We expected Day 2 to sort things out. It didn't fail. After the end of eight levels, we slashed the field by 164, burst the bubble, and found ourselves a well known chip leader, setting us up nicely for a day of play tomorrow that will reduce the field to a final six.
The man out front is Chris Brammer.
We wrote yesterday of the likelihood that Chris Brammer could be one of the players to beat on Day 2, not least after his performance in the High Roller event where he finished second. It proved accurate. After what proved a brutal day he got the edge over Tim Wong, who led until the final stages, the pair bagging up 646,000 and 623,000 respectively.
Chip leader tonight, Chris Brammer
Tim Wong
The difference was owing to two hands played in the closing stages. Earlier today Wong had seized the lead with a great call. Now he would lose it to a great call, made by Ben Mayhew in a pot worth 100,000.
Meanwhile Brammer was doing the opposite, sending Sin Melin to the rail with ace-jack vs. ace-six, Melin being all in for 90,000. Her departure secured Brammer the lead.
Sin Melin
With the eight levels played on the day 31 players will return tomorrow for what should be a thriller.
Falling in behind Brammer and Wong are Tony Salmon, who bagged up 537,000 at the close, Spaniard Sergio Aido, a UKIPT winner in London in October, who closed on 511,000 and Abhiskek Khaitan on 493,000.
Other notable players will include John Eames with 388,000, Ben Vinson with 317,000, Richie Lawlor on 310,000, Jamie Skyes on 281,000 and Rupinder Bedi with 196,000. A full list of the chip counts is below:
Christopher Brammer - 646,000
Tim Hong Wong - 623,000
Tony Salmon - 537,000
Sergio Aido - 511,000
Abhishek Khaitan - 493,000
John Eames - 388,000
Joe Laming - 383,000
Viktor Leonov - 355,000
Colin Tang - 327,000
Ben Vinson - 317,000
Adam Forsyth - 313,000
Richard Lawlor -- 310,000
Robert Sherwood - 307,000
Ben Mayhew - 305,000
James Sykes - 281,000
Simon Deadman - 275,000
David Jones - 258,000
Emmett Mullin - 238,000
Nicholas Gavriel - 235,000
David Price - 201,000
Rupinder Bedi - 196,000
David Clifton-Burraway - 194,000
Charles Akadiri -- 188,000
Ganesh Jayaraman - 185,000
John Stokes - 185,000
Daniel Lukacs - 129,000
Nigel Pemberton - 125,000
Brendan Keenan - 120,000
Sarbjit Kular - 104,000
Ben Spraggons - 77,000
Iason Riziotis - 77,000
There was no time wasted on the way from 195 players to the bubble, which took a little longer than five levels. After nearly an hour of hand-for-hand play the bubble burst, to the relief of the final 71 players. That relief didn't extend to Dave Ulliott. He was the first to depart, sauntering to the rail after his pocket sixes ran into pocket queens. He would find plenty of company before the day was out.
Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott
Dara O'Kearney, who had doubled up twice on the bubble, secured a cash finish but departed in 66th place. David Docherty went out in 54th place while the combined Day 1 chip leader Mitch Johnson was eliminated in 46th place. Matt Perrins departed in 40th place, immediately followed by Jack Ellwood in 39th. Another big name Jason Wheeler was out in 35th place.
Dara O'Kearney
At one stage it looked as though Mickey Petersen had a place in Day 3 locked up. He doubled up three times in the evening session, taking his stack from eight big blinds to more than 250,000. But then down again to a handful of blinds he shoved with eight-seven of hearts, only for Nicholas Gavriel to stop him with aces. Petersen went out in 36th place.
PokerStars Team Online's Mickey Petersen
It means 31 players will spend at least part of their Sunday playing for a place at the final table. It also leaves them the difficult choice. Do they choose discipline--an early night to be well rested for tomorrow? Or instead opt for ill-discipline--a short walk into the marquee and the PokerStars players party, specifically it's free bar, which is now well and truly open.
That choice will no doubt be written on the faces of the players tomorrow when the action restarts at midday. For now you can catch up on the events of today at the following links, this one for levels 9 to 12, and this one for levels 13 to 16. And you can see who's cashed for what so far right here.
For now though it's good night from Nottingham.
Stephen Bartley is a PokerStars Blog reporter.