To read updates from level 21 onwards, click here.
4.45pm: BREAK
Jan-Joost Van Den Bogert was eliminated just prior to the break, collecting £1,010 and the players are now on their bi-hourly 15 minute sabbatical.
We'll be back soon as we continue 13-handed for the title.
See you soon!
4.27pm: Carroll spike's Tountas out
Adam Carroll just received a shot of good fortune, taking on Vasileios Tountas's preflop shove with [Ac][Tc], only to find himself out-kicked - Tountas revealing [As][Js].
A board of [Qh][Th][5s][6c][6d] was just the ticket however and although Tountas looked a little sad, he left the table quietly and with little fuss. He collects £1,010.
Caroll up to 180,000...
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 6,000/12,000/2,000
4.12pm: It's all gone Darkin here
Aaron Helmore and Mike Ellis have both been vanquished courtesy of Samuel Darkin. The three went to war preflop - Helmore with [Ts][Jc], Ellis with [4d][4h] and Darkin holding [Ks][9s].
A board of [5s][6d][7s][2s][Ac] awarded a decisive victory to Darkin, who chips up over 450,000 with two metaphorical scalps to put on his metaphorical mantelpiece.
Helmore and Ellis finish in 17th and 16th places respectively, both collecting £895 for their deep run.
Just 15 remain now, the final table is in sight and you sense there is an air of seriousness growing ever more tangible amongst these players.
3.48pm: Paul wins battle of the Riches
Richard Paul just sent Richard King hurtling to the rail, his nominally-ahead A-5 holding versus King's desperate move with K-7.
King, who has been a constantly genial presence at his table, manages to make his way through to 22nd place where he collects £705. His banter will be missed!
3.32pm: The carnage continues
There is scarcely time to draw breath. Another host of eliminations have seen
Iain Raydon
Hannah Martin Dombrowski
Sergey Chernykh
and Sameer Singh
hit the rail, though they managed to slip into the slightly higher payout spots and collect £555. Congratulations guys!
3.22pm: Big hit for Torres
Our erstwhile chip leader Alejandro Perez Torres no longer occupies that lofty position, surrendering his spot to TK Hogarty.
It was a direct transfer of chips from one to the other - a button (Torres) - small blind (Hogarty) war breaking out between the two that finally saw the pair get their stacks in preflop - Torres holding [Ad][9c] and in big trouble against Hogarty's pocket kings.
A board of [Ks][Td][Js][5s][6d] saw Hogarty pick up a huge pot (he had around 250,000 at the start of the hand) to boost him up to 520,000, whilst Torres is relegated back into the pack with a below-average stack of 160,000...
3.12pm: Cash rich, chip poor
All the following have been eliminated with the consolation of having cashed for £485 :
Denas Benevicius
Epameinondas Sintos
Haifeng Liang
Stephen Miles
Dominic Wells
Matthew Stock
Pradyamna Chand
Jason Robertson
Liang's exit was particularly cruel, he seemed to have won a flip to get himself back in contention, holding [Ad][Th] to opponent Allan Pike's [8s][8c].
A board of [As][Qh][5d][Kh] looked set to book his double, then the poker gods intervened, sending the [8d] on the river to cut short his victory celebration. His body collapsed, his tablemates commented on how that was a cruel way to exit but Allan Pike simply stacked up his chips - up to 280,000 now...
LEVEL UP: BLINDS 4,000-8,000-1,000
3.01pm: Torres leads the chip charge
Many of the stacks have aggregated in value but one man leads by a decent margin. Alejandro Perez Torres is that man.
He has 435,000, though Thomas Postelwaite with 360,000 and Phikip Szeto with 205,000 are also well placed to cause some damage in this tournament yet.
2.56pm: Payday frenzy!
Now all the shortstacks who were just hanging in there have secured a payday, the action has become wild and uninhibited once more.
That bubble bursting precipitated a rash of eliminations - the following players all busting in close succession - all of whom secured a £435 payday.
Congratulations to the following:
Edward Thomson
Pablo Martin-Romo
Paul Fordyce
El-Jay Macdonald
Rui Caiadas
Mark Poi
George Alexander
James Edgington
2.41pm: The bubble bursts! Victor Illyukhin finishes in 48th
If any further evidence was required of the vagaries of the poker gods, look no further than the unfortunate Russian Victor Illyukhin. He came into the day heading the chip counts, but in a seismic fall from grace, he lost all those chips, finally finishing up on the bubble.
Ouch.
His exit saw him commit the last of his chips with [6d][4d] on the turn of a [8d][6c][5h][7h] board with a straight, only to be picked off by Matthew Stock holding the better end of the straight with [Kc][9h]. No chop on the [Td] river and Illyukhin hits the rail.
Cheers all round from the survivors - everyone else is getting paid!
2.33pm: Back for level 17
We're back and although the players have had a few moments out to take stock and marshal their mental forces, the tension will continue unabated until that bubble spot is decided.
We continue hand-for-hand. Good luck!
To read updates from levels 13-16, click here.