch below.

ballbanger jumped to 341,916 after the hand, which puts him in 4th place on the leaderboard.

1:21am--Flush on the river puts a small dent in A_Ivanovich's stack

-db- survived elimination when he was all-in pre-flop against chip leader A_Ivanovich. -db- held 3h-Th-Qc-Ah against the Ac-As-6d-8c of A_Ivanovich. Was this another pocket Aces hand about to go down in flames? -db- hit the Qh-Jc-8h flop well, with top pair top kicker and the nut flush draw. The turn 4s gave -db- more outs by giving him the better low draw. A river Jh, however, completed -db-'s flush draw and put him at 89,102 in chips - still half the average stack, but not out of the hunt. A_Ivanovich dropped to 333,990, but is still at the top of the leaderboard.

1:18am--Aces finally hold up for Jaguar

ely_cash41 potted from the middle and Jaguar re-potted from the small blind. ely_cash41 made the call. Flop was 7d-3d-Th. Jaguar potted (63,000) and ely_cash41 moved in for 119,122 straight. Jaguar made the call, showing Ad-Ah-9s-3h for a pair of Aces. ely_cash41 showed Ac-7c-4h-2c for a pair of sevens with the nut low draw. The last two cards were Js-Qh, making no low possible. Finally . . . Jaguar scooped an entire pot with his pocket Aces. He chipped up to 301,707, good for 2nd in chips. ely_cash41 finished 47th for $883.83.

1:08am--The Omaholic moves up to third

Oakley1 opened for 9,000 from the button and The Omaholic called from the small blind. dippydough then potted from the big blind, making it 36,000 to go. Both players called to see the flop of 8c-8h-5c. The Omaholic checked and dippydough moved in for 14,774. Oakley1 called, as did The Omaholic. Turn was the 9c. Both players checked the dry side pot. River was the 3h and The Omaholic led out for 84,000. Oakley1 mucked. The Omaholic showed As-Jd-9d-2h for the nut low and two pair. dippydough showed Ad-Kh-4s-3d for a worse low and worse two pair. He was scooped and sent to bed in 56th place ($831.84). The Omaholic chipped up to 280,353, good for 3rd place on the leaderboard.

12:58am--Aces chopped, not cracked, this time

Jaguar opened for 9,000 in the middle and WhoWants2Mes raised to 31,500 from the button. Jaguar made the call and the flop came Th-Ts-8s. Both checked and the turn was the 5d. Jaguar bet 15,000 (less than one-quarter of the pot) and WhoWants2Mes called. River was the Td. This time Jaguar bet the pot, 97,500. WhoWants2Mes made the call, showing Ah-As-6s-4c. Jaguar showed Ad-Ac-Kc-Jc, so both players held pocket Aces for tens full of Aces to split the pot. We guess that beats getting them cracked!

12:52am--Scoop it up

In a hi-lo tournament, scooping pots is a key element of chip accumulation. Unless you're in a multiway pot, chopping will leave you skidding in place for a long time. A_Ivanovich continued to add to his chip stack when he scooped a big pot against lilprog, who was all-in. After stacking 105,164 virtual chips from that hand, A_Ivanovich jumped to 353,354.

12:39am--Chip counts at the end of the ninth hour

Level 19
Blinds 1,500/3,000
Average chip count: 115,533
Players remaining: 60
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. A_Ivanovich 298,522
2. zerberus73 258,021
3. 92848 247,624
4. robroy 240,452
5. kenydalglish 230,989
6. Fedigan221 229,662
7. ballbanger 218,696
8. WhoWants2Mes 200,949
9. jwvdcw 196,593
10. Jaguar 195,335

12:36am--Aces cracked, yet again. Surprised?

Sure, we've been ragging on the fact that a slew of players have gone down with unimproved Aces. But even if you hit a set, that still may not be enough.

Jaguar, (riding near the top of the leaderboard) opened for 7,500 from middle position. WhoWants2Mes called from the big blind. On the flop of Qd-Tc-As, WhoWants2Mes check-called Jaguar's 5,000 bet. Turn was the Js and both checked. River was the 9s and WhoWants2Mes checked, Jaguar bet 7,500, and WhoWants2Mes made the call. Jaguar showed Ah-Ad-3c-3d for a flopped set of Aces, but WhoWants2Mes showed Qc-Jc-8d-7s for the rivered straight. WhoWants2Mes chiped up to 231,213 (6th in chips) while Jaguar's Aces-cracked dropped him to 247,835 (3rd in chips).

12:27am--If you miss out on any of the action . . .

In addition to the live coverage, event recaps, winner profiles and Team PokerStars Pro commentary available on the PokerStars Blog, you can also get caught up on the WCOOP action over at PokerStars.tv. Highlight shows for Event #1 $215 Hold'em (6-Max), Event #3 $215 Limit Hold'em, Event #5 $10,300 No-Limit Hold'em and Event #6 $530 No-Limit Hold'em are already available. The schedule for the remaining events is available at the PokerStars 2008 WCOOP News Coverage page.

12:00am--A_Ivanovich gets paid

A_Ivanovich continues to hold a commanding chip lead over the rest of the field. He just jumped to 363,380 in chips, which is 130,000 more than the next person on the leaderboard. Most recently, he won a 59,560 pot when his full house (sevens full of fives) bested the full house (fives full of Jacks) of $30K.

11:46pm--Then again, sometimes Aces win

WCOOP Event #8 winner, Ulett_23, just took a big hit to his chip stack when he took his top pair top kicker up against the overpair (Aces) of Iteopepe88. The river was another Ace, giving Ulett_23 two pair and Iteopepe88 a set. Ulett_23 dropped to 27,852 after the hand.

Shortly after this hand, Ulett_23 was eliminated in 76th place for a $779.85 cash, ending his quest to become the first double bracelet winner in this year's WCOOP.

11:43pm--Isaac Baron elminated

Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron has been bleeding chips for a while. When he opened for a pot-sized raise, he would get no action. Perhaps that is what prompted him to limp in from early position this time. The Omahaolic raised to 9,000 from the button, WhoWants2Mes called from the big blind, then Baron potted it for 37,000. The Omaholic shoved for 46,912, WhoWants2Mes dropped out, and Baron made the call all-in for less. Baron held Ac-5c-3c-2h and was facing The Omaholic's Ah-Kd-7d-2d. The board cards came Jc-7h-Td-4s-Js, making no low possible. The Omaholic took the pot with a lowly pair of sevens to go with the pair of Jacks on the board. Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron would have to settle for 83rd place and $779.85.

11:40pm--Chip counts at the end of the eighth hour

Level 17
Blinds 1,000/2,000
Average chip count: 83,518
Players remaining: 83
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. A_Ivanovich 265,657
2. Jaguar 212,835
3. BBB-111 187,295
2. saldsald 152,875
4. My Brim Low 182,662
5. dgang 178,041
6. -db- 173,906
7. Fedigan221 172,486
8. gillete 164,011
9. nadremark 162,012
10. goose51982 160,158

11:35pm--When will they learn? Aces cracked, again

Force O Will opened for 4,000 from early position and got called by ThroXerioN on the button. On the flop of 5c-Ks-Ts, Force O Will bet 3,650 and ThroXerioN raised to 21,650. Force shoved for 59,438, having ThroXerioN covered. ThroXerioN called all-in, showing Ah-Ac-Qs-Jh for the overpair with straight wrap. Force O Will revealed Ad-Kc-Kh-Qc for top set and gutshot. The last two cards were 4c-6s and pocket Aces go down in flames, again, leaving ThroXerioN with 84th place and $779.85.

11:27pm--Nut nut!

Chip leader, A_Ivanovich, has just taken down another massive pot. After calling a raise to 5,400 from $30K, both players checked the Kc-2d-3c flop. When the 7c fell on the turn, A_Ivanovich bet 4,585
and $30K called. The river brought 6c, and this time A_Ivanovich checked. $30K bet 16,800 and
A_Ivanovich raised to 45,556. $30K made the call. A_Ivanovich showed 5c-Ac-4s-7s for the nut flush and the nut low, while $30K mucked.

Apparently Scotty Nguyen isn't the only one who plays nut nut.

A_Ivanovich scooped 111,082 in chips to solidify his position atop the leaderboard.

11:22pm--Aces cracked again

Either some folks haven't heeded our warning, or they just aren't following the live blog . . .

CurtyHH potted for 6,300 in early position and got called by WhoWants2Mes on the button. The flop came 3c-Kh-Jd and CurtyHH bet only 5,400 (about one-fourth of the pot). WhoWants2Mes raised to 14,400 and CurtyHH moved in for $40,822 smooth. WhoWants2Mes made the call, showing Kd-Ks-Td-8s for top set. CurtyHH held As-Ah-6d-2s for the overpair with a longshot backdoor nut low draw. The last two cards came 7d-9s, missing the low completely and sending the pot to WhoWants2Mes with his set of Kings. CurtyHH's cracked Aces earned him 93rd place and $727.86.

11:18pm--Beware of those Aces

Win a small pot, lose a big pot. That's what they all say. But just how difficult can it be to win with them regardless of the pot size? Just ask LEVS.tv.

LEVS.tv: lost with AA 5 times in a row yesterday
LEVS.tv: 3 times too KK sets and twice to 77

11:05pm--Tricky board for a flush

A_Ivanovich just took over the chip lead after scooping a 72,226-chip pot. Even with a nut flush draw and a nut low draw on the flop, paired boards can often be tricky to play. And when the board pairs again on the turn, what do you do? Tournament players understand that you have to take your chances when you can. In this case, A_Ivanovich made the right move at the right time.

10:59pm--dgang scoops and lands in the top ten

dgang opened for 5,600 from the middle and joinin maded the call from the big blind. On the flop of Qd-Kh-3s, joinin bet the pot: 12,000. dgang made the call and the 6c hit the turn. This time joinin bet 33,600, not quite the full pot. dgang called. River was the 8s. joinin shoved the last of his chips, 7,237, and again dgang called. joinin showed Jd-Qc-Ts-7d for a pair of Queens and a missed straight wrap. dgang showed Ad-Ah-4c-4h for a pair of Aces with an 8-6-4-3-A low to scoop the almost 120,000 chip pot, sending joinin to bed in 114th place ($727.86). With that pot, dgang was up to 148,000 and joined the top ten on the leaderboard.

10:46pm--And just like that, he was gone

It appeared as if Barry "barryg1" Greenstein was starting to gain some traction in today's tournament. But for those of you who play omaha, you know that the swings can be brutal sometimes. Greenstein got all of his chips into the middle after seeing a flop of 6c-7s-Js holding 6d-Kc-As-3h for bottom pair and the second low draw. His opponent, kenydalglish, showed 7h-2s-Ad-7d for middle set and the nut low draw. You can see the turn and river unfold in the hand replayer below.

In case you didn't watch, Greenstein was eliminated and collected $727.86 for his 110th place finish.

10:40pm--Dubl the fun

Barry "barryg1" Greenstein has chipped up to 62,484 thanks to a double-up from Dublgutshot. Watch this Team PokerStars Pro in action below.

10:35pm--Ulett_23 looking for second WCOOP bracelet

Ulett_23, winner of WCOOP Event #8 8-Game Mixed, is still in the field. He is currently sitting with 60,287 in chips, which is slightly above average. If you missed Ulett_23's run to the title, you can get caught up on all of the action in the Event #8 8-Game Mixed Live Blog and the Event #8 Recap.

10:24pm--Tournament snapshot seven hours into Event #11

Level 15
Blinds 800/1,600
Average chip count: 56,357
Players remaining: 123
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. My Brim Low 218,367
2. saldsald 152,875
3. BBB-111 145,435
4. lilprog 94,612
5. Jaguar 144,004
6. $30K 139,637
7. le copeau 131,580
8. gillete 111,354
9. MC_Ivan 110,811
10. dgang 104,766

Team PokerStars Pros:

Barry "barryg1" Greenstein 33,242 (96th in chips)

10:10pm--Huge pot delivers new chip leader

Three players took a flop of 9c-6h-3h, where it was checked to My Brim Low, who bet 7,200. Darken33 check-raised to 33,600, ely_cash mucked, and My Brim Low moved in for 92,636 straight. Darken33 called all-in for less, showing 9h-Ac-7h-3d (two pair with flush draw). My Brim Low held Ad-4h-Kh-2d for the nut low draw with better flush draw and gutshot. The last two cards were Jh-8h giving My Brim Low the nut low along with a flush to scoop the pot of almost 140,000 chips, sending Darken33 to the virtual rail in 178th place ($623.88).

Just a couple of hands later, My Brim Low was again invovled in a big pot, picking up another 35,000 chips. That put him into the chip lead with about 188,000 chips.

10:00pm--Greenstein doubles up

Barry "barryg1" Greenstein just doubled up to 22,396 after pushing all-in pre-flop from the button after le copeau raised to 4,900 in late position. Greenstein held 2h-Kd-Ac-6d and flopped top pair top kicker wth the nut low draw on a board of Kh-8s-5d. His opponent only picked up the second low draw holding 6s-Ad-3c-9h. The turn and the river were Kc-9s giving Greenstein trip Kings. It would have been a shame to see Greenstein bust early, as he's been keeping his table and the railbirds entertained all day.

9:45pm--Aces aren't all they're cracked up to be

goose51982 potted and KntRoyal re-potted for 12,600, leaving himself with just 354 chips. goose, who had more than 83,000 chips behind, made the call. On the flop of Th-6c-3c, goose fired and KntRoyal called all-in, showing As-Ah-Kd-4s for the overpair and a low draw. goose held Ad-8h-5c-2h for the nut low draw and gutshot straight draw. The last two cards came 4h-Kh giving goose a straight, then a backdoor flush to go with his nut low. KntRoyal's Aces were thoroughly cracked, for which he earned 194th place and $571.89.

9:18pm--Chip counts at the six-hour mark

Level 13
Blinds 600/1,200
Average chip count: 34,316
Players remaining: 202
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:
1. LuckBox237 99,201
2. BBB-111 96,172
3. MC_Ivan 95,366
4. lilprog 94,612
5. goose51982 93,689
6. $30K 91,091
7. astarisborn 89,136
8. chuckles 85,859
9. Reraiseallin 82,257
10. jwvdcw 79,859

Team PokerStars pros:
Barry "barryg1" Greenstein 16,432 (151st place)

9:11pm--Greenstein exercising caution

Team PokerStars pro Barry "barryg1" Greenstein made it to the money, and since the bubble burst he's been playing relatively tightly, waiting for a good spot to mix it up with his stack of 16,432 (a bit less than half the average stack at the moment).

Meanwhile, he's continued to field questions all day. Over the last couple of hours he has told those who were interested that two of his other children (besides Joe Sebok) play poker, that his favorite restaurant in Champaign is the Boar's Head, and that Barry is indeed his real (middle) name.

One inquiring mind has even asked Greenstein "at what age did you lose your virginity?"

barryg1: still holding out

9:04pm--Bustout bonanza claims Ramdin

The predictable landslide of players exiting the event following the bursting of the bubble is now taking place. We're closing in on 200 players as we also close in on the sixth break. Among the recent victims was Team PokerStars pro Victor Ramdin in 247th place.

8:57pm--Our first 100K man

LuckBox237 just jumped into the lead with more than 116,000 after winning a huge three-way pot. Here is how it happened:

8:51pm--The bubble bursts

We've reached the money and wingmanf5 was the unfortunate bubble boy in 253rd place. All remaining players are guaranteed $519.90 for playing in today's event.

8:49pm--Hand for hand

One more elimination and we'll be in the money. 253 players remain.

8:45pm--Games within games

55lucky55 has been delivering Boston Red Sox updates at his table. He recently raised preflop from early position to 2,002. Surprised he didn't make it 2,004 or 2,007 (the years of Boston's most recent World Series triumphs).

Both blinds called -- Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron from the small, and former top ten chip leader Send It - LA from the big. The flop came 3d-Qh-Ah. Baron checked, Send It - LA bet 3,000. "nice freekin flop lol," said 55lucky55 sarcastically, who then folded and went back to the game. Baron called.

The turn was the Qc. This time Baron bet 5,525. Send It - LA called.

The river brought the 4d and both players checked. Baron showed Ad-Th-6s-3s for aces and queens (and no low). Send It - LA showed As-8c-4c-2s for aces and queens with a lower kicker and an eight low. They split the pot. Baron has 71,118, while Send It - LA has 32,679. 55lucky55 has 32,679.

8:34pm--Precipitous dropoff in dropouts

Eliminations have slowed as we creep closer to the bubble. We have 265 left and 252 of those will get paid.

8:31pm--Perhaps they play poolside on their laptops

Player iwearsandals has claimed a few pots and half-pots to build a stack of 78,653, good enough for fourth place at the moment behind BBB-111 (88,522), MC_Ivan (79,560), and dr diamond99 (79,205).

One wonders if iwearsandals has ever run up against IWEARGOGGLES at the tables.

8:23pm--Here comes the Baron

We'll be keeping an eye on Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron, who earlier knocked out fellow pro Scott "BigRiskky" Clements. Baron has nearly $1 million in live tournament winnings and untold online winnings. His biggest live cash was a fourth-place finish at the EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final earlier this year for $771,955.

He currently has 66,062, which puts him 10th on the leaderboard.

8:19pm--Recent eliminations

Team PokerStars pro Humberto "Humberto B." Brenes has been knocked out in 290th place. Some time earlier, our last two final tablists from last year's WCOOP $320 PLO8 event were eliminated as well, with INKO05 going out in 332nd, and VicVega9 in 399th.

Currently 276 remain, meaning we are just 24 more eliminations from the money.

8:06pm--Chip counts at the five-hour mark

Level 11
Blinds 400/800
Average chip count: 23,261
Players remaining: 298
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:
1. LuckBox237 83,472
2. Sharp.Info 80,256
3. goose51982 76,389
4. dudeoflife21 70,313
5. PJMAPEX 68,397
6. moncton27 64,246
7. $30K 59,891
8. joinin 59,457
9. dr.diamond99 58,071
10. kalounardo 57,471

Team PokerStars pros in top 100:

Barry “barryg1” Greenstein 26,822 (96th)

7:58pm--Gomes gone, along with others

Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes just busted in 307th. Other recent eliminations include peer Joe Hachem in 393th place and Mike "Sowerss" Sowers in 346th. We are now down to 303 players.

7:52pm--Gomes loses most of stack

Alexandre Gomes was just involved in a big pot. Several players limped for 600. After the flop came 6d-4h-Ks, Riley1 led for 600 and Gomes raised to 4,200. The rest of the field got out of the way and Riley1 called.

After the Qd hit on the turn, Riley1 bet 11,400, about the size of the pot. Gomes used most of his time bank as he pondered his decision and finally called. After the Js hit the river Riley1 went all-in for 8,472, which barely covered Gomes. The Team PokerStars pro decided to fold and was left with about 8,000 after the hand.

7:43pm--314 remain

...from our starting field of 1,733. We are halfway through Level 10 (blinds 300/600). At the tippy top of the leaderboard at the moment are dudeoflife21 (83,713) and LuckBox237 (81,872).

We'll be watching the money bubble burst soon after the next break, one would imagine. The top 252 finishers get paid.

7:25pm--The Omaholic getting drunk on chips

On a flop of 4h-Qc-3h, Darken33 bet 4,750, mattymat raised to 19,000, and The Omaholic reraised all in for 21,898 total. Darken33 called, as did mattymat.

Darken33: Ad-Ks-Kh-2c (nut low draw, pair of kings)
mattymat: Ac-6c-5h-2s (nut low draw, straight wrap draw)
The Omaholic: As-Qd-5c-3d (two pair, inside straight draw, two outs for nut low)

The turn was the Th and the river the 3s. No one made a low, and The Omaholic's full house (queens full of threes) scooped the huge 68,425 pot. mattymat is out, and Darken33 slips to 18,946.

That pot puts Omaholic in second place, just a hair behind goose51982.

7:22pm--Who needs to go all-in?

Team PokerStars pro Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes has chipped back up to almost 29,000 after winning several medium-sized pots, none of which resulted in him going all-in.

7:12pm--Gomes gives up chips

Team PokerStars pro Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes hasn't fared well since the break, dropping down to just a bit more than 17,000.

In one big hand, ButtonsCuzz got his 6K stack all-in against Gomes preflop in good shape -- Ad-Ah-3s-4s for ButtonsCuzz and Ac-Ks-7c-6s for Gomes.

The board ran out Tc-Qc-Kh-Qs-Qh and queens full of aces ruled the day.

7:03pm--Chip counts at four-hour mark

Level 9
Blinds 250/500
Average chip count: 15,647
Players remaining: 443
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. $30K 58,184
2. MC_Ivan 56,923
3. david_abl 49,160
4. dr diamond99 46,203
5. AJKHoosier1 46,107
6. Darken33 45,281
7. LuckBox237 44,673
8. copi 44,562
9. MrGuggenheim 43,811
10. Jaguar 43,300

Team PokerStars pros in top 100:

Victor Ramdin 29,909 (40th place)
Barry “barryg1” Greenstein 25,884 (59th)
Alexandre “Allingomes” Gomes 23,148 (83rd)

6:55pm--Two from last year's final table remain

We mentioned earlier that six players who made the final table in last year's $320 PLO8 event (WCOOP Event No. 16) were back again this time around. Of those, two remain.

INKO05 currently has 12,520 (244th place). And VicVega9 has 9,437 (312nd). So with 444 players remaining both are stuck in the middle of the pack.

No word on whether or not VicVega9 is currently whistling a Stealers Wheel song.

6:51pm--All-in three times at Table 121

Player e1mdopp just won a nearly 40K pot after he and two others got all in. This is how it happened:

6:43pm--New coinage at Table 220

Team PokerStars pro Barry "barryg1" Greenstein continues to field questions. Observed one of his tablemates to a railbird, "does this look like a classroom?"

Here's a recent sample of the table talk:

QUARAG [observer]: Hi Barry I'm sure you get tired of random people asking you random questions
Bigwoop6: is THAT a question?
QUARAG [observer]: So I guess I had better ask you one
Bigwoop6: there it is
barryg1: as long as they're totally random I'm OK with it
Bigwoop6: lol
Bigwoop6: If he kinda knows the person, he gets terribly aggistated
barryg1: only at misspellings
Bigwoop6: no, aggistated.....that's what I meant
Bigwoop6: It's a new word.
barryg1: that's OK then

6:39pm--The 500 Club

Less than 500 players remain. Knockouts include Team PokerStars pro Luca Pagano in 507th, Brett "gank" Jungblut in 530th, and Justin "Boosted J" Smith in 515th.

6:35pm--Turning up the pressure

Team PokerStars pro Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes has chipped up to 28K with aggressive moves like these:

6:30pm--Live coverage of Mixed Hold'em

Sneak over here to catch the coverage of the other event today.

6:18pm--Baron steals rest of Clements' stack

Isaac "westmenloAA" Baron just knocked a short-stacked Scott "BigRiskky" Clements in 589th. Clements pushed all in with Ah-7s-7h-5h, and Baron called with Ac-Ad-Kc-5c. The board came Jc-Jh-8d-Ts-3h, and Baron's aces carried the day. He now has 7,329.

6:14pm--MC_Ivan current master of ceremonies

MC_Ivan is on a bit of a rush, moving into the chip lead with more than 50,000 after having taken three straight pots cumulatively worth more than 20,000. Here's a highlight from that sequence:

6:05pm--Carl would not be proud

We now have less than 650 players left. Recent bustouts include Team PokerStars pro Marcin "Goral" Horecki in 717th and, sadly, Mrs. Winslow in 708th.

6:02pm--Hachem quartered, loses half stack

A preflop raising war between Tom Sharp and Team PokerStars pro Joe Hachem ended with Hachem all in for his entire 7,106.

When the dust settled, Hachem showed As-6d-4d-2h, while Tom Sharp had Ac-7s-6h-2c.

The board ran out 4c-Qh-5s-Ts-8s. Both had identical lows, but the eight gave Tom Sharp the straight as well, quartering Hachem. That hand pushed Tom Sharp up to 15,272.

5:51pm--Chip counts at three-hour mark

Level 7
Blinds 150/300
Average chip count: 9,495
Players remaining: 730
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. copi 52,387
2. MC_Ivan 48,209
3. mr cellophan 43,209
4. MrGuggenheim 38,111
5. bigart1967 34,654
6. lilprog 33,972
7. le copeau 32,423
8. Buffblastn 32,396
9. david_abl 29,375
10. Send It - LA 29,373

Team PokerStars Pros in top 100:

Alexandre "Allingomes" Gomes 25,398 (23rd place)
Victor Ramdin 22,062 (41st)
Barry "barryg1" Greenstein 16,856 (90th)

5:42pm--Minieri minimized

Team PokerStars pro Dario Minieri just went out with a big call on the river. He held a 9-T in his hand to give him a straight with the J-Q-K on the board, but copi made a huge bet on the river with the nuts in A-T, eliminating Minieri in 748th place. Meanwhile, copi is now the chipleader with 53,787.

5:40pm--River ten trounces Turner

The table folded around to jako7 who completed from the small blind. With 4,334 to start the hand, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner raised to 600 from the big blind, and jako7 called.

The flop came 5s-Kh-Jd. jako7 led out for 1,200, and Turner called. The turn brought the 7c. This time jako7 bet 2,800, enough to put Turner all in, and PearlJammer made the call.

jako7 had Kc-Qs-9c-2s for top pair and an inside straight draw. PearlJammer showed Ac-Ah-Kd-4s for an overpair and a low draw. The river brought the Ts, giving jako7 his straight and eliminating Turner in 816th. jako7 now has 18,404.

5:35pm--An elimination update

Less than 800 players remain. Among those who've departed from their computers are Team PokerStars pros Katja Thater in 975th place and Hevad "RaiNKhAN" Khan in 785th.

5:33pm--No repeat champion

Last year's winner of the $320 PLO8 event, Tiger76, has been eliminated in 815th.

5:31pm--Ramdin ramblin'

Team PokerStars pro Victor Ramdin just took a 5k pot off of fellow PS pro Joe Hachem, pushing Ramdin up to 21,262, good enough for 27th at the moment. Hachem has slipped to 8,306.

5:28pm--Pass the sugar

Facing a preflop shove from gbecks, Team PokerStars pro Joe Hachem decided his Ac-As-Qc-3s was a nice hand with which to call. And it turned out nicely for the 2005 WSOP Main Event champ, pushing his stack up to more than 10,000 on the hand. Check it out:

5:25pm--Did I do that?

Mrs. Winslow is doing fine at Table 19, where Dario Minieri now sits with nearly 22K. Mrs. Winslow, whose avatar is a photo of JoMarie Payton, the actress who played Harriette Winslow on the ABC staple Family Matters, typed, "a married black woman to win this...??? im going against all odds"

And she added, "carl would be proud of me"

5:20pm--Straight (flush) through the backdoor

zanzarra59 raised to 825, and both GameOverXXX and Scott "BigRiskky" Clements called from the blinds. The flop came 3c-Kc-9h. GameOverXXX pushed all-in for 2,315, Clements reraised all-in to 3,425, and zanzarra59 got out of the way.

GameOverXXX Ah-Kh-9s-4s
BigRiskky Ac-Ks-7s-4c

GameOverXXX had the edge with top two, but Clements had the flush draw. The turn was the 5c, giving Clements his flush. Then the river brought the 2c, filling a straight flush for Clements. Luckily for GameOverXXX, he still grabbed a quarter of the pot with his matching low.

Clements now has 6,607.

5:18pm--Tom McEvoy rides off into the sunset

His hand looked pretty good until that darned deuce on the river. Here is how the Team PokerStars pro finished in 918th place:

5:07pm--Humberto takes a hit

Team PokerStars Pro Humberto "Humberto B." Brenes had been riding along fine until his two pair went down. Brenes raised to 450 preflop and horryclutch called. After a flop of Jh-9h-Ac, horryclutch check-raised all-in for 5,261 after Brenes bet 1,350. Brenes called with the Ad-9c-4c-2s for top two pair while horryclutch showed Kh-Ts-3d-2h for a gutterball and flush draw. The flush hit with the Th on the turn and the river Jc did not fill Brenes up. After the hand horryclutch was up to 12K and Brenes dropped to 3K.

5:00pm--Down to triple digits

Less than 1,000 players remain in today's event. Recent bustouts include Team PokerStars Pro Steve "stevejpa" Paul-Ambrose in 1,344th place and Aaron "GambleAB" Bartley in 1,231st.

4:52pm--Chatting with the Bear

Team PokerStarsPro Barry "barryg1" Greenstein currently has about 13,000 chips and continues to oblige both tablemates and railbirds with responses to questions. Click below and listen yourself to some of what Greenstein has to say:

Watch Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein on PokerStars.tv

4:49pm--Dario Minieri casts a spell, catches a full house

Now just because a guy wears a scarf is no reason to compare him to Harry Potter. Dario Minieri looks nothing like the character, plus we don't think Harry Potter was Italian. What was our point again? Oh yes, the Team PokerStars Pro is now up to a healthy 15K in chips. Here was a big one for him where he went in behind but pulled out a full house on the river:

4:43pm--Chip counts at two-hour mark

Level 5
Blinds 75/150
Average chip count: 6,347
Players remaining: 1,092
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. The Cooker 27,938
2. SC0N0SCIUT0 25,942
3. Send It - LA 25,566
4. K_Sorok 25,521
5. Tyr3x 24,404
6. lordhuttyx 23,968
7. truesyalose 21,674
8. EggBall 21,325
9. A_Ivanovich 21,297
10. jakz101 21,009

Team PokerStars Pros in top 100:

Victor Ramdin 19,512 (15th)
Dario Minieri 15,365 (36th)
Barry "barryg1" Greenstein 13,693 (56th)

4:31pm--BigRiskky avoiding risk

lordhuttyx has built up an impressive stack over on Table 74, crossing the 25,000-chip mark and taking the chip lead halfway through Level 4.

Sitting to his left at Table 74 is Scott "BigRiskky" Clements, owner of two WSOP bracelets (both in Omaha games) and two WPT titles. BigRiskky has been mostly staying out of lordhuttyx's way, and is currently below his starting stack with 3,125.

4:29pm--The dedication of a Team PokerStars Pro

Barry Greenstein recently typed into the chat box "i have to wear a PokerStars patch on my pajamas when i play this tournament" He's joking, we think.

4:23pm--Mercier eliminated

Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle "NoMercy" Mercier got it all-in on the turn in very bad shape against her opponent and is out in 1,247th place. Here is the hand that did her in:

4:16pm--GotGame76 gone

Last year's runner-up GotGame76 struggled from the start this time around. By the middle of Level 2, he'd slipped down below 1,000 chips. He survived several all-ins here in Level 3, though in each case he only took half the pot and so couldn't gain any ground.

Finally here at the start of Level 4, GotGame76 got it all in with Ac-Js-Td-2c on a board of Jd-9c-Qd-8h and found himself up against Jagz7's Ad-Kc-Th-3h. A queen on the river gave both players straights, but Jagz7's was better and GotGame76 goes out early.

4:10pm--Theology 101 on Table 120

Players at Barry "barryg1" Greenstein's table have begun asking him questions about various topics. As we've come to expect from Greenstein on forums and elsewhere, he's been most obliging.

Most recently the subject turned to religion, with players asking him about his faith (or lack thereof). He's looked into the subject, to be sure. Says Greenstein, "i studied many religions when I was around 20 and took a course on the bible in college."

While Greenstein isn't much of a believer in the traditional sense, he does admit to an awareness of certain other, higher powers:

barryg1: the razz god has been good to me lately

4:02pm--The "monster" hits

Logicfuzzy? got it all-in with a monster draw and it came through. He raised it preflop to 280 and YOU PICK ONE re-raised to 920. The two saw a flop of 5h-3h-Kc and YOU PICK ONE bet out for 1,920, logicfuzzy? then committed his stack of 2,405 and YOU PICK ONE called. Logicfuzzy? then typed "monster" into the chat box. He wasn't lying. He held Ah-2s-4h-Qc for a wraparound wheel draw and nut flush draw. YOU PICK ONE held Ad-Ac-Jc-3c and was in pretty bad shape although he was ahead at the moment. That quickly changed, however, when the Qh hit the turn. A needless 8h came on the river and logicfuzzy? now sits comfortably with 6,730.

3:48pm--Less than 1,400 players remain

More than 300 players have been knocked out in the first 75 minutes, among them Scott "emptyseat88" Fischman in 1,528th place and Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin in 1,456th.

3:38pm—Chip counts at one-hour mark

Level 3
Blinds 40/80
Average chip count: 4,671
Players remaining: 1,484
First prize: $88,383

Top ten players:

1. Send It - LA 18,295
2. SC0N0SCIUT0 17,948
3. bestpoker03 17,100
4. VARICO 16,435
5. amichaiKK 16,085
6. SlippyJacks 14,895
7. BALOU630 14,361
8. uncledrkmeat 14,145
9. holdemstud69 13,844
10. wasylaa 13,422

Team PokerStars pros in top 100:

Barry “barryg1” Greenstein 10,985 (41st place)
Humberto “Humberto B.” Brenes 8,872 (96th)

3:26pm--Big hand at Table 213.

Team PokerStars Pro Dario Minieri hasn't been very active so far at this table, but his opponents have. Flugster just won a big pot that puts him in the top 30 in chips:

3:17pm--More WCOOP action today

If PLO/8 doesn't suit you, don't forget there's still Event #12 6-max Mixed Hold'em starting in a little more than an hour. This tournament that combines Limit and No-Limit Hold'em has a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000, but if the previous WCOOP tournaments this month are any indication the prize pool will well exceed that.

3:09pm--Back for more PLO8 fun

Scanning the list of entrants to today's event, one finds six of the nine players who made last year's final table (Event No. 16 of the 2007 WCOOP) for the $320 buy-in PLO8 event. Here are their names and where they finished last year: tiger76 (1st); GotGame76 (2nd); INKO05 (3rd); PokerSavage1 (4th); VicVega9 (7th); and mikiantimd (8th).

Last year tiger76 took home $61,419 and the bracelet, though GotGame76 earned a bit more ($68,974) following a three-way deal.

3:06pm--Hachem scoops

Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem just scooped a nice 3,120-chip pot against hAAj_fkp with Qh-Kd-2s-3h on a board of 7d-Tc-As-Jd-8h. No low, so Hachem's Broadway straight pushes him up to 7,240.

3:03pm--Final numbers are in

Registration is now closed and we have 1,733 players, a nice increase from the 1,536 who played in this event in the 2007 WCOOP. The total prize pool is $519,900, well above the $300,000 guarantee. First place will receive $88,383, while players at the bottom of the prize pool in 217th through 252nd places will receive $519 each.

3:00pm--Moneymaker makes early exit

You can't blame the former WSOP champion for getting it all in with his hand in this spot, but he had kicker difficulties and couldnt fill up. Here is the hand that bounced the Team PokerStars pro from the event:

2:46pm--When it's aces versus aces, the other two cards tend to figure

Team PokerStars pro Barry Greenstein just took another big pot after raising Texas Holding all in on a flop of Qs-Ts-4d. Greenstein showed Kh-Ah-As-Kd, while Texas Holding turned over Ad-Ac-9s-8h. The Qd on the turn made it look as though we may have a chop, but the Js on the river gave "barryg1" the hand, pushing him up to 9,435.

2:43pm--Maybe she will show them no mercy

We're happy to see Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle "NoMercy" Mercier here today. You may recall that she never showed for Tuesday's Event #9 $215 4-max No-Limit Hold'em and was blinded off. Maybe she can return the favor today to those who picked on her stack yesterday.

2:36pm--The Bear on the prowl early

Barry "barryg1" Greenstein got off on the right foot in today's PLO8 event, scoring a nice pot on the very first hand of play.

After several limped (including Greenstein), Texasholding raised to 220 from the big blind, and just Mike Bullets and Greenstein called. The flop came 6d-Ad-Qs. Mike Bullets checked, Greenstein bet 560, Texas Holding folded, and Mike Bullets check-raised to 1,320. Greenstein called.

The turn was the Kc. Mike Bullets checked, Greenstein pushed all in for 2,450, and Mike Bullets let it go. Greenstein is quickly out to 5,820 in the early going.

2:30pm--Start your engines

Oops, wrong sport. We meant "Shuffle up and deal!" We're off and running with nearly 1,600 players. Registration will be open for the next half hour so come join the fun if you haven't already.

8:57am-Ready to gamble?

Event #11 of the 2008 PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker will begin at 2:30ET. The $320 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event has a $300,000 Guarantee. Coverage will begin here once the event is underway.