Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu has been on a chip-rebuilding mission as he nears the money in the $2,000 Limit event. He's now up to 71,000, nicely above average with about ten bust-outs to go to the cash.

A chunk of that came when he made a flush on the river with [ks][qs], and then he added more when he had 9-9 against 8-8. He could have been better off had he not been rivered a little earlier by an opponent holding A-Q against his pocket tens.

Daniel Negreanu

Negreanu has now been moved right next to the rail, and that means being asked for autographs and pictures between hands, a task he is always willing to do. He's also engaging his table opponents in a conversation about the poker merits of a certain Phil Ivey.

While Team PokerStars Holland Pro Marcel Luske has busted, Team Pro Alex Kravchenko has chipped up a bit to around 55,000, thanks in the main to aces which were check-called on the flop, turn and the river.

Both out players are still a long way behind chip leader Rep Porter who has 125,000.

******************

While the rest of he $2,000 Limit field enjoyed a dinner break, Negreanu headed over to the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha, in which he was also registered, to see what he could do with his stack which has been blinding away for more than an hour.

Also in day one of the $10K PLO are a host of Team PokerStars Pros including Humberto Brenes, Dario Minieri, Greg Raymer, Barry Greenstein, Tom McEvoy, world champion Peter Eastgate, and John Duthie, fresh from his runner-up finish in the $10,000 Heads-up.

Minieri could have had a better start, he called a 5,000 river bet only to find he had walked into quad sevens!

It has been at least a couple of days since we reported a deep run by Daniel Negreanu, so we're long overdue a Kid Poker appearance on a tournament leaderboard. Handy, then, that the Team PokerStars Pro is looking to chip up once more and is chirping away at the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low 8 or Better.

With 198 entries, we're down to 38 and Negreanu was nicely positioned with 135,000 as they closed in on the 18 places that will cash. The winner will take home $246,616.

Daniel Negreanu

"I have got his game completely figured out," he said as I wandered up to his table. "I know how to play absolutely every hand in every situation." He was only joking, of course, at least I think he was.

The other players at his table are taking him seriously, however, as he forced them out of two pots in quick succession.

Then things started taking a rather nasty turn for the worse, and he found himself dropping down to 50,000. It rather suggested that he was joking. "Dang, dang, dang. Slipping fast," he lamented on his Twitter page. In one hand he had to pass up more than 10,000 when he was check-raised by Stewart Yancik - folding two pair face up.

The way Negreanu has been running this WSOP so far, this may well be just a temporary interruption of normal service. Two final tables and a tenth-place finish suggest he'll be back among the leaders soon.

STOP PRESSThe temporary interruption to normal service became permanent. Negreanu busted just short of the money. Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko is just about holding on with $50,000.

Daniel Negreanu must be wondering when he'll ever get hold of his fifth WSOP bracelet. Despite riding high from a breathtaking start to this World Series, he's now missed out on a title by a whisker not once, but twice.

First he lost heads-up in the $2,500 Six-handed Limit event, and tonight he finished fourth in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low. That's four cashes out of the last five tournaments, including two final tables and one tenth place.

Daniel Negreanu

While many would be happy with winning that sort of money - another $130,401 is heading into his bank account tonight - Negreanu is set on getting the fifth item of wrist jewellery to confirm his position as one of the game's best tournament players.

Despite a punishing schedule that has seen him play until 3am for the last nine nights, he was in high spirits earlier today when the 17 players returned to resume battle. At one point he stood on his chair to celebrate another pot and spent time chatting to his fans on the rail.

From being one of the shorter stacks early on, he managed to get as high as third, but as the field thinned, and they moved on to the feature stage under the bright lights, his run of good cards seemed to dry up.

Celebrating a pot

He was one of several very short stacks when they had got down to six handed, but managed to survive while others fell. Many a time he was all in, but either chopped the pot or scooped the lot to keep his hopes alive.

Eventually, though, something had to give when they got down to four-handed play - it did, but not without a fight. Down to the felt, Negreanu won a succession of double ups, surviving when at least two of the others were in the pot against him. Finally he fell when on the big blind he called Scott Clements' raise.

On the [3s][4h][4c] flop Negreanu pushed for his last few chips and was called:

Clements: [2s][3c][5s][5c]
Negreanu: [2h][4d][9s][10h]

So far so good, but the [as] on the turn gave Clements a straight, leaving Negreanu drawing super thin to a full house. It never filled up, and the Canadian was out, back again no doubt tomorrow to have a shot at another event, and another crack at that elusive fifth gold bracelet.

Much earlier in the day we lost Team PokerStars Pro Alex Kravchenko in 16th place for a $26,921 payday.

Congratulations, Daniel, on another superb show.

Alex Kravchenko

All photos © Joe Giron, IMPDI

We're down to just four in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low and Daniel Negreanu is clinging on to his dreams of securing his fifth bracelet.

After riding high in chips for much of the final table, it's got tough for the Team PokerStars Pro, and since we got down to four he's been the short stack, desperately holding on to his chips.

Having said that, he's not been afraid to get them in the middle and ride his luck.

John Monnette went in fifth place when Ben Boyd scooped the pot with a straight. A little earlier Greg Jamison went in sixth and Tom Koral in 7th.

Latest chip counts

Daniel Alaei, 3,220,000
Scott Clements, 1,000,000
Ben Boyd, 930,000
Daniel Negreanu, Team PokerStars Pro, 230,000

No one can say Daniel Negreanu is not competitive. You see it at the poker table and on the golf fairways, of course, but just now we saw it between the stage and the restroom.

As tournament staff announced a short three-minute halt in proceedings to the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low final table, it sparked a mad rush for the restroom. Negreanu led the chase, charging off the stage, under the ropes, through the door and up the corridor to the nearest available place of relief.

His competitor was chip leader Scott Clements, and just as the three minutes was up, back in charged Negreanu, his belt still undone, with Clements about 15 paces behind. Breathlessly the pair took their seats, and we were able to get under way again.

Daniel Negreanu

In the first phase of the final table we lost Yueqi Zhu in ninth place after falling to Greg Jamison. He earned $54,179.

Negreanu is still fourth in chips, but up to nearly 700,000. He's still in great shape to bag his fifth WSOP bracelet and $445,898 first prize. Greg Jamison and Annie Duke are the two immediately at risk.

Chip counts, with blinds at 20,000-40,000:

Scott Clements, 1,595,000
Daniel Alaei, 845,000
John Monnette, 845,000
Daniel Negreanu, Team PokerStars Pro, 685,000
Tom Koral, 500,000
Ben Boyd, 400,000
Annie Duke, 305,000
Greg Jamison, 265,000

After a prolonged lull in bust outs, when Annie Duke was all-in three times but survived each one, we've made it down to the final table in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low. Still there, and now on a comfortable 505,000 chips, is Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu.

It is Negreanu's second final table of the WSOP so far - and it could have been three had he not busted just before the $10,000 7-card Stud event last week. A remarkable performance so early in the series.

Daniel Negreanu can't bear to watch

He's currently fourth in chips, although at one point he was as high as third when he looked up at the chips showing on the overhead screens. "Hey, I'm third. Go me," he said.

We were stuck on 11 players for quite some time before we lost Jacobo Fernandez, who was polished off by Tom Koral. The two tables then combined to one, leaving the final table proper to wait for one more elimination. It didn't take too long...

Cameron McKinley was the final table bubble boy, busted by Ben Boyd when they got their chips on on a [ac][ks][qs] board. McKinley had A-Q but Boyd had made a set of queens, and with no low hand McKinley lost the lot.

Players were then dispatched to a one-hour break before the final gets under way on the feature stage.

Good luck, Daniel!

Final table starting chip counts...

Scott Clements, 1,550,000
John Monnette, 970,000
Daniel Alaei, 580,000
Daniel Negreanu, Team PokerStars Pro, 505,000
Ben Boyd, 495,000
Greg Jamison, 440,000
Annie Duke, 290,000
Yueqi Zhu, 235,000
Tom Koral, 180,000
Cameron McKinley, 115,000

**********

Congratulations to Team PokerStars Germany Pro Johannes Strassmann, who is in the money in the $2,500 Six-handed No Limit event and already guaranteed $4,863.

You know what it's like when you hear a song and it sticks in your head for the rest of the day? Daniel Negreanu does. The Temptations' Get Ready is stuck in his head, and he keeps singing it out as he fights to reach his second final table of the WSOP so far.

Of course, the lyrics have a secondary meaning today - he's coming for the other players, seemingly in most hands as he juggles his short stack and attempts to turn it into a force in this $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low tournament.

Get in! Another pot for Daniel Negreanu

He's been up and down more than the elevators in the tallest Las Vegas hotels, and somehow he remains intact as they head off for their first 20-minute break of the day. "It's fun to be on the brink every hand," he told the table.

Team PokerStars Pro Negreanu is on fire at the WSOP. He's cashed in four of the last five events he's played in, and the resulting long days and tight schedule means he's been playing until 3am for the last eight days.

Most would be wilting by now, but the Canadian is pumped on adrenaline, standing on his chair when he scoops a pot, pumping his fist, and constantly chattering to the table or to his large fan base on the rail.

And, of course, he's singing The Temptations.

The fact that he's not tempted by any of life's vices might explain his physical and mental good shape.

We chatted between a hand a short while ago: "It's been so tough these last few weeks, but you know what? I feel great. I'm eating the right things, sleeping well and not touching alcohol."

He then looked at me, in obvious very bad physical (though not mental) state... "As for you......" he said laughing. He has a good point.

We're now down to 13 with blinds about to go up to 10,000-20,000.

John Monnette, 1,182,000
Scott Clements, 698,000
Ben Boyd, 680,000
Yueqi Zhu, 608,000
Greg Jamison, 524,000
Jacobo Fernandez, 375,000
Cameron McKinley, 328,000
Sam Khouiss, 300,000
Daniel Alaei, 235,000
Annie Duke, 168,000
Daniel Negreanu, Team PokerStars Pro, 131,000
Tom Koral, 110,000
Ville Wahlbeck, 42,000