The delirium set in at the Rio as players entered their eighteenth hour of play.  Many people were wondering if Day 9 would have to be added to the schedule just to get a true final table set.

Blinds have gone up to 250,000/500,000 with a 50,000 ante.

More Of The Same

Things tend to slow down quite a bit at a poker table when millions of dollars in cash prizes and sponsorship deals are on the line.  Players were taking their time with every decision whether it be a raise, call, or open fold.  It was no wonder we spotted railbirds and media curled up in a ball to catch a few moments of shuteye.

The Long Awaited November Nine

It has been an epic journey to get to the November Nine, but it has finally happened.  When the final ten players were assembled, both Brandon Steven and Michael Mizrachi were short stacks and either were at jeopardy of being eliminated right before the final nine.

After almost six hours of ten handed play, it would be Brandon Steven who would not be returning back to Las Vegas in November.  Jonathan Duhamel raised to 1,225,000, and Brandon Steven moved all in for 4,475,000.  Matthew Jarvis called the all in, and Duhamel surprisingly got out of the way.

It was heads up to the flop and everyone was on their feet in anticipation of the action to come.

Steven turned up his hand first and showed down A♣ K♠.  However, this wasn’t a made hand against the Q♠ Q♣ of Jarvis.

The flop came out T♣ 4♥ 3♦.  The crowd went wild, as everyone was one step closer to completing the epic round up.  The 4♣ came on the turn, and the 5♥ came on the river.  The board was safe enough for Jarvis to hold with his queens and deliver a devastating blow to Brandon Steven.

Although it was a particularly somber moment for Steven, the crowd, media, and staff rejoiced in the prospect that the beginning of the end has been founded.  The 2010 World Series of Poker is over as we know it, and when we return in November it will be to crown a new legend to be added to the pages of poker history.

Chip Counts

Courtesy of www.WSOP.com

Source:Pokerlistings.com