Perhaps it was just never meant to be Hevad Khan's day. Down to two tables in the $2,500 PLHE/Omaha event he was held up on his way to the Rio and arrived a few minutes late in a bit of a fluster.

He was low in chips, but after two early bustouts he secured a double up and a new-found hope of stacking up nicely for an assault on the final table, bracelet and $244,862 first prize.

Hevad Khan

But it was short lived as he slipped back again and succumbed finally in 11th place, picking up $18,170 for his first deep run in this year's WSOP. The final hand summed up his day. In a Hold'em hand, he open raised the pot from the button to 42,000 and got re-popped by Najib Bennani in the small blind, effectively for all the Team PokerStars Pro's chips. He duly threw out his last 50,000 but found himself dominated.

Khan: [as][8c]
Bennani: [ad][10d]

The board missed them both, and Khan, who final tabled the WSOP Main Event in 2007, was out, just two spots from the final table here today.

The bags had been unpacked and the chips stacked up once more as day three of the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha event got under way. One man was missing, though - Team PokerStars Pro Hevad Khan. He couldn't really afford to be late, as with 18 players left he was one of the shorter stacks with 110,000, and the blinds would do substantial damage to his unmanned stack.

Hevad Khan eyes final table spot

Khan knew it, too, and at that moment his hulking figure filled the doorway of the Amazon Room as he burst in, a bit breathless after being held up on his way. Such was his hurry, he ducked under the rail to reach his seat, taking it with him until it fell to the floor, narrowly missing the backs of players already concentrating on their first orbit of play.

His task today is clear: make it to the final table with enough chips to make a run at the bracelet and the $244,862 first prize. It won't be easy - he's well below average and now down to 90,000, but as I write two have busted and we are down to 16, with Daniel Makowsky leading with 535,000.

From the 453 who set out on the rocky road to the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha bracelet, just two tables remain. Of those 18, Team PokerStars Pro Hevad Khan is still at his seat.

The larger-than-life Khan started the day healthily enough and has not looked back since. He currently sits with 133,000 - about the middle of the pack.

Hevad Khan

While he is still in with a shout of the final table, ElkY and Daniel Negreanu fell short, but still made the cash. ElkY bust in 29th for $6,293, while Negreanu went a little earlier in 43rd for $5,074.

If he makes it (and play stopped soon after 2.30am until tomorrow), Khan will be the second member of Team PokerStars Pro to make a final table of the series after Greg Raymer came third in the $40,000 No Limit Hold'em event for more than $700,000. Negreanu nearly made it, but bubbled the final table of the $10,000 7-card Stud.

After busting today, Negreanu hot-footed over to day one of the $10,000 World Championship Mixed event - not a bad idea as he's now chip leader with 110,000. Also in this illustrious field - and we'll bring you more news of this event tomorrow - are Team PokerStars Pros Vanessa Rousso, who is also big in chips on 85,000, Katja Thater on 46,000, Victor Ramdin on 39,000, Chad Brown on 36,000, Alex Kravchenko, 15,300, Gavin Griffin, 13,300, and Barry Greenstein on 10,000.

146 out of the 194 starters reamain and first place will get $492,375.

The US national anthem rang out from the Amazon room to celebrate the fact three new champions, all from the US, were on the central podium to pick up their bracelets. Jason Mercier, $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha, Freddie Ellis, $10,000 7-card Stud, and Steve Sung, $1,000 No Limit Hold'em, stood proudly to attention as most of the room (at least the Americans playing) joined them on their feet.

One of them was Team PokerStars Pro Hevad Khan, who of course stood taller than most seeing as he is seemingly nine-foot tall. Khan wants one of those bracelets for himself, and he's in good shape in day two to go deep in the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha event, having started with 56,700 from the remaining 97 players with the average about 31,000.

Hevad Khan

He nearly didn't make the start, getting to his seat just as the dealer was preparing to get the action started. Just as well, as our man was on his big blind (blinds 300-600 for the PLO).

His first hand of the day was an anti-climax: In the big blind, playing Pot Limit Omaha, three saw a [qs][kc][8c] flop. Check all round, as they did for the [9d] turn and [8h] river. Khan showed 5-7-2-5 - no good.

But we saw some if his trademark aggression in only the second hand of the day. A player in early position made a raise to 1,800, Khan called from the small blind, and the two saw a [5h][qs][kc] flop. Khan checked, the initial raiser bet out 10,000 - and Khan re-raised the pot to take it down.

A trademark move for the man who final tabled the Main Event in 2007 and now has more than $2.5 million in tournament cashes. Soon after he picked up another pot to send him up to 90,000, nestling nicely in the top five.

Some 453 players started this event, and we're down to 86. Only 45 of them will get paid, with top spot bagging $244,862.

With Khan in the field are some other senior Team PokerStars Pros - Daniel Negreanu (38,000), ElkY (62,000) and Greg Raymer (31,000) are fighting on, as is Team PokerStars Germany Pro Benjamin Kang (28,400).