Welcome to event 10 of the 2006 WPC where POY contenders get a last crack at earning points in a preliminary event before heading into the championship. The $5,000 no-limit hold’em tournament hosted 251 players competing for a grand total $1,217,350 prize pool. 28 players are getting paid.

The notables who have already cashed are Eugene Todd in 25th place, WSOP final tablist Rhett Butler in 24th place, the colorful and coordinated Dan Alspach (Mr. JJ Liu) coming in 22nd place, and Nenad Medic who took 21st prizemoney.

Going into Day 2, with 19 players remaining, are three WSOP and WPT champions working towards making today’s final table. Joe Tehan (WPT) sits comfortably in first position with more than half the chips of the next-in-line multi-bracelet winner Erik Seidel (WPT/WSOP). “Tex” Barch is only 50k behind the two leaders, while Shannon Shorr has a lot at stake as he slides all over the POY leader board (currently in 5th position). John Gale (WSOP) is nearly tied with Shorr in chips, while Nick Binger (Michael Binger’s brother), Brandon Steven, Mike Thurman and Steve Song are coming in with average stacks. “The Armenian Express” Grigorian is currently in 11th position and two-time WPC final tablist Justin Bonomo sits short stacked with 50,000.

For a better rundown of today's standings, click on Event Overview and Results located in the upper left section of any update page.

This should be an exciting Day 2, and the final table promises to be an interesting one. Preliminary events never looked so good, so stay tuned to Card Player for the last day of coverage until the championship begins. We’ll be bringing you photos and live updates, as we recap key hands and player eliminations throughout the day.