Usually the thought of the bubble, the money and a place on a feature table is big deal. But in a high roller event, with players plastered with bracelets, titles and all manner of plaudits you suspect that isn't as big a deal as it might be. Play has noticeably slowed a little since Denis Phillips busted (in back to back hands). Instead the hour has taken hold and no one wants to waste the last 13 hours at the table by leaving now. So we wait.

Josh Arieh's fortunes have changed for the better, adding much needed weight to his stack while Bill Edler remains the short stack. Other highlights include someone mentioning that today is Elvis's birthday. Play continues into level 11.

***

An updated approximate chip count into level 11, at 1.30am ET.

Liya Gerasimova - 125,000
Nick Schulman - 45,000
Josh Arieh - 52,000
ElkY - Team PokerStars Pro - 240,000
Julian van Till - 85,000
Will Molson - 220,000

Bill Edler - 75,000
Scott Seiver - 195,000
Eli Elezra - 270,000
Daniel Alaei - 260,000
Humberto Brenes - Team PokerStars Pro - 260,000
Daniel Negreanu - Team PokerStars Pro - 185,000

It seemed to take only a few blinks but suddenly we're down to 14. Antonio Esfandiari is out, so too PokerStars Six man Ivan Demidov. But with blinds now 1,500-3,000 with a 300 ante things are getting pricey. Dennis Phillips is still taking advantage of the occasion re-raise, tangling regularly with Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu for at least another 50,000. Erik Seidel had fought the rear guard action but has also gone.

Others are moving all-in, but with no takers, as we wait for six more eliminations. Josh Arieh tries it twice just for blinds, then doubles up through Nick Schulman with K-T against J-T. Steve Biliarakis also just departed.

(chip counts are approximate)

Table 1
Denis Phillips - OUT
Bill Edler - 73,000
Scott Seiver - 250,000
Eli Elezra - 280,000
Daniel Alaei - 320,000
Humberto Brenes - 310,000
Daniel Negreanu - 180,000

Table 2
Liya Gerasimova - 120,000
Nick Schulman - 185,000
Josh Arieh - 70,000
ElkY - 150,000
Julian van Till - 140,000
Wil Molsen - 151,000

Stop press: Denis Phillips is out. The PokerStars Six player was eliminated by Scott Seiver who made a flush on the river to Phillip's two pair. 13 remain.

Minutes before the end of the level Bill Edler moved all-in on an ace-high flop. Eli Elezra opted to fold an ace rather than call. That was the last hand before the 15 minute break.

With level nine underway people are starting to question how long this is going to last. By that I mean the players. This will go on, most people think, until eight players remain, and typically this seems to be what the players want. And with blinds now 1,000-2,000 with a 200 ante the cost of living is starting to go up.

Julian van Till moved in, but got no takers, picking up the blinds. Eric Seidel was doing the same a table over, moving in once, then twice without any business.

Two players were destined to leave though, the first being Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem. He was eliminated by Nick Schulman in a raising war that pitched Hachem's J-Q against Schulman's A-T. The ten on the turn was enough to see off the former World Champion.

Next it was Isaac Haxton, eliminated in 19th place in a big hand against Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. Haxton had bet 14,000 on a flop of 7h-Qh-3s and Negreanu called for a 5h turn card. This time Haxton moved all in with Ac-9h only for Negreanu to call with pocket sixes, a hand that held to the river, eliminating Haxton and taking his stack to close to the 200,000 mark.

The end of the level and another break. Notable chips counts from some of the remaining players are below. Daniel Alaei, whose tournament hopes were boosted earlier today with a pot against Antonio Esfandiari, holds the chip lead on approximately 195,000, closely followed by Michael Fosco who can thank Jason Mercier for his loot.

In the last hand of the level Antonio Esfandiari moved all in, hoping to induce a call from Alaei who decided against it. Not so for Jason Mercier who busted out on the same hand.

Daniel Alaei - 195,000
Michael Fosco - 170,000
ElkY - Team PokerStars Pro - 141,000
Eli Elezra - 135,000
Daniel Negreanu - Team PokerStars Pro - 128,000
Denis Phillips - PokerStars Six - 122,000
Humberto Brenes - Team PokerStars Pro - 120,000
Steve Biliarakis - 110,000
Isaac Haxton - 90,000
Antonio Esfandiari - 85,000
Julian van Till - 85,000
Joe Hachem - Team PokerStars Pro - 83,000
Jason Mercier - 39,000
Ivan Demidov - PokerStars Six - 25,000
Josh Arieh - 19,000
Eric Seidel - 17,000

When play resumes blinds will be 1,000-2,000 with a running ante of 200. Tournament officials intend to play 12 levels today, although they will stop the action should just eight players remain.

We didn't have to wait for first blood on table three. It started with Denis Phillips limping under-the-gun. Jason Mercier next to him did the same, so did Daniel Negreanu and Isaac Haxton. Fosco and Hansen stayed in from the blinds.

That's six to see the flop of 9h-3c-7c.

Fosco started this time, checking from the small blind. Hansen was in the big. Spreading his chips he led out, 4,600 which Phillips called, as did Mercier before the action was folded back to Hansen. The turn followed, a Qs. Hansen had another look and counted his chips, 16,100 in all, which after a few seconds he pushed in. Perhaps sensing Mercier was still keen, Philips raised to 35,000 total, causing Mercier to make audible noises of regret before folding.

Pocket threes for Phillips, ahead of Hansen's Qh-7h. The Jc on the river helped no one.
"I thought he might have a set" said Hansen, getting up to leave. "I couldn't help myself! I was going to check-fold!"

23 players left.

Phillips wasn't finished getting busy, tangling with Daniel Negreanu a hand or two later. Negreanu made it 3,600 pre-flop which Phillips called for a flop of Ts-2h-5h. Phillips made it 6,500 form the small blind and Negreanu min-raised. "I'm a min raise guy" he said before Phillips called. The turn brought a Ks which both checked. The river was As, which was also checked.

Phillips showed Kd-Td to Negreanu's Ah-3h. Another pot for the PokerStars Six man, who heads towards the chip lead.

Another player departs leaving three tables of eight, the most notable being table three, a thorough going bruiser featuring a line up that can only cause tremors in the time continuum. Denis Phillips, Jason Mercier, ElkY, Daniel Negreanu, Humberto Brenes, Isaac Haxton, Michael Fosco and Hansen make this an encounter of the unlikely kind, like they'd been flung here at speed by some massive physics experiment and all that's left is to wait to see how bright is the explosion.

Blinds are up, now set at 800-16,000 with a running ante of 200. One of that list has won a high roller event before. Jason Mercier talked to us earlier today about this one...

Watch PCA 09: Jason Mercier High Roller on PokerStars.tv

Eliminations after the break, taking us from 28 to 26 players. With blinds now at 600-1,200 with a 100 ante, Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu saw to the first, seeing off Isaac Baron who had been stranded as one of the short stacks for some time. Then Dutch PokerStars qualifier and Supernova elite Julian von Till saw off Canadian Michael Watson, K-5 over J-2 (deuce on flop, five on river).

The payouts are available, divided as follows...

1st - $433,500
2nd - $228,000
3rd - $137,000
4th - $91,300
5th - $70,800
6th - $68,500
7th - $57,000
8th - $45,700

With 26 left it was close to becoming 25 in a hand that caused some consternation, involving previous high roller event winner Jason Mercier and Michael Fosco playing in only his second live event.

The end of the hand saw Fosco double up through Mercier, aces against kings, but it was the preliminaries that caused the stir.

Fosco had first thought he was the big blind and put chips out but was actually under-the-gun. Told of his mistake this then became a limp. Mercier then made it 4,500 before Fosca re-raised to 14,200. Mercier re-raised to 34,000 before Fosca went all-in. When Mercier called showing kings Fosca turned over his aces, causing Mercier to walk off in disgust, suspecting had been shooting a line.

Either way, despite a few specific words in capital letters that we can't mention, Fosca doubles up leaving Mercier some work to do.

In the early fog of today Greg Raymer was eliminated from the High Roller event, one of the 18 players to depart so far, along with Dario Minieri. Daniel Negreanu on the other hand is headed in a nicer direction, resting on 105,000 at the break after two recent victorious pots, including one against Jason Mercier.

Notable chip counts from among the 30 players remaining at the dinner break...

Daniel Alaei - 220,000
Denis Phillips - PokerStars Six - 130,000
Jason Mercier - 125,000
Daniel Negreanu - Team PokerStars Pro - 105,000
Humberto Brenes - Team PokerStars Pro - 100,000
Isaac Haxton - 100,000
Josh Arieh - 95,000
Gus Hansen - 85,000
Eli Elezra - 74,000
Joe Hachem - Team PokerStars Pro - 70,000
Antonio Esfandiari - 66,000
Ivan Demidov - PokerStars Six - 66,000
ElkY - Team PokerStars Pro - 65,000
Chris Moorman - 57,000
Mike Watson - 35,000
Eric Seidel - 27,000
Isaac Baron - 25,000

Play pauses for a 90 minute dinner break, which is more than enough time to watch this a few times - the Daniel Negreanu experience...

Watch PCA 09: Table talk with Daniel Negreanu on PokerStars.tv

The high roller event is just a dream gone by for two more players. Sorel Mizzi, who suffered in a bad hand in the first levels, held on with some fight but couldn't massage his 5,000 into anything that might last into level six. Gone.

It was the same fate for Boris Becker whose initial good start faded and culminated in an exit at the hands of Josh Arieh. His set of fives outlasted Becker's flush draw sending him to the rail, leaving 35 players.

The chip leader was Antonio Esfandiari but that changed in a pot that saw him run into aces and give up half of the 125,000 pot. Gus Hansen has also given up a few thousand, calling an all-in on the button with Ad-Jd to his opponents Kh-Qd. First out on the flop was a queen; the rest just passed the time.

"Yes!" said Hansen while passing over chips to pay for his bad luck.

PokerStars Six man Denis Phillips now appears as one of the front runners with 130,000.

More changes at the tables with ElkY slotting in opposite Eric Seidel. Josh Arieh just bumped his stack up a little, limping with pocket jacks to beat Joe Hachem to a pot.

Daniel Negreanu called a pre-flop raise by Shaun Deeb on the button, 5,200 for a flop of Ad-8s-6c, the first he'd seen in a while. The action was checked to Deeb who made it 18,000 and Negreanu folded after a brief count.

Boris Becker holds on to the majority of his stack although he's in a gradual slide as the blinds go up again to 400-800 with a running ante of 75. This is level six, the last before the dinner break.

The last winner of a high roller event was Jason Mercier in London last September. He talked to the video blog team about this one...

object data="http://www.pokerstars.tv/common/flash/smil_player.swf" height="247" id="embed_flash_html_1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="440">
Watch PCA 09: Jason Mercier High Roller on PokerStars.tv