With nine players remaining, there are only two short stacks left in the tournament: Matthew Di Perna at table 32 and Benoit Litalien at table 28. Matt has been continually popping out of his seat at every fold to check on his compatriot at the other table. The difference between 9th and 8th place is a whopping $80 or “almost 4 hours work,” according to one helpful onlooker – certainly nothing to sneeze at.

The tension remained high until one of our gladiators took his inevitable fall. The one left standing? Matthew Di Perna! Congratulations! He remains the short stack, but he is guaranteed at least $350 for his efforts. Well done. Now the question is: can he make it to 7th? We’ll see!

9th: $270 – Benoit Litalien